We have been to Philipsburg Manor where we saw many artifacts that taught us about how life was long ago. We have examined primary documents during our library lessons that taught us about how mail was delivered long ago.
Observe. Reflect. Question. Analyze the primary source document below. Discover, prove, and investigate your ideas. Leave a comment about your thinking below.
In library this week, we looked at primary source documents to discover how trains were used to transport goods. Students were asked to discuss what they saw. The Students provided evidence and made connections.
A 1903 silent, black and white film, Train taking up mail bag. The subject of this Postal Department documentary is “snatching” the mail bag from the suspended post by the railroad mail clerk. As the film begins, a man climbs the steps leading to the device that suspends the mail bag in the air. A train can be seen in the distance approcaching the mail bag. At the end of the film, the mail bag is just being snatched from the suspension device.
Students were provided a copy of the image, Men working in a railway mail train and asked to “Circle and label what you see that helps you guess where you think these men are working.” Analyzing primary source documents allows students to discover, prove, or investigate, their ideas. The thinking routines they use to make observations and reflections when analyzing visual primary sources are transferred to other academic areas.
Using a carousel protocol, students expressed their thoughts and ideas around a set of three early 1900s photographs of a horse-drawn U.S Mail wagon at a railway station, unsorted mail at the post office, and a girl handing a letter to the mailman in “A letter to papa” and then asked to create a time line.
In order to model the mail delivery observed in the primary sources, next week, the students will create his or her own postcard reviewing a book of their choice. The “postcard” book review will be mailed to the public library of their choice. The public libraries have agreed to display the ‘postcard” book recommendations. Take your child to library to ensure it was delivered safely!
Thanksgiving is a great time of year to express gratitude. It is important that Americans give thanks for their freedom. The perfect way to do this is by thanking our active troops, our veterans, our heroes. It is important to remind students of the importance of showing gratitude for those who serve.
To honor our service members this Veterans Day, William O. Schaefer Elementary School will have a candy collection for our active troops in Afghanistan. Maureen Kelly from Vetiquette will once again be collecting wrapped Halloween candy for the troops. There is a big red bin in the front hall, across from the security desk, where families can drop off their donations.
If you would like your child to participate, please send in your wrapped candy by Monday, November 10, 2014.
Take a look at the history of the holiday honoring those who fought for America, both living and dead.
Learn how to say thank you to a veteran. I did!
grat·i·tude noun \ˈgra-tə-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd\
: a feeling of appreciation or thanks
“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” -Henri-Frederic Amiel Philosopher, Poet, Critic
Gratitude is being Thankful! Take one minute to watch the video, “Biker” from Values.com.
Dallas Clayton is an American author and illustrator best known for his children’s works in the Awesome Book series. Clayton’s adventure started a few years ago after he wrote and illustrated a book for his son called An Awesome Book!. The drawings were bold and the message was simple: Don’t ever stop dreaming, and when you do dream, dream BIG.
Not a single publisher was interested in the book, so he took matters into his own hands and published it himself. Clayton made the story available to read for free online. People started sharing his story and those people shared his story and so on so forth … readers of the Awesome Book exponentially grew and has impacted children as well as adults. Read, The Awesome Book, the book that started it all!
Dallas Clayton published a second book titled,The Awesome Book of Thanks!
A whimsical, Seuss-esque book that will inspire readers to appreciate the big and little things in life. “Deliciously childlike art…skips across the pages, sometimes silly, sometimes practical…and always appealing.” (Booklist)
Just like Dallas Clayton, you too can publish your own story online using mystorybook.com! mystorybook.com allows you to write, illustrate and publish stories as easy as one, two three! Choose your main characters, create a beginning, a middle and an end. Draw your story. Publish it!
Think about what it means to be grateful and start writing your online book! You can write with a partner or by yourself!
Halloween is a time of excitement and sometimes anxiety for students often fueled by fears and sugar!
Public Broadcast for Kids has many characters that are great role models to help guide students as they explore their fears and learn to make healthy choices. Go to pbskidsgo.org/video, to watch streaming video of Halloween-themed episodes and clips from ARTHUR, CYBERCHASE, MARTHA SPEAKS, FETCH! WITH RUFF RUFFMAN, MAYA & MIGUEL, ANIMALIA, DESIGN SQUAD and more!
Below are several more read-aloud stories to share this ” Halloween Week!”
This week in library students shared a Halloween Kamishibai story titled, “Ghoul Bus.” They reviewed the importance of story elements and story sequence.
They practiced beginning, middle and end using Halloween at Dot’s Story Factory.
Parents, there are also plenty of Halloween-themed games, crafts, masks, costume ideas, recipes, e-cards and more that support this once a year celebration!
Share an activity with your child!
People in every walk of life, in every kind of work, and at every age write! The very social nature of writing invites all people to make meaning through their writing. The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) recognizes how important writing is and established October 20, 2014 the National Day on Writing.
This year we celebrate National Day on Writing with all the first graders at William O. Schaefer. The first graders just completed their first writing unit of study! Congratulations! The students will proudly share their work in each first grade classroom on Friday, October 17th. Please help celebrate their hard work and efforts by congratulating them when you see them!
Read: Arthur Writes a Story by Marc Brown
When Mr. Ratburn gives a creative writing assignment to the class, Arthur wonders what makes a good story. When D.W. yawns through Arthur’s first tale, he decides he needs to look a some new angles. With each new angle, Arthur’s story takes one more hilarious step further from his original idea — but is the end result really the tale Arthur wants to tell?
Watch the animation, Arthur Writes A Story, below.
Day One:
Using the internet is a privilege. It is important that you learn how to live in the digital world of internet websites, copy-righted images, and virtual friends. Just like a town has rules and laws so does the digital world. We have already discussed how to be a good citizen. Do you remember some of the ways we can be good citizens? What are the rights and responsibilities of being a “digital citizen” as a first grader? Click on the padlet below and write a rule that you think is important for being a good “digital citizen.”
Look at the rules your classmates posted. How is being a digital citizen the same or different from being a citizen in the town you live in? Where is this digital town?
What does it mean to stay safe when you’re on the Internet? Do you think most students in your grade level understand how to be a good citizen online? Log onto Brain Pop and watch the video about “Digital Etiquette.”
You need to get the username and password from your teacher.
Watch any video from the list below and tell me ONE thing you learned in the comment section of our class blog. Click here to learn how to log onto our class blog.
Choose on video from the list below:
Day Two:
The class will create a Voki. A Voki is an online animated speaking character!
Ms. Eyer and Mrs. McBride are sponsoring SOCES “Out of Box” Challenge for October. Students in grade 1-5 are encouraged to participate and use problem solving skills and creativity to design and create a masterpiece. Identify a problem and create a solution using any sized cardboard box.
The following stories can inspire you to be imaginative, think critically and creatively, be resourceful and ingenious!
Cain’s Arcade
Antoinetter Portis’ picture book, Not a Box
Hacking the book The Most Magnificent Thing, by Ashley Spires.
Aarambh’s Help Desk
Follow this link to view Cottage Lane’s 2013 Participants – “Out of Box” Entries
Rules:
You can use cardboard, tape and 20% recyclable materials for your project.
You may not buy anything to add to your cardboard box.
The box can be as small as a jewelry box to as large as a refrigerator box. No boxes larger than 4ft x 4ft x 6ft will be accepted.
You can enter as a single entry or as a team. Team can consist up to 4 members.
Entries must be submitted to Mrs. McBride or Ms. Eyer by October 21st.
All entries must have submission form securely attached to project.
Download a copy of the entry form:
Cardboard Challenge Individual Entry Form
Cardboard Challenge Team Entry Form
Simple projects may take a few hours while others may take days or weeks. Problem solve, talk about what is working and what is not working. Be optimistic. You will learn to solve problems and you will tackle real-world issues.
Strap on your thinking caps and get ready to make something spectacular out of cardboard!
The Change Your Name Store by Leanne Shirtliffe (Author), Tina Kügler (Illustrator) Wilma Lee Wu does not like her name. So she marches to the Change Your Name Store where she meets Zeena McFouz, the outrageous owner. Soon Zeena convinces Wilma to try on new names in the magical store. Each time Wilma selects a new name, she is transported to the country from which the name originates. Will Wilma find a new name that she likes? Will she discover her real identity and where she truly belongs?
Today in library we asked tthe class to generate a fictitious name. The students used the name of their pet and paired it with the name of the street they live on!
Please share your ficticious charcter with the class by posting in the comment section below. Tell us a little bit about your character, What does he do? If you would like you can respond to a classmates character post. Remember to be respectful.
In the picture book, The Day the Crayons Quit written by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, Duncan opens his box of crayons and finds the box empty! In place of the crayons are a bundle of letters from the box's occupants. Each letter is addressed to Duncan and outlines why the color abandoned the box; beige is tired of being second fiddle to brown, blue needs a break from coloring all of that water, while pink just wants to be used! Poor Duncan just wants to color!
Today during our library lesson, Ms. Eyer introduced the book, The Day the Crayons Quit. As a class, we decided we do not want the crayons to QUIT!
Barnes and Noble is also trying to convince the crayons not to quit! Blue, Red, and Gray feel terribly overworked. Beige, Black, Pink, and White feel very under-utilized. And Yellow and Orange just aren’t getting along.
For writer workshop we downloaded the crayon stationary so we could write a letter, create a list, or draw, or color a picture to convince the crayons to stay! Ms. Eyer is going to take our letters to Barnes and Noble this weekend and place them in the crayons mailbox. Don't let the crayons quit!
Read the School Library Journal review of: The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt