As a librarian, I am always on the search for tools that will help me to curate the burgeoning world of digital media. There is SOOO much great stuff out there, but it is often hard to get the right tools in the hands of the right kids at the right time. I am certain that there isn't an educator out there who doesn't feel the same way.

So, when I was introduced to Symbaloo this last week at a tech conference, I was thrilled. I love the visual interface and the simplistic design!  Apparently, this fantastic tool has been around for a couple of years and this librarian has been living under a rock.

With President's Day right around the corner, my first and second graders are learning about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. I have created a mini research project in which students sort factual statements about these two great leaders. A  quick click on the pix below will take you to Google Docs for your free download.


Here are some website and video suggestions that will help you in your Presidential studies :)

George Washington

Biographical Info Links on President Washington ...

As a librarian, one of my biggest challenges is getting our elementary kids to cite their sources. Writing out a whole annotation is next to impossible for those who are just beginning to get a handle on reading and writing. However, it is so important!! We as educators need to be sure that our new readers and writers respect other's works and have a good solid foundation in information literacy and attribution. Plagiarism is real ... even if you are in elementary school!

I am here to say that bibliographic annotation doesn't need to be hard! What's really important is that our youngest students learn that they need to record WHERE their facts are coming from!

I have developed a strategy for citing sources and creating a bibliography that both teachers and kids will find painless. It is not perfect, and in fact may be deemed inaccurate by some of my toughest critics; however, I have found it to be an invaluable resource for my first, second, and third graders. They learn the concept of citation while also learning how to locate, record, and manipulate information.

I start off by actually creating a bibliography for the kids! Each bibliography annotation is accompanied by a "code." For example, the first book on the list would be "B1" and the first website would be "C1".


Then kids have a note sheet. Each note is preceded by a light bulb. When the kids write down their fact, they must also label the light bulb with the code from the bibliography.


Want to know more ... click on the picture below! It explains things a bit further and maybe a bit more clearly. With one click you will be transported to my TpT Store where you can download a FREE file that has both the explanations and all the png files that you will need to recreate your own bibliography and notefact pages.

With Groundhog Day right around the corner, we are working on shared research projects all about that critter called the groundhog, or is it the woodchuck, or whistle pig?  Hmmm ... more importanly ... Where are we getting our facts?

We started with this video. It is kid-friendly, and it gives some great information about February's most famous rodent. All in under three minutes! It really is a great introduction.


While you are there watching the video, don't miss these ten cool facts about groundhogs.


I also found these two websites. Each site is free to access, but your really little ones will most certainly need some support in reading and understanding the text.

Perfect for discussions about rodents.

My firsties LOVE our subscription to PebbleGo. If you aren't lucky enough to have access to this fantastic database, you should consider calling them and requesting a free trial. They will give you 30 days to try it out!

My first graders are learning how to identify the keywords in a question and associate that keyword with the correct tab. For example, when a question asks, "What is a newborn groundhog like?" I want the kids to identify the word, newborn, as the key word and know that they need to click on the Life Cycle tab.

In order to practice these skills, I have created a scavenger hunt that can be completed in a single sitting. In celebration of Groundhog's Day, I am posting it here for all of you! Click on the pix below for your own copy of it :)