Friday, October 31, 2014

We Like to Move It!- Exploration Station

The Exploration Station currently is all about getting up and moving. Read about famous athletes, learn some new dance moves, and enjoy a funny book or two along the way. And now it is your turn! 


Shake, Shake... Jumpjumpjumpjumpjump!!!!! :)



 

Monday, October 27, 2014

During Parent Teacher Conferences- Stop by the Library!

Of course I would love to see you, but even more importantly, I would love to help you get your children signed up for a card at the public library.

Why?

Not only is it a great resource for reading material and programs to support families and literacy, but the public library can help increase the amount of reading material going home.

How?

Through a great program called Overdrive.  This is where the digital or e-books purchased by the public library are stored.  We can access these books at school too if students know their public library id number.  This is also a nice way to bring along extra reading material on long trips.  Just log in, find a book and enjoy.

Did you know?

The Thomas Jefferson Library has over 300 e-books available as well.  It is very exciting to be able to share these materials as well with students.  We have been practicing using the Destiny system to access books online.  I will add some specific directions on how to do this from home in a future blog.

Until then, consider stopping by during parent-teacher conferences and sign up your children for cards at the public library.  I will send over the forms and the card will come in the mail.  Another choice would be for you to stop by the public library and get the forms completed immediately.

My great thanks-  I look forward to seeing you at the library!!

Mrs. Moore


****  UPDATE  ****

Special thanks to everyone who stopped by!  It is so wonderful to have the opportunity to meet the families and loved ones of our Amazing students!

If you didn't get a chance to pick up an application, do not worry.  We can send a paper copy or you can download it from a future post, when I show directions as well.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Partial Solar Eclipse... Oooh... Ahhh!!!

This site has a short video that gives a better idea of what happens during a solar eclipse.  We are supposed to have a partial solar eclipse later today...  but it is raining quite a bit.  I guess I will be looking for pictures of solar eclipses from sunny places!

Happy Learning,

Mrs. Moore

Kids Astronomy






Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Common Sense Media

Sometimes we as families struggle with making informed decisions on what to let our children see or use. This came up last weekend, as my family discussed the possibility of going to a movie for the first time in a very long while.

I remembered Common Sense Media had movie reviews from their point of view as well as that of students and parents.  It also has game reviews.

Of course, we are the final decision on what is appropriate for our children, but it helped to have a kid-friendly guide when discussing what our family plans would be.

If interested, follow this link to explore Common Sense Media for yourself.

Common Sense Media

Friday, October 17, 2014

Parts of A Book

     Another big topic we have been reviewing is "Parts of a Book". This includes vocabulary such as front and back cover, spine, title, author and spine label. After reviewing the vocabulary, I pointed to the different parts of the book I was holding, including the spine label.

    When we got to the spine label, an enthusiastic young learner shouted out the name. "SPINEAPPLE!!!" :)

 In case you need a bit more review on Parts of a Book, take a look at this video starring Arthur and D.W.


      


 Read on,

 Mrs. Moore

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Volcanic Inspiration!

Today's special display comes inspired by one of our Jefferson students, who created a 3-D volcano complete with interior lava flow and dinosaur bones. Check out these books! Also, here's a link to learn more about volcanoes...


UK National Geographic for Kids- Volcanoes!







Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Thank You, Mr. Dewey!

We have been studying the Dewey Decimal System of library organization.  Check out this video for a refresher on what we learned.




 Then spend some time practicing "Order in the Shelves".

Order in the Shelves

 Don't forget, once you are good at organizing shelves, we will be talking about adopting a shelf to watch over and promote. Dewey?! Yes!!! :) Mrs. Moore

Monday, October 13, 2014

Design a Library Challenge




While studying Fiction, Non-Fiction and general library layouts as part of our curriculum, 5th graders were challenged to design their own dream libraries. We took inspiration from libraries from around the world as well as our own ideas of what would make a library amazing. I think, by the end, we all agreed that the library is a pretty fun place to be... especially if the library has cargo nets, slides and a tech zone! Hmm... I wonder what Mrs. Moore can add to our library to celebrate some of your design ideas?




Monday, October 6, 2014

How Can You Help?

Do you have an interesting hobby or collection that students might be excited to learn more about? Speak to Mrs. Moore, the librarian at Thomas Jefferson Elementary to see how you can help join in the Wonder. Also looking for LEGOs and LEGO boards Toy Cars Other items that would be good for exploration and inquiry.

Wonderopolis

Exploration Station

Our collaborative inquiry center is up and running. Not only are the kids excited about exploring and working together, but the staff are too, with wonderful results.  
Seeds, Sunflowers, Milkweed and More 

Janke Books- Community Partnership

A wonderful community opportunity-  Janke Books in downtown Wausau has offered a variety of discounted books to the Thomas Jefferson Library.  Here are a few examples.  Each book was selected with the students of Thomas Jefferson in mind.  Prior to purchasing, the librarian will do one last collection analysis to be sure these materials are a good fit for our library and student.  Remaining funds will be kept on hand for those in the moment purchases that will enhance our work in the Exploration Station.



Update-  Special Thanks to our PTO for funding these books.  They are now being processed and soon to enter the hands of excited Jefferson readers.  Deeply appreciated.