This term’s
event will be a friendly and useful discussion around all aspects of developing
a great collection for your school library, everything from selecting books to
promoting them. The more people who come and contribute to the discussion, the healthier that will be and the more we will all learn.
We are really pleased to share some terrific news for secondary schools today.
The BWB Publishing Trust will be distributing a selection of BWB history titles to schools this week. Attached is an information sheet about the Books in School Libraries programme, and a list of the titles that schools will receive. The information includes a link to Teachers Notes for these books. Please share this news with your History teachers, and perhaps take the opportunity to talk with them about how these new library books and resources can be used to support student learning in your school.
On behalf of all SLANZA members I offer a huge "thank you" to the BWB Publishing Trust and their supporters - the Grace Memorial Trust, the Stout Trust (with the Friends of the Turnbull Library), and the family of Emeritus Professor Alan Ward - for making this possible.
Miriam Tuohy President Visit the SLANZA website for the information sheet with a list and details of the books being offered
It was an enjoyable and informative morning for school support staff / library teams at the workshop last Friday in the lovely library at Kaikohe East School - thanks Elaine, Lorene and Chicky for your hospitality.
Congratulations to our two
newest presenters on the block – Liz Christensen from Ohaeawai School and Jenny
Puckey from Kaitaia Primary School, and thanks to their schools for giving them the time to
share their expertise and enthusiasm with others.
Karlene and Amy at morning tea time, with Colleen from Dargaville catching up with Lisa Salter on the right.
National Library session
The focus was on making the most of the school
library and making the most of limited time in the library, and an opportunity to think about the library in new and interesting ways. I shared the resource from Core Ed, based on David Thornburg's article, talking about learning spaces as campfires, watering holes, caves, mountain tops and sandpits - how do / could our libraries create those sorts of spaces and activities?
We also talked about the National Library Services to Schools website http://schools.natlib.govt.nz and spent a bit of time identifiying priorities for the rest of this term / next term for the library. I touched on ways we can extend our personal learning networks, strengthen collaborations in the school and be strategic about those limited hours in the library to make the most impact on student learning outcomes.
Liz (in black) talking to Jo at morning tea time. Kathryn and Delwyn in the background.
Here are some brief notes I took from Liz’s session :
library wonderwall – place to ask
questions and create curiosity
Wonderopolis http://wonderopolis.org/
is a useful site for interesting questions for children
withdrawn picture book pages
turned into bunting
series bins with labels –
laminated, stuck on with Velcro dots
reading dogs in the library
pop up tent
language / signage around the
library
photos of children reading
forest – bird song CD from National Library
student library monitors – in
pairs, day a week, photos, party
hours in the library
overdues / lost books – working
them off
parents helping with book
covering
rug
buying books
library lessons with the
visiting classes
displays
reading posters
children’s faces everywhere
owls – library skills
Carrot search
Book talking – guidelines for
children
Story reading every visit
Book care
Pick a just right book guides
Books about school activities
Special books – pop-ups etc
Plastic bags for book care
Swap a book – Duffy
Book display – children holding
book cover
Games and puzzles
Dewey signs
School inquiry model
Big displays, eg space, rainbow
fish, Maui, plant a seed – read
Arthur’s Emporium – fabric "picnic table cloth" doesn't fray $2 a metre
Holiday reading – promoting summer
reading, sharing reading at the start of the new year – reading role
models
Jenny, presenting, with "Wally" avidly listening (It was Kaikohe East book character dress up day!)
and here some brief notes from Jenny’s session :
Tour of
library – photos
Quotes from children
Soft toys
Helpful guides for choosing
books
Guides for how books are
shelved
Book week activities
Work room organisation - labelled bins for each stage of the process
Quick way
to take off GST from price of book :
multiply the price by 20 and then divide by 23 – that will give you the price
less GST.
Covering – well worth it – cost of covering
a paper back fiction book is about 27 cents per book worth of Duraseal… plus
gutter tape, labels, and time, but still well worth it.
School stamps – inside front and back cover of
book – also puts on cataloguing page with date of purchase for handy reference,
and if picture books have “This book belongs to…” Jenny puts the school stamp
there too - otherwise children do!
Jenny also
described how she had has a lot of fun with children doing a version of Reading Bingo – based on the resource
from Random House but creating her own headings to make it easier for the
children.They write the name and title
of the book for each category on the back of the “bingo chart”.
"Piece of mind" creating engaging displays in your library...
Making interesting displays can be a challenge - lack of time, resources and space are often reasons for not creating displays that attract the attention of students.
We are fortunate to have Anita Vandenberghe coming north to present a workshop on library displays, sharing her enthusiasm, expertise and experience with us, talking about finding ideas and putting them into action to create displays that your students will love.
You will hear tips and tricks and how you can use materials over and again, and how to find out about and to keep track of important events during the year in order to prepare your displays ahead of time...
Come and activate your creativity and go home with a world of ideas!
Anita Vandenberghe worked for more than 20 years at a public library in The Netherlands before coming to New Zealand where she now works at St Kentigern College Library. As well as being a life-long learner, she is an avid reader and information-gatherer, and passionate about libraries and their pivotal role in the community.
Anita's website http://www.CreativeLibraryDisplays.com is a fabulous resource, containing displays ideas, descriptions of how to get started, lots of photos, tips, and helpful information.
Anita presented a workshop at the SLANZA Conference about making appealing, timely and relevant displays without spending too much money, time, blood, sweat or tears and people were inspired!
The workshop will be
At Kerikeri High School Library
On Saturday 9th June 2012 (Term 2, week 7)
Start 10am (or come a bit earlier for a cuppa beforehand), finishing about 12 noon.
Just a quick post to say that SLANZA Te Tai Tokerau will be hosting teen fiction enthusiast Bob Docherty in Northland in week 7 of Term 3 - two meetings scheduled :
Wednesday 14th September, at Kerikeri High School Library and
Thursday 15th September, at Whangarei Girls' High School Library
After school - 3.45 for afternoon tea, 4 - 5 for Bob and his booktalking extravaganza...
Here is a link to Bob's blog http://bobsbooksnz.wordpress.com/ but reading the reviews is no substitute I've been told to meeting Bob in person and being engaged by his passion for teen fiction.
This session would be great for teachers of children in upper primary (Year 5 / 6), intermediate and secondary schools - how often do they get PD on what is new, great, classic, popular, award-winning, controversial... in the teen fiction scene ?
Wayne Mills said that teachers who don't read children's / YA literature should be sacked ! Fighting talk, but how can you possibly promote the books and reading if you don't read it and know about it yourself ? Please share this opportunity for enjoyable, relevant, free PD with others in your school.
More information to come early next term, meanwhile put this date in your diary, gather a carpool, and plan to come to these hospitable school libraries for a book-y afternoon...
