February/March 2018 Highlights

With the February break followed by a quick spring break, the months of February and March seemed to both blend together and fly by!  It was a busy time with a variety of projects across subjects and grade levels.

February began with a seventh grade Spanish Flipgrid project with Ms. Marcinkowski, a sixth grade Greek mythology project with Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Whalen, and an attorney visit as part of The Outsiders unit with Ms. Beauchamp and Mrs. Gembka.  Click on the links in this paragraph to learn more about the students' work during these units!

There were a number of visits to the library during February 2018.

World War II/Holocaust Research Project
The largest event in the library, spanning both February and March, was the combined eighth grade ELA/Social Studies project with Mr. Baumgartner and Mrs. Maulucci.  A solid two weeks was booked in the library for the completion of this project.  Students were required to use reliable sources for research in order to develop a thesis statement about a topic pertaining to either World War II or the Holocaust.  Once a thesis was developed, students then crafted a 3-5 page paper, complete with an MLA-formatted Works Cited page and in-text citations.

Planning and preparation helped to make the project run as smoothly as possible.  Mr. Baumgartner, Mrs. Maulucci, myself, and sometimes Mrs. Mule were available during both ELA and Social Studies classes to help all students.  This ensured that students always had access to adults that could help with the history content, writing skills, and research techniques.  This also meant that students would have two full class periods a day devoted to the project, since they visited the library for both ELA and Social Studies.

When students entered the library for the first time, they received a mini lesson regarding the goals for the day.  This would include information on finding sources, citing sources, developing research questions, identifying strong thesis statements, paraphasing/summarizing, outlining, drafting, and using transitions.  After receiving the mini lesson, students were then able to work independently.

Incorporating technology in meaningful ways contributed to the success of the project.  Mrs. Maulucci is very familiar with the use of Microsoft OneNote and Class Notebook.  She was able to put all of the project requirements and resources into OneNote.  This meant that students were always able to access the project resources on their laptops and keep all of their notes in one place.  OneNote also allows teachers to look into individual student notebooks, which helped monitor student progress and areas of concern.  Throughout the project, we disseminated "Research Check Ins" to all students through the use of Google Forms.  This allowed us to collect data on where students needed extra help.  Students also submitted their thesis statements via Google Forms, which helped in setting up individual conferences before students began their draft.  Lastly, students used Microsoft Word to compose their essays.  The references features within Word are great!  They allowed students to easily add their Works Cited information, and the program also formatted in-text citations to use within the paper.  Becoming familiar with the Microsoft features will serve students well as they will continue to use these resources into high school and beyond.

A glimpse into the OneNote notebook where all project materials were housed.

Research Check Ins via Google Forms allowed teachers to
assist students with their specific project needs.

This project was a huge undertaking for the students and required the use of numerous high-level skills.  Students definitely rose to the challenge, and most made good use of their time in the library.  Due to the complexity of this project, mastery of the skills introduced does not happen overnight.  However, this project laid the foundation for the critical thinking, communication, and research skills that will be needed to succeed in high school and beyond.  Our students really rose to the occasion!  We are all proud of the way students dove into the process.

Music Class Visits
Another highlight from February and March was having multiple visits from the Iroquois Middle School music department.  Since music teachers see their general music students for a ten week period, music teachers are frequent visitors in the library for research projects.  Ms. Louttit, Mrs. Kloc, and Mrs. Fox visited with their seventh grade students to perform research on classical composers.  Mrs. Fox also returned with her eighth graders for a project on Rock and Roll history.

Science Class Visits
Seventh and eighth grade science classes visited the library for both research assistance and a station activity.  Students in Ms. Pici and Mrs. Robinson's eighth grade science classes visited for research help for their "Creative Element" project.  Databases such as Britannica and World Book were perfect for learning about the elements.  After learning the history and properties of specific elements, students then made a creative project inspired by their element.  These projects are now on display in the library.

A creative display about Nitrogen.

Many of the creative element projects are displayed in the library.

A huge box of french fries represents Potassium.

Mrs. Ferger and Mrs. Raczkowski brought their seventh grade science students into the library for a stations activity regarding genetics concepts.  Using QR codes and the QR reader app on the library iPads, students accessed a variety of videos and activities about genetics.  Students appreciated the ability to move around the library and work at their own pace.

Book Selection Visits
ELA and reading classes are all at different points with their free reading and reading challenges.  This resulted in many classroom visits to exchange books.  Mr. Marshall and Mrs. Maulucci's students are completing a genre tic tac toe board for their reading requirement.  Both teachers visited the library with their students in order to select new books.  Mrs. Gembka's seventh grade students also visited the library to select a book for their book report.  The sixth grade reading classes frequented the library for book selection.  Mrs. Nicosia's readers received an introduction on the 1990s prior to their all-class reading of Pay It Forward.

RtI Conspiracy Theory Project
Ms. Beauchamp's seventh grade RtI students visited the library in order to perform research on conspiracy theories.  This project was designed to build students' skills in tackling informational text, identifying the main idea and supporting details, citing sources, and writing.  Each student was assigned a specific theory.  After reading about the conspiracy theory, students then used credible sources to "debunk" the theory.  Students created a PowerPoint, then presented their findings to their classmates.  Each PowerPoint contained a slide with their Works Cited information.  It was clear that students really understood their material, as they were able to field difficult questions from their peers.

An example from the presentation about the moon landing.

Library statistics for March 2018.

It's amazing to think that we are already in the last three months of school!  April's schedule will be packed with more book visits, RtI projects, and research.

December 2017 Library Visits

Happy New Year!  It's always tough to get back into the swing of school after a break, but it is nice to return to familiar faces and a more structured routine.  December 2017 welcomed class visits as well as special events within the Iroquois Middle School Library.

Book Bistro
On December 7th, the annual Book Bistro for Iroquois Middle School staff members took place.  It was a great day of food and fun!  Click here to read more about the Book Bistro event.

The Omnivore's Dilemma Project
The largest research project of December was done with the eighth grade students in Mrs. Maulucci and Mrs. Mule's classes.  After reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, students gained knowledge about the health, environmental, and economic issues surrounding the food we all eat.  This led to more questions about food issues and a desire to explore these questions in greater depth.

The project required students to develop a claim based on topics within the book, then find credible sources that supported the claim.  Students were introduced to library resources, in particular the Opposing Viewpoints in Context and Teen Health and Wellness databases, in order to find evidence for their claim.

This was the first project in the library that was completed via Microsoft Office 365 Class Notebook.  The online notebook provided a digital way for students to stay organized.  Within the notebook, students found the project requirements, grading rubric, passwords for library resources, and a space to record their notes.  This digital organization also gave Mrs. Maulucci and Mrs. Mule the ability to check in on students' progress throughout the project.

Once a claim was formulated and supporting evidence was solidified, students were able to choose how to present their findings to the class.  Although the majority of the students used PowerPoint, some chose to make posters, record videos, or use digital services such as Sway, Screencast-o-Matic.

A presentation discussed food poisoning.

Claims about a vegan diet was the focus of another presentation.

Overall, students' presentations were well-organized and informative!  Some students struggled with the idea of a claim, and instead presented about a topic.  This is a high-level skill that will be continually developed through ELA classes and research.

Reading Conferences and Book Selection
Many classes continue to frequent the library for book selection.  The sixth grade reading classes are well underway with their 40 Book Challenge, meaning they are often seen in the library selecting new titles.  Mrs. Whalen's reading class has also been using the library space to host small group meetings about their classroom book, Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin.  The flexible seating allows for each group to find a place where they can comfortably hold a book discussion.  During the short month of December, 383 books were checked out or renewed.

Genre/Book Tasting
Mrs. Nicosia was excited to try a book/genre tasting with the sixth grade students in her reading class.  Although I had previously worked on speedbooking activities, I had never hosted a book tasting.  In order to prepare for the experience, I was able to draw upon other tastings conducted by educators.  I found the blog entries from Bubble Up Classroom by Corey Thornblad and Gretchen Hazlin and The Unquiet Librarian by Buffy Hamilton to be particularly helpful.  Using ideas and resources presented from both blogs, I now felt like I had a good foundation to host a book/genre tasting.  It was very helpful that these educators graciously shared their resources and insights.

Taking Mrs. Nicosia's students into account, I chose to focus on some of the genres where students were having difficulties finding engaging titles.  This class is particularly adept at reading graphic novels, so that category was not included.  The genres featured included historical fiction, poetry/novels in verse, mystery fiction, nonfiction/biographies, science fiction/fantasy, and realistic fiction.  Canva was used to create beautiful signage for our library (which was turned into the Genre Cafe for the event!).

The featured selections for Mrs. Nicosia's genre tasting.

When students entered the library, they were greeted by tables full of selections from the featured genres.  Each table also included a place setting, candle, and description of the genre.  As students moved through each table, they recorded their impressions of the books they chose to "taste" during the activity.

The science fiction/fantasy table for the genre tasting.

The nonfiction/biography selections.

Students "tasted" their books and recorded their impressions.

There were many positives associated with conducting this type of activity.  Most importantly, it exposed students to a variety of books that they may not have have previously viewed.  Students also seemed to really enjoy pretending that they were at a fancy restaurant!

If I were to host another book/genre tasting in the future, I would make some changes.  The activity took place right before winter break, so behaviors were a bit of an issue--students were excited to leave for break, so some needed extra prompts to get on track!  Also, this event requires lots of setup time.  I thought the early morning time before school would be sufficient for setting up, but time was tight.  It would make more sense to set this activity up the night before.  Mrs. Whalen's students will be coming in during January to have their own genre tasting.  Hopefully it goes just as well!

American Revolution Day
On the final day before winter break, all seventh grade students participated in American Revolution Day.  This coincided with the content they were learning about in their Social Studies classes.  There were many stations located around the school where students took part in activities pertaining to colonial times.  The library housed the problem solving station.  While in the library, students cracked a code, worked on a logic puzzle, and attempted to guess the uses of some colonial artifacts (and replicas).

Since my mom is a history buff and a generous person, I was able to borrow sixteen different items to use for the activity.  Student groups took their best guesses as to what all of the items were used for.  Although some of the items were obvious, there were definitely some tricky items as well.  The winning groups guessed thirteen out of sixteen items correctly.

Student groups guessed the uses of colonial items.

This item is a patten, which is a primitive form of ice skate.

This is a type of lantern that could be hung outdoors.

Although December was a short month, there was still lots of activity within the library.  Looking forward to more projects in 2018!

Iroquois Middle School December Report