In the media center, we do so much more than just reading. We also think, plan, tinker, create, and design. Books are just the beginning!
Creative Lessons
The Snowy Day by Ezra Keats Grade 1 Lesson Description: This three week lesson required students to listen to literature, make a real-world connection, devise a plan and come up with a solution, tinker and create, and finally implement their ideas through a learning product. Week 1: Students listened to The Snowy Day by Ezra Keats. In the story, a young boy after playing in the snow, puts a snowball in his coat pocket. The next day when he wakes up he notices that his snowball has melted. Together as a class, we brainstormed ways the boy could have kept his snowball from melting. Students were then given the task to design a cooler that could prevent an ice cube from melting for fifteen minutes. They would have to create the cooler out of craft materials. Students drew their ideas on a planning sheet. Week 2: Students were given time to create a cooler out of craft materials. They could work in groups of two or three, or work independently. Week 3: Students tested their coolers to see if they were successful in keeping their ice cube from melting. Each student or group was given an ice cube. We used our recording sheet to track our findings. Every few minutes we checked our ice cube to see if it melted. Prior to our experiment, we discussed how "failures" in science are just as important as successes. Learning what does not work is just as important as learning what does work. We concluded the unit by discussing what worked, what did not work, and what we will do differently next time. AASL Standards Framework for Learners Addressed: III. Collaborate A. Think Learners identify collaborative opportunities by: 3. Deciding to solve problems informed by group interaction. III. Collaborate B. Create Learners participate in personal, social, and intellectual networks by: 2. Establishing connections with other learners to build on their own prior knowledge and create new knowledge. III. Collaborate C. Share Learners work productively with others to solve problems by: 2. Involving diverse perspectives in their own inquiry processes. V. Explore B. Create Learners construct new knowledge by: 1. Problem solving through cycles of design, implementation, and reflection. 2. Persisting through self-directed pursuits by tinkering and making. V. Explore C. Learners engage with the learning community by: 3. Collaboratively identifying innovative solutions to a challenge or problem. Maryland College and Career Ready Curriculum English Language Arts Standards for Reading Literature (RL) RL3 CCR Anchor Standard Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of text. Grade 1 students: RL3 Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details
Creative Songs
K-2nd grade students know that when Mrs. Houston sings this song. They must clean up their center and come to the carpet.
Meet me on the carpet, the carpet, the carpet. Meet me on the carpet, I have a story to share. I need you on the carpet, the carpet, the carpet. I need you on the carpet, I have a story to share.
Creative Makerspace Centers
Mrs. Plost's third grade class made this waterslide with stick together straws. Over 15 students worked together to create this masterpiece. Students decided to work in smaller groups to get the job done. They then came together to build it. It was amazing to watch students take control of their own learning, design a project, and create a structure that we could all enjoy.
A group of first grade students created this maze. They used the pictures from a library book as inspiration. They worked together and created a structure to show the class. Take a peek.
Work Cited
"AASL Standards Framework For Leaners."American Association of School Librarians, 2018, " //standards.aasl.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/AASL-Standards-Framework-for-Learners-pamphlet.pdf. Accessed 1 June 2021. Keats, Ezra. The Snowy Day. New York City, Viking Press, 1962. “Maryland College and Career Ready Curriculum Framework English Language Reading Literature Grades Kindergarten through 2.” Maryland State Department of Education, Aug. 2014, p. 4, //mdk12.msde.maryland.gov/INSTRUCTION/StandardsandFrameworks/ela/SiteAssets/HomePage/CCSC_Reading_Literature_grk- 2.pdf.Accessed 3 July 2021.