Summer Reading Lists – A Way To Stay Cool On Hot Days

It's finally getting hot outside. If the kids are indoors cooling off, here are some books and activities to keep them reading. This website, education.com, provides grade level reading lists for preschoolers through third grade. They also suggest several fun activities such as creating a kids' book club, having children illustrate a famous book, and pretending to be characters in the story they're reading. There are also tips for parents to help “sneak and asked her reading.”

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Research shows that students who do not engage with books during the summer often halve “summer learning loss.”  This tends to be more true for students who do not have access to books, or, simply take a break from school during the summer. Our Fairfield Public Library is a wonderful resource for summer reading materials and activities. Parents, family members, and family friends can encourage students to read in everyday situations. Young students often use context clues, the beginning letter of words, in the shape of words to guess what word is. For example, children recognize signs, advertisements, and labels of common household items, and often infer what word is. This is a great strategy!

It is also important for children to interact with other types of print such as magazines and books. In primary grades, teachers assess “concepts of print.” Here are some examples and questions you can ask your child regarding concepts of print.

• Does the child recognized the front of the book?

         Say: Show me the front of the book.

• Does the child  know that the print, not the picture, is what is to be read?

         Say: I will read this book to you. Show me where to read.

• Does the child know that print is from left to right?

         Say: Which way do I go?

• Does the child know that at the end of the line they should return to the next line?

         Say: Where do I go after that?

• Does the child have one-to-one  matched with voice to print?

         Say: Point to the words as I read.

• Does the child understand the concept of first and last?

         Say: Show me the first part of the story. Show me the last part of the story.

• Does the child know that the left page is read before the right page?

         Say: Where do I start reading?. (After opening the book to a page with words on the left and right pages.)

• Does the child know the meaning of a question mark?

         Say: What is this for? (Pointing to a question mark.)

• Does the child know the meaning of a period?

         Say: What is this for? (Pointing to a period.)
Feel free to stop by the school Facebook page and share what you're reading! Maybe you'll find others with similar interests who are looking for a good book. Have a great summer! Mrs. Schloss

Related Sites

• http://www.education.com/seasonal/summer-reading/?cid=55000.0066263073&s_kwcid=TC|8363|elementary+summer+reading||S|b|3490238845&gclid=CMa8v7-04KkCFQvKKgodhRptXw
• http://www2.youseemore.com/fairfield/default.asp?
• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Washington-Elementary/113499418712782?ref=ts#!/pages/Libertyville-Elementary/164305143594642

Lifeguard Visit Thrills Campers at Camp Courageous

April 29th, 2011

Washington Elementary student, RJ Hawkins, loves helicopters. His teacher, Jen Christensen, and flight paramedic Ben Schloss came up with the idea to see if Lifeguard Air Ambulance from St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids could fly in and land while the students were attending Camp Courageous.

Camper RJ got to sit in the Pilot’s seat with his teacher Jen Christensen with the help of Pilot Skip Barthle.

All the students from Fairfield got to see the helicopter up close with the help of its crew.

There was time for a group photo before the crew took off. From left to Right: Washington Teacher Jennifer Christensen, Flight Paramedic Marni Wacha, Flight Nurse Vicki Petersen, Student RJ Hawkins, Pilot Skip Barthle and Craig Willoughby.

Thank you to Jeanne from Camp Courageous, Debbie from Lifeguard, Mrs. Christensen and Mr. Schloss for making this dream come true!

Congratulations Teachers, We're Almost at 100%

Out of the 30 teachers serving Libertyville and Washington Elementary schools, only 6 do not have blogs. This means that 80% of teachers have blogs to share information with families, communities, and their students. What an awesome job you have all done! Just remember, "Don't be afraid of bronze!"



"They say that bronze will revolutionize they way we hunter gather,"

From Airhead to Genius

I have always wanted the same things for my children that other parents want - for them to grow up to be good adults - kind, caring, helpful, smart, witty, responsible and adaptable. As our children made normal "kid" mistakes, we used the lens of "raising good adults" to make decisions about how to address their behavior.

It can be especially tough for teenage girls. I hope that the video below can help inspire teenage girls to give up the facade of being "airheads" and put the on the armor of being "genius"!

Watch the full episode. See more NOVA scienceNOW.

Yoky Matsuoka, A former tennis prodigy aims to create advanced prosthetic limbs controlled by human thought.

Only a Few Days Left for ITEC Proposals

The deadline to submit a proposal to present at ITEC has been extended to April 30th.  ITEC stands for Iowa Technology and Education Connection.  The ITEC Board and other volunteers host a yearly state conference that includes a schedule packed full of sessions delivered by classroom teachers, administrators, technology directors and other educators. The link for the submission by educators is:

http://center.uoregon.edu/conferences/ITEC/FORMS/CFP/cfp_login.php?formid=10365303


(Thanks to Jason Kurth, FCSD Technology Director) for sharing this!)

Breakfast with Grandma - - News - Fairfield, IA - Fairfield Ledger -

Breakfast with Grandma - - News - Fairfield, IA - Fairfield Ledger -

Technology, Music, Connecting the World

I just visited with our music teacher, Mr. Grunwald, who shared some amazing videos with me. The Libertyville and Washington Elementary theme for the year is "A Collaboration Age." Our goal has been to move beyond the physical walls of our building to create collaboration among staff in various buildings, to encourage community and parent involvement, and to enrich the learning opportunities for our students.

I think you'll enjoy the following videos, and will be able to clearly see how powerful technology can be in supporting "A Collaboration Age.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir - 1

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir - 2

Thank you Mr. Grunwald!

Also, for fun, visit this music and "old school" technology masterpiece! Touch Wood