Student Engagement with Library Choice Boards

Our FISW students might not be able to visit our physical library, but that hasn't stop them from reading, building, making, discovering and researching. Students have explored a variety of books and activities through our Library Choice Boards. 

Students shared their explorations through SeeSaw responses and in small breakout groups in Zoom meetings. Some highlights were solving Breakout Edu riddles, building digital structures and sharing Jigsaw explorer puzzles.

In response to reading and listening to stories, some students wrote messages explaining their reactions and others drew pictures. Sing along videos by Emily Arrow were also a favourite.

Many students took on building projects inspired by the Lego.edu challenges and virtual block builder. Several students also wrote or recorded audio stories connected to their buildings.

Snowflake building and snowman drawing tutorials were also popular with our artists. Paper drawings and cuttings were shared as well as digital art.

Remember, readers and makers, you can revisit the Library Choice Boards any time. Looking forward to more choice time together in the weeks to come.

Library Choice Boards for Distance Learning

Happy New Year to our FISW community! We are back today in Distance Learning mode - but that won't stop your library from reaching out to you! When you visit our FISW Library you read, build, make, play and research. At home or at school!

Here are our Library Choice Boards for January 2021. Click on the boards below to open and then click directly on the images to visit the various links.

The choice boards have been shared with all of our Elementary Students on SeeSaw and our Middle School students through Google Classroom. Use the choices to read, listen, take brain brakes and spark your creativity during DLP.

'Tis the Season to be Making

Grade 5 students embraced a festive building challenge. Check out the impressive book sculptures featuring a holiday cast of characters! We found a new fun way to find books on the shelf, too! Our students collaborated to create eye-catching, creative installations.

Students also trimmed our library Christmas tree with some origami. All are welcome to try a challenge of folding a Santa, star or tree ornament and add it to our collection.

Reading is a Gift

This week each class received a special holiday gift. The gift of reading! A bundle of books was delivered to each class tied up with a red ribbon. Books about Christmas, Hannukkah, winter, and snow were included as well as some festive bookmarks to color. 

The gift is simple. Enjoy reading some holiday books together. Then, tie them back up and pass the gift on to another class to enjoy. (After wiping them down, of course. Celebrate with caution this year.)

Students were invited to share a favourite book to recommend to others. Stop by to take a look at our "Reading is a Gift" tree outside the entrance to the library. You just might find your next favourite book to read over the holidays!

Tinkering Towards New Heights

Our FISW builders are stepping up their game! After several months of tinkering and playing with Kapla planks and legos in our library, students are reaching new heights with their building and design. We are observing increased complexity, collaboration and thoughtful construction.

Here are Grade 5 students challenging each other in a building contest! Notice how they worked together to create a tall swirling building, an outdoor theatre (with socially distance seating by the way) and a repeating pattern sculpture which defies gravity!

Grade 2 aimed for the ceiling. A group of students worked together and negotiated ways to stand up on our portable platforms to build as tall as possible. They used an alternating pattern to create height at speedy rate!

And, check out the work of our Pre-Primary lego architects! They have elevated their play to work cooperatively, not just side-by-side. Team work resulted is an intricate house with multiple rooms and an animal hospital.

Lego building at recess is very popular with many of our students in Elementary and Middle School. While our bubbles have tightened, we have still managed to find an extra recess time for each class to visit the library and enjoy some exploration. The latest lego creations from the past week include a model of the Outdoor Learning Area, a collection of airplanes, a multi-story hotel and a police station.

 

And, we can't forget to feature one of Mr. Nikos' impressive structures. He often leaves a mysterious feat of engineering to inspire our student builders. Here's his cantilever bridge from last week...

Keep on tinkering, FISW! 

Wordless Books Across Our Community

What do we do when we want to read together and build community but we have to stay in our tight bubbles? We don't let a pandemic stop us from reading together as a community! We still come together to read using Zoom to help us bridge the distance.

Grade 8 students were asked to plan a wordless book presentation for the Grade 2/3 students. During Information Literacy, Grade 8 students have been exploring how wordless books convey a message, evoke feelings and tell stories. We identified story elements and themes in multiple wordless books. The students then selected a favourite book to share with our younger students.

The challenge for the Grade 8 was to plan a presentation with discussion points, questions and interactivity for the Grade 2/3 students. As a unit of inquiry, Grade 2 and 3 are investigating how we discover, develop, and express ourselves creatively, without the spoken or written word. Wordless books offer a perfect opportunity to explore this concept.

We started by greeting each other as a whole group over Zoom and then divided into smaller discussion groups. With partners, Grade 8 presented from the study pods and their classroom. The Grade 2/3 students worked in groups of 2 or 3 in the library with a copy of the wordless book.

Grade 8 students led our Grade 2/3 students through the book, discussing and questioning along the way. Together, the groups took a deep dive into the stories and illustrations. Each Grade 8 student set a goal for the presentation. Some thoughtful examples of goals included, "I want to ask good questions that really make them think." And, "I want to communicate with the book DEEPLY." As well as, "I want to have a powerful and meaningful discussion."

Examples of Grade 8 students' reflections and planning.

One student, Josephina, commented that she enjoyed seeing how many people had different interpretations of drawings in the story. Sophia noted that while it was challenging to communicate with Zoom, the exchange allowed us connect as a community. The Grade 2/3 students' excitement was evident and the older students appreciated their enthusiasm. We discovered that wordless books are truly universal and can be appreciated by all ages.

Our Virtual Library: Now Open

Our new physical library space is shaping up nicely, so it felt like the logical next step was to spruce up our virtual library space. Take a tour of our FISW Library Media Center online.

Click on the images to navigate and explore each of the resources. You'll find direct links to all of our resources - all in one student-friendly virtual space.

Do you want to search for a book in our library? Put a book on hold? Write a book review? Our Destiny library catalog can be reached by clicking on the laptop on the desk. You can also explore our growing collection of audio and ebooks here in Destiny. 

Looking for digital tools for learning? Our FISW Library Media Center provides students access to a range of tools. Click on the icons on the bookshelf or try the featured tools on the iPads below.

PebbleGo (FS to Grade 2/3) and PebbleGo Next (Grades 4-8) are digital research tools which offer information about animals, biographies, Science, and Social Studies. Britannica is our digital encyclopedia, and The Day Explorer (Grades 2+) and The Day (Grades 4/5+) are current events and news providers.

Our students also access ebooks through Epic and Kids A-Z by using classroom codes provided by their homeroom teachers. Direct links can be found on our virtual bookshelf.

All passwords to our digital resources can be found "pegged" to the desk in our virtual library. 

Our virtual library can be access from FISW Links found in the Student Bookmarks and the FISW Faculty News page. The new virtual space is also available on PowerSchool Learning. Stay tuned for additions and changes to our virtual library.