Starting the school year off on the right foot!

[Liz Deskins]

O.K., I see that August is looming as I turn my calendar page, and I would like to know what's the most important thing you do to get your school year off to an effective and happy start! It can be professional, student-centered, personal (but not TMI!) or something else. I am starting my 7th year in a school and feel I need a new sparkle to once again make the media center the happy hub of learning.
So, who has a great idea?

[karenklieg]

With 600 students, I find that one of my biggest challenges is to remember students' names! (I am bad at that to begin with!). This year, I decided that I am going to begin my grade 1-3 classes by taking digital photos of my students, importing them into SMART notebook, and then have the students write their names under their pictures. Then I can move them around and put them into a seating chart. I can also have their pictures posted on the SMARTboard during classes.

My other thought is to refocus my 'skills' program with my 3rd graders. I want to gradually add in web 2.0 stuff with them, while still incorporating traditional resources. To kickstart it, I might have them make avatars using meez.com, we could make a game out of it, too - have them secretly place their avatar over their 'real' picture and try and guess identities. This could lead into lessons about Internet safety, Internet evaluation skills...

[Carol Gaughran]

Karen,

What a great idea. I also have a hard time placing 200+ names with faces. I was thinking of digital pictures and a wall display, but using the Smartboard opens up a great teachable moment for the kids as well. Thanks

[Cheryl Wolf]

What a fabulous idea (the SMART labeling suggestion). I have been making "library cards"/shelf markers with kids' photos. would take the confusion away from labeling them. Also kids often go by names different than those supplied by our central data system. Thanks!!

[Kristie Peak]

Hi Liz,
I'm always looking for new ideas as well. Usually, I start with a little review of library policies, areas, general "stuff" with the older kids. Last year I started with a bingo game using words that are the answer to little questions about policy, procedure, some fun questions, areas of the library, etc. They copied the words, in any order, from the screen onto their grid sheets as a soft-landing activity. Then I just had clues or questions such as "Always put a book here when you bring it back" --on the gridsheet: "return box". The kids liked it as a less boring and more interactive way to review. I start the little ones with the best stories I can think of to get them hooked on coming to the library. Often it's No, David! books and then in the next few weeks, I can use it to teach book care. I even had to come back to the No, David! format in the middle of the year for a K class that could NOT sit on the carpet for stories without a lot of rolling around and yelling out, etc.
My assistant read a story while I acted out inappropriate behaviors. The kids got to yell out, No, David! if I was being inappropriate. It was fun. I also have a power point I change up each year. Usually it goes with my theme and I use it to review library stuff.

[teacherninja]

Great ideas! Thanks for the tips.

[JJ Avinger-Jacques]

I am starting in my first year as a T-L and I am going to actively engage our student body in creating short recommendation tags/reviews to put on the shelf with the displayed book (as in the larger book stores where employees review a fave book). These will be colorful, eye-catching and hopefully fun to read and a good guide for other patrons to try a recommended book (by their peers). In addition, I am going to create a short movie, using some of the known classroom characters, giving a "tour" of the library and some of the new features that are different from last year or that might be new for new students. This movie will be shown during the first weeks of school as a get-to-know-you, where-can-I-find-it, ice breaker.
I would LOVE to hear what you have tried and what has been the most successful in your career up to this point!

[Miss Shelved]

The first hurdle we face is hosting the entire staff in the library for workshop week. It's a good time for a little PR. We get in a few days early and set up new book displays geared toward teacher needs: new books for read-aloud, math links, social studies units, how to get along, whatever is hot for your crew. Cute signs help direct the eye, and it gets people wandering around the display areas and shelves, talking about books during breaks! It takes very little effort (we keep the signs from year to year) and makes a nice break from the endless tech issues that always dominate the beginning of the year.

Good luck and happy 2008-9.