library classes
September/October
Strawbridge was one of 18 schools in the division that was lucky enough to receive funding to transform the physical space into one that meets the needs of our 21st century learners. The library and learning commons was completely renovated from new carpet and fresh paint to brand new mobile shelves and flexible seating. Since school began Strawbridge sharks have enjoyed familiarizing themselves with their new space. Moving forward, our goal is to foster students’ love of reading and help them become confident while utilizing resources to help them answer questions and acquire skills to make a positive difference in our changing world.
In addition to our new physical space, check out our virtual library on the Strawbridge Elementary website. There you can find pictures of our newly renovated space, access to the Destiny catalog, and resources that you and your child may find helpful.
Here is a little peek into what the Strawbridge Sharks have been up to in the library so far this year. Kindergarten and first grade students have spent time learning about book care from their own librarian and book doctor, Mrs. Philips. Additionally, they celebrated International Dot day by listening to The Dot by Peter Reynolds. It’s the tale of little girl who thinks she isn’t a very good artist. Her art teacher tells her to make a mark and see where it leads. She does just that and creates amazing pictures from a simple dot on a piece of paper. Our students then had a blast creating their own dot pictures.
Second, Third, fourth, and fifth graders were sent on a scavenger hunt as they completed their library orientation. Second graders will soon be exploring the many sections of our library, learning to read call numbers, and locating books on the shelves in hopes to help foster independence as they use the library space. All students will continue to visit the library in small groups to check out books, read for fun, and explore the makerspace.
November
Strawbridge students have settled into their new library and learning commons and have been enjoying fun and engaging activities. Students and staff celebrated Global Maker Day on October 23rd by building and creating monster origami bookmarks, drawing pictures with Dash the Robot, and making music using a Makey Makey invention kit using fruits and vegetables. The students had a blast! In addition to checking out their favorite books and celebrating Global Maker Day, the students have been visiting the learning commons to participate in whole class lessons. Over the past several weeks, kindergarten students have been learning more about fiction stories. More specifically, they have spent time studying story elements such as characters and setting. First and second graders have been learning the difference between fiction and nonfiction texts. They understand and can identify text features that are found in nonfiction books that can help the reader understand what they are reading. Some second graders even visited the library to use a robot named Bee Bot to help them identify homophones. Third graders researched geographic features in North and South America and then created a digital tour showing some locations on Google Earth. 4th graders visited Strawbridge Cafe for their very first book tasting. After exploring different genres, the students left the library with one or two new book ideas that they would like to check out. Finally, as fifth graders completed their Jamestown unit, they collaborated and used problem solving skills to solve a Jamestown BreakoutEDU challenge.
December
December was a very exciting month in the library and learning commons. Students continue to visit daily for book checkout and makerspace visits. Additionally, students have been spending time working in small groups to work on projects and to enjoy quiet reading time. Kindergarten students learned a little bit about economics and the difference between needs and wants, explored nonfiction texts, and participated in maker lessons that allowed them to engage in collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, and citizenship; the 5Cs. First grade students also spent time exploring economics by participating in a green screen project where students identified the goods, services, consumers, and producers that can be found in their community. Much like the kindergarten students, they also participated in maker lessons that incorporated the 5Cs. Meanwhile, second grade students learned a bit more about the importance of asking and answering questions in order to understand nonfiction texts and also focused on how to identify the theme of a fiction story. Third graders spent the month completing research on Ancient Egypt and Ancient China so they dropped in for a visit to the library and learning commons to learn about effective note taking and the pitfalls of plagiarism. The fourth graders learned how, and for what purposes, media messages are constructed. They worked in small groups to identify the purpose, format, and audience of various media messages. Finally, fifth graders began a Colonial Virginia project which they were tasked with researching people, jobs, and places of significance in Colonial Williamsburg. In preparation for this project the students were taught about the importance of creating citations and plagiarism.
Upcoming Events-Mark your Calendars!
World Read Aloud Day- February 1, 2019
Book Fair-March 18th-22, Family Night-4pm-7pm on March 20th