Skip to main content

Learning New Things

It has been a while since my last update, so first here's what's been going on. I left my music teacher position of 14 years to take a 1/2 library 1/2 music position at a public PK-3rd grade Academy that focuses on using GT best practices for all students, whether or not they've been identified as gifted. I inherited a library that was staffed the previous year by a 1/2 time librarian and a 1/2 time assistant, who were both on another campus 1/2 time, which is tough. I've gotten really lucky to be mentored by a phenomenal librarian who is only blocks from my school, knows a TON about the district I'm in and how it's run and is just a great person.

Because I could basically do the music job in my sleep, I've spent something like 3/4 of my time in the library, trying to get my bearings, get programs off the ground and provide a welcoming space for my teachers and students. So far, it's been going well. This first post back is going to be focusing on a project that I've come to LOVE in my library: pets!

I don't have a crazy (or really any) budget and I don't have a lot of time for displays to draw kids into the library right now. I know that will come and I've got things up and going, but I really wanted to make the library about more than books. I want it to be a place of information, regardless of how that information is packaged. It's why libraries are looking at makerspaces and doing more community spaces than ever before. So, I wanted to spice up my non fiction section a bit. 

My district has a membership with the Region 20 Education Service Center which has a fabulous living science department. So, I ordered everything I could. Some things are on a two week loan, and others you can keep. So far our library has had a tarantula, corn snake, hermit crab, two gerbils, three anoles and fish (and some plants, too!). I had a display brought in that identifies venomous snakes to display near the corn snake's habitat. We're currently wrapping up our Name Those Gerbils Contest (I'm really hoping for Eric & Carle, Dewey & Journey or Harry & Potter). The kids drag their parents into the library to see the animals and I can't keep books about them on the shelves. It has really increased student excitement about the library and especially the non fiction section. I have plans for a 3rd Grade Spring project where they create and then we publish their own non fiction books about the library pet of their choice, which will get put into circulation in our library and have an option for parents to purchase additional copies as a mini fundraiser.  

If you don't have access to something like ESC's Living Science Department, check out the Classroom Pets grants here. I used that grant to help pay for the hermit crab. The form was simple, the pet store super helpful and friendly and it made it about 1/3 of the regular cost to get everything set up. My teachers love that their students can have access to different animals without the teachers having to care for them. My coach is helping me with their care on days I miss school, and really it only takes about 20 minutes in the morning and 10 before I leave for the day to make sure everyone is happy and healthy. I love our library pets! Pics will follow :)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

El Deafo

Summary:  When 4 year old Cece gets meningitis, her parents are scared. But she recovers and everything seems like it is going to be just fine, until they discover that Cece has suffered permanent hearing loss. Told through a graphic novel, Cece Bell's somewhat autobiographical story stars a world of bunnies where Cece navigates her first grade year while dealing with her deafness, wearing a hearing aid and making friends. She copes by creating an alter ego for herself, "El Deafo", the hearing aid wearing superhero. In the end, Cece gains confidence and learns to be more assertive with other people who just don't understand how their interactions with her can have an effect. Strengths: This graphic novel is geared towards a younger set of readers than most of the books I will be reviewing this fall in this blog, but it still has some value and strengths for the young adult reader. The theme of dealing with being different will resonate with young adult readers,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bloom's Taxonomy for a Digital Age

Bloom's Taxonomy. One of the things we are constantly hearing in our school is the push for increased rigor in our classroom, as a result of the STAAR tests and others like it becoming more rigorous. We are told to push for higher order thinking and questioning from our students. One of the tools we use to look at how we can increase rigor is Bloom's Taxonomy. But some things about Bloom's don't translate exactly when we are talking about the digital age and the classroom or library. For example, remembering is the lowest piece of the triangle for Bloom's, but remembering looks different when you have instant access to a powerful computer that can use essentially limitless online resources to find answers. I've mentioned to my husband just how much more this and future generations will know about the world around them simply because they no longer have to remember everything they're interested in knowing. If I pass a historical marker for a place I haven...
7 comments
Read more

Library Communication and Social Media

When social media became a "thing", businesses were one of the first entities to jump on board. Many companies realized that social media created an essentially free way to advertise. As social media developed, targeted marketing using social media became an even more effective way to communicate and advertise with specific consumer bases. Educational entities eventually got on board as well. What does this have to do with your library? Plenty. Let's take a look at most popular social media platforms - Facebook and Twitter, and how they are being used by libraries to promote and communicate with their clients as well as help educate and connect library staff members worldwide. Stay tuned for a future post on the social media platform that is ahead of Twitter in teen use, Instagram. Facebook The brain child of Mark Zuckerberg and his Harvard classmates, Facebook was created in 2004 as a way for college students to connect online. Myspace, a Facebook predecessor, had al...
3 comments
Read more