Severe Weather

As part of their Science unit, second graders in Ms. Small's class visited the Media Center last week to learn about severe weather. A small group came each day to research a different type: hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, blizzards, and floods. Students wrote down important facts and then used a microphone to record their information on a Voicethread. Please turn up your volume and listen as the students share their weather knowledge!

Summer Reading Celebration!

Congratulations to all the students who turned in summer reading forms to me during the first few weeks of school. I am SO proud of these students who made reading a priority during their busy summer. Over half of these students even read all 75 days--WOW!

On Wednesday, September 21, the students were invited to the Media Center for a Summer Reading Celebration. Anna Cromwell, from the main branch of the Durham County Library, was the featured story-teller. All students were awarded "I'm a Star Reader!" certificates, "Readers are Leaders" pencils, bookmarks, and a book. Students who read all 75 days were also awarded a gold medal.

Please watch the slideshow below to get a small glimpse of the fun we had together during the celebration :) I created this presentation using Smilebox for Educators.

Free photo slideshow made with Smilebox

Insect Mania!

1st graders have been busy studying insects! I have really enjoyed working with Mrs. Goff, Ms. Roger, and Ms. Foote's classes on special projects related to insects in the Media Center. Please enjoy our work below and make sure your sound is turned on!

Insect Poetry from Mrs. Goff's class:

The students created their artwork and poems in class and then each student worked with me to record their poetry. We used Microsoft's Photostory to make the presentation. We have such talented artists and poets at Club Boulevard!

Insect Slideshow with Ms. Foote's class:

The students in this group learned how organize their information before creating the slideshow on Animoto. We discovered that planning a slideshow on the computer is a lot of work but we had fun learning together!



Insect Research with Ms. Roger's class:

Every day this week a small group from Ms. Roger's class came to the Media Center to learn about a different insect. We discovered that all the insect books can be found on the same shelf! We read the books together, looked at pictures on the computer, and had to find out what our insect eats, where it lives, and our favorite facts. We really enjoyed learning about stink bugs, fireflies, goliath beetles, ants, and dragonflies.

Decomposers, Producers, and Consumers = 5th grade Science!

Mr. Nix's class learned how to use a helpful online resource last Friday during their ecosystems research ... Destiny's Webpath Express. Destiny is our school's online media catalog. To access Destiny, visit http://destiny.dpsnc.net/ and click on Club Boulevard Elementary from the list. Webpath Express is the 3rd choice on the left. Webpath Express is a search engine (similar to Google) but it is kid-friendly. The results are safe, trust-worthy, and appropriate for our students. It is my first stop when conducting online research with our kids. Try it out the next time you need to find a website and let me know what you think!

21st Century Sticky Notes!

I experimented with a new online tool today during Mrs. Bumgardner's orientation--it's called Lino. Lino is a free, web-based sticky note service.The fifth graders worked in pairs on laptops to generate ideas to support how our Manatee Manners should be applied in the Media Center. As the students were typing, their sticky notes popped up instantaneously on the canvas. With the canvas displayed on the Activboard, students were able to see their thoughts in real time and we could discuss them collectively.

When I asked the students for feedback about this new tool, I received these positive comments: "I thought it was cool because we didn't waste a lot of paper writing down our ideas;" "It was fun because we each got to share an idea and everyone's voice was heard;" "I like the sticky notes--they are cool!" Thanks to these students for exploring this innovative collaboration tool--they did a great job and I know they will be prepared to use their manners when working in the Media Center.

Check out part of our canvas below. Click on this link to view the canvas in its entirety:
http://linoit.com/users/ehusketh/canvases/Media%20Manatee%20Manners%20

First Day of School!

It was so much fun to stand in the entry way and welcome students and parents back to a new school year! Several students were eager to give me their summer reading forms and stopped to dig them out of their backpacks before even going to class! :) It warms my heart to know that the kids are proud of what they've accomplished over the summer and that READING was a priority for them. I know these students are coming back to school prepared for a new year of learning and growing. I will be collecting proof of summer reading until Friday, Sept. 2nd. I am also beginning to plan our Summer Reading Celebration to honor those students who read over the summer. I would love to have a few parents help with the planning and implementation of this celebration--please email me if are interested! Thanks!

Open House--Welcome Back!

Almost 40 families visited the Media Center during Open House tonight! I really enjoyed seeing so many smiling faces and meeting several new Manatee families. It warms my heart to see so many students excited about reading! Thanks to Anita Brake from the Durham County Library who was on hand with library card applications.

The Animoto slideshow below gave families a taste of what is to come in the Media Center this year. I am excited to learn and grow with all of our students!