Today we read two wonderful stories about Charlotte the Scientist – right on time for Innovation Day! Charlotte the Scientist is Squished and Charlotte the Scientist Finds a Cure by Camille Andros, illustrated by Brianne Farley. Charlotte and the Scientific Method Colouring Page
The OJCS library just got in a wonderful order of fantastic new non-fiction. Here are some of the noteworthy selections. Math and Me (LOOK! Books ™) Math isn’t just something you learn in school! It’s an important part of the world around us. Whether it’s cooking in the kitchen, shopping for groceries, or enjoying … Continue reading Notable New Non-Fiction at the OJCS Library
Grade 8 had a special library “working workshop” today on how to responsibly use ChatGPT to support their work. Students used it to generate ideas and outline suggestions for their public speaking, and also learned how to use it to get invaluable feedback on their final piece of written work. Students learned the repercussions of … Continue reading Grade 8 Working Workshop on ChatGPT
This past semester I have devoted a lot of time to finding out the myriad ways that A.I. technology can benefit our students. We hear so much about the negatives in terms of Chat GPT and cheating but what about the amazing things that this kind of technology can do to help our students improve … Continue reading Finding the Bright Side of A.I. Technology
I have created a new, interactive, workshop for middle schoolers in Nearpod that will explore AI history, uses, and the controversies around it. Here is a Nearpod preview. Note: The preview link will expire within 14 days. Here is a video of the slides for a quick preview of the lesson:
Meet Elsie MacGill by Elizabeth Macleod and illustrated by Mike Deas March is Women’s History Month, and at the OJCS, it’s also when we hold our innovation day. This story feeds two birds with one scone by being an inspiring story about a Canadian woman who was a world renowned aeronautical engineer and a feminist.
A Middle School Workshop In this new workshop that combines both media literacy and social studies, students get empowered to create posts that can contribute to helping the environment on their favourite social media platforms. Here are the slides: Here is the Nearpod preview:
Today we will get inspired to be makers! We read: Be a Maker by Katey Howes, Illustrated by Elizabet Vukovic and Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty, Illustrated by David Roberts Check out this great resource for kid-friendly maker projects: https://www.itabc.ca/success-stories/5-maker-activities-you-can-do-home-your-kids
Welcome back OJCS students and teachers! Here is a brief video tutorial about how to use the library’s online catalogue so that you can search, place books on reserve, and write a review! More tutorials to come! The link to the library catalogue is: https://theojcs.booksys.net/opac/ojcs/index.html#menuHome
Over the summer the library catalogue was updated with an exciting new feature – the reading level values for the books in our collection. At OJCS we use Accelerated Reader as a way for students, teachers, and parents to track reading improvement and progress. By making our catalogue searchable with AR values, students will be … Continue reading The Library Catalogue Has an Exciting New Feature