It’s All in the Bag

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Mrs. Hembree

What does a rock, a feather, a mask, a rubber chicken and a bag have to do with one another?

Poetry of course! I wanted the second graders to use their touch sense as the only method to describe an object hidden inside a bag. First I hid an object in the bag. Then volunteers came forward, covered their eyes with the mask, reached inside the bag and touched the object. Using one word, they had to describe what they felt, without using a word already used by a student previously. Squeak, hard, rubbery, soft, smooth, light, heavy. As fast as I could, I wrote down their words in a list.

After a few minutes we switched gears. This time, the students had to look at the list and see what the words had in common, to try to guess the hidden object in the bag. How could something be both rough and smooth, hard and soft? The library got pretty loud with all the giggles and laughter as they realized that what they were describing was a rubber chicken! Yes, even rubber chickens and rocks deserve their own poems! Here are two of the poems written by our second graders. Poetry can be fun! A big thank you to Mrs. Daly for sharing her awesome mask, Mrs. Butler for the white feather, and Mr. Haeck for donating his rubber chicken to us for our poetry lesson.

A few years ago, I did a similar lesson called Paper Bag Poems. Another librarian, Mrs. Camp, in Klein, Texas saw the post and also had some poetry fun with her students. You can read about her Paperbag Poems on the Bobcat Library Blog.

What poems have you written lately? Leave a comment and let us know!

Protect Your Online Privacy

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Mrs. Hembree

How well are you keeping your personal information private?

Creative Common Photo: Flickr

Are you keeping your private information secure with strong passwords? This is the question we have been talking about in 4th and 5th grade as part of our digital citizenship unit.

Year after year, two passwords stay at the top as the most used passwords for online accounts. Do you know what they are?

#1 = Password

#2 = 123456

While easy to remember, these passwords open you up to easy access by hackers. A better idea is to choose a password that is easy for you to remember, but hard for hackers to figure out. Here are some suggestions:

more than 5 characters – best is at least 8
a combination of UPper and LOwer letters, numbers and symbols
AmSt$@Nd
initial letters of a sentence with meaning for you.
For example: Jane Smith runs at Juanita Beach Park in 2013 === JAsmR@JbP13
stay away from using personal information like your address, name, phone number, pet names, etc.

Using computers is now a part of everyday life. Protecting your privacy and digital footprint are important rules to stay safe when you are online. Be Smart, Be Safe!

***********

What do you think is another popular password?

Do you use an app to store your passwords? Which one?

Bully Free Starts with Me

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Mrs. Hembree

Did you know that you have the right to stand up to bullying?

As part of National Bullying Prevention Month, I have paired two powerful books for first and second graders to open the conversation about how it’s not good to be mean to other people.

Bully by Laura Vaccaro Seger is a the story of a bull, who is bullied by a bigger bull. It hurts his feelings, but instead of standing up to the bigger animal, he begins bullying other, smaller animals calling them names like Slow Poke, an Pig. Eventually a Billy Goat stands up to him and shows him that he is hurting his friends and the bull stops.

Bully is a great book because it teaches the importance of reading both illustrations and text. Minimal text and simple illustrations draw attention to the emotion and tone of the words. When the words Pig! are typed in a large font, the children know immediately that Bull is name calling. When he says, “sorry” with tears in his eyes, they understand that he has made a change.

Enemy Pie, written by the Washington state author Derek Munson, tells the story of a boy who thinks he is the enemy of Jeremy who just moved into the neighborhood. When Jeremy doesn’t invite him to a party and laughs at him when he strikes out at a baseball game, Jeremy decides to make an “enemy list”. He hangs the list in his treehouse and then tells his dad about his problem.

Luckily, Dad undertands the problem with enemies, and makes his son some Enemy Pie to give to Jeremy. When the recipe calls for him to spend some time with Jeremy and get to know him, this young boy learns that often all we need to do is spend time with an other person and get to know them. Before you know it, you’re not enemies anymore, you are best friends.

Here is a video of the story Enemy Pie, narrated by Camryn Manheim.

***************

What steps can you take to stop people from bullying you?

What kind of Enemy Pie would you make?

Leave us a comment and let us know!

Thinking about Digital Footprints

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Mrs. Hembree

What does your digital footprint look like?

There is no better time to think about your digital footprint than at the beginning of the school year. This fall we are concentrating our intermediate library lessons on the themes of digital citizenship. In 2007 the International Society of Technology Educators (ISTE) published their National Educational Technology Standards for Students.

These are basic rules for using technology appropriately (Etiquette), communicating effectively (Communication), and protecting student safety (Rights and Responsibilities).

A person’s Digital Footprint is the digital trail they leave each time any electronic or computer device is used. Just sent an email? Played an online video game? Sent a photo to a friend? You left a digital footprint in each of these situations. You have the choice on whether your digital trailer is positive or negative depending on how you manage it. (CommonSenseMedia)

We watched a video introducing the concept of person’s digital footprint.

The vital lesson to be learned is that a person’s digital footprint LASTS! It’s actually more like a digital tattoo than a footprint. Like tattoos, your digital footprint is extremely difficult to remove.

When we learn about the importance of digital citizenship and the mark we are making on the world, it’s not a time to be scared. It’s an opportunity to make that mark thoughtfully knowing you are creating a digital legacy for yourself.

We also talked about not sharing your “YAPPY”.

What is YAPPY you ask?
This acronym is a trick to remember what to NEVER post online.
Y = Your full name
A = Address
P = Phone number
P = Passwords
Y = Your plans

The next time to get online you might even want to find out what your digital footprint looks like already. Get together with your family and make a game of it. Simply go to your favorite search engine and type your name. See what pops up! Who has the most hits?

***************

What does your digital footprint look like?

How do you leave your digital mark the most?

Celebrating Picture Books

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Mrs. Hembree

Why designate a month to picture books?

Don’t we all love picture books already? The answer is simple. With the birth of eBooks, iPads, Kindles, Nooks and other online reading devices, many feel traditional printed picture books may be on the way out.

This is the 2nd annual celebration of Picture Book Month. Founder Dianne de Las Casa decided it was time to celebrate picture books in their printed format so she created an initiative to designate November as “Picture Book Month”.

Every day in November, there has been a new post from a picture book author explaining why he/she thinks picture books are important. You can visit the website from the link here.

We always celebrate picture books in our library. However, we have also added some art to the mix in our lessons. Here are the highlights of our week.

What says Thanksgiving Day more than turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie?

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!

For more than eighty-years, children young and old, have been delighted by the bobbing and swaying gigantic balloons that float down the streets of New York City in the parade.

Melissa Sweet tells the true story of Tony Sarg, the puppeteer who was the inventor of the Macy’s parade balloons. After we read this book, some of the classes also made Balloons Over Broadway mini-boxes and finger puppets. You can get this activity and more at the Houghton-Mifflin website here.

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and say thank you. While this book is not a traditional Thankgiving Day book talking about the Mayflower and pilgrims, it is a book about the importance of thanking friends for all the things they do for each of us.

In first grade, we used the Splat the Cat Activity Kit and added a fall leaf. Students wrote what they are thankful for during this holiday season.

If you want to read a funny chapter book to entertain you during the Thanksgiving holiday week, pick up a copy of Junie B., First Grader: Turkeys We Have Loved and Eaten (and Other Thankful Stuff). Find out how cranberry sauce in a can, exploding biscuits and rainbow sprinkles relate to Thankgiving and first graders. I guarantee this book will have you laughing in minutes!

The last book I want to include this week is Hello, Hello by Matthew Cordell. I think every family needs to add this book to their collection. In fact, Matthew has a blogpost listing 26 reasons why every family needs to read this book. You can read that post here.

It’s a story of what we really need to remember as we move forward into a very connected, very digital age.

Using simple text, charming watercolor illustrations, and animals in unusual places (flying fish and whales in the sky?), Cordell tells the story of Lydia, who helps her family remember that there is a time and place for electronics.

For a few minutes in the upcoming days, I hope you will set your gadget aside, and go outside to jump in those leaves and have some silly, crazy, outside fun!

*************

What is your favorite balloon in the Macy’s Day parade?

What friend would you by thankful for this month?

What gadget could you give up for a day?

Rockin’ with Pete the Cat

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Mrs. Hembree

Are you rocking in your school shoes?

Are you singing in your school shoes?

Are you dancing in your school shoes?

In kindergarten and first grade WE ARE and it’s lots of fun!

Eric Litwin is the author of the Pete the Cat books. He and artist James Dean have created Pete, a blue, happy, “you can’t get me down” cat. He knows how to learn! He knows how to have fun! And…he knows how to sing! We watched a live reading of Pete the Cat and got our groove on!

We also did some fun Pete the Cat activities while learning about colors, guided drawing and counting.

We watched and listened to Miss Shy do her re-telling of Pete in this fun video!

Pete has a new book that just came out on September 25th! I can’t wait to read it! To learn more about Pete’s books visit his website.

This summer, my husband and I took Pete the Cat on our trip to Oregon and California. He helped me read maps along the way because in many places there was no internet or cell phone service! We got to read maps the old-fashioned way!

Here is a little video of our trip with Pete. Enjoy!

********

What stuffed animal would you take on a trip with you?

Have you ever used a state or country map to guide you?

What should Pete do next?

Zoo Animal Mysteries

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Mrs. Hembree

Do you like mystery stories?

Do you love animals?

If you do, then the Zoo Animal Mystery stories are just for you!

Each of the title in the Zoo Animal Mysteries series focuses on one animal. Through a series of clues, you have to guess what animal is featured in the book. The trick is to solve the mystery before the animal is revealed at the end. You can read more about the zoo animal mystery series on the Capstone Press website.

Our 2nd and 3rd grade classes used those fun books as the structure for their own Zoo Animal Mystery stories.

First we researched facts and took notes. Then we wrote out our sentences for the story. We typed the stories on powerpoint and added Creative Commons photos to illustrate the pages. The projects from Mrs. Kassel-Day, Ms. Valenta and Mrs. Staples class are featured in this post.

************

What animal was your favorite to learn about?

If you could make a zoo animal mystery, what would you choose?

A Time to Celebrate

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Mrs. Hembree

This is a blog post about celebrations!

Celebration #1! We are completing our 2nd year of the Bulldog Readers Blog. We have had over 30,000 visitors in the past two years. It’s been a wonderful experience meeting and conversing with people all over the world. These conversations and the things I have learned from my blogging friends have led me down paths I never thought possible. This has led to celebration number 2!

Last Friday I received the notification from Microsoft that my Partners in Learning US Forum application was accepted! I will be attending the US Forum at the end of July to showcase our 4th grade book trailer project. You can read about our project in our Taste of Hollywood post. I first learned about making movies from our blogging friend, Mr. Avery. He is a master at movie making and urged me to give it a try! After making a few book trailer movies, I knew that our students could do this too! At the forum I will have a chance to meet other educators and learn about their projects while also showcasing ours. More professional development is included in the three days so I can start next year with a new set of ideas! This leads to celebration #3!

People often ask me where I get my ideas, and more often than not, I tell them from people I meet on Twitter! Last spring I ventured into the Twitter world because I was curious. I had heard that you can get lots of information and ideas from fellow educators. I wanted to see for myself. Sure enough, they were correct. After watching a webinar from ISTE11 (International Society of Technology Educators) last June, I decided I didn’t want to watch from home anymore, I wanted to go and experience everything this gigantic convention has to offer first hand. So, on the last two days of school, I will be in San Diego absorbing everything I can. I also will have the chance to meet some amazing people who have helped me like Mrs. Yollis in California and Mrs. Morris from Australia!

I will also meet a fellow librarian Miss Tiffany Whitehead, also known as The Mighty Little Librarian in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Her idea of making a year in review for her blog has led me to celebration #4! After reading her Year in Review, I decided that would be a fun project to share with our readers. Many hours later, here it is! I hope you enjoy our celebrations and have many to celebrate yourselves!

Bulldog Library Report 2011-12

More PowerPoint presentations from Julie Hembree

**************

What has been the best part of your year?

What are you celebrating?

What do you hope to learn this summer or winter?

Kid Lit Movies

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Mrs. Hembree

Have you ever been to the movies and watched the previews for upcoming attractions? If you are like me, you have seen lots and lots of them!

Those previews for movies got me thinking. What if we took that same idea and applied it to books? We could have previews for awesome books in the library! And…..what if instead of me making them like the one I made for The One and Only Ivan, the STUDENTS made them? How awesome would that be? That’s how our book trailer project got started!

After watching the ‘Ivan” trailer, some 4th grade students asked if they could make one too. A new technology and literacy project was born!

To start, we watched some other book trailers in our 4th grade library classes to get ideas. Then we watched some book trailers that I made. The One and Only Ivan trailer is the one that Katherine Applegate saw and asked to come to our school and meet us! You can see them here on my book trailer page on our blog.

Then next step was to form cooperative groups. Each group could choose it’s own members and then they had to pick a book for their project.

Once a book was selected, it was time for the storyboard plan. Here students were required to figure out what parts of the plot was important to include, how that could be transformed into a visual, and what text needed to be included to get previewers interested in the book.

The purpose of a book trailer is very different than the purpose of a book report. In the typical book report, you write about what happened in the book. In a book trailer, you are selling the book, to make other people want to check it out and read it! The tricky part is to share some goodies, without giving away too much of the book!

Once the storyboards were complete, groups moved to the computer were they used MS One Note to record their storyboard notes and begin importing creative commons photos for their trailers.

One huge advantage of using OneNote its the linked note component, that allows you to import photos and keep the link to the original source. This is especially helpful when it’s time to write the credits slide. Flickr also allows you to save photos with the original link in galleries, but Flickr is not available for student use at our school.

Photo by Steren Giannini Used w/CC permission

Finding Creative Commons photos was hard work! You have to think of the words to search for, and if those words don’t bring up the images you are looking for, you have to try again with other term or synonym. The students discovered that a lot of Creative Commons images are available via Community Clips on the Microsoft online site. That made it a lot easier for some groups. Once all the photos were found, it was time to load them into MS Live MovieMaker!

After a 10 minute “how-to” demo, students were on their own as they imported photos, added words, transitions and animations to create visual interest in their books.

The next to last step was finding the perfect music for the trailer. Some students experimented with creating music using Songsmith. Ultimately all teams decided to use royalty free music. I had already created a Digital Kit of royalty free music from Kevin MacLeod at Incompetech.com He shares his music for free for others to use as long as you give him credit. The resource is AMAZING! The students had fun listening to different songs and figuring out which music would give the correct mood to the trailer.

Once the Credits slide was completed, the book trailers were complete and ready to be rendered into a movie! Each was uploaded to our SchoolTube account and our blog where others can view them. I also created QR codes linking the book trailer to the book and placed them on the covers of our library books and on a special bulletin board! Each student received their own QR code on an index card to take home and share or hang on their refrigerator doors for everyone to see!

The biggest question is, “Do book trailers work as good advertisements?” The answer is “YES!” Our books are being checked out and read at home! I couldn’t ask for anything better! Try it sometime! Book trailers are a lot of fun to create! Who knows…maybe someday one of our students will be the next Hollywood movie director!

***********

Have you ever made a book trailer?

What book would you choose?

A Flipbook of Photo Poems

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Mrs. Hembree

Poetry Month may be over,but enjoying poetry is something everyone can do all year long. Sometimes, all you need is a really great photograph! Make sure the photo you choose is one either you took yourself, or is a Creative Commons photo. Insert it onto a Powerpoint slide, add some text and you are a poet! Super easy!

We hope you will enjoy this mini FlipSnack book of poems from Mrs. Adair’s students.This link will take you to the full class version.

**********

Bobcats Readers Blog

Bridging Books, Lessons and Technology

Category Archives: Library Lessons

It’s All in the Bag

Protect Your Online Privacy

Bully Free Starts with Me

Thinking about Digital Footprints

Celebrating Picture Books

Rockin’ with Pete the Cat

Zoo Animal Mysteries

************

What animal was your favorite to learn about?

If you could make a zoo animal mystery, what would you choose?

A Time to Celebrate

This is a blog post about celebrations!

Bulldog Library Report 2011-12

**************

What has been the best part of your year?

What are you celebrating?

What do you hope to learn this summer or winter?

Kid Lit Movies

***********

Have you ever made a book trailer?

What book would you choose?

A Flipbook of Photo Poems

What kind of photo would you choose for a poem?

What would you write about?