2nd Grade Used Reference Sources to Gather Information

     I wanted students to get practice using the main types of references sources they need to know how to use, so I read the book Clever Tom and the Leprechaun by Linda Shute as a jumping off point. I picked it in part because it was the week of St. Patrick's Day and in part because I knew there would be plenty of unfamiliar words.

     While I read I had the 2nd grade students identify words they were not familiar with by raising their hands and a volunteer (or the teacher) wrote down the words on slips of paper.  Students then used dictionaries (both print and digital) to look up the unfamiliar words and wrote the definitions. ELACC1RI4: Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.  They started out by looking up their word in the print dictionary, but I knew they wouldn't find some of the words (ie. thunderation, hoodwink, etc.).  If they were unsuccessful in finding the word in the print dictionary they then transitioned to a computer where I had pulled up an online dictionary.  This exposed them to digital versions of print resources.

     Other students used an atlas to locate Ireland on a map. First they had to use the index to locate the correct page with the map.  I had paper on the table with directions and they recorded one fact they learned about Ireland by looking at the map (ie. Ireland is an island, The capital of Ireland is Dublin, etc.). ELACC1RI5: Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of content, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text. 

     Another group of students used  World Book Kids (an online encyclopedia) to read the article on leprechauns and write a fact or two about them. ELACC1W8: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

     Each student presented their new knowledge to the class. I wrote up this activity and posted in on the bulletin board in the hall with photos of one of the classes.  I always include the Common Core Standards that are being covered as some people don't think library media specialists do any teaching!

Plants & Animals & Unexpected Lesson: Quiet in the Garden

Several weeks ago I was reading a book to the first grade classes, Quiet in the Garden by Aliki.  At that time the students were studying what is a plant, what is an animal, the relationship between the two groups, etc.  After I chose the title I realized it was about what each animal ate, so after we read the book the students helped me create a list of all of the animals mentioned in the book.  This was good recall practice for them.  I listed the animals on a white board and then they helped me list what each animal ate.  We then went back and noted whether that food was a plant or an animal.

It just came to me as I saw "plant" and "animal" listed over and over. I  realized I had the opportunity to introduce some new concepts and vocabulary words: herbivore, carnivore and omnivore.

                                                 

Note Taking Instruction & "Frog in a Box"

The 4th grade classes were studying animal adaptations at the time that I wanted to work on their note-taking skills.  I had previous used an activity at the zoo at Chehaw Park called "Frog in a Box" developed in 2008 for American Zoos & Aquariums recognition of the Year of the Frog.  The activity consists of having a volunteer become a frog. Various things are put on the volunteer representing adaptations which  turns them into a "frog" (swimming flippers representing webbed feet, ear muffs for the large tympanum-ear drum).  I instructed the students to take notes on a graphic organizer I designed which included spaces for 4 adaptations and how they helped the frog survive.  As I "dressed" the student volunteer with adaptations the other students took notes. I also wrote each adaptation on a white board as we added them.

I think the students enjoyed this activity and we accomplished two things at once.  They learned about the adaptations of frogs and how to take notes from an oral presentation.

Comparing Two Texts

One of the 2nd grade's CCGPS ELA skills is to compare two similar texts.  I read two fiction picture books: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert.  Both books are about the life cycle of a butterfly, which is what the 2nd grade students are studying in their IB/PYP unit of inquiry, "How We Express Ourselves: Enjoying Nature."  After reading the 2 books the students created a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the two books.

Creating a Glossary with First Grades

First grade classes create a glossary in CCGPS ELA:
ELACC1RI5: Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, table of content, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.

I chose a non-fiction title that did not have a glossary, but had a lot of interesting words.  The title from the National Geographic series, What Did One Elephant Say to Another?: A Book About Communication, by Becky Baines worked well as would A Den is a Bed for a Bear: A Book About Hibernation .

I read the book and gave each student a strip of paper with a word from the book printed on it. I had a strip with a different word for each student, so part of the challenge of this activity is finding a book with enough words that 1st grade students will know and be able to write about!   Each student wrote a definition on the strip of paper.  I took one class's words and arranged them in alphabetical order on a bulletin board in the hallway with an explanation of the activity.  I took the other classes' words and glued them onto a large sheet of paper (in alphabetical order of course) and delivered them to the class.  If I would have had more time, we could have put them in alphabetical order in the library media center.  I think I will do that next year.