Let it snow... let it snow... let it snow!I hope your winter break brings you as much joy as this Hawk Nest activity brought us on Wednesday. We flexed our Empathy muscles by writing down things we wish for and enjoy on pieces of paper, then tossed them (gently) like snowballs. Everyone got to read two or three "snowballs" from other members of the Nest and got to know their nest-mates a little better.
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1st and 2nd graders are reviewing how to access and use PebbleGo on their iPads. So far we have only been using two free modules from MeL (Michigan e Library) which are Animals and Social Studies. 1st and 2nd graders used the Social Studies module to read about holidays around the world. In February we'll hop back into PebbleGo for a bit to learn how to use our TPL-TSD eCards to access all 5 PebbleGo modules through Troy Public Library, including a Biography module we'll use for a mini-research project.
I was blown away with the school systems our 3rd graders created in Minecraft this year. It was such a treat to see their creativity and design skills come to life in one of their favorite games. Students got a little practice with public speaking as well, by sharing their systems with the class.
These 5th graders are hard at work on recording a career-centered podcast. They are excited to share everything they have learned from Xello and their own personal research into different careers.
If your family celebrates Christmas, you probably have a favorite Christmas picture book to read aloud (or two, or three, or ten!) Mine is The Sweet Smell of Christmas. Don't let the reproduction publication date of Sept '23 on Amazon fool you - this book was first published in 1970! We have two copies, the one I scratched the life out of in the 80's and a new one my son can scratch and sniff today. Perhaps your family is looking for some new books to spruce up the Christmas reading stack. Here are some beautiful new additions to your Christmas collection:
What have the Hamilton Hawks been up to in Media lately? Here's an update by grade level: 5th graders are working on writing scripts for their very own podcast! The podcasts will be all about careers that the 5th graders have been researching. When they are finished we will share the podcasts with the Hamilton community. This week as students finish up their scripts they will begin recording and next week we will continue recording and begin editing. My hope is for the podcasts to be done and ready to share in mid-January. 4th grade is also working on a content creation project. In Writing, all students identified a problem and are working on a persuasive letter with reasons and evidence to support a solution to the problem. We're taking a look at other media formats for sharing opinions and persuading an audience. 4th graders are creating a super-short (about 1 minute) persuasive video. They are learning both how to craft a video in Clips and how to summarize their arguments into the most important statements. Third graders are wrapping up their learning about systems by building their own school system in Minecraft. Groups have been working hard to create functional, fun, and creative versions of their classrooms, library, music room, art room, gym, cafeteria, playground... and even the school bathrooms! This has become a favorite project of mine over the years as students love the creative opportunities in Minecraft EDU and it gives them a chance to think deeply about how our school functions and all the parts and people of Hamilton working together as a system. 2nd, 1st, and Kindergarten are wrapping up their 3-book Author and Illustrator study! I use this activity as an opportunity for students to get to know an author and illustrator team closely, but we also take this opportunity to get to know the characters and think critically about feelings. We've learned new words to describe feelings such as "indignant" (from Horrible Bear!) and "smitten" (From Wolfie the Bunny). We also used a Maker-Centered Learning routine called "Think Feel Care" to really dig deep into what the characters are thinking about, feeling, and what is most important to them. Then, we looked for connections between the books to see if we notice any patterns. This year we are studying 3 books by Ame Dyckman and Zachariah OHora: Read The Book, Lemmings!, Horrible Bear!, and Wolfie the Bunny. Students noticed that Ame Dyckman's stories are humorous, with big feelings, important lessons, and happy endings... and lots of animals! They also noticed that Zachariah OHora uses bright, bold colors, as well as thick, black lines in his illustrations. He has such a unique color palette and drawing style.
To all my Hamilton families celebrating Hanukkah, and those who just wish to learn more about it, enjoy some of these picture book favorites of mine from the Hamilton Library.
Second graders listen in as one of their classmates shares the delightful story she wrote. Hamilton Hawks don't just love to read, we love to write and illustrate our own stories too!
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AuthorMrs. Henderson is the School Library Media Specialist at Hamilton Elementary. In addition to being a book-lover, she is also a gamer, a crafter, and a mom. She also shares a lot on Twitter: twitter.com/lhendersonreads Archives
April 2024
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