The one where I try to define my school library program

The Mason-Rice School Library Program

The students at Mason-Rice come to library for instruction for thirty minutes each week. Students also come to the library during research or other collaborative classroom-related projects. The school library is a place where students can pursue their own interests as well as continue classroom research.

I see the Mason-Rice Library Program in three distinct, but overlapping themes.  They are: Read.Reflect.Recommend; Connect.Communicate.Collaborate; Explore.Extract.Express.

Read.Reflect.Recommend. Through author studies, genre explorations, book talks, and browsing, students are exposed to both current and classic literature. Students are encouraged to reflect on their reading experiences, share those reflections, and recommend books to each other. Students gain understanding on how a library is organized and how to find the books they want to read.  My goal is to grow and support life-long readers.

Explore.Extract.Express.

Libraries are thinking spaces. Libraries are learning spaces. Through classroom research projects and student-driven exploration, students explore print and electronic resources and learn how to: access databases and find books through the Destiny catalogue.  Students extract information from these sources. They learn how to develop questions and search terms; take notes; and cite their sources.  In the final phase, students express their new found knowledge.  They demonstrate their knowledge traditionally by writing reports, creating posters, and presenting to the class.  We work to integrate technology authentically and give students the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge through Kid Pix Slideshows, Animoto movies, Voicethreads, Google Presentations, Google Docs, and various other tools as accessed through the school’s technology.  Students also learn what it means to be a cyber citizen – how to be safe and keep others safe online. My goal in this area of the program is to cultivate interest and empower students to be life-long learners.

Connect.Communicate.Collaborate.

Students are connecting, communicating and collaborating with the classmates and schoolmates every day, but the virtual library classroom has no walls.  Through Skype visits and Google Hangouts, students connect, communicate and collaborate with authors, illustrators, as well as students in library classrooms across the country. Students connect with learners around literacy-based events, initiatives and projects. They communicate through the Web-based tools mentioned above as well as through applications like Voicethread, Animoto and iMovie.  Students collaborate on learning outcomes with these virtual partners.  My goal in this area is to help students become good digital citizens and productive and active members of a 21st Century classroom.

The library is a great place to work and hang out, join our library volunteers and find out what happens at the intersection of reader and story. Not able to make it into the library? Find out what what’s happening on my blog, Reederama. (http://reederama.blogspot.com).

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?