Online Book Club Resumes Monday!

Our last read-aloud novel, The Maze of Bozes, was not only a great book, but it was even more fun discussing it with other classes from around the country. Along the way, we also created some cool art and learned how to make Glogs.

Because it was so successful, we're continuing it again this month. Mrs. Temske and her class in Roswell, Georgia have chosen the book Regarding by Fountain by Kate Klise. It's new to me, but it looks terrific. Also, we've got some new classrooms joining in from Texas and Alabama.

We'll do some projects of various sizes along the way and will again be using Edmodo for most of the discussions. Hopefully, we'll also find a way to use Skype again...and maybe even some new technology tools, too!

Speaking of Skype, here are some pictures from our videoconference session with Mrs. Temske's class last month:

Going Global Update

I haven't updated you on our "Going Global" project efforts lately, so here you go...

We are still reading The Maze of Bones as part of our Online Book Club. We should be finishing it up soon. Students have shared podcasts and a digital poster with the other members of the club. The digital posters (called "glogs") turned out really well. Students researched the life of Benjamin Franklin, who the characters in the novel must learn about, and then made something that looks like this:



(Special thanks to Chase J. for letting me share that!)

We'll be wrapping up the book shortly, but before we do, we'll be participating in a first (as far as I know) at UPA Elementary...we'll be talking to another class via Skype! On Friday afternoon, we'll be using our microphone and webcam to discuss the book with Mrs. Temske's class in Georgia. This is very exciting and should be lots of fun. I'll definitely be sharing the results with you after Friday.

Another first for us is our new connections with classes in Asia. One involves a school in Taiwan. Over the next few months we'll be learning about their school, their community, their language, their culture, etc. And they'll be learning from us. Their class sent us Christmas cards this week and we'll be returning the favor soon. We'll also be making a slideshow that shows them our school and city.

The other Asian connection is with a student in Russia named Denis. He and a couple groups of my students have been trading emails. It's going to be a great way to practice our writing and communication skills AND learn about another country and culture.

Finally, our bagel sale went really well. We now have raised over $60 for the entrepreneurial project in The Philippines. Students will now decide if we should have one more sale to support this cause or to choose another project to donate to.

Wow! That's a lot. Sometimes I don't realize how much it is until I type it out. And there's more to come, of course. Stay tuned!

Global Read Aloud Update

We've read the first 7 chapters of the book The Little Prince so far. In our first effort to collaborate with other schools across the country, we are sharing our answers to the following question:

How do you predict that the Prince and the narrator will escape from the desert?

Here's what the students came up with:

think they will get out by fixing the airplane and he is going to tell everybody about it.



I think that they are going to make something like something that flies.



I think hes going to escape the desert is that his car or something is going to work a little and he’s going to get help from people and they fix the car and after that he is going to fly or drive back home.



Maybe they will find a mechanic and he’ll fix the plane.



I think they’re going to take the airplane apart then make it in to a teleport device. So then they can teleport to the planet, so then the might save the planet.



The way I think the little prince and the narrator are going to get out of the dessert is that they are going to send a message to the planet that the little prince lives on. And they will come and get them.



I think Little Prince is going to escape by fixing the plane and flying to a different state or city.



I think hes going to escape the desert is that his car or something is going to work a little and hes going to get help from people and they fix the car and after that he is going to fly or drive back home



I think that they are going to fix the plane and get help.



I think he will call with his speakerphone and they will save them.



I think he’s going to fix the plane and learn where Little Prince came from.



I think they will find a tree to climb up and escape to the Prince’s planet.

If you are a reading this and you're a student, teacher, or classroom participating in the Global Read Aloud, PLEASE leave a comment to let us know what you think. We'd love to hear your thoughts. THANKS! And stay tuned for our pictures of a boa constrictor eating an elephant!

Global Read Aloud Begins!

Yesterday, we started the Global Read Aloud project. This is our first "Going Global" project of the year. It involves schools from around the world all reading the same book, The Little Prince, and collaborating on assignments together.

We read the first few chapters yesterday, in which the narrator describes his attempts at drawing a boa constrictor eating an elephant. The students' assignment this week is to make their own drawing of this odd and imaginary situation. Then we'll scan their drawings, upload them, and share them with others participating in the project.

I'll keep you posted on our progress, but it should be interesting and a great way to jump start our "Going Global" theme.