September Update: Grades 4 & 5

In fourth and fifth grades, students enter our DISCOVERY research program. Co-taught by our technology teacher, Mrs. Forte, and myself, this program combines information literacy skills and technology skills and utilizes the resources of both the library and the computer lab. Students have a weekly, hour-long class with us for one half of the school year.

Mrs. Redito's and Mrs. Livingston's fifth graders are now immersed in an amazing election project, Meet the Candidates. This project asks students to take on the role of campaign managers for the two candidates. They are in the process of creating campaign commercials, podcasts, vodcasts, timelines and posters. By researching election resources provided in the project and by interpreting data from polls they are creating, students are using higher order thinking skills. Additionally, over 50 classes from around the country are participating in our project! We will videoconference with some of those classes in October. All classes will hold an election on October 30th and results will be posted on an online, interactive map.

Fourth graders have just earned their "Web Licenses." We have spent the month of September learning about Internet Safety as well as learning how to evaluate websites.