Weebly Tips for CE

Wonderbox Ambassador

 

I am so EXCITED to be selected as a WonderBox Ambassador!! This app is created by Duck Duck Moose. You may know them from the famous app - Chatterpix!  I will be partnering with Ms. Helgen's class to pilot this new app in a school setting!  Be sure to check out Ms. Helgen's Blog, http://sunshinesmilesandsmarties.blogspot.com/  and mine for updates on how this awesome app will be helping our students, here at CE!! 

STEM: Samurai Santa

Library STEM Lesson: Samurai Santa

Have you read the book 

Samurai Santa by Rubin Pingk?

This might be the cutest, most fun, Christmas book EVER!  

Friday we celebrated National Ninja Day by reading this clever book.  Incorporating STEAM or STEM into our library has been a goal of mine this year and this wonderful read aloud offered the perfect opportunity to reach this goal.  

Third grade is studying procedural text at the moment, so we used this as the TEKS to focus on, but encompassed so much more than just how to write procedural text.  

As you may well know, we do not see too much snow in Texas, so in preparing for an EPIC snowball fight, we must first make snow.  Students measured and mixed to create fake snow.  We used three table spoons of corn starch and three heaping and growing table spoons of foam shaving cream.  They mixed the ingredients together to create "snow".  We then fashioned this creation into snowballs.  Following this experiment we went into the computer lab and blogged about 

"How to Make Snow".  

I highly recommend you purchase this EPIC read aloud!  Click HERE for a chance to WIN a free copy!

December CE Library News

Sky Jumpers Audio Book

Check out Chapter 2 of Sky Jumpers!

Link to listen

Bluebonnet Nominee Audio Books

Hello 3rd, 4th, and 5th Graders,
Here are two great read alouds!  Each week we will add the next few chapters for you to listen to and enjoy.  Remember if you read at least 5 Bluebonnet Book Nominees by early January, you get to vote on your favorite.  We will be sure to finish these books by that time :) Enjoy Listening!

Click the player below to hear Chapter 1 of Sky Jumpers, Read by Mrs. Clark

Click the picture below to hear Chapters 1-2 of Quinny & Hopper, Read by Mrs. Huntley

November Library News

Technology Calendar Tutorials

Here are two quick tutorials on how to access the COW Calendar and check out technology through Eduphoria.



How to access and add the COW Calendar to your Outlook calendar:





How to check-out technology through Eduphoria:


Let me know if you have any questions or need any help! :)

Thanks,
Sallee Clark

1st Grade Virtual Field Trip

View on Flipagram

CE Read Aloud: Ninja

CE Read Aloud Welcomes Mrs. Hazard! 

Do you want to know how to be a good Ninja? Especially one who likes cookies and milk? Then check out this fun read aloud - Ninja by Arree Chung.

Learn How to Draw a Ninja like Arree Chung!

October Newsletter

Collaboration Friday: We are Makers! Save the Carrots!

Collaboration Friday groups had to solve a huge problem!  Jasper rabbit keeps eating all the carrots in our garden.  How can we keep the rabbit out? How can we keep the rabbit from eating all of the carrots? After reading Creepy Carrots, students devised defense plans utilizing the materials they were given, for our garden owner to implement. Check out some of their awesome solutions.

Their solutions included: an electric fence, spy cameras, paper-wad shooters, traps, and more. Below one of our students explains her creation to keep the rabbits out of the garden.  

Students also worked with many different materials to build their prototypes.  They combined tape, popsicle sticks, straws, foil, beads, and more to design their solutions.  They discovered that combining different materials helped to create the needed materials for protection. The student below explains why he combined materials below.

Growth Mindset

I am so exited that Castleberry ISD is focusing on Growth Mindset!

In teaching our students about growth mindset and learning, we read the book Awesome Dawson by Chris Gall.  In this sci-fi - adventure - fun story, Dawson creates a robot to complete his chores for him so that he can focus on being an inventor.  As you can imagine, the robot malfunctions and wreaks havoc all over town.  It takes quick thinking, failing, and trying over and over again - to finally shut the robot down!

Following this heroic tale of problem solving, we discussed things we CAN DO at school.  It may take WORK, it may take FAILURE, it may HURT, and it will definitely take GRIT - What can we do in school this year?  Check out a few of the CE Kindergarten students answers. 

#CE4th: How to Find a Good Fit Book

Want to know how to find a good fit book?  CE's AWESOME 4th Graders are here to help you out!

Collaboration Friday: What Makes a Good Citizen

What is a citizen? What makes a good citizen? Why should we be good citizens?

These were all questions we had about how we operate in a school and community after we read

Click, Clack, Moo!

In this fun story the cows, hens, and ducks, demand precious materials from the farmer.  This story helped us ask, what should a good cow do? What should a good hen do? what should a good duck do? When we don't operate well together, things fall apart, like they did in this story. 

So, what does a good citizen do? We decided to interview some peers, teachers, and, administrators at our school to see what they think makes a good citizen. 

Science in the CE Library

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Gaston

CE Read-Aloud

Looking for a good read-aloud to help get you back into the routine of school?
Check out this adorable read-aloud, Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio! 

Book: Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio
Read by: Ms. Helgen, 2nd Grade Teacher at Castleberry Elementary School

September Library News

August 2015 Library Newsletter

Summer Read Aloud: Mrs. Lancarte

Summer Read Aloud

Hello and welcome to Summer Read Aloud!  Check back weekly for a new video/audio book read by the FABULOUS teachers at Castleberry Elementary School!

Featured Book: Hug Machine by Scott Campbell

Read By: CE Principal - Mrs. Lancarte

 

Author Skype

Castleberry Elementary School had the honor of Skyping with author & Illustrator

Mara Shaughnessy

Author of Lego Man in Space

Illustrator of Downpour

The CE Third Graders recently completed an author research project.  They researched various authors and created a lego man using the app mini mi, and then used chatterpix to have their lego author say the facts they learned.  We also worked with the art teacher, Ms. Allie Lamb, for students to create Lego pop art!  Check out their creations below.

We were so excited to meet the author of Lego Man in Space!  The students loved Ms. Shaughnessy and they asked her some great questions! Her cute dog was hit too :)

Thank You so much for skyping with us @LilMonsterMara we loved learning about an author! #castleberryisd #ceohgo pic.twitter.com/9J06SQYSfc

— Sallee Clark (@libraryclark) June 2, 2015

A few of the questions the students asked included: When were you born, do you have any children, what inspired you to become an author, when did you meet Mat and Asad, which do you like better-illustrating or writing?

Ms. Shaughnessy is AMAZING! & We loved gushing with her about her book Lego Man in Space!  If you haven't read it, you should check it out!  This book covers a high interest topic, science, and an invention created by kids!  Its and inspiring story and is a great addition to any library collection!

Our students also created a lego girl for their newest favorite author, Mara Shaughnessy, sharing what they learned from their skype!

2014-2015 Library Statistics

Summer Reading Opportunities

CE- End of Year - Newsletter

Makerspaces

What is a Makerspace? A place to tinker? Create? Play?

The Makerspace movement is beginning to take over the library world.  I've heard terms like Fablab, Innovation Lab, & Makerspace.  Upon my first glimpse of a Makerspace, about 3 years ago, it looked like it was a place where materials were provided for students to explore and create. Sounds appealing, but what does that really look like? And how does it fit into a school library?

Through exploring these questions, I have found that many of us have been using Makerspaces, and the idea of Makerspaces, just not the terminology.  A Makerspace is simply a space where materials are provided for students to manipulate to create solutions.  Not mindless creation, but facilitated by directed objectives and problems to be solved.  The model I liked best was utilizing Problem Based Learning (PBL) by providing students the materials necessary to solve the problems found.  This type of environment encourages students to learn through exploration and failure.  They create, explore, manipulate, and have optimism to complete tasks.  The benefit of Problem Based Learning is that students are challenged to see problems and create solutions.  This type of facilitation truly pushes our students to operate at the highest level of Blooms!  Many of us already do this in our classrooms, computer labs, and in the library.  We just have not been using the same terminology. I think that utilizing a Makerspace will encourage us as teachers to become facilitators of our students learning more than the givers of information.

Check out this video regarding PBL

In this video they point out 5 keys to rigorous Project Based Learning.  

1. Real World Connection

2. Core to learning

3. Structured collaboration

4. Student driven

5. Multifaceted assessment

Some of the main points I find most helpful and interesting were that our students will begin to identify and seek out authentic problems in our world. They will use all areas of academics to solve these problems.  This approach is more like the real world we, as teachers, are preparing them to work and succeed in. Students become - more engaged, self directed, think deeply, collaborate with one another, and problem solve.

As teachers, we become facilitators who ask good questions, give hints not answers, and scaffold the problem based learning.  We can encourage and lead our students to think critically regarding real world situations while teaching the TEKS.  It is truly a model of learning that students thrive on and internalize the concepts being taught. 

Here is another video that helped me in discovering the benefit and purpose of a Makerspace.

A few of my favorite talking points are:

*Our students are operating in a 2D world and are missing the 3D inventiveness our world requires.  

*Three aspects to a Makerspace 1people 2PBL 3Space

*Makerspaces encourage a growth mindset by encouraging a persistent tinkering mentality

*A mentality of unshakable optimism, unlimited opportunity, &never ending satisfaction

*Problem based learning encourages our students to be personally motivated-discovering their problems and finding ways to solve their own problems

Some of the values this video states that makers live by are:

*Embrace Ambiguity

*Don't know the answers

*Learn from failures

*Optimism

*Take ownership

I also enjoyed hearing about their initial impact:

*Students like all of the different outcomes that their projects resulted in

*Students are learning what they want (while also learning what we want them to learn, but with a personal interest) 

So what does all of this mean for our Library? 

I think it means we provide materials, a space, and collaboration between teachers and the librarian to create a Problem Based Learning experience extending the TEKS the teachers are currently covering in their classrooms.  

How? Well, I think we are already headed in the right direction!  We currently collaborate to create collaboration Fridays, so now we look at ways to raise the rigor through offering PBL in connection to the TEKS being presented each week in class.  (on a side note, PBL should cover all subject areas or STEAM) 

I am looking forward to integrating this form of facilitation and questioning into our library and school!

Don't miss a preview coming at the end of the month!  Makerspace Collaboration Week!

Collaboration: How To Blow a Bubble

How many times have we told our students to follow directions? What does that mean to first graders? Can they follow written directions or even write their own? In working on these TEKS, I think our students discovered how to truly follow and write their own "how to" directions.

We began by asking our students to write directions for "how to blow a bubble".  Thank you Ms. Mcmillin for the great graphic organizer!  

Following this activity we then had the teacher try to follow the student's directions. This was so much fun and very eye opening!  The students realized that you can't chew gum without taking it out of the wrapper first. After trying out their directions on their teacher, the students made revisions to their directions.  Many of the students noticed that they needed to give examples of how to flatten the gum and blow the bubble.  My favorite example was " you flatten the gum like a tortilla". 

After making revisions, we then gave each student a piece of bubble gum and they had to follow their own directions on "how to blow a bubble".  Students continued to make revisions to their directions. 

Using the app Write About This 

Students wrote "How To Blow A Bubble"!  This app allows you to insert your own photos and writing prompts.  We created a quick write, took pictures of our students with a bubble, and they wrote "How to Blow A Bubble".   A few classes, that had time, recorded themselves reading their how to's within the app as well!  

                                     

This was a great writing activity that worked on revision and thoughtful writing.  The students wrote about their knowledge, applied their knowledge,& analyzed their knowledge and writing. Through this activity the students evaluated their work by seeing their teacher try it out and then trying it themselves.  To take this lesson a step further we could have had them swap directions and record each other trying to follow their friends directions.  Do you have any suggestions on how to make this activity reach a higher level of blooms?

Following this activity, Ms. Noles, has used Write About This app with her class in Science. Check out her SQL bulletin board.  Each QR code takes you to a Write About This creation regarding the life cycle of a frog. 

Retrieving your IPAD Creations

I have had the honor of seeing many fabulous CE high level-tech infused lessons!  The teachers here do a great job at developing, creating, and implementing the ISTE standards.

How many of you have implemented a tech infused lesson, created video projects within an app, and don't have time or know how to retrieve these materials from your device?

Well have no fear, Mrs. Parks is here!!

Mrs. Parks found a simple & effective way to remove creations from your IPADS using Reflector!

It's simple. 

1. Reflect your device onto your desktop.

2. Open the app on the ipad and get the video you would like to transfer onto the screen.

3. Right click your video, click record screen.

4. Click play on your creation.

5. After it is finished playing, click stop.

6. Now it will automatically prompt you to save your recording.  

(Tip: Ms. Parks has a quick link to her dropbox on her desktop, which allowed her to save her students creations straight to her dropbox! Genius!)

If you need any help or need me to demonstrate this easy way to transfer videos, let me know and I would love to drop by and help you out. 

Do you have a cool tech-tip you would like to share?

I Need to have a Geek Moment!

I wanted to quickly share a few highlights from the last few weeks!  So Warning--- Geek moments ahead!

Last week our awesome Library Administrator was honored with the Distinguished Library Service Award for School Administrators for the state of Texas!  WOW!!  One Administrator from the entire state (which you know is big) was selected to receive this award. Ms. Renee Smith-Faulker truly values the library and has a great vision for CISD libraries.  Not only does she have a vision, but she puts the vision into action.  I am so excited, grateful, and honored to work in a district that utilizes and supports their libraries. Check out her blog post and the Google Hangout on Air of her award speech.

I love Ms. Smith Faulkner's new name for the Librarians - Hybrarians

Blog Link:  Smith-Faulkner Digital Leadership Blog: The Texas Library Association Conference 2015: TLA 2015 Conference The Texas Library Association Conference April 14-17 Last week, I was honored at the Bluebonnet Awards Luncheon a...

Google Hangout on Air







Geek Moment #2

I think I might have won the title of World's Coolest Librarian!
Not because of anything I have done, but because...

An Author tweeted me!!!! 
                 &
Lego Man tweeted me!!!!!

This might not mean much to the average adult, but when I mentioned it to my 10 year old son, I received an ooohhh & awwww.

I wanted to Geek Out about this for a moment, because to me it reflects the power of social media, connection, & support. I thank Ms. Smith Faulkner for leading us to blog regularly, tweet, and to lead with an online presence.

I am so excited to collaborate with Mara Shaughnessy @lilmonstermara the amazing author & illustrator for LegoMan in Space!  I think I floated on cloud 9 for two days after her and lego man's @legomaninspace  Sweet Tweets!

Library Resources

Need resources for research?

We have quick & accurate databases for your students to use.
Use this graphic in the computer lab or print one for each of your students!

Need a little extra help? Check back for a video explaining how to locate and use our databases. 

Join me for Collaboration Week for research help, collaboration, and instruction.

Click Here to sign up.

Happy Researching!

CE Library Schedule

CE Library April Newsletter

Collaboration Friday: New Animal Species

Tadpole, legs, arms, frog, what???

Life cycles can be confusing and weird. This topic can also stay on a remembering, understanding, or application level of Blooms when taught.  When trying to have our 1st grade students truly create, (not just create to remember or apply) we thought it would be a good idea to challenge our students to create their own animal.  After their animal was created we then challenged them to create their own life cycle for this animal.  We were hoping that students would have to analyze the animal to see how they would change in each step of the lifecycle.

We utilized the same concept of creating an animal with Kindergarten and 2nd graders to learn that animals have needs.  Students were asked to create an animal and then analyze their animals needs.  We used both Switch Zoo and Chatterpix for the students to create and present their animals. We also challenged the students to justify why their animal had needs.  Students collaborated to determine the new animals habitat, food, temperature, and additional needs. Justifying their animals needs was a difficult concept that many students did not naturally complete or verbally explain. 




For greater understanding it would be good to have the students evaluate each others creations, looking to see if the animals needs were justified in the chatterpix.

What are your thoughts on raising this lesson to a higher Blooms level?

Databases for Research

Hello Fabulous 2nd Grade teachers and students!

Here is the link for one of our research databases, National Geographic Kids or kids infobits

See me for the password :)

Have Fun Researching Amazing Animals!!

CE Library March Newsletter

#PuppetShowFriday

 

Valentine's Day came with a special surprise for some of the awesome teachers of Castleberry ISD!  A few handsome puppets from AV Cato, Joy James, and Castleberry Elementary made a special appearance to win the teachers hearts for Valentine's Day!  

Milli Vanilli

Lionel Richie, Millie Vanilli, & Harry Styles each arrived with clips of some of their sweet songs.  Lionel sang Hello, Millie Vanillie sang Girl You Know It's True, and Harry Styles sang One Directions What Makes You Beautiful.

Lionel sings "Hello" to Ms. Hazard

And Ms. Wilson

Harry sings to Ms. Gadberry
 to let her know that she is beautiful!

Students voted on which puppet should be their teacher's Valentine!
I think Harry Styles won every time!

Following the puppet's Valentine serenade, Lego Man visited our students. Check out his video appearance below.

Students learned about Mat and Asad's mission to get lego man into space.  What makes this story really neat, is that Mat and Asad are not adults, not doctors, not grad students, but kids. It's an inspiring story for all kids to know that they can do incredible things!

Mat & Asad's Selfie

Many grade levles are beginning to study space, planets, and stars.  This puppet show was a great introduction into a space unit.  Research and collaboration lessons regarding space will be a great follow up to this puppet show.  

Check out more puppet show fun on our new hastag! #puppetshowfriday