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March Library Newsletter

2/28/2020

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Teen Tech Week Preparations

2/27/2020

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I know, I know. Teen Tech Week is technically no more (find out about the replacement, TeenTober here). However, that is not stopping our AMMS Lions from participating in our own Teen Tech Week! If you're like us and still love the idea of a week dedicated to exploring technology for teens, feel free to take some ideas from this post.

Our SWAT (Students Working to Advance Technology) will host tech workshops for students during homeroom time March 10th-March 13th. In addition to this, we are hosting a Teen Tech Week BINGO to promote the use of our MakerSpace and digital literacy.
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teen_tech_week_bingo.pdf
File Size: 465 kb
File Type: pdf
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Black History Month Research with Scratch and Makey Makey!

2/15/2020

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We brought history to life with our Makey Makey project on influential Black Americans from history and current events
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Our 6th grade classes researched influential Black Americans using our Gale Biography database. Students were assigned the "Black History Month Biography Research" Google Doc template in Google Classroom so they could edit it directly. They also had the choice of working with partners or by themselves. We all love choice! Find the template below.

Lesson Plan

Lesson Title: Biographies Come Alive!

Grade/Age: 7th Grade                                     Content area: Language Arts

Point in year when your lesson is taught (prior knowledge assumed):
  • February
  • Students have background knowledge in researching via Gale databases and in using Scratch from a graphic design connections class in 6th grade

Learning objectives/learning targets:
  • Students will develop information literacy skills using online databases.
  • Students will recognize relevant facts and ideas and be able to evaluate sources and authors.
  • Students will create a product that uses research to support finding.
  • Students will create a product in an appropriate manner to a meaningful audience.
  • Students will use problem solving skills as they develop, troubleshoot, and present their products using Scratch and Makey Makey
    • Students will create a logical sequence in Scratch to be played in the real world
    • Students will utilize Makey Makey to have students physically interact with biography projects

ISTE Standards for Students (CT and DT plus any others addressed) - Please list the standard indicators addressed and include a brief description of the ways in which students will meet them:
  • Empowered Learner - Students are choosing the person they wish to research for Black History Month and then choosing how they present that information through Scratch with an attached Makey Makey component.
  • Innovative Designer - Students are using the design process when creating, troubleshooting, and revising their projects in Scratch and when using the Makey Makey to present their products.
  • Computational Thinker - Students will use algorithmic thinking when creating, troubleshooting, and revising their projects in Scratch.
  • Creative Communicator - Students will communicate their ideas effectively through recording in Scratch and present their work for others.
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ISTE Standards for Educator (CT and DT plus any others addressed) - Please list the standard indicators addressed and include a brief description of the ways in which students will meet them:
  • Designer - This project aligns with content area standards and uses digital tools to maximize deep learning
  • Facilitator - This project fosters a culture of student ownership, manages the use of online environments and challenges students to use a design process.

Assessment - How students will demonstrate mastery:
  • See rubric below

Computational thinking/Design thinking activity:
  • Students will use Makey Makey and Scratch to code their own interactive biography project (ie: interactive poster, a clay-made figure, a drawn picture, etc.) based on a person of their choosing for Black History Month. During this process, students will think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.
  • Students will research their chosen Black History Month figure using Gale’s Biography in Context database. Students will be expected to cite their sources and keep a record of their information via Google Docs to be shared with the teacher and their partner, if they decided to work with another person.

Outline:
  • Day 1 - Students will identify how to set up a Makey Makey, some items that are conductive and will be able to create a working piano using Makey Makey.
  • Day 2 - Students will be able to use at least 8 blocks of code to create a basic sequence of commands in the Scratch program. Some students will be able to make a sprite move, change color, and speak.
  • Day 3 & 4 - Students choose and research an important figure for Black History Month.
  • Day 5 & 6 - Students will create their product (a poster, clay figure, drawing, etc.) to be used in conjunction with the Scratch program and Makey Makey for an interactive museum. Students will use Scratch to code their program and record their voice overs explaining their information. (Students will write a script using Google Docs.) Students will troubleshoot and adapt as needed.
    • When designing, students consider how users will interact with the solutions, and check and validate their designs to increase the likelihood of creating working solutions. Students increase the sophistication of their algorithms by identifying repetition and incorporate repeat instructions or structures when implementing their solutions through visual programming
  • Day 7 - Students will connect their product with Makey Makey to ensure all works properly. Students will troubleshoot and adapt as needed.
  • Day 8 - Students will present their interactive museum exhibit. Students will need to explain their design process and how the technology functions.

Digital tool(s) you’ll use and how it/they contribute to your lesson:
  • Gale’s Biography in Context Database - Students will use this database to gather information about their chosen person for Black History Month
  • Google Docs - Students will use Google Docs to keep track of their notes and write their speeches for their chosen person
  • Scratch - Students will use Scratch to code and record their speeches about their chosen person
  • MakeyMakey - Students will use Makey Makey in order to prepare a ‘living’ wax museum and allow others to hear their speeches

If relevant, how you’re engaging one or more alternative learning environments (blended, flipped, makerspace, fully online, etc.) and/or pedagogical approaches (project-based, problem-based, personalized, deeper, etc.). 
Students will use tools from our MakerSpace in order to create their projects. This lesson also uses a project-based learning approach in that students are creating a product that showcases a person they chose to research and are creating meaningful events for others to learn about their person.

Project in Action

Body Templates for Project

template_for_on_level_and_accelerated.pdf
File Size: 69 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

modified_template_for_sec.docx
File Size: 260 kb
File Type: docx
Download File

Rubric

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World Read Aloud Day using Microsoft Teams

2/8/2020

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Skype is an amazing tool to break down barriers for our students in connecting with others to explore and learn. I have always used Skype for World Read Aloud Day, but this year we explored Microsoft Teams to make it easier on our infrastructure to connect. This made a huge difference for our teachers and volunteer readers because the learning curve wasn't too high. All they needed was the link! We were also able to record to share out later as well. 
See our experience below!
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Speed Dating with a Book: Find Your Perfect Match

2/7/2020

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I consider my number one priority as a librarian to acquire awesome books and help our students find books that they will love or find interesting. Many in the profession call this readers advisory.  There are so many forms this can take from book trailers, book talks, personality quizzes (see my post about genre personalities here), having one on one conversations, and today I am sharing one of my favorite readers advisory activities: speed dating with a book! ​

What is speed dating with a book?

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Students spend 3-5 minutes with a book of their choosing and rate the books they 'date' on their attractiveness, personality, and comprehension/compatibility.  There are different variations on this activity all around the internet nowadays so feel free to do some Googling for different ideas.

You could hear a pin drop they were so engaged in their 'dates!'
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​Setting the Stage to Engage

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I set out a variety of high interest books from different genres on 7 -8 different tables with 4 chairs each. My list changes each time I do this activity because new books come out and I get to know the students and their interests more. The number of books stays about the same as I want to have enough for students to choose from.  With 6 books per table and 7 or 8 tables, plan to have 42-48 books on hand.

Find the table images I created for table signs here. 
I like to go extra when decorating so of course I had tablecloths and decor on all the tables. There is a cheap option on Amazon for a pack of white tablecloths.  The decor I have collected over the years, but since it is Valentine's Day, there are always good deals at Michaels, Target Dollar Spot, or Hobby Lobby.

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One other thing I do is softly play cheesy love music in the background as a timer for each date round. Besides the books, this is what our teachers and students love the most! Check out the Spotify playlist I made just for them here.

How Do I Choose Books?

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Choosing books depends on the age group that is coming in and the personality of the students I know are visiting the library. This honestly gets into a deep discussion about readers advisory, but I work with our Student Library Advisory Board throughout the year to know what books our students are loving along with circulation stats and new releases. I also read (A LOT) and generally know the books. This year, I tried something new by picking books based on their 'personalities' rather than just their genres. This has been a huge hit with the students!

The biggest consideration for me in choosing books beyond this is whether we have the digital version of the book on Sora-OverDrive so students can check the book out immediately. That instant gratification is crucial with our reluctant readers and OverDrive makes that possible while also helping me maintain organization for two weeks of speed dating.

Resources

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#MeToo Lesson and Resources for Students

2/7/2020

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The #MeToo movement has shed new light on the prevalence of gender-based harassment and violence. As national conversations about power, patriarchy, and oppression continue to expand, we have seen acknowledgement on a smaller scale (including through #MeTooK12) that schools and students are not immune to these issues. However, conversations about healthy relationships and dating, gender equality, sexism, and harassment are not easy, which has led to a longstanding culture of silence. Only about half of all states have requirements for teaching sex education, leaving the landscape around students' knowledge of these topics uneven.

How can we support our students in the wake of the #MeToo Movement?

Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee
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Barbara Dee's timely exploration of this subject is the perfect starting point for conversations regarding the #MeToo Movement in our schools. 

Description:
"
For seventh-grader Mila, it starts with some boys giving her an unwanted hug on the school blacktop. A few days later, at recess, one of the boys (and fellow trumpet player) Callum tells Mila it’s his birthday, and asks her for a “birthday hug.” He’s just being friendly, isn’t he? And how can she say no? But Callum’s hug lasts a few seconds too long, and feels…weird. According to her friend, Zara, Mila is being immature and overreacting. Doesn’t she know what flirting looks like?

But the boys don’t leave Mila alone. On the bus. In the halls. During band practice—the one place Mila could always escape.

It doesn’t feel like flirting—so what is it? Thanks to a chance meeting, Mila begins to find solace in a new place: karate class. Slowly, with the help of a fellow classmate, Mila learns how to stand her ground and how to respect others—and herself."

Lesson and Resources
A fellow change-agent teacher friend of mine, Courtney Hagans, and I read this heartfelt novel and knew it would be the perfect starting ground for a deeper discussion regarding the #MeToo Movement for her 8th graders. There is nothing explicit in the novel, but it does bring up some deeper (and let's be honest, uncomfortable) conversations.

To introduce the novel, we introduced the idea of the #MeToo movement based on a lesson we found from the New York Times with a graffiti wall (thank you Padlet) answering a few intro questions.
  • 1. What do you know about the #MeToo movement?
  • 2. How do you feel about the movement? You can represent your feelings with a word or an image.
  • 3. What questions do you have about this movement and the many issues it has raised over the past several months?
  • 4. Why might this be a difficult topic to discuss in class?

(Padlet was copied over so that names are not listed to maintain the privacy of our students.)

Made with Padlet
We thought using Padlet would help our students open up more due to the anonymity of the posts. We used these points to guide our discussions in small groups with our girls.

From there, we began reading the novel. We used the following discussion questions to guide our book discussions in person.

We had the phenomenal opportunity to meet with Ms. Dee following the completion of the novel in which our girls spent their lunch having a conversation with her regarding the book and the #MeToo Movement in schools, specifically middle school. It was the most amazing experience to get first hand information and to be able to ask questions from the expert and author!
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Final Project
As the final project of this lesson, our 8th graders put together a Wakelet of resources for their classmates and teachers to learn more about the #MeTook12 movement to support our school community as well as to help the stigma of this subject becomes less controversial and more helpful.
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    Martha Bongiorno

    School Librarian Advocating for Student Voice in Metro Atlanta

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