The Williams Library is in your home!!

The ebooks have arrived! They are all nonfiction and the students have unlimited use.  You can read them online at home. This is so exciting. There are fifteen titles. Look them up in our library catalog on the library webpage menu. (You probably just left that page and menu to get here!)  Enjoy!

The titles are:

From seed to maple tree: following the life cycle.

Seeds go, seeds grow

The creation of the U.S. Constitution

The Declaration of Independence in translation: What it really means

Earth

From caterpillar to butterfly: following the life cycle

From tadpole to frog: following the life cycle

The Lincoln Memorial

The moon

Our U.S. Capitol

Shattering Earthquakes

The Sun

Violent volcanoes

The White House

Writing the U.S. Constitution

Happy New Year! Coming very soon to the Williams School Library: Ebooks! We are starting with a selection of nonfiction titles for use with curriculum units. All will have unlimited use, which means they can be checked out and read by all of our students at the same time. Stay tuned for further information.

Summer is here!  It is a great time to keep reading and keep learning. 

discoveryschool.com

Here is the link for the Newton Public Schools Summer Reading List:

Newton Public Schools Reading List

Don't forget to go to the Newton Public Library this summer while the Williams Library is closed. They have a wonderful summer reading program with lots of activities for kids.  Here is the link:

Dream Big Read!

Have a great summer. We will have great new books at the Williams Library in September.

Know your Williams School history

Do you ever wonder who came before you at Williams School? We have a long history as one of Newton's 15 elementary schools. Many students, teachers, principals, secretaries, custodians, and other staff have served and been served by our wonderful community. I have delved into a litle bit of the past at Williams. You can read about it, see some pictures, and view a video montage at the following link:

Williams History Page

Enjoy your trip down the Williams Memory Lane.

Tech Talk at Williams Prezi

Last month Dr. Connolly hosted a morning coffee on the subject of how teachers are using technology at Williams. Many teachers spoke about technology use in their classrooms. We are using various web 2.0 tools, software, ipad apps, and databases. Each classroom now has an LCD projector and document camera thanks to the generosity of the PTO.
If you missed the presentation it you can watch the Prezi at the link below:

Technology at Williams Prezi


A Prezi is cloud-based presentation software. You create slides on a canvas that zoon in and out that are engaging and easy to share with others.  It is similar to a Powerpoint, but it is created and stored online.

Fourth Graders Learn about the Underground Railroad and create posters online

As part of their Civil Rights unit, the fourth graders visited Newton's own stop on the Underground Railroad. on Thursday, March 22nd they toured the Jackson Homestead on Washington St. They learned about how the Jackson family helped African Americans to safety and freedom. They saw many interesting artifacts and heard stories of people in Newton fought slavery.

In library class students used an interactive web site created by Scholastic called "The Underground Railroad-Escape from Slavery. They answered questions about how and why African Americans and others took great risks to deceive slaveholders and make the journey to freedom. You can take a look at this activity at:

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/escape.htm

Then they used a web 2.0 tool called "Web Poster Wizard" to share their findings. Please take a look at their posters online at:

Underground Railroad posters

You can also listen to an explanation of this assignment at the following link:

Cinch broadcast

They learned a lot, and so will you!!

Voicethreads by the Second Grade

Voicethead is a web 2.0 tool that allows you to upload videos, images, and other media. People can comment using audio and the written word. Our second graders have created a talking library ABC book using voicethead. Each class created their own book. They also created KidPix slideshows to present demonstrate their understanding of fables. Students worked in partners to read a fable, write a moral, and illustrate it on KidPix. We then uploaded it to voicethread. Please take a look at our voicethreads at this link:

Class Projects created in the library: Newton.Public Schools