Category Archives: integrated curriculum

Dec
20
2011

Fourth Grade Wordle Recommendations

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Wordle: recommendationsIn 4th grade library classes we have been examining book reviews and recommendations.  We looked at reviews from The New York Times, Kirkus Reviews as well as online book blogs.  Students were asked to figure out the difference between reviews and recommendations, as well as the main parts of book reviews.  They were then asked to write their own book recommendation featuring a book they had read and enjoyed lately.

After this was completed, fourth graders copied their text into the online wordle tool ( http://www.wordle.net ).  This free tool takes text and blows it up into word clouds.  The more times a word appears, the bigger it is in the cloud.  Students manipulated their word clouds, and then printed a copy out.  Kate and Steve’s class has their reviews up on the library bulletin board, and Dina and Hilary’s class has their reviews in the classroom.  Many students were quite excited about this tool.  Why not ask your 4th grader how to create a wordle and play around a bit at home?

Nov
07
2011

The iPads are Here!

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Third and fourth graders are part of a brave new world here in the Lower School.  They are the lucky participants in an iPad pilot program.

Teachers and specialists have been busily spending time finding ways that the iPads make sense as a tool for Lower School students.  While many schools (especially middle and high schools) have jumped in head first, we are taking our time and finding ways to utilize this latest technological tool in a developmentally appropriate way.

Integration is the key.

Third graders took part in an iPad scavenger hunt during library class last week.  Celeste came down, and she and I guided the students through a series of tasks designed to familiarize the students with the iPads.  From simply learning how to  lower the volume or work the case, to finding the best app for the task required, third graders excitedly got down to business.  ( A favorite task was finding their school and their homes in google maps ).

We will keep you updated on how our students are using the iPads in their curriculum!

 

Oct
24
2011

Out and About

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Dina and Hilary's 4th grade

LREI students have been giving the D train a workout, with 3 separate trips to the NYPL’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.

Both fourth grade classes went up to the library to learn about the history of maps, as well as to get some hands on time with all kinds of maps.  Librarian Kate Cordes spoke to our students about the importance and use of maps before letting them explore all sorts of maps ranging from a NYC bicycle route map, to a World War II pilot’s map which was double sided and made of fabric in case of ocean crashes!  Many students were excited about the maps of Greenwich Village from the 1960s (when the number of book stores came in at 26!) and busily looked for their homes and landmarks.  Others were interested in how the shape of the boroughs seemed to change over time, as well as the fact that the naming of places was quite different at the turn of the century than it is now.

Fourth graders then got to tour the Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division proper, and wondered at the globes, the giant atlases as well as the technology in the room.  I encourage you to go back with your child, as the room and the maps are open for public use.

Galen and Alexia’s first grade class took a trip up to the library to take part in a celebration.  LREI is not the only thing turning 90 this year; Winnie the Pooh is as well!  A school in Sosnovy Bor in Russia was eager to connect with a school in NYC to talk about Winnie the Pooh as well as about life for school children here.  Our students got to go behind the scenes in the library (into the non-public spaces) to partake in a video conference with the children from Sosnovy Bor.  We found that we had some common interests (reading, soccer, favorite snacks), and there were some differences in how we live (the children in Sosnovy Bor go to school from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon and spend the afternoon in extra-curricular activities).

Librarian Louise Lareau then took the students into the Centennial Exhibit, where the real Pooh Bear and friends are temporarily housed.  Along the way the students saw lego versions of Patience and Fortitude, and wondered at the architecture of the building.

The Stephen Schwarzman Building of the NYPL is a treasure, and I encourage you and your families to make your way there.  Ever changing exhibits, the Children’s Room plus many ongoing programs make it a family destination.