• 2021/2022 Impact Report

Librarian

  • Students gathered 6 times throughout the school year, every 4th Thursday at 7:45 before school to learn how to 3D PRINT. I created a schoolwide series of groups for student engagement on Thursday mornings called THINK TOGETHER THURSDAYS that not only included 3D printing, but also origami on 1st Thursdays. They go on to use the skills that they learn in their core and elective classes.
  • Naomi Shihab Nye, both an international and local poet, visited the Harris MS library by Zoom. I led in the coordination of 2 other middle school libraries, as well as a high school library’s participation in this workshop. Students were recommended by their ELAR teachers as students who had a proclivity or aptitude in writing. The students gathered to listen to Mrs. Nye’s stories about becoming a writer. They responded by writing as she inspired and instructed them to become lifelong writers.
  • Students gathered 8 times throughout the year in the library every 2nd Thursday at 7:45 am before school to be taught and practice their skills in a CHESS community. The community, not only included students but also teachers, as well as a Boy Scout leader who teaches the chess badge. He was instrumental in helping students learn chess strategies. This is a part of the THINK TOGETHER THURSDAY series.
  • Students gathered 8 times throughout the year in the library every 3rd Thursday at 7:45 am before school to be taught coding. I also designed lessons from Hour of Code resources throughout the year to teach Block coding. Students also learn a little Python with the library’s book resources. In addition, I taught students Boolean commands in Google to support them with their research skills. Learning these skills help students become more at ease with technology and computer literacy.
  • March Madness brought book brackets to the Harris MS library! Harris MS students voted for the top checked out 16 books, narrowing it down to one. Students collaborated on the merit of each book and placed their votes. Students had chances to win prizes in each bracket over a 4-week period.
teachers and students play chess
 
 
10,872
print books in collection
 
19,546
ebooks books in collection
 
12,363
print books checked out
 
1,229
ebooks books checked out
 
2 smiling girls sit in front of computers

Teacher

  • I tutored 9-15 students in a small group setting in response to HB 4545 mandate which required 30 hours of remedial tutoring. We focused on math and reading content areas. I taught them as a sole instructor Tuesdays through Fridays in 25-minute sessions.
  • I collaborated with ALE (Alternative Learning Environment) teachers for a biweekly read aloud and lesson. I chose a picture book according to what they were learning for the week, read it aloud to the ELAR classes, then reinforced a reading, writing, and/or science TEKS, as well as a SEL (social emotional learning) skill.
  • I planned a unique book tasting called Poetry Sips for English Learners (ELs) for the month of April in honor of National Poetry Month. Students got a paper coffee cup with an attached graphic organizer to review poetry from a variety of individual poems and novels in verse. We convened to share our favorite or least favorite poems, then selected a book of poetry for daily self-selected and silent reading in the classroom.
  • Gifted and talented (GT) classes chose criminals to research. In the library, they used library databases, like Biography and Britannica to access information. For the more obscure personalities, I challenged the GT students by teaching them Boolean search features in Google, such as sorting and exact phrases. I provided the GT student with structure but also allowed for choices in his/her preferred ways of learning.
  • Students were requesting Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. I began readers’ advisories for readalikes on our shelves to get the best use of our collection. I researched over 50 books about slavery but included the next set of TEKS in the scope in sequence about the Westward Expansion. In each history class, I tag-teamed with the history teacher sharing the storyline or premise for both fiction and informational books alike.
 

students standing around poster board

Lesson Spotlight

Students self-selected colleges. I showed them how to research using reliable resources. I collaborated and prepared materials, such as graphic organizers to lead out in direct teaching research strategies to AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) college preparation students. I directly taught students and helped them gather information. I also taught them Google Boolean commands to find reliable internet resources. The students presented at the Harris MS AVID College Night.

 

Collaborator

  • I collaborated with the Garner MS librarian for a year-long reading program using Flipgrid. We decided on a monthly theme that focused on different cultures, starting in September with Hispanic Heritage Month, and ending in May with Asian American Month. We gathered books to post in Flipgrid for students, along with a scripted template to help students booktalk the books that they chose. This reading challenge helped students remain engaged with reading while using technology in a social way.
  • I collaborated and prepared resources in the form of stations for the 6th grade science team for the Resource Energy unit. The resources included a variety of print books, a digital choice board, and audio that was burned to CDs to create student listening stations. The collaboration came as a result of a Lunch & Learn Low-Tech/No Tech idea which I created to address the lack of devices available at that time on our campus.
  • I worked with the SAPL (San Antonio Public Library) youth librarians at the Semmes Branch, our local SAPL branch. I reached out to public librarians and officials to connect Harris Middle school students with SAPL discussions, crafting activities, and contests. I shared these opportunities with ELAR teachers and staff , as well as supported students in these events, such as when students completed and submitted poems to the Pegasus Poetry contest during after school hours.
  • Students participated in a schoolwide program by reviewing books that interested them. I collaborated weekly with Mrs. Acevedo, our broadcast journalism teacher for the filming and broadcasting of these weekly booktalks. I led the year by doing the first booktalk, reviewing Dr. Harris’s (our school’s namesake) book, Dream Walker. Then I invited students, teachers, and staff to be reviewers of the week for the remainder of the school year.
  • For coding lessons on Think Together Thursdays, I worked with our ITS. She developed a coding lesson to teach students how to use Google Sheets to complete pixel art puzzles. I then taught students how to create their own in a series of four lessons.

Collaboration Spotlight

I taught theatre students by using the learning strategy, Main-Side-Hidden. I scaffolded the brainstorming session by researching and organizing videos of historical scenes in movies, such as The Titanic and A Journal for Jordan. Students took notes in graphic organizers that I created and annotated the role of the different characters, as a main, side, or hidden character. Groups of 3 students then researched a self-selected historical event using library databases, like Britannica and Gale Power Search, as well as Google Boolean commands. I created a BINGO Research board to give students choice on which research strategies they would choose to complete their research. I acted as an in-class support, fielding questions for students which automatically provided differentiation based on the needs of each group. Students then used their research to create and perform a scene with three characters, as the main character, while the other two provided more depth to the scene.

 

Girl holding a book up beside her face

Campus Leader

  • Teachers acquired new or ‘renewed’ learning strategies in three Lunch & Learn sessions throughout the school year. The strategies included low-tech/no-tech ideas that teachers were able to implement easily into the classroom with little to no preparation required. We created specific examples of strategies by content which catered to teachers' needs, thereby prompting natural collaborative partnerships with the librarian.
  • I shared primary resources for the Holocaust Remembrance Unit which culminated in a display of nearly 300 cascading butterflies. Each 7th grade student chose one word to write on a paper butterfly to represent their learning of tolerance. We created a beautiful display of butterflies in concentric circles, hanging from purple ribbons. The SA Holocaust Museum wanted to exhibit this display in the museum and invited select students to present it to Rose Wiliams, a Holocaust survivor.
  • I have shared images and captions of library happenings under the username @thehawkslibrary regularly to a growing audience of Twitter followers.
  • I serve on the Campus Improvement Committee (CIC) which addresses issues on campus and keeps our campus on track to meet its yearly goals.
  • I participated in two sessions of the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) Teacher Network series: Healing Minds Through Mindfulness and Creating Equitable Communities for Homeless Youth. These are in addition to attending all of the scheduled professional developments and professional learning communities provided by the NEISD Library Services department.
 
Classroom of adults with librarian standing at the front
Twitter tweet with 4 women standing in front of tables with papers on them