Speech students look through books to prepare for UIL poetry and prose competition
The librarian co-taught Speech class with Ms. Moy to address the learning target of having students explore and analyze Prose or Poetry selections for performance-level competition. We reviewed different poetry available and analyzed pieces for selection and rehearsal.
The librarian presented a lesson using the District Library Services digital resources Learn360, BrainPop, Britannica School and News-O-Matic to share information about the winter holidays of Kwanzaa, Christmas, Hanukkah and Diwali. Students engaged with each other and Mrs. Hirst, talking about their personal experiences of how they celebrate these holidays with their families.
For Black History Month, Mrs. Hirst created a bulletin board display in a prominent area highlighting the history of the Coretta Scott King Award and the books honored this year. As ELAR teachers brought their students to the library, they interacted with the instructional material by scanning the QR code for the books available in Sora and with other students through a partner discussion and share-out about which books interested them and why.
The 8th grade ELAR students were assigned a poetry unit where the librarian curated books with various types of poetry, including traditional texts and Novels in Verse. Students self-selected poetry that resonated with them and then created a poetry portfolio of at least ten original poems.
Emergent Bilingual students choose books in Spanish or from Hispanic authors as part of Hispanic Heritage month
This year for Hispanic Heritage Month, we had the opportunity to spotlight several members of our faculty and staff who identify as Hispanic. Our library bulletin board was filled with their personal photos and details of traditions they shared with their families. The teachers offered advice to current Hispanic students about how to preserve their culture and the importance it has in their lives. Teachers also shared the influence of Hispanic writers and the role they played in their reading
lives. Mrs. Hirst guided our Emergent Bilingual students through the bulletin board and led a discussion about the photos and information shared by our teachers. We talked about the importance of the students' own traditions and how they compare to those shared on the display. After these conversations, the students were given the opportunity to check out library books featuring Hispanic authors.