Library / Impact Report 2021-2022

2021/2022 Impact Report

Librarian

The Harry Potter Club was a wildly popular program this year in the library. Students who participated received their acceptance letters to Hogwarts were sorted into their houses, made their own wands, challenged each other on Harry Potter trivia, created their own Forbidden Forest creatures, and assembled holiday ornaments.
The Chess Club was very successful with several students testing their chess strategies against one another. Several Chess club participants also competed in UIL Chess Puzzle representing Jackson at the UIL meets.
Mornings are busy in the Jackson MS Library. On Mondays, students may listen to music, work on puzzles or create origami animals. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, students may work on cooperation and strategy skills by playing board games with their fellow students. And on Fandom Film Fridays, students can explore the world of animation by watching anime feature films.
Promoted reading through the use of eye-catching and monthly book displays. Students previewed and were excited to read books spotlighted from the Texas Library Association’s state reading lists as well as a variety of nonfiction and fiction genres.
Created and displayed Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month, and Poetry Month interactive displays and gallery walks which enriched student learning and spurred interest in further reading on the history of each subject.

16,090
print books in collection

19,741
ebooks books in collection

13,018
print books checked out

1,344
ebooks books checked out

Teacher

Co-taught a lesson for a 7th-grade ELAR project in which students would become an expert on a topic they are passionate about. Students were to use resources to support their personal claims about the topic, keep information factual, and avoid opinions or personal bias. The librarian instructed students on how to find resources in the library databases. Student understanding of how the evidence supports main ideas showed an increase from 61% to 73% of students meeting that standard.
Co-taught a lesson for an 8th grade ELAR project in which students would become an expert on a topic they are passionate about and have some prior knowledge of. The object of the lesson was to teach students the use of appropriate text evidence. The librarian instructed students on how to find resources in the library databases and through advanced Google searches. Student understanding of the use of appropriate text evidence showed an increase from 46% to 61% of students meeting that standard.
Co-taught a lesson on the best resources for a 6th-grade ELAR project about how humans and animals interact. Students researched an animal of their choice and wrote an informational paper about their chosen subject. The librarian instructed students on how to find resources in the library databases and through advanced Google searches. Students were better able to understand how the evidence supports a thesis, and their understanding of text features increased.
Co-taught a lesson on finding the best resources for Genius Hour projects in the GT ELAR classes. Students in 7th grade GT classes were asked to solve a problem at the state, local, country, or global level, often a third world issue. Students had to come up with an idea to solve their problem and then explain why their solution would not work. In the pre-assessment, students scored in the 60-70 range, and after the research lesson, they scored 85-100 in the post-assessment.
Taught a lesson on proper library etiquette to newcomers, refugees, and some regular ELAR classes. Students were instructed on the proper way to check out books, how to keep library shelves tidy, and how to care for library books after they have been checked out. After a few weeks, students showed marked improvement in caring for their library books and reshelving books correctly.

Lesson Spotlight

This year’s library orientation was extremely popular with both students and teachers. Using sets of Jenga blocks, students discovered the answers to questions about library procedures and policies and participated in physical challenges. Classes were divided into groups of 3 to 4 students and given two iPads. One iPad was used for a Google Form that asked each group questions about the library, and another iPad was used to access the library catalog using a QR code. Students would take turns pulling blocks and entering the numbers into the Google Form. Students used prior knowledge and a procedures and policies handout to answer questions about the library. If their tower tumbled, they had to quickly rebuild it, and continue with the questions. Students were engaged and excited about this lesson and left with a better understanding of library expectations, how the library works, and how to access and successfully utilize the library catalog.

Collaborator

Collaborated with Madison Librarian, Katina Wright, and Bradley Librarian, Stephanie Wilson, on poetry lessons to share with fellow librarians at District professional development day.
Collaborated with the ELAR instructional coach to introduce 6th-grade students to an inspirational Hispanic leader, writer and educator, Tomás Rivera, through the reading of the picture book, Tomás and the Library Lady. Mr. Rivera’s daughter is a professor with the Trinity University Teaching Cohort and is often on the Jackson Middle School campus.
Collaborated with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing staff to provide resources for lessons on a variety of holidays and celebrations throughout the school year.
Collaborated with the 8th grade ELAR teachers to design and implement a STAAR breakout activity that reinforces the knowledge and skills students have learned throughout the year and encourages them to do their best on the test.
Collaborated with the academic dean to ensure quality TELPAS writing samples from all core subject areas.

Collaboration Spotlight

Collaborated with our Spanish teacher to create an ofrenda display for the library during Hispanic Heritage Month. The Spanish teacher helped design and create some of the decorations for the ofrenda. Students learned that an ofrenda is an altar used traditionally in Mexican households to celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Students in Spanish classes created their own ofrendas for the display using an activity designed by the librarian and the Spanish teacher. Students were encouraged to celebrate the life of a close friend or family member who had passed away by selecting an image of their loved one and objects that were relevant to that person including food they loved and objects that were important to them. These items were displayed on the ofrenda according to established traditions. Students came away with a better understanding of a celebration that is integral to Hispanic heritage and culture.

Librarian reading a picture book

Campus Leader

Training for staff and teachers on the use of library resources was done on a one-to-one basis at times of need throughout the school year. The librarian worked primarily with ELAR teachers to find the most relevant resources for research projects but also assisted technology and social studies teachers with database resources.
Participated in the fall community event, Trunk or Treat. Handed out free books, mostly advanced reader copies from publishing companies, to elementary, middle, and high school students in our Jackson community. The book giveaway was a huge success. Over one hundred books found new homes with eager readers.
Kept the community updated with library programs and activities through social media posts on Facebook (@JacksonMSLibrary), articles in the monthly Jackson School Newsletter, and the KJAG morning announcements.
Served as a faculty sponsor for the Safe School Ambassador program. As a sponsor, the librarian went through the training along with our student ambassadors and led students through a variety of activities and role-playing scenarios that honed their interpersonal skills.
Served on the Excellence in Science Fiction committee during the 2021-2022 school year which trained me in collection development in the science fiction genre. This allowed me to better serve the students of our campus by strengthening my ability to connect readers with the right book and provide excellent reader’s advisory. It also allowed me to share knowledge with district librarians by presenting the Bibliobanter professional development during the October all-day librarian’s meeting.