Dear Staff and Parents,
This month all of the Corral Drive students are working on the "Elements of Fiction" (Plot, Character, Setting, Theme) during the Information Media (library/computer) time.  If you go to the internet and type RCAS on a google search then click on Elementary Schools.  Go to Corral Drive/Teacher Sites/ Mr. Sisson.  At that point you will be at the "Information Media Specialist" site.  Each grade level will be noted on the left side of the screen.  Click on your child's grade level.  Then click on the "blue atom for grade level resources.  Then look at the titles highlighted in blue.  That will be the area that grade level is working on.  Please click on the following 5th grade link as an example:  (Click Here)

Each week we work on a particular area under this link.  Kindergarten - 5th will be working on the same areas at a different pace. 

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Sisson (Information Media Specialist) at the number below.


Mr. David K. Sisson
Information Media Specialist
Corral Drive Elementary
Rapid City, South Dakota 57702

(605)394-6789

Staff and Parents,
This past month of September all students at Corral K-5 have been working on one basic "standard."  The standard was "Using the physical and virtual library to find books."  This standard is an on-going standard throughout their time at Corral.  They all have learned how to use Destiny to do a library search.  All of the 2nd-5th have learned how to log-in to "Destiny Quest" enabling them to put books on hold, put books in a personal list for future reading and to write short reviews of previous books they've read.  To log-in to Destiny Quest, our on-line library, the kids use their 5 + 3 + (000) in most cases. ex (sissodav000).  That would be repeated for their password allowing them the ability to do the above tasks.  The following link gets you straight to the Destiny Quest log-in site (Destiny Quest).  Ask your child/student how to get their from the RCAS site as well. This week we have worked on "storm stories."  Due to the recent storm I had students share their stories with me and I typed them into the following wikispaces site.  (Corral Elementary Storm Stories).  We have a few more grade levels to go so check back later.  Next week and for the next month we will be working on "genres."

If you have any questions, please call 394-6789.

Mr. David K. Sisson
Information Media Specialist
Corral Drive Elementary School

605-394-6789

Staff,
I wanted to share what's currently going on during IM (Information Meda) time.  I have updated the SSS site to an IM site to accommodate Literacy, Library and the Technology standards.  When you first open up the IM site (under teacher sites) you'll see the grade levels as before.  Click on a grade level and you'll see the specific standards for that grade level in literacy, library, and technology.  You will also see links to the old "writing" standards which can be valueable.  When you or students click on the blue atom , that will link you to student resources.  The high-lighted activity is what we are currently working on.  The following is a link to the updated IM (Information Meda) web site.  https://public.rcas.org/el/cd/teachersites/sissodav/Pages/default.aspx.  Thank you for informing me of where you're at in Reading and Writing.  It allows me to somewhat align with what you're doing in those subject areas.

Dave

Staff,

I spent some time working on reshaping the old SSS site into an updated IMS site:

It's a work in progress. The grade level web resources are compliments of Joni Kinzler, the IMS at Pinedale. The standards at the bottom of each grade level page include the 3 main things we are to present to students during IMS time plus I added the writing standards: The CCSS are grade specific as are the writing, technology and reading standards.

Click on your grade level on the left side of the screen to get specific. The following is my new IMS Home Page:

 https://public.rcas.org/el/cd/teachersites/sissodav/Pages/default.aspx

Enjoy,  Dave

Staff,
The following is an update of some of what's going on at IMS time.  In the K-2 groups we are exploring the differences between fiction and non-fiction with a cool on-line site called Bookflix.  The previous link gets you to the login page.  I have signed Corral up for a 30 day free trial.  The username is (bkflix).  The password is (move).  It has fiction and non-fiction side by side.  If you want to see a fiction story about sharks, you can.  Right next to it is a non-fiction story about sharks.

The 3-5 groups are exploring a resource from the library called the "Children's Atlas of the United States."  We are doing a review of it's contents.  I have also created an on-line Edmodo quiz that they will take next week.  To follow up the use of the atlas we will be using Google Earth to explore and answer more questions on Edmodo.

If you have any questions or input, let me know.

Dave

Staff,
Thank you for your cooperation in completing 48 non-fiction "book trailers."  Many of the students teamed up with someone else.  Potentially we had around 90 students meet all of requirements of the rubric and get their's posted on the Corral Drive Library web site. Below the non-fiction book trailers are fiction book trailers done 2 years ago. I will attach in this blog a direct link.  If you want to find it on your own:  Click on RCAS, Elementary Libraries, Corral, Student Work, Book Trailers.

Thanks again,  Dave

https://public.rcas.org/el/cd/teachersites/sissodav/studentcreatedvideos/Wiki%20Pages/Home.aspx

Staff,
Next week, K-2 will be voting on their favorite Prairie Bud Books.  Over the last several weeks we have read 7 of the nominated Prairie Bud books.

"LMNO Peas" by Keith Baker;  "Little Pink Pup" by Johanna Kerby; "Bridget's Beret" by Tom Lichtenheld; "Children Make Terrible Pets" by Peter Brown; "My Garden" by Kevin Henkes;
"We Are in a Book" by Mo Willems; "Even Monsters Need Haircuts" by Matthew McElligott

The following link will give you a complete listing of all of the nominated Prairie Bud books:
http://library.sd.gov/LIB/CYS/prairieawards/201213/bud/index.aspx

After next weeks' voting we will be moving on to other topics.  If you have time, please contact me about what your grade level is working on in both Math and Literacy.   Thanks

The week in 3rd-5th we are winding down our work on the book trailers.  I'm seeing a few groups or individuals completing their work.  That's always exciting to see these new products.  I will email a link to all completed "non-fiction book trailers" when I get them posted to the web. Each of the projects needed some specific things to be completed: Cover Page Slide (Title and Author) ; Table of Contents (highlighting 2 chapters ; Recorded Narration ; Background Music ; Glossary (highlighting 2 important words ; Index (highlighting) 2 words + Page numbers ; Credits Page (Clip Art-Google),
(Photo Story-Music), Narration (Student Names), Slide Design (Student Names).

If you have time, please contact me about what your grade level is working on in both Math and Literacy. Thanks

Thanks for checking out this post.

Dave

Staff,
This first part of the post is for Kindergarten and 1st Grade teachers.  This week we will be moving into some Technology areas practicing Keyboarding and Mouse control.  As we all know, controlling those two becomes a life time of practice.  The standard and sites covered for Kindergarten are as follows:  Operating a Mouse or Keyboard.  The standard and sites covered for 1st Grade are as follows:  Identifying Letter Keys.  Please let me know if you have any questions. 

As for 2nd grade - 5th grade we are continuiing to work on the "process" towards completing the book trailers based on their non-fiction books.  This week all students created a folder on the desktop and found their exact book cover on google.  They learned how to save the book cover to that folder.  They also began saving 15 - 20 pictures into that same folder.  Next week, the plan is to select 7-10 of those pictures and learn how to insert them into a "power point" slide show.  From there, the students will take those slides and import them into "photo story."  Once all of the slides are imported, students will narrate each slide and include a book cover, title page, table of contents, glossary and index.  Each page, once concluded, will have background music and recorded narration.  When I see that all of that is included in their presenatations, I will upload them to an internet link on the school library home page.  It will be several weeks worth of work. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Dave

Staff,

What a nice week we are starting.  I feel refreshed after some reading, shoveling and skiing.  This week we will be diving into our informational text book trailers.  It will take several weeks to complete them.  I'd like 2nd - 5th to bring their non-fiction books to the computer lab during their computer time for the next several weeks.  They do not have to check them in until we are done with this project.  Also, I will let them check out 2 fiction books when they come for the library time.  There should be a total of 3 checked out to each 2nd-5th grader until we complete as much as possible on the "book trailers."

For the Kindergarten - 1st grade please have them bring their non-fiction book to the computer lab.  We will be using them for their  projects.  Here is an example of one I created:  bookr (ex.)   Again, I will let K-1 check out 1 fiction book for a total of 2 until we complete the projects. If you'd like to try one yourself, the following link will guide you:  bookr (home page).   I'm hoping pairs of 1st graders will complete these projects.  With the Kindergarten groups I will most likely build several of the projects for them with their help.

Let me know if you have questions concerning the above.  Have a good day.  Again, here is a sample of "fiction" book trailers done in the past at Corral:  Book Trailers (link). This link is also on the Corral Drive Library page (at the bottom) under "student work."

Dave

Staff,

This week we will be using a site called Bookr to create a template for our Book Trailers.  For Kindergarten - 2nd, the Bookr site will be used exclusively for completing our "book trailers."  In the case of third grade through fifth grade, they will be using Bookr to create a template for the rest of their Book Trailer progress.

Please feel free to contact me about how Bookr works and how you might use it in your classroom.
Again, our goal this month, is to create book trailers from the information gathered from the informational texts / non-fiction books.

dave.sisson@k12.sd.us

Dave

Parents, Students, and Staff,

I will be using this blog to keep everyone updated on the activities in the library and computer lab.  This year the Rapid City School District has combined the two jobs of Library Media and Standard Support into one job title "Information Media Specialist."  In the fall we have been busy with several different projects.  One of the main goals with every project is to use a series of "problem solving steps."  We call them the "Super 3" or "The Big 6" for older students.

The "Super 3" is plan, do and review.  The "Big 6" is broken down further into six different steps

1.  What do we need to do?
2.  What can we use to find what we need?
3.  What information should we use?
4.  How can we show what we've learned?
5.  How will we know if we do well?
6.  How do we know we are done?

In January we are starting a project involving "informational texts" and what's included: Cover page, Title Page, Body, Glossary, Index, Pictures (Captions).  Each group will be gathering information from non-fiction texts and using that information to create a "Book Trailer."  A book trailer is similar to a movie trailer.  It is a short advertisement for a book.  I have done fiction book trailers in the past and this year we will be completing "non-fiction book trailers." The following link shows the "fiction book trailers" done here at Corral 3 years ago:  Corral Drive Book Trailers

One other note, if you'd like to check out more books as a family, I can easily sign parents up as patrons of the Corral Library which allows you to come in and check out more books. Friday afternoon is the best time for me to check out families.

If you have any questions regarding the "Information Media" program at Corral Drive, please contact me at the Corral Drive Library or call 394-6789.