Room 7's Trillion Dollar Footprint

We discuss digital citizenship in library class, and Common Sense Media has some good lessons that I use with the fifth and sixth graders.

This month, we did "Trillion Dollar Footprint"; the kids play the role of television producers choosing a host for a talent show. They have to sift through online evidence that a private investigator found via social media and decide which candidate should get the job.

The students were able to defend their choices with evidence - some picked "Linda," some picked "Jason," and some picked neither. All of their arguments were based on posts, photos, and comments that were found online. In the end, I think they all understood the objectives of the lesson:

• Define "digital footprint" as the profile that is created from all the information posted about you online
• Realize that your information can be searched, copied and passed on
• Understand that your digital footprint can be helpful or harmful to your reputation

6th Grade Keyword Challenge - Taboo!

source: hasbro.com

We've been talking about keywords, which are the words you type into a search query. To get good results (before you even start evaluating the sources), you need to use precise terms and consider alternative ways of expressing them.

Sixth graders practiced this skill by taking turns describing objects to their classmates. We kept track of how many wrong answers were given until we had enough information to definitively identify the object ... usually at least three terms were needed.

The activity is similar to the board game Taboo!, where the person giving the clues has to avoid saying certain giveaway words. The students decided to play their own version during checkout the next week, using the terms on the card as the keywords.

You can play Taboo! at home with this online version. 

There are also apps out there that you can download to your phone or tablet. Have fun!

Internet Privacy Tips from 6th Graders

Sixth graders read case studies involving breaches of internet privacy and discussed the issues at play. Then they put together a list of tips to protect yourself and your account information online:

• Keep your password to yourself.
• Don't use the same password for everything
• Use special passwords (e.g., not dictionary words or pet names) to reduce hacking. NOTE: One really good idea from connectsafely.org is to “use a phrase such as ‘I started 7th grade at Western Hills Middle School in 2012’ and use the initial of each word like this: Is7gaWHMSi2012.”
• Change your passwords from time to time.
• Don't allow your friends to take revealing pictures of you.
• Make sure your pictures are appropriate and won't offend anyone.
• Never give out personal information, such as your address or phone number.
• Only accept friend requests from real friends.
• Be careful of what sites you go on and their privacy policies.
• Don't click on ads.
• Never say or post anything bad, because it is never REALLY deleted off the internet

Get more tips at netsmartz.org.

Illustrating the Importance of Primary Resources

In 5th and 6th grade, we've been talking about point of view and how it can influence the telling of a story. That led to a lesson about first-hand, or primary, sources, and the importance of eyewitness accounts and original documents in research.

The students saw how a message can be distorted as it passes through different interpretations by playing a game:

• Step 1: Write an adjective and a noun at the top of a piece of paper. Pass it to the left.
  
• Step 2: Draw an illustration of the adjective and noun that your neighbor just handed to you.
  
• Step 3: Fold down the paper so that only your drawing is showing. Pass it to the left.
  
• Step 4: Write an adjective and noun to describe the drawing that your neighbor just handed to you.
  
• Step 5: Fold down the paper so that only your words are showing. Pass it to the left.

And so on.

Here are some of the results:

Grade 6 Paraphrasing

Sixth graders are learning about how to avoid plagiarism. After we discussed the skill of paraphrasing (and the need for a good vocabulary ... or at least a thesaurus!), the students wrote original sentences and then paraphrased each other. Here is some of their work:

Original: Ice cream is my favorite snack on a hot day when I am craving something cold.
Paraphrase: He likes to eat ice cream when it's hot.

Original: I want to marry Justin Bieber because I love him, but he is with Selena Gomez.
Paraphrase: Justin is with Selena, and he should be with me.

Original: I went to Coco Keys, and it was like a sauna. 
Paraphrase: When I got to Coco Keys, it was so hot I could melt.

Original: Honey Boo Boo is a show I love to watch. It is on every Thursday.
Paraphrase: I enjoy watching Honey Boo Boo every Thursday.

Original: I eat ice cream.
Paraphrase: I devour frozen cow milk.

Original: For generations, my family sold lemonade that was delectable and left the customer filled with delight.
Paraphrase: My relatives sold lemonade for a long time, and it was very good.

Original: You should buy chicken wings because they taste so magnificent.

Paraphrase: Can you please purchase chicken wings for me because I just love how good they taste.

Original: One of my hobbies is shopping.

Paraphrase: I like to shop in my free time.

Original: Bob fell and hit his head on the ground.

Paraphrase: His head collided with the floor after he fell.

Original: I really enjoy going to the zoo and seeing the animals.

Paraphrase: Seeing the animals at the zoo makes me happy.

Original: My cat ate the whole wheel of cheese.

Paraphrase: The whole wheel of cheese is gone because my cat gobbled it.

Common Core standard addressed: W.6.8 - ... quote or paraphrase ... while avoiding plagiarism.

Room 7 Researchers

Sixth graders have been finding online articles to support their research questions, which include topics that range from babysitting tips to Alex Rodriguez' fall from grace.

They're using AskRI.org to access World Book Online and EBSCO databases of magazine articles. Thanks to the Office of Library and Information Services, you can use them too, as long as you're on a computer located in Rhode Island.

Here are some of Mrs. Kitchen's students looking up information:

That would be a blobfish.

Common Core standard addressed: W.6.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.

Grade 6 Research Topics

Students in 6th grade have chosen their Q2 research topics; the overall themes were music and/or their Individual Learning Plan (ILP) they are working on in Guidance. Here's are some of the ones they came up with:

• The rise and fall of Alex Rodriguez
• How songs can help you remember facts
• Babysitting training
• Why Michael Jackson was called the "King of Pop"
• How Steve Jobs created Macintosh
• Evolution of the blobfish
• One Direction v. The Wanted
• Guard dog breeds and training
• Katy Perry's road to success

Finished products will include a variety of presentation formats, some of which we'll be able to post here. In the meantime, we'll be learning about wikis, primary sources, website evaluation, and bibliographic citation, all as part of the inquiry process.

source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/250160954272310825/

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 Johnny Cash, the Beatles, Aretha Franklin, and more from before they were born. How many can you identify?

Top Secret! Online Privacy Game

Do you know how to protect your (and others') private information online?

Test your judgment.

Edited to add that I just discovered May 1 is the first day of "Choose Privacy Week." Here's a word search with terms to be aware of:

http://chooseprivacyweek.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/WordSearch_May2011.pdf

In So Many Words

The sixth graders are learning about how to avoid plagiarism. After we discussed the skill of paraphrasing (and the need for a good vocabulary ... or at least a thesaurus!), the students wrote original sentences and then paraphrased each other. Here is some of their work:

Original: Yogi Bear was eating picnic baskets. Then Booboo ate some picnic baskets too.
Paraphrase: Booboo saw Yogi Bear crunching on picnic baskets, so he decided to join in too.

Original: You should drink diet soda.
Paraphrase: I suggest you consume fat-free sugar drinks.

Original: Arthur pulled the sword from the stone. It gleamed with magic.
Paraphrase: Arthur yanked the blade from the rock. It shined with magic.

Original: My iPod is my second favorite thing.
Paraphrase: My second favorite electronic is my iPod.

Original: The monitor caught the student running in the hall.
Paraphrase: The camera spotted the pupil sprinting down the corridor.

Original: The panda bear plummeted down the ledge and landed on his noggin.
Paraphrase: Panda Bear fell, and his head got crushed.

In Other Words ...

Sixth graders are practicing their paraphrasing skills, starting with SYNONYMS. Can you beat the games below?

Synonyms Rags to Riches - can you make it to a million?

Synonym Toast - I had trouble with this one ... it's fast-paced!

Click When You See the Synonym

Grade 6 Advertising Agency

After reading Balloons Over Broadway, Grade 6 students took a look at balloons then and now. They realized that today's Macy's Parade balloons are used as giant advertisements.

We then learned about three advertising tactics to be aware of: exaggeration, generalization, and scare tactics.

The students created their own ads using at least one of these tactics. Here are some of them: