Research Mentors, Day 2

Day 2: Students finished finding information on their polar animals. The next step will be to take this information and create a book about their animals.

Research Mentors

We had some polar animal research going on today in the library. A group of curious kindergartners wanted to find out more about penguins, polar bears and other polar animals.

I had talked to the 6th graders before hand and asked if they would like to serve as mentors for our young researchers. We talked about how to engage the students in questioning rather than just telling them what to write down in their notes. 

It was really fun to watch the 6th graders, our most experienced researchers, help the students find information for their graphic organizers. There were a lot of quality conversations. And I'm not sure who was having more fun: the kindergartners or the 6th graders.

We look forward to another day of research tomorrow and another chance for the sixth graders to mentor our young inquiry-minded kindergartners.

Iowa Reading Research Center

Parents play a vital role in the reading development of a child. If you are looking for ideas on how to help your student(s) become better readers, here is a great source: Iowa Reading Research Center  There are over 200 resources, including videos, activities, parent guides and much more that you can use. The goal of the Iowa Reading Research Center is to provide resources to help every child in Iowa read proficiently.

The Iowa Reading Research Center also has a Facebook page and a Twitter feed that you might like to follow - @IAReading Check them out today!

Take out the trash!

During the last month, we have had a lot of research happening at the different grade levels here at Bridgeview which is fantastic.  

When second grade students started a research project on habitats, we told them to "Take out the Trash." One of the first skills a student needs to learn is how to take notes without plagiarizing. That's where the Trash and Treasure strategy comes in. When reading a piece of text about their habitat, the students must decide which are "treasure" words (key details) that they need to right down and which words to leave "in the trash". Then with the treasure words, we create our own sentences about our topic.

We were able to reinforce that in third grade when students started doing research on famous Americans who have made an impact on history. As students focused on Ruby Bridges, Rosa Parks, Cesar Chevez, Judy Huemann, and Martin Luther King, Jr., they recorded the key details about these people and how they impacted their community. 

And we were able to reinforce it again with Mrs. Hamann's 4th graders when they were trying to find evidence to support an opinion. Sure, we can make our own argument. But how much more effective is that argument when you back it up with factual information? The article to the left is a student example of highlighting the key details and then writing them in your own words. The students did a great job finding evidence to support their opinion.



These are skills that need to be practiced continually as the research questions and topics get more sophisticated. Bridgeview students are getting a great foundation!

Ah, the simple joy of silly words

Ah, the joy of read alouds. When I read this book to first graders today, one of them said I was "the best frog librarian ever!"

Don't miss out on the opportunity to share with your child the joy of "silly words" and wonderful pictures. It's such a great experience. Try it today!