This week, we are using the Scratch app. Scratch allows users to program their own interactive stories, games, and animations. It was amazing watching the students get so creative with the program. I can't wait to see what they will create in the weeks to come! 4th and 5th grade students were treated to a visit with author Stephanie Perry Moore on Friday, March 18th! Mrs. Moore talked to the students about following their dreams, having an A+ attitude, and always doing their best at everything. She interacted with them, asking them to share their dreams and goals. As she encouraged them to never give up on their dreams, she also shared how she had a dream of becoming a published writer, the challenges that she faced, and how long it took her to achieve her dream. Mrs. Moore talked about her fiction series for youth, sharing some of the challenges that her characters must overcome. She has three series for youth: Morgan Love, Carmen Browne, and Alec London. More information about these wonderful books can be found on her website. Afterwards, students had an opportunity to purchase a book and have it autographed by Mrs. Moore. I have had an opportunity to begin reading one of the Alec London books, and I can say that Mrs. Moore definitely touches on many of the issues that students may face today, including bullying, family issues, morals, and friendships. I am planning to add each of these series to our collection. Mrs. Moore's visit was a huge success and one that I'm sure that our students will not soon forget! We are so appreciative of her taking the time to visit our school and for CCALMS for making this visit possible! At last, the Kano Coding Club is officially meeting! Due to the large number of students who were interested, we are meeting on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. 3rd grade meets on Mondays, 4th grade meets on Tuesdays, and 5th grade meets on Wednesdays. We currently have 10 Kano kits and are expecting delivery of one additional screen kit. So far, the students have enjoyed learning how different commands make the computer do different things, such as make the computer talk with different accents. One of our students has created artwork using code, and several have tried hacking Minecraft. I am so happy that we have this opportunity, which would not have been possible without the Cobb Schools Foundation Teacher Impact Grant! After encountering a few problems, I searched the Kano website for helpful tips to resolve those problems (help.kano.me). These are the tips that I found that were most helpful to me.
On March 2nd, we celebrated Read Across America Day by asking community men and women in uniform to come and read to our students. Our wonderful science teacher, Ms. Lopez, reached out to our local firefighters, police officers, military officers, and boy scouts leaders asking if they would be able to spend time with our students sharing Dr. Seuss books with them. We are so grateful that these wonderful men and women were able to spend time sharing stories with our students and answering many questions about what their jobs are like. In addition, our very own Cat in the Hat read stories and did magic tricks for some of our students in 1st and 2nd grade. We are so excited about Stephanie Perry Moore's upcoming visit on March 18th! Mrs. Moore is the author of several fiction series books targeting youth, including the Morgan Love, Payton Skky, and Alec London series. During her visit, Mrs. Moore will visit with our 4th and 5th grade students and talk to them about several topics, including how she became an author. Students have received an order form and have the opportunity to reserve books that they would like purchase on the day of Mrs. Moore's visit. Mrs. Moore will personally autograph any books that are purchased on that day. This wonderful opportunity for our students has been made possible by CCALMS (Cobb County Association of Library Media Specialists). |
Mrs. Wilson,
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