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MSLA Spotlight School Library

Kicking off the School Year at Algonquin Regional High School

9/16/2018

4 Comments

 
A white female-presenting person with short, red hair is standing against a green-yellow background, wearing a beige top.
Kimberly Honey, Algonquin Regional High School Librarian
Algonquin Regional High School Library
Kimberly Honey, Librarian
​

​
And they’re off!  Every year I feel like the number seven horse charging out of the gate … the start of school is a frantic pace of get the library set up, supporting teachers, and jump starting all of the programming that you dreamed about over the summer.    Well, seven days in and my head is spinning, but the Algonquin library has been rocking. September is still young, but we have had wonderful opportunities to work with the English and History departments.
To invigorate their independent reading component of their curriculum, four members of the English department brought their students to the library to participate in “Biblio Speed Dating.”  Students had the chance to “meet” over 60 books during their speed dating session and were able to decide if they wanted to take any on a “date.” Fun seemed to be had by all and over 200 books were checked out.  I’m excited to work with teachers to develop another interactive activity to get students into the library and exposed to what we have to offer.
Three piles of books are on a table with a sign saying
Students in four English classes got a chance to "meet" more than 60 books during a "Bilbio Speed Dating" event.
This year the freshman United States History classes have been unleveled and the library is a member of the energetic PLC that is involved in the development and implementation of this curriculum shift.  It is an amazing opportunity to work on a regular basis with a dedicated team of teachers to seamlessly integrate research and evaluation skills into the curriculum. It is exciting to think that library databases, reference materials, and print materials could become a natural and commonplace source for information for these students.  This week all members of the freshman class participated in a big group activity in the library that had them talking about “Why Study History?” and completing an archeological dig to discuss the merits of primary and secondary sources. Next week, they will be heading down to discuss bias using resources from the Boston Massacre.

The library is building programs that will engage students and faculty outside of the classroom.  Each week we host “Trivia Tuesday” before school and the winner gets a crown and a candy bar of their choice; faculty book club provides an opportunity for staff to meet and talk –our next read is “Love that Dog” by Sharon Creech; and we are in the process of implementing a Library Advisory Board which will give students a voice in program and collection development.  The one program we are looking to expand this year is our Speakers Series. This program allows students to make a direction connection to what they are learning in the classroom and the “real” world we are excited about our first two speakers of the year who will talk about how their passions and advocacy drove them to start their own businesses.
There is a projector screen displaying a trivia question and four answer choices from the app Kahoot - red triangle, orange circle, blue diamond or green square. There is also a picture of Sully from Monsters, Inc.
Early morning Trivia Tuesdays help build enthusiasm and engagement with the library.
This week has been crazy and at times I’ve asked myself, “What were you thinking?”, but the energy in the space is invigorating and I have the pleasure of working with two amazing people in the library who help me keep my balance and going over the edge.  

​As the year unfolds, I hope you experience moments that inspire you, surround yourself with people who support you, and settle into a comfortable pace. 
Have a wonderful year!
4 Comments
Donna Phillips
10/24/2018 08:05:09 am

Very impressive, Kimberly, so many great ideas. Love the speed dating--would you be willing to share the worksheet you used?
Your trivia contest is a great way to engage kids in the morning! Do you use Kahoot? Where do you get the questions?
What other titles have you used for your teacher book club? Do you always choose ya books?
Thanks for sharing, keep up the good work!

Reply
Kim Honey
10/24/2018 06:49:41 pm

Hi Donna,

Thank you. I would be glad to share the worksheet(khonynsboro.k12.ma.us). We are in the process of creating Version 2.0 which will be genre based. We do use Kahoot. We make each Kahoot ourselve, but when I send you the worksheet, I will see if I can share what we have created -- if you have a student helper/advisory board, it might be something fun for them to make. We usually pick a theme (last week's was Locations of Sitcoms and we Google the heck out of it). Titles for the book club are all over the place. We've read Seedfolks, Love that Dog, Big Little Lies, and at the moment we are reading The Happiness Advantage. I try and start the year with something short and quick and then let the group decide.

Reply
Donna Phillips
1/19/2019 12:50:44 pm

Hi Kim,
I wasn’t able to connect to your email, I think a few characters were left out. If you can send Your speed book dating worksheet directly to me, that would be fantastic:donnaphillips@middleboro.k12.ma.us. I hope your year is continuing to be as great as it started! Thank you,
Donna

Sarah Woo link
11/27/2018 06:37:00 am

Thank you for sharing, Kimberly. I do speed-dating with books, but we have used our form so many times that I'd love to try a new approach. Would you mind sharing your worksheet with me as well?

Also love the trivia idea. Is it online? Or do students come to the library and it's live?

Thanks again.

Reply

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    Spotlight Editor:
    Sarah Feldman

    Gann Academy, Waltham
    sfeldman@maschoolibraries.org

    Sarah Feldman
    Sarah Feldman

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