Third Grade Country Research

Third graders are using their library time to research about different countries. Ms. Bowman's students are researching a variety of countries in order to write letters that compare the U.S. to their chosen country. Ms. Stedman's and Ms. McClanahan's classes are researching Ethiopia. All classes are using books and CultureGrams to answer specific questions the students have generated. These projects allows students to narrow their research to answer specific questions by using the index in books and the sidebar topics in CultureGrams.  While it is fun to discover random interesting facts while researching, effective and efficient users of information know what data they are looking for and maintain their focus while searching.

CultureGrams is a subscription online database with "concise, reliable, and up-to-date reports on more than 200 countries, each U.S. state, and all 13 Canadian provinces and territories". Contact me for log-in and password information.

First Graders Read about Nubs

Bennett's First Graders have been learning about the Non-Fiction section of the library. Most recently we read Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle. "Nubs, an Iraqi dog of war, never had a home or a person of his own. But Nubs's life changed when he met Marine Major Brian Dennis. The two formed a fast friendship that led Nubs on an incredible journey that crossed deserts, oceans, and even continents, and touched the hearts of people around the world." I shared this website about Nubs and invited the students to write letters to him. Click on "Dear Nubs" to see examples. Letters and drawings should be brought to me by Tuesday, December 7.