And Now, It's March...

     We have been busy here at Meadowview Intermediate.  It seems like yesterday that we were celebrating Christmas, and now, it's March.  I have presented lessons on Internet safety to the 4th graders -- we called them our "CyberSmart" lessons, and they have created a little drawing or rhyme for me to share what they thought was the most important thing to remember.  Mostly, I tried to stress that a person you don't know online is still a stranger and should be treated as such.
     Digital Citizenship has been the theme for 5th grade lately.  We have talked about everything from having strong passwords to using good manners when communicating electronically.  I try to get across the idea that people don't read your words that way you want them to all the time, so take your time and be really clear.  We also stress that once you press Send or Post, you can't take it back.
     Now, we take a little break from lessons and concentrate on some reading.  Series books are the focus for 4th grade, and award-winning books are the focus for 5th grade.  Students will be reading and writing for me in the next few weeks.  To kick-start everything, all students had the opportunity to vote for their choice for the Golden Archer award last Friday at lunch.  It was a very close vote with Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck edging out Wonder by three votes.  Our votes have been sent in to the state headquarters for this award and will be added to the votes of other schools.  This year's award winner will be announced late this month at the Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association conference.

Strange But True...

     I enjoy historical fiction.  In fact, I believe I have learned more history from fiction books than I ever learned from a textbook.  Recently, I read One Came Home by Amy Timberlake, and it was filled with strange but true facts about, of all things, passenger pigeons.
     The story takes place in Wisconsin in 1871 when an incredibly huge nesting of passenger pigeons occurred.  According to records from that time, the nesting covered 850 square miles -- a conservative estimate, according to the notes!  Some experts speculated that all the existing passenger pigeons were part of that nesting.  The story is full of details about what that many birds can do to a piece of land and how huge groups of people followed the flock to "harvest" the birds and their eggs.
     Of course, there is a lot more to the story (see my Read Like a Librarian blog), but it just struck me that books are full of so much more than the story, and a reader never knows what he or she might learn when they pick up something new.

The More Things Change...

     It has been an interesting start to our school year, with lots of changes and adjustments.  Our former secretary, Mrs. Anderson, has moved on to a new position, and we wish her well.  However, that meant months of substitutes while we posted the job, had interviews, and then waited for the process to repeat for the person who got the job.  Finally, she has come on board, and we welcome Mrs. Kim Rugg to our LMC.  Mrs. Rugg has worked at MVI for a number of years as a literacy aide, so she knows many of the kids.  That should make the transition a bit easier.
     Another big change this year is the addition of four reading groups to our schedule.  Teachers nominated students who were doing well in reading and could use some more challenging work, so I will be working with both fourth and fifth graders this year.  We will be participating in Wisconsin's Battle of the Books and the Global Read Along, both of which require some higher order reading and thinking.  In addition, students will need to manage their time and work independently in order to do well.  We'll have a little fun along the way, too!