Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Watch That Car Go!

Using a program called Robo Lab, students in 1st grade learned how to program a Lego car. They were given a series of challenges which culminated in a team race. Check out the videos and watch those cars go!

Friday, May 3, 2013

Podcasts By The Sea


Check out student created Podcasts here

Grade 1-All Around Manchester
Grade 1- Ocean Animals (coming soon!)
Grade 2-Continental Conversations (coming soon!)
Grade 3-Author Studies (coming soon!)
Grade 4-Poetry Podcasts (coming soon!)

Loving Lego Engineering


For the students in Grade 1 and 2 at Memorial School Legos become more than just a toy. Students here use these familiar tools to learn about engineering and teamwork. The Lego Engineering curriculum begins in first grade when students are introduced to the engineering process and use this knowledge to construct a sturdy wall, chair and program a motorized car. This knowledge is then applied in 2nd grade where students learn basic programming sentences to move their car forward, backward and at different times and speeds. They are given challenges to move their car specified distances at varied times and speeds all well developing their math, science and technology skills.





 
 

 


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Bill Gates Asks Memorial 5th Graders for Help?

Alden reads the introduction to the Famous
Scientists Webquest to his 5th grade classmates
during Library class.

That's right!  Well...kind of.  This week in the library,  fifth graders are being introduced to a Webquest where they are called upon to assist billionaire, philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft, Mr. Bill Gates, to identify the world's most significant scientist or inventor.

(Are you wondering what a Webquest is? Its an inquiry-based activity in which students obtain most or all information via the internet.  They allow students to use time wisely, focus on using the information vs just looking for information and allow students to analyze, synthesize and evaluate facts to come to a conclusion usually regarding a particular scenario, which is often fictional.)

This week students are learning about their task to find the greatest thinker in the world.  In the coming weeks, they will use online sources to research biographical information about one great scientist or inventor. They will learn about that individual's major contributions and impact on the world during Library class. They will then take their findings to Technology class and create a persuasive PowerPoint presentation that they will share with their classmates.  After all students have presented their work, they will vote on which great thinker they believe should be the namesake of a new, non-profit,  state-of-the-art technology complex sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

For a closer look at this fun, collaborative research project, go to Caught in the Web on the MMES webpage, click on the "Webquests" tab and check out "5th Grade Famous Scientists" !

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Gearing Up For Lego Engineering!

In the months to come students in Grades 1, 2 and 3 will be starting Lego Engineering units in the Technology Lab. They follow the Lego Engineering Design Cycle to solve Lego Engineering Challenges. Challenges include building a sturdy wall, designing and building a chair for Mr. Bear, programming a Lego car to move forward and backward 10 feet, hypothesizing, programming and measuring the distance of a Lego car at multiple speeds and building and programming a Lego Alligator to move with sound.


Thursday, February 14, 2013

Use Your Netsmartz-Brought To You By Grade 3

Students in Grade 3 want you to know how to use your NetSmartz! Each student in third grade created a poster in Microsoft Word that illustrated a specific Internet Safety Skill. Using Microsoft Word they learned how to import pictures, manipulate them, create shapes, change text and colors to illustrate one of the five basic Internet Safety Rules.

1. Don’t give out personal information
2. Be nice online
3. Be extra careful with strangers-Make sure your parents know who you talk to online
4. Protect your passwords
5. Tell an adult



 




Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Research Across America!

Fourth graders have been "traveling" the country collecting information on particular United States as part of a collaborative research project involving library research skills, technology and the Social Studies curriculum. Each student has been assigned one of the 50 states to research.  They are using online encyclopedias, travel and state websites and old fashioned books to find everything from State Bird to Famous Residents to  Landmarks, Monuments and other Places of Interest.    The research portion of the project is being done under the guidance of Ms. Silag in the Library and this week students began working with Mrs. Seymour in the Tech Lab to learn how to put together a Power Point slide presentation on the PCs.  Students will design a presentation about their state using the facts they've collected and ultimately share their learnings with their classmates during an oral presentation in future Library and Technology classes.
Frank W. finds lots of cool facts about
the state of New Jersey!
Tatum comments: "Who knew Alaska was so big?"


Lily and Hannah review their research
notes as they get their Power Point
presentation started.
Grayson starts her Power Point Presentation
on hot, happening Florida!


Tuesday, February 12, 2013

YouTube Safe Share

Have you ever wanted to watch or share a YouTube video but are afraid of the content on the rest of the page? Well, there is a simple way! Safe Share- http://www.safeshare.tv . Paste your YouTube link and then generate a video! The video below is brought to you via Safe Share!

http://www.safeshare.tv/w/nEFkcctegY

Thursday, February 7, 2013

LOVE THAT BOOK!



The 3rd Grade Book Club met this week to discuss LOVE THAT DOG by Sharon Creech.
The story written completely in verse introduced us to the work of poet Walter Dean Myers
 and got us reading the poems aloud during our meeting and even taking
notes on the poets mentioned in the story!
LOVE THAT DOG by Sharon Creech? 
We LOVE THAT BOOK - and highly recommend it!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

First Graders Become Storytellers/Videographers with iPad app

Bella and Boden replay the story they created using the
Puppet Pals iPad app during Library class.
In recent weeks first graders at Memorial School have become adept at an iPad app called Puppet Pals. The students have become well versed with key elements of a story - character, setting and plot - so since the new year they have worked with a partner to create their own stories.  First they chose fairytale characters and settings and developed a plot line to create a video puppet show on an iPad using a FREE app called Puppet Pals.  More recently, first graders have explored additional story genres and themes such as holiday, arthropod, monster, political, and farm animal stories. We will continue to work on our storytelling skills utilizing the key story elements including plots with problems and solutions and post them online once we have perfected our storytelling skills!

The 20 library iPads were provided by a grant from the Spaulding EducationTrust and an anonymous donor.  They have become an integral part of teaching information literacy skills in all grades - K through grade 5.  We are lucky and learning via iPads everyday at the Memorial School Library. Thank you!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Busy, Busy in the Library and Tech Lab!

The New Year has started off with plenty of activity in the school library and the technology labCheck out these photos of students of all ages learning about everything from penguins' struggle to survive and the life of Martin Luther King - to  grammar apps to how to create a QR Code to researching the USA to developing autobiographical PowerPoint presentations.

Technology Lab Substitute Teacher Mr. Paul Clark helps
5th graders use an iPad to answer questions to a Math
quiz. The quiz required students to scan QR Codes that gave
information needed to answer an array of math questions. The 5th
grade also learned how to CREATE their own QR codes! Look for
the codes around the school building in the coming weeks!

Second graders get competitive playing the iPad app
Bluster. The game tests their skills matching rhyming
words, synonyms, homophones, word roots, etc.
Mrs. Blanchette's third grade was the first to
finish THE WILLOUGHBYS by Lois Lowry.
Library teacher Ms. Silag read this favorite of hers
aloud at the start of library class for several weeks.  The
book introduced us to many sophisticated words and we
were all quite please with the "old-fashioned"ending!

 
Kindergartners do the Penguin Shuffle during a Library
Lesson about the Emperor Penguin's life in the frigid
 Antarctic. They shuffled together through the
 "wind"  to keep penguin "eggs"safe and warm
in the frigid Antarctic. All our eggs survived!
 We agreed being a penguin is hard work!
Fourth grader Ben G. uses library books
and online sources found on the iPad
to research the state of Montana.  The project
is a collaboration between the Library and Tech Lab
and integrates research skills, technology skills
and Social Studies.  The end product will be a
travel brochure on each state in the USA!