FRES School Library News 2 Day
October 13, 2015
Happy Fall Y'all!
The Magic of Student Empowerment through Inquiry presented by Barbara Stripling
In September, I was fortunate to attend a conference on Inquiry Based Learning presented by Barbara Stripling. Below I have included an infographic that explains Stripling's Model of Inquiry and a few notes from the day that I found the most interesting and beneficial.
Top 3 Take Aways
- The instructor must allow the ideas and thoughts generated during the different phases to grow i.e. let the students follow their own paths to knowledge providing guiding questions to develop their thinking strategies.
- Inquiry projects take time; rushing them will not yield the same effects.
- Collaborate with the librarian from the beginning (planning stage) through to the end of the project.
When working through the Inquiry Cycle with students, keep these things in mind at each of following stages:
Wonder
- Students should be asking the questions.
- In the beginning, work on guiding students on how to ask focused, relevant questions that add value to the conversation.
Investigate
- Reinforce how to identify good information and resources.
- Not only provide the students with websites and resources to use for projects, but also discuss why they are good resources.
Construct
- This is the THINKING stage!
- Encourage through interpreting or identifying patterns; making decisions; analyzing facts.
Express
- Important, but do in a way that is meaningful and relevant to their lives.
- Ideas for expression: Write a resume (i.e. main character, important person in history); Write a recipe (i.e. What is the recipe for George Washington’s success?); Cheers and Jeers article (similar to the one in T.V Guide)
Reflect
- Give students time to reflect on learning, and not just at the end of the unit/project.
- Prompts to use: “What do you know now? What new questions do you now have?”
When designing/planning your Inquiry Based unit, keep these things in mind:
- The content focus is important, but so are the framing questions that lead to inquiry.
- Reflect on the process as a learner; focus on skills that promote life-long learning and apply to their lives. Ask yourself “Is this a skill that my students need to learn?”
- Don’t forget to leave time to connect to learning and allow for WONDER to occur.
- Start with pictures, infographics, and primary sources to lead into inquiry. (i.e. Anticipatory Set)
- Mix images with text to add context to the image.
If you are interested in learning more about Inquiry Based Projects and/or are interested in planning an inquiry based project, please email me or stop by the library. This is a topic that I am very interested in and have several resources to offer to help you get started.
Here is the link to workshop materials: http://www.monroe2boces.org/SLS.cfm?subpage=3357
-Jessica
September Statistics
Days of school: 17
Total number students using the library: 1140
Average number of students per day: 70
Average number of students per cycle: 380
Total number of items circulated: 5026
Number of titles added to the collection: 34
*These statistics refer to 'unscheduled' students using the library.
Curriculum Connection
September/October
- LMC expectations, routines, and procedures
- Sections of the library
- Call numbers
- Reading a spine label
“Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.” ― Maya Angelou
Computers in the library.
Students must be self-sufficient in logging on, performing the assigned task, and time management to be successful using these computers. Those students who cannot display these characteristics and/or FRES' Star Qualities will be sent back to the classroom. Please send a blue pass with the students, listing all of their names, and remind them to stop at the Circulation Desk to check in.
Computer Availability for Students
Day 1: 10:25 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. to 2:55 p.m.
Day 2: 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:50 p.m. to 2:55 p.m.
Day 3: 1:50 p.m. to 2:20 p.m.
Day 4: 10:25 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:50 p.m. to 2:20 p.m.
Day 5: 10:25 a.m. to 12:35 p.m. and 2:25 p.m. to 2:55 p.m.
Day 6: 10:25 a.m. to 12:35 p.m.
School Library Hours
Circulation: M-F 9:00 a.m. -3:15 p.m.
24/7 resources availability through our website at http://www.bcsd.org