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Librarians/Media Science Chatboard

Hands-on Activities?

by Booklady

May 7, 2014

I'm at an Elementary school and in the Specials rotation. Classes are 55 minutes, K-5th grades.

What are some hands-on activities that you use to engage your students? Students that spend their lives full of tech gadgets, just don't handle silent reading for extended periods. We also have a lot of low readers so this in turn causes lots of behavior issues since so many of them are not proficient at reading.

Also many of my classes are range from 22-28 students and there is just me. Rarely is there a parent volunteer (i.e. not even once a month on an average).

Thanks, Booklady

view previous comments

Booklady I forgot to add that a majority of our students are bilingual..mostly Spanish. And we are the school for all new ELL students. Kdg at the start of the year, most do not speak much if any English and what I know in Spanish is of very little help. (And I've tried in the past to learn...just not something I retain.

Yes, I have 25 computers in...See MoreI forgot to add that a majority of our students are bilingual..mostly Spanish. And we are the school for all new ELL students. Kdg at the start of the year, most do not speak much if any English and what I know in Spanish is of very little help. (And I've tried in the past to learn...just not something I retain.

Yes, I have 25 computers in the library. No student iPads. I've used Starfall and ABCya.com with K-2, and TypingWeb.com, XtraMath with 3-5...and Cool Math a few times during the year. Most of what they select on Cool Math is racing games with little or no math involved.

And many of our ELL students have never used a computer before.

Yes, check out is a crazy, lots of questions where things are at, etc. Circ desk is on the far side of the room from the computers so monitoring them at the same time is impossible.

And I tried audiocd's with the better classes last year...Sadly, they had no interest.

I do have a Smartboard and have used it quite a bit.

Thanks for the suggestions. --Booklady

On 5/07/14, And another angle wrote: > Wow- those are GREAT ideas! > I see 6 classes a day, K-6, also for 55 minutes. It can be a > very long time, especially with some of the bigger classes (one > grade level has nearly 30 in each class). Another issue I have > is that students who spend the rest of the day in a contained > classroom for life skills go to every specialist with their > homeroom. Some of them really look forward to coming and it's a > joy to be able to include them, but not always- just a whole > other factor to deal with. > Anyway, for me the reading aloud is not an issue for half the > time, as you said, if you are good at it, they will listen and > if not, you can find other resources. But the problem time for > me is during book check out. I don't have any help, either, nor > parent volunteers. That's where my tech grants have been a > lifesaver. > Can you GET some technology? Not approach it as "the enemy". > I have a cart of 10 I Pads and kids share in groups of 2 and 3 > friends. I made a folder for game apps (all free), they have > about 10 choices. That's besides the library computers, not sure > if you have any? If so, I have lots of ed games on one link of > my website (Cool Math for Kids, etc) My argument in a high > poverty school is tech equity. More than half our students can't > use technology outside the school day and besides teaching tech > skills some of the times they come, just the opportunity to have > the social aspects of working together to "beat a level" is not > only important, I almost never have a single discipline issue. > That frees me up to interact with those students needing help > choosing a book. They can read silently somewhere else! But > that's just my opinion... > On 5/07/14, A few to start with wrote: >> On 5/07/14, Booklady wrote: >> >> Read aloud. If you're a good expressive aloud reader, you >> could do it but you can also get/rent/buy or find online >> recordings done by professional readers. >> >> Start short - two minutes- kids are not read to at home and >> listening is a learned skill. >> >> Is there any book or story they all know? Read a fairy tale >> and ask for volunteers to act out a character from the story >> and let others guess what character they're acting out. >> >> Or give three names - Santa Claus, Harry potter or little red >> riding hood - let a volunteer choose to act out one of those >> and the other kids guess - it's a starter version of the >> game. >> >> Superman, batman, spider man. >> >> Put an object in the table and ask for a spoken sentence >> with the name if the object in it. >> >> Youtube has rich stuff and very educational. What does it >> look like at the top of Mt. Everest? It's on youtube. >> >> Read the story of the Titanic and then watch the discovery >> of it by Robert Ballard on youtube. There are several short >> you tubes of underwater discoveries. >> >> >>> I'm at an Elementary school and in the Specials rotation. >>> Classes are 55 minutes, K-5th grades. >>> >>> What are some hands-on activities that you use to >> engage >>> your students? Students that spend their lives full of >>> tech gadgets, just don't handle silent reading for >> extended >>> periods. We also have a lot of low readers so this in turn >>> causes lots of behavior issues since so many of them >> are >>> not proficient at reading. >>> >>> Also many of my classes are range from 22-28 students >> and >>> there is just me. Rarely is there a parent volunteer (i.e. >>> not even once a month on an average). >>> >>> Thanks, >>> Booklady

May 8, 2014

More thoughts for you Wow- this is challenging, for sure! I have used tubs of "practice" books for grades K and 1, so that, until they learn the procedures for moving around responsibly (and I know they will return their book)they can look at and choose books from there. You might have some stations or centers- Google "centered school library" for some great ideas that ...See MoreWow- this is challenging, for sure! I have used tubs of "practice" books for grades K and 1, so that, until they learn the procedures for moving around responsibly (and I know they will return their book)they can look at and choose books from there. You might have some stations or centers- Google "centered school library" for some great ideas that are doable. Even some puzzles, or coloring, or blocks? The youngest kids could move from table to table as they wait to borrow books. Another thing I've done is moved the most popular books (Wimpy Kid, Big Nate, Dork Diaries) to a cart right at the checkout counter. Since you have enough computers is there some ELL support you can get- either software if someone can't come, or the ELL instructor if you have one? With the technology resources you have in place I wonder if your IT can help you? On 5/08/14, Booklady wrote: > I forgot to add that a majority of our students are > bilingual..mostly Spanish. And we are the school for all new ELL > students. Kdg at the start of the year, most do not speak much > if any English and what I know in Spanish is of very little > help. (And I've tried in the past to learn...just not something > I retain. > > Yes, I have 25 computers in the library. No student iPads. I've > used Starfall and ABCya.com with K-2, and TypingWeb.com, XtraMath > with 3-5...and Cool Math a few times during the year. Most of > what they select on Cool Math is racing games with little or no > math involved. > > And many of our ELL students have never used a computer before. > > Yes, check out is a crazy, lots of questions where things are at, > etc. Circ desk is on the far side of the room from the computers > so monitoring them at the same time is impossible. > > And I tried audiocd's with the better classes last year...Sadly, > they had no interest. > > I do have a Smartboard and have used it quite a bit. > > Thanks for the suggestions. > --Booklady > > > On 5/07/14, And another angle wrote: >> Wow- those are GREAT ideas! >> I see 6 classes a day, K-6, also for 55 minutes. It can be a >> very long time, especially with some of the bigger classes (one >> grade level has nearly 30 in each class). Another issue I have >> is that students who spend the rest of the day in a contained >> classroom for life skills go to every specialist with their >> homeroom. Some of them really look forward to coming and it's a >> joy to be able to include them, but not always- just a whole >> other factor to deal with. >> Anyway, for me the reading aloud is not an issue for half the >> time, as you said, if you are good at it, they will listen and >> if not, you can find other resources. But the problem time for >> me is during book check out. I don't have any help, either, nor >> parent volunteers. That's where my tech grants have been a >> lifesaver. >> Can you GET some technology? Not approach it as "the enemy". >> I have a cart of 10 I Pads and kids share in groups of 2 and 3 >> friends. I made a folder for game apps (all free), they have >> about 10 choices. That's besides the library computers, not sure >> if you have any? If so, I have lots of ed games on one link of >> my website (Cool Math for Kids, etc) My argument in a high >> poverty school is tech equity. More than half our students can't >> use technology outside the school day and besides teaching tech >> skills some of the times they come, just the opportunity to have >> the social aspects of working together to "beat a level" is not >> only important, I almost never have a single discipline issue. >> That frees me up to interact with those students needing help >> choosing a book. They can read silently somewhere else! But >> that's just my opinion... >> On 5/07/14, A few to start with wrote: >>> On 5/07/14, Booklady wrote: >>> >>> Read aloud. If you're a good expressive aloud reader, you >>> could do it but you can also get/rent/buy or find online >>> recordings done by professional readers. >>> >>> Start short - two minutes- kids are not read to at home and >>> listening is a learned skill. >>> >>> Is there any book or story they all know? Read a fairy tale >>> and ask for volunteers to act out a character from the story >>> and let others guess what character they're acting out. >>> >>> Or give three names - Santa Claus, Harry potter or little red >>> riding hood - let a volunteer choose to act out one of those >>> and the other kids guess - it's a starter version of the >>> game. >>> >>> Superman, batman, spider man. >>> >>> Put an object in the table and ask for a spoken sentence >>> with the name if the object in it. >>> >>> Youtube has rich stuff and very educational. What does it >>> look like at the top of Mt. Everest? It's on youtube. >>> >>> Read the story of the Titanic and then watch the discovery >>> of it by Robert Ballard on youtube. There are several short >>> you tubes of underwater discoveries. >>> >>> >>>> I'm at an Elementary school and in the Specials rotation. >>>> Classes are 55 minutes, K-5th grades. >>>> >>>> What are some hands-on activities that you use to >>> engage >>>> your students? Students that spend their lives full of >>>> tech gadgets, just don't handle silent reading for >>> extended >>>> periods. We also have a lot of low readers so this in turn >>>> causes lots of behavior issues since so many of them >>> are >>>> not proficient at reading. >>>> >>>> Also many of my classes are range from 22-28 students >>> and >>>> there is just me. Rarely is there a parent volunteer (i.e. >>>> not even once a month on an average). >>>> >>>> Thanks, >>>> Booklady

May 10, 2014

Renee On 5/07/14, Booklady wrote: > I'm at an Elementary school and in the Specials rotation. > Classes are 55 minutes, K-5th grades. > > What are some hands-on activities that you use to engage > your students? Students that spend their lives full of > tech gadgets, just don't handle silent reading for extended > periods. We also ha...See More

Sep 4, 2014

Renee On 5/07/14, Booklady wrote: > I'm at an Elementary school and in the Specials rotation. > Classes are 55 minutes, K-5th grades. > > What are some hands-on activities that you use to engage > your students? Students that spend their lives full of > tech gadgets, just don't handle silent reading for extended > periods. We also ha...See More

Sep 4, 2014

Joy Trivia contests get them all excited. I put them in teams (the Kagan Numbered Heads Together works well to make sure all can participate--I really like it better than using the responders) and use a variety of approaches. I have lists of trivia questions about the media center that I actually use to pre-test them at the beginning of the year; I've ...See More

Jun 4, 2015

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