Powered Up Week #poweredlibraries

This past week, October 1-7, was Power Up Week, a week where libraries across the state showcase innovation and dynamic leadership. I was excited to participate this year and showcase some of my programs this year on twitter. Powered Libraries even used one of my pictures and tweets in one of their daily highlights! 

Advocacy Monday

I try my best to advocate for my library everyday! This year I sent out a smore showcasing everything that had happened in the library in the month of September. 

This was sent to my administrators, as well as the teachers on campus. This helps them to see what is done with all the grade levels, not just what I do with their classes. 

I also started the week with a collaboration project with the 5th grade teacher. They have been studying the US Regions, so she brought them in for a quick lesson on citing sources and using Google Drawings to create a poster and share with the group. Since they used Google, students were able to work on this at home together, using the comment section to collaborate. 

Tinkering Tuesday

Tuesday was probably my favorite day of the week. Kindergarten was introduced to the MakerSpace materials, which I will pull out once a month for them. It was the quietest they have ever been in the library, they were so involved in their building. 

Web Widget Wednesday 

Wednesday was another collaborative project, this time with the 4th grade ELA teacher. We worked together to review the genres, and for Wednesdays lesson I created a Kahoot for the kids to play.  Feel free to use this kahoot in your class/library to review types of genre. 

 

The best part of collaborative teaching and my flexible schedule, is both myself and the teacher work together to ensure that the students understand. The teacher tells me the skill they want and the end product, and we plan together. I created the Kahoot and she went over the concept and did the checking for understanding. 

Powerful Partnership Thursday 

This year, I decided to participate with the second graders in the 2017 Global Read Aloud. We are reading books by Mem Fox and connecting with other classes around the world. This week, we read KOALA LOU by Mem Fox, then looked at Australia on a map to see how far away it is.

We connected with other classes through a padlet created by Mrs. Ockey to connect with others. We added our favorite parts of the story, and answered some of the questions asked by other 2nd graders. We also looked at where the other students were from on the map compared to where we live. 

The students thought it was fabulous that other kids their age around the world were reading the same book. 

Another way we partnered up this year was with the author/storyteller, Mary Brooke Casad. Even though it took place on Friday, it still shows our partnerships with people in our community. Mary Brooke Casad is the author of the books Bluebonnet the Armadillo, and she lives not far from our city. She came to speak with our 4th graders this year about her stories and how she became a writer. Her message to the students is to "Keep reading and keep writing!" 

 

  

It was a fabulous week, and I can't wait to see what our school will do next year for Powered Up Week!! If you did not participate this year, I highly encourage you to get out and advocate for your library and all you can do for your school!

Reviewing Genres with 4th Grade

One of my favorite lessons when I was the 4th grade ELA teacher was introducing all the different genres. I used to do a book challenge with my students to read at least one book of every genre. If you've never read a mystery, you don't know if you like mysteries!! Try it, you may like it!

The 4th grade teacher asked me to help her introduce genres to her classes. We collaborated on this last year as well. This year, we decided to make it 2 lessons, instead of only one. The first week we went over the genres and their definitions. I created a slide show using Beth Newingham's posters, which are available for any education use.


After the slide show, students were broken up into groups and placed at a table with a stack of books. They had a set time to decide together which genre the books belonged to. Then, students rotated around to each table to browse through each genre. They wrote down at least one title from each genre on their recording sheet of a book they might like to read.

You can also read about last year's genre lesson.

The second week, we integrated some technology by playing a Kahoot game. Feel free to use this kahoot with your students. They had so much fun, and it gave the teacher the opportunity to go over misunderstandings of the different genres.

Look at these smiles!!! Having fun learning! 

Here the teacher is going over details about the types of genre that students are mixing up. 

On another fun note, it was Christmas in September!! Our new books arrived last week, and we are getting them ready for the shelves. We love getting new books!

Cyber Safety Smart

Our school district has a week every year where we discuss Cyber Safety with the students. I highly believe that this discussion should happen year round, not just during this designated week. This year, as every year in the past, I partnered up with the teachers to teach Cyber Safety to our amazing scholars. Yes, even with our kindergarten students! I am a firm believer that instead of blocking everything, schools should be teaching students to be responsible users of the internet.  Some things do need to be blocked, but instead of banning all devices and all website outside of the programs purchased by the district, we should instruct our students to properly use social media.

Kinder and 1st grades

YES! Even kinder needs to learn how to be safe on the web. We talk about "stranger danger" all the time, but shouldn't we be talking about strangers on our computers, tablets, and iPhones. OK, so most 5 and 6 year olds don't have a phone, but how many play games on the computer? Many games now days have a way to connect with another player in order to complete missions. Even our youngest students need to know that the person on the other side may not be how they say they are. 

With my younger students, we talked about Going Places Safely online, and I used a lesson from CommonSenseMedia. In this lesson students were able to:

• discover that the Internet can be used to visit far-away places and learn new things.
• compare how staying safe online is similar to staying safe in the real world.
• explain rules for traveling safely on the Internet.

If you have not looked through the lessons on Common Sense Education, you need to browse and find a lesson that fits your students.

2nd Grade

Second graders learned what is safe and not safe to share on the internet when chatting with others online. Many of our second graders mentioned that they play games online, such as Minecraft, Rodeblox, and Wizard 101, where they can chat with other players and complete missions with other players. 

Many children at this age don't really think about the dangers of the other player possibly not being another kid their age. So, we watched a fun video with Timon and Pumba about what information we can and cannot share with other players online. 

After the video, each group completed a sort of what is safe and what is unsafe to share online. 

3rd Grade

Third grade is the year that students really start using Google for Education and Google Classroom often. Students are able to communicate and collaborate, even from home, on assignments using Google. So, I felt it important to go over the power of words online and how it can affect us emotionally. Even as adults, I feel like we forget that an actual person with feelings is on the other side of the computer. 

I adapted my lesson from Common Sense Education called "Power of Words", but I did tweak it a little to fit the time I had with the class and to fit what the teacher and I felt was best for the students.

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4th Grade

Fourth grade had a higher level version of the lesson that I did with second grade. We discussed what is safe and unsafe to share online. A few 4th grade students are learning about social media and are starting to post things online. So, I let Professor Garfield talk with them about our digital footprints.

5th Grade

I was blown away when talking with the 5th graders at how much they do not understand about being safe online, but how much they are sharing online! When the teacher and I talked with them about conversations being deleted, they truly believed that if they deleted it, it was gone. They have a lot to learn! 

With 5th grade, we talked about the difference between Bullying and Cyberbullying. There were some great conversations going on in the groups. A few of them didn't take it seriously at first, but did at the end. This just confirms that these lessons need to go on all year long, not just during this designated week.

After we went over the lesson and watched the video, students got into groups and created a Venn Diagram comparing/contrasting Cyberbullying and Bullying. 

Poster Contest

Next week the posters will be judged and a school winner will be named!! I'm hoping for the district winner this year!! 

Dot Day Delight

September 15th is International Dot Day, which all started with the book THE DOT by Peter Reynolds. Dot Day is a day that we celebrate our unique talents and how each individual makes his mark in the world. Our art teacher, Ms. Eggers, and I collaborated again this year and came up with Dot stations for Kinder - 2nd grades.  This year went much smoother than last year. The stations were definitely the way to go! 

Reynolds, Peter H. The Dot. Candlewick Press, 2003.

In our first station, students made a dot anywhere on the paper. Then, they had to think about what they could create from that single dot. We had insects, snowmen, flowers, dinosaurs, and pokeballs just to name a few creations. It was amazing to see all the different ideas the students came up with.

The second station was Dazzling Dots! Students made between 3 and 5 dots on their paper, then making zigzagging around each dot with their crayons until the entire paper was covered. The students said it looked like firework on their paper. 

The third station "Not a Dot", similar to what Vashti creates in the book. Students traced a circle template in the center of their paper, then made a design around the circle to create "not a dot".  

The fourth station was the Morse code station. In this station students were able to look at Morse code and write their name and messages using Morse code. This was challenging for the students to decipher what their friends had written. 

The fifth station, and probably the most popular, was the Quiver station. If you have never used the Quiver app in your classroom or library, you must check it out! In this station, students decorated the inside of the dot on the special Dot Day Quiver paper. Then, we made their drawing come to life! The kids LOVED it!!

 

During art time, the older students drew dots in Kandinsky style. This is now hanging in our hallway as a mural. It looks fabulous!

I am so thankful that I am at a school where the teachers realize that the librarian is a teacher, not just the person that checks out books. I love collaborating with all the teachers. Next up is Cyber Safety week. 

Library Orientation at Hillside

The first 2 weeks of school for the 2017-2018 school year are in the books as a success! I was able to see every class, and every student at Hillside has checked out! Woohoo!!

Welcome Back: The books missed you! 

It took me longer this year to get the library ready for the start of school due to the carpet installation. It took me a while to get the books back on the shelf, but looking on the bright side of things, I was able to study my collection better while unpacking. 

I am focusing on getting my library more organized and student friendly this year. I have made LOTS of changes in my 3 years here as librarian, but I have a lot more to do. I worked on getting the Self-Checkout station ready with instructions. I think this will help out when I'm teaching a class if students forget how to check out. So far, it is working! I'm hearing a lot more of the 'happy sounds' and no 'barking sounds'. I have the computer set up to 'bark' if a student does something wrong. That way, I can hear it no matter what area of the library I'm in.

Orientation Activities 

Each class came in for a 50 minute orientation the first two weeks of school. We went over my library promises, library procedures, and reviewed how to use the self-checkout machine.

Fourth graders came in to review logging into our Chromebooks and they all joined their teacher's Google Classroom, as well as the library Google Classroom.

With second grade, I read THE SHELF ELF by Jackie Mims Hopkins. No one has spotted our elf this year, he is hiding really well!

I love how this book goes over manners in the library, as well as taking care of our library books in a respectful manner. After reading, I had a sort at the tables with ways we could treat our books. Students sorted them into "no way" and "yes, of course!".

Third graders read THE LIBRARY DRAGON by Carmen Agra Deedy. This is one of my favorite books for library orientation. I love that part of the theme focuses on the library belonging to the children. 

After reading, third graders did a scavenger hunt through the library. Each group had a question, and they had to move to the area of the library that shows the answer. They had loads of fun! I did not create this scavenger hunt to go with the book, another amazing librarian did. You can find a copy for yourself on TpT.

Another group of 3rd graders came in to learn using the Chromebooks and Google apps. Let me tell you, having an extra set of eyes and hands when teaching the students to use technology devices is a wise idea. If you aren't already doing this as a librarian, start inviting your teachers to come into the library when the students need to use technology.  It truly helps them out!

After the students were able to login to the Chromebooks, they logged into our library catalog, Destiny. Then... the fun began! We played a Kahoot to review the library procedures. 

Finally... the books!

I have to brag on the teachers on my campus.... the majority of them were very open to my moving to a flexible schedule and have agreed that it is best for the students. I love co-teaching with my fellow educators, especially using technolgy with the students. However, as much as I know students love using the available technology, I love that they get more excited when it is time to look through the books!! Look at these sweet smiles when they open up their new library book they were able to choose.

These smiles right here are the reason I love my job!!! 

Being a Future Ready Librarian

In the last few weeks, I have had numerous inquiries about my flexible schedule and how I started it. Most people have been very positive about it and want to start it at their school. Unfortunately, not everyone has been positive, so I want to take the time to clear up some things about flexible schedule and being an instructional partner.

What is the purpose of a flexible schedule?

A flexible schedule opens up your daily library schedule to allow time for collaboration and co-teaching. The main purpose is not to allow students to come check out whenever they want. While a flex schedule does allow for this, I don't feel like this is the main reason why you should move to a flex schedule. The main reason to have a flexible schedule is to allow time for co-teaching lessons and allow classes time to come for research and inquiry as needed. Library time is more meaningful when we collaborate with the classroom teachers. 

 

Before anyone takes what I just said the wrong way, I firmly believe that it is important that students are allowed to come to the library at their point of need. This is an important part of flexible schedule, however, in the Future Ready Framework librarians build instructional partnerships. While having open check out all day is important, being an instructional partner is the MOST important part of being a future ready librarian. 

Be an Instructional or Collaborative Partner

I recently gave a presentation to some of the Future Ready librarians in my district about being a collaborative partner. We discussed how to start on a flex schedule, but also how to be a partner if you are on a fixed schedule. Flex schedule is the best schedule to allow for collaboration, however, if you aren't on flex schedule you can still collaborate and be an instructional partner.

Maybe you are still in rotation during the teachers' conference times. This is a hard thing for you to change, however, you should still advocate for the change. However, it may not happen right away, and I understand that. But, you can still tie that library time into the curriculum and make it more meaningful. Look through your district's curriculum, or talk with the classroom teachers. More than likely they will love for you to touch on something that students need from the curriculum. There are so many options!!

We have to get out from behind the circulation desk and be instructional partners! 

Teachers won't bring the kids! 

This is absolutely not true, and it is my least favorite argument that other librarians give when telling me why flex schedule is not for their school. Many teachers are used to the fixed schedule and don't realize what librarians can do for them and the curriculum. You have to let them know! Some teachers may not even realize that school librarians were teachers first before being a librarian. Let teachers know what you can do for them and invite them to bring their class to the library. 

• START SMALL - You may not be able to get every teacher on campus on board in one day, but if you can get one teacher to bring their class to the library to co-teach a lesson with you, you will be amazed how word will spread! 

The Biggest Obstacle

The argument I hear all the time is: "Teachers don't want to give up their extra 30 minutes". OK, I'm going to be ugly honest here for a minute. If you are not in the conference rotation time, library time is not an extra planning time for teachers. It is a time that is best utilized for conferencing with the students about what they are reading. Why would teachers not want to come in and get to know their students' reading interest? 

This was my biggest obstacle when I first started as the librarian. The librarian before me had allowed teachers to drop off their students and leave for the entire 30 minutes. I saw a problem in the older grades because the ELA teacher would get sometimes 3 "extra breaks" on library day, while the math and science teacher got zero extra breaks. We also used the Accelerated Reader program, and teachers weren't using the library time to conference with students about what they were reading and their AR goal. 

We have to be an advocate for the students, and if you are on a fixed or a flexed be an advocate for what is best for the students! Library time should be an extension of the classroom. 

I'm not saying to go tell your campus everything is changing tomorrow. I do urge you to look at the Future Ready Framework and advocate for a flex schedule and become an instructional partner. 

Why a Flex Schedule? PART 2

I shared in an earlier post about the changes I made this past school year to the library program and schedule. I was approached by Region 10 and Texas Title 1 Capacity Building Initiative to be interviewed about my collaborative partnerships and my flexible schedule. Their team came to my school and videoed myself and another teacher co-teaching a lesson, then interviewed us both. The video is complete, and I'm very proud of the outcome.

How It Started

My flexible schedule started small my first year as a librarian. Then, as other teachers heard of the collaborative lessons, the partnership grew and now I am almost on a full flexible schedule. Only kinder and first grades come for their 30 minute lessons on a weekly basis. I use this time with the younger students to teach them how to be independent users of the library. 

When I talk about flexible schedule, I've been told several times that it just doesn't work in an elementary school. I'm here to tell you it does work, and it is the best for the students. Start small, find just one teacher that is willing to collaborate with you. Build that trust, and I promise you it will work out in your library too.

I am more than happy to discuss this with anyone that is interested in a flexible schedule. Feel free to contact me and I will do everything I can to help you out.

LAUNCH Book Study: Week 1

One of my favorite types of professional development is a Book Study accompanied by a weekly twitter chat. This summer, some of the librarians in my district are discussing the book LAUNCH by John Spencer and A.J. Juliani. This past week we finished Chapters 1 and 2 with a focus on our creative approaches.

The best part of the book study is the conversation we have on Twitter. We can communicate from the comfort of our home, or from the beach, during the summer.

One of the assignments this past week was to create an image using Adobe Spark that shows the creative approach we most identify with. If you haven't used Adobe Spark yet, you should try it! It is very user friendly, and you can create beautiful images, flyers, and videos.

I wanted to try something new that I've seen others use: Storify.  Storify allows you to create a social story using your social media accounts. I've been wanting to try it for a while, so I used part of our book study conversation. I love being able to see all the answers here in one story, along with all the images the librarians created.

Creative Approach

In chapter 2, the authors give us a look at the different creative mindsets. I love how they compare creativity to ice cream flavors on their website, there are many different kinds. There are many types of creativity that are not looked at as being creative, but in reality, we are all creative. 

After reading the seven types of creative teachers, I found that I identify most with The Hacker. In the description, The Hacker is described in a positive light: a person that breaks down a system to create something better. I identify with this creative approach because I have not always followed the rules completely to the tee, but I do what I feel is best for the students. 

When I first started my librarian position, my first and top goal was to change the library procedures to best help the students. I admit, when I first introduced the flex schedule and did away with the 30 minutes drop-your-kids-off-and-leave library schedule, a few of the teachers saw me as a rebel. It took a while to convince them that this system was best for the students, even though it wasn't the norm they were used to. And, I admit, I still have a couple to convice, but that's ok. I'm not in this for them, I'm in this for the students. My passion and approach has always been to evaluate the way things are done, and make it best for the students, even if it isn't the way things have always been done in the past.

Spencer, John and A.J. Juliani. LAUNCH: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creatvitiy and Bring Out the Maker in Every Student. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc., 2016. 

Annual Library Report

Why a Flex Schedule?

One of the biggest changes I made this school year to my library program was to move to a flexible schedule. I had several people backing me up, including my principal and library director, but unfortunately had some people tell me it didn't work in an elementary school. Well, I am here to tell you it does work and it works AMAZINGLY well in an elementary school.

I've been asked a few times this year why I went to a flexible schedule. I was recently approached by my library director and Region 10 to talk about the importance of collaborative partnerships and having a flex schedule in an elementary library. I admit, this was WAY out of my comfort zone, but I wanted to advocate for librarians.  The video isn't complete yet, but hopefully will be soon.

I was interviewed about my collaborative partnerships and my role as an instructional partner. The video will focus on how library programs are mentioned in the new ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act).

This was the part where I was most nervous!

However, I'm not writing this blog to tell you about how I was nervous during the interview on tape, I want to tell you why I chose to go to a flexible schedule, and tell you that you can too. 

Collaborative Partnerships

A collaborative partnership with teachers is an imperative part of a school library program.

I started my first collaborative partnership when I asked a teacher if I could do a mini-lesson with her students using padlet. Other teachers in that grade level got word of the lesson, and wanted their students to learn also. Then a collaborative partnership was born. It started small, but has grown immensely. Sometimes the teacher approaches me regarding a skill the students are having trouble with in class, and sometimes I see a project is coming up for a grade level in the curriculum.  

I always try to be respectful of teachers’ time, so I may make a quick mention of something I can help them with in the teachers lounge, or I might send an email. I also made sure to tell them thank you and mention the collaborative project in front of another teacher, which usually opened up an opportunity to collaborate again.

When you have that collaborative partnership with teachers, the lessons can be so much more engaging for the students by bringing in more resources and technology. Also, when the teacher and librarian are modeling collaboration, the students see the collaboration and it helps change the learning environment in the entire school. Plus, you have the classroom teacher and the librarian sharing their expertise and talents.

Self Checkout 

One of the questions I get most often is: When do the students check out if they don't have come as a class for checkout time? 

In order for students to have access to the library when I’m involved with a lesson, the students use the self-checkout station. The first 2 weeks of school, every student learns to use this station to be able to independently checkout. Teachers can send students individually or in groups as class time permits.

Region 10 filmed some of my first graders using the self checkout station.

Instructional Partnership

I believe the most important role of the school librarian is to be a teacher and instructional partner. The library is typically the largest learning space in the building, and has access to the most learning resources available to the students.  The librarian should understand the curriculum and provide support for the classroom teacher. When the classroom teacher and the librarian plan together and share the instructional duties, you have doubled the students learning opportunities.

Flexible Schedule is so worth it, even if it is a bit hard to get started. If you can just get one teacher on board to collaborate with you, you will be amazed at what more you can do. If you are interested in starting a flexible schedule at your school, feel free to reach out to me. I'm here as a resource and am happy to help! If you need ideas to get your teachers on board, search my blog for some of the activities I have done with my classes. Also, Nancy Jo Lambert's blog is a great resource as well. She was my motivation!

4th Grade Book Recommendations

We are wrapping up the school year, and it is time to start collecting library books for the annual inventory. It is always a sad time for me when I have to close the library, but the library has to be prepared for summer. The students always ask me what they will do if I'm closed. The 4th grade teacher and I put our heads together and came up with the idea that the students should make recommendations to each other for their summer reading.

The padlet was created for the students to add their book recommendations, and I have been blown away with how many students have added their favorite books. This link will be available to the students all summer. Students will be able to look for a book recommendation as well as add new books that they recommend.

It makes me so happy to see the students excited about books and recommending to each other. They come to me often when they need something to read, but having your peer recommend a book can be more meaningful.

Mo Willems - An Author Study with Kindergarten

Do your students love Piggy and Elephant as much as my students do? Every year, the first few weeks of school, my kinders and firsties ask, "Where are the Piggy and Elephant books?"  Not only do my students love these books, but I am a huge fan of Mo Willems and his writing. I love the way he uses illustrations to show the characters feelings and emotions. He is a GENIUS when it comes to writing for children. 

I decided this year to go ahead and teach a unit over Mo Willems book to my kinder students, so next year they would be more familiar with all of his books, not just sweet, funny Piggy and Elephant. 

We started off with DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! It had the kids rolling with laughter! After reading, we discussed all the different emotions that pigeon felt during the story when he couldn't drive the bus. 

  

The next week, we read DON'T LET THE PIGEON STAY UP LATE! The students noticed right away that the bus driver was now in his pajamas! After reading, we compared this story and last week's story. Then we went to the tables and students came up with 4 reasons to give their parents why they should be allowed to stay up late. Their answers were hilarious! One student said he should stay up late because he wanted to eat hot dogs. 

The following week we moved on to the Elephant & Piggie series and started with ELEPHANTS CANNOT DANCE! I love Mo Willems's message in this book, that we should never say we can't, but should always try. After reading, we played the Elephant & Piggie Dance Game and the students learned some new dance moves. 

The next week I introduced the students to my favorite, KNUFFLE BUNNY! Do you say it nuffle or k-nuffle? Trixie has an argument with another little girl in the KNUFFLE BUNNY, TOO about the pronunciation of the bunny's name. While reading KNUFFLE BUNNY, the students spied the pigeon on a couple of pages, then we discussed times we had lost something that was important to us. 

The final week of the unit, I read a Mo Willems biography to the students. They drew a picture of Mo Willems and added a fact or two that they learned about him. Most of them drew him in a tshirt with the pigeon on the front. 

Since this unit, the kinder students have all wanted to check out and read the other Mo Willems books. They have stayed checked out since!