HMS Library Quarterly Report
October-December 2014
Students read...
Teachers collaborate...
In addition to book talks, partner book talks, and "book tastings" that happened in each grade level to encourage reading, below are some of the activities we did in the library related to what students were working on in their classrooms.
5th grade: Students used an online letter generator to write a thank-you letter after reading the book Thank You, Sarah about the woman who saved Thanksgiving. Students also read and listened to several different fables and completed a compare/contrast activity.
6th grade: Students listened to the book Thank You, Sarah, researched another holiday using an online encyclopedia, and then wrote a paragraph comparing and contrasting the two. Students also wrote and recorded a book talk on a book they read during the quarter. I put the videos onto the book's record on Destiny, the library's online catalog.
7th grade: Students used website evaluation criteria to look at several websites, deciding which ones were trustworthy and reliable. Students also completed two different activities using a "Write Around Text on Text" strategy, where groups of students read an article, writing their notes and observations, and then shared those with other groups of students.
8th grade: Students reviewed how to use the EBSCO databases, available to us through the State Library, and began the discussion of how to cite sources using the website EasyBib. Students also created "shelf talkers," small papers with a review of a book they recommend, which I then attached to the shelves in the library.
I look forward to continuing to collaborate with the ELA teachers and others as we integrate literacy skills with what students are learning in their core classes.
Students participate...
Special events...
What's next?
"What do teacher librarians do? A-E-I-O-U: Teach students to Access, Evaluate, Integrate, Originate, & Use information."
I believe this is a great description of how I try to support teachers and students in the learning process. I will always share good books with students and encourage them to become even better readers, but I also look forward to times when I can collaborate with teachers to teach students the literacy skills they'll need as they continue throughout their educational careers.
Rachel Yoder
Email: rachel.yoder@usd460.org
Website: ms.hesstonschools.org/library
Phone: 620-327-7111