6th Graders Travel to Pakistan

Sixth grade students read the book Iqbal , about a child worker in a Pakistan carpet factory.   In order to help the students understand the Pakistanian culture, and the carpet factories, the library transformed into the first LibTech tours under the guidance of Linda Kay, librarian and Robin Young, Instructional Technology Specialist.    Using Youtube videos, Google Earth and eMaze, students were transported from RMS to Pakistan where they got to hear the music, see some cultural highlights,  and visit a carpet factory.  They were also given an opportunity to eat lentil soup (a staple in the book for the carpet workers) and try their hand a t weaving a carpet.  To summarize their learning for the day they wrote a postcard home to let their parent know they were okay and all that they had learned.  

MakerSpace meets Science

Wednesday, during Enrichment Clusters, 180 6th grade students  choose to join Mrs. Kay and Mrs. Young in the library to explore the conductivity of elements as they built game controllers with the help of Makey Makey kits.  Makey Makey connects to the computer and uses alligator clips to turn everyday objects into computer keys that will control what is happening on screen.  Students worked in teams of four to explore how to create circuits that could be open or closed based on the need of the game.    Items used to create these controllers included bananas, apples, celery, carnations, potatoes, paper clips, french fries, pipe cleaners and carrots.   Excitement filled the room as students discovered how to create a closed circuit and control the game on screen.   This activity will also be repeated Thursday after school for over 60 kids from all 3 grade levels.

This is the first MakerSpace event Mrs. Kay and Mrs. Young are planning to host this year.   Makerspace is a educational movement that emphasizes the need for students to built and create to learn.   The next event will be in October and will focus on constructing roller coasters.

Here is the lesson and resources used in today's event:

QR Codes Hit the Library

The RMS Library is using QR codes to link students with more information about books and authors.  Mrs.Kay is using this as a way to highlight and promote books celebrating to African American History during the month of February. Students can pick up a QR code from a container or find one on the back of the book and scan them use the webcams located on several of the library computers.  The student will then be directed to a video summary of the book, interview with the author or a webpage that gives more information about the time period the book was written.  The kids love the opportunity to learn more about the books before checking them out and books being tagged by QR codes are being checked out more than before.  Look for more QR codes in the library soon!