Chromebooks and the Learning Curve

We started the hour with the Chromebooks on the tables to save time.

In order to facilitate online testing, we have been provided with carts of Chromebooks. We spent time earlier in the year familiarizing our students with iPads, but Chromebooks posed a new challenge: how would we get students comfortable with using them prior to the testing window? We decided to have the computers in the students' hands as much as possible.

Our first experiment was paired with our need to have the kids think about how much time they were spending reading outside of school. I had shared this infographic with my colleague and we agreed that it was worth having our students look at it, discuss it, and write about it. This would allow them to reflect on their reading time, as well as get familiar with using the Chromebooks to write a response.

We started by displaying the graphic and talking as a class about what it might mean. We then handed out the assignment which was a John Collins Type 3 writing assignment. Each student then used a Chromebook to type his/her response. The responses were shared via Google apps and then the teacher printed them so we could display the students' ideas.

Using the Chromebooks required a learning curve. Most of the students had not used one before and none of the students had logged into their Google accounts. However, they quickly learnied how to open a doc and how to type and share the doc. We know that we will be using the Chromebooks throughout the process of working on a research paper as well, so hopefully our students will be familiar the the devices before they have to take high stakes tests on them.

The students worked diligently throughout the hour, but we noted that they needed a great deal of support as they learned to use the new devices. The assignment was set up in a step-by-step process that helped the students work on following directions as we know they will have to read and follow directions for their standardized tests will little guidance from their teachers. 

After the responses were completed, I created a bulletin board in our main hallway that displayed book covers from our collection in a mock-up of the original graphic and showed the students' work as well. Many of them talked about reading stamina and grit--two of the characteristics we have been working to develop as we move through the school year. They also wrote about how being able to read would help them in their futures.

New Books and Celebrating Black History Month

Though we strive to have books that reflect all of our students available throughout the year, it's nice to highlight books that are appropriate to Black History during February. Some new books have arrived recently that are perfect for this purpose. All four middle schools have copies of each of these titles and several are perfect for reading and sharing aloud--including pictures and photos that work well under a document camera.

Written in poetic format, this picture book (and winner of multiple awards) tells the story of Civil Rights advocate Fannie Lou Hamer. Starting with her childhood and leading into her political career, this book is a captivating story of an important figure.

Weatherford, Carole Boston and Ekua Holmes Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer

At a recent SLJ Summit, Adam Lerner of Lerner Publishing stood up to talk about the importance of a new book he was publishing. The Book Itch, written from a child's viewpoint, tells the story of the National Memorial African Bookstore in New York City owned by Lewis Henri Michaux. The illustrated story tells of famous African Americans who visited the store and Mr. Michaux's passion for words. A bibliography of the author's research is included for further reading on this topic.

Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux and R. Gregory Christine The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem's Greatest Bookstore

The life and poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar are highlighted in this unique biography which also includes black and white illustrations. Students may be familiar with certain famous African Americans (Civil Rights activists come to mind), but I like the idea of helping them become familiar with poets, inventors, singers, athletes, actors, and entrepreneurs as well. By displaying books that highlight people who have contributed to the arts, students will have the opportunity to see a variety of ways in which they might use their talents and strengths in the future.

Derby, Sally and Sean Qualls Jump Back, Paul: The Life and Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar

Through stunning black and white photography, the history of Motown is told including the people and places that made Motown sound famous. As a resident of Michigan, I have long been interested in the rise and fall of Detroit. This book includes information about the rich cultural heritage of the city. An extensive timeline and bibliography are included for those with further research interest.

Davis, Andrea Pinkney Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip Through the Motown Sound

Genre Kahoot

When our students used the iPads during their testing session, I promised that we would play Kahoot together on their next library visit. The list of great things about Kahoot keeps expanding each time I get the opportunity to use it and/or see it in action. For this visit, I found a game that included genres since this is something we are working on as a part of our goal to have the students find books of choice independently. I was able to easily and quickly modify the game to suit our students' needs (and I think I would fine tune it even more in the future--and probably eventually write my own version--having had the chance to see how students reacted to the questions).

A question as it appears on the screen

The answer screen as it appears following the question

My laptop screen at the beginning of the game

The answer grid on the students' screens

The iPad screen once a student has selected an answer choice

The leaderboard--the kids loved this part as they seemed to enjoy the competitive nature of the game

 Once the students received the iPads and logged into Kahoot, the game progressed quickly. I liked how it was interactive and all of the students were engaged during the entire game. Even when a student got a question wrong, he/she knew that the next question was a chance to be redeemed. At the end of the game, I was able to download the results to my Google Drive so I could see which questions each student missed and assess the overall knowledge of the group. Many teachers here use Kahoot as a review game, but I can also see using it as a formative assessment and/or an exit ticket. Our students enjoyed the activity and I plan to continue using the iPads for Kahoot on a regular basis. I also have a teacher piloting Plickers in order to engage his students. What other technology tools have you used to increase student engagement and achievement?

Helping Hands: Working Together for the Best of Our Students

Our students take an assessment called NWEA-MAP three times per year. With our goal group, it was important for us to see if they had made growth from the fall screening until the mid-year point. The sticky part of the process is the some kids always finish quickly while others may need a few class periods to complete the test. After some discussion, my co-teacher and I decided to have the kids who were done come to the library and do their regular checkout and reading rather than stay in the computer lab with their peers. At this point in the year, I plan to have these students every week and have gotten to know them, so it made sense to keep our normal schedule as much as possible and to separate the kids who were done in another location. It was fun to have half of each class to myself.

Two of our students poring over a Guiness Book of World Records

After checking out their books and doing some reading, we decided that they could have some free time on the computers or iPads at the end of the period for doing such a great job on their tests (more on that soon!). When I handed each student at iPad, I had no idea what they might decide to do. One of the things I noticed when we used the iPads for our initial survey in the fall is that they are not very familiar with iPads. Many students did not know how to navigate to the Internet or have much of an idea what they might do with the device if allowed to use it for any school appropriate purpose. Several of the boys immediately asked if I would play Kahoot with them. They have used Kahoot on the iPads for review games in their social studies classes, so that is what many imagine an iPad is for. I had not prepared a game, but told them that we would play Kahoot next week as part of their library visit activities, or, as I actually said, "It's ON!" I'm looking forward to the opportunity to incorporate Kahoot into their library visits as I have witnessed the power of teachers using it for an engagement tool and it was one of our AASL Best Apps in 2015. What sponge activities utilizing technology have worked in your library or classroom?

Musical Chairs: Book Edition

One of my collaborating teachers sent me a link from Pinterest for a musical chairs-like game using books. Since we know kids are more likely to try new and different books if they have a chance to sample them (and see the covers!), it made sense for us to give this a try. The basic idea is that chairs are set up in a circle with books on each seat. Students start at one seat and rotate at preset intervals to each place in the circle. We decided to do smaller circles and have kids rotate to each of four stations (each chair had a different genre--and I included nonfiction in each circle). Calming music was played throughout the activity rather than just for the switch--something my co-teacher has done while her students complete writing assignments, so they are used to the music.

The set-up:

I liked this activity not only because it was easy to set up and manage, but also because there was a huge payoff in terms of how many books ended up being checked out at the conclusion of the final round. Our students seemed to like the change of pace from a regular checkout day and I got to see what books might sell if presented in a different way. I want to keep trying new methods to get books off the shelves and into students' hands so that they can discover gems that might otherwise be shelf-sitters. What ideas have you used to get students to try books that they might not otherwise notice?

In process:

And the winners are . . .

I didn't get nearly as much reading done in 2015 as I have in past years. Mostly because of moving and renovating our new house, I'm guessing. However, I'm still holding out hope that I will have read at least some of the ALA award winners and nominees--and that our libraries will already own most of the titles as I did read many reviews and ordered over 1,000 titles throughout the year. Interested in the winners? Watch live here or visit here after the announcement for a full bibliography.

Help Us Achieve Our All-School Read

Over the past two years, we have created a community of readers, in part, through our all-school read. The first year, everyone read Wonder by RJ Palacio. Even my most reluctant colleagues loved Auggie's story and the impact reading it together has on our students. Last year, we tackled A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. Not only did our students get the opportunity to read the book, they also had guest from our local branch of Lifewater come and teach them about what it is like to live without a well. Kids carried the 5-gallon jugs, traced the path of water in its daily use, and learned about athletes from Activewater who are working to bring wells to under served communities.

This year, I met Wes Moore at the School Library Journal Summit. His young adult book, Discovering Wes Moore, seems like the perfect book for our community this year. The story of both Wes Moores--one a Rhodes scholar and author, one in prison for the rest of his life--will likely resonate with a wide variety of readers. In order to have enough copies of the book, I started a Donors Choose (which was totally funded--yay!) and am also partnering with our local independent bookstore to have copies donated. If you are local, you can stop in at Bookbug of Kalamazoo and donate a copy for $6.29+tax. If you are remote (or just prefer shopping online), Bookbug has provided a link to use for donating a copy (use code MAPLEREADS at checkout to get the discount).

Would you like to share our project with your friends and family? This flyer may be used to advertise our funding efforts. I look forward to sharing the results of this year's endeavor. What books have you used successfully for all-school reads?