Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Whoops!

I just looked at my last blog post and realized I haven't written for a very long time. There are so many topics I could write about…..

Our new Easybib subscription. I have worked with each 5-8 grade class to register for this new database that allows kids to cite ANYTHING.Yes, anything: the Bible, pamphlets, apps, interviews, ANYTHING.  They can even log into it from home. As one student proclaimed, "There should be no more plagiarism now that we have this!" She was right!! Now to keep on working on exactly what plagiarism includes.

Or I could talk about the copyright unit we just finished. We revisit this and Creative Commons yearly. I discovered a neat website called blendspaces for teachers and students that is a one stop shop for resources. We looked up copyright and then the students chose the folder s/he wanted to investigate. If you happen to be in the building, a list of profound discoveries from the students is on top of the bookshelf, check it out!

Perhaps I could discuss the recent author visit for grades 1-4. We were fortunate enough to have renowned non-fiction author Melissa Stewart visit our students. She demonstrated how she writes non-fiction and what it entails to complete just one book. LOTS OF REVISIONS. Kids and staff were enthralled with her presentation and we even got our library books signed by her.

How about our cultural literacy unit that is currently being taught? We are reading Rip Van Winkle and discussing exactly what "cultural literacy" means. We are exploring the importance of setting and character development at all grades. The kids are throughly enjoying this story and contributing stories of their own.

I could even converse on the many many upcoming ideas I have for future classes. That list would be far too long. For now, I guess, I will settle on the quick update above and save the future for the future.
Happy reading,
The Noisy (and busy) Librarian