Working Together!!

What a busy week we have had! Between AP Exams and classes and the general traffic through the library it was non stop! This week really was about celebrating work and collaborating on some great projects!

To Kill a Mockingbird Social Issues Persuasive Speech Project

I love watching a project come alive and work on all levels! Ms. Alexander has taken the 9th grade persuasive essay project and tied it in with the class's reading of To Kill a Mockingbird. Students, in partners, will be researching a social issue topic connected to the book. They will look at the issues, choose a side and debate the issue in a speech. What really is exciting for me regarding this project is the work she and another English teacher did prior to the class coming to the library for a lesson on our database "Opposing Viewpoints" They researched the topics beforehand to make sure each had enough information. That way, students would be successful using the database and can see the value of locating quality resources. When I teach the lesson, I am confident the topics will lend themselves to good search! It has been great watching the students locate debatable topics and see how deep some of these issues are!

As I have said before, one of my favorite aspects of our library is the ability for teachers to use it as a showcase for the amazing work that is happening in their classrooms. Not only does it make the library come alive, it also demonstrates the collaborative relationship between the library and classroom as often work displayed is a project where library lessons have been an integral part of the project. This week we are so fortunate to have Mandarin teacher Ms. Zhao display her Mandarin 1 & 2 and Chinese Culture class display their work. I am simply amazed at how beautiful the calligraphy and Chinese paper-cutting has turned out.