🎨🌌 Art & Inquiry: Exploring the Northern Lights

This week in advisory, students embarked on a dazzling journey to learn about the Northern Lights! (Thank you to The Book Wrangler's online content years ago for the inspiration!) Using engaging resources like Wonderopolis and PebbleGo, they discovered the science and stories behind this natural phenomenon. These resources provided the perfect balance of information and wonder, sparking questions and discussion.

After diving into the facts, it was time for creativity to take center stage. Students used paper and pastels to craft their own vibrant interpretations of the Northern Lights. As different YouTube videos about the Northern Lights played in the background, like the one below, students' creativity took over.

With soft hues blending across dark backgrounds, their artwork captured the magic of the auroras. This hands-on activity connected inquiry with artistry, leaving students with both knowledge and a personal art piece. Activities like these showcase the power of combining literacy, creativity, and discovery in library spaces!

📕📕English I Book Talks

This week, I had the pleasure of hosting freshman English classes to deliver two engaging book talk presentations. Each session introduced students to an exciting mix of historical fiction, realistic fiction, and fresh titles by both popular and debut authors. From interesting narratives set in the past to contemporary stories that reflect students' challenges and achievements, there was something for every kind of reader.

In both presentations, we explored gripping tales from history—Bluebird by Sharon Cameron and The Color of a Lie by Kim Johnson. Other titles spotlighted included realistic fiction mysteries and adventures alongside buzz-worthy new releases that students won’t want to miss. After the presentation, students had time to browse the shelves and connect with stories, checking out books, and sharing their excitement with one another. How awesome it is to match students with books!

🎃👻 Dark Tales and Digital Reflections: A Halloween Activity

Yesterday’s Halloween advisory session took a spine-tingling turn as students gathered in the library for a read-aloud from Things That go Bump in the Night by Patrick Carman. 

We kicked things off with an introductory video before diving into the story “Heart of Stone,” a creepy, captivating short story. After the read-aloud, students watched the story’s wrap-up video, setting the perfect atmosphere for a reflective activity. Using Padlet, students responded to the prompt “Whatever you do…” with creative, eerie responses that tied directly to the story. To bring their words to life, students typed their thoughts and used the Padlet AI image generator to create visuals related to their statements, resulting in a hauntingly engaging mix of text and imagery.

CLICK HERE to access the full Padlet of students' responses.

Here are a few of the students' responses close up:

This activity not only added Halloween fun to an advisory session but also supports my professional development goal of promoting positive relationships, mindfulness, and bibliotherapy in the library. By choosing thought-provoking stories and prompts, students engaged in reflective thinking and shared their creative responses with their peers in a supportive environment. The visual component helped them connect with the story on a deeper level, allowing for self-expression and opening doors to conversations that promote empathy and connection. A big "thank you" goes to my teacher librarian colleague Dani whose work with Padlet and image generating inspired me to give this a try!

🗓🌟 Quarter 1 Library Statistics

As the first quarter wraps up, it's time to look at library statistics and to share some incredible highlights! This quarter, print and electronic circulation numbers soared, reflecting a fantastic increase in reading. Numerous classes visited the library, creating a vibrant space for learning, collaboration, and exploration. Additionally, literacy activities during advisory have been a hit, giving students fun and engaging ways to dive into reading and boost their literacy skills. It's great to see the energy and enthusiasm from students and teachers so far. Here's to an even more successful second quarter--let's build on this momentum!

National Hispanic Heritage Month & Book Tasting

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 - October 15 annually, so this week, we hosted a special book tasting in the library to celebrate! Students had the chance to sample a variety of books, each showcasing Hispanic authors, characters, or historical figures. 

The selection included fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels, giving everyone a diverse range of genres and stories to explore. From narratives about identity and culture to historical accounts, these books offered something for every reader. 

The tasting sparked great conversations and curiosity, and many students left with new books in hand to continue their reading journey. What a fantastic way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!

👀😍 Button Making is a Hit with Students!

Such a fun advisory activity today with the button maker! It's the first-ever use for the button maker, and based on the smiles and conversation, it's likely that button making will be a regular event during this time!

Last spring the library acquired this button maker in hopes of offering a different kind of activity during advisory. While students often visit during advisory for literacy-based activities, the button maker offers a making and creative outlet for students. After some browsing and learning about different options, this is the button maker purchased:

Find it HERE on Amazon.com

To streamline the process--we have a 25-minute advisory period--tables in the library each held part of the button-making process: sizing (two button sizes were offered today), designing (either hand-drawn or chosen from books), cutting out the design, and making the button.

Students began working, choosing sizes and designing. Once circle were cut out, an efficient button making line formed. Many students created and took with them two buttons today and asked about the next button making session! Lots of smiles and giggles about buttons--a wonderful way to kick off advisory activities for the week!

📕🗓 Back-to-School Book Talks

Several classes visited the library this week for book talks and browsing sessions. It's a great opportunity to introduce students to new books, authors, and genres, as well as share information about the library itself. Students heard many engaging book talks on a variety of books, from new authors (like Scott Reister) to popular favorites (like Neal Shusterman). Later in the period students had time to browse for an independent reading book and talk about books with their classmates. 

Curious about the books featured in the book talks? Here they are!

See something you like? Stop by the library to check out one of these or other books you're considering! See you soon!