Next year we are going to have a MakerSpace in the library. I'm not sure what that is going to look like--do I have it available all the time? Do I wrap it around a teacher's lesson and only have it available while they are learning that particular thing? How do I plan for this?!
Well, we are running a test trial this week. Getting our feet wet, so to speak. Today was Day 1 of MakerSpace Testing and I'm thrilled with how well it went!
I had two 4th grade classes come in and try their hand at origami. First I had them watch the video of Tom Angleberger explaining how to make an emergency Origami Yoda:
As we watched, we all made our own Origami Yoda. If students struggled, I had others at their table help them.
Then, using an ebook from Capstone, we put it on the Smartboard and made the Floppy Ear Puppy. Then I gave each table a different assignment: they could use an origami book and choose one design to work on as a group or they could look at the new design on the SmartBoard. It was kid friendly, but still a bit challenging.
It was fun to step away and watch what happened. Some students struggled with the Crouching Bunny design on the SmartBoard, but they persevered. Another group stuggled with making a car, but they worked it out as a group. Creativity was evident. One student got scissors and cut his own deisng into a piece of paper and created his own story with the design. They were allowed, for an hour, to create and manipulate paper and they loved it.
I stood to the side and watched and encouraged and occasionally helped. When they got frustrated that the Origami paper was wrinkled, I told them they could still use the same piece--wrinkled didn't mean broken. It didn't mean they had to get a new piece of paper-it just meant they had to push out the wrinkles and start over.
Tomorrow is building and designing with marshmellows and toothpicks. I'll take pictures and post them.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Adding Some Color to the Library
I have this huge lighting structure hanging above my circulation desk. Today we added some vinyl stickers to it to spruce it up a bit. What do you think?!
Now my next task is to tackle that long blue wavy piece you see in the background. I'd like to add some sort of literary quote, or pictures of characters from books. This is going to take some thought and planning to make sure we do it right!
Now my next task is to tackle that long blue wavy piece you see in the background. I'd like to add some sort of literary quote, or pictures of characters from books. This is going to take some thought and planning to make sure we do it right!
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Capture the Learning: Crafting the Maker Mindset
Capture the Learning: Crafting the Maker Mindset
I love this article. It is going to be my guide as we embark on Maker Spaces next year in the library!
I love this article. It is going to be my guide as we embark on Maker Spaces next year in the library!
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Reflecting on TLA15
I was so glad to be able to attend the Texas Library Association's Annual Conference last week in Austin, TX. Not only did I get to hang out with colleagues and friends, I was able to meet some authors and illustrators (!!!), and I even attended some great sessions on how to make my library a better place.
I attended the Bluebonnet 101 session about how to make my Texas Bluebonnet reading program better for my students, and my teachers. My big takeaway was that I am not supposed to push my students to read all 20 books on the list. I am to encourage my 3rd - 5th grade students to "read 5, then decide". Not all books are appropriate for all age levels. This will slightly change how I approach my Bluebonnet program. I will focus more on getting the students to read 5, rather than trying to get them to read more. I have ordered my Bluebonnet books and they should get here in the next few weeks so we can get started!
I attended the Bluebonnet 101 session about how to make my Texas Bluebonnet reading program better for my students, and my teachers. My big takeaway was that I am not supposed to push my students to read all 20 books on the list. I am to encourage my 3rd - 5th grade students to "read 5, then decide". Not all books are appropriate for all age levels. This will slightly change how I approach my Bluebonnet program. I will focus more on getting the students to read 5, rather than trying to get them to read more. I have ordered my Bluebonnet books and they should get here in the next few weeks so we can get started!
Me and Oliver Jeffers, illustrator of the 2015 Bluebonnet Award winning book,
The Day the Crayons Quit.
Another session I attended was a brief introduction to MakerSpaces. While this is a big trend in libraries, I am learning it is not something most of my teachers have every heard about. I want to start the school year off with a MakerSpace and I see that I am going to have to spend some time teaching my teachers about it! I think it is going to be another great way to draw students (and teachers!) into the library and to show them the resources we have available.
I attended the Texas 2x2 Session where I got to meet:
John Rocco
(That's me. I obviously need to do some push ups and tone my arms.)
Again, I came away with some ideas for the 2x2 program that I can use next year. I want to incorporate more technology into my lessons, and the 2x2 provides some lesson activities that I can use. Listening to John Rocco speak inspired me to communicate more with my parents on the benefits of reading aloud and reading together.
The session on Board Games in the Library gave me some thoughts about my MakerSpace and about my centers that I do with 1st grade. I'm not ready to buy a bunch of board games, but I do already own some puzzles and checkers boards so I would like to incorporate those more next year.
The Graphic Novel session hosted by Mavericks was fascinating. I know I need to bolster this part of my library. Listening to Jeff Smith speak about his history with graphic novels and the graphic novel industry was really interesting. I am ready to sit down with my book rep and discuss how to expand this section of my library.
All in all, I did not come away with one big, huge AHA! moment from the conference. I came away with many little, "I cannot wait to try this in my library" moments, which is really what I wanted. My library program (and students and teachers) will be the better for it next year.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Oh the Feels....
From @_Snape_
Transformation Tuesday.. pic.twitter.com/bVx5wwWBK3
— Professor Snape (@_Snape_) April 14, 2015
Magisto
I'm trying out this new website/app I just discovered. The free version allows you to use up to 10 photos to make a video. I think it's worth the price to buy a subscription and use more photos. A one year premium subscription is $19.99 and allows you to upload up to 30 photos per movie and gives you the ability to download your finished movies and create longer movies.
Monday, April 13, 2015
Catching Up
It's been awhile since I blogged. I've been Tweeting (@SniffsBooks) instead. But that doesn't mean we haven't been busy in the library!
In March we had a guest reader for Dr Seuss's birthday: the Cat in the Hat! He read to three assemblies, which allowed every student to be able to participate. For the rest of the birthday celebration week we played Dr Seuss Bingo in the library. The students loved it and prizes were handed out for the winners.
We had another puppet show, based on the book Tadpole's Promise by Jeanne Willis. It was so much fun to play the part of the rainbow caterpillar who was madly in love with her black pearl tadpole. It was even more fun to see their shocked expressions when we reached the twist in the story!
The teachers and school counselor and I got together to make a video parody of Taylor Swift's song, Shake It Off. It was meant to be an inspirational, and funny, video to loosen up our students before the STAAR test.
Something else I have been doing with my 3rd - 5th graders is discussing what we are reading. Every time I see a class, I share what I am reading with them and I ask them to share with me (and each other) what they are reading. This started off very slowly since my students were not used to discussing what they are reading. Reading has always been a silent activity. It's not been something they were used to doing, so it was slow at first. But the more I share, the more they share. Even the teachers are beginning to share what they are reading. I am striving to make our reading an open discussion. I want them to understand that we are all reading. We are all readers. By sharing our books, we are encouraging each other to read and we are promoting books with each other. I share with my students how it is OK to not like a book--it actually makes us stronger readers when we learn what we like and don't like. This has been one of my favorite activities of the year. It just takes 5-10 minutes per class, but I've been able to see some of my students grow as readers and some of them are eager to share what they are reading. I want to demystify reading and let my students see how EVERYONE can be a wild reader.
In March we had a guest reader for Dr Seuss's birthday: the Cat in the Hat! He read to three assemblies, which allowed every student to be able to participate. For the rest of the birthday celebration week we played Dr Seuss Bingo in the library. The students loved it and prizes were handed out for the winners.
We had another puppet show, based on the book Tadpole's Promise by Jeanne Willis. It was so much fun to play the part of the rainbow caterpillar who was madly in love with her black pearl tadpole. It was even more fun to see their shocked expressions when we reached the twist in the story!
The teachers and school counselor and I got together to make a video parody of Taylor Swift's song, Shake It Off. It was meant to be an inspirational, and funny, video to loosen up our students before the STAAR test.
Something else I have been doing with my 3rd - 5th graders is discussing what we are reading. Every time I see a class, I share what I am reading with them and I ask them to share with me (and each other) what they are reading. This started off very slowly since my students were not used to discussing what they are reading. Reading has always been a silent activity. It's not been something they were used to doing, so it was slow at first. But the more I share, the more they share. Even the teachers are beginning to share what they are reading. I am striving to make our reading an open discussion. I want them to understand that we are all reading. We are all readers. By sharing our books, we are encouraging each other to read and we are promoting books with each other. I share with my students how it is OK to not like a book--it actually makes us stronger readers when we learn what we like and don't like. This has been one of my favorite activities of the year. It just takes 5-10 minutes per class, but I've been able to see some of my students grow as readers and some of them are eager to share what they are reading. I want to demystify reading and let my students see how EVERYONE can be a wild reader.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)