Welcome Winter!

Blizzard by John Rocco

Blizzard is one of this years Chickadee nominees.  We begin reading the nominees on our first week back and will vote for a winner just before February vacation. What is your favorite thing to do when it snows? What makes a blizzard a blizzard?  How can you be safe when a blizzard comes? What are some of your favorite winter sports and activities? 

Here are some great sites to learn more about winter weather:

Weather Wiz Kids LINK

UCAR Center for Science Education  LINK

Kids Connect LINK

NOAA LINK

Owlie, Safety Brochure LINK

Learn about Snowflakes, Hibernation, Solstice & Equinox, and Seasons on BrainPop.

Learn about Winter on BrainPop Jr.

Follow Deanne's board winter on Pinterest.

Hour of Code 2015!

“The 'Hour of Code™' is a nationwide initiative by Computer Science Education Week[csedweek.org] and Code.org[code.org] to introduce millions of students to one hour of computer science and computer programming.”

Visit Code.org and see what computer programming is all about. LINK Choose from Star Wars, Minecraft, and Anna & Elsa.

To save your work, login with your Google account. Look for where it says SIGN IN at the top right side of the screen. It's the yellow box.

Click where it says, "Sign in with Google Account" and follow the directions.

Have Fun! Return to the code.org site as often as you want to practice your computer programming skills.  See Mrs. Tibbetts if you want to take it to a higher level and learn about other ways to learn computer programming.

Meet the Author-Mo Willems

Mo Willems, one of our favorite authors has three new books:

• I Really Like Slop! (Elephant & Piggie)
• I Will Take a Nap (Elephant & Piggie)
• The Story of Diva and Flea (A chapter fiction book!)

Learn more about I Really Like Slop in this video.

Learn more about how Mo collaborated with illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi to create The Story of Diva and Flea in this video.

Visit Pigeon and all of the Mo Willems characters at Pigeon Presents LINK
Visit Mo Willems website here. LINK
Doodle with Mo on the Today Show LINK

What is your favorite Mo Willems character?

Meet the Author!

Loren Long

Loren writes the Otis books.  He is an author and an illustrator.

Loren Long Video

Loren Long Website
Otis the Tractor

At Home, Online Resources

We subscribe to three PebbleGo databases; animals, science, and biographies. Email Mrs. Tibbetts for a copy of the parent welcome letter which includes login information.  Login information will also be provided to students in their library classes.

TTL4 is a fun program that teaches students keyboarding skills. It is a paid subscription, available free to students in grades three and four.  Students will login with their district usernames and passwords. Download onto your computer following the instructions on this LINK. This may take some time to download depending on your device.

Maine Student Book Award 2015-2016

Visit Just Jake HERE!

New Zealand Project, Fourth Grade

Two of our fourth grade classes exchanged information with kids from New Zealand.  They created six short videos to teach the New Zealand children about Maine.  In return, the New Zealand children sent us videos they made about New Zealand.

Here are the South School videos:

End of Year Projects

Take a look at some of these wonderful projects from South School Students!

Mrs. Boukary's Invention Projects
Mrs. Boukary's students used cameras provided by a Fast Track Grant to photograph their invention projects. Then they used iMovie on our school laptops to explain how their inventions work.

Kindergarten Alphabet Book
Kindergarten students drew and decorated letters of the alphabet in art class. Then they brought objects from home that started with the letter they drew.  We photographed those items and also drew pictures of additional objects that started with that letter. We put them all together in a photo book from Shutterfly. We also put our drawings together in an audio book using Adobe Voice.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly offers exclusive layouts and designs so you can make your book just the way you want.

First Grade Pet Book
First grade students researched pets to learn about what they ate, how to take care of them, and what they were like. Then they chose the pet they wanted and wrote about it. Enjoy their beautiful art work!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly photo books offer a wide range of artful designs and embellishments to choose from.

Third Grade Storytelling Projects
Third graders worked on creating "engaging audio recordings", one of our Speaking and Listening standards from the Common Core. They chose stories from "Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together" and with a partner they made recordings of their read alouds.  Students scored their scripts, drew their characters, practiced their readings until they were just right, and recorded their stories using Adobe Voice.

Using Technology to Record Your Voice

COMMON CORE STANDARD SL.3.5
Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.

Plants and Gardening

Learn how to plant your own garden in the 635 section of the library. Books about plants are in the 580s.

LINK

Here are some good choices for fiction books about plants:

Miss Maple's Seeds by Eliza Wheeler

June 29, 1999 by David Wiesner

And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano

Poetry 811

Coloring Pages from Made by Joel

LINK

Birds, Birds, Birds

Watch author and illustrator Philip C. Stead at work below.

Bird Identification Coloring Page LINK

Made by Joel Duck Coloring Page LINK

Do you know what a webcam is?  
A webcam takes video in real time and gives us a "birds-eye view" into bird nests and feeders.  Here are some links for you to explore.  

Great Horned Owl Webcam LINK
Puffin Project Webcams LINK
Bird Webcams around the world! LINK

Learn about Olivia Bouler and her work to save birds in the Gulf.  LINK

Create a Backyard Wildlife Habitat and get certified for your efforts. LINK

Remember your internet safety rules:

• Only go places with an adult.
• Don't wander off.
• Stick with sites that are just right for kids.

SBAC Training Test

At the end of April, students in third and fourth grade will take the Smarter Balanced assessment test.  To prepare for this test we will be taking the training test so we can learn how to use all of the tools we need to use when we are taking the test.  Here is the link to the training test, LINK

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

LINK

Visit Seussville for fun videos, games and information about Dr. Seuss and his books!

LINK

The Theodore Geisel award has been given annually since 2006 to the best books for beginning readers.  Can you read them all? There is one medal winner and 2-4 honor books chosen each year. You'll find lots of favorites here like Henry and Mudge, Elephant and Piggy, Pete the Cat, and Mr. Putter and Tabby.  Check them out!

Even More Chicks!

Brainpop Video LINK

More Information LINK

Kites Around the World LINK

More Chicks!

A Funny Little Bird by Jennifer Yerkes

An interview with the author. LINK

A book review from School Library Journal LINK

Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell

by Tanya Lee Stone

Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman

Timeline LINK

Look for more biographical information in the 92s section on the left side of this site.

Chickadees Continued

A Splash of Red:

The Life and Art of Horace Pippin

written by Jen Bryant

illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Author Jen Bryant's website, LINK

Illustrator Melissa Sweet's website, LINK

Artwork by Horace Pippin LINK

Information about Horace Pippin from the National Gallery of Art, use your bold type and look for "Background". LINK

Miracle Mud today LINK

More Chicks!

Book Trailer from Scholastic LINK

An Interview with the Author and the Illustrator LINK

Joshua Bell's Website LINK

The Story Behind the Story LINK

The Story Repeated LINK

Chickadee Nominees 2014-2015

The Chickadee Award

The Chickadee Award is a very special award chose by Maine students in grades K-4. During the months of January, February, and March we will be reading the ten Chickadee award nominees. Nominees include biographies, folktales, and fiction. What do you think an award winning book should include?

Here is a short video about this year's nominees LINK

Here is a link to the Chickadee Award website, LINK

Foxy! by Jessica Souhami, 398.2 SOU

 The first title we will read is Foxy! by Jessica Souhami.  You'll find this book in the 398.2 section of the library.  What kind of books are in the 398.2 section?