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I Survived Themed Video Games

3/9/2018

Last year I wrote a Beyond the Books grant to purchase a 5 pack of Bloxels video game builder kits. The proposal was for 3rd graders to read a variety of I Survived books by author Lauren Tarshis and select one to develop a video game based on the characters experiences.

I Survived Stories Selected:

I Survived The Shark Attacks of 1916

(Do I see Sharknado in our future.?)

I Survived the Battle of Gettysurg, 1863
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912
I Survived the Japanese Tsunami, 2011
I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941

So excited when author, Lauren Tarshis, responded via Twitter to a post about our Bloxels project. Can't wait to share a video of the finalized games with her!

Library Centers

2/16/2018

Library centers started in our library as a tool to increase engagement and it has blossomed into my staff's favorite part of the library! I couldn't be more proud... For the 3rd quarter of school we are loving this group of library centers! If you have read about my centers before you know that I design and implement 7 different centers each quarter and the center move from table to table so each group of students has the opportunity to do all 7 activities throughout the nine weeks.

Call Numbers
Select 4 call numbers and record the number and subject on your paper. Search that section of the library to see if we have a good selection (consider number of titles and how old they are). Circle the one subject you think we should add more of.

My Story Center
Select one word to start the new year off right and focus on improving your life. Explain why you chose it and how you plan to make changes with it.

LEGO Wall
Use 15 bricks or less to design a robot on our LEGO wall. Be creative with your design!

Book Checkout
This quarter is our bottom shelf challenge. Use a scooter to browse the bottom shelf for books you might not have considered before. Remember we scoot at turtle speed.

Zine Library
Use the provided booklets to write your story. It can be fiction or nonfiction. Be sure to include a title and author on the front cover and a 2 sentence summary on the back.

Cardline: Dinosaurs
Collaborate with your team to put your dinosaur cards in order smallest to largest two times: consider weight in round one and height for round two.

Escape the Code
Use what you learned about coding to break into the escape box. This quarter there are two locks for an extra challenge. Be sure to sort the materials into groups before trying unlock the locks.

Nothing But Net @ the SIT Conference

2/12/2018

2 Sheridan Presentations for the 2018 Conference

This year I took 9 of my kiddos from the Students Involved in Technology Club to the SIT conference. Four 4th and 5th graders presented and the other five were first time attenders so they came only as participants. It was an exciting day for everyone and I was so proud of our students' presentations and overall conference behavior.

Students Involved in Technology Club picture

We have always had good luck in the prize department. This year didn't disappoint. So excited for my LEGO lover, E, to have won an early drawing and the LEGO Ninjago movie! If you haven't attended the conference before, students earn SIT bucks for asking good questions and participating in the sessions.. They then get to enter drawings with the SIT bucks and hope for a win. Even better the students who present are entered in special drawings for even larger prizes.

Our first presentation of the day was given by C and K. They presented on how to build your own video game using Bloxels. They did a great job preparing for their session by designing their own characters, villains and map of the game layout. The participants in their session were very engaged with the chance to build different parts of the game and put them all together in the end for a collaborative game. We have learned over time that the best sessions are those that allow the participants to do hands on work with the subject.

The second session of the day was presented by J and A. They taught a packed room how to build their own holograms using DoInk apps. Our team taught students how to draw and design with the DoInk Animation app and then how to duplicate and animate. The results were amazing and the participants loved getting to create their own holograms in small groups.

After reflecting on our day the biggest take away was the destruction laboratory. So after we finish our I Survived video game design project we will add deconstruction to the end of the year plan for our SIT Club. I might have to call in the tech department for this one! Watch for more information on this in May!

It's Scholastic Book Fair Time!

1/25/2018

Paws For Reading At Our Book Fair Jan 25 Bulletin Board

It's the most wonderful time of the year, not Christmas- Spaghetti Supper & Book Fair night! This year's Scholastic theme was "Paws for Reading" and we created a great entrance with just three sheets of red butcher paper, black and white construction paper and printed letters. We taped the red paper to the dropped ceiling grid for easy removal after our family night.

We also created a photo booth for those who purchased something at the Spaghetti Supper/ Book Fair that followed our pet them - "I found the purrr-fect book at the book fair!" Another super simple backdrop made with just blue butcher paper and yellow, white and black construction paper. It is hard to see the whiskers in the pictures, but they curled at the ends.

I found the purr-fect book at the book fair picture 1

I found the purr-fect book at the book fair picture 2

Inside our book fair we decorated with butcher paper pet characters like: Dogman, Splat the Cat, Bad Kitty and Pete the Cat. I liked how bright the yellow and blue made the room this year.

I don't typically save decorations from the Book Fair, but this year I decided to keep the characters and create a "Read with Friends" bulletin board in the library after the Book Fair was torn down. The picture below is how the board turned out. I have to admit, it was great getting a second use for the hard work!

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I Survived Themed Video Games

Library Centers

Nothing But Net @ the SIT Conference

2 Sheridan Presentations for the 2018 Conference

It's Scholastic Book Fair Time!

Kristi Sutter

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