Reflecting on 2017-2018

2017-2018 was a great year with many challenges and triumphs.  Starting a position at a new school, new library was more difficult than I anticipated but also rewarding.  There were days when I wondered if what I was doing made a difference and then there were days when I KNEW that all of my efforts were paying off.  I truly believe that the library program and the librarian directly impact student learning on a campus.  As a librarian, you are in a unique position to touch the lives of every student on your campus. 

My goal was to impact every student, to inspire them to read, to push them to think creatively, to show them that literacy is related to every aspect of their lives.  Most of all, I wanted them to understand that learning is fun and that there is wonder all around them. I know it's not a measurable goal but if you were to just come spend some time in our library, you would definitely see all of the above.  Kids are excited about reading and excited about all that they can discover and create in the library.  That, my friends, is what you call a successful year. 

Nance Library Newsletter - August/September

Habitat Collaboration

Over the past few weeks, I have had the privilege of collaborating with my 3rd grade and kindergarten bilingual classes on a great science research project. It just so happened the while 3rd grade was learning about ecosystems and food chains, kindergarten was also learning about animals. During an afternoon discussion with one of my amazing kindergarten teachers, she brought up the idea of having kindergarten engage in authentic research as opposed to the traditional full class research project that they usually completed.

 I knew from working with our 3rd grade bilingual classes on a regular basis, that they truly understood research and how to complete a research project at a high level of excellence. Our 3rd graders went through the entire research process beginning with coming up with good research questions and ending with presenting their projects to their peers and even creating an MLA formatted bibliography. These kids were so excited about their projects. I sat in class while they worked on giving feedback to each other. These 3rd graders knew how to give meaningful, specific feedback in a way that is helpful and not hurtful. They ended up with presentations that were truly excellent.

 Thus began a great collaboration experience. The 3rd graders started learning about their habitat and specifically about endangered animals within that habitat. They were then paired up with a kindergarten friend who chose one of the endangered animals to learn more about. The 3rd graders came up with the research questions to help guide the kindergarten students and then assisted them with finding the information online and in books. What they ended up with was an awesome google slides presentation created by the 3rd grader and a book created by the kindergarten student with assistance from the 3rd grader about the endangered animal. We scheduled time in the library for our students to present side-by-side. Administration, parents and other teachers and students were all invited. The outcome was amazing!

If you would like to see some of the presentations, go to this site: 

http://mrsgoregrade3.weebly.com/my-students.html

The presentations are embedded on their science page of their blog.  

Fifth Grade Book Trailers

As our fifth graders finished up their unit on Theme, I challenged them to create a trailer for a book that they had read that represented the theme of the book.  We talked about how music and transitions and design all contributed to the overall effect of the trailer.  Here are some of the great products that our students came up with

An Ethic of Excellence

At the beginning of this school year, a co-worker mentioned this book to me and suggested that I order it for the professional library at my school.  It took me a while to actually pick it up but I am so glad that I did.  Ron Berger definitely has a lot to say about educational reform and what true learning should look like.  The basic idea steams from the need for a culture change, a paradigm shift in our schools and in our classrooms.  Learning has become so prescribed and tailored to standardized tests that students are missing out on the experience of true learning and a culture that holds all students to high standards that transcend curriculum and traditional strategies.  

Berger teaches in a small public school in rural Massachusetts.  The culture of the school is one of excellence.  This excellence is seen in every part of the school day.  Students are taught to go through multiple drafts of work, give meaningful feedback and receive feedback from others.  All students create portfolios that are presented to a panel at the end of every school year.  The work included in the portfolio is evidence of true work that matters to the students and the schools.  Content is delivered through thematic units that include all core subjects and revolve around real world problems and activities.  

This has to be my favorite quote from the book: 

Imagine...Wouldn't that be amazing! 

Here is a link to the introduction on the book for you check out!

February Library Newsletter

TCEA 2016 - My Take-Aways

Perhaps my favorite part of TCEA was the privilege to represent my district and the library program by sharing all of the great MakerSpace collaboration that we have done in the library this year.