#SSoD: Maximizing School Librarian Leadership: Building Connections for Learning and Advocacy: Chapter 8

Saturday Save or Delete (#SSoD) Google Keep Post:
How many of you use Google Keep? I am a big fan, but end up with thousands of links, and nothing to really show for it. I also save things on Facebook, Instagram, my browser bookmarks, and more! These #SSoD posts are going to be a kind of pensieve to gather my thoughts in one place so I can come back to them!

#SSoD Post:
Maximizing School Librarian Leadership: Building Connections for Learning and Advocacy
Chapter 8
http://www.schoollibrarianleadership.com/2018/05/21/maximizing-leadership-chapter-8/

Written by Judi Moreillon

Posted: May 21, 2018 

Created: May 22, 2018

Read: June 20, 2018 

I thought these two sentences were key:
"One common task of school leaders is to ensure continuous improvement in teaching and learning."
"[School librarians] serve as “centralized” instructional partners who work with all school library stakeholders."

As a school librarian, I think it is often overlooked that I not only work with every student in the school, but every staff member, from custodian to head, English teachers to science teachers, and everything in between! Within this work, I learn the quirks of students and staff, remember their favorites, and try hard to find ways to engage them in learning and teaching. I try to remember to advocate for myself and my library program, and over the years, I have learned that yes, I have to be vocal, but I also have to plant the seed of thought into my coworkers, students, and parents heads that the library is important, and here's why. After reading this chapter, I think I am going to rework my "elevator" school library pitch, to incorporate more advocacy on their part, rather than just parroting what I might say: books are great, I love technology, into something like:

Mrs. Thakkar showed my class this book about folktales from the country my grandparents are from. I was able to learn more about them and spend time with them!

In library class we learned about bogus websites, can I tell you more about tree octopuses?

Or did you know that Bill Gates helped Ferdinand Magellan? 😉 

#SSoD: Teachers: Summer Reading to Cultivate Your Emotional Resilience

Saturday Save or Delete (#SSoD) Google Keep Post:
How many of you use Google Keep? I am a big fan, but end up with thousands of links, and nothing to really show for it. I also save things on Facebook, Instagram, my browser bookmarks, and more! These #SSoD posts are going to be a kind of pensieve to gather my thoughts in one place so I can come back to them!

#SSoD Post:
Teachers: Summer Reading to Cultivate Your Emotional Resilience: Immerse yourself in these books to renew yourself for the coming school year.

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/teachers-summer-reading-cultivate-your-emotional-resilience-elena-aguilar

Written by Elena Aguilar

Posted: June 16, 2017

Created: June 7, 2018

Read: June 20,  2018 

A list of 7 books that remind us to be resilient: "This summer, let books be your teachers. Let them teach you how to become more resilient, how to bounce back after adversity, and how to thrive (not just survive)." 

I read through the list and decided to put The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World by Jacqueline Novogratz on hold, in the hopes that it will help remind me how to understand and reach out to all types of people, especially refugees in light of the current political news; President Donald Trump’s policy to separate parents from their children as part of more aggressive prosecution of illegal immigrants.

#SSoD: A Magical Summer of Reading - Welcome to the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge!

Saturday Save or Delete (#SSoD) Google Keep Post:
How many of you use Google Keep? I am a big fan, but end up with thousands of links, and nothing to really show for it. I also save things on Facebook, Instagram, my browser bookmarks, and more! These #SSoD posts are going to be a kind of pensieve to gather my thoughts in one place so I can come back to them!

#SSoD Post:
A Magical Summer of Reading
Welcome to the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge!
Get ready for the best and most magical summer ever!
Monday, May 7—Friday, September 7, 2018

Written by Scholastic Publishing

Posted: May 7, 2018 

Created: May 22, 2018

Read: June 10, 2018 

This one is pretty self explanatory - it's a summer reading program through Scholastic, with a Harry Potter theme! 

Originally, I thought I would share this would my students, but ended up sharing our local public library's program, at the Downers Grove Public Library, where my whole library journey began! 

Research Rotations or, an ode to post-its and highlighters.

I tried something new this week! I am calling it research rotations, I checked out about 50 books from the public library about maps. I had a stack of about 6-8 at each table, with about 10 sheets of ruled paper on top. I also added highlighters and post its to the supply bins (which already have pencils and crayons). I showed them some examples of my notes - how I like to use different colors and symbols to remember and remind myself to go back or try out. I also color code, for example: a blue 5 stands for 5th grade and everything in that same blue color means it is done in 5th grade, etc.

The plan was to have them read/take notes for a short time and then rotate to another table. However, they were so into it, that we didn't even switch! I will change the tables next time and give them new paper/books, and see what happens.

And the rules are: your paper cannot be blank at the end of the period. Other than that, there are no rules! I did this with gifted 1st and 2nd graders, and they blew me away!

In 1st group, we looked at maps, magnets, compasses, and navigation books, and they had blank white paper (they are not really ready for ruled paper yet). 
This made it easier for the kids to write/draw/highlight/post it however they wanted, rather than being restricted by lines/margins, etc. (which really doesn't make sense to them, yet).

I had checked out specific books for what was going to be a major collaboration over the classroom, library, computer lab, and the makerspace about compasses.

The first week, we read The Scrambled States of America by Laurie Keller.




















Then we looked at map books.

   

The 2nd week, before the students looked at the books again,  I asked the students why they think books on magnets and books on maps go together...guiding them toward compasses. Then I explained that the books included maps, magnets, compasses, and navigation books. Then we looked at all of the books!



The 3rd week, we read Bob and Joss Get Lost! by Peter McCleery, illustrated by Vin Vogel. Then we looked at real maps, along with all the books!





Next year we are planning on making our own compasses in our makerspace, after 3d printing pieces in computer lab, and of course, researching what we need in the library and their classroom.
We were going to try this this year, but couldn't get certain parts in time. Since I'd already checked out all the books, I still wanted them to look over them and get a better sense of maps.








In 2nd group, we only looked at map books, and they had ruled paper. 

We had a quick discussion of what side is "right side up" on ruled paper:
The dots are to the left and the larger blank space is at the top.
The larger blank space is usually for a header, with your name, title, and date of your work. We started with name and titles.
The dots are so you can easily add it to a 3 ring binder (I showed them my very messy lesson planning binder).

A girl after my own heart: bullet points and maps and colors!




















This student wrote how he "detested" that some of the books were wrong!

We have been working on reading and questioning our sources!

                        

"MAPS are COOL"

Yes, they are, buddy! 

Then this student drew maps! 

Underlined "shapes, colors, lines"...the teacher has been working on highlighting IMPORTANT words, and not ALL the words..so great to see! 

"A map is like your looking down from the sky. "

I showed them a note I had taken where I drew a flower to remind me to go back, think more, and try something out - or "grow" my learning. She drew a flower!

Love this color and post it work!

     

Overall, we learned MANY things, at our own pace. I even sat down with my book and the notes I had showed them; and I read and took notes too! We have modeled all these ideas before, and it was amazing to see them put together their own thoughts and understandings. They even pointed out that some books had older copyrights or simply wrong information - we also talked about writing to the publisher to change information! I learned that the love of highlighters and post-its is universal, and we will do this again! 

Wednesday Book Review: Front Desk by Kelly Yang

Title: Front Desk
Author: Kelly Yang
Publisher: Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine
Copyright: 2018
Date read: 5/16/18


Mia Tang is 10 years old and has a job.


She is the manager at the Calivista Motel!

This job is full of danger and kindness, and along with being a 5th grader, she can be very busy! This story is about Kelly Yang's experiences as a child, she is a first generation Chinese American, and she and her parents really did manage a motel when she was a child.


Mia's parents help other Chinese immigrants when they need a place to stay.

One of the immigrants doesn't understand why he was fired, and it turns out he had said "hey baby" to a customer...this shed light on how we use language and how idioms can trip up non native speakers.

This story also brought up some school memories and reminded me of my school experiences; and to strive to continually grow and learn as a teacher - so that my students don't feel like the "other" in the classroom either!

She talks about how the picture of a Chinese man has grossly exaggerated eyebrows, this reminded me of learning about India in the 7th grade. We watched a video about life in India, where tigers and snakes crossed the streets. Obviously, this wasn't true. In this same class, we watched another video where Chinese ate dogs. I STILL remember both vividly and thinking, there are so many facts missing! I remember thinking, how could all Chinese eat dogs?? I don't even LIKE dogs, but I wouldn't eat them! Then we watched the India video, and I realized, these aren't entirely factual and I'd need to learn more on my own! (And to question things around me!)









Mia helps her weeklies and tries to do what's right, even when it is never easy. She finds out who are the good and who are the bad by their actions and not just their appearance. Her innocence is refreshing and she truly wants to make a difference and stand up for others.













Mia talks about how it is rude not to pay for a friend, or split the bill. In my household, we still fight over who pays the bill, and one of my relatives always just gives a credit card before we even order!












I enjoyed the writing and the story behind it (about wanting to share the author's experiences with her son). I especially loved the moment with her father, and how Mia is not a bicycle.

              






I already have some kids in mind who maybe feel like the “other” in the classroom but just don’t know there’s a Lupe just like them trying to find a way onto the “good” roller coaster.




This summed up a lot of immigrant experiences for me, as I am a first generation East-Indian American. I loved Mia’s voice, letters, “edits”, and the fact that she used a dictionary and thesaurus to improve her writing!






Thanks to the Anderson's Bookshop for sharing a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Wednesday Book Review: Crash! Boom A Math Tale by Robie H. Harris

Title: Crash! Boom A Math Tale
Author: Robie H. Harris
Illustrator: Chris Chatterton
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Copyright: 2018
Date read: 4/20/18

This is a very simple book that shows an elephant child building a tower. As he builds, he learns that stacking the blocks in different ways can result in towers that are stronger. I like the concept but feel that it was too simple for most kids that are interested in building. 3 stars.


More information from the publisher:

CRASH! BOOM!
A Math Tale
by Robie H. Harris
illustrated by Chris Chatterton
Picture book
913⁄16 x 101⁄4 32 pages
Ages 2–5
Preschool–Kindergarten
Pencil and digital artwork
May
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7827-2
$15.99 ($21.99 CAN)

How do these blocks stack up? Gentle math concepts go down easy in this fun and accessible story for very young children by the esteemed Robie H. Harris.


Elephant has a bucket of blocks and wants to build something tall. Something as tall as Elephant. But will it stay up? CRASH! BOOM! Not this time. Build it again? One block. Two blocks? Four blocks?

It’s still not as tall as Elephant. More blocks! Now will it stay up? Now will it be as tall as Elephant? Build, balance, count—question, estimate, measure—predict, crash, and build again!

Young children
will happily follow along as Elephant goes through the ups and downs of creating something new and finally celebrates the joy and pride of success.

Robie H. Harris is the New York Times best-selling author of It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health; It’s So Amazing! A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families; and It’s NOT the Stork! A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families, and Friends. She is also the author of the Let’s Talk About You and Me series. Robie H. Harris lives in New York City.

Chris Chatterton is an author, animator, and the illustrator of There’s a Bison Bouncing on the
Bed! by Paul Bright and When Santa Came to Stay by Timothy Knapman. Chris Chatterton lives in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

The Worst #BookTalk Ever Today!

Today, we had planned for the local indie bookseller's fabulous children's manager to book talk new books for our middle schoolers. She was sick, and so I said I would jump in and give a book talk. This was at about 8 am, and the book talk was planned for 10:15 am! Plus I had a JK class at 9:35. So this became a very busy morning! I reached out to the children's manager to see if she had a list of what she was going to share. I also posted a question for the Learning Librarians group, and they suggested a couple great titles. This gave me a list of 12 books, and I quickly put a powerpoint together. I used the following books:

1. Chokshi, Roshani. Aru Shah and the end of time. 1st ed., March 2018. Los Angeles : Disney Hyperion, 2018. Twelve-year-old Aru stretches the truth to fit in at her private school, but when she is dared to prove an ancient lamp is cursed, she inadvertently frees an ancient demon.
2. Reynolds, Jason. Ghost. 1st ed. New York, N.Y. : Atheneum Books For Young Readers, [2016]. "Ghost, a naturally talented runner and troublemaker, is recruited for an elite middle school track team. He must stay on track, literally and figuratively, to reach his full potential".
3. Kelly, Erin Entrada. Hello universe. 1st ed. New York, NY : Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2017]. The lives of four misfits are intertwined when a bully's prank lands shy Virgil at the bottom of a well and Valencia, Kaori, and Gen band together in an epic quest to find and rescue him.
4. Gidwitz, Adam. The inquisitor's tale, or, the three magical children and their holy dog. New York, NY : Dutton Children's Books, [2016]."A peasant girl and her holy greyhound, an oblate on a mission from his monastery, and a young Jewish boy travel across medieval France to escape persecution and save holy texts from being burned".
5. Lewis, John, 1940 February 21-. March: Book 1. Marietta, GA : Top Shelf Productions, [2013]. Presents in graphic novel format events from the life of Georgia congressman John Lewis, focusing on his youth in rural Alabama, his meeting with Martin Luther King Jr., and the birth of the Nashville Student Movement.
6. Anderson, John David,. Ms. Bixby's last day. New York, NY : Walden Pond Press, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2016]. Ms. Bixby unexpectedly announces that she is very sick and won't be able to finish the school year, and Topher, Brand and Steve come up with a plan to tell her how much she means to them.
7. Hiranandani, Veera. The night diary. New York, NY : Dial Books for Young Readers, [2018]. Shy twelve-year-old Nisha, forced to flee her home with her Hindu family during the 1947 partition of India, tries to find her voice and make sense of the world falling apart around her by writing to her deceased Muslim mother in the pages of her diary.
8. Sappingfield, Eliot. A problematic paradox. New York, NY : G. P. Putnam's Sons, [2018]. "Thirteen-year-old Nikola Kross's world is turned upside down when her father is abducted by aliens and she is suddenly transported to a special boarding school for geniuses, but things get even stranger when she realizes she has certain abilities that put her entire school in grave danger". 
9. Alexander, Kwame. Rebound. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, [2018]. In the summer of 1988, twelve-year-old Chuck Bell is sent to stay with his grandparents, where he discovers jazz and basketball and learns more about his family's past.
10. Rosenstock, Barb. The secret kingdom : Nek Chand, a changing India, and a hidden world of art. 1st ed. 2018. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2018. "Documents the story of how artist Nek Chand, in the aftermath of the partition of India in 1947, created the Rock Garden of Chandigarh, using stockpiled castoff construction materials and debris, as a tribute to the village of his youth".
11. DasGupta, Sayantani. The serpent's secret. 1st ed., March 2018. New York : Scholastic Press, 2018. Up until her twelfth birthday, Kiranmala considered herself an ordinary sixth-grader in Parsippany, New Jersey, but then her parents disappear and a drooling rakkhosh demon shows up in her kitchen, and soon she is swept into another dimension, full of magic, winged horses, talking birds (very annoying), and cute princes--and somehow Kiranmala needs to sort it all out, find her parents, and basically save the world.
12. Burg, Ann E. Unbound : a novel in verse. 1st ed., October 2016. New York : Scholastic Press, 2016. The day nine-year-old Grace is called to work in the kitchen in the Big House, everyone warns her to to keep her head down and her thoughts to herself, but the more she sees of the oppressive Master and his hateful wife, the more she questions things until one day her thoughts escape--and to avoid being separated she and her family flee into the Dismal Swamp, to join the other escaped slaves who live there.

I then proceeded to bumble through an explanation for each book, including 7 that I've never read! Thank goodness for great librarians, booksellers, and reviews to help me share these with our kids! 

Happily, I've already had 2 books checked out, so success!