1. In Mango, I chose the language Swahili, since I had students who spoke this language in the Elementary Immersion Center at Jane Addams in the Sioux Falls School District from 2009-2012. It looks like there are 50 million people who speak Swahili as a 1st or 2nd language in the Demorcratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Oman, and Tanzania.
2. I tried out a lesson in Swahili. I think the program would be very helpful to anyone interested in learning another language. I like the fact that you can replay what was said if you need to if you didn't catch it the first time, or just want to clarify and try it again. I liked the grammar notes, which compared Swahili to English, and the cultural note, which talked about common names. I did have a Fatuma and Halima as students. The pronunciation/voice comparison was interesting, too. Even if it sounds "right" to us, it is a good way to check and see how close we are getting to the real thing.
I didn't really like the timer thing. I'd prefer to try saying it on my own time. I'm not sure why they added this, unless they want you to complete the lesson in a certain amount of time and this is supposed to keep you on schedule.
Common Core Connections:
1. Mango Languages could help meet the Language standards in English Language Arts in a students wanted to add a word from another language to a writing assignment.
L.3.3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Choose words and phrases for effect.
Perhaps a word would make a better effect or emphasis in another language at some part of an essay or fictional story. A student could use this word, and then consult Mango Languages to check its spelling.
3.L.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
g. Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.
For example, if an elementary student wanted to use a French word that they recalled from one of Jane O'Connor's Fancy Nancy, stories, but couldn't remember how to spell it, they could use Mango Languages to check out the spelling of the word. Or, once in Mango Languages, they could go to the Translate tab, and type in the word or words in English: thank you, click translate, and see the French equivalent: merci. Or type in English: goodbye, translate, and get in French: au revoir.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Lesson 2: Chilton Library
Using Chilton Library online, I looked up my car: a 2009 Toyota Pruis.
1. The Maintenance Schedule is not available for my car.
2. The most recent technical service bulletin, CP-ZTV-A110-D, is to extend warranty coverage for the Instrument Panel Combination Meter on 2004 to 2009 Model Year Prius vehicles. It was issued on 9/30/2013.
3. When I click on the repair tab, it says I have been logged out of my session and doesn't show anything on the "tree" on the left.
Common Core Connection:
5.R.I.7:
For a lesson using Chilton Library for 5th grade ELA in the area of Integration of Knowledge and Ideas, I would have students look up and compare and contrast two of the following: a newspaper article, a t.v. news story, or news magazine article on the topic of a recall for a popular vehicle.
For example, the Toyota Prius had a pedal recall in 2009. This can be looked up on Chilton, and then articles looked up about this recall can be compared.
1. Here is one from foxnews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/story/2009/11/25/toyota-to-replace-4-million-gas-pedals-after-crashes/
2. Here is one from greencarreports.com
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1043253_2004-2009-toyota-prius-recall-will-reshape-accelerator-pedal
The take on the story could be compared and contrasted from the different sources. Is a consumer reports or newsweek article different from a letter to the editor?
I used Chilton at a public library in Waynesboro, Virginia, where I was put at the reference desk even though I was the children's librarian because they didn't have a desk for me yet. That was the only time I have used it. It seems to me to be more a source for adults or at least driver-age patrons and more for public library than school library use.
1. The Maintenance Schedule is not available for my car.
2. The most recent technical service bulletin, CP-ZTV-A110-D, is to extend warranty coverage for the Instrument Panel Combination Meter on 2004 to 2009 Model Year Prius vehicles. It was issued on 9/30/2013.
3. When I click on the repair tab, it says I have been logged out of my session and doesn't show anything on the "tree" on the left.
Common Core Connection:
5.R.I.7:
For a lesson using Chilton Library for 5th grade ELA in the area of Integration of Knowledge and Ideas, I would have students look up and compare and contrast two of the following: a newspaper article, a t.v. news story, or news magazine article on the topic of a recall for a popular vehicle.
For example, the Toyota Prius had a pedal recall in 2009. This can be looked up on Chilton, and then articles looked up about this recall can be compared.
1. Here is one from foxnews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/story/2009/11/25/toyota-to-replace-4-million-gas-pedals-after-crashes/
2. Here is one from greencarreports.com
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1043253_2004-2009-toyota-prius-recall-will-reshape-accelerator-pedal
The take on the story could be compared and contrasted from the different sources. Is a consumer reports or newsweek article different from a letter to the editor?
I used Chilton at a public library in Waynesboro, Virginia, where I was put at the reference desk even though I was the children's librarian because they didn't have a desk for me yet. That was the only time I have used it. It seems to me to be more a source for adults or at least driver-age patrons and more for public library than school library use.
Lesson 1: World Book
Basic Discovery Exercise:
1. Using World Book Kids, I looked up information on hamsters, since I am reading The World According to Humphrey by Betty Birney to my K, 1st and 2nd grade classes. World Book kids has a little information on habitat--they are native to Asia. The print is large, which is good for our youngest searchers.
3. Using World Book Advanced to look up Norway, I see there are many choices of what types of documents you'd like to look at on the left side bar. Once you choose one of these, it will give you the choices under that type of document or if it is an article, break down the sections into more specific sub-topics. In the tool box, e-mail and print are options patrons might want to use often, and on the right, the link to align the subject with content standards would be helpful for teachers and teacher/librarians.
4. In World Book Discover, I went to History and Government, and clicked on Government. The article can be read in Spanish or French, translated into 29 other languages, or read aloud to the viewer. You can choose to have it read faster or slower, and as the computer voice reads to you, it highlights the words so you can follow along. This is a great feature for English Language Learners.
Common Core Connections:
ELA standard 2.RI.7: Explain how specific images contribute to and clarify a text.
For this lesson, I will have students use World Book Kids to look up their grade's country. Second graders have China. I would ask them to type China in the search box and then list one map, one video, and one picture that help them form their concept of China.
1. What does a map of China tell you about that country? Is it large or small? What might the weather be like there?
2. What is one picture that can tell you something about China? The flag (what does the color red mean?); the great wall of China picture (is it long or short?); or the crowded road in Shanghai (are there lots of people who live there or only a few?)
3. What is one video that can tell you more about China? Listen to "The Great Wall of China" or " WB explains: Who was the first emperor of China?" Does this give you information on China's history?
Fiction connections: Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Imperial China; Tofu Quilt; Day of the Dragon King
1. Using World Book Kids, I looked up information on hamsters, since I am reading The World According to Humphrey by Betty Birney to my K, 1st and 2nd grade classes. World Book kids has a little information on habitat--they are native to Asia. The print is large, which is good for our youngest searchers.
2. Using World Book Student, there is more information given when you look up the topic of hamsters. They add to the fact they are native to Asia that they are also native to Europe, and that they like to burrow and have separate places for nesting, eating, and relieving their bodily functions.
There is definitely more information, but it is also smaller print.
3. Using World Book Advanced to look up Norway, I see there are many choices of what types of documents you'd like to look at on the left side bar. Once you choose one of these, it will give you the choices under that type of document or if it is an article, break down the sections into more specific sub-topics. In the tool box, e-mail and print are options patrons might want to use often, and on the right, the link to align the subject with content standards would be helpful for teachers and teacher/librarians.
4. In World Book Discover, I went to History and Government, and clicked on Government. The article can be read in Spanish or French, translated into 29 other languages, or read aloud to the viewer. You can choose to have it read faster or slower, and as the computer voice reads to you, it highlights the words so you can follow along. This is a great feature for English Language Learners.
Common Core Connections:
ELA standard 2.RI.7: Explain how specific images contribute to and clarify a text.
For this lesson, I will have students use World Book Kids to look up their grade's country. Second graders have China. I would ask them to type China in the search box and then list one map, one video, and one picture that help them form their concept of China.
1. What does a map of China tell you about that country? Is it large or small? What might the weather be like there?
2. What is one picture that can tell you something about China? The flag (what does the color red mean?); the great wall of China picture (is it long or short?); or the crowded road in Shanghai (are there lots of people who live there or only a few?)
3. What is one video that can tell you more about China? Listen to "The Great Wall of China" or " WB explains: Who was the first emperor of China?" Does this give you information on China's history?
Fiction connections: Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Imperial China; Tofu Quilt; Day of the Dragon King
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Background and Blog Purpose
My name is Beth Wells, and I am currently the librarian at Journey Elementary School in the Harrisburg School District. I also work part time for Harrisburg Community Library. I have worked in three different public libraries and three different elementary school libraries with a little over ten years experience in library work settings and about five years combined expereince tutoring, teaching college composition courses, and subbing.
I'm looking forward to completing the electronic resources challenge so I can share some new ideas on researching and finding information with my 400+ Kindergarten through Fifth grade students at Journey! I love learning great ideas from other librarians, too, that I can put into my own lessons and programs.
1. I looked at the World Book Kids first, which we have a link to from our elementary library pages in the Harrisburg School District. I really like how it has the larger font size and isn't too overwhelming for younger searchers. Our school will be following the Winter Olympics, and each grade will focus on a country: Canada, Norway, China, Germany, Finland, and Sweden. I used the search topic "Canada" to see what would come up. For World Book Kids, it had three main sections to choose from: Articles, Pictures, and Maps. The read aloud is a great feature for students who can't read yet themselves or for English Language Learners. It is a bit odd and computerized sounding, but something is better than nothing if you don't know what it says to begin with.
It looks like World Book Discover would be a good complement to World Book Kids, if you need other types of sources. It adds tables, sounds, websites and timelines.
2. I also checked out World Book Student. If you have upper elementary students who are looking for more in depth information on their subject or topic and they are good readers, they may want to switch to this database. Like World Book Kids, it has Articles, Pictures and Maps, but it goes on to add timelines sounds, tables and websites (like World Book Discover adds, too) as well as research guides, videos, a dictionary, historical maps, special reports, and back in time articles. Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth grade students may want to delve in to the history of the olympic country they are following, and this site would provide them with back in time articles. Our elementary students study explorers and the American Revolution in their classrooms, and the maps are helpful for these studies.
3. I think World Book Kids and World Book Student should usually cover what my students need to find out when searching for information on their reading level, but in certain cases, older students might want to consult World Book Advanced which adds e-books, primary sources, U.S. Supreme Court Cases, and U.S. Presidential Papers. Even if they can't or don't read an entire document from one of these sections, they may be excited to see the real thing--those primary sources.
I'm looking forward to completing the electronic resources challenge so I can share some new ideas on researching and finding information with my 400+ Kindergarten through Fifth grade students at Journey! I love learning great ideas from other librarians, too, that I can put into my own lessons and programs.
1. I looked at the World Book Kids first, which we have a link to from our elementary library pages in the Harrisburg School District. I really like how it has the larger font size and isn't too overwhelming for younger searchers. Our school will be following the Winter Olympics, and each grade will focus on a country: Canada, Norway, China, Germany, Finland, and Sweden. I used the search topic "Canada" to see what would come up. For World Book Kids, it had three main sections to choose from: Articles, Pictures, and Maps. The read aloud is a great feature for students who can't read yet themselves or for English Language Learners. It is a bit odd and computerized sounding, but something is better than nothing if you don't know what it says to begin with.
It looks like World Book Discover would be a good complement to World Book Kids, if you need other types of sources. It adds tables, sounds, websites and timelines.
2. I also checked out World Book Student. If you have upper elementary students who are looking for more in depth information on their subject or topic and they are good readers, they may want to switch to this database. Like World Book Kids, it has Articles, Pictures and Maps, but it goes on to add timelines sounds, tables and websites (like World Book Discover adds, too) as well as research guides, videos, a dictionary, historical maps, special reports, and back in time articles. Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth grade students may want to delve in to the history of the olympic country they are following, and this site would provide them with back in time articles. Our elementary students study explorers and the American Revolution in their classrooms, and the maps are helpful for these studies.
3. I think World Book Kids and World Book Student should usually cover what my students need to find out when searching for information on their reading level, but in certain cases, older students might want to consult World Book Advanced which adds e-books, primary sources, U.S. Supreme Court Cases, and U.S. Presidential Papers. Even if they can't or don't read an entire document from one of these sections, they may be excited to see the real thing--those primary sources.
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