Pilot eFair from Follett Books

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Spofford Pond School was one of 75 schools to pilot a new fundraising initiative for our school library media center. Students were given time during their weekly Media classes to browse the eFair catalog.

Students and their families could then order books from the eFair online at home between Monday, November 25 -and Friday, December 6.   The books were delivered to Spofford and sent home with students before our holiday vacation break.

Twenty six families participated in the eFair, for a total of $725 in sales, giving our school library $356 dollars in which to purchase popular books from Follett’s eFair choices.  Thank you!!

Students have been enthusiastically weighing in on which books should be purchased with these funds.  Graphic novels such as Guts by Raina Telgemeier, and Dog Man by Dav Pilkey top their lists.

Is it true? Gr. 6 Media Literacy in Action

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Media Literacy from BrainPOP

The Media Literacy BrainPOP movie states that “most kids spend more than half their waking hours consuming media.”   Hmmm?   That would mean about 7 or 8 hours per day!

This statement led Grade 6 students to ask themselves several questions . . . Where did BrainPOP get their information about this topic?   How did they get this information?  Does BrainPOP want us to believe something specific about time spent engaged with media based on this statement?   Is this a positive message or a negative one?  

Students did a Google Search and found many websites with both corroborating and differing information than that found in BrainPOP.  Many sites contained articles that were based on the same source:  the census conducted by Common Sense Media Media Use by Tweens and Teens 2019  

The infographic based on the census showed that teens spend 7 or 8 hours per day or more with media on their phones, but among TWEENS like them, the number of hours was on average, 4 hours and 44 minutes per day.

What is a census?  How was this information gathered? were some of the new questions that students wondered about.  We decided that Common Sense Media used surveys to get their information, and that we needed to do our own survey to see if this amount of time on media was true for our school’s Gr. 6 students.

First, we had to decide exactly what we meant by the term “media”?  We made a list and created a spreadsheet with the types of media students are engaged with during their week.   Not all students have phones of their own and not all of the media that students are engaged with (video games) are found on phones.   So, how to proceed?   Students agreed to include all media types that they are likely to use in their days, whether they were on phones or not, in their self-surveys:  reading, TV, YouTube, video games, music, social media apps and the internet.

Students then learned how to use the Google sheets app to create a pie chart representing their data.

Students also wondered about the days when they were not engaged with media due to sports commitments, parental controls, homework or other reasons.   Which days should they choose to report?  They ultimately decided to add up the hours per week that they were engaged in media and then divide that number by 7 to find the average time per day.

Lastly, students found the average time spent with media per day for their homeroom class and then they found the Gr. 6 average, which was 3.5 hours per day.

Next up in Media classes, we will be doing a deeper dive into YouTube.

ISTE Standard #3.   Students as knowledge constructors.  Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources; they create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions and they build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues. 

 

 

 

Extended Studies in Library Media 2018 – 2019

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Gr. 6

Fall Term – Shark Tank. Over 30 students worked in teams or alone to develop a product that could solve a real world problem.

They then “pitched” their product ideas to staff member investor “Sharks.” In order to successfully pitch their ideas, students needed to have a basic understanding of the economics of venture capital investing.  In addition to creative problem-solving, this experience was also an opportunity for students to gain confidence in their oral presentation skills.   A few students opted to be the “production crew”, introducing the inventors to the potential investors, and running and filming “the show”.

“Have a pet at home that could use a pet door to independently go in and out during the day, but don’t want to encourage the local raccoons in to dine out of your kitchen trash?  Solution: A pet door with Nose Print recognition capability, the DNA Pet Door!” 

Gr. 5.  Term 2 – Passion Projects in Science and Social Studies

Did Mrs. O’Leary’s cow start the Great Chicago Fire? It’s possible!   Topics like this that sparked curiosity were explored in depth by students through guided “passion research projects”.  Students decided on a topic in either United States history or one involving space science.  They also chose how they wanted to present their knowledge to their peers, either by creating a digital presentation, constructing a physical model, giving a talk or a combination of  these.  We learned about NASA’s Robonaut program, the theory of black holes, the D-Day Invasion, the Great Chicago Fire and the Mars Rover.

 

Gr. 6.  Term 3 – The Amazing Race 

38 students participated in the second annual Amazing Race, Spofford Edition.   Two races were held at the end of May and many staff volunteers eagerly volunteered to be “cluemasters” at the race locations throughout the school.   Based in part on the popular television show, the SPS Amazing Race requires that students think creatively “outside the box” and work harmoniously in collaboration with teammates to first create a challenging race for their peers and then to successfully compete in their own race.   While racing, students have to work together and develop critical thinking skills under pressure in order to decipher the clues that lead them to the race locations. They then have to perform a task at each location found, such as dancing, singing, writing, solving math problems, scoring baskets, speaking in a different language or building foil boats.  Creating the challenging races themselves took a lot of time and effort from the students and competing in the races was often a struggle, but in the end, all students involved reported having a great experience and were glad they stuck to it.

Update on the MCBA at Spofford

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The votes are in!

Statewide, students in grades 4-6 gave the nod to the historical fiction novel, A Night Divided, by Jennifer A. Nielsen, the winner of the 2018-2019 Massachusetts Children’s Book Award.

The majority of the 26 students (9 sixth graders, 11 fifth graders, and 6 fourth graders)  who read the number of books required to participate in the vote at Spofford Pond School, voted for the novel Framed, by James Ponti, the first in his Framed mystery novel trilogy.

The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz, was voted runner-up by students, and A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen placed third.

A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord and Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin tied for fourth place.

Our thanks and appreciation to the generosity of B.E.S.T., who granted $900 from the Harriet Ernst fund to purchase (3) copies of each of the books that were made available to our students to read and share.  Ms. Ernst was known for her love of children’s literacy and this fund was established in her name accordingly.

We look forward to growing student participation in the MCBA in 2019-2020 awards, with the continued support of B.E.S.T. funding and the momentum that this year’s participation has created.

Scholastic Book Fair Update

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This year’s Scholastic Book Fair shared the marketplace with student-created goods available next door in the first-ever Boxford Store.  The store raised money for causes chosen by the students and also recognized the creative efforts of winners of the “Wired for Greatness” grants.

This event combined with the annual Book Fair made for a fun-filled week of “retail” education, as students learned about the effects of a sales tax on the cost of their purchases at the Book Fair, and also how to make choices about how to spend their “budgets”.

Thanks to the efforts of a dedicated group of parent volunteers, the Book Fair raised $1600 that will be spent on new books for the Spofford Library collection.

Shopping – Public Domain Pictures

Scholastic Book Fair 2019

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Scholastic Book Fair
March 25 – 29

In the Spofford Pond School Library

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to Spofford!  This annual event is eagerly anticipated by students and is the major source of funding for new books and materials for our school’s library media center, averaging $3000 annually in cash profit.

All students will have an opportunity to shop at the Fair during Library Media classes.  Due to Parent Conferences/Early Release days, some classes were assigned to alternate days/times in which to visit the Fair.

Please click here to view the Fair Schedule.

Purchasing books at the Fair

Students may make purchases by using either cash, a pre-signed check made out to the Town of Boxford, or by eWallet – a digital, prepaid option from Scholastic.  Learn more about how eWallet works on our Fair homepage.

Family Event
The Fair will be open till 5:00 pm on Wednesday, March 29 in order to give families an opportunity to shop together.

Shop online at our Fair Homepage

The online fair is available from March 17 – March 31.  All orders placed online can be shipped free to the school and count towards the total Fair sales.   Should a popular book sell out at the physical Fair, it can often be purchased online.

Interested in volunteering at the Fair?

Volunteer Sign up Sheet

MCBA participation by Spofford Pond Students made possible by B.E.S.T.

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Massachusetts Children’s Book Award Program (MCBA)

at Spofford Pond School  

In 1975, after finding that many children lose interest in reading books after reaching the intermediate grades, Dr. Helen Constant founded the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award Program.  The program is designed for Massachusetts school children in grades 4-6 and is sponsored by Salem State University.

We are very pleased and excited to announce that thanks to a B.E.S.T. organization grant award, this year Gr. 6 students will have the opportunity to be involved in a popular and successful statewide program in which students from Topsfield Public Schools and Middleton Public Schools, their future student peers at Masco Middle School, have been participating in for several years.  B.E.S.T. granted $900 from the Harriet Ernst fund.  Ms. Ernst was known for her love of children’s literacy and this fund was established in her name accordingly.

The money will be used to purchase multiple copies of the (25) book titles on the MCBA Master List of titles 2019.   Each year, a list is compiled from nominations of participating teachers, librarians, and interested publishers.  A selection committee works with the nominations and chooses 25 titles to appear on the master list.  Criteria for the master list include literary quality, genres variety, representation of diverse cultural groups, and reader appeal.  All the books have been published within five years of the award and are available in paperback.

After reading five of the books, students may vote for their favorite in March.

Stayed tuned for the announcement of both the statewide winning book and the books that were voted “best of the list” by our participating Gr. 6 students.

We are excited about the possibilities to expand this program to include students in Grades 4 and 5 in 2020!

Ms. Boulay and Mrs. Kasmarcik

“According to published research, kids and teens who read fiction, as opposed to non-fiction or nothing at all, are better able to understand their own emotions and the emotions of others – a trait known as empathy.

As studies out of Emory University in Atlanta show, fiction helps to trick our brain into thinking we’re a part of the story – meaning kids are able to feel sympathy for the characters, which can extend to how they interact with real people in their own lives. They begin to develop better “feeling words” words, and are better able to relate to their friends and peers.

In other words, books can teach children valuable lessons about considering other people’s feelings, seeing things from a different perspective and being kind and understanding to those who look different than they do.”  https://www.choa.org

 

Learning about our Library Media Center

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Clipart Panda

Grade 3 students and the new students to other grades in our school learned how to check out books during Term 1. 

Some important things for parents and guardians new to our school to know about our library  . . .
  • All Spofford students are issued a library card and an account.   Students keep a written journal log of the books they have checked out during a school year. This journal log helps to remind students of their growing independence and responsibility to keep track of the books they have on loan.
  • We all read at different speeds and in different ways (one book at a time, a few books at a time, digital rather than print , preference for graphic novels, etc.). Our library loan policies at the Spofford Pond School honor these differences by giving students the opportunity to make their own independent book choices.
  • Students are not required to check out a new book each week, nor are they expected to return a book one week after it was checked out.  Students are responsible for the books on their record and will determine when they no longer need a book within the 30-day loan period.  The general rule is that students may have up to (3) books on their accounts at a time.
  • Students with books on their records past the 30 day loan period will be reminded to return these books in a timely fashion.   Parents will be notified  via a print notice with information about any overdue library books on their child’s account.
  • Should a book be requested by another patron, a hold will be placed on the book as well as a flag on the patron’s account.
  • Students may return a book to the library at any time during a school day.  They do not have to wait for their library media class day.  There is book drop box  located outside the library  entrance.
  • Books are to be returned to the library when the student no longer needs them within a 30 day loan period.  The 30 day loan period is usually sufficient time for most students to read a book, thus eliminating the need for renewals.  Exceptions are made for books required for classroom assignments.
  • We believe that giving students independent selection of library books fosters the student’s confidence in his or her own curiosity and interests. Therefore, we do not censor, or direct, their selections.  If a parent or guardian objects to a book that their child has checked out from the library, they are encouraged to have the student return the book to the Book Drop Box the next school day and to check out a more suitable book.  There are district policies and procedures in place for book and/or material challenges. Parents should  contact the library and the principal’s office with any major issues or concerns about library books.

Gr. 3 students are also learning how to use our online library book catalog, Alexandria. Click on the icon below to search our library’s collection.

 MSLA Standard 8. Appreciate Literature
Students will gain an increased enjoyment of literature and grow in their abilities to locate and select appropriate reading materials independently.

Digital Citizenship Week October 15-19 2018

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Digital Citizenship Copyright © 2016 Marie Bou k12 inc.

What is digital citizenship?  

According to TeachThought, digital citizenship is “the self-monitored habits that sustain and improve the digital communities you enjoy or depend on.”

“Digital Citizenship prepares young people and adults alike to use digital media safely, confidently, and wisely”, according to Cyberwise.
 Common Sense Media  defines digital citizenship as way of being, thinking and acting online.

This fall in Library Media classes , students in Gr. 4 -6 participated in various learning activities that emphasized the importance of responsible digital citizenship.  Read on to see examples of digital citizenship in action in Library Media classes . . .

Gr. 4  – Our focus was on the digital citizenship concepts of  “digital footprints” and “media balance”.  Using videos from Common Sense Media as a stepping off point to class discussions, students reflected on their learning and understanding of these concepts with response activities assigned to them in Google Classroom.

The video, Follow the Digital Trail , reminds students to think before they post, to be aware that everything they post online is traceable and permanent, and to consider the effects of their posts on others.

Pixabay.com

The video, My Media Balance  explores the effect that our media choices can have on how we feel each day.  Media balance is “making healthy choices about what media you choose, when you choose it, and  how much you use it”.

Next, we are creating student online user accounts to WebRangers , a the National Park Service’s online site “for kids of all ages” as part of our larger research unit about U.S.  National Parks.  Students are learning how to create safe usernames, passwords and secret questions and answers, as they sign up to be WebRangers.

NPS.gov
ISTE Standard 2a
Students cultivate and manage their digital identity and reputation and are aware of the permanence of their actions in a digital world.

 

Gr. 5 –  Students learned how to create a Google Drawing that demonstrated the main purposes of Google Drive (access, storage, creativity and sharing) while also demonstrating the importance of giving credit to to the author/owner of creative works, (in this instance, digital images) by linking any image that students use in their work to its public domain file address.

Google Drive for Education apps (G Suite) give students access to image files that have been labeled “fair for reuse”.  Students learned how to find the URL of each image they chose to add to their Google Drawing using the Google Drive image search tool, and then used the Google link tool to link the image to its online address.

If students could not find an image they wanted within Google Drive, they learned how to use the general Google Image search modifier tool, “labeled for reuse.”

Google Drawing by Suhaila Merhi

We also accessed My BrainPOP’s lesson resources, Copyright in a Digital World, to explore what fair use means (allows people to use copyrighted works without permission) and to learn when it’s necessary to give credit to the rights extended to the author of a creative work like a book, song, or piece of art.   Students used our schools’ subscription to BrainPOP to watch a video, take a review quiz and play an interactive game together (The Meaning of Beep).  Google Suites connection to engaging BrainPOP’s instructional and assessment tools (quizzes and games) provides educators with formative assessments and insight into their students understanding of the concepts they need to know.

Flicker.com

Gr. 6 –  In concurrence with their grade level Social Studies curriculum units for the fall, students learned how to create a Works Cited document in Library Media classes.  A works cited document is a list of citations in MLA format, from reputable information sources, that give credit to the information sources used in doing a research project.  Students accessed our school subscriptions to World Book Online, Research in Context, and Country Reports in order to find relevant articles, facts and media about countries of the world and hunter-gatherer peoples.  These resources provide the actual citation so that students simply need to find the citation and copy and paste it into their works cited documents.

Giving proper credit to information sources is an essential digital citizenship skill.

isu.libguides.com
ISTE Standard 2c
Students demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.

Information Literacy

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I recently read an article by Elizabeth Mulvahill on the website We Are Teachers  posted on August 28, 2018 and have excerpted it below.

Information Overload from Chanty.com

“There is an infinitely greater amount of information available to our students than we ever had to deal with.

Think about it, you can find the answer to any question you have about practically any topic in the world in seconds via technology. The problem is, there’s SO much information available, it can be overwhelming. How do you discriminate between what’s important and what’s fluff? What’s true and what’s baloney? How do you know what sources to trust and where to look for proof? Learning to evaluate and prioritize information quickly and efficiently is one of the most important life skills we will ever teach our students.

In addition, with the landslide of information available, it may seem to our students like everything’s already been said. Our challenge is to teach them to sort through and use the best information to create original works and solve problems in innovative ways.”

At Spofford Pond School, a significant portion of students’ Library Media classes are dedicated to Information Literacy.    Students will be learning how to use trustworthy sources, apply effective search strategies and to look critically at the information they find in order to create understandings.

“In the complex technological world of today, education is no longer simply the acquisition of a body of knowledge. It is rather the ability to continually access and use a
vast array of information sources. The learner must be able to effectively evaluate these sources, combine them in meaningful patterns and react creatively to the results.
For a successfully educated individual, this mode of learning becomes a lifelong habit, since knowledge acquired today may be inadequate tomorrow, while the process of
searching out answers, once learned, will be a lifetime skill.”
—Rationale for Today’s School Library Media Center, MSLA