Kindergarten Animal Research Projects

The kindergarten students have been working hard for a month to research about different kinds of animals. They have been learning about animals during reading class so the students worked with partners in library class to do more research. They used the PebbleGo website to find out more facts about the animals including what they look like, what they eat, where they live, and fun facts.
After completing the research the students created Chatterpix projects on the iPads. Students took a picture of their animal and then recorded their voice stating a fact about that animal. The Chatterpix app puts their voice with the picture and makes a video. The videos were shared with other elementary students for all to enjoy. You can click on the words below to watch the videos made by each kindergarten classroom.

Kindergarten Animal Research Projects

Community Helper Research

The first grade students have been learning about community helpers in their reading series this month. In library class students did additional research with a partner about a job that they selected. They had to write down facts they learned about that job after reading a book and finding information on the PebbleGo research website. Students were trying to find out what the job was, where they work, what they wear at their job, the tools that they use, and other fun facts. Students picked their three favorite facts to say in a video. The students created a Tellagami which is an app that allows students to design their person, select a background image, and talk for thirty seconds. Students were able to select what their person looked like, they used a picture of their job as a background image and had to share three facts about their jobs. The students then uploaded them to Seesaw so their classmates and family members could view their videos. The students worked very hard on their videos.

Microsoft Word and Searching the Online Catalog

The second grade students have been learning how to use Microsoft Word to type documents. We have practiced how to type words and leave space between words and paragraphs. After typing their document they learned how to change the look of their document by changing the font type, color, font size, and the alignment of the document. They will use what they have learned to type up information they have been learning in their classroom.

The third and fourth grade students have been learning how to search for books using the online card catalog. They have learned how to search by title, author, and subjects to look for library books. They are able to search at home if they would like by visiting www.libraryworld.com/opac The library name is carptest and they can leave the password box blank. They have learned how to tell if a book is currently checked in or out, how many copies the library owns, and where it is located in the library.

Pete the Cat

The month of January was busy getting ready for our visit to see Pete the Cat the Musical in Dubuque on February 6th. We were busy reading a lot of Pete the Cat books and doing activities to go along with them. Students also got to experience a Breakout EDU kit for the first time this month. Students had to find clues around the room to help Pete the Cat find his magic sunglasses that were locked inside of the box. Most classes were able to break into the box and save the magic sunglasses to help Pete.

The kids had a great time at the musical! Most had never experienced anything like it in the past and were excited to ride on a school bus with their class to see the performance. The kids were all well behaved and polite kids around the others in the theater.

Making in January

In January the Carpenter students have been busy learning more about Makerspaces. Students created a maker journal to use throughout the year to document the challenges they receive and the steps they take to complete those challenges.  Students will use these to document their trials and errors and explain their thinking with the different challenges they are given.

Students also had a week of Makerspaces where they were able to go to a variety of stations that included legos, Beebot coding, Cubelet coding, Osmos, rainbow loom bracelets, and kindness station. Makerspace week took place the same week as The Great Kindness Challenge so one of the stations allowed students to make cards, pictures, or letters for others to give as acts of kindness throughout the week. Other students were also making rainbow loom bracelets for others to show kindness.
There was a note sent home with students this week asking for Makerspace supplies so we can continue to do these stations throughout the year. We can use these supplies anytime throughout the school year. You can find a copy of this supply list at the bottom of this post or on the Makerspace tab of the blog.

Later in the month students used the Pebble Go website to research information about Martin Luther King Jr to celebrate MLK day. Students learned how to navigate the website and find the facts they needed to complete the activity.

Magnificent Things

This week the Shannon students listened to the story, The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires, in library class. This book is a great book and is on the Goldfinch Award nominated list. We discussed how the character in the story never gave up on her plan to make something magnificent throughout the story. She got very upset during the story and the students talked about ways to get calmed down when someone gets very angry.

After we read the story the kids got to test out making things by using Strawbees. The students were given straws and connectors and were told to make a shape. After they worked together they were able to make squares, hexagons, pentagons, and triangles. The next challenge I gave the students was to make a 3D shape. Students were able to make large pyramids and cubes with their groups. The next few challenges were to make letters with the straws and then to make anything magnificent. Some of the pictures below are some of the many magnificent things the students made during the week.

Spaghetti and Marshmallow Towers

Students at Carpenter these past two weeks have been learning about Makerspaces. This summer I received a Iowa STEM grant called Making STEM connections. With the grant I received a large toolbox and many tools and items for the students to use during the school year that help with makerspaces. I introduced the students to the tools last week and they completed a Safety Stoplight to show what tools they feel comfortable using on their own and what tools they need to only use when a teacher is present. We also talked about safety features for each tool as I introduced them so the students would know the proper way to hold and use the tools. Some of the tools we discussed include; sewing machine, hammer, screwdriver, iron, scissors, motors, drills, and hot glue gun. Ask your child what areas they put the different tools in on their stoplight.

This week we have been learning about the Learning Design Process and making Spaghetti and Marshmallow towers. Students had to come up with a plan of how they would create a tower using only what they were given and try to make it as tall as it can be. They drew out their plan and then received 25 spaghetti noodles and 50 marshmallows. Most groups thought that making a cube would work the best but quickly learned that a pyramid has a stronger structure and stay up longer. The students worked very hard this week and enjoyed exploring how to be creative and willing to change your plan and try a new way when things do not work out the first time.

  

    

Non-fiction means true!

The Shannon students have been reading the books on the nomination list for Iowa Goldfinch Award booklist. In March they will vote for their favorite book that we have read so far this year and those votes will be added with other elementary kids from around Iowa to determine which book will win the Goldfinch Award for 2016-2017.

This week one of the books we read and focused on was Ivan the Remarkable Shopping Mall Gorilla. This book talks about the gorilla named Ivan that was purchased and lived in a shopping mall for a long time before being moved to a zoo. Students learned that some books tell us true facts and sometimes have some real photos included in the book.

After learning about nonfiction books we also discussed that we can look at magazines to find out more true facts. Students explored a variety of magazines that we have in the library and were able to see that many of them gave us pictures and information about a variety of animals.

Zoobook magazines shares lots of animal facts and pictures for the kids.

Jorja, Nevaeh, and Isla look at the National Geographic for Kids magazine. 

Maddox and Connor learn about Ranger Rick Magazine

Hour of Code

The Carpenter students participated in Hour of Code this week. Hour of Code is a nationwide movement to get students to code for an hour sometime throughout the week to give them experience learning how to code. Library class this week was 60 minutes instead of 40, students go to choose from a variety of coding games to work on during the hour. Some games included Minecraft, Disney's Moana movie, Frozen, star wars, and Angry Birds. To learn more about the Hour of Code please visit: https://hourofcode.com/us
To complete some of the coding activities click on Activities on the top of that website.

Adamari works on coding.

Karli is working on Disney's Moana coding.

         

Ethan enjoys working on Minecraft coding.

QR Codes and Coding

This week in library class the kindergarten and first grade students learned how to scan a QR code. They scanned a variety of QR codes that linked them to videos of people reading them stories. Students learned how to scan the code and watched the person reading them a story. They will be using these codes in their classroom for listen to reading centers.

  

The 2nd-4th grade students this week worked on reviewing how to use the coding website. The students have accounts on code.org and are working through each step of the course they are on. They started code.org in 1st grade and have done it each year as they get further and further into their course. All 2-4th grade students will be participating in Hour of Code next week with others around the world.

 

Makerspaces

This week at Carpenter school the second, third, and fourth grade students enjoyed creating a variety of things during Makerspace week in media class. Seven stations were setup that students could choose from during library class. One of the more popular areas was the Lego tables; one lego table was the community table that anything that was built at that table stayed up all week long and students from other classes could add onto their creations. At the other lego table students could make things but then take them apart before they left library class.

2nd graders add on to others lego creations

Another popular station was the Make It Station. At this station students are allowed to use a variety of craft supplies to create anything they can imagine. Supplies like toilet paper rolls, duct tape, colored noodles, ribbons, yarn, tissue paper, etc are used in this station. If anyone has supplies similar to this that they would like to donate to the library that would be appreciated. Feel free to send them into school with your child or drop them off at Carpenter School.

Second graders get creative at the Make-It station

Mrs. Lambert's third grade class is very creative! 

Fourth graders work together and learn how to use the Cubelets 

Station three and four used Bluebots and Cubelets. Students got to use Bluebots for the first time and learned how to program them to move around the board. They learned how to move around the board to land on the letters that are in their name or on names of their family members. Fourth grade students used Cubelets for the first time. They were given the devices and a few directions and had to figure out how they all worked. Students tested out many methods and figured out how to get them to move around the table at different speeds and how to make different cubes light up or move in a circle.

Third grader programs the bluebot around the board.

Third grader, Alexis programs the bluebot to find lots of letters.

Station five was the Osmo Station. Students could use the two Osmo devices and got to decide which game they wanted to use. The Osmo games that they could choose from helped them with their art skills on Masterpiece, learning about science with Newton, learning about math with Numbers, their spelling with the Words game, learning about being creative with the Monster game, working with shapes with Tangrams, or how to code with the Coding game. This was the first time they had tried out the coding game and many students enjoyed that one the most.

Third graders playing the Numbers game on the Osmo.

2nd graders helping one another on the Osmo devices.

Station six was the Make-Do Station. At the Make-Do Station students got to be creative with cardboard. The make-do's are plastic screws, screwdrivers, saw, and hole puncher that students can use to attach a variety of cardboard pieces together to make something. Students made things like doll houses, a house for rats and mice, instruments, and devices to hold school supplies. Every time we have this station we get new and different things created by the students.

Jordyn C works on creating with the Make-Do supplies.

2nd graders love to create with cardboard!

The last station that the kids could do was a Kindness station. Since it is Veterans Day on Friday the students could select from a bunch of Veterans Day cards, letters, posters, to decorate and give out to Veterans that they know around the community or in their family.

Fourth graders make cards for Veterans.

In the future we will be using the tool chest and tools that I received from them Iowa STEM grant called, Making STEM Connections. From this grant we have a kit at both Carpenter and Shannon that includes a sewing machine, GoPro Camera, tools, hot glue guns, legos, duct tape, batteries, and motors. We will be learning how to use these supplies safely in the classroom and in the library.