Christmas Children's Book Author Skypes with Dewey Elementary Classes

Santa's Secret Penguin Spy

 Did you know Santa had a secret penguin spy? Today Dewey elementary students learned all about this technology savy little guy, named Ziffle. Nicole Cagle, a children's book author in Kansas, read her story to Dewey students and answered the (many!) questions they had about the writing process. Students went back to their homeroom classes with a follow-up activity designed to help Ziffle build a new technological device that would help him with his duties. Students drew out their ideas and then wrote a creative or informative piece about their invention. Now Dewey students are left wondering.... "Is Ziffle watching me!?" :)

(Scroll to the bottom to see pictures of the Skype!)

Purchase the book at:

Barnes and Noble online: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. All you need to do is put the title of the book in the search bar.

Overview of book:

     Ziffle is not just any penguin. He is a secret spy sent by an agency to help keep an eye on boys and girls expecting a Christmas Eve visit from Santa Claus. Ziffle needs to know just one thing-which children in the world are being naughty and which are being nice.

     Ziffle is no elf. Armed with a cell phone and a direct line to Santa, he does not need a train, plane, or even wings to deliver his message. Ziffle can just text a name! But all the boys and girls know that if their mom or dad has to tell them twice, Ziffle has another secret spy device that allows Santa to see the entire human race from the comfort of his big chair at the North Pole.

     In this enchanting holiday tale, a secret penguin spy partners with Santa to ensure that children around the world learn that it is always better to be nice than naughty!

About the Author:
Nicole Cagle, a devoted wife and mother of 3 girls (and another child on the way) resides in Kansas City where she is a photographer and children's book author. Nicole also owns and manages POUR coffee house in Olathe, KS.

4th grade Skypes Dec. 12th.

4th grade classes were a part of an exciting Mystery Skype today! We were able to locate both class skypes. One was in New Jersey and the other was in Georgia! Way to go guys! Watch our video below which highlights the learning (and fun) we had!

The Night Zookeeper Highlights Dewey Student's Creative Writing

The night zookeeper (www.nightzookeeper.com) is built around the premise that there is a zookeeper that cares for magical animals. In the website, students are encouraged to draw magical animals, write stories and problem solve. It is a platform for parents to play along, enjoy student's work and reward their efforts. Dedicated to improving student's literacy they also have free curriculum for parents and teachers.  Their goal is to help students be imaginative, being the creator instead of the consumer of electronics. What a wonderful mission!  Follow him on Facebook or Twitter @nightzookeeper.

Carter's story of the Abominable Clause:
Once in the magical Night Zoo…we found Santa, that's right ole Saint Nick, but he was fighting a abominable snow man. The abominable snow man through a snow ball. Not a small, but HUMONGOUS snow ball. Ole Saint Nick fell down the mountain snow, rolling, rolling, and rolling and snow is forming all around him. He's turning into a huge snow ball when he finally stopped he got out…but he has snow body parts!?!?!?!?!?!?! So that's the story of abominable clause.

2nd grade Mystery Number Skype

Today I introduced Mystery Number Skyping to Mrs. Newland and Mrs. Beam's 2nd grade classes! We had a great time skyping with Kansas and Ohio! Our students asked well thought out questions with academic vocabulary such as "Is your number an even number?", "Does your number have a 4 in the tens place", or "Is your number greater than 50?". These inquisitive questions allowed both classes to successfully determine the other class's mystery number!

Computer Science Education Week, The 'Hour of Code' is here!

Did you know?

• Most Schools don't teach coding?
• Coding can improve math and science test scores.
• Coding teaches abstract thinking, problem solving, and persistence?
• Coding helps prepare students for an unknown career future.
• There are projected to be 1,000,000 more computer science jobs than students by the year 2020.
• Computer science is a top paying college degree, and the field is growing 2x the national average.
• Coding is only 1 (small) area of computer science
• 60% of the math/science jobs available are for computer science, but only 2.4% of students in will graduate with a degree in computer science.
• Of that 2.4%, only 12% of computer science degrees are awarded to women.

Credit for research given to  Kristen Tanner, Limestone Technology Academy

Message From our President:

The initiative and push for 'Hour of Code' during Computer Science Education Week is working to flip those numbers around and steer more students towards coding and rewarding future careers.

This week, students were introduced to code.org.

• Students returning from Christmas break will be given a code.org safe student sign in account that they can work on at school and home at their own pace. Although computer science week is just this week, we have dedicated a portion of November and the entirety of December to learning how to computer program! Students have been having a great time learning to code for our Sphero class robots.
• Students were also introduced to several coding apps on our class iPads such as Tynker
• Some classes played "coding" simulation games

December 5th --5th grade Mystery Skypes

Today students revealed the secret locations of 4 other classrooms using mapping skills. Watch our short video to be a part of our experience!

Getting ready for 'The Hour of Code'

The 'Hour of Code'  takes place Dec. 4-8 and is a nationwide initiative by Computer Science Education Week andCode.org to introduce millions of students to one hour of computer science and computer programming.  

Through the month of November, Mrs. Henley's classes have been learning basic coding vocabulary and have already started preparing for the big week! Students have been getting familiar with Sphero Robots. These robots are fun and interactive, but more importantly have apps (Macro Lab and orbBasic) that allow them to enter code to control the robots. At our ages, I think that it is important that students gain direct feedback from their robot as they code allowing them to see the changes they are making. We are so thankful for our Sphero Robots that bring fun and coding to our classroom!

November 22nd, Mrs. Henley went to an all day professional development in Sand Springs to learn more about coding as well as network with other teachers who are introducing coding to their students. I learned a lot, gained resources, and am excited about our future plans!

Week of December 1st. Students are writing their first macro (computer program)~! Yes, I said THEY are actually writing it! Thanks to our Spheros and the free "Macro Lab" app, students created their first multi-color (rainbow) code. Students were challenged to create a macro and to name their macro something that would inspire their color choices. They were then instructed to plan out a 12 step algorithm that began with Loop Start and ended with Loop End. Students were challenged to use RGB to create their own colors, as they learned hands on that the mixing of these colors could create any color including white! If they accomplished this mission, they were encouraged to go back and edit their algorithm to change any steps that did not function as planned and then explore what other things they could make their sphero do by coding! 

Here are Monday/ Tuesday students showing off thier programs.