Year-Long Programming

 It's the Year of the Loteria!

Year-Long Reading Motivation Project

Purpose: This reading program is designed to last a complete school year. I suggest combining reporting period reading goals and tasks which readers may complete to attain the final "Loteria" card. You can select what you would like to final card to be, use the Gallo (#1) as the last card, or the Rana(#54).  This reading program will make it fun to collect their badges, and promote literacy, and community involvement. You should also include some events such as Family Literacy Nights or scavenger hunts to collect Loteria Badges. 

Promotion: You will want to promote this since the end of the previous year, you could even include some summer reading tasks that can be promoted to begin the project, such as "Jump into our Loteria" by reading and creating a visual representation about the book (major themes, events, characters, etc.). Give students a selection of 3-5 books, one of which would be needed to read over the summer. They will attain the "La Rana" badge if they read and create a visual representation. 

Materials Needed: 

You can use as many of the titles and objectives as needed. There are 54 Loteria Cards, but you may not want to use all of them for badges. I suggest sticking to 3-4 per school month. You can also give badges for events like attending book fairs, volunteering, or Family Literacy Nights. 

-Titles of books that are high interest (try to use as many award winners and nominees from various reading lists)

-Access to library resources and services

-Loteria Badges of choice

-Summer reading Badge and choice of 3-5 titles for summer reading activity

-Access to promotional materials

Preparation: 

Begin promoting from the end of the previous school year so that Summer Reading can be included. You could also host a Reading Loteria Night where families can participate for a chance to win books! This would be a great way to get the community involved and excited for the upcoming school year. 

Procedures: 

-Host an introductory Reading Loteria Night where participants can attain the first Loteria Badge of your choice. 

-Provide Summer Reading Instructions and reading lists for their second badge given when school begins.

-Decide which badges you will promote during the school year. I would use 3-4 per month and use them as such:

    -September- La Rana: students read a book from the reading list about frogs or animals. 

    -October- La Calavera: students read a book about cultural traditions or any "spooky" book from a reading list provided.

    -November- La Corona: students read a book about historical kings or queens

    -December- El Mundo: students read about different cultures and compare them to their own traditions

    -January- La Estrella: students read about science and new technologies or books promoting the different sciences

    -February- El Corazon: Students read a book about friendships and the importance of working together

    -March- El Sol: Students enjoy relaxing Spring Break reads from a selected library reading list

    -April- El Arbol: Read books about Natural Sciences of you can have them read a book "Under a Tree" or with trees on the cover.     

    -May- "El Gallo" badge and picture of students who completed Loteria Tasks with their badges and Loteria shirt (make some shirts for them to proudly wear)

-Remember that the point of this program is to include all readers, and community members, and make reading fun. Enjoy the badges, create reading lists for your students, and celebrate their reading accomplishments. 

Payoff: 

This reading program should be used to expose all readers to a variety of titles and genres. Through participation and engagement, students will gain knowledge of a variety of perspectives, characters, genres, and will acquire literacy skills that will foster a love of reading. 

Quick Programming #6

 Teachers Help Us Grow 

Library/Information Skills Lesson Plan

Cross-curricular subject areas: English Language Arts, Art    Date: Late April-May

Grade level: Lower Elementary 

Topic: How do teachers help us grow? Teacher Appreciation discussion

Lesson Objective: The learners will listen to a read-aloud about the impact teachers have on students and be able to create an artifact to thank a teacher of choice. 

Materials needed: You would want to look for a picture book for a read-aloud about which includes to the topic of positive teachers and student relationships. A suggested title is The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson. You can purchase a copy here. 

You will want to have art supplies for students can create a teacher appreciation artifact. You can include crayons, copy paper, scissors, glue, markers, glitter, yarn, and pipe cleaners. 

Instructional Procedures: Begin by asking for who their teachers are and something that they like about their teachers? You can probe by asking: 

• What have you learned from your teacher?
• What has been your favorite memory from this year/last year?
• Why are teachers important?

Then, read the prologue to the book by Jacqueline Woodson. Use this as a read-aloud session. 

Afterward, have students create a teacher appreciation artifact that expresses a positive relationship with their teacher. 

Closing: Ask students to leave their work, which can be used to create a teacher appreciation display. You can also hold on to the work to deliver to their teachers during teacher appreciation. 

Assessment: Informal assessment during read-aloud. Ensure you walk around as students are completing teacher appreciation artifacts. 

Quick Programming Ideas 5

5 de Mayo Literacy Activity

Cross-curricular subject areas: English Language Arts, art, Spanish Language, History and cultures

Age level: Prek- 1st grade

Suggested Time Frame: May 5th 

Lesson Objectives: The learners will be introduced to the historical context and cultural traditions of families celebrating Cinco de Mayo. 

Supplies:

• Book for read-aloud Cinco de Mayo 

• Scissors

• Colorful construction paper for papel picado

• Crayons

• A coloring page of the Mexican flag

Procedures: 

Invite students for a fun read-aloud for Cinco de Mayo by Emma Carlson Berne. 

Ask students to participate in read-aloud. Ask them if they have any family traditions they do or if their family celebrates 5 de mayo. 

Afterward, invite them to color a Mexican flag or have them use paper and scissors to create their own papel picado, which is a traditional shopped or punched decorative paper used for banners. They come in many shapes and colors. The technique would be similar to when students create paper snowflakes. 

Closing: invite students to share their flags and papel picado. You can connect the papel picado to create a banner to display student work.

You can use student work to create a display celebrating 5 de Mayo. 

Assessment: Informal assessment as observation while students participate in read-aloud and discuss family traditions. Encourage students to collaborate and display their work for their parents. You will need to supervise while they are cutting papel picado. 

Quick Programming Ideas 4

 Important Latin American Women

Library/Information Skills Lesson Plan

Cross-curricular subject areas: English Language Arts, History, Spanish Language     

Grade level: 11th grade

Topic: Influence and Power Found with Latin American Women

Lesson Objective: The learners will be exposed to various influential women of Latin American descent, as well as their life stories and contributions.

21st-Century Skill Objectives: I. INQUIRE: Build new knowledge by inquiring, thinking critically,

identifying problems, and developing strategies for solving problems. Learners display curiosity and

initiative by formulating questions about a personal interest or a curricular topic. 

Materials needed: 

• a variety of books in various formats for students to browse
• include books by Latin American women authors, such as Julia Alvarez, Nona Fernandez, Isabel Allende, Isabel Ibanez, Samantha Mabry, Jennifer de Leon, Elizabeth Acevedo, Jenny Torres Sanchez, Laura Taylor Namey, Guadalupe Garcia McCall, Viola Canales, etc. 
• Papers and pencils for reading lists

Instructional Procedures: Begin by introducing the topic. Ask students to name women authors that they have read works from in class or for pleasure reading. You can create a list of authors as they are giving you names. You should also have a small display area with different titles by Latin American women authors. You can include titles by the names provided above, or others. Try to have as many as you can. 

           

It would be beneficial to include recent books that have won awards. Try to provide book reviews. You can also provide readers with a "to read" list so that they can add titles that can be added to their reading lists. You should provide them with 10-15 minutes for them to browse specific titles that they may be able to check out. 

Closing: As the readers to fill out an exit ticket. You can use the 3-2-1 model or adaptation, where they can write three things they learned, two things or authors they want to learn more about, and one title which they will check out and read. You can also ask them to answer why that particular book was appealing to them.

Assessment: Informal assessment as observation while students browse resources, and shelves, and interact with each other. Make sure you walk around to assess student learning and participation. Ask students what drew them in about the titles they add to their reading lists. 

Large #2

 Large #2- Family Literacy Night

Promotional Materials: 

https://animoto.com/play/AAspCPQirFJrBwF7ru199Q

Planning: Designate a time period for the most contributors to participate. You will want to ask community members if they are willing to participate by starting the session by conducting a read-aloud. If so, what would they be expecting as compensation? Would this fall under volunteer hours or exposure and promotion? If guests will seek compensation, you will need to ask for guidance for funding and allotment. You must also plan:

• Will any local authors be willing to participate?
• Maybe you can invite the city mayor to come read for the event
• Family Literacy Night should be planned ahead of time, in early January, and set for April, preferably before STAAR testing.
• Seek guidance from administrators to ensure safety measures are in place and teachers can help monitor students
• Ask if you can have volunteers assist during the sessions
• Preferably, a school cafeteria, library, or other large space would fit the most amount of students and family members
• You can plan to coordinate with the school book fair. 

Preparations: 

School librarians, principals, and leadership teams should plan for this event ahead of time. Teachers and school librarians must collaborate to ensure that students and parents will have access to a vast variety of books they can read. This could include, but should not be limited to popular new titles, graphic novels, and audiobooks. Ensure there is enough space to hold a large amount of space comfortably. 

Qualifications: 

This event should be open to any student and participating parent in the school community. 

Procedures: 

1. Students & personnel will follow Mission CISD, or corresponding ISD, safety protocols

2. Students and staff will practice social distancing as best as possible before, during, and after the visit.

3. Hand sanitizer will be available at all times 

4. Students will sit evenly spaced as space permits.

5. Staff will monitor students to avoid congregation.

Purpose: 

Students and parents will enjoy a night of celebrating literacy and enjoying their time at the library. They will be able to hear from professionals living throughout the RGV and make personal connections, enhancing their literary understanding.

Students will have a writing task to complete the next class day which asks them to expand on what they learned during the literacy night, share their ideas, and connect this experience with their prior knowledge to successfully answer written responses. 

Pay-off: 

Participants will activate prior knowledge with their own experiences and reading. They will be able to connect writing, artistic ability, and freedom of expression with real-world applications. They will witness how reading can bring community members together which will help foster a love of reading. 

Multiple Days 3

Coding Robot at the Library

Suggested Level: Elementary 1-3                                                     Suggested Time: February 

Promotion: Begin promoting this creative activity beginning in early January. You may want to create a display centered around coding, robotics, engineering, and the people behind these fields of innovation. 

Purpose: Learners will be introduced to coding and robotics while exploring how innovation is used and valued across the community. 

                        

Learning Objective:  Students will work in groups to design and create an innovative robot model.

Materials Needed: 

• makerspace section with: paper, crayons, popsicle sticks, cardboard in various sizes, markers, tri-folds or posters, Chromebooks, and any other hands-on material they could use
• cardstock paper for a base
• glue
• cotton balls
• smartboard
• paper 
• pencils
• toilet paper roll core or gift wrap core
• Legos for coding activity

Instructional Process

Instructional Day 1: The school librarian will introduce coding and robotics with a read-aloud of Doll-E 1.0 by Shonda McCloskey. Ask students questions such as: 

• Why did Charlotte decide to upgrade her doll?
• What is the purpose of Doll-E?
• How can you turn unwanted items into something that is treasured?

Closing for the day: Hand out a blank sheet of paper to the learners and instruct them to draw a toy they own or would like to own and how they can upgrade to create their own 1.0 version. 

Instructional Day 2: Lego Coding Day! Introduce learners to coding by showing a short and fun introductory video. 

Give the task: They are to work collaboratively with a partner or their assigned groups for this task. Tell them they are to create patterns with the legos they have on their tables. They will have to draw the patterns they create as a group and write a few sentences explaining the code they came up with and what it would be used for. 

 

Actively monitor the students and offer guidance as needed.

Closing: As students finish their code and written explanation. Invite all learners to actively listen as each group presents their work. 

Instructional Day 3: Robot-making day! Learners will work with their groups to design and create a model of a robot or innovative toy. They can use anything from the makerspace area to create their robots. They will have to name it and write a description of the functions of the robot.

Actively monitor the students and offer guidance as needed. 

Closing: Display group works around the library to conduct a gallery walk and share with the campus. 

Community Involvement Opportunity: This would be a great opportunity to invite community members who work in the engineering field to discuss how coding and robotics can help the community.  

Multiple Days 2

 Passport Around the World

Suggested Level: High School                                                      Suggested Time: April-May

Promotion: Begin promoting this creative activity beginning in early April. You can create a display or banner promoting travel, inquiry, and creative expression. On a bulletin, ask students to write their ideal country to visit on a travel ticket cut-out. Have them write a sentence stating why they are interested in that particular area. 

Purpose: Engage learners by activating prior knowledge, using guided inquiry, to create inviting visuals to display their learning. 

                        

Learning Objective:  Students will choose a country to research facts about, including, but not limited to, historical context, world events, literature, key figures/events, and fun facts to create an informative visual representation of their key findings. 

Materials Needed: 

• makerspace section with: paper, crayons, popsicle sticks, cardboard in various sizes, markers, tri-folds or posters, Chromebooks, and any other hands-on material they could use
• cardstock paper for a base
• glue
• cotton balls
• document camera and screen or smartboard
• paper 
• pencils
• travel and passport cutouts 
• camera/printer for passports

Instructional Process

Instructional Day 1: The school librarian will introduce diverse cultures and provide examples of authors, texts, and historical images to briefly capture the audience. You can even begin with an interactive game that will activate prior knowledge of countries and cultures, such as a quick game of Kahoot. You can activate their prior knowledge and inquiry by asking: 

• What is one country or region in the world that you have always wanted to visit? Why?
• If you could travel back in time, where would you go and what would you do?
• Are there any important historical figures that you like to read about? or any you would like to know more about?

Hand out blank sheets of paper,  and jot down ideas for a country of choice, along with important dates, events that may have taken place there, different customs, foods, entertainment, or important people from that specific country. Your paper should be displayed from a document camera. This would allow students to see you do a think-aloud while planning what you could possibly research and why. 

Closing for the day: Ask students to write down an area of interest that they will search for the following class day. This would also be a good time to model how to find pertaining library resources. They will need to find resources to explore and create a visual representation to share with the class. 

Instructional Day 2: Guided Inquiry Day! Guide students towards a model lesson on how to find resources. It would be beneficial to have a Pathfinder for student use. This will make it much easier for students to have a starting point. 

Give the task: They are to work collaboratively with a partner to decide on a country that they would like to learn more about. They are to find resources in a variety of formats, that will provide them with relevant information. They must look for historical events, key figures, fun facts, worldly connections, people, popular travel destinations, etc. 

 

Actively monitor the students and offer guidance as needed.

Closing: As students to begin narrowing down their information and begin planning how they will showcase the information. 

Instructional Day 3: Makerspace Day! Take student "passport" pictures as they come in. This will be a token for completing the whole lesson. 

Guide students to the maker's designated area or tables. Remind them that they can use any, some, or all of the resources offered in the makerspace area. Actively monitor and assess their learning as they collaborate with their partners to create visual representations. Offer guidance or feedback for all learners.

Closing: Have the students share their work with the class. This can also be done as a gallery walk. Invite students to leave their group work to display around the library. This would be great to show other classes they kind of activities that could be done. 

Remember to take pictures to promote in and around the campus! Don't forget your school library site!