PreK Jack O' Lanterns

It's almost Halloween! The PreK class listened to Pumpkin Eye by Denise Fleming and practiced counting and identifying colors. Next, we talked about shapes, and they used different colored squares, triangles, and circles to create jack o'lantern faces. Finally, we watched a video of A Dark, Dark Tale by Ruth Brown.

Here are some of the jack o'lanterns:

M. liked A Dark, Dark Tale so much, he drew the cat and mouse
on the front of his jack o'lantern and the dark, dark hallway
on the back. "To make it spooky!"

Grade 4 Dewey Investigation

The Dewey Decimal system is a way of sorting nonfiction books. I don't expect my students to memorize specific numbers; that's what the online catalog is for. I do, however, want them to understand how certain topics go together. At least according to how Mr. Dewey thought they did.

Each table of fourth graders got a stack of books from a "hundreds." They had to work together to figure out how the subjects could be classified under one major label. For example:

Here are the students in action:

Grade 1 Teeth on the Loose!

So many first graders have been telling me about their loose and missing teeth, I decided to make a lesson out of the topic.

First we read one fiction and one nonfiction book about loose teeth. Then students wrote down one fact they learned. Here are some of them:

• Kids have 20 teeth. When you are a grownup, you have 32 teeth.
• The pointy teeth are called canines
• Roots hold your teeth in your mouth.
• The top of your tooth is called the crown.

Finally, the kids each placed a tooth on a chart showing how many teeth they've lost so far. Can you use it to answer the questions below?

• How many kids haven't lost any teeth yet?
• What is the most common number of lost teeth?
• Have more kids lost a total of 1 tooth or a total or 6 teeth?

Video: Evolution of Music

As part of our music research kickoff, 6th graders watched this Pentatonix video and noted which songs they recognized. I am happy to report that students were familiar with Aretha Franklin, the Jackson Five, and more from before they were born. How many can you identify?

How to Log In to Your Library Account

It’s the night before library class. You can’t remember which books you have checked out. And you're worried that the book you want to get next might not be available. No problem ... so long as you have internet access at home, your can check your account online via RICAT.

Log in

1. Go to http://ricat.net.
   
   
2. Under “Elementary Schools,” scroll down to the Garden City link. The school library page will open.
   
   
3. Click the “Login” button in the top right.


4. Enter your User Name: CGN#####
   (fill in your lunch/shelf card number)
   
   
5. Enter your Password: MMDDYY
   (fill in your six-digit birthdate; for example, May 5, 2003 would be typed in as 050503)
   
   
6. You should now see your name in the top right corner of the screen.

Check your account

Click on the “My Info” tab to see what books you have checked out.

Place a Hold

1. Click the "Catalog" tab.
   
   
2. Before searching for your title or subject, choose “RICAT (all members)” from the Location drop-down. This will search all schools, so if Garden City doesn’t have what you’re looking for, you can still request your item. 
   
   
   
3. When find the item you want, click on the book’s title to go to the Details page.
   
   
4. Then click the “Hold It!” button on the right