Monday, December 12, 2016

Community Financial Literacy Night

Another event recently held in the library was our Community Financial Literacy Night.

Last year, in a conversation with a senior who was the first in her family to go to college, the student mentioned how she was planning to take the full amount of financial aid she was eligible to receive. To my astonishment, she was taking on this massive student loan to have money to "live on" (i.e.: go out to eat, buy clothes, etc.). When I asked her if she understood what a student loan's interest and repayment schedule meant, it turned out she didn't. We had a discussion about the number of loans (one per semester) and interest rates, compounded interest, and so on. At the end of the discussion, she planned to go home and talk to her parents about taking just enough money to cover tuition and books. But the entire conversation had me thinking about financial literacy and how little our teens know about loans, credit scores, retirement savings and other important topics unless they take the personal finance class.

Fast forward a little bit and....we have Financial Literacy Night! With the help of Pirate TV, morning announcements, social media, and a couple ConnectEd calls, the available slots for upperclassmen and their parents filled up. (We didn't want to surpass the fire code plus I needed a number to plan for the food.)

Our guest speaker, Paul Pittman, is the President and Managing Director of The Preferred Client Group. He is a Certified Financial Planner. Mr. Pittman's talk covered budgeting (pay yourself first!), credit scores, retirement planning (start now and you'll have the retirement you really want!), and the truth about student loan debt. His frank and humorous discussion also left time for questions and answers about a variety of topics of interest to the students and parents attending.

At the end of the night, We held a raffle ticket drawing for prom tickets! The three winners were Bryson Bland, Haydn Ledenyi, and Faith Johnson.





Friday, December 9, 2016

Oops! I Did It Again!

I missed a month! It's been awhile since that happened, but so much has been going on in the media center, I'm not surprised that the Hungry Bookshelf hasn't has time to be updated.

One of the most important events for the month of November, was the

Fall Reading Marathon!

Students received the yellow form with their reports cards at the beginning of the month. The rules were quite simple: read for 4 of the 5 days during marathon week at your SMART Lunch location (minus the gyms and DLL). What to read? ANYTHING! Why only four of the days? Well, with the Acing the ACT program, clubs, tutorials, and a DECA program going on the week of November 14-18, I didn't want students to have to choose between the reading marathon and other events. This gave them the opportunity to participate in multiple things.

The overall feedback was great, and over 70 students turned in finished entry forms on the 18th. Ten winners were drawn and given their choice of gift cards for Sheetz, iTunes, or Starbucks. The winners were: 

Ninth Graders: Samuel Thorpe, Edgar Alvarez, Kenli Esau, and Keelan Penson.

Tenth Graders: Chloe Roberson, Logan Richard, and Daisy Miller,  

Eleventh Graders: Leandra Russell and Tiffany Tant.

Twelfth Grader: Hunter Williams.

We are looking forward to the Spring Reading Marathon in March.

Friday, October 28, 2016

It's that time of year...


Can you write 50,000 words in 30 days? Sound impossible?

Well, how about look at it in another way: it's only 1,667 words per day. Still too much?

In an 9 hour day, you only have to write 209 words per hour!

Perhaps another thought is

WHY?

NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month and the purpose is to prove that you CAN write a novel. Maybe not one that's publisher ready (most publishers won't look at unsolicitied manuscripts from December through February because of NaNo...they know these novels haven't been edited nearly enough!), but a first draft is done!

Realistic fiction, mystery, horror, science fiction, fantasty, fan fiction...why not try your hand at creating that book you've always wanted to read? Come join me at this challenge this year!

Thursday, October 27, 2016

New Books

Finally! They're here! New books!

To the relief of many (myself included) the big book order of the year has finally arrived...and processing has finished. Naturally, I have a few books that I read as processing was being done (thank goodness for being able to read 1-2 books in a night) and thoroughly enjoyed.

Book 1:

Image result for the girl i used to be

I've already enjoyed reading several of April Henry's mysteries, and this one is no different. Who you become at age 17 is influenced by the events of your life at age 3, 7, 8, and so on...so imagine being the witness to your mom's murder at age 3. Because of the circumstances surrounding her death, your father has been the chief suspect for the last 14 years but now everyone knows he didn't do it. Who did? 

Book 2:

Image result for exit pursued by a bear

This realistic fiction book covers such a wide range of social topics: date rape drugs, abortion, social media rumors, coming out, etc. that it's hard to realize the main character's focus in life is her small town's cheer-leading squad. Through the entire book, however, the author deals with the topics in a believable way.

Book 3:

Image result for stalking jack the ripper james patterson
This book blew up my Twitter feed all summer...so naturally I had to read it as soon as it came in! I was not disappointed. This historical novel explores the identity of Jack the Ripper from an entirely new perspective: a seventeen-year old girl who is secretly studying forensic science. Naturally the forensics of the time is limited, but the science was there.



Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Updates and Suprises (for me, at least)

With my AASL Grant for Strong Public School Libraries, I wanted to promote reading with my students. (The grant can't be used to purchase books or equipment so...) As we launched the Million Words Challenge, I have run into an unanticipated surprise. Some of the most voracious readers have decided not to join the challenge.

"Why not?" I asked them as they checked out their weekly stack of books (or, for some, the first stack of the week).

"It's not really a challenge for me to read that much," some answered. "So what's the point?"

"I don't have a twitter account," answered others.

"If the drawing is for a Starbucks gift card, then I don't need it. I never go to Starbucks," answered a third group. (Due to savings already on some expenses, there will be other prizes as well, but this information did not sway all students to change their minds.)

Of course, a few answered with all three of the above responses. While some students have created twitter accounts for the challenge and plan to delete them in May at the end of the challenge, the reluctance of a select few to use twitter did surprise me. (I had to create a way for students to be accountable for reading since there would be some students who would cheat and just submit titles. Tweets about the book seemed the easiest and most efficient way to do this with approximately 100 students currently registered and more able to join at any time. Of course, only a handful have started to tweet about their books so reminders may need to be sent to those registered.)

While one erstwhile and eager student offered to submit book reports on every book, I gently explained I would prefer 132 character + hashtag submissions on each chapter instead...I do have 2 Library Science I classes and a Library Science II class plus the new Poetry Slam Club to advise and other duties. Teachers, encourage your students to sign up! It's never too late to join the challenge...at least not until May 1 or so since it ends on May 12!

Meanwhile, the green screen is in use! We've had "live" broadcasts from American History using the Library of Congress' primary sources, Earth and Environmental Science is about to journey to the center of the Earth using a magic taco truck, and a marketing class is selling original products through commercial advertising! Remember to sign up in advance if you're interested in using the green screen. We also need to discuss uploading the background images to the iPad before the day of filming.

The media center has also been busy teaching copyright to Pirate TV students and CTE classes. Anyone who wishes to have their students learn how to follow Fair Use Guidelines on their projects or how to avoid plagiarism can contact me and set up a short lesson in the media center!


Monday, August 22, 2016

It's that time again

Every year begins with the mandatory...

Copyright Training!

This year I did something a little different from the last few years. Instead of standing in front of the teachers and talking while showing presentation slides (although I always tried to use interesting graphics like my family swimming in the Arctic Ocean) or a totally online, self-paced course, I created an animated video. And not just any animated video. This one has disco music, some really bad parody singing, and even a "high-speed" chase around the school. Yes, the copyright police have arrived.

The Copyright Police versus the Fair Use Superheroes

Enjoy!


Monday, July 11, 2016

Are You Ready?

Can you do it? The challenge of the 2016-17 school year is almost here! It's the...

Million Word Challenge!

That's right! You are challenged to read 1,000,000 words between August 29 to May 12. The rules are quite simple, and it's easy to calculate your word count.
1. You must be reading an adult or young adult book, fiction or non-fiction. Only 1 book read can be a required book for a class. (No textbooks allowed!) Graphic novels do not count mainly because they don't have enough words to help you meet this challenge. It can be a print or e-book.
2. You will register in the Library with Mrs. Rous to join the challenge. You will need a twitter account to participate.
3. To calculate the words, you do NOT need to count the words. Use the following formulas:
  • Fiction hardback book: number of pages x 350 = total words for that book
  • Fiction paperback: number of pages x 300 = total words
  • Nonfiction: number of pages x 300 = total words
4. As you finish each chapter, you are required to tweet about the plot, content, and your reactions to what you're reading, using the hashtag #chhsMWC.  
5. Progess will be tracked in the Library with each book you finish reading and that book's word count.
6. Everyone who reads 1,000,000 words will have their name placed in their grade level's drawing for $50 Starbucks gift cards (one winner per grade level).

Get ready to read!   

Thursday, June 9, 2016

The Tree of Knowledge

After a year of pondering (and being weary),  as well as seeing the inspiration through a clearance sale at my second job, I decided what was needed in my library's metal tree....words!

Of course, buying wooden letters to paint and put together into coherent and inspirational (or library appropriate words)  when those letters are on sale means there are limitations. For instance, the letter S is probably not available. Neither is the letter P for some odd reason. Therefore, I improvised and painted some words with the help of my Library Assistants (until they finished exams and disappeared forever!). Today the words decorated the tree!










Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Another Year Finished

Well, almost. The students are finished, at least! There are still a few more days left for teachers.

As I spend today putting the library back in order (thanks to the wonderful assistance of some JROTC guys!) and assembling the green screen (the support system finally arrived from back order!), I have realized the importance of giving precise information.

For instance, when purchasing a 10 foot tall, 20 foot wide green screen support system, and the accompanying green screen, one reads the fine lines on the website carefully. When it says, "3 inch pocket sewn on one side of the green screen" and the support system is 20 feet wide, which end of the 10 foot by 20 foot cloth should have the pocket? Anyone? Anyone?

Well, according to the company's customer service I am supposedly the only customer in 25 years to expect it to be on the side that would go on the horizontal bar...

That's right. The pocket was sewn (and seemingly is always sewn) on the shortest side. Fortunately we have a wonderful CTE teacher who teaches Fashion and is helping me to fix the problem tomorrow so our green screen project corner will be fully functional.

And the company's webmaster is supposed to have the website fixed by tomorrow as well.

We shall see.


(see the problem?)

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Happy Whatever You Decide Upon Day!

Today when I arrived at school, I was met by a wonderful young lady with whom I've been working on next year's Poetry Slam Club. Hanna presented me with a bag of Oreos (Yum!) and wished me "Happy Cookie Day!"

Well, I wasn't aware of today's significance and mentioned my ignorance of the day. (How could I not have known! I love cookies only slightly less than a furry blue monster!) And that's when Hanna told me of an absolutely wonderful idea she had.

Because this is the last full week of "normal" classes before exams start, she decided to have her own week of celebrations. We have National Library Week, Teacher Appreciation Week, National Poetry Month, and so on (all very important, of course). So she asked herself, "Why not choose a week and name it and celebrate each and every day?" Hanna named this Candy and Cookie Week, and she gave each day a special meaning and has had fun during what can be a stressful week.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea.

You could have a Fabulous Author Week and celebrate each day with a favorite author. (Tea with Agatha Christie on Monday, a game of Quidditch with friends in honor of J.K. Rowling on Tuesday, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - or go to the beach - with Jules Verne on Wednesday, and so forth) Perhaps you love mysteries. Each day could be a different day of suspense. Bring your friends in on it (or even better, leave them in the dark and give them mysterious clues every day). Just the thought is enough to bring a smile to my face on a Wednesday during a very stressful time of year on a day filled with Professional Development in the library as we have teachers learn how to us a new tech tool for next year during their planning period. (Whew! What a sentence. Does that explain what the library is like today?)

I don't know about you, but I'm already thinking of some celebratory weeks in the future. Why do this?

Because I'm a librarian.

And I want to!

(Go ahead. You know you want to, too!)

 


Monday, May 16, 2016

Summer Reading Program!


Our County has offered the opportunity for a summer reading program to all schools....I know, summer reading for high school? How are you going to get that to work?

Well, I already have talked to the AP Lit teacher and a lot of the books for that class are on the list of books included in this program. There are also a lot of the books read in various classes on the list too. After talking to some of the English teachers, our students have been entered into the MyOn program so they will have access to the e-books all summer. (This should be very helpful to AP Lit students who won't need to buy all those books!)

By Memorial Day, our students will be in the database and able to start reading. The MyOn staff has created an instructional "Getting Started with MyOn" to assist teachers and staff in learning about the program and how to get students on the system. You will need to register your name and school email address once you click on the link. (For added assistance, CHHS staff can contact me for the MyOn contact information.)

Here's a handy Checklist of things to do if you want to use MyOn with your students.

And the list of high school books has some great titles!

The MyOn site also has ways to create and assign projects for your students over the summer!

The MyOn Professional Services Portal is filled with videos your students can watch, teacher quick reference cards, project based units, and more!

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Finally Finished, And on to the Next Project

The permanent art display in the library is finally finished! All seven canvasses are in place, and they are absolutely incredible! Each showcases such amazing talent and displays a unique style so they truly balance out the wall above the bookcases.


We also now have three mounted origami art pieces, two of which are framed, displayed in another area of the media center. These pieces are also part of the permanent art exhibit. Our temporary art is through both art teachers, and changes throughout each semester.

Well, usually this would be seen as a great support of the arts with visual displays of student work. However, with the assistance of some equally talented students, we will soon have more art promoting the media center! I would hate for anyone to think art only belongs in a frame or on a wall so....

Members of the Honors Chorus, as well as other students who volunteer to assist, will be choreographing an original music video promoting the library! The words of a song have been changed to highlight what the library has to offer (as well as how much fun the library and reading can be), and now we will add performing arts to our permanent art collection, albeit on the website rather than the wall.

As soon as this great group of students finishes their hard work, the video will be posted here.

This has inspired an idea for next year....a music video contest promoting the library announced in January with the winner announced during National Library Week! I think I'll post them on here, my website and the school Facebook page, and have a most popular vote category too. What do you think?


Friday, May 6, 2016

Technology Addictions: Are We Contributing?

Recently, there have been several news articles about teens admitting they are addicted to their Smartphones. The idea of a technology addiction is not new, but this raises the question, as we head towards "paperless" classrooms with online testing the norm, or whether or not schools are contributing to this technological trend. The next question to ask is: how dangerous is this addiction?

The report, “Technology Addiction: Concern, Controversy and Finding Balance in the Digital Age,”  was published by Common Sense Media. It has been published on all major news outlets (NY Times, CNN, FoxNews, Washington Post, etc.) as it reveals that over half of all teens admit to being addicted to their phones. Well, to be honest, I think most adults would have to admit they are addicted to their phones too! How often do teachers walk down the hall texting? Sit in a staff meeting and check their email?  There is a HUGE difference between adults and teens, however. Adults, you see, grew up without the technology so they learned how to read nonverbal cues and communication. Teens don't have those skills if they are constantly staring at a tiny screen and communicating with peers through texts.

But technology addiction also has behavior issues, which can lead to discipline issues at school and at home. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), an addiction is a chronic brain disorder causing significant behavioral problems and issues in interpersonal relationships. The American Psychological Association (APA) says someone with an addiction can experience withdrawal symptoms when the object of the addiction, including technology, is withheld. These symptoms, according to psychotherapist Dan Entmacher who treats teens for technology addiction, can include intense mood swings, irritation, anger, and depression. What? That's normal for teens, you say? Well, think of the normal teen emotions on steroids. The emotions of a teen going through tech withdrawal are extremely intensified. Difficulty with peer interaction, understanding nonverbal cues, working with others, and social manners are also problems of tech addicted teens. Could technology be to blame for increases in discipline referrals at some schools? This chart shows the different feelings tech-addicted teens admit to having when away from their screens:  Addiction Grid.

When surveyed, the following information was revealed, showing the true problem of tech addiction:

  • 40% of iPhone users would stop using a toothbrush before they would stop using their phones
  • 83% of iPhone users will only date other iPhone users
  • 20% of Smartphone users would rather go shoeless than phoneless
  • 63% of Smartphone users would give up chocolate before they would give up their phones

(WOW! Give up brushing your teeth, shoes, or chocolate??? I don't think so! But it seems I am in the minority!) 

Not counting the time in school students are on chromebooks, laptops, iPads, and desktops (or using the Smartboards during lessons), our students are spending an average of 7.5 hours every day plugged in. Actually, the number of hours is larger than that, because that figure does NOT count time spent online doing homework! A lot of that time is also multi-tasking with music and social media and Netflix or YouTube or other media content. During each day, a teen will send more texts than a telegraph operator used to send as well. 

Yet we are starting to "plug them in" 6-7 more hours every day at school. It seems they are online for half of their lives once they start school and have a phone.

Is this a good idea?

Don't get me wrong, I've always been one of the first teachers on the hall to jump on the tech bandwagon and reserve the laptops or other new devices. I love using technology and seeing how it makes research easier for students. But then I read about Silicon Valley and how their schools are technology-free zones...no Smartboards...no Chromebooks...no e-books...no Google Classroom...and I wonder which model is working better. Of course, the demographics are different. Those students live in a very wealthy area and there are fewer than 200 students at the elementary school. (Hard to imagine!) The students also have access to the newest technology available on the market and even before it hits the market due to their parents jobs. Some of our students only have access to technology while at school.

So what to do?

First, let's make sure we are using technology at school for the right reasons. We don't need to use technology for the sake of saying "Hey, look at us! We use technology!" Use devices when they are the BEST, most EFFICIENT, and MOST EFFECTIVE way of reaching your students. Intersperse those technology lessons with some unplugged lessons too. Hands-on lessons are still some of the best ways to reach the majority of our students.

Next, have your students put those phones away. I know our school has a rather strict device policy while my daughter's school allows students to have phones out for class all the time. But do students need to have them out with the music playing 24/7? That's part of the technology addiction. We wouldn't let them eat 24/7. We don't let them go outside and smoke (for the students old enough to have unfortunately picked up that addiction). Let's help them break away from having to be plugged in ALL THE TIME! No Phones! No iPods! (Unless it's necessary for the lesson, i.e. Kahoot, Virtual Reality goggles, etc.)

Also, assign homework that DOESN'T have to be done online sometimes. Let's unplug them at home once in awhile too. We are trying to mold and develop the whole child while they are growing up, even the ones who are taller than we are.

Finally, ask yourself if you are addicted to technology. The following questions have been developed to self-identify a technology addiction. It is a real addiction, just like an addiction to tobacco, alcohol, gambling, food, etc. 
  • Have you ever manipulated or lied to obtain screen time?
  • Do you regularly use screens when you wake up or when you go to bed?
  • Do you avoid people or places that do not approve of you using screens?
  • Has your job or school performance ever suffered from the effects of your screen use?
  • Have you ever lied about how much you use technology?
  • Do you put the purchase of tech ahead of your other financial responsibilities?
  • Have you ever tried to stop or control your using technology?
  • Does using tech interfere with your sleeping or eating?
  • Does the thought of running out of tech terrify you?
  • Do you feel it is impossible for you to live without screens?
  • Do you ever question your own sanity?
  • Is your screen use making life at home unhappy?
  • Have you ever thought you couldn’t fit in or have a good time without tech?
  • Have you ever felt defensive, guilty, or ashamed about your using technology?
  • Do you think a lot about tech?
  • Have you ever used screens because of emotional pain or stress?
  • Do you continue to use technology despite negative consequences?
  • Do you think you might have a tech problem?


Birch, B. A. "Silicon Valley Execs Sending Kids to Tech-Free Schools." Education News. Education News, n.d. Web. 6              May 2016. <http://www.educationnews.org/>.
  Chait, Jennifer. "Technology and Kids: Startling Statistics Every Parent Should Know About        
          Addiction to iPhones & Screens." Inhabitots. Inhabitat, 21 July 2013. Web. 6 May 2016.   
         <http://www.inhabitots.com/>.
   Entmacher, Dan. "Video Game & Technology Addiction in Teens." Dan Entmacher Psychotherapy.  
          N.p., n.d. Web. 6 May 2106. <http://danentmacherpsychotherapy.com/>.
   Jacobson, Linda. "Mobile Device Addiction Explored in Report; Educators as “Mentors”  
          Highlighted." School Library Journal. School Library Journal, 3 May 2016. Web. 6 May 2016.  
          <www.slj.com>.
   Soltan, Liz. "Technology Addiction." Digital Responsibility: Taking Control of Your Digital Life.  
          Digital Responsibility, n.d. Web. 6 May 2016. <http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/>.

Monday, May 2, 2016

Technology Fun for a Friday

Our district's Digital Learning Team was invited for a visit on Friday. They came during Smart Lunch, an academic period when half of the student body (850 students) eats lunch while the other half goes to a club, tutoring session, social area, or academic area. The library is an academic area where students work on projects and write research papers, read, study individually or in groups, work on homework, and so on. Plus, they do get to socialize while they work.

Well, imagine their surprise on Friday when one hundred students per lunch (we have an A and a B period) walked in ready to work and they saw this:


To add to their confusion, some of the armchairs had been moved and tables taken over for this:



Students could use the green screen.



They could also use virtual reality googles, play with controlling a robotic ball, and feel the beating of a heart through an Ipad.





Another popular station allowed students to mix their own music tracks.



Although only 200 of our students got to play with the technology during this session, and a few of the seniors are a bit jealous they won't get assigned projects with a green screen (or virtual reality goggles if we get the grant we're planning to write for a class set of those!), the day was definitely a success.

Unfortunately, we've already had to break the news to students who didn't make it to the media center that we won't be hosting this every Friday....not only do we have to share our Digital Learning Team with other schools, but there's the slight matter of AP Exams in the media center next Friday...






Thursday, April 28, 2016

When Technology Fails (Or At Least Lets You Down)

Repeat after me: Technology is my friend. Technology is my friend. Technology is my....

Yes, it's true, even if it let's you down. Think about it! Have your friends EVER let you down just a little? Maybe? Once in a while? Why should technology be any different just because we depend upon it for every little things these days?

We are not a 1:1 school when it comes to technology devices (with almost 1800 students this year and a projected enrollment of over 2000 for next year, our budget won't stretch that far!), but we have a lot of Chromebooks. I mean A LOT of Chromebooks. (Thirteen carts of 30-36 Chromebooks for checkout, plus our CTE department has their own carts.)

These carts are reserved, usually well in advance, for research, online projects, and....testing! Yes, our state has a lot of online testing for every subject throughout the year.

None of this is a problem until the server crashes (rarely) or the Internet connection is cut by construction workers (very rarely, but it happened twice at my last school in the same school year) or.....there is a district-wide issue with Google for all Chromebooks. Just Chromebooks. On a day when the entire Science Department is testing! (Our departments have assigned test days to prevent students from having 4 tests on the same day.)

Now what to do? If the library is available, one class can come use all of my desktops if the issue is reserved to the wireless devices. However, that only takes care of one class...when over 20 would need to use the computers! (But if it's already reserved, like today, it's not an option!)

So....when using technology, here are my suggestions:

1. Back-up plan #1: have a copy of the test you can display on the Smart board (if all technology is not down) and students can mark their answers on their own paper. This prevents you from needing to run last-minute copies. Your entire lesson plans aren't changed with this option although you will have to be hyper-vigilant for wandering eyes with some students.

2. Extra review day: immediately reserve devices for tomorrow (and the next day) in case everything is working by then. Spend the day with an extra intensive review session. Students will benefit from this. A few students who studied really diligently last night might be upset, but I doubt many students would complain if the test was postponed one day. Unfortunately, this will involve some tweaking of the next few days of lessons, but educators have to be flexible anyway!

3. Have a class set of paper tests locked away for every test. You don't have to rush to make copies, your  plans don't change, and students write answers on their own paper. Don't forget to have modification copies for IEP/504/ELL students. This is probably your best option for preserving your lesson plans in case all technology has failed you. If you use plastic sleeve protectors, you know students won't write on them and the sleeve protectors are reusable.

The great thing is that technology rarely does fail in such a grand gesture as it did at our school today. For the most part, it does make teaching easier in many ways compared to how it was when I started in education in the early 1990s. So don't curse it when it crashes, but always have a back-up plan "just in case" and you'll be fine.

(And, of course, always hope tech services figures things out very, very quickly.)


Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Cooperation or Collaboration? What's the Difference?

(This blog is based on a discussion at a Lunch and Learn Conference hosted by NC DPI on April 12, 2016 for Media Coordinators and Instructional Technology Facilitators.)

When you have students work with partners or teams, are you having them work on cooperative projects or collaborative learning? Are you aware of the difference between the directions of the two types of tasks?

Often we, as educators, talk about collaborative groups and cooperative grouping as if they are interchangeable. However, in truth, the two concepts have completely different project directions, task management, and outcomes. To explain the differences, I'm going to put forth a class project scenario in an imaginary, yet ideal, educational setting. We'll call this school "Paradise High."

First, let me describe our hypothetical class: this class is 100% successful, highly motivated, with great parental support. It is evenly balanced ethnically, racially, socioeconomically, and by gender. Students read for pleasure and return their library books on time each week to check out more. (Stop laughing. I can create my own idea of the perfect high school, can't I?)

Now, you have divided the class into absolutely perfect heterogeneous groups for a project. Each group has four students, two boys and two girls. (One gifted student, two average students, and one student who is ELL or has an IEP. ) They are all racially/ethnically balanced as well. (WOW, you say? This can only happen at Paradise High! Yep. Nothing ever happens exactly evenly in the real world, but just work with me here. It's a blog post.)

The project divides the tasks into four positions, and each position has specific areas of responsibility for research, writing, and presentation. Students will be graded on their individual work and the group will receive a grade on how well they put it all together. They will work on the project in class. Group One is Juan, Rebecca, Matthew, and Leah. They will do the following:
Juan: Research the history of chocolate, write a few paragraphs on it with citations, and share his findings through a group powerpoint
Rebecca: Identify the role chocolate played in Spanish colonialism, write a few paragraphs on it with citations, and share her findings through the group powerpoint.
Matthew: Learn of the effect of chocolate on Spanish cuisine, create at least 3 authentic dishes and write about the experiences of cooking those recipes, cite the sources, and share the information and pictures in the group powerpoint.
Leah: Learn about modern chocolate plantations and child laborers, write an opinion piece explaining whether or not chocolate should be imported into the US with citations for support for the information, and share the facts and opinion through the group powerpoint.

Cooperation or Collaboration?

If you said collaboration, I am afraid that you are incorrect. These students are actually working individually on a group outcome, the powerpoint; however, each student's part is done individually without input from the other members of the group. If one member's task is not complete or is shoddy, the entire project will not fall apart. They are cooperating on the group grade.

To truly have students collaborate, the students need to communicate with each other, share ideas, and actually work as a team to complete each part of the project. This is not the days of the "team leader," "parts manager," "writer," and other task labels handed out randomly or strategically by the teacher and called "collaboration." Now, students must truly work together or the project falls apart.

So now, the project changes:
Juan and Rebecca discover how the Spanish explorers "discovered" chocolate, and the students want to "bring it over" to the "Continent" by recreating the experience. Leah and Matthew learn how chocolate is grown on two types of plantations (with and without child labor) and exported to Spain to be used in the creation of Spanish cuisine. Together the group decides to produce a play on chocolate that does a "fast-forward" approach from the "discovery" to today, and they want to convince the class to make the decision to only use fair market chocolate when cooking spectacular recipes or snacking. This, my fellow educators is what makes a project collaboration!

Monday, April 4, 2016

Improving Research-Based Writing at the Secondary Level

We all know students should "know" how to write a research paper by the time they are in high school. In the ideal world, students would start writing sentences in first grade, connecting sentences into small paragraphs in second grade, learn about transitions in third grade, and then begin writing simple introductions and conclusions in fourth and fifth grade. Why, then they would just work on elaborating and developing higher forms of writing in middle school so high school teachers could help them hone those skills in preparation for college!

If only it were so easy.

Naturally high-stakes testing in the elementary and middle school classrooms have taken writing research-based papers out of the curriculum. During the 8-1/2 years I spent at an elementary school media center, the majority of research-based writing in all grades was done through media classes. Because students came on a 7, 8, or 10 day rotation (depending upon which school year you look at) even those had to be considered carefully since a student who was absent during one class might not come to a library class for an entire month.  As I worked with teachers on collaboration projects, they wanted students to do posters and simple projects because they were shorter and easier to grade in a period of time already stuffed with mClass, iReady, Dibbels, EOGs, and so many other required paperwork-heavy things. I understood their frustration at being unable to dedicate the time necessary to a great project, and my schedule with their students was fixed with no "wiggle-room." (We did a large project connecting science with a research paper in fifth grade, but it had to be stretched out over months which made it less enjoyable than anyone wanted it to be. The Museum in the Schools project worked with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and culminated in the students becoming experts at the museum for a day.)

Middle school teachers have a lot of the same demands on their time.

This means when students get to high school, many of them have NEVER written an introductory paragraph nor a conclusion. They don't know how to transition between paragraphs in a paper. Some have never had to cite sources properly. A source card? An outline? What are those?

Is there any way to help students become better writers in the secondary classroom?

One possibility is to create a writer's workshop within the classroom. By setting up stations where students work on specific skills (taking notes for research, avoiding plagiarism, outlining, introductions, conclusions, transitions, using direct or indirect quotes, etc.), you can help students work on the skills they are lacking. Take a few days to have students rotate through the stations. Students must complete all the stations within those days. Have students self-assess or you assess their work at the end of each day.

Yes, I know. This will take some time on your part to set up the first year, but won't it be worth it if the final papers are much better?

Now, have students work in the stations where they need the most improvement. A student struggling with how to get started writing can stay at the introduction station and practice there. One who you know has had the habit of just copying and pasting can practice taking notes to avoid plagiarism. Another can organize notes into an outline. These are not skills that come naturally to any student. By setting up your class into these stations for a brief period of time, students build the skills for writing.

After they have practiced in the stations, come on down to the library for some research! I'll be more than happy to help your students, too!

For some great tips on creating a writer's workshop in a secondary classroom, see Shelby Scoffield's blog post on Edutopia, the inspiration for this week's Hungry Bookshelf!

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Lord of the Flies, Library Edition

So how best to make classic literature come to life in the library? Thanks to Ms. Vicie Records (here is the shout-out I promised!), here is an idea....

Forget the traditional sign-up for technology...

Forget reserving a chromebook cart....

Who needs to reserve the library for research in advance...

Make it first-come, first grab!

Can you imagine the chaos? Teachers would line up at the door (or bribe someone with a master key to let them in earlier and earlier). Fist fights would erupt over who touched the cart first.  Students would be sent to claim the computer stations. Chairs would be overturned.

It would become survival of the fittest as the teachers struggled to maneuver uncooperative carts through the doors (and hallways).

YIKES! It's the stuff of nightmares (or of a new reality TV show....hmmmmm).

However, it does bring about thoughts of ways to bring old books to life for students. Although many of us love classic literature, the books we grew up with or learned to love as adults, for students the traditional high school books aren't always as exciting or eye-catching as the new titles that seem to be instant blockbuster movies.

We need to look at these books with fresh eyes ourselves. How do you take, for instance, a book by one of the esteemed Bronte sisters and make it relevant to today's teenagers? Or help students relate to Jane Austen, Shakespeare, Faulkner, Steinbeck, and Hemingway when there isn't a dystopian society fighting against a teen protagonist intent on saving or destroying the world with explosions and death on every other page?

Too often, when returning the classic books (with the exception of Night by Eli Weisel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck) students chat in the line about how they only read Sparknotes online rather than even opening the book. This is depressing for several reasons and showing a need for change.

Here are some possible solutions:

  1. When choosing classic literature, give students a choice of several books with similar themes. Put them in reading groups based on the books and have them form a book club where they discuss openly the passages they should have read. This gives accountability to all members of the group as well as some ownership to the book they have chosen. 
  2. If you still want to read one book with the entire class, give book talks (maybe even make some book trailers) and generate interest prior to starting the novel. Have students vote after watching several book trailers. The more ownership, the more likelihood students will open the book. 
  3. Finally, find a modern book OR MOVIE that connects with the classic book. Promote both. When students see the relevance or the connection, they are may buy into the classic literature and hopefully read it.


When all else fails, bring the novel to life through scenarios in your classroom...unless it's The Lord of the Flies....