Is it really the end of December?! I feel like I've blinked and part of the school year is already over. The curiosity, thinking, and wondering that has happened in the library so far is truly incredible. Here is an update on the learning taking place in the library! Kindergarten and First Grade- The students have been learning about sequencing and cause-effect. They now know how to sort, think, and arrange stories into proper order. We read If You Give A Mouse A Cookie and If You Give A Dog A Donut by Laura Numeroff to practice predicting what comes next in a story. The students did an excellent job of putting the beginning, middle, and end parts into the correct story order. Students then had a chance to become their own storytellers! Using picture cards as clues, students made up their own story orders and told their own versions to each other. Second and Third Grade- I have been incorporating STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) into the students' scheduled library time. They are reading, planning, and building as student-led teams. Some of the teams are following blueprints to build vehicles, robots, and spring boards. Others have been building things from their own imagination. They are having lots of fun along the way! I have noticed an increased inclination to build, fix, and experiment within our learning environment. I see my students taking things apart and seeing how the pieces fit together, making plans and a list of steps before building. They are building, inventing, and creating! The students are mastering early engineering concepts, becoming comfortable with hands-on problem solving, and building communication skills with one another. I hope everyone has a wonderful break and happy holidays!
On Monday I had the honor of being a guest speaker on Education Talk Radio, hosted by Larry Jacobs. Education Talk Radio gets around 60,000 listens a month, with listeners tuning in internationally. Talk about a large audience! I was able to speak about our active school library program at the Shaw and how we integrate access to resources with our students and families. The library truly is a place where students can read widely and think critically. I love that as a librarian I can present content in different ways and provide choices for students.
You can listen to it here! I like to think of our library as a safe space where even the Shaw's youngest learners can use their minds to figure out how to create things. This past week was all about showing the students that the library is the perfect place for them to explore and experiment! Here is an update on the learning taking place in the library! Kindergarten- The students and I looked at the Tumblebooks version of the story Mechanimals by Chris Tougas. When a tornado hits and a farmer loses all his animals, he refuses to give up. He gets organized and invents different animals out of scrap metal. This story was a fun way to introduce the engineering design process, showing students that they can follow steps to come up with a solution to a problem. We talked about the importance of gathering materials and drawing up a plan. Students sketched plans, then moved on to the creating phase. Legos were the material of choice. The students did an incredible job using their problem-solving skills to invent and build! First, Second, and Third Grade- To prepare for Computer Science Education Week, we began to develop the skills of a computer scientist. Students created algorithms (sets of instructions) to move a character through a maze using a single command. Students also practiced "programming" one another using a combination of hand gestures. They set up a grid on the floor made up of pieces of paper. One student was the Walking Machine and the others were the Controllers. The Controllers led their classmate step-by-step through the paper maze that they created, using the provided arm signals. When the Controllers gave the signal to "STOP", the Walking Machine flipped over the page they were on. If that page had a smiley face on it, then the maze was a success! I offer STEM in the library because children of all ages are curious about how things work, and I can help their curiosity grow. Women and men of color are grossly under-represented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers, so one of my goals in the library is to help Shaw students develop an interest in these fields. I hope to ignite passion in them so they become doctors, architects, scientists and astronomers. I am so lucky to have the opportunity to start this when they are young so they grow up believing that they can and that they have the ability to do so.
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AuthorMrs. Keohane is the School Librarian at the P.A. Shaw. She loves hockey, going to the beach, and reading (obviously!) Archives
March 2020
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