What Are Social Bots?

A DigCit Info Post

You have probably heard people talk about something you find on social media called bots.  You may even have had an experience with bots liking, retweeting, or commenting on your social media posts.  But what exactly are bots?  Are they dangerous?

There was an event on TikTok a few months ago where many users suddenly had hundreds of likes and comments on every single video of theirs from other users with weird names who had no content of their own and who had Asian profile pictures.  Kids got very scared and there were TikTok videos circulating that the people liking and commenting were kidnappers.  It caused some pretty widespread hysteria.  But what these were were not real people, they were automated computer programs called bots that been designed to like and comment on anybody who had posted videos that followed certain criteria.  And they were not dangerous or threatening to TikTok users.

So the bots you find online are automated computer programs and the ones we find on social media are known as SOCIAL BOTS or CHAT BOTS.  These simple automated computer programs look for certain keywords in posts and decide what to comment and/or if to like the post.  To help explain what these automated computer programs do, let’s watch this excellent video on the topic.

So now that you know a lot more about bots, what clues could have helped TikTok users identify their new fans as bots instead of real users?  Post your answers in the comments section of this post!

It is important to note that there are real dangers with bots, and that is their ability to sway public opinion in a certain direction.  This can impact decisions made by governments, made by voters, and made by the general public like you.  For example, seeing that certain TikTok users have more likes than others may persuade you to follow that person, even if all those likes came from bots.

The Atlantic Magazine writes that – ‘About a fifth of all tweets about the 2016 presidential election were published by bots, according to one estimate, as were about a third of all tweets about that year’s Brexit vote. An Oxford Internet Institute report from last year found evidence of bots being used to spread propaganda in 50 countries.’(Schneier, Bruce.  Bots Are Destroying Political Discourse As We Know It, The Atlantic.  Jan 2020).

What this means is that bots are posting about politics and this has the power to influence other people’s opinions about issues that are really important, like who should be the next Prime Minister or whether people should legally have to wear masks in public.  And when the government is looking to social media to find out public opinion on a certain issue, they may instead be finding the opinions of bots that alter the truth of the majority.  Bots are also used to spread a lot misinformation, hate, and racist ideas.

So use your new bot-identifying skills and don’t fall for the opinions of bots!  But if they give you a like, a retweet, or a comment, don’t get too worried about it either.

I Love Animals! Animal Storytime

Today we read 3 amazing animal stories…

I Love Animals by Flora McDonnell

Animals Talk Too by Graham Meadows

The Home Builders by Varsha Bajaj, illustrated by Simona Mulazzani

Extension Activities

Kindergarten – Draw a picture of your favourite animal and write down its name.  If you aren’t sure how to spell it, ask a parent, teacher, or older sibling.

Grade 1 and 2 Mini Research Assignment – You will create a new Google Doc and paste a photo of your favourite animal in it.  On the page you will include at least 3 facts you learn from Google about your favourite animal.  If you aren’t used to using Google Docs, you can draw and write everything you learn on a piece of paper instead.  If you’d like, you can share your finished Google Doc with Brigitte Ruel b.ruel@theojcs.ca

Grade 8 Workshop – The Risks of Sexting and Omegle

Here is a slides lesson to help students understand the risks of sexting, sending nude photos and videos, and Omegle.  To view the slides in full screen, click the 3 dots and hit ‘enter full screen’.

The News Literacy Project’s Checkology Program

I wanted to take a moment to highlight an incredible program for our students that is available online.  I have been both impressed and amazed by the work that The News Literacy Project is doing to help build critical thinking skills in students.  The News Literacy Project is a non-profit and nonpartisan organization that is working to educate the public about how to separate fact from fiction in the news and how to assess news credibility.  They have developed an incredibly comprehensive online program called Checkology for middle school  and high school aged students that can be tailored for each classroom.

Checkology consists of about a half a dozen units per grade that cover the essentials of news and media literacy.  These units are often presented by actual news anchors and heads of news or media organizations.  Each unit includes lots of activities for students to test their newfound knowledge through the sorting of video, media, and other content into appropriate categories of information.  It also helps them to understand what makes some content credible and other content not.  And they do all of this while being simultaneously entertaining and engaging!  The clips that they use as examples are timely and relevant and students will feel right at home with the content.

Checkology will become an integral piece of my library programming here at the OJCS.  Media literacy is a key foundation of digital citizenship, and this incredible program can help our students get there.

Keeping Online Gaming Safe and Kind

Here is a workshop that can be used from grade 1 to grade 4.  We will talk about some of the most important ways we can stay safe and kind online while gaming.

• Protecting our game passwords
• Not sharing personal information in game chats
• Being kind in game chats
• Not being overly competitive
• Finding our media balance
• And remembering to be a great digital citizen

Here is a link to just the slides!

Cranky Bear Stories

I am excited because today is a super fun storytime.  We read not one, but 3 Cranky Bear books!!  I have also included a Cranky colouring page you can print out and colour!

The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland

The Very Itchy Bear by Nick Bland

The Very Brave Bear by Nick Bland

Print your own Cranky Colouring Page

Download

Earth Day Story – The Curious Garden

To help us celebrate Earth Day, today we are reading ‘The Curious Garden‘ by Peter Brown.

Earth Day Activity Ideas

• Recycle Bin Raid – find one item in your recycle bin and turn it into something new and amazing!  Maybe that little milk carton can become a tiny bird feeder!  Maybe that paper towel tube can become an art project giraffe!  Use your imagination to transform a piece of trash into a treasure.
• Local Garbage Pick-Up – go out with a parent and find somewhere in your neighbourhood that could use a garbage clean up.  Remember to be safe and wear gloves and don’t touch anything sharp!
• Be a Curious Gardener – if you can get your hands on some seedlings, do some gardening of your own.  If you aren’t sure how to plant a seedling, get a parent or an older sibling to help.  Gardening takes lots of practice, but over time you will get your green thumb.

Earth Day Story – Wangari’s Trees of Peace

Today we read the true story of Wangari Maathai.  The book is called ‘Wangari’s Trees of Peace‘ and it is by Jeanette Winter.

Discussion Questions

These can be discussed as a class or your answers can be left on this page as a comment.

1. What parallels can you draw between Wangari and Greta Thunberg?
2. What were some of the many ways that Wangari’s Green Belt Movement had an impact?
3. How did the Green Belt Movement help to foster peace in Kenya?

Activity – Spread a Green Message on Your Socials!

If you have a school blog, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or Snapchat account, use today as a day to post about an environmental topic that is important to you.  For some inspiration check out some TikTok #earthday videos!

Scrambled-Up Poetry

April is poetry month!!  Today we read a few mixed-up poems from the following books;

Scranimals by Jack Prelutsky, pictures by Peter Sis

and

Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein

Activities

Depending on the age of your students, here are some great activity ideas for your students…

1. Shel Silverstein Runny Babbit Worksheet (page 5 of document)  Decode some of Shel’s hilarious ‘Spoonerisms’.
2. Create your own Scranimal!!  Combine a vegetable or fruit and an animal of your choice into a hilarious drawing.  Make sure you give it a silly name.
3. For our grade 2+ students, here is a great video activity where students can create their own rhyming poetry.

The Elephant’s New Shoe – A True Rescue Story

OJCS Storytime

Today we read The Elephant’s New Shoe by Laurel Neme, Foreword by Nick Marx, and illustrated by Ariel Landy.

 

Chag Sameach – Passover Stories

Passover is almost here and so today I read two beautiful P.J. Library Passover stories…

Welcoming Elijah – A Passover Tale by Leslea Newman, illustrated by Susan Gal

and

Pippa’s Passover Plate by Vivian Kirkfield, illustrated by Jill Weber

Let’s Hunt for Spring!

The first day of Spring is MARCH 20th believe it or not!!  Today we read;

Hopper Hunts for Spring by Marcus Pfister

and

Spring by Stephanie Turnbull

Classroom Activity – Hunt for Signs of Spring

Go for a walk with your class and hunt for signs of Spring with this Spring Scavenger Hunt printout from the Backwoods Mama website!

Download

Science Stories Part 3 – The Scientific Method

Today we read Charlotte the Scientist is Squished by Camille Andros, Illustrated by Brianne Farley.

Activity

This website offers 3 super simple experiments you can do with your young students to practice the steps of The Scientific Method.  Check out KidsAcademy!

Winter Fun Day – Tacky the Penguin

I hope you are all having a super fun Winter Fun Day!  Today we will read Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester, Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

Activity – Design a Snowglobe

Download

Download

Winter Fun Day – One Hockey Night

I hope you are all having a great Winter Fun Day!!

Today we will read One Hockey Night by David Ward and Brian Deines and learn how to play the game ‘Freeze Frame’.

Stories to Inspire You to Be a Maker!

Today we will get inspired to be makers!

We read:

Be a Maker by Katey Howes, Illustrated by Elizabet Vukovic
and
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty, Illustrated by David Roberts

Check out this great resource for kid-friendly maker projects:

https://www.itabc.ca/success-stories/5-maker-activities-you-can-do-home-your-kids 

Tightrope Walking and Your Centre of Gravity

This week kicks off the first of three science-related storytimes just in time for that special part of the year where the OJCS puts the focus on science projects and STEAM fair!  We will read two stories about tightrope walkers and then do an experiment where your students can learn about centre of gravity!

Today we read;

The Man Who Walked Between The Towers by Mordicai Gerstein

High-Wire Henry by Mary Calhoun, illustrated by Erick Ingraham

NOTE: I apologize for the shaky camera, I didn’t realize that kids in the gym directly above were causing a mini earthquake!

Experiment Time!

Visit the following link for an easy experiment you can do at home or in the classroom! https://www.rookieparenting.com/can-you-balance-a-craft-stick-on-a-chopstick-science-experiment/

Purim Storytime – Cakes and Miracles

Happy Purim!!

Today we read;

Cakes and Miracles – A Purim Tale by Barbara Diamond Goldin, illustrated by Jaime Zollars

Black History Month Storytime

February is Black History Month so today we will introduce students to what Black History Month is all about with this 5 minute video (appropriate for all ages) and then hear a story inspired by Rosa Parks called The Bus Ride by William Miller, illustrated by John Ward, and introduced by Rosa Parks.

Watch This Video First!

Once you’ve watched the video, listen to the story:

Discussion Questions:

1. Why does Sara feel sad for her mother at the start of the story?
2. If you had to follow different rules because of your race or skin colour, how would you feel?
3. Would you have had the courage to sit at the front of the bus, even if it was against the law?
4. How does Sara become a hero to others?

Time Travelling with Dinosaurs!

Some fun stories and a bit of creative writing or drawing!

I chose some funny books about time travelling and dinosaurs to read today. They are;

We’re Back! – A Dinosaur Story by Hudson Talbott

and

Time Train by Paul Fleischman, illustrations by Claire Ewart

Activity – Creative writing or drawing

We will use these books to springboard some creative writing or drawing!

For our younger students or students who struggle with writing you will DRAW a picture of something that could happen if you went back in time to visit the dinosaurs or if dinosaurs came to our time to visit us.

For our students who are comfortable with writing you will write it as a short story.  Make sure it is ORIGINAL, we don’t want to hear the books I just read re-told.  Imagine something that could happen if you went back in time to visit dinosaurs or if they came to the future to visit you!

If you’d like to share them here, email them to me at b.ruel@theojcs.ca

Reflecting on Roblox

Considerations for Parents

If you are the parent of an elementary aged student there is a pretty good chance your kids are on Roblox.  Roblox is an online game or app in which players from around the world converge in different games that are created by its own users or professional game development groups.  Some games, such as Adopt Me! get a lot more play than others.  On October 10, 2020, Adopt Me! reached 1,786,076 concurrent players (data from the Roblox Wikia) and these popular games require multiple servers to accommodate the amount of players on the game.  Players gain Robux game currency by overcoming challenges or accomplishing tasks and this money allows them to buy new clothes and faces for their avatars, new houses, new vehicles, new pets, etc…  Parents can also connect a credit card to the players account so that kids can buy Robux.  Kids quickly get hooked on these games and on making purchases.

So let’s talk about some of the pros and cons of the Roblox revolution.

Pros

• These games allow friends to connect in what is essentially an online playground.  That means that during a pandemic when kids aren’t having playdates in the real world, they can play together in the Roblox world.  There is a chat feature that allows kids to chat with their friends (or anyone else in that game on that server), but I have noticed that most kids put their friends on Facetime or in a Google Meet and then play together.  This allows them to talk to each other while they play which makes them feel like they are hanging out.
• The game allows ample room for creativity.  Kids can design their own Roblox games which is an amazing feature.  They decide the rules for their game (villains, time limits, the world it is in, music, reward system, etc…)  The sky is the limit in terms of game design.
• They learn how to earn money by accomplishing tasks just like they do in the real world with chores!
• You can easily set up a chore/Robux reward system at home.  For example, if your child makes their bed and cleans their room each day, they earn a certain amount of Robux at the end of the week that you pay for.  I use this system for my own daughter and it is amazing how easy it is to get her to clean her room now!

Cons

• Kids enjoyment of Roblox very rapidly turns into an addiction.  Managing screen time becomes of the utmost importance as it can quickly spiral out of control with this game.  Many of the games that are the most popular simply never end, so play can go on indefinitely.
• Some of the games have scary or violent themes involving horror movie characters or shooting.  You may want to dictate which Roblox games you approve of and which ones you don’t.  There is a parental control setting that allows you to choose the games you want to allow.
• Kids can chat with strangers.  This can be turned off by parents in the parental control settings or parents can choose to regularly check your child’s chat history by logging in.  The only thing I will say in defense of the chat feature though is that it is monitored by Roblox so kids aren’t allowed to swear, say anything suggestive, say anything political or religious, etc…  Kids who violate the rules are banned from the game.  However, by the time they get banned the damage may have been done, so be aware that it is always a possibility.
• If you want to raise a voracious consumer with a deeply ingrained love of capitalism then this is the game for you.  Kids will constantly need more and more Robux to be happy and will bug you for them all the time!

Each parent will have different opinions as to why or why they do not allow their kids to play Roblox.  I allow my 9-year old daughter to play because it is a great way for her to connect with friends during lockdowns and Robux are a great incentive for her to do her chores every day without being asked.  But it is highly addictive and has caused its fair share of arguments about screen time.  So I have personally experienced many of these pros and cons!

If your kids are playing Roblox regularly I would encourage you to stay in the loop.  Find out what games they are playing on Roblox, who they chat with regularly, and make sure that you need to approve any and all in-app purchases so they can’t be automatically charging your credit card.  Sit with them and watch them play for a while.  Most kids will love to share about these games with you.  Open communication with your kids about their online lives is the best way to keep your kids safe online.

To find out more about the parental control settings visit:  https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000375686-Account-Restrictions

Let’s Think About Our Digital Footprints

A New Nearpod Lesson

I have created a new Nearpod lesson that can be used anywhere from grade 4 to grade 8 in which we will learn about Digital Footprints.  Digital Footprints are the tracks you leave all over the internet every time you go online.  Any time you visit a website, leave a comment, post a picture, create a post on social media, post a video on youtube, participate in online chats, etc… you are leaving behind a digital footprint.  It is extremely important to be aware of this because these footprints are permanent and searchable.  In this Nearpod lesson you will participate in polls, quizzes, and a game of ‘Time to Climb’ to learn about this topic.

If you aren’t a Nearpod user, here is more on the topic of Digital Footprints;

Let’s watch this little video about Digital Footprints created by Common Sense Education.

It may seem impossible to believe but 15 years from now a future employer may be Googling your name and finding the mean comments you left all over YouTube, or the crazy photos you posted on social media, and thinking you may not be the best person to hire for a job!  More importantly for today though, the things you are posting now will find their way back to parents and teachers.  Here are some tips from safesitter.org to making sure that the tracks we leave online are the good kind!

So let’s think about some places online we need to be extra careful…

Game Chats

• Never share private information like your address, full name, school, phone number, or email in a game chat.
• Don’t make rude or mean comments in a game chat.  Not only will it get you banned from the game, it will be permanently logged.

YouTube, TikTok, and Social Media Comments

• The comments you post online should be supportive and kind.  Hurtful comments can never be erased, even if you delete the post.  It is very easy for others to screenshot and share the things you’ve posted.

The Sites You Visit

• Make sure you are visiting sites that are appropriate and approved by parents and teachers.  Every site you visit shows up in your Search History and can be seen by parents and school administrators.

Your Messenger Chats

• Most parent-approved texting apps like Messenger Kids allow parents to see every chat.  Other chat apps allow friends and family to screenshot and save messages.  So be aware of the kinds of photos and messages you are texting with others.  What you say today may be online forever.

Your Social Media and Blog Posts

• Make sure that all of the videos, photos and posts you put online are ones you’d be happy to share forevermore, because that is how long they will be searchable online!
• Never post pictures of your friends without their permission.
• Make sure you have parental permission to be posting certain kinds of posts on the internet.

Let’s Celebrate The Trees!

Tu B’Shevat is such a wonderful holiday.  It is so important to grow up appreciating nature and trees!  Today I will read three books about trees.  They are;

Are Trees Alive? by Debbie S. Miller, illustrated by Stacey Schuett

Have You Seen Trees? by Joanne Oppenheim, illustrated by Jean and Mou-Sien Tseng

Picture a Tree by Barbara Reid

Activity

Our activity this week is a beautiful but simple tree painting!  All it takes is tracing your hand and part of your arm to make the trunk, painting it brown, and then choosing some pretty colours to make dots for leaves.  For the full instructions visit https://www.artycraftykids.com/art/autumn-handprint-tree/ 

Creative Writing Activity – I Didn’t Do My Homework Because…

Today we will do a fun creative writing activity. Let’s watch the video!

If you have permission to be on the blogs, you can send me a video or a photo of yourself sharing your drawing and excuse.  I will post the video or photo here!  My email is b.ruel@theojcs.ca

OJCS Storytime – The Tea Party in the Woods

My favourite Winter picture book is The Tea Party in the Woods by Akiko Miyakoshi.  In this video we will listen to the story and also make our own magic pies while learning about fractions!

Online Safety Workshop – Protect Your Passwords!

You might have heard that there are some very commonly used passwords that you should never use because they are very easy for hackers to figure out.  Passwords we should never use include;

• your pet’s name
• your own name
• your siblings name
• your birthday
• your street name
• password
• 123456
• abc123
• iloveyou
• princess
• dragon

But how do we create a strong password and keep them safe?  This video slideshow will help you learn some easy tricks to creating and protecting your passwords.

Activity

We are going to learn how to create a super strong password by playing the game Password Protect on the Common Sense Education website.  Remember, when you are finished, don’t share your super strong password with anyone except for your parents or teachers!

Chapter Book Storytime – UFO Spotted!

Today we read the chapter book UFO Spotted! which is in the Hilde Cracks the Case Series.  This book is written by Hilde Lysiak and Matthew Lysiak and illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff.  If you decide to stop at a certain chapter make sure you take note of the time in the video so you can start back in the same place another time.

I want you to pay attention to how important it is to Hilde to get all the FACTS before she writes her story.  Real news is fact-based.  Real journalism is not a guess or an opinion.  Real news is not based on rumours.  Real news is about stating clear facts.  That is very important in learning to differentiate real news from potentially fake, false, or misleading news.

ACTIVITY: Visit Hilde’s news site and get tips from the real Hilde!

First let’s visit Hilde’s real news site, Orange Street News, and take ten minutes to read some real news stories.

Site Address: https://orangestreetnews.com/

When you are done, listen to Hilde’s advice for aspiring journalists:

OJCS Storytime – Cleaning Frenzy!

Today we read;

Tidy by Emily Gravett

Sweep by Louise Greig and Julia Sarda

Activities:

Teachers can choose between several handout activities in this amazing Emily Gravett Sweep teacher resource page.

Download

Kitchen Cleaning Frenzy Game:

Designate one corner of your kitchen to be your ‘net’ area by marking it off with duct tape.  If you have a small real net even better.  Now arrange lots of non-breakable small objects around the kitchen floor.  These could be small toys, balls, etc…  Now use a broom and see how fast you can sweep those objects into your net.  If you have a sibling you can compete with, that is even more fun.  Use a timer to break your own record again and again!

Digital Citizenship Workshop – Facts vs. Opinions

Today we listen to the story;

Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots by Michael Rex

Afterwards we will complete a short assignment to make sure we understand the difference.  Understanding the difference between facts and opinions is another way we can be great digital citizens.  There is so much information online presented as a fact when it is actually just an opinion.  And in this book we learn how important it is to listen respectfully to the opinions of others even if we don’t agree with them.  This is especially true online when we make comments on each other’s blogs and social media.

Reaching Students Through Nearpod

As a part of my professional development this year, I had the goal of using Nearpod to create lessons that could reach students that I could not see in person.  I wanted to start by creating lessons that would cover essential research skills and then move them on to working on digital citizenship and media literacy.  To that end I created four lessons to date that work to engage students and allow them to practice new skills along the way.

Research Skills

The first one that I created was Using Keywords.  The goal here was to teach students how internet search works, how to search effectively using concise keywords, and to give students a chance to try it out for themselves.  They also learned how generate keywords for much larger search questions.  And finally, I present them with many kid-friendly research sources.  This workshop can be used from grades 4-8 but is specifically for our 4-6s.

The second lesson I created is called In-Text Citations and Bibliographies and was designed specifically for middle school.  Upon entering middle school, citations and bibliographies take on a new level of importance.  This lesson explains to students how critical citations and bibliographies are in avoiding plagiarism.  It demonstrates through a tutorial how to use the citation and bibliography creation tool in Google Docs and it also allows students the opportunity to practice these skills with built-in assignments.

Digital Citizenship and Media Literacy

This lesson on cyberbullying was designed for our 4-6s.  It is a quick lesson on what cyberbullying is and the different forms it takes, how to stop bullies who are bothering you, and how to be an upstander.  This lesson is based more on discussion and collaborative boards than assignments.

And finally, the lesson that I am most proud of and the one that is the culmination of years of running my library workshops is my Nearpod lesson on Information Credibility.  This covers a broad range of topics and is meant to give students a comprehensive knowledge of different forms of misinformation.  It includes several built-in assignments and is a much longer lesson that could cover two periods or more.

It is my hope that these lesson become a valuable resource to our teachers and can be used year after year.  It is also my hope that they can be used in other schools to facilitate teaching these key skills.  I am looking to solicit feedback from any teacher who uses these lesson with their classes.  Please post your feedback in the comments here or send me an email b.ruel@theojcs.ca

OJCS Storytime – Winter Fun and Snowman Stories

Today we read:

-Jillian Jiggs and the Great Big Snow by Phoebe Gilman

-Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner, pictures by Mark Buehner

-Stranger in the Woods by Carl R. Sams 2 & Jean Stoick

Have an awesome Winter Break!!  I will see you in the New Year!!

OJCS Storytime – Happy Hanukkah!

Today we read my favourite Hanukkah book, The Trees of the Dancing Goats, by one of my favourite picture book authors ever Patricia Polacco.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Creative Writing with The Dunderheads

Creative writing for our grades 2 to 4

Today we read The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by David Roberts.  After the story, we will work on a creative writing activity!  Feel free to share your work with me at b.ruel@theojcs.ca

Digital Citizenship Meets The OJCS Reading Challenge!

This year the OJCS Reading Challenge is designed to make reading fun, encourage our students to reach for new reading goals, and to teach digital citizenship while connecting globally.

We will be getting students to participate in the class creation of tweets, instagram posts, youtube videos or tik tok videos (whatever social media formats the teacher prefers, the accounts are owned and regulated by the teacher and are professional (not personal) accounts).  These posts will share their class reading goals and accomplishments in fun and creative ways.  The class will then check those posts regularly for likes and words of encouragement from around the globe.  They may even be able to  connect with other schools participating in their own reading challenge.  Students will also use their blogs as a place to post book reviews and to blog about their personal reading goals.  They can even embed or link the class social media posts directly to their blogs!

Class goals could include a certain number of books read by the class each week or each month, a certain number of books of a specific genre or a variety of genres read, etc…  These goals are determined by the teacher or decided as a class and can change week to week or month to month.

Students love being online, so this is a way for them to practice their digital citizenship with post creation (spelling, hashtags, using photos and videos in posts) and take pride in their reading accomplishments, as well as get global props and encouragement.

The end-of-year prize is a classroom movie party for each class that participated regularly.  The library will provide popcorn and candy for each class.

OJCS Storytime – Experiencing Mindfulness

Today we read:

Happy – A Beginner’s Book of Mindfulness by Nicola Edwards and Katie Hickey

Here is a guided meditation for the class to try!  It lasts 12 minutes but you can bring the students gently back from the meditation whenever you need to.

OJCS Storytime – Time to Hibernate! (I wish!)

Today we learn about animals in Winter and hibernation!

We read:

-Animals in Winter by Stephane Poulin

-Animals that Sleep in Winter by Gwynne Vevers, illustrated by Colin Threadgall

-Kitten’s WInter by Eugenie Fernandes

-Bear Snores on by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman

Activity 1: Hibernation Worksheet

Cut out the animals and match them to their Winter homes!

Download

Activity 2: Hibernation Day

This is a special day where the class comes to school in their PJs, decides what kind of animal they want to be for the activity, and creates a special place using class materials that would accurately match how and where their animal hibernates.  So we don’t have a real cave, but a desk with a blanket overtop could turn into a cave.  We don’t have a burrow, but we could make a burrow by piling soft materials into a corner, pretending to dig down, and snuggling in!

Learning to Assess Information Credibility with my Favourite Tree Octopus

A Fun Lesson for our grades 3-5 students

Each student will need a device for this activity.  You will share the link to the following site with your students.

https://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/  

Teachers will then need to print the web evaluation checklist.  Click the button on the upper right hand corner ‘pop out’.  Only print page 1.  Students will fill it in to determine if this website is credible or not.

Download

When they have formed their conclusions, you can explain that the last step, lateral reading, is often the fastest way to fact-check information and can be your FIRST step.  Running a Google search on the topic and or the author or site name can often provide you with everything you need to know.  And following the rule of three, checking information against two other sources, is also a wonderful strategy to use.

Finish by sharing this great video!