Ms. Ricter was super impressed by all of the participants' willingness to take risks, try new things, and learn from their mistakes. Overall it was a wonderful experience and Ms. Ricter is excited to host the Maker Club in the library again this spring.
This past fall, Ms. Ricter started the first ever Maker Club at BPE. Students met after school for eight weeks and worked on STEAM-related projects. During the first session, all students voted on the activities they were most interested in and Ms. Ricter used this information to plan out future sessions. Students created Art Bots from pool noodles and electric toothbrushes, designed their own video games using Bloxels, invented marshmallow launchers from various craft materials, tinkered with paper circuits using LEDs and conductive tape, and built armor to battle Sphero robots. Students flexed their creative muscles while using critical thinking skills to problem solve. Ms. Ricter was super impressed by all of the participants' willingness to take risks, try new things, and learn from their mistakes. Overall it was a wonderful experience and Ms. Ricter is excited to host the Maker Club in the library again this spring.
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The month of December coincides with Hour of Code each year. This event began as a "one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify "code", to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science" (hourofcode.com). We celebrated in the BPE library with programming tutorials, a coding-themed Breakout EDU, and Ozobot experimentation.
Every fall, thousands of students participate in the Global Read Aloud. This project was created by teacher Pernille Ripp with the goal of using books to connect kids around the globe. Over a six-week period, teachers and librarians read aloud to students and help them share their thoughts with other children who are reading the same books.
We wrapped up Global Read Aloud by creating letters to send to other students who also participated. Each second grade class worked with Ms. Ricter to compose a letter telling about Austin and sharing their class's favorite Mem Fox book. After that, first grade students designed illustrations of their favorite Mem Fox books to be included in the letters. Over the last two weeks, first and second graders have had an opportunity to read some of the letters we received back. We've gotten letters from all over the globe, including Canada and Thailand! It's been a fun experience for all and has left us feeling a little more connected to our fellow students around the world. Just before Thanksgiving, both third and fourth graders began their units on nonfiction in language arts. In addition to reading examples of nonfiction books on various topics, students have been writing their own informational papers and feature articles. Ms. Ricter and Ms. Ricketson supported this unit with a lesson on research resources in the library. Students learned about the importance of seeking out reliable sources when searching online. They were also taught how to gather information from four of our district databases and take notes in their own words using the new split screen function the iPad. Take a look at some pictures of students hard at work on their research below!
The BPE library got spooky for the month of October with our annual Halloween pumpkin decorating event! We ended up with over eighty participants. Although we moved away from carved jack-o-lanterns this year, the change only served to enhance students' creativity and we ended up with a plethora of original ideas. Take a look at all of the amazingly creative designs in the video below!
From August 28th - September 29th, Bridge Point Library hosted a book drive to benefit Libraries of Love. This Austin-based nonprofit sends groups of volunteers to Africa each year to build school libraries for students. This year, Bridge Point families donated eight boxes worth of "like new" hardcover books to Libraries of Love.
Mrs. Marshall, the Libraries of Love founder, was particularly impressed with the quality of the books that we donated. She said, "You managed to get such wonderful books. It seemed they were almost all brand new. They were perfect. The kids will love them." She also sent us a thank you letter (pictured above), which explains that these books will be used to help restock twelve existing elementary libraries and create one new high school library during the spring of 2018. Thank you to everyone who donated books! This is such an amazing cause and a wonderful way for Bridge Point students to give to others. Earlier this year, Ms. Ricter kicked off the first ever BPE Unusual Reading Spot Contest by having students submit photos of themselves reading in interesting places. The contest ran through September, and many students spent time over the summer coming up with creative ideas. Ms. Ricter was incredibly impressed by all of the submissions!
All BPE students had the opportunity to vote on their classmates' pictures at the beginning of October. While the decision was a difficult one, the results are in and we have the winners! Thank you to everyone who participated, and keep an eye out for the winners' bookmarks and poster in the next few weeks. Over the last two weeks, fourth and fifth grade students have been reviewing all of the different genres of literature in library. After explaining the genres, Ms. Ricter showed students book trailers and told them about some of her favorite books from each category. The students were eager to check the books out and many titles already have over ten students on the hold list! All of Ms. Ricter's recommended books are included in the slideshow below. If you click on each slide, there is also a link to the book trailer for that genre. Since the beginning of the school year, students have been working on a collaborative poster from StickTogether in the library Makerspace. As each class came to the library, students got to add stickers on and we watched the image develop over time. Everyone had to work together and follow a letter-based key to put the stickers in the right spots.
Now that it's complete, students have been able to see their hard work evolve into a pixelated picture of students reading! Check out some photos, including a time-lapse GIF of our creation below! Over the past two weeks, Ms. Ricter collaborated with Mrs. Meek to introduce the first book for the Principal's Book Club. Ms. Ricter read The Invisible Boy to all grade levels during library and then taught students how to use the Flipgrid app to share their thoughts. This app allows students to post a short video response to a grid, which is then shared with Mrs. Meek. Future book club choices, a QR code, and a Flipgrid link will be posted on the bulletin board near the nurse's office. For directions on how to add a video to Flipgrid, watch the screencast that Ms. Ricter created below. If you are using a computer rather than an iPad, go to the Flipgrid website and enter grid code f95c46 instead of using a QR code. Then follow the steps in the screencast. |
Library BlogMs. Ricter uses this blog to share information and photos of recent library activities and events. She updates it frequently, so be sure to check back regularly for new posts! Archives
April 2018
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