Winter in Media K-5
In December and January, we participate in the global event, Hour of Code in grades K-5. Students in kindergarten and first grade participate in offline coding activities to learn about the kid-friendly coding language, Blockly. They learn about sequencing events to code characters through puzzles and mazes. They also learn computer program terms like algorithm, bug, debug, loops. We use the app Code Monkey in kindergarten and first grade to begin understanding the basics of programming. In second grade students will use the apps Lightbot and ScratchJr. They will also visit the website code.org/learn to participate in various coding activities. In ScratchJr., the second graders create an animated story that they've created with code. It's truly impressive what they are capable of at sucha. young age. It's a culminating project that shows their growth from what they've learned about coing through previous years. In grades 3-5, students also visit the Hour of Code website and may choose from a vast amount of coding activities at their appropriate level. The newest coding addition this year was Music Lab, where students could create their own remixes using code. It was really fun and even more fun to create sounds using A.I.
Computer Science underlies most innovation today. While students learn to program, it teaches them design, logical reasoning, and problem solving. These skills are all valuable well beyond the computer science classroom! In the upper grades we discuss how a variety of technologies can be used to identify and solve problems to create new, useful or imaginative solutions. Here are some of the skills students ascertain through this unit: many ways to share information, revision of thinking, perseverance, divergent thinking, collaboration, reflection, communication, development and testing of theories, refinement, generating ideas, creating innovative artifacts and solving problems.
Spring in Media K-2
We have read so many books this year in Media, both fiction and non-fiction. We read approximately 200 books this school year in the library. We often read in Innovation too, connecting our challenges to literature. So when I see the classes twice a week, we share so many stories together as we learn.
One of our most recent literature adventures was the study of the Food Group series by Jory John and Pete Oswald. We had so much fun learning about how a series is written and finding commonalities in all the books. In 2nd grade, we even thought of other expressions in the English language related to food that could continue the series for readers. For example, The Happy Clam, The Cool Cucumber, or The Rotten Apple. We loved the series so much that we thought writing a letter to the author with our ideas might inspire them to write more. We are still waiting to hear back from the author's agent.
As the year comes to a close, I will wrap up Media Classes with a discussion about Summer Reading and the various ways we can access and read books. Audio books, listening to a book being read aloud, reading independently, reading with a partner,...there are so many ways we can read books. And even though the OGS Library is not open in the summer, you can always visit the local public library, Perrot or other Greenwich branches.
And speaking of the public library, every first grader will wrap up the year with a visit to Perrot. They meet the librarian, Ms. Jen and learn about the Children's section and receive a library card. The first grade field trips are next week: 1G visits Wednesday 6/4, 1Z visits Thursday 6/5, and 1M visits Friday 6/6.
Happy Reading!
Spring in Kindergarten Innovation:
In classrooms, teachers created centers where students could build ramps. To support student's understanding of ramps, we took a closer look at simple machines and how ramps are all around us in everyday life. We learned about friction and slopes and how this impacts movement on a ramp. In small groups, they had to build various types of ramps and were able to test them, some groups even built water slides and tested the friction with real water! This was very exciting!
Spring in 1st Grade Innovation:
In science, students are learning about forces and motion which is supported in Innovation with various activities. For example, students built ramps and levers. The levers project was the most fun as they had to build a Lego pinball machine, which uses levers. It was quite the challenge but oh so much fun!
Spring in 2nd Grade Innovation:
In the 2nd grade classrooms, teachers taught students about Land and Water and Interdependence in Ecosystems. I supported student learning reading about natural disasters that impact land and water. Students participated in activities, designing cities and towns to help prevent flooding and earthquakes. We also expanded our knowledge of seeds in learning about seed dispersal and created imitation paper seeds to test how they are dispersed.
I hope all students continue to participate in innovative challenges over the summer, perhaps building things outside or even reading forts on a rainy day to do their summer reading. Happy building everyone!
Grades 3-5:
And next week the students will have a visit from Perrot Librarian, Jen Minehardt who will present some great titles for summer reading (see the list below).
I've also visited with current 4th graders (soon-to-be 5th graders) to present the Battle of the Books or BOB Competition. For parents of rising 5th Graders, here is the Parent Letter Introduction. To learn more about the BOB selections and to review the GPS and Perrot Library summer reading information, please visit the links shared below. Thank you. And last but not least...
A BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR (ALMOST) 5TH GRADE GRADUATES!
On and on you will hike.
And I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are. ~Dr. Seuss
Be creative and persevere! Wishing you all the best,
Mrs. Tocabens
