ICT @ BES

Ready For the Science Fair?

The annual BES Science Fair is quickly approaching and I know that many of you will be preparing for it over vacation. Here are a couple of  online resources  that may be helpful as you design your science board. 

Organize your data with Create A Graph . This site gives you 5 different types of graphs to make and print. There is even a tutorial to help you decide which graph is best to use. You’ll select a design, enter your data, label the graph, preview your work, and print your finished work. The end product will help your science board look neat, attractive, and organized!

Science Fair Central  is a site from Discovery Education. You will be most interested inStep 3- Science Fair Presentations…you should already have Step 1 and Step 2 done, right?!?      In Step 3 you will find information about creating a winning display and tips on how to make a good oral presentation. 

Fourth and Fifth Graders will be participating in the BES Science Fair on May 6th. 

Hope you all have a GREAT vacation!

Mrs. Plankey  ICT @ BES

A Huge Success!

Our annual fall book fair was a huge success!  Thank you to all who purchased books.  With our earnings we were able to get many new books for our library and classrooms. The most popular books by far were the Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney.  This series is enjoyed by boys and girls alike here at BES.  Some of the fans of the series wanted to share why they are so crazy about these books…

Liam…”Its funny ….VERY funny!”

Elisha…”It’s fun to work on the Do It Yourself book.”   

Junior…”I like the title.”

Chase…”It has a lot of jokes that are HA HA larious.”

Summer…”It’s a litle like a comic book.”

Dillon… “It’s like a comic book, so I read the whole thing.”

Brad…”I like it because they are really big books.”

The next book in the series, Dairy of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw,  is due out on January 13th. True fans of the series will want to check out the Official Wimpy Kid Web Site, it even has a blog by the author to keep you up to date on what’s going on with the series!

Some of our biggest fans….

A Critical Eye

Did you know that if you Googled “Election 2008″ you would get approximately 139,000,000 hits? Most of the students’ guesses were only off by a few million or so!

This week in ICT class the 4th and 5th graders discussed the problems this presents. Their thoughts were…

“Way too many to look at!” “Not enough time!”  ”How would I know where to start?” “Which one is best for me?”  ”Some not appropriate.”

With such an overwhelming number of webistes available, this brought us around to seeing the obvious need to look at websites with a critical eye. How do I know what’s best for me?   The 5 W’s of Web Site Evaluation.

This critical eye doesn’t come easy, so to practice the students were given a dozen election sites to view and evaluate which ones best fit their need as a student learning about the election.  The winners were..

Scholastic News- Countdown to the Elections

Time for Kids- Election Connection

Weekly Reader- Election Center

Comments from the students…

“I liked the games, it was a fun way to learn about the elections.”  ”I could understand it.” “I liked reading the canidates’ biographies.”  

If you’re getting tired of all the campaign ads on TV, check these student approved sites out and really, truly learn about the canidates in a fun and interesting way!

I’m glad you’re here!

Welcome to the ICT @ BES blog! I am Mrs. Plankey the Library Media Specialist and the Information Communication & Technology Specialist at Bristol Elementary School.  I am super excited about starting this blog!  This is a place where the students and I can share with our teachers, families and community all the great things that are going on in ICT class. It’s also a place for you to share your thoughts, comments, or ideas with us!

This week 4th and 5th graders are finishing a project for their electronic portfolio.  They used Power Point to share their Hopes and Dreams for the future.  Josh kindly allowed me to share his hopes and dreams for the future..

Third Graders are finishing a project about NH’s state book award.  Learn more about the award http://www.nh.gov/nhsl/bookcenter/programs/ladybug.html  Each group had read one of the nominees for the Ladybug Award, wrote about the book and made a recording.  Our next step is to turn it into a podcast!

Check back soon for more of what’s happening in ICT!

Mrs.Plankey