Happy Thanksgiving

I feel like a Thanksgiving post is necessary today!

So what am I thankful for???
Health, family, work, and so much more...

What are you thankful for???

Add it to my padlet, share my post to social media, etc...

Let us create a "padlet" of thankfulness - click on the + sign and create a post it note on my board!



Computer Coding in Elementary School

My students in STEAM are going to begin learning the basics of computer coding.  What they are really learning is a new concept called "computational thinking".  What is computational thinking?




Jeanette Wing explains it as "Computational thinking is the thought processes involved in formulating a problem and expressing its solution(s) in such a way that a computer—human or machine—can effectively carry out."

Here is a link to one of her articles: Jeannette Wing




 Students in STEAM read Hello Ruby...now we are doing two thinking activities to start thinking logically.  With the help of two college students, we made a human maze to practice coding.  Students took turns being the "robot" and being the programmers - Floor coding blog

The other students were working on coding a Lego maze.  The students were to cover the grey areas in Legos.  The second step was to take the direction cards and figure out how to get from START to END.  The students had to work collaboratively and creatively to get through this activity.  The links to the documents are in this article - Coding a Lego Maze








 

Students are going to be taking simple directions of forward, turn right, turn left and working through the 40 FREE levels of Kodable. 


 
Look for more information on students progress on this topic!
Here is a great article from my curriculum director to read on this topic :)
Should All Students Learn Coding?

Local Artist Feature - Hillary Barboni

My principal, Hillary Barboni, is also an AUTHOR and ILLUSTRATOR!

She has taken her love and passion for animals especially  weimaraners (a breed of dogs) to write and illustrate two children's books.

Her first book was Joshua Finds a Home which is based on a true story.  Her second story is  My Lucky Penny.  I have heard her read both to students at our school.  I value these special times for the students to see and know an author.   I can't pick a favorite because they both has equally touching stories. 

Her books are available are available on Amazon in paperback or kindle.  Mrs. Barboni donates part of the profits support animal shelters as well.

Joshua Finds a Home

My Lucky Penny

Want to learn more about weimaraners?

Waimaraner Information

Book Fairs Companies

So let us talk book fairs...pros and cons as well as alternatives.  If you click on each company name, it should take you to the company's webpage!

Scholastic Bookfairs
PROS:
   Industry favorite
   Chairperson support - free signage, free table clothes, fancy cases for books, bags for merchandise,  clip art and fair files
   Online shopping
   Registers that take credit cards are provided
   50% profit or more in Scholastic Dollars (based on last years sales - this would be $3000 in  STEAM products for the new makerspace in the library)

CONS:
   Prices of books
   Excessive amount of non-book items available at a book fair - Klutz kits, expensive pens, diaries, etc...
   Big corporation - staff are continually changing so notes and requests are lost/overlooked - I am on at least my 4th home office representative in 9 years
   Focus on pop topics for books not award winning books

Reading Warehouse:
PROS:
   Large selection of non-fiction titles
   Just books and pencils
   $3 paper backs, $5 hard back books, and small selection of premium books
  Credit cards taken online only
  Small company
  Great customer service
  30% profit depending on size of fair (Last year I made $1100 from this fair)

CONS:
  No signage, table clothes, cases - just boxes of books
  Self set up - need lots of tables
  Must run a traditional cash box
  Slower re-stocks than some companies


Werner Books: (only available in Erie and Crawford counties in Pennsylvania)
PROS:
   Set-up assistance including signage
   3 for $5 books as well as selected regular priced merchandise
  All new books
  Small, local company
  25% if taken in books - 20% if taken as a cash out option

CONS:
   No credit processing unless representative is present
   No non-book items
   Local only
   Traditional cash box only
   Limited restocks
  

  I have used Scholastic for 9 years, Reading Warehouse for 2 year, and will be trying Werner books in May/June for the first time.

  Each has its pros and cons!

What companies do you use for book fairs?  What other options am I missing?

Scholastic Book Fair

This week, my educational aide and I have been busy preparing for our Scholastic Book Fair. The theme was "Bookaneer - Where Books are the Treasures".  Basically, a really fun PIRATE THEME!

 

So we went all out and had fun!  My educational aide read these fun two pirate books to the students.



In addition, she did pirate activities to decorate the outside of the library for the book fair.  Kindergarten and First grades did paper plate pirates complete with an eye patch.  The Second, Third, and Fourth graders made jolly rogers our of popsicle sticks or craft sticks.  This allowed us to upcycle the popsicle sticks pieces left over from the bone bridges!  Nothing goes to waste.

Fun paper plate pirate

Paper plate pirate before the eye patch

Another pirate

Jolly Rogers out of craft stick, paint, and foam skull/crossbones

4th graders hard at work

View of whole book fair

TREASURE A GOOD BOOK door decor

More Jolly Rogers, the book fair goal chart!

Pirate plates hanging in the tree

More pirates in the tree

In addition, the teacher wish list buckets have pirate themed pictures.  Look for more updates next week on our profits and what cool things STEAM is getting from book fair profits!