Meet the Teacher September 2014

1. Meet the TeacherSeptember 2014 Library & Media Center

2. Library & Media Center • The St. Dominic Elementary School Library Media Center currently serves Pre-K through Grade 8. • Our online Library is bar-coded using the Follett Library System. • The Library Media Center Web page provides access to relevant educational and database Web sites for students. • Books, computers with Internet access, SMART Boards, and online research subscriptions enrich all areas of the curriculum.

3. Library & Media Center • The LMC-Computer Science & Library Web pages at http://stdomsob.orgprovide access to relevant educational Web sites for all students. • Thirty-two Computers with Internet access, two SMART Boards, Microsoft Office, educational Web sites and other relevant educational software augment all areas of the curriculum.

4. Software Programs & Educational Web sites • Elementary Students use software programs and online sites to enter, process, display, and communicate information in different forms using text, tables, pictures, video, and sound. • Middle School Students use software programs and online sites to integrate information in order to create good quality audio, video, graphic, and text-based presentations. Students use spreadsheet lessons to collect, process, display, and analyze information. • Students access relevant information pertaining to a specific topic from electronic data bases and on-line educational Web sites which include local and national media newspapers, libraries, museums, book publishing companies, and governmental agencies.

5. Library & Computer Class Procedures • Arrival • Come in quietly • Sit quietly on the carpet (Pre-K, K, Grade 1) • Move to your assigned table or computer • No food or drinks • Print with permission ONLY • Leave your workstation neat and orderly • Internet Guidelines • Keep your identity a secret; don’t give out personal information • Be extra careful with strangers; some people use the Internet to trick kids. • Tell somebody. If someone makes you feel bad or uncomfortable, tell your parents or another trusted adult. • Protect you passwords; keep them in a safe place and don’t tell them to anyone. • Be nice. Be nice to people. Respect their feelings and beliefs.

6. Pre-K & Kindergarten • Pre-K & Kindergarten children utilize Edmark educational programs such as Bailey's Book House, Millie's Math House, and Sammy's Science House. • Children also work at the Starfall Web site - the ABC’s – Let’s Get Ready To Read section. At Starfall, children click on the letters of the alphabet in any order to see, hear, and manipulate sounds and letters of the alphabetpromoting phonemic and morphemic awareness.

7. Grade 1 • Children continue working at the Starfallsite at the Learn to Read Section. As children master phonemic and morphemic sounds and strategies, they are able to apply them to words. • Children begin at row 1 and proceed systematically to row 15building a broad word base. • Children employ keyboarding skills using the Dance Mat Typing software program.

8. Grade 2 • With a systematic understanding of letter-sound relationships, children in Grade 2 explore a variety of genres and topics using the It’s Fun to Read section of Starfall. • Children are able to click on every word in this section enabling them to also listen to that word. In this way their speaking, reading, and writing vocabulary is enhanced allowing for new conceptual growth. • Children continue to use Dance Mat Typing to reinforce keyboarding skills.

9. Grade 3 • Addition, subtraction, and multiplication math skills are applied in Grade 3 using enrichment Web sites such as aplusmath.com, abcya.com, sadlier-oxford.com and multiplication.com. • Science and Social Studies are supported using Web site activities such as biology4kids.com and plimoth.org. • Children continue to build-up keyboarding skills using the Dance Mat Typing site as well as other keyboarding Web sites that will be presented.

10. Grades 4 & 5 • Math skills are reinforced using aplusmath.com, testprep.com, factmonster.com and the many sites provided under the Resource section of the Computer Class Web page. • Science and Social Studies skills are enriched using sites such as about.com, timeforkids.com, discoveryeducation.com and the many sites provided un the Resource section of the Computer Class Web page. • Various keyboarding sites are used to reinforce students’ keyboarding skills.

11. Grades 6, 7, 8 Middle School students use Social Studies and Science Web sites such as: • http://discoveryeducation.com • http://brainpop.com • http://testprep.com • http://sheppardsoftware.com • http://greekmythology.com • http://cellsalive.com • http://webelements.com The aforementioned sites are only a few of the many used throughout the school year. Internet safety and other important Internet topics are utilized throughout the year using NetSmartz workshops and their streaming presentations. Academic integrity lessons are presented with a focus on understanding and avoiding plagiarism.

12. Assessments for Grades 5, 6, 7, 8 • Classwork: Student interaction and participation during class time. • Projects: Includes opportunities for students to produce work that integrates and applies skills learned in class. • Reports: Written reports on topics related to school subjects utilizing the Microsoft Office software programs.

13. Library Skills • Students and faculty members are provided with the resources to supplement their respective curriculums, both in the Library and online. • Students learn the anatomy of books, their parts inside and outside. • Students study the difference reference books; Almanac, encyclopedia, dictionary, atlas, and thesaurus. They physically locate examples of these reference books in the Library. • Students in grades 4-8 actively utilize the Dewey Decimal System after completing a biography paper about Melvil Dewey.

14. Additional Skills • Students learn to identify different book genres. • Students listen and read books and e-books presented, using lessons that focus on text complexity and key instructional shifts in literacy. • Students learn to locate a book by author, title, or keyword using our online computer catalog, {OPAC}.

15. The Lexile Framework for Reading Lexile measures are cited in the U.S. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. As a result, many of the books in our library have been leveled using the Lexile Framework for Reading. This framework provides suitable and challenging reading materials needed for the dynamics of our expanding educational literacy standards. Noting the Lexile numerical measure of a text can assist in selecting materials that present an appropriate level of challenge for a reader. Students may choose any age-appropriate book in the library they want. However, this utility is available to assist students in finding books on subjects they find interesting and that are within their reading comprehension range.

16. Thank you! We hope you enjoyed your visit to our school. Please try to bookmark our school’s Web site for school and classroom information. http://stdomsob.org