• 2022/2023 Impact Report

Librarian

  • The librarian promoted reading through a school-wide Storybook Pumpkin Patch. Students are invited to choose a favorite book character to design their pumpkin to look like.
  • The librarian promoted the Texas Bluebonnet Book reading list to students in 3rd-5th grades. Participation includes a reading response entry to earn specially designed book tags to wear after reading the book.
  • The librarian organized and hosted an author visit to the entire student body. Author, Liz Garton Scanlon, presented to students and staff about her books, about the writing process and being an author.
  • The librarian promoted reading during Read Across America week with school-wide activities. This included a bookmark design contest, You’ve Been Book’d book bags (to promote new library books), a Dr.Seuss dress up day and a storybook character dress up day.
Image Alt Text
 
 

print books in collection
 

ebooks books in collection
 

print books checked out
 

ebooks books checked out
 
Image Alt Text

Teacher

  • Students in 1st grade were able to participate in a “Storytime STEM” activity that promoted the book The Little Red Fort by Brenda Maier for Hispanic Heritage Month. Students used hands-on materials and supplies to build a fort which allowed students to design, create and work together.
  • Students in 1st grade participated in play based research. After reading and talking about the differences in life during colonial times and today, students participated in stations that explored colonial games and learning tools of this time period.
  • The librarian created a cross-curricular (literacy, science and art) 2nd grade mini research lesson on the Northern Lights. Students learned about the Northern Lights in the library time with both a fiction book (The Lights That Danced in the Night) and non-fiction book (Northern Lights) read aloud and using the digital resource Pebble Go as well as creating a Northern Lights art project in art class.
  • Kindergarten students learned about the 4 seasons through an inquiry unit using both books and the digital resource Pebble Go as a whole group guided lesson. Students focused on one season each week during library time and used both drawing and writing to show what they knew about using the 5 senses for each season as well as writing about what people wear and what plants and animals they see during each season.
 

Image Alt Text

Lesson Spotlight

Students in third grade completed a biography research project. Students used biography books as well as the digital resources, PebbleGo Next and Britannica School, to complete a note-taking template about their person. Students then created a bottle person at home using arts and craft materials. Students wrote a 30 second speech using their information from their note-taking template. They used the speech feature to make a Chatterpix video and sent it to their teacher in SeeSaw. Then QR codes were made for each video so that students could participate in an interactive Bottle Person museum. Students were able to show their video as well as view other videos so that all students in the third grade were able to learn about different people in history.

 

Collaborator

  • The librarian collaborated with a 1st grade department head in January to create a Genius Hour with her class. The Genius Hour was an extended library time that allowed students to participate in student centered research.
  • The librarian collaborated with two 5th grade teachers to create lessons with practical skills for their biography research and Living History Museum. The librarian focused on digital resources, how to write a bibliography and cite sources as well as how to use note-taking skills to help them complete their research.
  • The librarian collaborated with the Targeted Support Teacher to create a lesson for 3rd-5th graders on using STAAR testing tools on their new Chromebooks. Students were able to get familiar with the tools for both the Reading and Math sections of a STAAR online practice test.
  • The librarian collaborated with the counselor to coordinate a plan for getting a book vending machine through The Big Give fundraiser. The librarian and counselor created a reward system for behavior that the entire school will participate in.

Collaboration Spotlight

The librarian collaborated with the campus ITS to create a digital 4th grade research project. The librarian curated the digital resources and the ITS put those resources together to create a webpage “hub” and project template in Google Slides and Canva. The ITS and librarian met weekly to collaborate and give input on the project. In addition the ITS and librarian also met with the 4th grade teacher who plans social studies. The ITS was able to teach students how to use both Google Slides and Canva using their new Chromebooks. The final product was a digital travel brochure that highlighted landmarks in Texas. Students had a choice from a list on what landmarks they used and a choice on what media to present it with (Google Slides or Canva).

 

Image Alt Text

Campus Leader

  • The librarian led a training for staff and teachers in late October that covered the basics of three new digital resources including Pebble Go Next, Culture Grahms, and News-o-matic. Teachers met by grade level with the librarian for a 45 minute hands on training in which each grade level could brainstorm ideas on how to best use the resources.
  • The librarian recruited volunteers from the community to participate in library activities and volunteer their time with shelving books, working the book fair, and helping with displays and bulletin boards and donating time to special projects. The librarian used both social media and the weekly school newsletter to ask for participation and involvement.
  • The librarian advocates for the library through the weekly school newsletter, EP News, in the library section. The librarian also advocates by posting at least once a month to the Encino Park Elementary Facebook page.
  • The librarian shows leadership as a member of the CIC committee, GLC (Grade Level Coordinator) for the Specials Team, and member of the Technology committee for the campus. The librarian is also in charge of daily morning announcements and oversees a group of students who create announcement content.
 
Image Alt Text
Image Alt Text