Miss Bee's Books

       This entry is the fourth in a series of four.  This series reflects on interviews I held with various Teacher Librarians in Southern California.  We spoke about the  National School Library Standards for School Librarians.  Each entry will discuss how a single librarian implements a particular Shared Foundation in their program.  Since the interviews were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, we discuss both how their program typically addresses the standards and how that has changed during the pandemic. Ms. I is a high school librarian.  We discussed how she implements Shared Foundation VI: Engage. The Key Commitment for this Foundation is to share and create knowledge ethically and safely.   Windows on Unsplash When teaching research skills, Ms. I teaches students how to cite sources using MLA format and use in-text citations.  She provided tools such as CiteFast.com to help students create a Works Cit...

       This entry is the third in a series of four.  This series reflects on interviews I held with various Teacher Librarians in Southern California.  We spoke about the  National School Library Standards for School Librarians.  Each entry will discuss how a single librarian implements a particular Shared Foundation in their program.  Since the interviews were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, we discuss both how their program typically addresses the standards and how that has changed during the pandemic. Ms. F is a high school librarian.  We discussed how she implements Shared Foundation IV: Curate.  The Key Commitment for this Foundation is to make meaning by collecting, organizing, and sharing relevant resources.   Sear Greyson on Unsplash Ms. F is a master of curation.  Whether its a 17 "room" Bitmoji library, google slide presentations, a Symbaloo, or an extensive school library website with spec...

     This entry is the second in a series of four.  This series reflects on interviews I held with various Teacher Librarians in Southern California.  We spoke about the  National School Library Standards for School Librarians.  Each entry will discuss how a single librarian implements a particular Shared Foundation in their program.  Since the interviews were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, we discuss both how their program typically addresses the standards and how that has changed during the pandemic. Miss B (not me! 😜) is a current middle and former elementary school librarian.  We discussed how she implements the Shared Foundation I: Inquire in her library programs.  The Key Commitment for this Foundation is to ask questions or identify problems and to create strategies to find answers.  Miss B helps students take charge or their learning by allowing student choice.  While she provides boundaries and stru...

    This entry is the first in a series of four.  This series reflects on interviews I held with various Teacher Librarians in Southern California.  We spoke about the  National School Library Standards for School Librarians.  Each entry will discuss how a single librarian implements a particular Shared Foundation in their program.  Since the interviews were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, we discuss both how their program typically addresses the standards and how that has changed during the pandemic.  Mrs. C is a high school librarian.  One of the main goals of her library program is to create a safe, inclusive environment for learning.  Naturally, we discussed Shared Foundation II: Include.  The Key Commitment of this Foundation is to understand and commit to diverse perspectives.   Tim Mossholder on Unsplash Mrs. C said that materials selection is one of the key ways she ensures inclusiveness and dive...

"...You are a teacher who teaches not content but process." I can't get over the opening statement in this 2016 Knowledge Quest article by Audrey Church. I'm pursuing my MLIS right now and we talk a lot  about what it means to be a school librarian, but nothing has really clicked into place like that has. Church finally put into words the thing that made teaching in a library feel so right in the first place.  When I was a classroom teacher, I felt bogged down by content. So much to teach, so little time. So many students, so many different learning styles.  So often I felt like I was marching along to the beat of the curriculum with no room to meet my students where they were.  So often I felt I was leaving my students behind, or not keeping up. When I moved into the library, I suddenly had room to breathe.  I could expand on what teachers were teaching, linger on inquiry, dive deep into passions, do all the things that makes learning fun and w...

As soon as I read about HP Reveal (previously Aurasma) I got super excited.  I envisioned a teen wandering around her school library.  She isn't sure what she should read next, so she's just scanning titles to see if anything catches her eye.  Her gaze lands on the cool mint spine of Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl.   She's heard of this one; wasn't her friend Emma reading it awhile back?  She pulls out her phone, pops open HP Reveal and points her phone at the cover.  Suddenly, Emma is right there on her screen, gushing about how much she loved Fangirl . "Oh my god, this book is life," Emma says, sitting cross-legged on her couch, waving the book at the camera.  Her hair is long, she must have recorded this Aura before she cut it.  "I feel so seen.  Oh, and if you like this, you have to read  Carry On and Wayward Son  which are basically the slash fic Cath is writing the whole time in Fangirl." Back in the library, our teen puts her...

A few years back the school district I taught for decided the school needed a Makerspace.  They bought a big cart, some Littlebits , and some  Code and Go Robot Mouse  sets.  The library was the natural home for this cart.   Unfortunately I was in only my first or second year of being a school librarian and hadn't started my MLIS yet.  I had only really heard of Makerspaces in passing and didn't have a lot of extra time to figure it out.  I wish I had access to Teach Outside the Box back then. So You Want to Start a Makerspace Educator Brooke Brown recently published a gloriously extensive intro to Makerspaces.  Having begun hosting a Makerspace five years ago, she recently decided to share all that she has learned along the way.  The post begins with a definition of a Makerspace and why they are important.  The rest of the blog is broken down into her 5 S's of a Successful Makerspace: Space, Stuff, Schedule, Structure, ...

I don't like the word 'bully'.  It labels a kid as definitively bad and leaves no room for redemption.  I prefer to consider bullying behaviors.  Instead of the kid being bad, it's their behaviors educators and students need to look out for.  Behaviors can be identified and altered.  Behaviors can be addressed.  And the student isn't walking around school with a giant "B" on their chest for the rest of their education.  Another problem with using the label Bully is that some people may be behaving in hurtful ways, bu t struggle to own it because they don't see themselves as a Bully.  However, if we focus on the behaviors, instead of the concept of The Bully, then we have more room for self-reflection. Same goes for cyberbullying.  By teaching students about these behaviors they can identify when they are engaging in them.  Now that children are growing up with constant internet access, bullying behaviors can be found online too. ...

I recently got the chance to visit a local elementary school's Literacy Night.  Students rotated through a series of literacy-themed stations: a book tasting, the local library, 2 real-live children's authors (!), and Flipgrid book reviews.  Before this night, I had heard about Flipgrid, but hadn't seen it in action.  Students sat at computers and browsed book recommendations their peers had made using Flipgrid.  The effect was both charming and incredibly engaging.  Students were delighted to see videos made by their friends and to show their own video to their families.   https://www.pexels.com/photo/boy-watching-video-using-laptop-821948/ by Bruce Mars Flipgrid is accessible online at  flipgrid.com .  Flipgrid is free to use.  Educators need only sign-up, then provide their students with a Flip Code.  After entering the Flip Code, students can make a short video based on a prompt recorded by the teacher. Much like popul...

Universal Design for Learning argues for flexible learning environments to support a variety of learners. Students may have learning disabilities, be learning in a non-fluent language, or have a different learning style, but all will benefit from Universal Design. Snap&Read provides flexibility for web-reading and note-taking. Snap&Read is an assistive technology created by Don Johnston. Once purchased it can be installed as a Google Chrome Extension and used with any website or PDF opened in the browser. Many of its features are also available via the iPad app. Finally, 3.2 million Amazon Kindle books and the Bookshare library are compatible as well (2019). The Snap&Read product page provides video demos for many of its functions. An individual subscription to Snap&Read costs $4.99/month, though schools or districts can sign-up for $0.50-$2.00 per student annually. To subscribe go to https://learningtools.donjohnston.com/product/snap-read/ and select Prici...

https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=slj-reviews-kid-friendly-robots-dash-and-dot-test-drive There are countless ways to teach coding to children. Not just websites and apps, but hardware too.  Dash and Dot are two programmable robots created by Wonder Workshop to get elementary-aged children started with coding.  Using the scaffolded apps, users can create increasingly complex code to program the robots to make sounds, flash colored lights, move attachable arms, and navigate paths.  Of the two robots, only Dash is mobile.  The robots have been around for several years and have amassed a satisfying library of lessons available on blogs, the web,  Pinterest,  and Youtube.  In a brilliant marketing strategy, Wonder Workshop has curated much of this content on their own website and social media.  Wonder Workshop also hosts a  virtual competition  every year, which encourages long-term, iterative, and team-based problem solving.  ...

Nothing strikes fear into some people's hearts like the word "coding".  It is enigmatic, complex, and  the new skill for children to learn.  Past ISTE Librarian's Network President, Nikki Robertson, states that teaching coding is "tantamount to teaching reading, writing, and mathematics" (2019).  And she is not alone in that view: Tufts professor Marina Umaschi Bers believes   "coding is a way to achieve literacy in the 21st century". With coding's emphasis on problem solving, it teaches children to manage frustration, to persevere through challenges, to collaborate with others, and to think creatively (2017). In this increasingly technological world, children need to learn coding. School librarians and media specialists, as technological leaders, are in the perfect position to teach it to them. https://ccsuconed.wordpress.com/2017/06/28/5-reasons-kids-should-learn-to-code/ But what if the technological leader doesn't know how to ...

"It is up to the reader or viewer to negotiate truth."   Joyce Valenza, 2016 In this world of fake news, it's easy to forget that even legitimate sources must be looked at skeptically.  Of course, the first step is to verify a news story isn't fake, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is "true" either.  Truth is, unfortunately, not as objective as we would like to believe.  Every "truth" is colored by the opinions of the person delivering it.  Recognizing that fact is an essential part of being media literate. The Liturgists podcast provides wonderful tools for verifying media in their episode "Fake News & Media Literacy".  The process, simplified into the catchy, tongue-in-cheek song, embedded to the right outlines how to identify fake news.  But the hosts don't stop there, they continue to talk about their information diet.  How they make sure to consume a diverse range of legitimate sources, from different sides of ...

"Being a connector is like being a weaver of a learning web for students." (Cromartie & Burns, 2019). By I, Luc Viatour, CC BY-SA 3.0,  https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3626879 Cromartie and Burns' article in the May 2019 issue of  Knowledge Quest  acknowledges that the role of librarian has been different in the past and calls for school librarians to shift their mindset for the present. Though written about the AASL standards, this article could easily pertain to the ISTE standards.  Both sets of standards focus on supporting learners by helping them create knowledge instead of feeding it to them.  In the past, librarians have been keepers of knowledge, collectors of materials, and enforcers of rules.  The AASL standards, and ISTE standards alike, require more fluidity from educators.  It is the educator's job to provide tools that encourage inquiry, creativity, and exploration.  The ISTE standards for educators ...

There are few books I would recommend as highly as this one. Through My Eyes is the amazing autobiographical account of Ruby Bridges' first year at the newly integrated William Frantz Elementary School. Swamped with work as I was when I first read this book, I could not put it down. Since September it has been on my mind; I have written lessons on it and fervently recommended it to friends. This first hand account goes through the amazing struggles a six-year-old girl went through to integrate a school in New Orleans. It shows in the simplest and most visceral terms the impact of this young girls action, not only for the country, but for Ruby herself. It also shows the amazing struggle that integration was. For those of us who were not in the South at that time, it is easy to think that Brown v. Board of Education (1954) happened and suddenly all the schools rolled over and said "Well, that's that, I guess we'll integrate." It is especially easier wh...

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has created a stunning visual exploration of the work of Impressionist artist Claude Monet. The 22 paintings featured in the book are accompanied by 2-5 word phrases lifted from Monet's own writing. The phrases come from personal letters to family and friends as well as articles in which he was quoted. The phrases are translated from french; some of the phrases are taken verbatim, while others are translated more freely. While this may sound jarring, overall it is impossible to tell. The text is poetic and links beautifully with the images; moreover, the text pulls the reader's attention to specific details of Monet's paintings, helping us fully appreciate the beauty of his work. The accompaniment of Monet's words breathe life into the paintings and create a poetic, yet brief narrative of a vibrant, breathtaking day. This book is a beautiful introduction to Claude Monet. It is engaging and an amazing resource for sparking inte...

When I grabbed I Want to be an Actor off the shelf, I envisioned myself opening it up, and ripping apart everything it had to say. A fact that I don't normally like to share with people (because honestly it just sounds silly) is that I've spent the better part of my life acting (see, now you are picturing me dressed all in black self-indulgently soliloquizing to a skull). But I was amazed. This book is actually a very good resource for children who want to learn about acting. It gives a rundown not only of the basics, but of the entire theatrical process. The book is set up as a step-by-step introduction to putting on a play from conception to performance. It includes information on writing a script, stage make-up, scenery, costumes, and publicity. "Send invitations to your friends in plenty of time and make some posters to promote the play," the book offers. "Don't forget to include the date, time, place, and name of the play," it warns. It...

Hiking by Valerie Bodden is an informative text on hiking that is perfect for young readers. With stunning full color pictures, large font, and a glossary this book is a perfect introduction to hiking. This book is a great length for a read aloud and the language and structure are simple enough that many 2nd and 3rd grade readers could peruse it independently or in small groups. Every page contains a paragraph addressing a specific topic (boots, trails, safety) and a large photograph to illustrate it. The photographs all show hikers in action and have captions which gives additional information either on the page's topic or elaborating on the picture. In the back of the book there is also a brief glossary which explains a few of the terms; however, it is not very good. It chooses to highlight words like "grooves" and "mountain", but some of the more specific hiking vocabulary mentioned in the book such as "compass", "topographic map", an...

Henry York has just moved to Henry, Kansas where he and his cousin Henrietta have discovered something very curious in his attic bedroom. A strange thump in the night has dislodged the plaster on the wall above his bed, exposing a curious set of compass dials. The more they chip away at the plaster, the more they discover: specifically, 99 cupboards, the key to their late-grandfather’s room that has been impossible to open for two years, gateways to other worlds, and that Henry York is not at all who he thinks he is. In N.D. Wilson’s 100 Cupboards, he lays the foundation for a new world-hopping fantasy series that has amazing potential, but also some serious flaws. I drank in fantasy books when I was younger. I'd go to the library and scan the shelves for cool covers with dragons or flip through their pages in search of the word "faery". I could explain to you in detail why it was ludicrous that J.K. Rowling suggested a "witch" was the female equi...

"Pascal had always thought freedom would be like Joshua and the walls of Jericho in the Bible... God would raise up Joshua to blow a horn; and colored people would all shout. And those walls would come tumbling down forever. That would be freedom!" But apparently, Pascal has been free... for two years. Two years ago President Lincoln freed the slaves, but the Masters are still buying and selling them. Pascal's Mama was just murdered for asking for more food for the starving slaves. And now the War Between the States is over. And he is free? But what is freedom? Throughout Harriette Gillem Robinet's Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule Pascal struggles to answer that very question. Does owning land make you free? Does going to school make you free? Does having gold make you free? Or is it something deeper? Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, the text follows Pascal, his brother Gideon, and their family of friends through the...