IDEA Lab blog |
This year in the Hubbard Woods Resource Center, we have enjoyed sharing the forty titles highlighted by the two annual children's book award programs for K-4 students. One aspect of both the Bluestem and the Monarch contests is that the books are not necessarily from the calendar year, they are books that teacher librarians have recommended for their high interest and quality. The award is designed for students in grades 3-5 who are ready for longer titles than found on the Monarch list, but not quite ready for the sophistication of some of the Rebecca Caudill titles. Named in honor of Big Bluestem which is the state prairie grass, the award may include both timeless classics and current titles, as well as books that have appeared on Monarch and Rebecca Caudill lists. -From the Association of Illinois School Library Educators Website We purchased five copies of each of the twenty books on this year's list and display them prominently in the library. Each week throughout the first half of the year, we share a chapter or book talk the various titles. Then in early March, our students have the opportunity to submit their individual votes for the state-wide contest. Third graders are lucky! They are able to vote for both the Bluestem and the Monarch contests! Here is a LINK to the master list for 2019. The name Monarch was chosen because of its familiarity to K-3 children and to symbolize the growth, change and freedom that becoming a reader brings. The Monarch is designed to encourage children to read critically and become familiar with children's books, authors and illustrators. The program is open to all K-3 age children in Illinois. -From the Association of Illinois School Library Educators Site Throughout the first half of the year, we've sprinkled in the Monarch Award books into our library times for K-3 students. Over the last few weeks, these students have been analyzing the titles and ranking their favorites. In early March, the students will have the chance to submit their vote for the state-wide contest as well. Here is a link to the master list for 2019.
Third Grade Takes It Up a Notch!
Voting!We used a Google Form to vote for the awards. What I love about Google Forms is that it allows you to insert a photo (which I used the cover of the books) to make the whole process simple for even the youngest students! Here are the results from our students! And OUR Winner Is...
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What is PebbleGo?PebbleGo is the award winning PreK-3 database for reading and research. ... Databases are simple to navigate and offer key reading supports such as read-along audio and word-by-word highlighting. This is a new resource for Winnetka, but I've heard from several of you who have used it in other schools. For those of you who it is new, I hope this quick overview will be useful and I am eager to explore this tool with you and your students! When you log in (with the password document I shared with you earlier) you will see a list of the general subject areas in the PebbleGo database. Let's learn about animals!When you've gotten to your main subject, a variety of tabs appear. These are common throughout all of the animal topics. When the speaker icon is clicked, the audio of the passage is read and each word is highlighted as it is read. Additionally, the red words, when clicked, give you a definition. The fifth is an audio file.
Session I entitled “What Is Digital Game Design?” has wrapped up in the IDEA Lab! All three classes have now gained valuable experience in the parts of a digital game, including a sample digital game and reflection questions.Before learning about the different types of locks and exploring a game in partnerships, students had to first sign-up for their own account on the Breakout EDU Platform. Setting up individual student accounts is an important piece so that students can start to brainstorm and design their own locks and puzzles. Iti also gives me some insight into how they are spending their creation time and makes for easy sharing and game submission once designers have finalized their lock. More applications for leveraging students accounts can be explored here.In order to immerse the players into the five different types of locks, I decided it would be meaningful and fun to have them actually try out some of the puzzles as we worked our way through each lock. To accomplish this, I used a tool called Nearpod. Each student entered the Nearpod lesson code on their individual iPad which then allowed me to curate their own thinking and potential solutions for the locks we were exploring. Better yet, using Nearpod allowed me to quickly share out student responses and thinking to all devices which led to some great conversation around the variety of ways one can interpret a lock. You can check out the Nearpod lesson I created below.
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How Else Can We Help? | Over the next few months, I'll be sharing some resources and ideas that will help support your hard work in the classroom! |
It's award season: Grammy's, Oscar's, People's Choice Awards. The award seasons seems to go on and on. For book lovers, it's award season too! The ALSC (Association for Library Services for Children) gives a multitude of awards and recognizes honorees each year. Most of these books are already in the library or on order! As you can imagine, being put on this list increases the demand quite a bit. Feel free to come up and check out these excellent resources!
Next week I'll be writing about the Illinois Book Awards. These are chosen by the students of Illinois!
Here are this year's winners!
Next week I'll be writing about the Illinois Book Awards. These are chosen by the students of Illinois!
Here are this year's winners!
The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. |
The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
2019 Winner
2019 Honor Books | Merci Suárez Changes Gears, written by Meg Medina, published by Candlewick Press. Using humor and grace, Merci, a charming and plucky protagonist, cycles through life’s challenges with the support of her intergenerational family. This richly nuanced novel tackles the complexity of navigating a multicultural identity amidst changing family dynamics. “Meg Medina’s warm and honest novel masterfully depicts one Cuban-American family’s life with authenticity and empathy,” said Newbery Medal Committee Chair Ellen M. Riordan. |
The Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year.
2019 Winner
Fox + Chick: The Party and Other Stories, written and illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier, and published by Chronicle Books LLC
Wily Chick and patient pal Fox star in three charming vignettes in which they explore the fun and frustrations of friendship. The warm and humorous story of these unlikely friends combines the design of a graphic novel with the simple vocabulary and ease of a beginning reader.
Wily Chick and patient pal Fox star in three charming vignettes in which they explore the fun and frustrations of friendship. The warm and humorous story of these unlikely friends combines the design of a graphic novel with the simple vocabulary and ease of a beginning reader.
2019 Honor Books
Fox the Tiger, written and illustrated by Corey R. Tabor, and published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins PublishersTigers are the best, or so thinks Fox. With a big imagination (and a little bit of paint), he transforms into a growling, prowling tiger. Soon his friends Turtle and Rabbit are likewise inspired to embody their dreams as a zipping, zooming race car and a beeping, booping robot. Despite their rained-out celebration, Fox learns to appreciate that he, in his own special way, is also the best.
Pencil, watercolor, and crayon illustrations capture the beguiling humor of this entertaining story. Tabor’s tale for emerging readers is easily navigable and just like Fox himself -- speedy and clever.
“Featuring Tabor’s hip art and quirky, surprising twists, ‘Fox the Tiger’ is an inviting tale of the power of transformation and friendship. Repetition, a predictable pattern, and short, simple sentences give readers ample chance to practice their beginning reading skills,” said Geisel Award Committee Chair Sarah Stippich.
Pencil, watercolor, and crayon illustrations capture the beguiling humor of this entertaining story. Tabor’s tale for emerging readers is easily navigable and just like Fox himself -- speedy and clever.
“Featuring Tabor’s hip art and quirky, surprising twists, ‘Fox the Tiger’ is an inviting tale of the power of transformation and friendship. Repetition, a predictable pattern, and short, simple sentences give readers ample chance to practice their beginning reading skills,” said Geisel Award Committee Chair Sarah Stippich.
The Adventures of Otto: See Pip Flap, written and illustrated by David Milgrim, and published by Simon Spotlight, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
Pip wants to fly! With ingenuity and robot know-how, Otto figures out a way to help his rodent friend achieve his airborne dream. In “See Pip Flap”, minimal vocabulary, inventive illustrations, and a funny premise support beginning readers’ explorations.
Pip wants to fly! With ingenuity and robot know-how, Otto figures out a way to help his rodent friend achieve his airborne dream. In “See Pip Flap”, minimal vocabulary, inventive illustrations, and a funny premise support beginning readers’ explorations.
King & Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth, written by Dori Hillestad Butler, illustrated by Nancy Meyers, and published by Peachtree Publishers
In five short chapters, Kayla and her clever dog King solve the case of a missing tooth. Narrated by the canine sleuth, this simple mystery features creative repetition, predictable action and supportive illustrations that reward children with a successful and satisfying reading experience.
In five short chapters, Kayla and her clever dog King solve the case of a missing tooth. Narrated by the canine sleuth, this simple mystery features creative repetition, predictable action and supportive illustrations that reward children with a successful and satisfying reading experience.
As the official tagline states: It’s time for something different. It most certainly is! As the Breakout EDU platform continues to grow + morph over time, they have stayed true to their initial mission and vision in providing learners with the opportunity to not only flex their collaboration muscles, but to become self-aware in areas that may be lacking in terms of the highly important 4 Cs: CREATIVITY + COMMUNICATION + CRITICAL THINKING + COLLABORATION. I’ve always made the contention that there should be a one-way mirror involved when players (both students and teachers) are engaged with a Breakout EDU experience because of the wealth of observational data available. From the myriad of social emotional opportunities, to the way in which students communicate with one another, value each other's ideas and build grit, inviting students to become players in the Breakout EDU platform has opened up the possibilities of immersive game play in the classroom.
One of the most exciting updates to the platform has been the introduction of the student game design courses. Both offerings, the Digital Game Design Junior and Student Game Design Courses are available to all users with Full Platform Access
Beginning next week I will start in with three classes of 4th grade students to begin the journey in examining what makes a great game and begin building our knowledge and skills in digital game design. Up first will be Course I which will introduce students to digital game design and immerse them in the variety of locks available to them.
Stay tuned to this blog as I will be sharing out the learning and progress of this new project throughout the coming weeks! I’m planning to include some reflection pieces from my side of things as a facilitator, as well as from the student standpoint to gain insight into their thinking and what is and is not working for them.
One of the most exciting updates to the platform has been the introduction of the student game design courses. Both offerings, the Digital Game Design Junior and Student Game Design Courses are available to all users with Full Platform Access
Beginning next week I will start in with three classes of 4th grade students to begin the journey in examining what makes a great game and begin building our knowledge and skills in digital game design. Up first will be Course I which will introduce students to digital game design and immerse them in the variety of locks available to them.
Stay tuned to this blog as I will be sharing out the learning and progress of this new project throughout the coming weeks! I’m planning to include some reflection pieces from my side of things as a facilitator, as well as from the student standpoint to gain insight into their thinking and what is and is not working for them.
World Read Aloud Day 2019
This week we celebrated World Read Aloud Day!
I began each class by asking students what they loved about being read to. They shared that reading aloud made them feel warm, comfortable and happy.
"I love reading with my Dad. It's our special time together. I feel safe and loved."
-Third Grader
We celebrated all week with a variety of experiences but had a fantastic opportunity to skype with a children's author to cap off the week.
We are celebrating #WorldReadAloudDay all week! Fourth graders listened, shared, recorded and recommended favorite poems, picture books and chapter books via @storylineonline @Flipgrid #we36 #hwpride36 @mmiller112 @CarmodyBeth #getloud pic.twitter.com/m7tOHnymNP
— Todd (@todd_burleson) January 29, 2019
Author Kat Yeh skyped with us and read her book The Friend Ship. Our fantastic new first-grade teacher Jordyn Singer and her class connected with Yeh earlier in the year and she graciously opened up her visit to the whole school.
Thank you @Singers1stGrade for bringing @yehface to us to celebrate #worldreadaloudday2019 today at Hubbard Woods! A great story and a terrific opportunity! #we36 #hwlearns @CarmodyBeth @mmiller112 pic.twitter.com/1KmPsmx2c9
— Todd (@todd_burleson) February 1, 2019
It was a fantastic week of celebrating reading aloud! We are already making plans for next year!
Todd & Billy
Resource Center Director
Technology Integration Specialist
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