Just One More Time!

I just couldn't resist showing off a 4th grade Prezi in action. Andrew Huang and Ethan Gray chose to research Viking mythology as their religion. Many of the children who chose to research mythology found the topic a little more difficult. It took them into history requiring them to think about the type of people that would have worshiped god in such strange ways.

They did a wonderful job of presenting their research and putting together a creative Prezi.

 

If you would like to view just Andrew and Ethan's Prezi you can view here.

As part of their assignment they had to choose another way to present their findings. Ethan and Andrew not only put together a great Prezi but they also wrote this delightful poem.

A Viking God Rhyme 

There is a woman named Freyda

Whose children are Frigg and Thor

Her Husband’s name is Odin

Who is the Viking God core.

If a NORSE person dies

Its not very cool

When they were buried

They were buried with every tool.

 

Final round of 4th grade projects

We had the final round of 4th grade research presentations today. In case you don't remember the 4th graders were asked to use the Dewey 200s section, Religion, and research a non Christian religion. They could work with partners or alone. They were given a list of options that allowed them to present their research creatively. One of the most popular option was the Prezi presentation. I posted about those here and here. Today I thought I would share some of the other presentations. I must say we have some very creative children. 

This is just a sampling of projects from 4A. 

Maggie Kiechler chose one of the more creative options. She made a menu that explained the god Artemis. 

But this is not your typical menu. My favorite option: The Trojan Horse served with a side of revenge!

Lily Mendez created a travel poster for a Hindu Temple. She made sure to include the etiquette that must be followed when visiting a Temple. 

These two post cards depict the Shinto religion. I love how they explain how to say Hello from Japan in Japanese. 

This is a book jacket for a book about a Buddhist Temple. I forgot to take a picture of the inside but the description of her research was very witty. 

The front cover of another beautifully done book jacket. 

I love Gabriel's passion!

Megan and Molly decided to be fashion designers!

I just adore this book jacket. The artwork is well thought out!

Library Lion

One of my all time favorite picture books is Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen. It is a very sweet tale of a lion that wanders into a library and quickly gains a love for story time. Being an animal lover and book lover I immediately take to these types of books and there are plenty out there. For Example...

Another all time favorite is of course Dewey. While the other books are make believe, Dewey was a real life library cat. Abandoned at birth and left for dead in a library book drop, the small town librarians took pity on the tiny kitten. He was nursed back to health and adopted by the town who in turn named him Dewey.

Oh how I wish and dream of such a thing happening in our library. While I know we couldn't keep a kitten or really, any animal in our library I still find joy in the book.  I find joy in all the books that contain libraries and animals. They are charming and after my own heart. While I try to read a diverse selection of books to the children I find that every year I pull Library Lion off the shelf to read. Good thing the children like it also.


So that brings me full circle, back to the original intent of this post. Last Monday I walked into the library, logged into the computer, worked on my lesson plans, checked in some books, drank my coffee, checked my email. I did not go into the the other room where the book shelves are. At 8:30 2A walked in for their class. We gathered in the other room and I began to let them know what their assignment was for the day. Mid explanation I glanced up and gasped. I don't think I finished saying whatever it was I was saying because there, on top of the bookshelves was our very own library lion. I started laughing, only slightly hysterically, while the 2nd graders became more and more perplexed, unsure if I had lost my mind. After gaining control of myself I let them in on the joke. I pointed to the top shelves and they all laughed in relief that no, Mrs. Natalie had not lost her mind after all.

So now we have our very own library lion. I am happy to say that it came from the book fair. I noticed him there. Of course I loved him and even thought how cool would it be if he were in our library. It would be just like the book. Ahaha little did I know! Thank you to whoever decided the lion needed a home in our library. He warms my heart and brightens up our stacks.

He needs a name! What should we name him?

Who am I, really, and then who are you?

It is time for one of my favorite library lessons. I love it so much that this is my second blog posting on it. Last year I wrote about the 4th grade classes learning the Dewey Decimal System and one of the harder sections, Philosophy, Psychology and Ethics. You can read the posting Here. A year later I find myself enjoying the conversations this subject inspires. I thought I would share some of the ideas your wonderful thinkers thought up.

I told them about the famous French philosopher, Descartes, famous statement "I think, therefore I am". These are the 4th grader's interpretations.

"My brain is my partner"

"If I can think, I can do it"

"By thinking, I am human"

"Believe in yourself"

"If you don't use your mind, you aren't a thinker"

When we discussed the idea of beauty or what makes something beautiful the children came up with these ideas.

"If you are blind, how do you know what is beautiful? Everything could be beautiful"

"We all see things differently."

I asked them the question, How do you know the sky is blue? We discussed how a dog does not see a blue sky because his body doesn't let him see color. Our body decides (interprets) what we see in the sky as blue. 

"So, not everybody sees the same thing"

"Is this really...REAL?"

"Only God knows the color of the sky"

"If you don't know, can you have feelings about it?"

"But somehow, you KNOW! without knowing"


I love our thinkers!

New Arrivals

A new shipment of library books came into the library this week!  I felt as giddy as a kid on Christmas as I unpacked the two giant boxes of gorgeous books and placed them on the shelves for the students to enjoy.  Of course the first thing I said to the 4th graders that came just as I was finishing up was "We just received over 70 new books!"  They were ecstatic and anxious to see what they were.  Within the hour, 5 brand new books went home with delighted kids eager to explore their pages. A few days before the new books arrived a 1st grader asked me, "Do you have any cool books?" Well, I certainly think all the books in the library are cool, but apparently he does not necessarily agree. However, with just a little digging I was able to get to the source of what "cool" was and he ended up happily taking home a leveled reader on Prince Caspian from the Narnia Chronicles. As I unpacked the boxes of new books I could not help wondering which ones my little 1st grade friend would classify as "cool." I'm guessing the books on Ninjas and Military Fighter Planes make the list.  What do you think? Here is a just a sampling of the new books ready to be checked out.  The publisher's descriptions are underneath to give a little taste of what each book is about: 355.548 MAT Mattern, Joanne, 1963-. Ninjas : masters of stealth and secrecy. New York : Children's Press, 2005. Presents a brief introduction to ninjas, including their history, mythology, beliefs, weapons, and traditions. 362.196 WAT Watters, Debbie, 1961-. Where's Mom's hair? : a family journey through cancer. Toronto : Second Story Press, c2005. In a way that provides clear and non-frightening answers, this personal journey highlights the kinds of questions children have when a loved one gets cancer. 385 DUN Dunn, Joeming W. Building the transcontinental railroad. Edina, Minn. : Magic Wagon, c2009. In graphic novel format, this book offers an account of the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. 597.6798 WAL Walker, Sally M. Seahorse reef : a story of the south Pacific. 1st ed. Norwalk, CT : Soundprints, 2000. Describes a sea horse living in the coral reefs of the central Philippines, its habitat, life cycle, food, and how it protects itself from predators. 597.8 GIL Gilpin, Daniel. Tree frogs, mud puppies, & other amphibians. Minneapolis, Minn. : Compass Point Books, 2006. Introduces the species of amphibians including information on physical characteristics, habitats, and life cycles. 597.965 KLE Klein, Adam G., 1976-. Yellow-bellied sea snakes. Anniversary ed. Edina, Minn. : Abdo Pub., c2006. Presents an introduction to yellow-bellied sea snakes, in simple text with illustrations, and includes information on their size, color, habitat, food, and life cycle. 599.8 DEL De la Bédoyere, Camilla. 100 things you should know about monkeys & apes. 2009 ed. Broomall, Pa. : Mason Crest Publishers, 2009, c2008. Presents one hundred details about primates, including information about different species, how they communicate and move, their intelligence and family life. 616.9 OLL Ollhoff, Jim, 1959-. What are germs? Edina, MN : Abdo Pub. Co., c2010. This book describes scientists' discoveries of microbes (germs), including how they spread; how some of them cause diseases, and how medicines are used to control these diseases. 623.746 BUR Burgan, Michael. The world's fastest military airplanes. Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Books, c2001. Explains how jet planes operate and some of the uses that the military makes of them. 636.9359 LEA Leavitt, Amie Jane. Care for a pet chinchilla. Hockessin, Del. : Mitchell Lane Publishers, 2010. Provides advice on having a chinchilla as a pet, discussing its behavior, housing, life cycle, selection, feeding, and handling. 796.334 HUR Hurley, Michael, 1979-. Great World Cup moments. Chicago : Heinemann Library, c2010. Recounts some of the greatest moments in World Cup history and profiles the soccer stars and teams that made them possible. 956.014 MAC Macdonald, Fiona, 1958-. You wouldn't want to be a crusader! : a war you'd rather not fight. Brigton, BNI : Book House ;, 2005. Cartoons and facts combine to describe the experiences of European knights fighting in the Crusades. 973.0496 BOL Bolden, Tonya. Tell all the children our story : memories and mementos of being young and Black in America. New York : Abrams, 2001. Photographs, illustrations, and text describe the experiences of African-American children growing up in the United States from the first African-American baby born in the Jamestown colony through the children growing up in the dawn of the twenty-first century. B GOO Haugen, Brenda. Jane Goodall : legendary primatologist. Minneapolis, Minn. : Compass Point Books, c2006. Studies the life of Jane Goodall, whose research and dedication has ensured the survival and well-being of chimpanzees in Africa. FIC WIL Wilson, Nathan D. The Chestnut King. 1st ed. New York : Random House, c2010. Twelve-year-old Henry York, finally reunited with his family, works with them and the Chestnut King, the long-deposed and mythic leader of the faeren people, to destroy Nimiane and her forces of evil. FIC CRO Crowne, Alyssa. Pink princess rules the school. New York : Scholastic, 2009. Juliet Henry is planning a party for her seventh birthday, and she wants to invite only girls and have everything pink, from the food to the outfits. But the boys in her class don't want to be left out of the fun. Will they spoil the pink princess party? HAPPY READING!

One World Many Religions

Diversity is an important aspect of a St. Philip's education. It is very important for our children to be aware of their world and embrace cultural differences. While the 4th graders continue to explore the Dewey Decimal System they are given the opportunity to explore their world. This month, they are working on the Dewey 200s also known as Religion. Since we are a Catholic, the school library has a decent size Christianity section, although I am working on making it bigger. We have a few Bibles and wonderful books on saints and sacraments. There is a nice collection of prayer books and illustrated bible stories.

I like that there is a place for students to read about their religions. The 4th graders were asked to look for a book from the 200s to check out. They will have a week to read the book and then next class we will discuss their different religion books. Some were very eager to find bible stories and books of prayer. While others were excited to discover that mythology is included in the religion sections. They quickly snapped up books on Greek mythology ready to read some of their favorite tales. Another group of 4th graders were very interested in some of the more unusual or exotic religions such as Shintoism or Confucianism. They liked that the religions were so different from what they are used to experiencing and wanted to learn more about them.

I can hardly wait for next week when we can discuss the world of information contained within our Dewey 200s Religion section!

Fiction vs. Non-Fiction

The 2nd grade class is starting to learn the difference between fiction and non-fiction books. Most of the students already know that non-fiction books are "real" and fiction books are "make believe". The question is how can they tell which type it is just by looking at the book? You have all heard the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover". It couldn't be more true than when you are trying to decipher a fiction book from a non-fiction book. Can you tell which of the following books are fiction and which are non-fiction?

You might be surprised at the books that are actually fiction and the ones that are truly non-fiction. When you are in a library the easiest way to tell is to look at the call number. A call number is the label on the spine of the book that provides you with the location or "address" of the book. It tells you where the book lives on the library's shelves. But, because library books are organized by type of book,  the call number also tells you what kind of book it is. Not all libraries are the same but most of them use the Dewey Decimal System to label non-fiction books and some sort of locator symbol to label fiction books. Here is how the St. Philip's library works.

Fiction has one of the three locator symbols: FIC, E or YA

Non-fiction has one of the following: Number, REF or B

And they all stand for something

FIC: fiction
E: easy reader
YA: young adult
Number: example 509.893
REF: reference
B: biography

So what are the books I posted above?

Call number: 598 STE (non-fiction because of the Dewey number)

"In a simple yet informative language, award-winning children's science writer Melissa Stewart introduces readers to some of the ways human action or inaction can affect bird populations. More than just a book about birds, A Place For Birds will open readers' minds to a wide range of environmental issues."

Call number: 598 ARN (non-fiction because of the Dewey number)

"Birds:Nature's Magnificent Flying Machines looks at how feathers, body structure, and wings vary from bird to bird. Readers will learn the mechanics of bird flight from takeoff to landing and discover how wing types meet the survival needs of each species."        

Call number: E PEN (fiction because of the E for easy reader)

Ming-Li a Chinese girl is devastated to hear her country's leader had call sparrows the enemy of the farmers and soon announce a great "sparrow war" to banish them from China. While her village gathered to rid itself of sparrows Ming-Li vows to save the sparrow's, one by one,  no matter the consequences.

This tale is based on the true story of Chairman Mao Tse-Tung's war on sparrows in 1958. Yet Ming-Li is a made up character as are her actions making the book a work of fiction. In reality the sparrow population in China was decimated in three days leading to a growth in the locust population that ended up contributing to a famine that killed between thirty to forty million Chinese over the next three years.

                          

Q is for Question

The 4th graders spend their year in the library learning about the Dewey Decimal System. We start at the 000's and end at the 900's. Some of the 10 major Dewey categories are difficult to understand. For example the students first learn that the Dewey system is reserved for non-fiction books. Yet one of the major categories is Social Sciences and includes fairy tales. If fairy tales are made up stories how can they be included in non-fiction? That is a very good question that the 4th graders will explore in a few months. This week and next week they will focus on the major Dewey category 100 also known as Philosophy and Psychology.

This is somewhat of a daunting lesson since even I find it difficult to understand these subjects of the mind. The first thing we did was read a Dewey 100's poem.

Who am I, really, and then who are you?
What is for real? Is the sky truly blue?
Spooks, ghosts and witches-where do they fit?
Does my mind have strange powers? What's the truth of it?
What's right and what's wrong? Can I reason it out?
Do my dreams hold the answers to what life's about?
Who were the great thinkers, and what did they see?
Did they sometimes feel silly or sad, just like me?
To explore these great mysteries, to be wise and to know, The Dewey 100s are the place to go!

We then discussed the different subjects and books that can be found in this section. I can honestly say I have never had more fun talking to a class before. Your children are all great thinkers who understand that we all have different ways of thinking.

We also read a fun book titled Q is for Question by Tiffany Poirier.
It starts at A with ANSWERS
:"Searching for answers? Let's begin! how are they found? Are they within...?"

It touches on mind boggling thoughts such as
E EXISTENCE
"What is existence? Can you define it? Is there a boundary? What is outside it?"
"At the edge of space, if you poked your fist, could you scoop in your hand what doesn't exist?"

It also has you think of slightly more concrete ideas such as
R RIGHTS
"What are your rights? Are rights equal for all? Which rights apply to an animal?"

And yet, it stays firmly in the realm of thoughts, ideas and beliefs...
S SOUL
"Is there a soul? Of what is it made? Who gets a soul? Do souls ever fade?"

While your children may not be quite ready for Plato's The Republic and his idea of The Cave, they certainly are able to discuss and understand logic, free will, happiness and nature vs. nurture. Talk to them about it! You might be amazed at their own philosophical ideas!