Kathy-fieldexpjrnl.doc Journal Date
Time
Activity
Impressions
AASL competencies
9/8/08
60 min
Gantos story mapping activity in a classroom
I had NO idea that SLMS could do all this cool stuff. They really do get out of the library
[2]-teaching & learning—“Sparks” drew on her background as a classroom teacher and planned a series of lessons to help students understand story structure the writing process [3]-instructional partner—the teacher talked with “Sparks” and told her what students were having difficulty with and Sparks came up with the ideas for the lesson, gathered the materials, & planned with the teacher to carry out the lesson and the series of follow up lessons
9/16/08
60 min
World Book online introduction & practice in Mac lab
Kids pretty much think anything on a computer is ‘fun’
9/17/08
30 min
GA book award books & Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl information
Many of these books are too difficult for my 4th graders…but this offers a wonderful opportunity for differentiation for the more advanced readers. The challenge and competition with the reading motivates some of our best readers to strive for more.
[1]-use of information & ideas—this lesson was a true picture of the SLMS acquiring the resource, making sure it was accessible, and showing students how to use it; during the lesson many ideas from standard 1 came up including ethical use of information, copyright and plagiarism, & quality of sources [1]-literacy & reading —the presentation for the reading bowl and book award books got students excited about reading. The annotations and visuals on each book gave students information so they could make informed decisions about what books would be more interesting for them. [3]—educational leader—the overview of the reading bowl and the SLMS role in the activity demonstrate her role as an educational leader for the school
what I learned Sometimes the same message, from a different presenter will connect with students
Wished I’d had this when I was a kid!
This is something that I’ll want to do as a SLMS. Reminds me of the academic team I competed on in high school. This is a great way to bring attention to academics.
Kathy-fieldexpjrnl.doc Journal 10/1/08
30 min
circulation—2nd grade small groups
Students were sent with a timer that had been set of 8 minutes. In that amount of time they had to get to the media center (upstairs & down a very long hallway), select books, then return to class….they were very nervous about being quick enough to stay out of trouble with the teacher and focused more on the timer than on the books
11/3/08
60 min
lots of administrative stuff (planning, book fair stuff, media cast & tech stuff)
WOW! I was exhausted just observing for an hour. It is amazing how one person can multitask so effectively. It was also evident that having a trustworthy assistant is worth its weight in gold…at least there is someone to share the load.
[4]—program administration---the SLMS was out teaching a class in the computer lab so I watched as her capable assistant helped several groups of 2nd grades pick out books. It was evident that the SLMS had trained and empowered the assistant to operate the circulation desk not only efficiently but with enthusiasm. [1]—literacy & reading/access to information—the assistant not only provided access to the media center while the SLMS worked on instructional activities with another class, she truly knew the students, what types of books they usually read, and engaged in conversation with them about their reading.
Give students as much time as possible to select reading material—8 minutes isn’t enough unless they already know what book they want to check out
I’m going to need to learn to ‘behave’ myself if I’m going to do this job! There is TONS of politics involved.
Kathy-fieldexpjrnl.doc Journal 11/12/0 8
30 min
Book Fair promo video to class
I enjoyed getting to ‘meet the authors’ during the promo video…and I was excited about the new books by some of my favorites (Mary Downing Hahn & Margaret Peterson Haddix)
11/18/0 8
30 min
Book Fair in action with MI class
A great deal more work goes into a book fair than I ever thought. After having observed some of the background work to getting the book fair scheduled and making sure the appropriate books were available I have a greater appreciation for the huge job coordinating the book fair actually can be.
[1]—literacy & reading—students got really excited about getting some of the books available at the book fair after seeing the ‘commercials’ and hearing the authors’ speak about their books. The book fair is an important literacy promotion that includes students and families [1]—literacy & reading—the SLMS, the media assistant, and several parent volunteers assisted a group of special education students as they shopped the book fair. The adults took great care in helping the children pick out appropriate books that they could afford with the money they had with them. They seemed to know a great deal about the things the children were interested in reading (looking at pictures) about which showed the effort they put forth on a regular basis at getting to know the population they serve. [4]-program administration—the volunteers that were available to assist during the book fair allowed the SLMS to assist students and teachers without causing a back log of customers. It also allowed the SLMS to take care of other media center business during the book fair
When the classroom teacher promotes a book, along with the SLMS…the kids really go for it.
I have to have a good group of parent volunteers before I try to do a book fair!
Kathy-fieldexpjrnl.doc Journal