This week during library time, Ms. Irwin chose Halloween themed read-alouds. For fourth graders she chose to preview books published by UNICEF to connect to the school wide efforts of trick-or-treat for UNICEF, and read The Dark by Lemony Snicket. Students were extremely interested a UNICEF book that depicted student lives around the world and how their lives compared to those of American students.
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So excited about this makerspace challenge posted on instagram by @librarianmsg! Students were challenged to create Halloween themed characters utilizing some of their favorite works that they would recommend to others. Check out some of their creations below:
Through the month of October, Jeneen did an author study of Chris Van Allsburg with fourth through sixth grade students. She discussed his illustrative style with students, twists throughout his plots, inclusion of his childhood dog Fritz in each publication, and endings that keep the reader guessing. Amongst the read-alouds Ms. Irwin introduced were: The Sweetest Fig, Z was Zapped, The Wretched Stone, Ben's Dream, Two Bad Ants, Bad Day at Riverbend, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, and The Widow's Broom. Additionally, Jeneen previewed the book, The chronicles of Harris Burdick, a short story collection that accompanies Van Allsburg's, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.
An extremely effective and gratifying system my mentor librarian, Jeneen Irwin, has in place in her library is her student shelf system. Each year, fourth through sixth grade students are allowed to claim a shelf with a sticky note that they will be in charge of for the year. Once students have selected shelves, Jeneen uses a label maker to identify each student's shelf. I am amazed each year at the sense of ownership and responsibility my students display over their shelf. They are instructed each year how the books on their shelf should look, alphabetically or numerically in order (depending on if their shelf is fiction or nonfiction) and each spine should be at the edge of their shelf to maintain a uniformed look. Students are given time at the beginning of their library time each week to check their shelves, and I find that my students voluntarily check on their shelves throughout the week before and after school. Each week, Jeneen posts "Neatest Shelf Awards" on a handful of shelves. Those students during their library time are allowed to choose a jolly rancher or hershey kiss as a prize.
This week during my students' library time, not only did Jeneen introduce her shelving system to my students, she also had them review how to find books in the library through the Dewey Decimal System for nonfiction, author's last name for fiction, and subject's name for biographies. After reviewing these shelving practices with students, students were then able to participate in a scavenger hunt to practice locating library resources. After receiving an index card with a book's shelving information, students were supposed to retrieve the book identified by their card and bring it to Ms. Irwin for a new card. Students were challenged to see how many cards they could do. The only two rules were that students must always walk and utilize their shelf markers so they knew where to return their book after showing it to Ms. Irwin. What a fantastic way to engage students in locating library books independently! During my students' library visit this week, Ms. Irwin (our fabulous school librarian), previewed The Storm Runner by J. C. Cervantes. This week, the author will be visiting to talk to third through sixth grade students about her novel centered around South American mythology. Students were entranced by the first chapter that was read to them. It should be an exciting author visit!
This week, Ms. Irwin additionally reviewed her Bluebonnet Book Award goals and folder system. Each year, she creates five question quizzes through Google Forms, for each of the year's selected Bluebonnet Books. Students are challenged to read at least five books and successfully complete their quizzes by January. Students' progress is tracked in their "Bluebonnet Folder". Ms. Irwin creates a document (housed in students' folders) that has the names and cover photos of each book, along with an area for students to have each book initialed by an adult who saw them read the book and a space for students to fill out when they completed the book. After students submit their folder in the library, Ms. Irwin stars the books students score a 3/5 or higher on or writes them a note to quiz again. If students reach their goal of reading 5 out of 20 award books, they are able to vote on their favorite book from that year's selections. The more books students read, the more prizes they are able to earn such as lunch in the library with Ms. Irwin, ability to choose books Ms. Irwin will order for the library, or their choice of book(s) to take home with them. I personally am extremely impressed by the system Ms. Irwin has set up for the Bluebonnet Book Awards. It not only motivates students to read, but additionally exposes them to a variety of genres and quality literature that they may not have tried otherwise. I plan to implement this system in my future library program! Week one, both 5208 and 5720 primarily focused on the typical beginning of the semester activities of going through syllabi and students providing brief introductions.
During my students’ weekly library visit, their lesson consisted of Jeneen reminding students of library behavior expectations and her reading aloud the book, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce. The storyline’s illustrations coupled with the detailed illustrations had students searching for deeper meaning within the text. Students made connections to hurricane Katrina, and how this disaster can be seen translated in the plot and pictures of this book. This was a fabulous read and students were elated to learn that they would be viewing the short, silent film made about this book during their next library visit. Some things I noticed from my seat were Jeneen’s poster detailing library expectations (detailed below), a small table behind her reading chair holding binders containing her lesson plans, and a magazine holder in the same area holding each grade level’s read aloud books for that week. At the end of the lesson, students were able to have time to peruse and check out books. Jeneen reminded students that she allows students to check out one more book than the grade level they are in. So my fourth graders were each able to check out up to five books. Library Expectations Poster: L–isten carefully I–nvolve yourself B–e respectful R–ead quietly A–lways walk R–eturn books on time Y–ou should be… It is the beginning of a new semester! This fall I am taking “Learning Resources Organization” (INFO 5208) and “Instructional Materials Production and Use” (INFO 5720). Basically, I will be learning the ins and outs of cataloging, along with many technology platforms I can use with my students in my future library. I am excited for these two courses, especially the integrated technology course, but feel a little trepidatious in approaching cataloging for the first time. It is an entirely new language that I will hopefully be fluent in by the end of INFO 5208.
I have the marvelous opportunity this year to be mentored by my fabulous school librarian, Jeneen Irwin. Each week I will be attending my students’ library time and observing their lessons along with the organization and facilitation Jeneen conducts throughout the library as a whole. I am so excited for this opportunity, and look forward to soaking in the procedures and lessons my librarian shares! With one fourth of my graduate degree under my belt, this summer feels like a victory. I successfully completed three courses in one summer semester, and it was my first semester back in student mode! The courses I took were “Information and Knowledge Professions” (INFO 5000), “Information Access and Knowledge Inquiry” (INFO 5600), and “School Librarianship” (INFO 5001). I was immersed in the world of librarianship, with a specific focus on reference librarianship practices and the fundamentals of school librarianship. I felt that many of the assignments completed through these courses gave me a better understanding of the scope of school librarianship, and additionally provided me with tools that I can use in my future position. These assignments will be linked within the pages under the “Standards” tab in my site menu.
As one of our final assignments in INFO 5001, we were asked to read and summarize point by point, Joyce Valenza’s, “Manifesto for 21st Century School Librarians”. Through her manifesto, Valenenza covers each of the five ALA/AASL pre-service librarian standards, and passionately describes her beliefs on school librarians’ roles and responsibilities. It was an excellent end note and culminating assignment for this beginning course in school librarianship. (“Manifesto for 21st Century School Librarians” and my summarization are provided in links below.) Heading into my final week of my school librarianship course, INFO 5001, I am reflecting on my journey through this course and what I’ve gained through its discussions and activities. As one of my first courses in my school librarianship program at UNT, this course has broken down each of the five standards of the ALA/AASL standards for pre-service librarians that I will be building upon throughout my studies. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the activities and the purposeful technology integration throughout the course. Many of the assignments made here such as my Infographic, “Empowering Learners” Presentation, and “Advocacy and Leadership” Assignment are tools I can potentially utilize when beginning my role as a school librarian. Additionally, the online tools introduced to me such as Piktochart, Knovio, and vendor book sites are beneficial and directly applicable to my current work as a teacher and future endeavors as a school librarian. I thoroughly enjoyed this course and look forward to my future school library courses in this program! Librarian Manifesto:
Standard 5: Program Management and Administration Candidates plan, develop, implement, and evaluate school library programs, resources, and services in support of the mission of the library program within the school according to the ethics and principles of library science, education, management, and administration. Exploring the fifth standard of the ALA/AASL librarian standards during module six, was done through a principal interview and a discussion post regarding intellectual freedom and banned books. I was able to brainstorm ways in which I would handle situations infringing on my students’ intellectual freedom in my future library, and hear from a principal herself, the qualities an administrator looks for during the hiring process of a new school librarian. Through my intellectual freedom and banned books discussion post, I predicted possible challenges I would face protecting students’ intellectual freedom. Then, came the difficult part, I had to figure out how I would respond to these very realistic challenges. The first challenge I discussed was the possibility of a parent requesting the removal of a work based on its controversial content, the second challenge I discussed was the reality of imposed filtering softwares on library computers due to CIPA and how I would still ensure students’ intellectual freedom despite these restrictions. During my principal interview with my principal, Jane Kronke, I was able to get her feedback in her perceived role of the librarian through the perspective of an administrator, and get insider information on qualities she looks for when hiring new librarians. My favorite quote from the interview was: “The school library is the heart and soul of the school”. I thought this was a beautiful illustration of the role of school librarians in engaging and providing for their school community. Both my “Intellectual Freedom and Banned Books Discussion Post” along with my principal interview with Jane Kronke are linked below and additionally available on my “Program Management and Administration” page under the “Standards” tab on my site. Intellectual Freedom and Banned Books Discussion Post:
Principal Interview with Jane Kronke:
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AuthorMy name is Mackenzie Wright. I am currently a teacher in the Austin area, and am finishing my Master's in school librarianship through UNT. Categories
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