Loading

EGE Library 3rd Trimester 2021 - 2022

The last trimester of the year was an exciting time the library. This is when students' independence levels are at their best, and because of that, they were able to have more choice and control over their learning.

Kindergarten

The big design challenge for kindergarten this marking period was inspired by the book The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat. The students worked with a partner to first design and then build something that would help Beekle on his journey. They especially loved taking a photo of their creation with Ms. Gendron's stuffed Beekle toy!

Kindergarten was VERY excited to get to try programming robots for the first time! First they practiced with the Bee Bots app to get comfortable with coding a virtual Bee Bot, and then they did some problem solving tasks with the actual Bee Bot robots.

The big project for kindergarten this marking period was weather research. They first had to choose a type of weather on PebbleGo. Then, they answered some simple research questions about their weather. Finally, they turned these facts into a short informational video using the Shadow Puppet app.

1st grade

First grade practiced problem solving and collaboration skills with several Bee Bot puzzles. They even challenged themselves by creating their own!

First grade also studied author/illustrator Steven Kellogg this marking period. They learned about his art style and the inspiration for his many books. Their favorites were the Pinkerton books, which are based on the author's dog's real life antics.

Finally, first grade worked on research skills by first choosing a topic on Pebble Go, then practicing how to create and answer a research question. They turned their information into a non-fiction book using the MyStory app. They are deservedly proud of this project!

2nd grade

Second grade's design challenge this marking period was inspired by a very silly book, The Monkey and the Bee, by C. P. Bloom. They had to cooperate with a partner to design and build a creation that would help the monkey succeed.

Success!

This marking period, 2nd grade took a deeper dive into learning about cyber safety. After several activities to help them learn how to judge what is safe, what you need to be cautious about, and what is unsafe, they used the Jamboard app to create a comic page sharing their knowledge.

To wrap up their year, 2nd grade chose any author on PebbleGo or Britannica School. They then used the Poplet app to ask and answer research questions about their author. This was their first time using Britannica School and they especially love calling it by its EGE nickname, "Banana School!"

Research about the author Roald Dahl

3rd grade

This marking period was third grade's first chance to code the Dash robots. These robots are complex and the third graders loved challenging themselves to accomplish different tasks. Their favorite was getting the robots to navigate a maze on the library carpet.

Third grade was ready for some more sophisticated research skills. They practiced safe and focused key word searches using different online tools, such as Kiddle and Britannica School.

3rd grade also learned about archaeology and some famous archaeological sites (like the Roman city of Pompeii) in preparation for Ancient Civilizations Day.

Pompeii online choice board

4th grade

4th grade took a deep dive into primary sources this marking period. They learned about different types of primary sources such as historical documents and photographs, and practiced how to interpret them as "historians."

Do you notice any patterns with this primary source document? Hint: this is from the Library of Congress and was created right after the Revolutionary War.

4th grade was very excited to challenge themselves with the Dash robots this marking period! They were exceptionally strong at dealing with complex problems and collaborating with one another to code the Dashes to do some very intricate tasks.

5th grade

5th grade spent this marking period turning their research from the 2nd marking period into a creative project to present to a younger class of their choice. They explored examples of inquiry questions, which are deep questions that start with "how" or "why" and can't be answered with one or two sentences. They they chose from a menu of creative projects (Google slides and iMovie were quite popular this year, and we even had a couple original puppet shows). This was important preparation for independent work in middle school.

Poplet's design options facilitate metacognitive thinking, which helps answer a deep research question that starts with "how" or "why".

For their work with coding this marking period, 5th grade used the Ozobots to tell a narrative story. Ozobots are small robots that respond to color drawn on paper - different color patterns create different instructions for the robot. The 5th graders were very creative with this project!

Questions? Want to volunteer in the library or donate books? Contact Ms. Gendron bgendron@wcasd.net.

Credits:

Created with an image by DariuszSankowski - "paper romance symbol"