Our Building is Closed, but the Library is Open!

March 2020 began just like any other month.  The library's schedule included a number of classroom visits, as well as special events.  The WNY Middle School Battle of the Books competition was gearing up, so students came to the library during lunch periods to talk strategy with their team members.  The Iroquois Girls' STEM Leadership Group began meeting in the library after school to plan the district-wide Family STEM Night slated for April 23rd.

Girls' STEM member tests out BeeBots and Keva Planks
for potential STEM Night stations.

Girls' STEM members work on a press release for Family STEM Night.

By the second week of March, it became clear that things weren't normal.  Maybe it was the full moon, the looming threat of Coronavirus, Friday the 13th, or a combination of all three.  The eighth grade Team DaVinci students had been working hard on their ELA/Social Studies WWII project.  By Friday the 13th, Mr. Baumgartner, Mrs. Maulucci, and I decided that students needed a little time and space to decompress.  We ended our classes fifteen minutes early that day so that students could chat, ask us questions, play games, and relax.  Eighth period study hall students enjoyed working on a Stick Together mosaic picture and making towers with Keva Planks.

Knowing what happened next, I'm thankful to have had this time to connect and relax with our students.

Eighth graders relax by working on a Stick Together picture mosaic.

Study hall students were making excellent towers with Keva Planks!

By the weekend, plans were in motion for school building closures at least until after the April break.  Iroquois administration worked swiftly to get plans in place for online instruction, meal delivery, and a host of other concerns.  With 1:1 device access, wifi available on campus while practicing social distancing, amazing support from our district technology department, and teachers already using Microsoft online tools for instruction, working solely in an online environment was possible!

The tough part, at least for me, is that I didn't get into education in order to work from behind a computer screen.  Libraries are all about building community.  Missing the in-person library visits from students and staff has been a struggle.

Transitioning to Online Learning
The overall mission of school libraries has always been to assist school community members become effective users of information found in a variety of formats.  With gains in technological capabilities, this has meant adding increased access to digitized information.

School library websites have been great repositories of information: subscription database portals, information about digital books, and curated pages for classroom projects have always been available, well before COVID-19 entered our vocabulary.

Moving into the building closures, I had some concerns about delivery of library services.  How can the community aspect of a school library carry into a digital environment?  How can instruction continue?  How can I assist students and staff in a way that is helpful and not overwhelming?  What about that deluge of "free" resources now available: what is purposeful, what raises student privacy concerns?  

Like the rest of educators, I continue to build the airplane as I'm flying it.  A couple of weeks into this new reality, the following are some strategies I've applied in order keep the Iroquois Middle School Library program moving forward.

Connecting to area library organizations: Right away, library organizations scheduled Zoom meetings in order to give area librarians a chance to meet virtually in order to share ideas and resources.  The School Librarians' Association of Western New York organized a Zoom meeting and moved their scheduled professional development sessions to online formats.  Both the Erie 2 BOCES School Library System and the Western New York Library Resources Council solidified plans for weekly Zoom meetings for member librarians.  I can't thank the library leaders in my community enough for these meetings.  So far, I have attended every session because of the tremendous value they offer.  Librarians are eager to learn and share, as evidenced by the conversations had in the Zoom meetings.  Through these sessions, I have had many of my concerns answered.  I gained information about strategies to connect with the community while keeping student privacy protected, and what resources are available to help our students, staff, and families.  The most valuable takeaway from the meetings is the strong sense of camaraderie within our WNY library community!  We're all in this together and willing to lend a hand to each other.

Virtual library presence established: One of my first responses to the building closure was to find comfort within the pages of a favorite book.  I was sure that there were Iroquois Middle students also feeling the same way!  Authors and publishers have eased recording restrictions in order to provide educators the opportunity to record read alouds (this article from School Library Journal does an amazing job outlining the new guidelines).  I chose to read Ghost by Jason Reynolds in its entirety.  To protect the property of the author, I posted the read aloud files to a newly-established Iroquois Middle School Library page on Microsoft Teams.  This ensured that the read aloud would only be available to members of the school community.  The Teams page was also established to create the library's virtual community presence.  In addition to the posted read aloud, this page will also house book talk video chat sessions, book reviews, and trivia competitions using Gimkit and Kahoot.  The first book chat is scheduled for April 10th.  I'm using student input to guide future offerings!

Curation of resources: A positive outcome during these challenging times has been that educational professionals, authors, publishers, and educational technology companies have been extremely generous with allowing access to their resources and services.  Although this has been amazing, it has also been overwhelming!  Instead of sharing out all of these resources out little by little, I've created a new page off the library website called "Learning at Home" in order to keep a growing list of helpful resources for our community.  Librarians' roles have always included curation.  Now, our curation efforts have been driven into high gear because of the urgent need to share relevant resources with communities.

Brief and purposeful communication: The amount of change and the volume of information has been exhausting, to say the least.  My goal during this difficult time has been to offer assistance in ways that are gentle instead of overwhelming.  I decided to send out a weekly email to staff, sharing links to curated resources and other pertinent items.  Utilizing smore.com, I emailed a library update newsletter to all Iroquois Middle students.  This newsletter showed them how to access the library Teams page and other resources.  Within the newsletter was a live link to an embedded Microsoft Form.  This form asked students for feedback on what to purchase to enhance our Sora ebook/audiobook collection, as well as their ideas for upcoming virtual library events.

Continuation of instruction: As I mentioned earlier, our Team DaVinci eighth graders were well into their research project when the building closure began.  Because the research project is the culmination of many information literacy, critical thinking, and writing skills that students have been working on all year, it was decided that the plans already in motion should be continued.  Instead of offering students mini-lessons on research and citation topics, I used Screencastomatic to record online tutorials for students to view at their convenience.  Symbaloo was a great tool to present helpful websites for student research.  All of these items were available on a project page located on the library website.  Students completed their research notes, citations, and drafts within Microsoft Class Notebook, making it possible for educators to check in on student progress.  Microsoft Teams allowed for virtual office hours via chat (with the added bonus of meeting students' parents, siblings, and pets!).  Students have also been sending their research questions via email.

Although this new method of instruction is not without its hiccups (equity issues persist in education, and are even more pronounced now), it has been a helpful way to keep students engaged in their learning.  I'm happy to report that research projects scheduled from before the building closure are still slated to continue!  Of course, these projects will look a little different.  During collaborative lesson planning, the classroom educators and I will discuss how to best meet the needs of their specific students.

Staying grounded:  Most importantly, I realize that I am in an extreme position of privilege by being able to continue my work in this fashion.  Those working on the front lines in public positions of all types are worthy of respect and awe.  I'm doing my best to stay safe and healthy, not only for myself, but for the community.  Establishing a sleep schedule, eating healthy, exercising, and connecting (via phone/text/video chat) with family and friends has been a priority.  The shift to online learning means that time itself starts to feel more fluid: healthy routines and boundaries are needed more than ever before!

Monthly Report for March 2020.

Although the building stays closed, our library remains open--eager to share resources and build community.  It's impossible to say when things will return to normal.  However, when they do, I hope that added opportunities for digital connections continue.  In education, it's all hands on deck as we continue to move forward.  Libraries will always be there to lend support!

Lego League Robotics 2019

On November 23rd, 2019, sixteen students from Iroquois Middle School participated in the regional FIRST Lego League Robotics competition at the Nichols School.  This was the second year that Iroquois took part in Lego League.  Interest in the program is growing, which meant Mrs. Ferger and I (Ms. Muhlbauer) were able to grow the club from one team to two!

There was plenty of planning and preparation leading up to the competition.  We held informational sessions about FLL (FIRST Lego League) during lunches.  Interested students needed to apply by providing a guardian signature and also a paragraph explaining why they want to join the team.  We stressed that FLL isn't a club in the traditional sense; instead, it requires a high level of commitment.  Once the teams were selected, we met for two hour meetings 18 times leading up to the competition.

Another wonderful addition to Lego League this year was the introduction of student mentors.  High school students Analee and Bella, members of our Girls' STEM Leadership Group, were eager to help our Lego League students succeed!  Analee and Bella shared their science and team building expertise with the middle school FLL students.

For those unfamiliar with FLL, it is a three part competition.  The spontaneous "Core Values" section assesses how well team members work together as a group in order to perform a specific task (mainly a team building activity).  Team members must then discuss how the Core Values of Lego League can be applied to school and other settings.  The Core Values of Lego League are as follows:

We are a team.

We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors.

We know our coaches and mentors don't have all the answers; we learn together.

We honor the spirit of friendly competition.

What we discover is more important than what we win.

We share our experiences with others.

We display Gracious Professionalism^® and Coopertition^® in everything we do.

We have FUN!

- See more at: http://www.firstlegoleague.org/mission/corevalues#sthash.cVFMw5M0.dpuf

We are a team.

We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors.

We know our coaches and mentors don't have all the answers; we learn together.

We honor the spirit of friendly competition.

What we discover is more important than what we win.

We share our experiences with others.

We display Gracious Professionalism^® and Coopertition^® in everything we do.

We have FUN!

- See more at: http://www.firstlegoleague.org/mission/corevalues#sthash.cVFMw5M0.dpu

We are a team.

We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors.

We know our coaches and mentors don't have all the answers; we learn together.

We honor the spirit of friendly competition.

What we discover is more important than what we win.

We share our experiences with others.

We display Gracious Professionalism^® and Coopertition^® in everything we do.

We have FUN!

- See more at: http://www.firstlegoleague.org/mission/corevalues#sthash.cVFMw5M0.dpuf

- Discovery: We explore new skills and ideas.
- Innovation: We use creativity and persistence to solve problems.
- Impact: We apply what we learned to improve the world.
- Inclusion: We respect each other and embrace our differences.
- Teamwork: We are stronger when we work together.

Students practiced Core Values by assembling our competition board.

Following step by step instructions is crucial.

The "Project" section is more of a traditional science project.  Students are given a topic to research first.  This year, the theme was "City Shaper" and teams were challenged to find a way to improve something within their community.  The challenge took on an architectural feel, as teams were urged to explore structures and buildings within their community.  The team shares their innovation with a group of people who can benefit from their research.  They then must create a short presentation to show the judges what they learned through the research process.

The White Team decided to tackle the problem of Iroquois's campus not being bike friendly.  By developing ways to make Iroquois more bike friendly, the environment would be positively impacted and students would receive more exercise.  In addition to performing research online, students also interviewed Mr. Eric Nagel, Iroquois' Transportation Supervisor, and Mr. Clark, an official from the Town of Elma.

The White Team's completed project board.

Members of the White Team share their project with an interested student.

Members of the White Team prior to presenting their project to the judges.

The Red Team identified Elma's lack of a community pool as a problem in our area.  Many of the other surrounding communities have access to a pool, but Elma/Marilla/Wales do not.  Through research and an interview with Mr. Joe Colern from the Town of Elma, students developed a plan to make a community pool that was accessible for community members of all abilities.

The Red Team's completed project board.

Members of the Red Team, just after presenting their project to the judges.

Last but not least is the "Robotics" component.  Students are honing their computer programming skills in order to train a robot to complete missions.  Each mission is worth a predetermined amount of points, so the team that accumulates the most points will win this section of the competition.  This part of the competition requires a lot of trial and error; it is difficult to get the robot's programming just right in order to complete the missions.

Members of the Red Team cheering on their robot.

Preparing for the robot competition.

Members of the White Team prepare for the robot competition.

Setting up the robot required care and precision.

During the competition, it was very exciting when our teams' robots successfully completed missions!  The White Team's robot came in eighth place and the Red Team's robot came in sixth place out of twelve teams.

In between the rigorous competition rounds, our students found ample time to have fun!  The staff at Nichols does an amazing job keeping the entire day exciting, interactive, and upbeat.

Nichols provided a button making station for all attendees.

Students were invited to dance in between each robot round.

The Lockport High School robotics team shared their creations.

The cookies at the concession stand were a huge hit!

Although both teams are to be commended for a successful day, the White Team deserves a special nod for winning the event's Core Values trophy!  This trophy is awarded to the team that displays outstanding teamwork, perseverance, and kindness throughout the competition.  In addition to earning the trophy, students on the White Team were also selected as Model Citizens by the robot judges because they cleaned up their robotics supplies without being asked.  This wonderful behavior is indicative of the amazing students we have at Iroquois!

Members of the White Team with their Core Values trophy.

Although Lego League is over for this year, the team members are keeping their robotics skills sharp by participating in the middle school's Bright Minds Club and Science Challenge.  All sixth and seventh grade students are visiting the library with their STREAM classes in December to compete in various coding activities.

Thank you to the Lego League students and families for another successful year!

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.

Sixth Grade Mythology Project

During January and February 2018, many class periods were devoted to visits from Mrs. Webb, Mrs. Whalen, and their fantastic sixth grade ELA students.  The purpose of the library visits was to perform research on a variety of figures from Greek Mythology.   An in-class reading of The Lightning Thief, a fictional story rooted in mythology, led to many students having a keen interest in the subject matter.  I have even overheard sixth grade students debate about the gods' powers during their library study hall periods!  This degree of personal interest made the research process all the more fascinating for the sixth grade students.

Upon entering the library, students were assigned a specific god or goddess from Greek Mythology that would serve as the focus of their research.  Some students did not receive their first choice for research, but this provided an opportunity for students to learn about figures they may not have knowledge about.  Mrs. Whalen and Mrs. Webb provided their students with a project overview, deadlines for specific portions of the project, and a folder in which to organize their resources.

Each student needed to find information about their god or goddess, including family structure, symbols, and specific myths where their figure was mentioned.  When in the library, the classes would begin with a mini-lesson on research resources and strategies.  For the first three days, we focused on using a single type of resource.  Day 1 was devoted to books, day 2 was devoted to online databases, and day 3 was reserved for website research.  By breaking the research process down by type of resource, it helped the students to understand the benefits and challenges of each specific type of resource.

Research sources helped students to complete their graphic organizer.

As students moved through the research process, they were required to use MLA-formatted Note Sheets in order to keep track of the sources used.  These Note Sheets helped students to organize their research and avoid plagiarism.

Completed Note Sheets for research sources used.

Once students had completed their research in the library, they spent their ELA classes working on writing their essays.  The graphic organizer also served as the outline for their essay!  Students were able to directly apply their research into the essay, since their organizer served as the overall structure for the essay.

When the essays were completed, the students returned to the library for two final activities: a mythology gallery walk and presentation.  For the gallery walk, students brought in their finished essay (complete with beautifully illustrated cover) and an object with symbolized their god or goddess.  Students were exceptionally creative when it came to choosing a symbolic object.  One student even used a 3D printer to make a model of his god's helmet.

Essay covers and objects from sixth grade mythology projects.

A 3D-printed helmet was especially awesome!

More artifacts and covers from the mythology gallery walk.

Students were able to walk through the area containing the artifacts and covers.  This allowed the students to see their peers' hard work and the creativity used when finding a symbolic object for their god or goddess.

After the gallery walk, students then gave a brief presentation about their god or goddess.  They explained the basics of their figure, retold an associated myth, and explained why they brought in the object they chose.  These presentations made it clear that students had learned from their research!

A homemade sword and shield to represent Ares!

Hades' homemade helmet.

A homemade, winged cap.

Homemade ax (don't worry, it wasn't sharp).

Zeus costume!

Bow and arrow.

Testing a bow and arrow in the library!

Overall, the goals of this project were met.  Students were introduced to the different research offerings available through the library.  This will help students as they move up through the grade levels, as books, databases, and websites will continually be used for research.  The MLA Note Sheets also introduced students to the fundamentals of note taking, citing sources, and avoiding plagiarism.  The structured outline provided by Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Whalen helped guide students' note taking and set them up for success when they began writing their essays.

The best part of the project by far was the gallery walk with accompanying presentations!  It was such a treat to witness the students' creativity and hard work. 

The Outsiders Project

During January and February 2018, Mrs. Gembka and Ms. Beauchamp's seventh grade ELA students visited the library to work on their final project regarding The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton.  Written in the 1960's by a teenager, The Outsiders is a classic story about gangs, social issues, friendship, and family.  Although an older work, The Outsiders contains timeless themes that still resonate with today's youth.

The Outsiders describes an incident where Johnny Cade, a member of the "Greaser" gang, stabs a rival gang member.  The rival gang member later dies.  As the basis for the ELA research project, students were assigned one of two claims: either Johnny acted in self-defense or he should be found guilty of manslaughter.

While visiting the library, students used a variety of online sources to find supporting evidence for their claim.  The students first utilized the "FindLaw Legal Dictionary" web page to learn basic legal terminology.  Students then took notes about other legal cases involving manslaughter and self-defense verdicts.

Links to a legal dictionary and past court cases were provided via the library website.

On their final research day in the library, students created MLA-formatted bibliography pages using Microsoft Word.  This built upon skills previously taught by Mrs. Walkowiak in technology class.  Students demonstrated their ability to locate the necessary components for citations and their knowledge as to why citations are needed to avoid plagiarism.

When the students returned to the classroom, they spent time locating and analyzing textual evidence within The Outsiders book that would lend support to their claim.  With all of their research in place, students worked on creating an evidence-based essay surrounding their claim.

On February 5th, 2018, seventh grade ELA students returned to the library for a visit from a guest speaker.  Mrs. Ashley Lowry, an Assistant District Attorney for Erie County, provided an informative presentation designed to help students with their project.  She explained her own educational background, what it takes to work in the legal profession, aspects of the legal process, and tips for formulating claims regarding The Outsiders.  The visit was well-received.  The students asked great questions and left the session with key takeaways to improve the quality of their own projects.

ADA Ashley Lowry shares legal information, as well as
insights for The Outsiders project.

With their essays complete, students returned to their classrooms for the final component of the project: a debate!  This was a highly-anticipated portion of the project.  Students enjoyed using their debate skills to try to convince their classmates of which verdict is appropriate.  During the debate, students judged each other on the quality of evidence, the clarity of the argument, and respect/overall demeanor demonstrated.

Seventh grade ELA students will return to the library during April and May to complete an in-depth research assignment on environmental issues.  Looking forward to having this great group in again!

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