This week, KWON fourth graders continued their grade level research on plants. They are going through the Big6 Research process and are currently on Step 3: Locate & Find and Step 4: Hear and View. In order to Locate, Find, Hear, and View information for their research projects, students are using Instagrok, Nani ke Ao Nei, Encyclopedia Britannica, Destiny, and Google Scholar.
KWON students in grades K-4 will research information to create ebooks and cartoons in the next few months during their library resource time. Be on the lookout for exciting updates about these student creations!
The KWON library uses a specific research method called the Big6 (also known as the Super3 for students K-2). Students use these research steps to collect information about their grade level topic, refine that information, create an ebook or cartoon about the topic, and then reflect on their use of the process. For our ebooks, we use StoryKit, and for our cartoons, we use Puppet Pals. This research process aligns closely with the new state assessment, Smarter Balanced, which expects students to possess skills associated with the Big6, skills like sifting through information to create meaning. Kindergarten through fourth grade students at KWON are gearing up to write their own nonfiction books. This week they are learning about the various nonfiction features through lessons, videos, and raps. Nonfiction features include headings, labels, diagrams, and glossaries. Students will use these features to research facts about their topics. Next up is research skills using the Super3 and Big6 and for older students, how to Google like a boss and using Google Drive. Students will use these skills throughout their entire career at KWON!
Every month, Kamehameha preschool students visit the KWON library to learn about new subjects. In December, students visited the library and were surprised by a guest speaker, Principal Parker! He read Jane Yolen's, How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas? They had a blast learning about dinosaurs in a holiday book!
This month, the students learned about transportation through Tedd Arnold's book, Ride, Fly Guy, Ride! and Lynn Peppa's nonfiction text, Tractors at Work. Students also sang a song about cars to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and made their own steering wheels. They are ready to VROOM into Kindergarten! To finish out Hour of Code 2014, KWON students received Certificates of Completion for their hard work in coding the past two weeks. Students did a great job learning new skills, correcting code and creating their own apps! Certificates will be coming home this week so be on the lookout for those awards. See the prior blog post for more information about apps and websites offering coding or go to code.org.
The Hour of Code has arrived at KWON! This week, students in kindergarten through sixth grade are practicing their computer science skills by programming or "coding" robots, apps, and games using the Lightbot Hour of Code '14 app, code.org's Angry Birds and Frozen Coding game, and Hour of Code's Flappy Birds, Play Lab, along with Bitsbox. Representative Andria Tupola introduced the Hour of Code at KWON's kickoff on Monday morning, December 8, 2014, at KWON's protocol! She inspired staff and students to be inquisitive and keep learning. Mahalo Representative Tupola! We definitely will keep learning, especially while we are coding!
Our Principal, Mr. Parker, is currently a part of the Hokule'a worldwide voyage as he sails around the country of Aotearoa for the next four weeks alongside Bruce Blankenfeld, Nainoa Thompson, Gordon Piianaia, Buddy McGuire, Billy Richards, and Harry Ho.He boarded Hokule'a in Waitangi through a Maori ceremony and will leave the wa'a on December 7 through the ceremony in Auckland. He will return home mid-December after cleaning the wa'a and fulfilling his duties as a crewman. To track Mr. Parker's voyage, go to Hokule'a's Worldwide Voyage tracker! You can even ask Mr. Parker a question on the webpage!
KWON 4th graders are learning the ins and outs of internet safety through Digital Passport, an iPad app that teaches students about password protection, internet searching, sharing of information, and much more through videos and games. For more information, visit the Digital Passport website.
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