Spotlight on Student Research

Our students are building research skills through their units of inquiry. Across all grade levels students ask questions, explore resources and gather information at developmentally appropriate levels. Students engage and navigate with a variety of print and electronic resources available in both our physical and virtual libraries.

Pictured below, Primary and Grade 1 students investigate worms. After encountering worms in the playground and Outdoor Learning Area, students had many questions about worms' habitat, life cycle, diet and bodies. 

Students worked collaboratively to collect and share information from books and databases. Our youngest researchers love tools such as PebbleGo that read aloud to them, allowing our emerging access to sophisticated Science content.

 

Students used graphic organisers to gather information about worms by drawing and labelling picture and/or writing words.

Our Grade 2 and 3 students can be seen below researching insects and plants as they ask questions about how our ecosystems are connected. Students considered what information was important, what was surprising, what new words they encountered and what they wondered as they explored nonfiction print resources.

A highlight for our Grade 2-3 learners was investigating land forms and bodies of water. Students discovered a variety of databases such as PowerKnowledge Science, which allowed them to research in their home language. Students gathered and synthesised information from multiple sources and presented their research findings on through models and video presentations.

Our students are learning to formulate questions, identify reliable sources of information, gather research and share their findings. Research skills are essential transdisciplinary skills for students as they grow and develop along their learning journey. We can't wait to discover what our budding researchers will wonder and discover next.

Library Choice Boards for May

As we move into another (hopefully short this time) round of DLP, please explore the options in the new Library Choice Boards. The April/May Choice Board features readings around the theme of earth and working together. Poetry activities include the awesome "Poetry Machine" and a drag and build "Digital Magnetic Poetry" builder. Several art, puzzle and game choices are also included.

Click the image below to start your adventures:

Don't forget that all of our community resources are available through our FISW Library Media Center virtual space. Click on the image below to explore:

All students have a shortcut on their iPad home screens or a bookmark in their browser on their laptops. The link has also been shared on SeeSaw (First Steps - Grade 5) and Google Classroom (Grades 6-8).

Many students were excited to discover a special choice board to celebrate Star Wars Day: May the 4th Be With You:

Library Choice Board for March

The Library Choice Board for March is here! It's packed with fun reading, building, playing, making and discovering. Although most of FISW is back in school, the virtual choice boards were so popular during DLP that we decided to make them a monthly tradition.

Highlights this month's choice board include Crayon Day readings and activities, Women's History Month articles and profiles, and a special deep dive into the inspirational poetry of Amanda Gorman.

You don't want to miss the "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" games in Google Earth! There are also some new digital jigsaw puzzles, lego building ideas and collections of books read aloud by celebrities and important figures. What choices will you explore this month?

Building Stories: Connecting Literacy and Making

Many of our students have been busy bringing stories to life through making and building! Students in Grades 2 and 2/3 chose a book to read and then selected a scene, a setting or characters to make. Our goal was to tell the story or show a part of the story through making.

Students were encouraged to document their planning and thinking process, not just their final products. Many students used photos, videos and time-lapse sequences to show their creative process. Students used a variety of materials at home including Lego, cardboard, recycled materials and repurposed toys to bring their stories to life.

Over several days, students planned, built and went through a feedback cycle. We celebrated our learning in SeeSaw posts and through live showcases on Zoom.

Pictured below are some examples of Primary and Grade 1 students' storyboarding planning. The students thought through the beginning, middle and end of their stories before deciding which part/s of the story to make or build.

Students then planned their design and materials using a maker planning organiser. Each step of the process was documented along the way.

By making stories, students discovered that there are many ways to tell a story. Writing is not the only way we can be storytellers! As learners, we were able to identify parts of the story and literary elements such as setting, problem and characters. Grade 2 students also applied their writing unit to the maker project. The students each wrote a piece about why they decided to build the particular aspect of story and gave evidence to support their idea.

Students were also able to engage in the feedback process, asking parents or classmates for input into their building. A simple process such as "Two Stars and a Wish" or "I notice, I wonder, Have you thought about" can allow students to push their thinking and develop an understanding that feedback can make our work better.

Home learning can provide us the opportunity to enjoy time and space to be creative and dive deep into projects such as building a story. We can appreciate how a maker experience allows students to make connections through true transdisciplinary learning. We are all story tellers - we are all story makers.

Library Book Requests in DLP

Thank you to everyone who requested and collected library books last week. We hope you enjoyed reading your books and decorating your new reusable book bags. 

Another request form is available for families to get some books for our well-deserved Ski Break. The forms were shared through all FS-Grade 5 students' and parents' SeeSaw inbox. Students in Grades 6-8 will find the link to the form in our Information Literacy Google Classroom. 

Click the image below to access the tutorial for our Library Catalog and our FISW Library Book Request form: 

Complete the form to request up to 5 books for checkout. The form is due by 9am on Wednesday, February 10. Books may be collected from the FISW guard house on Friday, February 12. 

Please return any books from home at the same time. If you received your book bag last week, bring it with you when you collect your books! If not, you will receive a new book bag this week.

Follow the instructions to search our FISW Library Catalog for specific books titles you would like to request. Checking the catalog allows you to see if a book is currently available in our library.

Happy reading!

February Choice Boards are here!

February is here and we have so much to explore in our new Library Choice Boards! Highlights this month include Valentine's Day stories, puzzles and building ideas. You'll find more than 35 different suggestions for reading, making, building, playing and connecting.

Due to popular demand, there are no less than NINE different Breakout Edu games for you to practice your problem solving skills. There are also a couple of games to build your understanding of coding. 

A new twist is the the "Connect" column on the board. Here, you will find three different ways to send a message, piece or art or poem to a friend or loved-one this month.

There are three more read alouds from me, Ms. Pollock, another Emily Arrow singing story and more Dr. Seuss rap from Wes Tank. Links to Epic books include Valentine's Day baking and crafting ideas. There are also a few building books and graphic novels.

You might also want to research United States President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on PebbleGo. Or, listen and view some beautiful picture books by Linda Sue Park.

Click directly on the boards above to visit the links.

Virtual Author Visit: Linda Sue Park Workshops with Grade 6

Our FISW Grade 6 students had the honour of working with award-winning author, Linda Sue Park. On January 22 and 29, students engaged in two virtual meetings. The first session was a presentation around A Single Shard, Linda Sue Park's Newbery Medal winning book. Students read the book in English class and were thrilled to learn about the research and history woven into the story. 

The second virtual session offered students the opportunity to actively participate in a writing workshop. Linda Sue asked students to work through three exercises using a piece of original writing.

Ms. Carol wrote her a beautiful reflection on our time with Linda Sue:

 

“I am not a writer, I am a re-writer,” exclaimed Linda Sue Park. As an example, Park asked the students how many times they thought she re-wrote a book. Students guessed anywhere from one to ten times. Park, however, divulged that she had rewritten one book seven times and another book 39 times! That’s why she said that students should not be surprised or upset when their advisor asked them to re-write their first draft which she calls the “sloppy copy.”

Park, an American of Korean descent, grew up in Chicago, Illinois, where her family followed many of the Korean traditions. As an avid reader during her childhood, she searched for books about her parent’s culture—with little success. 

When Park began to write a book reflecting her heritage, she searched for something unique to Korea. And, what did she find?

“In the 11th and 12th Century, “said Park, “Korea produced the best pottery in the world. And, these potters kept the secret to their success to themselves.” From these amazing facts, Park began researching, writing and rewriting the book which won her the distinguished Newbery Award—“A Single Shard”–the book FISW Grade 6 class read in school.

As Park stressed, readers are “looking at black squiggles on a blank page, but these squiggles are magic.” She said, “By using this magic I can make you cry.” And, concluded Park, “By using my magic, I want to encourage young readers to grow up and change the world.”

We thank Linda Sue for her inspiration and laughs and for helping us all grow as readers and writers. As we work through DLP, she gave us something special to look forward to as a group. 

To learn more about Linda Sue Park, to watch her TED Talk on the power of children's books and to hear some of her stories read aloud, visit our author choice board by clicking the image below:

Here is a direct link to the Linda Sue Park Choice Board which includes excerpts from Linda Sue's website.