When COVID-19 closed campuses in March, people across North East ISD helped however they could, and our librarians were no exception. Along with 3D printing 1,200 face mask headbands for front-line healthcare workers, they also helped transform distance learning for students.
During summer school, NEISD librarians developed different learning models for each age group, considering some of the issues that come with distance learning.
“For grades Pre-K through second, lessons taught by the librarian begin by focusing the students on a singular digital media item requiring the use of only one of their five senses,” said Library Services Technology coordinator, Angelique Lackey. “As the lesson progresses, more senses are stimulated by using additional quality, multisensory digital media activities to aid in monitoring student understanding.”
This gradual approach helped students ease into learning. For the older students, librarians let the students guide the lessons as much as possible, allowing them to ask questions and research their answers.
“Fifth-graders launched into outer space with articles, virtual field trips, videos, and images of our closest neighbor, Mars,” said Lackey. “Students applied strategies for gathering important information and making inferences while designing their own rovers, space suits, and bases for life on Mars.”
The librarians credit a big portion of their success during summer school to the resources available to them.
“Our NEISD family is extremely fortunate our District has funded a multitude of quality, content-rich media and library resources for our students,” said summer school librarian, Marie Arce. “Not only are these resources crucial for face-to-face instruction in school but have become even more vital in our distance learning platform.”
Summer school has also presented an excellent opportunity for librarians to get our students involved in enrichment activities, such as grade-level book clubs, online field trips and virtual guest speakers.
We want to thank our NEISD summer school librarians for meeting distance learning opportunities with innovative strides to create purposeful learning experiences.
