Math Playground with 4th Grade

I am collaborating with Mrs. Velasquez in 4th grade this week to help students visualize multiplication & division word problems with digital models. We're using Thinking Blocks. Check it out!

Forest North Library Statistics for January

Forest North Library Statistics for December

Forest North Library Statistics for November

Forest North Library Statistics for October

LIBRARY LAB: Emoji Pillows

3rd-5th had a great time designing, sewing & painting our own Emoji Pillows at Forest North's first ever LIBRARY LAB. This week, we will do it again with 30 Kindergarteners, 1st graders & 2nd graders! Stay tuned for what LIBRARY LAB will be offered next!

Enrichment Book Clubs Are Underway

Enrichment Book Clubs have started at Forest North! One of the first things librarians like to do when they start book clubs is take a reading inventory. Check out what Forest North Eagles like to read about! 

These Enrichment Book Clubs meet during grade levels' intervention time so that students can work in smaller groups across a grade level. Librarians meet with one group of students per grade level each week and work through books together throughout the year. It's a fun and bonding way to learn. Mrs. Fournier & Mrs. Young love it!                     

Forest North Library Statistics for September

4th Grade Studies Place Value

4th grade is studying place value with Mrs. Velasquez & Mrs. Fournier this week in the library. They are focusing on how multiplying by ten moves any digit one place value to the left, and dividing by ten moves any digit one place value to the right. We are going to use this game to practice, and then assess our learning with a Kahoot!

Welcome Back to School, 2016-2017

Welcome back to school, Eagles!

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5th Graders Study Graphic Novels

5th graders are making their own Lewis & Clark graphic novels!  To get ready to do this, they needed to learn why graphic novels are important, useful, and what the best ones contain.  Check out this presentation for more information:

4th Graders Study Text Features

4th graders are hard at work this week studying text features and how they support the main idea of various nonfiction texts. We focused on an article from "Time for Kids" magazine about testing and talked about why the author included each one.

Check out more specifics on what we studied in the slideshow below!

Fournier Featured on RRISD Website for National Libraries Week

I'm so excited! I was featured on the district website for National Libraries Week!  Check out my interview reprinted below:

In celebration of School Library Month, Round Rock ISD will highlight district librarians all week, showcasing the essential role libraries play in transforming learning.

Learn more about Forest North Elementary School Librarian Kristen Fournier:

Why did you decide to become a librarian? 
I wanted to be a librarian to share my passion for reading. I love building a culture of books and sharing my enthusiasm for reading with everyone I know! I am constantly recommending and lending out books to my students, colleagues, relatives, neighbors and friends. It’s my favorite thing!

What is your favorite part of working in a school library?
My favorite part of being a school librarian is programming. Celebrating reading and encouraging students to get involved in our school community can be so fun and positive. Lately I’ve started a Ukulele Club with our music teacher, where students have their own grant-funded instruments, and a Comic Book Club with an FCC teacher, where we drew and wrote our own comics, made video reviews a la “Reading Rainbow,” and took home comics donated through our partnership with Titan Moon Comics.

What are you reading right now?
Right now I’m reading “Hamster Princess” by Ursula Vernon with my second grade book club. It’s a funny version of the traditional Sleeping Beauty story that points out some of the silliness of the original tale, like, were those vines growing everywhere really necessary? And what do they do to property values? We’re having fun with it!

What is your favorite childhood book?
My favorite book as a child was “The Egypt Game” by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. I loved how you could go anywhere you wanted if you used your imagination, and how the kids worked together to make their own version of Egypt in an abandoned storage building. I wanted to make my own Egypt Game!

What is one thing you want people to know about your campus library?
The Forest North library’s Texas Bluebonnet Award program is being featured at our state Texas Library Association conference in April. Bluebonnet is a statewide program that encourages students to read five or more high-quality books of all genres, which has very high levels of participation at Forest North. We do it big, with multiple celebrations that this year included manicures, video games, chocolate fountains and flying drones! Some of our third, fourth and fifth grade teachers and students were interviewed about how and why they participate and regarding our school reading culture to give advice to other librarians across Texas.

4th Graders Compare Fractions on Ipads

4th graders had fun in the library today comparing fractions with the help of an app called Quizizz. They did a great job, worked hard, and had fun doing it! In Mrs. Velasquez' class, one student had to leave midway through the competition, and Mrs. Velasquez jumped onto her iPad and beat the whole class! Way to keep your skills sharp, Mrs. Velasquez! Students had unlimited time for each question, but the game was scored on how many questions they got correct, and how quickly they got each correct answer. We studied comparing fractions, improper fractions, and mixed fractions too, and students did a great job.  We also discussed converting fractions to the least common denominator as well!