Tuesday, October 31, 2017
27 October 2017
Visit by Hamilton City Librarians
The front line staff from the Hamilton City Library came to visit to learn how texts relate to the colour wheel used in schools. Also how early readers fit into the colour wheel, independent reading, guided reading and different ages and stages of reading.
With Lynda's help we set out the most popular series in our library showing how they fit into the colour wheel.
The library staff had bought along samples of books they wanted levelled and I was able to give they the WALTs at each Reading level in order to help them with this progress.
It was a very worthwhile session for the librarians. Gameedah has since taken a workshop about what we discussed here at school.
Monday, September 25, 2017
Access it Course
On 31 August 2017 Madeleine and I attended the latest round of Access it courses.
The main reason was because they are updating to Version 9.
Our computer that the children use to issue books on will not support this new version so have put a note to Mark to keep us in mind if another computer comes free at the end of the year.
Kindness Books
The 20 books recommended about kindness.
Want to buy
Have you filled a bucket today by Carol McCloud
Kindness is cooler, Mrs Ruler. by Margery Cuyler
The Magic Paintbrush by Julia Donaldson
The Quilt makers Gift. By Jeff Brumbeau
Because Amelia Smiled by Davie Stein
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De la Pena
The Invisible Boy by Patrice Baron
Friday, September 1, 2017
Action Plan for bringing in a 'Super' and 'super readable 'collection
Action plan template
Collection development
Choose ONE priority area to focus on for your own school library collection. You might like to choose from the list of priority areas we identified (below), or use your own.
Collection development — priority area ideas
| |
Supporting priority learners
|
Develop the collection to better support priority learners in your school For example: high-interest/low reading-age materials;
|
Improving cultural diversity
|
Develop the collection to better reflect the cultures of your school community e.g. Māori, Pasifika, or ESOL learners.
|
Supporting a particular subject or curriculum area
|
Develop the collection so that materials are available to inspire and inform inquiry learning and/or research, for topics currently being explored by learners in your school.
|
Supporting reading for pleasure for a particular group of readers
|
Develop the collection to better respond to the interests and needs of groups of readers. For example: boys who are not keen readers; students identified as Gifted & Talented.
|
Revitalising a section of your collection
|
Develop a section of your collection where materials are underused / unattractive / no longer current etc. For example: biographies; graphic novels; early fiction, reference materials, eBooks.
|
Think about whether any information, ideas and resources suggested in the Riverside School group discussion are relevant to your selected priority area, and how they could be applied to your own school library collection. Then suggest any other ideas and relevant resources you’ve learned about over the previous weeks (and possibly recorded in your Learning Journal) that could be explored further for your own school using the action-plan template.
Draft your ideas in the template. We don't expect this to be a complete action plan – just your initial thinking on how you could begin to take action. These ideas can be further developed once the course has finished.
You will share this draft action plan with the course participants in Week 5, look at other participants' actions plans, and exchange feedback with each other in Week 5.
My priority area is:
Supporting Priority Learners: Developing a collection to support children who are reading in the Green to Gold band ( Ready to Read Level 12 to Level 21)
Project / initiative title: “Super Readables and Readables Collection”
1. Stakeholders
|
2. Goals – S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound)
|
3. Team
|
4. Action steps
|
5. Resources
|
6. Schedule
Complete:
Complete:
|
Optional elements
7. Backgrounding
Teachers often ask for a good fit book for children in the green/gold level. These children often get out books that are far too difficult for them. I want teachers to be able to say to the child “get a book with a Super Reader or Reader sticker on it .“ Then the child and teacher can be sure that the book will be at a level that the child can read.
The books need to be age appropriate ,in different genres and subjects that any child would want to read.
|
8. Challenges and contingencies
|
9. Communications
|
Diversity and Inclusion in our library
Diversity and Inclusion in Our Library
We agree about the questionnaire being a bit daunting. We have over 21 nationalities at our school so it’s very difficult to cater for all the children’s individual needs as much as we would like.
We try to read a lot of books to the children that encourage inclusiveness. Our latest book is ‘We’re all Wonders’ by R.J Palacio.
A good website to explore celebrating empathy through books is http://www.empathylab.uk/
Every year we celebrate some of our main cultures in the library with books and related activities. These include Maori Language Week/Waitangi Day, Matariki, Diwali, Sign Language Week, Samoan and Tongan Samoan Language Weeks (We find the series ‘Children of the Pacific’ is a great go to series’).
We have a good range of Maori Myths and Legends. We don’t always accession these as 398. We find categorising under the Author’s Name and adding them to the general picture books makes them more accessible for children and more widely read.
We currently have a good range of books to support our Reading Programme for Dyslexic children which is run in the library.
At the beginning of each year the school’s inquiry topic is Turangawaewae. This year we borrowed books from the National Library to support this topic. This allowed us to see what was available. We have now purchased some of the titles that were popular with teachers and students.
We have a number of books about refugees as this is quite a large group at our school. We recently purchased ‘Stepping Stones’ by Margriet Ruurs. This is written in Arabic and English and we’d love to find more books like this. Another recent purchase that highlights the Refugee experience is “My Two Blankets’ by Irena Kobald.
Two sensitive issues for us in our school are religion and war/violence due to the high number of muslim and refugee children. So we have to be careful about these themes.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Interesting links for developing a library collection
31 August 2017
Madeleine and I have just finished the National Library course:
Building a responsive collection through collaboration: School Libraries supporting learning.
It was the perfect course for us at the stage we are at in the library.
It made us look at our collection and interactions with children and staff and how we as a library can support classroom practice.
These are a series of sites that the people on the course found useful.
Advocating for your school library – building relationships with stakeholders who can be champions for your library - http://bit.ly/2wn01Xc
Digital content: finding, evaluating, using and creating it (importance of why students need to learn to read and think critically - http://bit.ly/2nW1xdx
Digital resources (free, quality resources suitable for students) - http://bit.ly/2oFIAKN; for example, Topic Explorer - https://natlib.govt.nz/schools/topics
eBooks in the school library – understanding ebooks and adding them to your collection - http://bit.ly/2g3C2FR
Evidence-based school library practice – how to collect and use evidence to improve your library environment, collection and services to support teaching and learning - http://bit.ly/2v54qhm
Family, whānau and community connections - http://bit.ly/2ipW5ij
He Tohu – an exhibition of New Zealand’s founding documents (Treaty of Waitangi, Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of NZ, the Women’s Suffrage Petition) with resources available in English and Te Reo - https://natlib.govt.nz/he-tohu/learning/he-rauemiInclusive collection – includes Māori, Pasifika, ESOL, print disability resources - http://bit.ly/2wxsdqS
Inquiry learning - ways the school library supports inquiry - http://bit.ly/2wDm9fo
Integrated library management system: choosing and how to get the most out of it - http://bit.ly/2xrxzjt
Journey mapping exercise – a user experience method to capture what works or doesn’t work for them in terms of school library design - http://bit.ly/2vXc9Nh
Magazines for NZ school libraries - http://bit.ly/2vo4p3r
Principals: creating libraries as centres of learning – Principals recognising the role of the library in supporting teaching and learning - http://bit.ly/2xrLnL3
Reading age range – examples: Wheelers website http://www.wheelers.co.nz/ or SLANZA reading website http://reading.slanza.org.nz/
Sophisticated Picture Books – what are they, advantages of using them, creating and managing a collection of SPB - http://bit.ly/2vBGMYw
Student librarians – ideas on selection, training and management - http://bit.ly/2iotbz6
Sunday, August 27, 2017
New Teaching Standards
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KfiDgaCeCSRzNNFuAn2Z2-AIRLwaMQmwdNOOrQhf4JA/edit#slide=id.p
These are indicators for the New Teaching Standards.
May be a good idea is to set them up so I can add what I do for each standard as things come up.
These are indicators for the New Teaching Standards.
May be a good idea is to set them up so I can add what I do for each standard as things come up.
Monday, June 26, 2017
Hamilton City/North Waikato School Library Network Meeting
22 June 2017
Madeleine and I attended the network meeting was held at Rototuna High School and the topic was
How the library communicates with the rest of the staff and school.
What I realise is that our library is an integral part of the school. We can put notices in the 10 o'clock news alerting teachers and students about events which most librarians don't seem to have this platform.
I feel confident to e mail any of the teachers and I think they feel confident to e mail me with any reading issues with children usually over best fit books.
I think where the library is situated in the heart of the school is an advantage as it is foremost and physically in peoples minds.
Couldn't believe some of the situations with school libraries. One library the principal has decided that books are out and IT is in. So the books have been removed from the custom built library and put in an old classroom. They have now had a move to a smaller space. There is no library budget.
How lucky we are at Hamilton East School to have a principal who believes in the library and a staff that are enthusiastic about books.
The head childrens' librarian from the Hamilton Public Library has asked to come and get advice on levels from the school reading programme and how these fit with the books they have currently in the library.
PL with Martin
6/3/17
Just took this photo on the i pad and brought it into my blog. Process was
1. take the photo on i pad
2. put it into eg planning
3. open blogger dashboard
4. right click copy link choose url
5.apple v to paste it
To add an image from the internet into a goggle document
1. open a new document
2. go to 'tools' then 'explore'
3. then type in the topic you want
4.drag and drop picture onto the page
Just took this photo on the i pad and brought it into my blog. Process was
1. take the photo on i pad
2. put it into eg planning
3. open blogger dashboard
4. right click copy link choose url
5.apple v to paste it
To add an image from the internet into a goggle document
1. open a new document
2. go to 'tools' then 'explore'
3. then type in the topic you want
4.drag and drop picture onto the page
Monday, February 13, 2017
2017
27/1/2017
Google Doc Training Day
This was a training day for Google Doc but Martin who rang the course started at the beginning with E Mail and tidying up our systems.
I found it extremely useful.
I now feel for the first time that I have control of my e mail.
I am looking forward to learning more about Google Doc.
27/1/2017
Google Doc Training Day
This was a training day for Google Doc but Martin who rang the course started at the beginning with E Mail and tidying up our systems.
I found it extremely useful.
I now feel for the first time that I have control of my e mail.
I am looking forward to learning more about Google Doc.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)