HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

The MAPS testing is over. The assignments are finished. The projects are done. Now it is time to enjoy the holiday with family and friends while wrapping presents, watching holiday movies, and curling up with a good book. See you all in the New Year.

WE HAVE BEEN BUSY!!!!

Where did the month of November go? Somewhere during that month I presented to 7^th grade Social Studies classes a Research Road Map covering a variety of print and online resources available to them for their History Fair project. Mr. Little shared the Road Map with students so they have the access link and login information.

We also have lots of book checkout – 6^th graders got books with a courageous character for their unit, 7^th graders got books about respect and tolerance (fiction or nonfiction), regular 8^th grade classes choose ReadnQuiz books, and advanced 8^th grade classes choose mysteries.

I have also been visiting classrooms where new technology programs are being used like Google Classroom, Glogster, Geometer’s Sketchpad, and Nearpod. This has led up to my creating Google Classrooms for 6^th and 7^th grade students. In 7^th grade the students accessed, filled out, and shared with me a graphic organizer about Novelist which we used to assist with their respect/tolerance book selection. 6^th grade students viewed and responded with first impressions to the 2015 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award nominees using Nearpod (program which combines a PowerPoint presentation with survey responses). I used the presentation prepared by the Caudill committee and inserted 4 responses for each book – basically Yes, Maybe, No, and Already Read. The 6^th graders seemed to enjoy filling in the survey after I book talked each book.