Book Study - Chapter 6 - Pacing

 1. Amount of time for each activity in Hey Little Ant lesson.

Give students link and time to pull up the Nearpod lesson online (3 minutes)

Introduce Point of View “Today I want to teach you that readers pay attention to the character’s thoughts, words, and actions. One way to do this is by keeping track of who is speaking, how they feel, and what it might sound like. All of these things help us understand the character’s point of view.”
(2 minutes)

Define point of view “A point of view means a person’s way of thinking about or approaching a subject. Different people’s point of view about one event or thing may be very different. An example would be a disagreement between friends. Think about how your point of view might have been different from your friend’s." (3 minutes)

Define character point of view “There are many characters in a story. Each character may have his/her own way of thinking about a certain thing or event.” (1 minute)

In the Nearpod lesson, students will answer 2 questions about point-of-view to make sure they understand. MS will see student responses immediately and can give students prompt feedback. (5 minutes)

Introduce Hey Little Ant  “Today I am going to read Hey, Little Ant by Phillip and Hannah Hoose. As I read the book, let’s pay attention to the character’s thoughts, words, and actions.” (1 minute)

Read Hey, Little Ant.  Stop periodically during the read aloud to ask questions related to the text. (10 minutes)

In the Nearpod lesson collaboration board, students will post one reason not to squish the ant. (8 minutes)

In the Nearpod lesson collaboration board, students will post one reason why the boy should squish the ant.  (8 minutes)

In the Nearpod lesson poll, students will answer whether they think the boy should or should not squish the ant. (2 minutes)

Students will record a FlipGrid response to “Should the ant get squished? Should the ant go free? What do you think that kid should do?” (12 minutes)

In the Nearpod lesson, students will answer the open-ended question, “What two ways are the ant and kid alike?” (6 minutes)

2.  For the FlipGrid video response,  I could break it into three smaller sections.  I could ask the students to record a video response telling me the boy's point of view.  For the second activity, I could ask the students to record a video response telling me the ant's point of view.  For the last activity, I would ask the students to give me their point of view after hearing both sides.

Week 6

 This was a very busy week!  First, I worked on Title 1 inventory for our school.  The Parent Center staff, Media Center staff, and Technology Support Technician handles Title 1 inventory.  In the Media Center, we are responsible for keeping track of leveled book room sets and any media center books that were purchased with Title 1 funds.  The county officially "begins" the inventory in July at the beginning of every school year, but it is not due until April.  Typically, we try to complete it in February to give us time to search for items that are still missing.

Most of the items in the Media Center that are Title 1 are located in our Leveled Book Room which is in a small room right off of the Media Center.  For Title 1 inventory, I scan the barcode of all items that are labeled as "Title 1 materials".

Above:  A panoramic photo of our level book room

Above: Scanning the barcodes of Title 1 materials

Above: A screenshot of the Destiny Title 1 Inventory screen

Our Title 1 inventory is 99.78% complete with 28 items currently "unaccounted for".  Of those 28 items, 18 are from the Leveled Book Room and the other 10 are from the Parent Center.  We started our with 32 "unaccounted for" items, but 4 were turned in from teachers after we did inventory.  Teachers self-checkout their own leveled book room sets and sometimes forget to scan all the barcodes.  We are hopeful that more items will be turned in before the inventory deadline.

This week our Book Fair carts arrived from Scholastic.  We spent 1.5 days setting everything up, and then the remainder of the week we had classes come and browse to make their wish lists.  Even with Covid, we are still having an in-person fair.  We are just very strict in scheduling appointments for each class so that each class stays in their own "bubble" and doesn't overlap with other classes.

For each book fair, we put removable price labels under every book that includes the tax so students will bring the correct amount of money.  We also group all books that are $5 and under on tables in the middle of each section.  We have two main sections.  One with picture books and beginning chapter books aimed at K-2, and then the chapter book section aimed at 3-5.  

Even though Book Fair browsing was going on, we still allowed students to check out too.  It got a little crazy, but we made it work and were able to keep classes separated.   Students checked out books this week to last them until after the book fair ends on 3/9.  

Above: Students quietly reading the books they checked out in a socially-distant line

During Book Fair selling days, students can't checkout.  On a non-covid year, they could come down in small groups to checkout throughout the day.  However, there isn't a way to make this happen safely with covid.  Unfortunately without volunteers being allowed in the schools right now, we can't accommodate entire class checkout during Book Fair selling.

My Media Specialist was sent home late Thursday afternoon due to Covid exposure so I will be running the Book Fair alone next week. During our last Book Fair in December, I was actually out sick myself due to Covid and my Media Specialist had to run it herself.  Payback time for me--haha!  I'm a little worried, but I am sure it will be okay in the end.  Here's to a successful Book Fair week!

Book Study - Chapter 5 - Lesson Structure

 1. Students will understand and apply the correct procedure for doing laundry in your household.

I do: I show my children how to sort the clothes based on lights, colors, and how to read clothing tags for items that must be washed in cold and must hang dry.  I will show them how to measure laundry detergent (and how much to add), add a scoop of Borax, a scoop of super washing soda, set the water level, and the water temperature.  I will then show them how to switch lights and colors to the dryer and set the dryer settings.  I will show them how to hang up the hang-to-dry clothes.  After the clothes are dry, I will demonstrate how to fold each type of clothing or household item and put away.

I do, you help:  I will sort the clothes and ask the children to tell me what kind of load each one is.  I will adjust the washer settings.  I will ask them what size load it is and how much detergent they think we need.  I will measure out the laundry detergent and let them pour it in.  I will let them pour the scoop or Borax and super washing soda in to the washer too.  

You do, I help:  I will ask the children to sort the clothes themselves.  I will provide guidance if needed.  I will ask them to lead the way in changing the washer settings and offer guidance if needed.  I will have them fill the detergent cup to the fill line and pour it in.  I will let them add a scoop of both Borax and super washing soda.  When the load is done, I will guide them (if needed) in how to switch the clothes to the dryer, or how to hang up.

You do:  They should have a good grasp on how to do the laundry now.  I will allow them to do it independently without watching over the shoulder.  

You do and do and do:  At this point, it is expected they will wash their own clothes.  It is part of teaching responsibility and if they don't do it weekly, they do not have clean clothes!

2.  I would try to find a couple of video clips of showing what happens when you wash red clothes with whites or dry something in the dryer that would shrink.  I will also reiterate that they are old enough to wash their own clothes now.  If they don't wash them, they have to deal with not having clean clothes.

3.  Sort, Wash, Dry or Hang, Put Away.  I would hang up a cute sign that reminds them of the main steps.  If they are younger children, I could come up with a song to help them remember the steps.  I don't think my teens would appreciate a song though...

4.  Exit Ticket: How do you sort clothes?  How do you know what clothes should be washed on cold and hang dry?  How do you know how much detergent to add?  What do you do with the clothes after they are dry?

Week 5

 This week I was able to interview Leslie Greer from Dacula Middle School via Zoom.  She has been a Media Specialist since 2001. She was a parapro in the computer lab before she was a Media Specialist.  She is a natural leader.  She said one of the most important parts of her job is forming relationships with both students and staff.  

One thing she shared with me is that she likes to promote an older book on Thursdays and she calls it, "Throwback Thursdays".  This is a great idea that I would like to borrow to promote some of our classic titles that do not get checked out quite as much.

I really enjoyed getting to interview Leslie.  She has a ton of knowledge and a passion for her program.

This week I also spent a day in the Brookwood High School Media Center.  I sat in on three classes that the Media Specialist, Dr. Angelyne Collins taught.  She was covering research for future careers with 11th graders.  Students came and went throughout the day to study quietly, use computers, and check out books.  It was a completely different experience from elementary school!

The books in the Media Center at Brookwood High School are organized by genre.  Each section has colorful signs with pictures depicting the genre.  There were multiple displays of books including new releases, featured February romance titles, Black History month books, and state award winners.  There were three different coloring stations in the Media Center where students could just relax and add to large coloring sheets.  I really like how the Media Specialist has put extra effort into making her space decorative and inviting to the students.

Here are some pictures of the Brookwood High School Media Center.

My days at the elementary school this week consisted of checking books out to students and shelving books.  Overall, it was a very busy and productive week!

Book Study - Chapter 4 - Planning for Success

 1.  One large standard for 5th grade Social Studies is: SS5H4: Explain America’s involvement in World War II.  It is broken down into 6 subtopics.

a. Describe German aggression in Europe and Japanese aggression in Asia. 

b. Describe major events in the war in both Europe and the Pacific; include Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima, D-Day, VE and VJ Days, and the Holocaust. 

c. Discuss President Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

d. Identify Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill, Hirohito, Truman, Mussolini, and Hitler. 

e. Describe the effects of rationing and the changing role of women and African Americans or Blacks; include “Rosie the Riveter” and the Tuskegee Airmen. 

f. Explain the role of Eleanor Roosevelt and the U.S. in the formation of the United Nations.

It would be really difficult to teach it in less time.  I would combine subtopic e and f if I had less time to teach.

2.  Our school does really well overall of describing the objectives of each lesson at the beginning both with virtual students and in-person students.  It is a part of the way our lesson plan outline is setup that everyone is expected to use.

3.  I recently taught a reading lesson to 2nd graders completely online.  Students had to open a link to access our Nearpod lesson, answer two questions, listen to a story, write a response, write a response, answer a question, record a video response, and type a response.

4.  As a media specialist, I do not have a typical classroom setup.

a. The default layout is 6 tables (3 in each row) next to poles with electrical outlets.  A 7th table is in the back between both rows for classes that exceed 24 students.  Our furniture is movable and can be configured to any setup needed for our lessons.

b. We have signs that encourage reading and signs to assist students in locating books in the different sections of the media center.  We also have our school's mission statement posted next to the projector screen.   I think it would be useful to add digital citizenship signage as well as inspirational quotes about reading.

c.  We do not have outdated material posted since our school is only five years old.   The only thing I can think to remove would be an inspirational quote in the form of a wall sticker that is above the door of our broadcast room.  The middle word fell off more than a year ago so we should remove the rest of it.

Webinar 2 - Checklist Item 4

This week I had the opportunity to watch recorded sessions from Camp Engage.  Camp Engage was a virtual professional learning opportunity with sessions on Nearpod and Flocabulary.  I watched three different sessions for a total of 6 hours learning about Nearpod.  

Nearpod is a tool that lets educators make any lesson interactive with quizzes, polls, collaborative boards, videos, and more.  I attended "A Beginner's Guide to Nearpod", "Creating in Nearpod", and "Differentiated Staff PD with Nearpod".  I learned that you have the ability to import existing files you have already created in other programs such as Google Slides, etc.  Then you can add in the interactive features that makes Nearpod so engaging for students and staff.  You also have access to Nearpod's library of already created lessons that can be edited or modified to use with your own students.  I am looking forward to getting in and playing around with it soon!

Week 4

 This week ended on a very busy note.  It was only a 4 day week in Gwinnett.  On Thursday, we had several classes who typically come to check books out on Fridays fill nearly all of our open spots.  We had back-to-back classes with almost no time to breathe until lunch time.  It was great!  It almost felt like school did pre-covid.

Earlier this year, our school received books from the county purchased with a Title 3 grant for schools with a large population of English learners, including immigrant children.  There were approximately 150 books for each grade level in K-5.  At the time, our admin team decided they wanted to keep the books together by grade level and give them to ESOL teachers to use with their students.  I processed all the books in September and October with a barcode and Destiny record.  After that the books sat in plastic bins in the Media Center because the ESOL teachers ended up not wanting them.  This week our principal decided we would make better use of the books by putting them in the Media Center.  I ended up spending the better part of the week re-processing the books in Destiny and I only completed 1st and 2nd grades.  For every book, I had to change the call number, add a purchase price, change the circulation type to 'Regular', delete the description text, and add a sublocation if applicable.  

Next, I added spine labels and clear protectors to each book. I ended up running out of spine label covers towards the end of the 2nd grade books.  Next week, I will continue editing each record and at least printing the spine labels.  Once the order of more clear protectors arrives I will place the spine labels and protectors on each book.

In September when I originally processed the books, I was asked to write the Fountas & Pinnell book level on the cover of each book and put a label on the cover that said what grade level it was purchased for.  We don't put levels on books in the Media Center because we don't want students to feel embarrassed for reading at a lower level than their peers.  I did my best to remove each level from the cover by wiping it off or blacking it out.  I then covered the grade level labels with another label that covered the grade.   The whole process is very lengthy, but I am glad that these books will be put to good use by students soon!

Book Study - Chapter 3 - Setting High Academic Expectations

 1.  The most intuitive technique I would use in the Media Center would be No Opt Out.  Fourth and fifth grade students tend to want to avoid participating in Media Center lessons because they realize at our school the Media Specialist does not give grades.  By using No Opt Out, it would teach the students that they need to participate even if they do not have the right answer.  That it is even okay not to have the right answer.  The most difficult technique to use is definitely Format Matters.  In the Media Center, I expect students to write in complete sentence and with proper capitalization.  Not all teachers require their students to write in complete sentences so when I tell students this is an expectation, I often have students argue that their teacher doesn't make them do that.  

2.  Responses to "almost right answers":

• You are so close!
• You are on the right track.  Is there anything else you can think of?
• Tell me a little bit more about _______.
• What do you mean by ______?

3. Ten Stretch It questions for "What is one branch of government?"

1. What is the main group in the legislative branch of government?
2. What does checks and balances mean?
3. Which branch of government enforces/carries out laws?
4. Which branch of government interprets the laws?
5. Which branch of government makes the laws?
6. What is the Bill of Rights?
7. How many Senators are there?
8. What kind of government does the United States have?
9. How old does someone running for president have to be?
10. How many Supreme Court judges are there?

4. Teaching library skills is boring for students, although it is an important thing to learn.  Call numbers are very boring for students.  I can make it fun by incorporating a Kahoot game or doing a scavenger hunt  of call numbers in the Media Center.  We've done both before and students enjoy it much more than just listening to the Media Specialist talk and explain where to find items.

Book Study - Chapter 2 - Acting on the Data and the Culture of Error

 1.  Right answer tells: Nodding, smiling, answering with a positive response
      (such as yes, great, good job, correct, etc.), giving praise

       Wrong answer tells: Asking "Are you sure?", shaking head, saying "hmmm",
        saying "not exactly", asking if anyone else can help the student out, asking the
        student to look again

2.     "How did you arrive at that answer?", "I see where you are going, but what
        about...?", "You are on the right track..."  

3.    What errors might students make while rounding to 246.74 to the nearest
        hundreds place?

• Rounding to the incorrect place
• Rounding up when it should be down and vice versa
• Dropping the decimal portion completely        
• Rounding the hundred instead of the hundreds place

        I would do a quick review on place values and what each number represents.  I
        would give a couple of simple examples on the whiteboard or screen to do as a
        review as a class.  

4.  How are books organized in the non-fiction section of the Media Center?  Books
     are organized by Dewey Decimal number, then the author's last name.  There are
     posters and signs around the Media Center to signify different numerical
     sections and make it a little easier to find books.

    a.  Potential wrong answers: They are organized by last name, by first name, by
         subject, by title, by color

    b. Students might say books are organized by last name because picture books
        and chapter books are and that could be confusing.  They might say subject
        because they see the posters and signs indicating books are grouped by Dewey
        subject.  Although that is partly right, the author's last name is also important.  

Week 3

 This was a very busy week!  I started the week out with my normal activities as a Media Clerk; i.e., shelving books, assisting students with checkout, and laminating for teachers.  Here are a couple photos of some Kindergarten students browsing for books on the tables we have setup this year.  They browse 2-3 students at a time so they can maintain social distancing.

We got new books in from Follett this week!  I unpacked five boxes of books and spent the next two days getting them completely processed.  The first step is unpacking the books onto a Media Cart.  Next, I double check the titles we received to the packing slip and highlight each title as I locate it.

After I have accounted for all the books, I move on to barcodes.  Since they are usually such large orders, my Media Specialist has Follett add barcodes to our books for us to save a bit of time.  However, we take the extra labels Follett sends along and add the barcode label to the title page of the book. This way, if a student removes the barcode for any reason from the back, we still can track the book. 

Next, I stamp each book with our Baggett Media Center stamp on the title page and on the top of chapter books if they are wide enough.

Sometimes, the category Follett places on the spine label is not correct.  Then I will print a new label for the proper category, add any additional stickers (such as blue dot for our beginning chapter book section), and change the record in Destiny.

On Friday, I spent the day at Dacula Middle School.  I learned a lot from the Media Specialist Mrs. Greer!  I observed her teach two sixth grade classes a research lesson about Cuba and Fidel Castro.  I walked around during the lessons and assisted students as needed.  She had both in-person and digital students so I was able to see how she teaches both at the middle school level.

Dacula Middle School's Media Center is grouped by genre.  This is something I am interested in.  After observing and assisting students throughout the day, I noticed how easy it seemed for students to locate a book they were interested in.  Due to Covid, they are using a similar table setup like we are for book browsing.  I did not get pictures of the tables though.  However, the tables were even grouped and labeled by genre.  The students would come in the Media Center and go directly to the section of books they enjoy.

Mrs. Greer was an elementary school Media Specialist before she transferred to Dacula Middle School.  She was able to give me her unique perspective on the pros and cons of each level.  We had a wonderful discussion and she gave me lots of great ideas!  She also showed me how I can access School Library Journal articles free through Galileo since our county no longer pays for the subscription.  It was a great learning experience!  

January Media Center Activities/Statistics Report

 

Book Study - Chapter 1 - Gathering Data on Student Mastery

1. Reject Self-Report: Which section of the Media Center would you find non-fiction books for grades K-2 in? How are books organized on the shelves in the everybody and fiction sections? For the call number 'FIC PAT', what does 'PAT' represent? In which section of the Media Center would you find beginning chapter books? What would be the correct call number for a biography about Helen Keller?

2. Standardize the Format: I would use note organizers to standardize the format of in-person work. Digitally, tools such as Nearpod are great because you can check for student understanding throughout the lesson. In the Media Center, the visual field is always standardized. For example, this year, we have tables set up for students to choose their books from due to COVID. There are two main areas, one for K-2 students, and one for 3-5 students. You can easily observe these areas from the circulation desk and monitor students.

3. Question: When searching for book in the Destiny Media Catalog, how can you tell if a book is available? The correct response would be that the book shows a green ribbon that says "In".

        a. That's right.  What would the book show if it was not available?

        b.  A book is available if it comes up in the results.

        c.  Not exactly.  A book that displays in the results just means we have the title 
            in the Media Center. What can you look for that will indicate if the book is
            available or checked out?

        d.  I would use hand signals with students holding up 1 finger, 2 fingers, etc.,
            for whichever response they think is correct.