New for 2016-2017

Hello, library detectives! We've got a lot of really fun stuff coming down the pipeline for this year in the North Andover public elementary schools, and we're so excited to get started!

We have two new library media specialists (LMS) joining us this year - if you haven't met Mrs. Mullally yet, check out her introductory blog post here. One more librarian will be joining the team very soon, so stay tuned!

In addition to our staff changes, we've also changed up our library schedule a bit. This year, every student in the elementary schools will get to see their school's LMS on a regular basis - last year, we only had one LMS across five schools so achieving that goal was pretty tricky.

We're also hoping to increase co-taught lessons between the LMS and classroom teachers, which we hope will enhance the already stellar learning happening in the classrooms.

Finally, we'll be re-thinking our library spaces in order to maximize student learning and support all learning styles and abilities.

Are you ready? Library time begins soon, so get excited North Andover!

- Mrs. Ahearn

Library Fun in the Month of MAY

WOW EVERYBODY CAN YOU BELIEVE IT IS JUNE ALREADY?! This year has flown by, in a whirlwind of stories and activities, and I can't believe we only have a month left of library fun!

Much of this month was spent catching up with classes I'd not had a chance to see for the past few months, so there were lots of scavenger hunts and some fiction vs. nonfiction discussions. With the big, shiny, new changes happening*** to the library program, we'll be able to see many more classes on a more consistent basis starting in the fall.

***Our changes are that the superintendent has added 1.5 new library positions to the schools! We'll be hiring one full-time librarian, and a "shared" librarian that will work partly at the Stevens and partly in one of the schools. Hooray for more library media specialists!

Grades K-2

In many classes, we continued to talk about Fairy Tales this month, exploring both traditional, and fractured, versions of our favorites. In one second grade class, we talked about how the "original" versions of our favorites like Snow White were unexpectedly different - there's no "true love's kiss", the prince drops Snow White's coffin and the apple pops out!

Click here to check this out in the Stevens library catalog!

...the kids also really enjoyed the fact that I gave 6 of the 7 dwarfs a grizzly, Cockney accent (and the 7th a high, squeaky voice).

In some classes we also were able to talk about our favorite Fairy Tale characters along with a reading of my favorite book from my own childhood, The Jolly Postman; Or, Other People's Letters. The kids got a kick out of the fact that the letters are INSIDE the book! 

This is tough to find in libraries, since it has so many added parts that can get lost, but
a few libraries in the MVLC have it available. 

We then wrote letters to our favorite characters (the younger grades used a template), and the characters wrote back! Writing our letters gave us some good practice on what a letter looks like, what to capitalize, what words you use in a letter, etc.

We also used stories from our library to talk about the parts of a story (beginning, middle, end). We'd read a story (any story works!), and then afterwards we'd talk about the "parts" - what was the beginning? Where did the middle start? What happened at the end? Using the SmartBoards, we'd write out each of the three parts, then swirl them around and mix them up - did the story still make sense? Why or why not? 

Grades 3-5

The older grades used a bit of technology this month, either for the first time (as in the case of 3rd Grade and using Google Slides) or as a culmination of activities. 4th and 5th grade classes were introduced to Typing Club, a wonderful bit of free technology on the web that teaches proper typing methods for kids. It works wonderfully with our students's Google accounts, but you can sign in without one and still go through all the typing levels!

We also started talking about Summer Reading (more info on that next month!) and ways to find good books to read over the summer. The big takeaway for them was that the best group of people to recommend good books is their friends! 

Finally, we tasted a bit of a new genre: Short Stories! I read a few selections from Cynthia Rylant's Every Living Thing, and we talked about what you can expect when you pick up a collection of short stories - each story will have different characters, a different plot, and most of the time you can read the whole story in one sitting.

Find it in the Steven's Library's story story collection in the Children's Room!

That's it for the month of May, Library Detectives! SEE YOU IN JUNE!

Happy New Year, and a December Review!

Happy 2016, NAPS library fans! I can't believe we're already in a brand-new year!

Last month, we completely switched my library schedule in order to free up more time with other classes that aren't scheduled for "check-out time" on the day I'm at each school - with the exception of Kittredge, where I get to see every class already! This change has been amazing - it has allowed me to visit with more classes, and as the year progresses, I'll be able to develop library lessons catered to each grade and their learning objectives.

The Hour of Code!

December was mostly all about chromebooks - for some classes, using the chromebooks during a "library instruction" block was the very first time they'd had a chance to log in, which is awesome! We hosted approximately 42 Hours of Code across all five elementary schools, which means that over 1,000 elementary school students experienced their first taste of computer science instruction! 

@NAPS_Librarian add my 5 and we have 42 classes. That's over 1000 NAPS elementary students who did #hourofcode these 2 weeks!!!

— Kara Larcome (@KaraLarcome) December 22, 2015

Pretty neat, huh?

We are still analyzing the exit ticket data we collected from the Hour of Code, but here's a snapshot of how the kids felt during the process - the larger the word is, the more often kids used it in their description of how they felt during the Hour of Code:

So glad our students are feeling mostly "happy and excited" about computer science!

Other Library Activities 

This month, I also had a chance to share some very fun stories with the younger grades, including my all-time favorite winter-themed picture book, Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett.

Click on the picture to find this book in the Stevens Memorial Library catalog!

This cozy read is all about the virtues of being a kind and giving person - and Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen make a truly remarkable team. The pictures tell as much of the story as the words do, and the ending leaves lots of room for creative discussion and literary exploration.

Up Next: databases, using our reference books, computer science, and an exciting project for the 5th Graders! 

Big Changes!

This week I'll be posting a November update on what we've been doing in the classes (spoiler alert: it involves the new chromebooks!), but I thought I'd share some pretty interesting news.

Photo credit: Kara Larcome, 2015.

In December, we'll be switching up the library schedule in order to maximize the library instruction time that every grade in every school has access to. Classes that don't have library time on the day I'm at your school: never fear! Switching up the schedule will free me up to meet with more teachers, do more collaboration, and focus on curriculum-centered library learning that will help our students be independent researchers! 

Stay tuned for more updates on this pretty big change.

See you later, Library Detectives!