Look at the Books We Chose!

It's Picture Book Month!

There are so many exciting projects going on in my library that I don't have time to write about them. Until I do find the time, check out these kindergarten students.  They are eager to show you the two great books they checked out - one nonfiction book and one fiction book (picture book).  Do your students recognize any of their favorite books?

Hooray for Picture Book Month!
Hooray for excited readers!

"Action!" Giving Rise to Student Voices

"I'm going to show you something, come over here."

That's what I was asked on a recent Friday afternoon.  A second grader asked if he could make a safety video for the library.  This was an offer I knew I should not and could not pass up.  I grabbed my smart phone and started filming.  This was as spontaneous as you get.  You'll see students walking in front on the camera and hear them talking about the books they have checked out, but through all the activity, this student stays focused on his task.  He's going to share what he knows about finding books and safely carrying books.

I'm wondering if I can leave the two flip video cameras out at browsing for the students that want to create videos related to library learning.  I think this could be another way to give a voice to students who might not always choose to or be able to find theirs at other times during the library lesson. 

It's worth watching this to the end where he sits down to demonstrate using the computers.  A teacher has left his or her email open on the library desktop and he calmly goes about closing the windows for this teacher.  Maybe I should show this student's self-titled "Safety Video" to the staff. :)

A Sign of the Times

I've been working on new signs for my library.  

The ideas are not earth shattering, but here they are:

Here's my Call Number...

...so find me maybe

I am working on making a stronger connection between Destiny, our online catalogue, and the books on the shelf. I model using Destiny and teach a number of lessons each year, but there are still the students who come to me asking for help to find a book...

...sometimes without the call number. :)

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Keeping Current...

...of the events

Instead of taking down the books on top of the bookcase and putting up thematic books, I've decided to create a basket for them.  This way I don't lose my limited display space and can also turn attention to the  thematic books.  This is just the start, but I am thinking I can make reusable signs for holidays and other events.

I took this picture yesterday after school.  After my four kindergarten classes this morning almost all the books were gone.  I hadn't even mentioned or drawn attention to the basket. Interesting...

 I am sure it has not escaped your notice that I have no wall space in my library.  I don't want to cover up all the windows, so will probably have to cycle through signage as the year goes along. 

It's Picture Book Month!

It's Picture Book Month!

I am so excited for tomorrow! I have big plans in store for this month-long celebration.  We'll be creating projects and sharing our passion for picture books. 

The signs are hung and the announcements are in the teachers' mailboxes. Next up: a notice for the parent newsletter.

We celebrated Picture Book Month last year and it was a very successful.  My favorite project was the reading challenge.  I delivered posters and stickers to each classroom, along with reading logs and instructions.  For one week the students logged and marked the picture books they read.  We had a school wide celebration at the end.  The students were so engaged that I had teachers asking me to extend it!  Visit the Picture Book Month Website for a media kit, calendar, ideas and links to author created activities.

Here are links to last year's projects:
(Book)Marking Picture Book Month
Celebrate Picture Book Month with These Books

Let the reading begin!

Kid Pix and the boy

I had been sitting with this young student for a few minutes before I grabbed my cell phone to capture this moment.

This first grader is very comfortable in this medium.  I am taken by how each line is purposeful.  There was no doubt about the art and no erasing.  The library was empty, save for the two of us, but he is still incredibly focused and task oriented.

This video reminds me how important it is to give students access to  the tools they need to express themselves.  I want to say something to this effect, "If the medium fits...use it," but that sounds as if it is an add on.  That's not my intention at all.  I mean that I want to work harder to find the right tools for the right child.

There were three first grade students who missed the Kid Pix production day that was part of the Tad Hills author study. Each student came into the library at a separate time between my other classes. What a thrill to watch them work.

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~The beginning of the train picture~

It was such a different experience to work one on one with a child for an extended period of time. It got me thinking about the learning commons that I am slowly trying to create. I am really hoping that my Wednesday afternoon "flex time" will soon be filled with individual students or small groups of students creating, making and doing. 

Citing Your Sources...A Circular Story

In the midst of an AUP lesson, this student raised his hand and then waxed poetic about the importance of citing one's sources.  Regretting that I had no smart phone or flip camera nearby, I whisked him outside during browsing to ask him to explain again why citing your sources is important.

I had to do two takes because of hallway noise, but after listening to both takes, I have included the salient points from each.  What I love?  Hearing him explain citing your sources sounds like a circular story of information sharing, sort of like a mutual admiration society.  Cool Beans.

I learned that...

..."they grow up and they grow down."

..."they decompose."

..."it's a life cycle."

..."how to plant a pumpkin."

I've been introducing my kindergarten students to nonfiction books.  These kindergartners as a grade level are my most avid nonfiction readers to date. (Integrating Common Core Standards will be easy for their teachers.)  We've been focusing on nonfiction books as information books - books that we go to for the who, what, when, where, why and how.

Trying to avoid the boring "location and access" type lesson, we are spending a few weeks with one text and then spending time exploring the nonfiction section independently.  I'm trying to come up with a more catchy name for the nonfiction section, which happens to run along the back wall of my library.  What do you think of this?

Wonder Wall

I Wonder...

Why...this happens

Where... it is located

Who...invented this

What...happens when

How... tall it is

Tell me what you think!  Share your ideas.  In the meantime, after only one reading, here's what these students learned from the book, Pumpkin Circle.