Coming Soon-Scholastic Book Fair! Sept. 27

Well, it's that time of year again-book fair time! I have worked the Scholastic Book Fair for the past two years with Summer at Chocowinity Primary, and each year I am surprised at how much work it actually requires to run it successfully. Even with a few parents to help as volunteers, it still gets pretty chaotic and overwhelming. This year I will help for three days, and I know those three days will be exhausting!

Today I was in charge of the book fair fliers and the accompanying letter to the parents. Summer set me up stapling the two together while she conducted her morning classes. This way I was able to observe the classes, while at the same time completing a time consuming task. I actually enjoy this type of work as it allows me to sit back and watch her teaching methods in action.

Here are scans of both Summer's letter to the parents and partial scans of the flier. For some reason my scanner would not capture the whole image, but at least this picture gives a general idea of the flier.





Summer spent her classes this morning discussing the book fair, and it was obvious the students are really looking forward to it! The fair will run from Oct. 5-12, and each class will visit the fair two times-one time to observe, and the second time to purchase. Summer showed them the flier along with a brief video from Scholastic, and the students were just buzzing with excitement. Summer's only rule is that the students must purchase a book before they buy any of the stickers, pencils, erasers, etc. She also discussed the issue of tax with the students, as this was somewhat of a problem last year. Finally, the school will have a family night on the 7th which allows everyone to attend not only the book fair, but a bingo hotdog party as well. I plan to help with this event as much as possible since I know it will be a long day for Summer and the rest of the teachers. At least I know I won't have a problem getting hours next week. There is more than enough to keep me busy!

Cataloging-Sept. 21

Well, today I was given the opportunity to catalog my very first books! All of my studying and knowledge of Sears Headings were put to the test as I needed to consult this reference work to catalog the two specific titles purchased for the library. One of the teachers brought two resources for the professional collection to the library and wanted them cataloged and added to the collection. I was excited to watch Summer officially catalog these two books, but instead she asked me if I wanted to handle it. Of course! Summer's assistant, Jeannie, helped me through the process, and I was more than grateful for her help. We logged onto Destiny and entered these two titles "on the fly." I had heard Summer and Jeannie use that expression before, but now I was actually seeing it first hand. We entered both titles into the catalog, but neither of the titles produced any results. So, we entered each title separately, filling in the title, author, ISBN, type of material, price, and call number. Neither of the books had a specific call number, so it was necessary to consult Sears. I checked under the appropriate heading (Reading) and found the two sub-headings that most closely matched the materials- Word Skills and Reading Comprehension. In this case, the call number would be 372.4. Summer does not use the decimal places, so the official call number for both books was 372. Once the titles were entered into Destiny, we went back and searched them to make sure everything was saved correctly. My two very first catalog entries were a success! Today was definitely a valuable experience for me.

Accelerated Reader-Week of Sept. 13

This week's classes were exploring Accelerated Reader (AR) books and the accompanying levels on which their search would be limited. The first and second grade classes would be visiting the library this week, and they were to come prepared to search for AR books meeting their specific assigned reading levels. Doesn't sound too complicated, does it? Believe it or not, this has been the most chaotic day so far! While Summer did an excellent job of describing the reading levels and the colored tapes on each book associated with the reading levels, the kids were all over the place. You wouldn't think it would be so hard to find books with a white tape (reading levels 0-1.9) on the binding, but apparently it is. The kids were pulling books off the shelf with red, blue, yellow, green, and brown tapes, asking if those books were in their reading levels! It was a complete zoo. Summer had me step in and help the kids locate a book of interest to them and in the appropriate reading level. Working with one student at a time, every student left with a book at the end of the 45 min. class period. Unfortunately, the variety of books covering this specific reading level is limited, and the students did not have the full range of choices they will experience with the higher reading levels. Still, everyone was satisfied by the end of the class, and that is really all that matters on days like these!

Organizing Plastic Book Tubs- Sept. 10

Today was a much slower day than my fist day in the library. This week Summer's classes are in the afternoon, and my internship hours are in the morning. This schedule allows me the best of both worlds. On the off weeks when classes are in the afternoon, Summer can put me to work on various tasks and projects, including shelving books and helping students when they come in to check out materials. Today, for example, Summer had me organizing tubs of books for various classrooms. She has a variety of plastic tubs that contain an assortment of books for all of the students in any given classroom. These tubs are organized by subject, author, theme, etc., and that particular day Summer put me to work organizing and labeling a few of these tubs. The Chalk Box Kid was one of the series of books I was labeling for some of the Accelerated Reader tubs. The other tubs ranged anywhere from weather and astronomy non-fiction titles, to a variety of picture books for the Pre-K and Kindergarten classes. Summer explained how teachers will check out these books for the students in the class, and after seeing the large assortment of tubs on the shelves, it is no wonder the teachers find these groupings so appealing-there is really something for everyone!

First Day on the Job- August 31

Today started with a hectic, yet exciting first day not only for me, but for the students as well. Today was the first day the students were visiting the library since the start of school a week earlier. Summer warned me it would be a crazy start to my internship, but this is what I wanted-chaos and confusion and witnessing the library on one of its crazy days.

Upon arrival, Grades 2-4 were visiting the library for "open checkout," as Summer called it, and I watched as Summer worked diligently to fix bar codes and computer glitches. There were also a few new students who had yet to receive his or her bar codes and library passes, which in turn made the first morning that much more hectic. Once things settled down a little and each student had what he or she needed to check out books, they seemed to disperse on their own and browse through the materials. These students, the second, third, and fourth graders, were experts after years of experience, and the browsing/checking out process moved pretty smoothly.

The same can not be said for Summer's first class-the Kindergarten class. They were so adorable with their wide, eager eyes! Not only was this their very first visit to the library, but this would be the first time time to learn the rules for the library and checking out books. Summer assigned each student a seat, and then went over all of the rules for taking care of the books and behaving properly while in the library. Some of them were wiggling in their seats, but for the most part, they were listening intently to Summer and her rules for the library. I was actually very impressed. Once the rules were discussed and questions were asked, it was time to head over to the storytime mat. I was given the wonderful opportunity to read the first book to this class- Mr. Wiggle's Book.

This book discusses all the wrong ways to care for a book with a cute bookworm to add to its charm. I loved it, and I think the kids loved it as well! Afterward, we had a little question/answer session to talk about the right and wrong ways to handle the library books, and from the students' answers, it was obvious they were paying attention. One class down, two to go!

The second class to visit the library this morning was one of the Exceptional Children's (EC) classes. This class consists of 6-8 kids ranging in age from 4-6 years old. Summer had already mentioned to me that she would read the stories to this class, and of course I was more than willing to turn this responsibility over to her. I have yet to work hands on with one of the EC classes, but I enjoy observing from a distance every chance I get. Maybe as the internship progresses I will have an opportunity to work more closely with one of these classes. Again, Mr. Wiggle's Book was the story of choice, followed by an additional reading of The Librarian from the Black Lagoon.

The kids loved these two stories, and I have to admit, so did I!

Lastly, one of the first grade classes rounded out Summer's morning schedule of classes. Unlike the previous Kindergarten class, these first graders entered the library confident and ready to check out books. Summer assigned each of these students a seat, and then refreshed their memories on the rules of the library. Already I was amazed at the difference in behavior from one year to the next! Once everyone was reminded of the rules and procedures for handling and checking out books, the class made its way over to the storytime mat. Again, I was given the chance to read Mr. Wiggle's Book, and again I felt as though this book was a hit. We discussed the right and wrong ways to care for books, and the class seemed even more enthusiastic than ever to begin the checkout process. That would be the adventure I would observe for my next visit!

Quick Links

I am including the "Quick Links" gadget at the bottom of the blog as a means of providing any additional information for the reader. These links will serve as pathways to any further research or reading relevant to any of the blog topics discussed here. Some examples include the CPS homepage, Beaufort County Schools Web site, and a few Web sites that I feel might be of interest to the reader.

Check them out!

Let's Start at the Beginning...

Chocowinity Primary School (CPS) is located in Chocowinity, NC, a rural town off of Highway 17 in southern Beaufort County. This school will serve as the location for my internship this semester, and all information, experiences, documents, etc. relevant to this internship can be found within this blog (for specific items, try the search feature just under the school picture). I have had the fortunate opportunity to once again work with Summer Dail, the media coordinator at CPS, and she has allowed me the chance to witness the day to day life of the media coordinator and all activities that occur within the media center's walls. This blog allows me to document and log my time and experiences at this media center in a manner that is both entertaining and informative, while at the same time exploring this Web tool and its many functions and applications.

The media center at CPS serves not only the students, but the faculty, staff, and members of the community as well. Approximately 13,000 titles can be found in the 2,300 square feet devoted to the media center and its collection, and the efficient and organized layout is greatly appreciated by its many users. Upon entering the media center, users will find the circulation desk and the two computer terminals for searching the online catalog. This area serves as the central location for checking out and returning books, as well as searching for materials and resources. The outside perimeter of half of the media center contains the kindergarten picture books, the easy books, fantasy, and fiction. The other half of the perimeter holds the non-fiction titles, reference materials, and magazines. In the immediate center is the SMART Board, foam puzzle mat, and the media coordinator's chair for lessons and story time. Also in this area is the printer station, along with two computers for research and the online catalog. Two separate groupings of tables are conveniently placed at each half of the library for classwork, group collaboration, lesson introductions, or presentations. A large, flat screen TV is also mounted to the wall at one corner of the library for special occasions such as the screening of movies. Lastly, the professional collection is placed in a central location for the faculty and staff to access on an as needed basis.




Summer Dail (right in photo) is the media coordinator, and Jeannie Sawyer (left) is Summer's media assistant. The two have worked together for the past three years, and their working relationship/partnership is one of mutual respect and balance. Together they keep the media center running smoothly and efficiently, and I look forward to working alongside them again this semester.