Day Five - Always be Prepared

While this was only Day Five for me at Pine Street, school-wide it was the 100th Day of School for the students.  1st graders dressed up as 100 year old men and women, complete with glasses, canes, and white powdered hair.  Lee Anne allowed me to conduct one of the 1st grade library storytimes.  Continuing the emphasis on the South Carolina Book Award nominees, I read Polar Opposites, Pierre the Penguin, and Hibernation Station.  Following Lee Anne's lead, I encouraged the students to explore the concept of opposites in Polar Opposites (e.g., big/little, push/pull).  We also looked at the North and South Poles on a globe and talked about meeting in the middle - the Equator.


Image from: http://www.acrl.ala.org/international/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/america-globe.jpg

I finished the signage for the library display about the SC Book Awards and will add the "book bags" for voting next week.  Last year Pine Street took part in the Greenville Drive Reading All-Stars promotion.  This year they would like to increase student participation.  All students that read 5 books get a ticket to attend a Greenville Drive baseball game and be recognized along with their school.  I love community partnerships like this that encourage reading and reward students with a fun prize.  I know when I am a school librarian that I will be on the lookout for similar programs.

Lee Anne worked with a 3rd grade class on completing their Dewey Decimel raps.  The students practiced while Lee Anne rehearsed with and recorded one group at a time.  I enjoyed circulating amonst the students and providing feedback on their raps/choreography.  The final products will be shared with current 2nd graders.

After school, the Tech Know Club added captions and music to their slideshows.  Lee Anne had asked me to try to find some copyright-free music for students to use, but, unfortunately, many of the sites I found were inappropriate for student use.  This experience showed me the importance of checking carefully all web-based sites for content as well as for compatibility with operating systems/browsers and school web filters.  It all comes down to planning and preparing!

Lee Anne's ease with leading the students in book discussions and responding to their questions is inspiring.  I hope to follow her example in encouraging students to ask questions and search for answers.  Lee Anne sent my professional development presentation invitation to the faculty.  My topic is Top 5 Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers.  I look forward to this opportunity to test my skills at sharing technology tools with a professional, adult audience.  I am bribing them with snacks and hope for a good turnout.  Essential to the success of my presentation is testing out my chosen Web 2.0 tools on the library computers.  I want to present tools that the teachers and students will actually be able to use.