Students in library class use Bee-Bots to learn coding while reviewing the life cycle of a pumpkin, retelling the events in a story, practicing how to use coordinates on a map, and celebrating a holiday.
Learning about the teenager who created Hip Hop
To celebrate Black History Month during library class, third through sixth graders learn about Clive Campbell (a.k.a. DJ Kool Herc), the teenager who created Hip Hop.
First, students watch a video to build background knowledge. Next they listen to a biography read aloud. Finally, they show what they know by competing in a Kahoot.
Solar Eclipse Excitement!
Rochester, New York, will experience a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Students in library class have been doing a lot of learning on that subject, including the phases of the moon. We watched a BrainPop video about the phases of the moon, then played a game to match the phases with their correct label. Finally, the students created a model of the phases that they took home so that they could observe the moon and compare it to the model.
Comparing and Contrasting with Fairy Tales
Third-grade and fourth-grade students in library class compare and contrast the traditional telling of Little Red Riding Hood with a humorous fractured fairy tale, Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion. A YouTube video from Mind Blooming was very helpful in explaining the use of Venn diagrams to compare and contrast.
5R3: In literary texts, compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, and events, drawing on specific details in the text. (RL)
Hands-On Games Teach Coding and Critical Thinking
Students in library class play games during choice time that teach problem-solving, coding, spatial thinking, and planning. These hands-on games help our students improve their critical thinking and prepare for their future while having fun.
Our goal is to ready our students for jobs that will be available when they enter the workforce. These critical thinking skills are life skills. The ability to code leads to many job opportunities.
These games give the students a “brain break” from other forms of learning. Over half of our students speak English as a second language, but these games are intuitive and are equally accessible to all language learners. In addition, many students benefit from hands-on learning. Playing games with the students is a great way to build closer relationships with them, too.
Using Music and Games to Teach Point of View in Literature
First, 6th grade library students get a rap from Flocabulary stuck in their heads that teaches points of view in literature. Next, they play a digital game in Breakout EDU to practice identifying points of view.
Identifying Themes in Literature
The 5th and 6th graders have been learning about how to identify common themes in literature.
For two weeks, we modeled how to find a theme with a shared read-aloud. On the final day, the students were given a select set of picture books to choose from in order to practice finding the theme and completing a graphic organizer.
A free resource by Angela Bunyi via Teachers Pay Teachers was very helpful in providing common themes and graphic organizers.
Digital Storytelling with Comics Using Book Creator
As part of Festival-To-Go, the schools in the Rochester City School District had access to virtual author visits from local authors and illustrators. In library class, we learned tips for coming up with story ideas from authors Kate Karyus Quinn and Demitria Lunetta. The students were particularly interested because Kate and Demitria told about how they got the idea for their co-written graphic novel, Anti/Hero.
Next, the students worked alone or with 1 or 2 partners to create their own comic books using Book Creator.
Students used this planning sheet to guide their work.
In order to provide students with an authentic audience, we emailed Kate Karyus Quinn and provided links to 6 of the books that the students had created. Kate graciously replied with the following:
“I just read through all the stories and they are so great. I can’t believe how scary a few of them were too! But all of them were wonderful and creative. Demitria and I are so happy that we inspired them and hope that they keep writing and finding ways to tell their stories.
Best,
Kate”
We also created a bulletin board with QR codes for about 2 dozen of the stories so that anyone could scan the QR codes and read the books in Book Creator.
Book Excitement!
This fall, the Festival-To-Go program provided a free, brand-new book for every student at MLK #9!
Students expressed their thanks via a Padlet:
STEAM + Black History Month
Black History Month at MLK #9 emphasized African American who made contributions to science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics. We gathered books, eBooks and other resources for teachers to use for read-alouds and research.
