Erickson Elementary Fine Arts

What’s Happening at the Erickson Library? In Kindergarten Library class, we talked about point of view. Point of view the mouth and eyes of the story. In 1st grade, 2nd grade and 3rd grade library class, we talked about nonfiction!  We reviewed the text features of maps, captions, special print and glossary.   We looked at  nonfiction books to see if those books had the text features we learned.  In 2nd and 3rd grade we took "selfies" of all the text features we could find in the books! OH there are so many! In 4th grade, we learned how books are shelved in the library. We had a library Hunt, looking for books that were on the shelf and determining if they were fiction or nonfiction books! 5th grade we learned about different genres of books and the differences between the genres. Poetry vs. Novel and Verse, Historical Fiction vs. Informational and Memoir vs. Autobiography. We found some great books to read too! If you have any questions, please contact me at h...

Digital Citizenship and Text Features! In 2nd grade, we are talking about private and personal information  and what could and should not be shared when online.  We discussed, although very tempting, that even if the award sounds really great and fun, that it might be a “scam”.  Students will answer questions through an online safety game and see how many skulls they earn! Nonfiction text features are also another topic that will be discussed in the library!  Besides understanding the definitions of  title and glossary, students will learn captions, index, diagrams and special print as well.  Students will take selfies of the text features in library class to show their understanding!

What is a Problem and Solution? In Kindergarten, students learned about problems and solutions!  We learned different terms that represent the word “problem”.  Some examples include “worry, “difficult” and “mess”.  For the word “solution” we found other terms like “fix”, “solve” and “clear up”.   We discussed problems that could happen - a cat up in a tree or a bike broken and how we can find a solution for those problems.  We concluded the lesson with a book that had a problem and how the character solved that problem!  Sometimes we came up with a different solution! Some of the books we read were: The Stray Dog  by Marc Simont Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty got Back Up Again by Dan Santat

So many book Genres.. so little time!  5th grade learned about different genres of books including  fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, informational, poetry and novel and verse.  5th grade learned the difference between a memoir and an autobiography.  Memoir is a french word for “memory”.   Memoirs are just a part or memory of the author’s life.  Many memoirs are more emotional and overcome an event or events that have changed the author’s way of thinking.   An autobiography is a chronological order of the author’s life talking about events that have happened in the world around them that might have affected them in some way.  Book lists of all the genres, including memoir and autobiography are in the student’s Library Google Classroom under “What do I read next?”.  Each book has a summary, AR level, points and test number and a book trailer.  Some of the books also have a read aloud from YouTube. 

  What are Infographics? Infographics are a way to make learning information EXCITING! 4th grade started making their infographics!  Students are researching a topic that they are interested in, finding facts about that topic and presenting it in a FUN way!  Some websites that the students are using are Britannica Encyclopedia Online and National Geographic website.  The student will then look for pictures that represent their facts.  The next couple of weeks, they will put all their findings together in a way that makes learning FUN!  

In the library this month, 3rd graders learned about coding!  We learned about how computers are EVERYWHERE and use binary code to make things work.  Students used Kodable to learn more about coding. Kodable is a program that teaches students to code! In just a few minutes a day, kids can learn all about the fundamentals of Computer Science.   Students can access Kodable by going to the library webpage , clicking their grade level tab and finding their teacher's name.   Students also had access to code.org.  Code.org is another program that helps students learn to code.  Students can access code.org through the library webpage and click the code.org button.   The students will need to log into the website to save their work.  Have fun coding! 

2nd graders learned about the Fantasy genre in November!    Fantasy has magical characters and problems are solved in ways that could never happen in real life.  The setting is in a place that isn’t real and the theme is usually good vs. bad…but not always, as we found out in a few books!   Students read one book as a group and then discussed and took “selfies” of the Fantasy characteristics.   Some books they read are: Mother Bruce by Bruce Higgins The Day the Crayon Box Talked by Shane DeRolf Burger Boy by Alan Durant Bad Seed by Jory John I want my Hat back J. Klassen If you Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff If you give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff If you give a Pig a Party by Laura Numeroff Chick n Pug by Jennifer Gordon Sattler Three Pigs by David Wiesner In the students’ Library Google Classroom, there are a few more fantasy book suggestions.  Each slide has the book cover, summary, the read aloud and AR test number.  

First graders learned about the 5 characteristics of Fiction in October!  We learned about character, setting, plot, point of view and theme. We start talking about the characteristic and reading the book and discussing what the Fiction characteristic is in the story.  Some questions asked were: If the setting was different would the story make sense?  If there wasn’t a problem in the story would it be a good book to read? We learned about…  Characters in the book titled Nobody Hugs A Cactus by Carter Goodrich Setting in the book titled: Leaf Trouble by Jonathan Emmett Plot in the book titled Bark, George by Jules Feiffer Point of View in titled: Seriously Cinderella is so Annoying by  Trisha Speed Shaskan Theme in the book titled: My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann

Need some good book suggestions? Fourth and Fifth graders learned how to find a good book to read with four easy steps.  The steps are: Look at the front cover.  Does it look interesting? Read the back cover of the inside flap?  Still interested? Read the 1st page of the 1st chapter?  Want to read more? Do you like the book?  Both grades also have received book recommendations from the 2024 Rebecca Caudill List. The list is located in the student’s Library Google Classroom. More recommended books will be added monthly!  In the coming weeks, students will look at the Sora database to find ebooks and eaudiobooks.  There are over 2000 books to choose from.  Go to soraapp.com to check out the books!