Panwapa is a great site to learn about geography!

I have added some great links for students to investigate! One is Panwapa. This is a site produced by Sesame Workshop and is geared toward ages 4-8. It is a site that teaches about all the countries in the world. And quoting from their PDF it teaches an:
Awareness of a wider world
Appreciating similarities and valuing differences
Taking responsibility for one’s own behaviors
Community participation and willingness to take action
Understanding of and responsiveness to economic disparity.
In addition to all that it seems really fun! Watch a few videos on the site to get an idea of how it works.
Children need to sign up with a user name and password. The user name will say USA with a number following. Children do not give any personal information.

Mr. Allanbrooks second grade class have been studying dinosauurs and their projects are on display in the school library.

Veterans Day Ceremony at LCM

We had a very moving Veterans Day Ceremony on Thursday Nov.8th. Seven veterans from Yarmouth were here to remember those Veterans that served for the United States in the Armed Forces. Mike Conroy, one of the Veterans’ visiting mentioned how nice it was to have children recognize Veterans Day. Mr. Conroy served in the Air Force in Thailand and through out the US including Cape Cod. Tom Kelly a native of Dennis Village who attended John Simpkins Elementary School was here also. Mr. Kelly served in the Navy during World War II and the Korean War. Butch Hiller a native of Hyannis served in the Army during the Vietnam War as an Intelligence Officer. Lou Morea was another Veteran we had the honor of meeting and he served in the 328 Infantry of the Army that landed on Normandy Beach on D-Day. John Newton entered the Army out of high school and went overseas to the Philippines and finished his service there. Bob Dubois whose grandson Mitchell attends LCM also visited us. He served in the Navy and took part in the Cuban blockade during the Kennedy Administration. He also patrolled for Submarines on a Navy Destroyer. Tom Bailey, 85 years young served in the Army during World War II in England, France and Germany as a Chemical Warfare Specialist. The students listened to their history and then sang many patriotic songs taught to them by music teacher Mrs. Valerie Schultz. There wasn’t a dry teachers eye in the house!

National Young Readers Day!

In our music classes over the past week, the book The Remarkable Farkle McBride by John Lithgow has been read aloud by our music teacher, Mrs. Schultz. Tonight there is a webcast of John Lithgow reading The Remarkable Farkle McBride that will begin at 5:00 PM and be viewable all night long. It will be "America's Biggest Bedtime Story!"
Click on National Young Readers Day! above and the link will take you to the story.

Whats happening in the library this week?

Students in third grade continue to work on their non-fiction big books on the Wampanoags. Students in first and second grade are learning about bats. This week they will put what they have learned into a slide show on Kid Pix. Hopefully I will be able to post those slide shows here! Kindergarten students are listening to books about friendship.

Third grade students at LCM are preparing for their field trip to Plymouth Plantation.

Students in Ms. Duggan's, Mrs. Filosa-Wills and Mr. French's class are going to visit Plymouth Plantation. They are preparing for the field trip by making a non-fiction big book on the Wampanoag's. They are logging on to the Plymouth Plantation web site and using the interactive program that they have provided titled "You Are the Historian"

First graders take a trip to a local farm

Journey North for kids

Last spring students viewed the "Journey North" web site where they learned about monarch butterfly migration. This past Sunday I was able to experience that migration first hand while golfing along the ocean in Hyannisport. Coming up on the 17th hole overlooking a marsh I saw two or three monarch butterflys floating in the breeze. By the time we got to the green monarch butterflys were everywhere! It was very exciting for me! They were much larger than I expected! Monarchs can be seen flying along the Atlantic coastline from Maine to South Carolina at this time of year. They are on their way to Mexico.

Ms. Duggan's Class Fieldtrip "Snapshots"

What students are learning in the library during the month of May

Third grade students are learning how to give a book talk. Their mission is to create an exciting book talk that will get second graders interested in reading a book that they recommend. Children who get hooked on an author, or series, tend to read more often. Children who read frequently do much better in school!

Second grade students are learning about biographies and research. They are using books and the Internet to research a famous person. They are learning what information to include that will make their biography interesting to others. They will be using Kidspiration (a graphic organizing tool) to make a concept map and a time line tool to make a time line of their famous person's life.

First graders are learning about life cycles of frogs and butterflies in the library to enhance what they are learning in the classroom. We are reading an enjoyable fiction book called A Tadpole's Promise that cleverly compares a butterfly and a frog's life cycle.

First graders also used Microsoft Drawing and Kid Pix to design place mats for the LCM Volunteer Tea that is being held on May 16th.

Kindergarten students are learning about seeds and plants in the library to enhance what they are learning in the classroom.

10 Podcasts for teachers and kids

Instructor Magazine published by Scholastic Inc. just published a great classroom resource called "10 Podcasts for Teachers and Kids." They are:
1. Wild animal Chronicles www.nationalgeographic.com/podcasts
6 minute videos about animals
2. Radio WillowWeb www.mpsomaha.org/willow/radio
10 minute audio podcasts produced by third graders "Did You Know?", "Vocabulary Theater",
history.
3.Children's Fun Storyime (on iTunes)
Audio of favorite stories like The Little Engine That Could
4. Poem of the Day www.sonibyte.com
Audio recordings of many famous poets including Langston Hughes and Emily Dickinson.
5. Sixty-Second Science www.sciam.com
Brought to you by the editors of Scientific American. Includes new theories on haw some dinosaurs knew how to fly, and whether groundhogs can really predict the weather.
6. My German Class www.mygermanclass.com
Weekly video podcast produced by a former elementary school teacher.
7. The Science show for Kids (On iTunes)
five-minute audio podcasts that answers kids burning questions like Are there really aliens?
8. ESL Teacher Talk www.ESLteachertalk.com
Classroom activitiyideas.
9. The Teacher's Lounge www.podcast.net/show/67551
For Middle School Teachers
10. Do Your Own Podcast www.intelligenic.com
How to do podcasts with kids.
All of these sites are available on iTunes also.

Pictures of LCM Library

The library moved into a larger room this year.
Books from John Simpkins Elementary Library were added to the collection. I wanted to have the library be as inviting as possible and designed it with that thought in mind.