IR ELA
Students in Mr. Phelan's IR ELA class finished reading their class novel and celebrated with pancakes made by Mr. Phelan, himself! Students learned a lot about mythology and archetypes and enjoyed the excitement and foreshadowing throughout the story. One reading group listened to the entire book read by the librarian while the other reading group listened to an adapted text created by Mr. Phelan. Students kept track of the events and characters in each chapter by drawing icons onto a wall-length timeline. This also helped students remember each chapter as the book progressed or get caught up if they were absent.
Biology
Students in Ms. Daly's and Mr. Dinsmore's Biology and Honors Biology classes began a final research project to investigate the human impact on climate change. Students worked in groups to research a topic related to climate change and then created short films about their topics. Students finally presented their films to the class in a film festival format where they were able to evaluate the work of their classmates. While developing and refining research skills, this activity also helped to ease the transition for these freshmen as they move into the work and research required of them during their sophomore year.
AP World History
Students in AP World History classes celebrated after the AP Test by playing board games in the library from our BVEF funded board game collection. The top choices for students were Secret Hitler, Ticket to Ride, and Uno. While game playing allowed students to decompress after the AP Test, they also had fun interacting, playing and communicating without their phones. That is now a great skill to practice in and of itself!
AP Physics 2
Students in AP Physics 2 created research presentations about the physics behind common items or concepts. The BVN TIS and librarian attended these presentations and came away with a better understanding of holograms, computers, transistors, combustion engines and other topics. Students were tasked with learning about the science behind these topics and explaining it in a way that was easily understood by non-scientists. The students did well and I also better understand the physics required to make the combustion occur to force the pistons down and make the crankshaft rotate to turn the wheels of a car!
HELA 10
Students in Mr. McCoy's HELA 10 class came to the library to learn about narrative non-fiction and check out summer reading books. Mr. McCoy and Mrs. Cornelius book talked many non-fiction books while discussing the benefits of reading. Students intending to take AP Language have a summer assignment related to a non-fiction book of their choosing. Students moving into ELA 11 next year were also encouraged to checkout books for the summer and learned about the added life benefits of reading (you live longer, are kinder and are smarter).
The final project in Mr. Jones' Geography class was a board game that students created in small groups. Students picked a region and then spent time creating a game based on their region. The students researched, created instructions, game cards, and pieces. Students were able to make their pieces using 3D printing if desired and on Finals Day, classes came to the library and played the games of at least 2 other groups. They evaluated the games for accuracy, playability, and fun. This was a great culminating activity as students put their gained knowledge to work. The ability to complete multi-step projects with varied parts and pieces allows students to demonstrate mastery of library curriculum in addition to content area curriculum.
Totals
In the final 20 days of school, the library collaborated with a whopping 72 classes containing nearly 1800 students. It was truly a race to the finish as we maneuvered through a change in library automation systems that also started this month. This transfer was exacerbated by the need to retain materials from seniors while data was migrated between systems. While there was a lovely substitute in the library this month, it was extremely difficult to manage the daily operations and questions while meeting the collaborative needs of all classes. We are happy for a fun and productive end of the year, and we have certainly earned a little rest and respite. Now, on to summer and the attempt to read the 16 volumes of the Wings of Fire dragon prophecy series that a certain someone is clamoring for me to read (I'm only on book 3).
Credits:
Created with images by Rawpixel.com - "Reading Study Camping Car Hobby Concept" • adragan - "Colored game figures chips for board games. Collection of dice cubes on green table" • aaron - "IC Holder" • TimeStopper - "The asian technician repairing the smartphone's motherboard in the lab with copy space. the concept of computer hardware, mobile phone, electronic, repairing, upgrade and technology." • whyframeshot - "business man hand show something in hand dark blackground" • THINK b - "The engine in the car" • Krakenimages.com - "African american woman reading a book over yellow isolated background with a happy face standing and smiling with a confident smile showing teeth"