Extra! Extra! MHMS Metropolitan Newspaper

Extra Extra! Get your MHMS Metro News Here!

Our #MHMSMetro student run & #GTSeminar newspaper is available for download!

CONTENTS: Page 1: Politics | Page 2: Arts, Music and Sports | Page 3: Crossword – bottom of page |

Page 4: Comic – DOWNLOAD the PDF Version below.

Our Mission: “At the Murray Hill Metropolitan we are dedicated to authentic, realistic and unbiased news for our students, their families and the public. Every month we cover a wide variety of stories from what’s happening at Washington to our new hall pass system. We hope to make sure our school is conscious and respectful of other people’s opinions, the news and politics.”- Murray Hill Metropolitan Staff

Download : MHMS_Metro_Issue1-FINAL

Enter our Comic Competition!

Missed an Issue? – Want to get in touch? – Questions? Suggestions? 

Catch Up With Us On Our Website!

DOWNLOAD: MHMS Metro Crossword 1 -PDF

 

Facetime Weather

Sometimes, you just have to wing it.

Or go for it. Even if it’s a wacky idea.

Like, a couple weeks ago, when our local weather person was going to be out of school & we didn’t have a quick replacement – what to do?  Another #MHTVNews crew member was at home with a broken wrist & we were facetiming her in the studio before the show when the 7th grader Payton  who started the facetime call, had the wild idea to put Kasey (our injured wing friend) on the TV show on using the phone! Brilliant! But would it work?

Payton took a picture of the weather script & sent it to her — I was busily trying to share it with her via GSuite – Payton won. And we tested the volume. The rest of the school wasn’t so happy about that! (the morning bell hadn’t rung yet, simmer down folks!) LOL But here’s how it came out

It wasn’t perfect, we wish we had used the set up as pictured above, just putting the tripod down on the weather desk – but it was a hoot and the feedback from our audience (the kids in the classrooms) was that the other kids really perked up and took notice!

I’m getting older, going to retire in 3 or 4 years, I’m not crotchety quite yet, but I hope I never get too old to try a last minute wacky fun idea that a kid has with all in and wild abandon.

Your turn! What wild & wacky ideas have you tried in your TV Studio, School Library, or Classroom? Do you ever try things with kiddos and say “this might now work, but let’s try it anyway?” Having that kind of (dare I say Daring?) chutzpah or embracing the fail attitude  in front of the kiddos is a good thing!  It’s OK to fail!

Cheers dears!

More TV Studio cuteness from Instagram. Follow me & the awesome that goes on every day at our school  on Instagram at @TheDaringLibrarian

Thanksgiving Headband Cuteness

 

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Happy #GobbleGobble Day from Miss N and Miss E! #thanksgiving #celebratehcpss

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Our Friday crew on #MHTVNews is pretty spectacular!

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And finally, another cool idea that Payton had, do an ASMR show.

Follow our fun using our hashtag #MHTVNews on Instagram and on Twitter!

 


MHTV Hall of Fame

Club DEN: Kahoot It in Media – Updated!

From Ms. Behrens – MHMS 7th Grade Team Leader

“We are going to implement something a little different for 7th grade DEN. Once a month, students will report to a different DEN class where the teacher will be implementing some kind of team building/relationship building activity to engage in with students. The goal of this is to foster a sense of community with our students and build authentic relationships in the building.

Each 7th grade DEN teacher will host an activity (games, drawing, trivia, etc) and students will be able to select their top three choices for the activity they would like to participate in. We will then assign students to each group (trying to accommodate their first choice, but are asking for three choices in case we can’t).

Our goal is to start this on November 7th. Students will report to this different DEN on that day and one Thursday in December. Then, in January and February, we will offer different activities and students will have a chance to chose something different.”

I am going to be doing Kahoot! Games

in the Library Media Center!

(and there MAY be prizes!)

Here are the Kahoot Games I’m thinking about (You know I had to sneak in Library & Digi Citizen stuff in here!)

PLAY Kahoot! Game Pin Enter Here!

(if you DARE!)

Guess this Animal – Photo Reveal!

**NEW! Name this Animal (11 Questions) – Photo Reveal!

(**Denotes NEW! Added in January)

**Superhero Picture Reveal (10 Questions) 

**New Year Trivia 2020 (16 Questions)

**Anime Trivia (20 Questions)

**Last Year in Movies Trivia (15 Questions)

Animation Movie Characters – Long Version 30 Questions

(Thanks Ms. Kemp!)

Character Traits (by Flocabulary) Kahoot

 

 

 

Magical Mystery Meme Reveal

Using Context Clues, Vocabulary Stumper

Know Your Anime? (15 Questions)

Digital Lives, Digital Friendships – from Common Sense Media!

Thanksgiving in America: Customs & Traditions

Thanksgiving TRIVIA Image Reveal

 

Speed Dating by Genre

 

BONUS: This is the 1000 question Kahoot of really hard trivia!

Join MHTVNews – Live NEWS Broadcast!

Join #MHTVNews we love having our kidds join our awesome team! Application link below!


Watch our Video!
Hey MHMS Kids! It’s MHTV Application Time! Pick one up in the Cafeteria at lunch (see above) return it to Media (there will be a box on a chair) OR…..be super cool & fill out the GSuite Doc Application below! (HINT: Use your password from last year!) We’d love to have you join us — esp. 6th graders!

MHTV Application: GSuite Version 

While I have you here! Muuwaa!

COOL Happenings at our Savage Branch Library!

Fall at Savage is packed full of free practice tests for SAT, ACT and PSAT, as well as numerous other awesome classes and events such as as teen movies with popcorn, tie dye, college and career readiness workshops, sparkle glitter jars, financial literacy, intro to sign language, a writing workshop with published teen author Zack Smedley, canvas and cookies painting party, suicide prevention, rainbow book meet up, theater preview of HHS fall play, anime club and a new interactive 4H series featuring STEM jobs — please share with your students and teachers ❤️
Sarah Cooke | Teens’ Instructor
Howard County Library System | Savage Branch | 9525 Durness Lane | Laurel, MD 20723
410.313.0752 office | 410.313-0760 main

Welcome Back to School!

Welcome Back Kiddos, Parents, & Families!

Here’s our Media Orientation Cartoon!



This is my 22nd year at MHMS! Wait, what?? Whoda thunk it!?

I am SO honored to have been a part of this community since the beginning. I never thought I was one of those teachers who would stay in the same school for like, forever!

But here I am, still happy, loving our quirky middle school kiddos and the vibrant and rich diversity of our amazing neighborhood! I also like that I live near our community and only have to drive 7 minutes to get here!

This year is going to be fantastic and challenging! I’m so happy that Ms. Bell, our amazing Media Assistant is with us full time! Thanks to our new FULL TIME AWESOME Superintendent, Michael J. Martirano for bringing back our much needed (and loved!) Library paraeducators a couple years ago. We really appreciate having our Library & Literacy program fully staffed – because we serve about 800 people! 730+ kiddos & 80+ teachers and staff!

That’s a lot of people and we love it!

Please follow us on Instagram!

I will try and share all the amazing things that happen every day here at MHMS – the cool kiddos, the fun times, the Science, the ELA, the Social Studies, MHTV, ART, STEAM, Drama, well – as much as I can!

We LOVE to share the cool things that happen every day here at MHMS! In the Library, in the hallways, everywhere!

 

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Mr. C enjoying our new sticker coloring book! #6thGradeMakerBoys19 #makerspace #steam @hocoschools #celebrateHCPSS

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Beautiful Friday #Shelfies on a 2 hour delay day!

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But wait! There’s More!

The following are student, parent, and community resources I want to bring to your attention.

hcpss-connect-banner16This page will also feature our new HCPSS Parent Portal – HCPSS Connect

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If there’s something you need or that I can help you with…please don’t hesitate to let me know! I’d love to help!!

Summer Reading List 2019

 

The Summer Reading List is Here!

Where does the time fly? I can’t believe it’s that time of year again! Time to share our Summer Reading List with you! It’s my 27th year in HCPSS and 22nd year here at Murray Hill Middle School! W00t! A lot of things have changed but some thing stay the same. Like still LOVING to read. Every day. Especially, in the Summer time! There’s nothing better to sit outside, on the beach, under an umbrella, or in a screened in porch and just read. For hours and hours! Where do you like to read? Any verified official Murray Hill  kid who answers that in the comments will get a surprise next year!  Sorry, Svetlana in Vladivostok, you are not eligible to win, but I still appreciate you reading this blog!

…..also, Pssst! Grownups! The ADULT Summer Reading List is linked at the bottom.

We Invite you to view & download the Middle School Summer Reading List Jpeg Page 1 and Page 2 or 2019SR_MSfinal- PDF

Thanks to our our A+ partner Librarians at the Howard County Library and two of our local HCPSS Middle School Teacher-Librarians we have created this Super Fun Reading List for all the kiddos in our district! (or the world!)

Visit our Howard County local Savage Branch Library & Hi Tech STEM Education Center this summer and FLIP over summer reading or flip over some amazing tech learning opportunities!

Murray Hill kids – If you read any of these books this summer, we would LOVE to hear what you thought in the comments! Follow us on Instagram to see pics of kids being AWESOME every day in our library and throughout the school!

Also, if you take a picture of yourself reading this summer or visiting a Library & tag me at @TheDaringLibrarian you’ll get a prize! Also, please tag @HoCoLibrary to maybe get some extra SWAG! 😉 But you have to find me in September and remind me, by saying like “Swag Me” because I’m getting old! LOL

 

 

 

From the Howard County Public Library, Our A+ Partners

Welcome to Summer Reading: A Universe of Stories

Join us for Summer Reading KICKOFF on Saturday, June 1 from 10 am to 2 pm at HCLS Miller Branch!

  • Activities in the Enchanted Garden include planting a sunflower and being a human sundial (weather permitting)
  • Indoor activities include crafts for children, and encounters with moon rocks and other rocks from space borrowed from NASA
  • Food trucks: Kona Ice and Say Cheese!
  • 11 – 11:45 pm performance by The Milkshake Duo
  • 12:30 – 1:30 pm fun with Eric Energy

ENROLL in Summer Reading Beginning June 1, 2019

Children, teens, and adults can participate! Enroll online from home or at any HCLS branch OR pick up a paper booklet at any branch.

  • After you’ve enrolled online or picked up your Summer Reading booklet, log the books you read and mark off activities as you complete them.
  • Mix and match any combination of 20 books read and/or activities completed
  • For every book/activity you complete, you receive an entry into a branch and systemwide prize drawing for your age group.

FOR ONLINE PARTICIPANTS: HCLS has a new online summer reading portal called BookPoints!  Beginning June 1, 2019 you can register for a free summer reading account and create your BookPoints Username and password. Earn up to 41 entries into end-of-summer prize drawings by participating online!

FOR PAPER ONLY PARTICIPANTS: Between July 1 and August 31, return your completed booklet to any library branch to receive one entry into the end-of-summer prize drawings for each book or activity you complete. Check off a minimum of 20 books and/or activities to officially complete Summer Reading 2019: A Universe of Stories!

Recommended Summer Reading Lists for the Whole Family!

PRIZES TBA

  • Prize drawings will occur in early September, with winners notified by mid-September.
  • All prizes and coupons while supplies last. One prize per reader.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

Sponsored by Friends and Foundation of Howard County Library System

Makerspace For Little or Nothing

Makerspace for Little or Nothing
You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to start a Makerspace area.
You don’t have to have a designated room or rip out bookcases.

You don’t have to make a Lego wall or buy a 3-D printer!

You can even have a Makerspace on a cart!

When we have testing in our Library, I put all our Makerspace stuff on an AV cart and roll it into our server
room.  This post evolved from a previous post called
Makerspace Starter Kit Updated  on my professional blog where I had some of these idea, but I felt that it deserved it’s own expanded post.


You can take baby steps into the Maker Movement.  I’ve been saying that for 7 years or so….long before I blogged about it, I tried it out.

A Makerspace is what you make of it!
Big or small, lavish or little, it’s all about the maker mindset.  Constructivism. Be creative! Be crafty! Ask your kids what they want and brainstorm how to bring it to the school! Ask for donations. Ask for help. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect at first or if you fail. Just give it a shot.

TP & Paper Towel Building Blocks

Collect toilet and paper towel rolls, heck – have the whole school collect them! Say you’re trying for 50 or 100 – put a decorated cardboard box outside your Library or Classroom for donations!

Make sure to Tweet, IG out, or add the request to your staff & community newsletter! But be careful, you could get an AVALANCHE of materials!

Then cut them into different lengths, have the kiddos paint them with water based paints and notch them with scissors — then let kids build with them! Store them in milk crates or bins. Voila!

I’ve heard lately, that some people don’t like this idea because they’re concerned about germs. I guess TP rolls & airborne germs? I’m kind of a germophobe, and I didn’t even think about that! Sheesh. How about lightly spraying all the cardboard rolls with Lysol? OR..how about using paper towel rolls cut into different lengths?  More! Cardboard Tube STEM Activities and more!  This is a Mommy blog that has lots of great STEM ideas! W00t! 
 

Origami Makerspace Pinterest Board.

Origami is the perfect addition to a Maker program. Gather some origami books (I have like at least 10) paper of all kinds, safety scissors, rulers, and a recycling bin or the scraps and Voila! Kids love folding paper and even though I’m not patient enough to do this myself, many of my kiddos are amazing at Origami!

Great Introductory Origami Projects:

+
+
+

from:

Paper Folding/Origami – MIT Edgerton Center – K12 Makerspaces

LEGOS for Nothing.

Here’s Sam, who generously donated these LEGO pieces!

Here’s the super cool Cassius, who does smile, I swear! Giving us like two big tubs of great LEGO pieces! Such a great kids!

My lovely wonderful Library Media assistant Kathi, took them home over the weekend and put them all in a bucket with a bleach solution & dried them in the sunshine. Voila! Just like new!

Ask your PTA, ask your kids, have a LEGO donation bucket by the door of your Library Media Center or classroom and check out yard sales and thrift shops. Bleach is amazing and cheap. Go for it!

Now… I’ve totally snagged (with permission!) some amazing ideas from MY Makerspace Guru, Diana Rendina!

Graphic by @DianaLRendina

Cardboard Creature Challenge
Now, shamelessly stolen  from my Makerspace Gur, Diana Rendina – Teasing Excerpts from the amazing article she wrote for Demco titled  3 Design Challenges for the Low-tech Makerspace  (Link below – I promise! Just don’t want to lose you quite yet, you may never come back!;-)  

“The Cardboard Challenge has long been one of my favorite makerspace activities. Inspired by the amazing short film Caine’s Arcade and the Imagination Foundation’s Global Cardboard Challenge (October 6th – Join in!), I create a new variation on this challenge every year. We’ve created cardboard arcades, robots, buildings, etc.” — Read the article for more!

Graphic by @DianaLRendina

Tech Take-Apart Robot Challenge
Tech take-apart is a classic makerspace activity. This design challenge
takes it a step further by recycling the technology into a robot made by
students. This project doesn’t have to be super complex — picture a
shoebox painted with black paint that has keyboard keys and circuit
boards glued to it.
(link below – I promise!)

Graphic by @DianaLRendina

Recycled Book Art Gallery  
Our Art Teacher does this and we always love to provide gallery and brainstorming space! Maybe she gets some of our weeded books OR maybe she uses donated books from the kids and

MHMS Upcycled Book Art Gallery Walk from my IG

the community. I can’t speak to that here… my supervisor might see this! 

Here’s what Diana has to say about this! 

“We all have damaged or out-of-date books that we’ve weeded from our library. Instead of tossing them out, why not transform them into recycled art? Browse Pinterest or check out some of the recommended resources below to gather inspiration for students. Provide students with a variety of arts and crafts supplies, including glue, tape, paint, scissors, glitter, etc. Teach the students about what an artist’s statement is, and have them write one up once their project is done. Then create a gallery of all the students’ projects in the library and invite classes to visit for a gallery walk. This is a great way to introduce students to the world of professional art and a fantastic way to recognize their work.  Design prompt: Working alone or in pairs, transform a used book into a work of art. You can use any arts and crafts materials, including paint, scissors, glue, tape, etc. Write an artist’s statement explaining how you came up with your idea and how you created your art. You will have one week to complete the project. All of the book art will be displayed with artists’ statements in a gallery in the library. ” 

The Amazing Maker World of Renovated Learning
by Diana Rendina


She makes my Makerspace look like small potatoes or tater tots!  I admire all she does and in a perfect world, I would totally adapt more of her ideas and projects.  BEHOLD and admire! 

5 Questions to ask when planning a Makerspace

By Diana Rendina
Are you the type of person who likes to fill in worksheets?  Click here to download a FREE printable 5 Questions worksheet!

More from my Makerspace Guru, Diana Rendina:
How to Start a Makerspace When You’re Broke
Starting a Makerspace: Baby steps
3 Design Challenges for the Low-tech Makerspac

Or just search her blog for all her posts on the Maker Movement, buy her books, and be sure to follow her on Twitter! Diana Rendina (@DianaLRendina) she’s kind of amazing.

Don’t forget that video production, animation, green screen, blue screen, TV studio, coding, programming, any collaborating with a Science class can make your school Makerspace program shine! Make sure to bring in other subject areas. Don’t just have a Maker program in the Library, have the Maker mindset all over the school. Work with your Tech Ed teacher, FACS (what was once called Home Economics) and Art teacher. Make your Library a great space to display artwork. I’m a big advocate of STEAM rather than STEM. Think about gallery openings and gallery walks. This gets more people into your space. 

Consider creating short videos on Instagram or YouTube having kids talk about their artwork & create a QR code to that post that you print out and put next to the artwork. That way, when people see the display, they can scan and see the video. 


Do NOT let the expense, mess, trouble, or obstacles stop you from doing this!  Be the innovator and the spark in your school or district.  You got this! I know you can be AWESOME! 

Honestly,
this last part was in a previous blog called Makersapce Starter Kit Updated but in case you missed it, I think this part is an important part of the conversation for any Maker project. 

What do you think are the essential conversations? 

 


MHMS Library Art Installation -

——————-TESTING: A (Sad) Fact of Life – Packing My Making Away——————-

 

 

Resources & Links:

Past Related Posts:
Makerspace Starter Kit
Questions About Coloring & Makerspace
The Way of the Lego
The Zen of Coloring
Spot it! Gamification For The Win

 

10 Coloring Pages for Women’s History Month

More Maker Posts! 
Create an Amazing Low-tech Library Makerspace With These Easy Ideas
A Librarian’s Guide to Makerspaces: 16 Resources
Academic Ways to Use the MaKey-MaKey in the Classroom
Make Makey Official Website Lots of great stuff here!
Makey Makey – Makerspace for Education
Top 5 Lessons for Integrating Makey Makey Into Your Curriculum
Sphero Mini – the awesome App-Enabled Robotic Ball review
Classroom Doodles: FREE kid friendly coloring pages!
The Zen of Coloring: 7 Lessons on Living a Happy, Mindful Life
Flexible Classrooms: Research Is Scarce, But Promising
The Seven Myths Keeping Teachers from Designing Makerspaces by @spencerideas
Recycled Media – Julia Sanderl
Create an Amazing Low-tech Library Makerspace With These Easy Ideas 

Makerspace Curation

Makerspace Managed Scoopit Page (inspired by Harry Potter & Mischief Managed, naturally!)

Makerspace Managed Pinterest Board 

Embedded below:
Intro to Makerspaces in the School Library – a Haiku Deck by @heidinelt



Makerspaces – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;

Your turn!

What do you think? What did I forget? Please leave a comment with your thoughts and I may add it to the post! Thank you & Cheers dears!

Twitter: @GwynethJones – IG: The Daring Librarian. Future Ready Teacher Librarian & Tech Leader. Mover, Shaker, Blogger, International Ed Tech Keynote Speaker, Blogger, & Google Certified. ISTE Board of Directors PK-12 Representative 2010-2014 – Creator of Content. Meme & Trope Archivist Geek. Ridiculously Humble. My beach blog: The Coastal Cottage DE


8th Grade Civil War History Links

The Child's Anti-Slavery Book

[Detail] The Child’s Anti-Slavery Book

Resources for 8th Grade Social Studies: American Slavery

You are a Maryland Slave – Pathways to Freedom – MPT Thinkport

American Slavery Student Quiz: American Slavery Quiz 

From our Databases in MackinVia – found through HCPSS.ME > Clever > MackinVia > American History > Slavery

Slavery (Visual) A multipart exploration focusing on the peculiar institution of slavery in the South and how the cotton gin contributed to its growth.

The Civil War Resources & Activities – Library of Congress

American Anti-Slavery Society

The American Anti-Slavery Society was formed in 1833 by William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur and Lewis Tappan. One of many groups to emerge from the abolition movement, the American Anti-Slavery Society became the largest and most influential abolition organization in the United States.

American Anti-Slavery Convention

The American Anti-Slavery Convention, held in Philadelphia in December 1833, resulted in the founding of the American Anti-Slavery Society, which was dedicated to immediate emancipation through “moral and political action.”

Slavery in mid-18th-century colonial South Carolina

In the years leading up to the Revolutionary War, a surveyor of the Virginia plantation system would have noticed a variable and somewhat diversified population of both whites and blacks laboring in the tobacco fields. A surveyor visiting the rice plantations of South Carolina on the eve of the Revolutionary War would have noticed a far different labor force, one that consisted almost entirely of blacks.

Society for the Abolition of Slavery emblem and Whittier poemClick to Enlarge Society for the Abolition of Slavery emblem and Whittier poem

[Library of Congress]

Abolition: “Am I not a man and a brother?”
Anit-slavery broadside, 1837.

From our Databases in MackinVia – found through HCPSS.ME > Clever > MackinVia > History reference center

 

 

Go Ahead, Scam Me Kids!

WARNING: Rant Below.

So, my last post was about an easy interactive reading promotion idea using Post-It Notes I got from my fabulous friend (and one time mentee) Tiffany Whitehead. Didn’t read it yet? Just landed here? That’s OK, I invite you to go back and read it before going much further… it’s OK, I’ll wait.  And for full transparency, I thought that it only fair that my kiddos, my students, know how I feel about this — so I’m posting this here as well as on my professional blog.
(watches Ancient Aliens loves that memetastic Giorgio A. Tsoukalos but can’t stand the annoying voice of that David Childress)

This post was inspired by an anonymous blog comment on my professional blog. I’ll post it below. Oh wait! Eep…sorry

You also probably should skim this Reading Promotion post on my professional blog, too! It’s cool, I’ll go check Twitter while you do and Tweet back to my favorite band of all time XTC & Andy Partridge.

‘Cause that’s where the anonymous or unknown comment was left. My below rant will make more sense if you get the context. OH! I know, I’ll screenshot it. Wait here for a sec. BRB.

Here’s my reply… I think I went a little overboard. That happens.

Hello Unknown~ You know, it shows how much I’m so excited for a REAL comment (rather than the usual SPAM for classes in Mumbai, Mozambique, or Mobile that I get from spammers and bots) that I’ll answer even an anonymous comment! Because, you know, how do I know it’s “real” because if they cared that much for the answer, why can’t they even leave a name, right?  Some great comments or questions I’ve even emailed to answer in more detail or called on the phone. Ok……enough of that. Sorry if that sounded snarky.

How do I know the kid actually read the book?….Here’s how I know. They returned the book!  If a kid really wanted SCAM me to get whatever kind of faux brass key, stuffed animal, sticker or prize…then have at it.

And when I did the Passport thing with the stamps, there really wasn’t really a prize, just the the satisfaction of having every square stamped. I can’t even remember if I gave it back to the kiddo or displayed it up on the board. But knowing how bad I am about changing my one bulletin board in the library, I’m pretty sure I just gave it to the kid with a big high five and a whooping “Great job sweetie, well done!”

Because, what’s really the reason we’re doing this? To get the kid in the door. OR to get the kid to read more. OR to encourage the kid to read a different or varied type or genre of book. Basically, just to get the kid to read.

At least they’re visiting the library. Because, really…isn’t that what we want? Occasionally, I’ll flip open the book an pick out a character’s name or event in the book and ask a random question, but really — I don’t care. (OK, I’m kind of fibbing here, I think I’ve done that like once or twice in my 20+ years)

But yeah, go ahead and SCAM me kids!  Come and get my prizes, just come to the library & check out a book. It’s all good. For every prize I’m scammed out of, I’m sure there are dozens of kiddos avidly reading the books. Because that was me. I was that kid. I was the kid that came to get a book every morning and every afternoon. I was the kid that had the reading during class and hiding the book inside the desk trick down pat. I was RARELY caught. Ok, I was caught a couple times but I always did it. (Kids, don’t do this in class! lol)

Then, I transferred to Phillis E. Williams Elementary School, a 1970’s OPEN CLASSROOM style school and for a kid like me, I thrived. I hurried up, hustled to every classroom in the pod and did all my work as fast and as well as I could, so I could get that free time to curl up in the School Library or classroom corner and just READ.

This is when I switched to public schools and got identified as a TAG  or GT kid, one of the BEST things was that I didn’t have to do as much boring stoopid stuff that I already knew how to do, by rote,  and was able to “test out” and then craft my own learning plan. That’s why I’m such a big fan of PBL and UDL as a Teacher Librarian. OK, enough about me – sounds kind of braggy. GAH. Sorry.

WOW…this turned out to be sort of a long rant. I hope it comes across ok, because I guess I’m sort of passionate about this topic.

When it comes to reading promotion, I want to do fun things to encourage kids to read that doesn’t cost a lot of money, doesn’t take a lot of time to manage or organize. (Yeah, I’m kind of lazy that way) I like a reading promotion that has that special something — that fun kind spark of engagement that will encourage the kiddos to give it a whirl.

What do you do to promote reading? What features do you find that makes a great and easy to do reading promotion?  And what’s your name, hon? 😉  Either way, hope that helped!

Cheers!
~Gwyneth

About this picture. And I don’t usually share personal info …this is awkward for me. Stop reading if you want.

A long long time ago in a far away place, OK…it was the late 70’s in the DC Metro area….You can tell it was the 70’s from the orange shag rug carpeting and my shag haircut. Anyway, that year there was a big blizzard that kept us out of school for days and days. I finished reading ALL my Library Books and it was COLD! So, I planted myself on top of the heating grate in our Living Room …..and read my falling apart Gothic Novel called The Laird of Tariff Hall. Mom, I guess, thought it was funny so she took this picture. Notice the Redskins Tube Socks I stole from my brother! Hee hee. Please take note of the crochet afghan that my Gramma made me. I still have the book. Wish I had the afghan.

 

The director knew me because I was a kid extra in one of the plays he
directed at my Bowie High School where my Mom was an English Teacher. Why pay for after school childcare
when you have a hammy but biddable kid who is more than happy to be an extra in
every school play? By the time I got to high school I had been in like
10 plays already. Says a lot about my early Gleek years.

Unthinkable Scragg comes to mind. I may not have even had a name, just a grubby little extra. It was a blast.

Anyway, Kyle lives in Annapolis now. Yeah, I just stalked him real quick on Google. Probably a good thing I’m not on Facebook.

The next year I went to High School and discovered the band XTC and today, on Twitter, as I was writing this blog post, my musical hero of 39 years MADE MY DAY. See?

——->OMGosh, SQUEE! It’s like the BEST THING EVER!!!!!

OK, enough rambling and reminiscing on and on. Don’t know why I felt like sharing that. I think I’m pretty good about not nattering on about myself in my blog posts. Or at least I hope so! Or at least not during the main content area. Eep!  How tiresome! Night friends!

Please leve a Comment if you like and include your name if you’d like me to connect with you!

Please do not SPAM or try to SCAM me. That wouldn’t be cool.

Readers Recommend

Come on in and recommend! OR….

It’s kinda like a low-tech YELP review for books!

Hey MHMS Kids, Check this Out!

This is a cool reading promotion that’s all about you!  Come on into the Library Media Center and find a book you’ve read and liked. Even better, find a book you LOVED! Like you could even maybe read it again kind of love. Go to the display pictured….

How To:  Grab a sticky note and write on the clipboard your book recommendation. You can sign your first name & your grade or just something like “an 8th grader”….I just want to make sure that the other kids reading YOUR note know that it was written by a fellow teen. Leave that book on the shelf, if there’s not enough room, just prop it up or find me or Ms. Bell to help you and feel the warm happy feeling you helped another kid read find a great book! 

Don’t know what to write? Here are some suggestions:

I loved this book because…

This is a great read if you liked _______________(list a similar book)

This book was really:  Funny, Scary, Romantic, Adventurous, Mysterious, Thrilling, Intense….basically insert any adjective that fits here!

 

Peel off the post it and stick it on the cover and as my Dad would say….
Viola!

 

Thank you for your recommendation!

~Ms. Jones – Your Daring Librarian

Hey Teachers & fellow Librarians, Here’s the  Easy How To:

Hi there!  If you landed here & are a Teacher, or Librarian, or a Teacher Librarian or Media Specialist or a grown up — let me invite you to scoot over to my professional blog for the low down deets on this Reading promotion!

This is reading promotion idea that’s inexpensive, low-tech, includes student voice, and I totally nabbed it from the amazing Librarian Tiff five years ago and I still love it! It’s kind of what you can call an oldie but a goodie. This can work at any time in a School Library or ELA Classroom.

I was inspired by Librarian tiff because she also does this in her School Library and created this amazing graphic below, made it Creative Commons, and gave it out to the world! I love beautiful signage that I don’t have to make myself! Because I’m kinda (occasionally) lazy.

(Grab the sign in several sizes from Tiff’s Flickr gallery)

I bought some colorful mini clipboards from Amazon & lined sticky notes. I already had the mini galvanized buckets of golf pencils – stole those from my PAC computer bank. This way kids don’t write ON THE books. Don’t judge me for being a little OCD and not wanting the pencil impressions on the front of a Library book!

Student Voice:

The kiddo can write anything. “I loved this book because…” and sign it their fist name or just “an 8th grader” etc. My kids love seeing what other kids have read. Same idea, but in a low tech way, as my #BookDropLifeInstagram posts.

This way kids can recommend books to other kids and be heard.  Simple. Easy. Effective.  I think it’s really important to allow kids to feel like they have a voice in the Library Media Center and in our school. Participatory Librarianship.

Save the Stickies!

At the end of the year, when I put this display away, I always take the sticky note off the front of the book and paste it inside the front cover. So the next kid can open the cover, read the book blurb, AND the student recommendation.

I was inspired to create a NEW Speed Dating notation sheet for kiddos. Feel free to make a copy & use it!

Another reading promotion idea that I like to bring out around this time
of year is my VIP Key Readers. You can read more about that here….

Reading is the Key! – The Daring Librarian

 

Your Turn!

What easy & inexpensive ways do you promote reading in your School Library or Classroom? Please share in the comments, Twitter, or Instagram ways you reach out to kiddos to get them to read?

Thanks for Visiting!

Cheers dears!

Twitter: @GwynethJones – IG: The Daring Librarian.
Future Ready Teacher Librarian & Tech Leader. Mover, Shaker,
Blogger, International Ed Tech Keynote Speaker, Blogger, &
Google Certified. Author of the award winning Daring Librarian
blog. ISTE Board of Directors PK-12 Representative 2010-2014 –
Creator of Content. Meme & Trope Archivist. Coastal Cottage
owner. Geek. Ridiculously Humble.

 

Resources:

Speed Dating to Find Your {Book} Match

inspired by Jennifer Ward