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The New Castle County library system offers free library cards to every child. Below is a flyer explaining the program and the application form.
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Osmo
Students in K - 2 learned letters, sounds, words, numbers, addition, shapes, coding, and more through a gaming accessory called Osmo. Osmo connects with the iPad to use reflective artificial intelligence. Students use tangible pieces to create unique, hands-on learning experiences. The Osmo Reflector bounces an image of the player’s game piece arrangement or drawing into the device camera. The Osmo app then processes this image and either recreates the image on the screen or translates its effect onto the story in the digital world. Students experienced Osmo with a partner and enjoyed learning through this new and exciting gaming system.
Research 101...
After exploring the different programs and robots, students were challenged to pick a research topic and show what they know by creating a coding program. Using the UDLIBsearch database students researched a topic. Each grade needed to find at least 10 facts using one book and two databases from UDLIBsearch. Students in grade 3 choose a state to research with a partner. In grade 4, students choose a passion project - a topic on anything they were interested in learning more about. The topics ranged from animals, people, places, and things. In collaboration with writer's workshop, Grade 5 students choose an inventor to research. Stay tuned for the final projects!
Great Kindness Challenge 2020
#cddolphins participated in the Great Kindness Challenge the week of January 27 - 31! The theme for the week was Choose Kindness! We participated in this event to create a culture of compassion, acceptance, unity, and respect in our school. Over 15 million students in 27,656 schools in 115 countries participated and performed over 650 million acts of kindness. Students were challenged to complete a Choose Kindness checklist. Students were also invited to 'dress up' to support kindness in our school. On Tuesday, we celebrated with 'Team Kindness' and dressed in our favorite sports gear. On Wednesday, students wore hats to school to show 'Hats Off to Kindness'. I wore a different hat for each class and I believe the favorite hat by far was my cheeseburger hat! Thursday's theme was 'Dreaming of Kindness' and students wore pajama's to school. We ended the week with 'Proud to be a Dolphin' wearing our school colors on Friday! Each morning, Mr. Timm provided kindness quotes each day.
Kindness Quotes:
Monday -'Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.' (Mother Teresa)
Tuesday - 'No act of kindness no matter how small is ever wasted.' (Aesop)
Wednesday - 'A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.'(Eeyore)
Thursday - 'Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.' (Dalai Lama)
Friday - 'Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.' (Princess Diana)
Within your library/tech class, students listened to literature about kindness, watched a video about kindness, and completed kindness stations such as school-wide bulletin board, kindness bracelet, placemats for a local nursing home, etc… Enjoy a video or our special week and remember to always Choose Kindness!
Kindness Quotes:
Monday -'Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.' (Mother Teresa)
Tuesday - 'No act of kindness no matter how small is ever wasted.' (Aesop)
Wednesday - 'A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.'(Eeyore)
Thursday - 'Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.' (Dalai Lama)
Friday - 'Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.' (Princess Diana)
Within your library/tech class, students listened to literature about kindness, watched a video about kindness, and completed kindness stations such as school-wide bulletin board, kindness bracelet, placemats for a local nursing home, etc… Enjoy a video or our special week and remember to always Choose Kindness!
January Exploring Coding
After introducing programming with the 'Hour of Code' in December, students spent the month of January exploring different coding programs and robots. Thanks to the Civil Air Patrol for awarding #cddolphins with a STEM Kit, K - 2 students were introduced to BeeBot and Coding Mouse allowing students to program the robots with hands-on learning. Coding allows students practice with sequencing, estimation, problem-solving, directional language, and algorithms. Pushing the different buttons to move the robots forwards, backwards, left, and right gave students control over the robot and also allowed them to see their coding mistakes. Students loved building mazes with the Coding Mouse tiles and walls. Both robots are excellent screen-less introductions to coding concepts!
Students in grades 3rd - 5th, were introduced to Sphero, Dash, Ozobot, and Ollie robots as well as Scratch, a free programming language. Whether completing coding challenges or navigating the robots through mazes, the students were provided opportunities to explore different coding languages, apps, and robots. Each week, they choose a different program and robot to explore with a partner. This exploration time was designed for students to identify their favorite program and robot for a project next month.
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Parents of children ages birth - 5 years old...Delaware libraries are piloting Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to provide free books to children from birth to age five in the mail each month. Sign up here! This program is designed to develop healthy habits of reading as well as healthy library habits!
Parents beware!
The National Online Safety's (NOS) mission is to make the internet a safer place for children. NOS is a UK based company that empowers educators and parents with the knowledge to keep children safe online. Internet Safety encompasses all technological devices which have access to the internet from PCs and laptops to smartphones and tablets. Being safe online means individuals are protecting themselves and others from online harms and risks which may jeopardize their personal information, lead to unsafe communications or even effect their mental health and wellbeing. Below is an example of an informational poster from NOS providing educators and parents expert data and info on the popular online game, Fortnite. Please visit the National Online Safety website for more informational posters.
December Holidays
After reading checking out two books for the holiday break, students in grades K - 2 experienced augmented reality again by coloring a snow globe and evergreen tree and using the iPad app, Quiver, to witness their picture come alive. By combining real and computer-based worlds, students witnessed an enhanced view of their image. Even though students have experienced augmented reality before with the Quiver app, they were absolutely amazed when the snow globe and evergreen tree were viewed using the iPad.
Hour of Code
The month of December focused on celebrating the Hour of Code with the non-profit organization, code.org. The mission of code.org is to give every student in every school the opportunity to code and learn about computer science. As a school, we pledged to participate in the Hour of Code. Our #cddolphins were given this opportunity beginning with unplugged activities. Unplugged coding activities are designed to build the foundation of coding. These activities are essentially games and activities that teach children how to think logically about objects, how to break down large tasks into smaller tasks that are easier to complete, and how to identify errors. Working hands-on makes coding concepts tangible and unplugged coding activities are ideal for young coders. To introduce the topic of coding, we read 'How to Code a Sandcastle' written by Josh Funk. Computer science concepts such as algorithm, looping, conditional statements, debugging were introduced through literature. Students learned about pair programming where two students work collaboratively one as a driver, the one who controls the computer or unplugged cards, and the navigator, the one who suggests and checks the lines of code. The roles in pair programming are designed for better communication skills, increase knowledge sharing, and develops student critical thinking skills. The most important step with pair programing is switching roles often. Setting a timer for every 5 - 7 minutes is helpful in a classroom environment!
Then students in grades 3 - 5 were challenged to write lines of code to create different structures with solo cups. Although this challenge seems pretty easy, students realized how important it is to give very specific instructions, in the correct order, and provided students experience debugging their mistakes. Next, students in grades 3 - 5 designed new and unique dance moves by creating a set of eight dance steps directions. These directions were used to design a 20 sequence dance. Their creativity was unleashed as they collaborated to create their dance moves. Giggles were heard in the hallways during this fun and engaged activity. Finally, students choose an activity on code.org and attempted to write the correct lines of code. The most popular activities were Dance Party, Minecraft, and Star Wars. On Pajama Day we built forts with blankets, tables, and chairs and enjoyed coding in a cozy and fun atmosphere!
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Students in grades K - 2 were also challenged to write lines of code using unplugged activities. First, as a class, we learn to code Mrs. Hoban. The students were tasked with moving me through a maze. Through laughter, we realized how important it is to give very specific directions and knowing the difference between left and right. Next with a partner, they used forward, backwards, left, and right commands to move their characters through mazes avoiding obstacles. They enjoyed writing algorithms for the fairytale characters, Minecraft characters, and more. Practicing writing algorithms, sequencing and directional commands provided students the opportunity to practice computational skills.
Turkey and Thanksgiving
The upper elementary students practiced their track pad, keyboarding and shortcut skills with a simple 'Build a Turkey' Google Slide activity. After choosing to complete the activity solo or with a partner, students designed a turkey through copying and pasting objects - feathers, eyes, feet, wattles, etc... Given the opportunity to create their own version of a turkey allowed for creativity. Oh, were they creative!!! Next, students wrote a story about their turkey - either fiction or nonfiction. The stories ranged from serious, heart tugging to funny. Again, showcasing their creativity! After writing their stories, students were challenged with correcting spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure. Some of the third through fifth graders researched the First Thanksgiving through the scholastic website. They choose 5 - 10 new and interesting facts about the first Thanksgiving and created a Flipgrid video to share their information. Learning to dissect facts from the website and creating a storyboard script for the video provided practice in useful research skills.
Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano
After reading 'Turkey Trouble' by Wendi Silvano, students in grades K - 2 experienced augmented reality again by decorating a turkey mask and using the iPad app, Quiver, to witness their mask come alive. Augmented reality combines real and computer-based scenes and images to deliver an enhanced view of the world. Augmented reality changes the way students interact with the real world, enhances student engagement, and makes the learning of their subject content a fun. Students were absolutely amazed when the turkey mask replaced their face on the screen. Then students used Legos to create an object to represent what they are thankful for.
#cddolphins are Thankful...
Throughout the month of November, we read books about thankfulness and students reflected upon all of the things they are thankful for in their lives. I was brought to tears many times hearing their answers...mom and dad, brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, teachers, God, food on their plates and a roof over their heads, and their pets. They are very thankful for so many things. Students wrote their idea as well as their name on a feather. Each feather was added to the school turkey. Stop by the music/library hallway to view our 'Thankful Turkey'.
Room on the Broom
A Hoban family favorite...'Room on the Broom', written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Schaffler, is a lovely story about a kind witch and her cat. They are happily flying through the sky on a broomstick when the wind picks up and blows away the witch's hat, then her bow, and finally her magic wand! Helpful forest animals find the missing items and request a ride on the broom. The broom snaps under the pressure of so many friends and disaster strikes with a very hungry dragon! As a class, students sequenced the events of the story paying close attention to the item lost and the animal that found the item. Students were challenged with planning and designing a broom for the witch and her new friends. After mapping out their design, students used Legos to create their version of the broomstick to hold all of the animals. They created seats for the witch, cat, dog, a nest for the bird, and a shower for the frog. Creativity, problem-solving, and fun were witnessed as students engineered a new and improved broom. Mrs. Hoban even dressed up as the witch from 'Room on the Broom' for Halloween!
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Monsters Come to Life...
Some of the students in grades 3 - 5 used critical listening skills to draw a monster based on step-by-step verbal directions. After coloring their monsters, students explored the app, Chatterpix. This amazing, free app allows users to take any photo, draw a line to make a mouth, and record your voice. Students took a photo of their monsters, drew a line for the mouth, and recorded a short story about their monster. Here is a link to our stories.
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Storybook Pumpkin Patch
Carrie Downie celebrated the arrival of the fall season by growing a pumpkin patch. Homerooms were challenged to bring their favorite storybook character to life as a pumpkin. Farmer Hoban delivered each homeroom a pumpkin in early October. The classrooms had two weeks to choose a character, plan their design, choose their supplies, and create their character. Students were introduced to the democratic system through voting for their classroom character and then voting for their favorite overall character. Great conversations were had about our right to vote and how the majority vote wins. Students were also introduced to new storybook characters. Excitement grew in the library media center as the pumpkin patch grew. Students were thrilled to see the pumpkins and learn about new stories.
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Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds
After enjoying our read-aloud book, Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds, students in grades 3 - 5 were challenged to design and build a plan for the Rabbit to keep the carrots away. Some students choose to focus on helping the carrots keep the Rabbit away. Their structures were extremely creative...moats, crocodiles, cameras, and lookout towers. Witnessing the collaboration, problem-solving, and communication skills at practice was delightful! The students returned to the media center asking to hear the book read aloud again!
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October
Getting into the fall themes, the stations during the month of October involved pumpkin and Halloween topics. Students were challenged to create haunted houses with Lincoln Logs, spiders with the K'nex, ghost families with the Magnetix, and witches, bats, pumpkins, or jack o'lanterns with the Legos. After discussing the difference between 2D and 3D creations, students chose their challenge. They designed their structure, many times with several iterations. Placing a tea light candle in the haunted houses or jack o'lanterns added to the excitement and challenge of their design. Students were given the opportunity to choose to work with a partner, team of partners, or individually.
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Dot Day
Students celebrated International Dot Day with reading the book, 'The Dot', by Peter Reynolds.
Dot Day is a global celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration. Dot Day began on September 15, 2009 when teacher Terry Shay introduced his classroom to Peter H. Reynolds’ book 'The Dot'. Today, students around the globe celebrate this day encouraging students to have confidence and courage to discover themselves. K-2 students created their own 'mark' by coloring a dot. The students learned about augmented reality using the app Quiver, an educational 3D coloring app. Everyone was amazed with their dot coming to life. From shouts of glee to words like 'it's magical', students thoroughly enjoyed witnessing their drawings become 3D. The 3rd to 5th grade students designed their own 'mark' by creating their own illustration. They learned the process of creating a green screen video using the camera app and iMovie app on the iPads. Click here to enjoy your child's Dot Day green screen iMovie!
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September
Welcome back to school! During the month of September, students explored the rules and expectations of the media center. Practicing using an inside voice, sharing, using our words, listening ears, and walking feet were instilled to set up successful learning!
The students were introduced to the app, Novel Effect...and they loved it. Check out noveleffect.com if you do not know about this app. It is free for educators from the App Store or Google Play! It is a game-changer for reading books in the classroom. The students enjoy the sound effects and books are being added constantly...even in Spanish!
Another favorite app the students enjoyed was vooks.com. Teachers receive a free year and it is designed for ages 2 - 8, although my 5th grades students ask to listen to the stories. Students love to watch the read along animated stories. Vooks is fun and educational!
Students were introduced to stations...lego, k'nex, magnetix, lincoln logs, and tinker toys. Given the opportunity to explore these tools, students created amazing structures. Using their creativity, they designed and built cars, houses, animals, rollercoasters, and much more! I loved witnessing their problem-solving skills as they engineered and communication skills as they worked with a partner...so much learning!
The students were introduced to the app, Novel Effect...and they loved it. Check out noveleffect.com if you do not know about this app. It is free for educators from the App Store or Google Play! It is a game-changer for reading books in the classroom. The students enjoy the sound effects and books are being added constantly...even in Spanish!
Another favorite app the students enjoyed was vooks.com. Teachers receive a free year and it is designed for ages 2 - 8, although my 5th grades students ask to listen to the stories. Students love to watch the read along animated stories. Vooks is fun and educational!
Students were introduced to stations...lego, k'nex, magnetix, lincoln logs, and tinker toys. Given the opportunity to explore these tools, students created amazing structures. Using their creativity, they designed and built cars, houses, animals, rollercoasters, and much more! I loved witnessing their problem-solving skills as they engineered and communication skills as they worked with a partner...so much learning!
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