Fall - E.E. Taylor Elementary School

Media Center News

E. E. Taylor Elementary School

October, 2009

enaissance Place Accelerated Reader.

Accelerated Reader is off to a good start – all the classes have finished being tested with Star Reading. Remember that you can have your AR program, each time you log in, open to the “Reading Renaissance Dashboard” so that you can quickly see the statistics for your class (and you can see what the district office sees when they look at our school!). Starting in October, each month we will have a celebration for the top AR students in your class. Be sure and remind your students that October 31 will be the last date for scores to count for the upcoming party.

Fall Harvest

Bring your class to see the pumpkins, squash, dried corn, etc. and to see the display of autumn related books and Halloween books available for check-out!

Spooky Sounds

A reminder that there is a folder on the student drive that I filled with files for spooky sounds, screams, horrible laughs, cat screeches, stormy night sounds, etc. These might be fun for your class to use in a PowerPoint, essay or poem. Just “copy and paste” each sound to the document - then when the document is read, the sounds can be activated by clicking on the sound icon. The folder is called Halloween sounds and is on the regular student drive.

Great Web Sites

Columbus Day: - interactive crossword puzzle, word search, etc.

http://www.abcteach.com/directory/seasonalholidays/columbus_day/

Watch the leaves change color !!

http://southcarolinaparks.com/beautiful-places/webcams.aspx

will take you directly to a live webcam page where you can chose to go to the mountains or the beach. The mountain site is in Table Rock State Park – about 2 and ½ hours away - in Pickens County, upper South Carolina – students can keep a journal describing changes in leaves, etc. If you study the beach and tides, the other webcam is located at Edisto Beach and you can see the waves at low tide and high tide.

For beach forecasts and the times for high and low tide:

http://weather.orlandosentinel.com/MAR/AM/350.html

Halloween

For crossword puzzles, etc. :

http://www.theteacherscorner.net/seasonal/halloween/index.htm

(I have attached a copy of one of the Halloween crossword puzzles and one on the Autumn season and their answer keys)

free Halloween (and other seasons) clipart:

http://hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/halloween/halloween_im_jack.htm

Thanksgiving:

Thanksgiving and the Voyage of the mayflower

This is a fantastic interactive site on the first Thanksgiving created by Scholastic .

( when you begin you might have your students look up a word on the little “Scholastic Word Wizard” box , so they will know what that little box is because it pops up all over the page.)

THE SITE HAS A WONDERFUL section on the voyage to America. Click on “Voyage on the Mayflower” - click to “tour the ship” and see all the parts of the ship (click “speaker” for sound) and then when students are through with that , click on “journey on the Mayflower” to go on a map across to America – during the journey, have students click on every box across the route.

(NOTICE ON THE BOTTOM OF EVERY PAGE THERE IS ALWAYS A TIMELINE THAT HAS LITTLE SPEAKERS TO CLICK ON AND HEAR WHAT WAS GOING ON AT THAT TIME)

CLICKING ON THE DAILY LIFE TAB, there is a COMPARE AND CONTRAST section that compares things like Native American housing, food, clothes, etc. with pilgrim housing, food, clothes, etc. When students get to the two pictures of things being compared – be sure they also click on the numbered circles above the two pictures being compared – these will show other related pictures.

WHEN YOU CLICK ON THANKSGIVING FEAST, watch the slide slow (notice loudspeaker button for sound on each one) .

UNFORTUNATELY, THE WEB QUEST AT THE END IS PROBABLY FOR A HIGHER GRADE LEVEL.

This is the web site:

http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/

NOTE: I know the above is a long description, but this is just a great site! Always remember that I would be glad to collaborate with you on this (or any other area) and guide or assist in the computer lab, etc.

Thanksgiving con’t:

A copy of George Washington’s proclamation for Thanksgiving (which was the first official proclamation in the United States)

http://wilstar.com/holidays/wash_thanks.html

A great read-aloud is Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving - this is also great for teaching about editorial cartoons – some of the drawings are wonderful! (And don’t forget the deadline for the visual literacy contest for editorial cartoons is November 16^{th - see below}!)

Visual Literacy Contest

The photography contest for staff and students is here. Entries are due to ITS by October 19^th.

Great suggestions for entries are:

Photo Essay

· Taking pictures to be used as writing prompts

· Photos of clouds on different weather days

· Clouds (time lapse of movement over a period of time)

· Pictures of various types of apples

· Progress of science experiments

· The four seasons (things you see)

· Document summer, vacations, trips, holidays, etc., with disposable cameras

· Time lapse of plant growth

· Photo essay on Flat Stanley or other stories

· Veteran’s Day: Faces of Vets

· Photo stories of field trips - highlights

· Growth chart - kids or plants

· Instructional manual - Ex. Aerobic exercise how to

· Math shapes/shadows

· Lab safety

· Kid photographs

· Weather log

· Photo abc

· New staff members - children’s opinion or introduction

· Staff with favorite books - student made pictures

· Autobiographies

· Number book

· Time lapse: Stages of the moon

· Careers around the school

Coming up in November is the Visual Literacy contest for Editorial Cartoons. All entries should be turned in by November 16^th.

Let me know if I can help you with either of these contests.

AR BookFinder

On the Media Center SharpSchool page , you can find a link to AR BookFinder – an easy way to find out whether there is an AR test available, the level of the book, and (especially helpful for lost books) a picture of the book.

SharpSchool Page

Remember that my calendar is listed on the Media Center page, so

you can see when I have classes scheduled. This might help you in planning a good time to bring your own class.

Grade level meeting

This month’s grade level meeting, among other things will be a time for each grade to go over the ELA book sets, supplemental teacher’s guides and lesson plans. There are some great book sets to read as a class and also some “small group” book sets. Many of these were selected especially to go along with the ELA standards about alliteration, homonyms, idioms, similes, metaphors, etc.

Forms Attached

For your ease of use, I have attached an extra copy of the collaboration form along with another copy of the “I would love to have the Media Center purchase” form.

Have a

Name: ________________________________

Provided By: www.TheTeachersCorner.net

Fall Crossword

Please complete the crossword puzzle below


								10
						7			12
					9

				8
		5
							11


6			2

	1

		3

	4

Across:

1. Another name for Fall
3. Tool to clean the grass of leaves
4. Squirrel
6. Color
5. Scary Holiday
9. Fall from oak trees
11. Change colors

Down:

2. For carving and pie
5. Marks the end of the growing season
7. Used to frighten birds
8. Grows on stalks
10. Jewish Holiday, Rosh ______
12. Feast Holiday

Name: ________________________________

Provided By: www.TheTeachersCorner.net

Fall Crossword KEY

Please complete the crossword puzzle below

10H

12T

11L

Across:

1. Another name for Fall (AUTUMN)
3. Tool to clean the grass of leaves (RAKE)
4. Squirrel (RODENT)
6. Color (ORANGE)
5. Scary Holiday (HALLOWEEN)
9. Fall from oak trees (ACORNS)
11. Change colors (LEAVES)

Down:

2. For carving and pie (PUMPKIN)
5. Marks the end of the growing season (HARVEST)
7. Used to frighten birds (SCARECROW)
8. Grows on stalks (CORN)
10. Jewish Holiday, Rosh ______ (HASHANAH)
12. Feast Holiday (THANKSGIVING)

Name: ________________________________

Provided By: www.TheTeachersCorner.net

Halloween Crossword

Please complete the crossword puzzle below





							13



				8	6
	11
7
						2
			1
		12
	10
						3
									5
			4


								9

Across:

1. A house where ghosts live is considered ______
3. Stirs potions in a cauldron
4. Carved pumpkin
7. Scary creatures, or _______, Inc.
8. Halloween month
9. Placed over your face
10. Dracula is one of these

Down:

2. Human that transforms into a wolf
5. ____ or Treat!
6. Disguise
11. Ghostly Talk
12. Night flying mammals
13. Web creator

Name: ________________________________

Provided By: www.TheTeachersCorner.net

Halloween Crossword KEY

Please complete the crossword puzzle below

13S

11B

12B

10V

Across:

1. A house where ghosts live is considered ______ (HAUNTED)
3. Stirs potions in a cauldron (WITCH)
4. Carved pumpkin (JACKOLANTERN)
7. Scary creatures, or _______, Inc. (MONSTERS)
8. Halloween month (OCTOBER)
9. Placed over your face (MASK)
10. Dracula is one of these (VAMPIRE)

Down:

2. Human that transforms into a wolf (WEREWOLF)
5. ____ or Treat! (TRICK)
6. Disguise (COSTUME)
11. Ghostly Talk (BOO)
12. Night flying mammals (BATS)
13. Web creator (SPIDER)

I would love for the E.E. Taylor Media Center to purchase -

- Please add further information here – if there is a particular time you need these, etc.

Name ____________________

Class _____________________

E. E. Taylor Elementary School

Media Services Request Form

Teacher/Team____________________________________________________________

Subject/Theme/Unit_______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Date of Request____________________________Date Needed____________________

Materials Needed : Check all that apply.

Teacher Resources

(books)

Fiction

Non-fiction

Reference

(Technology)

List of websites

Equipment

Books on Tape

Staff development

Video

Lesson plan

Computer lab

(Others)

______________________

______________________

Students’ Resources

(books)

Fiction -checkout______________

-on reserve______________

Non-fiction –checkout______________

-on reserve______________

This section to be completed by the Media Specialist.

Date request received:______________________________________________________

Date of team-teaching, computer lab class, etc.: _________________________________

Comments:______________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________