Building and Discovery in the Library

Anyone who has visited our library in the past few weeks has noticed a buzz of excitement. Students are engaged in creating giant structures, feats of engineering and works of art. Our libraries are fortunate to have received a generous parent donation to purchase Keva Planks and Lego Education materials. Our goal is to offer students opportunities to play, create, experiment, tell stories and work collaboratively.

Research has shown (University of Idaho and others) the importance of providing children with time to investigate with building blocks. Children who learn and play with blocks are more successful in mathematics and science. Physically handling the blocks builds a foundational understanding of quantities, equality, geometry and many other concepts.

According to the Keva Planks designers, "In a room full of children and KEVA® Planks, attention spans lengthen, concentration intensifies, creativity is focused, voices are muted, teamwork happens, excitement builds, projects flow, and children yearn to learn."

The quantity, 1,600 Keva planks in the ES Library, allows students to build large, collaborative structures, as well as smaller, interconnected designs. The blocks are all the same size and are quick and easy to clean up, reset and start all over again. Students are excited to build together and to add on the work of their classmates. They are inspired and challenged by each other's ideas. Some students build up as tall as they can, while others build out and create stories or pictures.

Students are also delighted with the new Lego kits in the ES Library. We have a Tubes Experiment set which allows students to build tunnels and slides. We have a STEAM Park set, which includes gears, levers, pulleys and even and air cannon. We also have a set of Story Scenes which offer backdrops to set the stage for students to build and act out their own stories. Lego Education products support the philosophy that "twenty-first century learning is about providing children with opportunities to experiment with their surroundings as a form of problem solving. It is about creativity and collaboration, motivation and self-direction. It is about improvisation and discovery, and interacting with meaningful tools that expand mental capacities."

We are also thrilled with the installation of our new Lego tables and Lego walls in the libraries. In the ES Library ground floor, we have a round Duplo table and two mobile Lego walls on easels. Upstairs, we have a standing Lego table with smaller bricks and large Lego wall. In our Middle High School Library, we also have two mobile Lego tables. We can't wait to see what our students will build and create with these exciting materials.

As a result of this generous ASD family donation, and in addition to Lego materials and Lego tables, the ASD ES and MS/HS Libraries are introducing custom portable staging spaces to engage students performance, communication, and collaboration activities across a variety of disciplines. The libraries have also introduced a new database, Newslea for students in Grades 3-12.

Reading Makes You Feel Good: Summer Challenge 2018

Summer is just around the corner. Are you ready for the reading challenge reveal?! Keeping our tradition for the fifth year in a row, we are happy to share the 2018 summer reading challenge, "Reading Makes You Feel Good."

Feel good and read this summer! Create your own unique challenge by reading a variety of books. Choose from the attached list or design your own challenge entirely! Students are encouraged to read what they enjoy and what interests them. Learn more about your passions or try something new.

Click the link to print your own copy or to create your own digital document. Color each image as you complete the challenge and make a list of all the titles you read during the summer. Turn your record sheet into the library by Thursday, September 7 to receive a certificate of participation.

We encourage students to use their creativity with the reading challenge. Feel free to draw your own pictures to represent each book that you read or to share your reading lists in your own unique way. Students can share evidence of their reading with photographs, drawings, lists, posters, videos, models -- the only limit is your imagination!

Reading Makes you Feel Good: Summer Challenge 2018

Many thanks to Todd Parr for inspiring our reading challenge this summer at to ASD student, Yasmin Alansari, Class of 2018, for creating the artwork for the challenge.

Collaboration and Creation: Todd Parr Inspired Art Work

During our visiting authors celebration in March, Todd Parr worked with High School Art students to create giant canvas paintings inspired by Todd's books. The High School students created black-line drawings with the themes found in many of Todd's books -- love, friendship, unity and peace. Each drawing would become a panel on a large canvas. Together, the series of panels sends a message of positivity.

Last week, many of our Student Librarian team volunteered their time to add color and life to these large canvases. The High School students joined us in the library to work alongside our Elementary students. Together, the students transformed the black-line drawings into vibrant, inspiring works of art -- in the spirit of the pages of a Todd Parr book. What a special and memorable time for our students. We are reminded that magical things can happen when we work together and learn from each other.

Celebrating Poetry Month: Student Voices Loud and Clear

Poetry was alive in the ES Library during the month of April! Students participated in a variety of poetry reading and writing activities during their library classes. Activities included reading and responding to poems, posting favorite poems on SeeSaw, writing a poem for a friend and closely observing nature to inspire poetry.

The K1 stars used their senses to observe a special visitor in the library - Spots the Tortoise! As a class, the students wrote a poem to describe Spots and illustrated their work. They enjoyed sharing their observations, poems and art with Grade 4W buddies!

We culminated our celebration with our Poetry-A-Thon. The goal was to read poetry all day long in the library. Mission accomplished! Students and teachers presented a selection of original poetry as well as some favorites by other poets. We enjoyed hearing some poems for two voices from Grade 5 and some group presentations by Grade 2. Many students shared their inspiration from Naomi Shihab Nye by reading their original work. Thank you to all the students and teachers who joined together to make this community event a success. We love to hear your voices!

Reflecting on Visiting Authors

This week, our students have taken time to reflect on their memories and their learning from our celebration of Visiting Authors. Our time with Naomi Shihab Nye and Todd Parr inspired and delighted our community of learners.

We asked students to reflect on their workshops, assemblies, writing, drawing and reading experiences over the two-week visit with Naomi and Todd. Students shared their insights and highlights.

Naomi's poetry writing workshops and her sign-along poetry were stand-out memories for many of our students. Many children felt they had discovered the poet inside themselves and learned from Naomi that poetry is all around us. We just need to look for it. Naomi's encouraging and engaging style helped many of our students find a new dimension to their writing.

Our students loved creating their very own books alongside Todd Parr. Many students had the opportunity to continue to write and draw in their books during class time. Other shared how they continue to work on their books at home. Todd's humor, positive messages and vibrant illustrations resonated with our readers of all ages.

Students in K1 through Grade 2 drew pictures and wrote about their experiences with Naomi and Todd. Our older students in Grades 3, 4 and 5 completed an online survey about their learning. Across all grades, students voices clearly expressed their enthusiasm, passion and enjoyment around the opportunities they had to work with our visiting authors.