CEIP PÍO XII.- VISIT TO SCHOOL LIBRARY.- 02/24/2010

1.- INTRODUCING THE SCHOOL LIBRARY. Our library has been working since 5 years ago. We take part in a MInistery Plan and we take some advantages from it, for example it sponsors a part of our spenses and provides us training courses. There is a library working team and we meet every two weeks, on Wednesday afternoon. This group has the responsibility to run the library work. 2.- ACTIVITIES FOR ALL STUDENTS, READING ENHANCEMENT ACTIVITIES. These activities are planned by the library work team for all the students since 3 years old to 6th primary.

Opening activity Poetry Author/Illustrator visit Other activities (sometimes extra activities take place in our library

and it’s a break in the rutine) 3.- SCHOOL LIBRARY AND CURRICULUM. Our aim is the library became a documental resource centre, where students were able to find out and complete the knowledges learned in the classroom.

Investigation Work in the school library with the tutor

4.- GET INVOLVED. We’re trying to make families feel closer to school.

Leer Juntos Mixed meetings Parents as story-tellers

2.- READING ENHANCEMENT ACTIVITIES

The first part of activities that we realized in the library from the begining of the academic course, and they involve whole studients, since 3 years-old to 6th grade of primary. These are the…

READING ENHANCEMENT ACTIVITIES:These activities are planned by the library work team and we work in three ways, one each term:-In the first one, the opening activity-In the second, poetry-And in the third, we have the visit of an author or illustrator.

THE OPENING ACTIVITY:During the first term, the goal of these activities is to inagurate the academic course in the library, and it is based in:- Teaching how to use the library services.- Knowing the timetable for each classroom and library rules (the schedule is in the wall).- Motivating (or to enhance) the children, and also the teachers, to go to the library through these opening activities.

There have been different opening activities since the “renovated library” was open four years ago; these activities cater for all pupils, teachers and also families.

We can explain some examples of these activities along the years:-The first year was “the Pirate`s song”,-the second were “Music and literature” activities,-last year we look for “what to read and where to read”,-and this year we`ve worked with “the Fear”.

In these kind of activities all the curricular subjects are implicated: physical education, music, new technologies, art, literature, etc.

POETRY:During the second term, the work with poetry is divided in differents ways:- “Poemando”, in which pupils from different classrooms go to another class saying poems that they have worked previously.- “Library-restaurant”: During a week our chef, in a big hat and an apron, gives the “poetic menu” for the day to all the classrooms.There are four different poems for each cycle. And the tutor decides how to work with it.- “Poetry in the classroom”: children investigate an author, or create great poems about an specific topic, in order to share them in an exposition in the library corridors.

For example, one year the poems were exposed in a long train, last year the topic was “Time” so poems were about time and they were exposed inside clocks, and this year are going to investigate about the figure of Miguel Hernandez because of his birth centenary.- Poetry recital in the “centro civico”, a building next to the school: this recital is for families, teachers and children, not only from the school.- “Music poems”: families and teachers enjoy listening to poems with music, one afternoon in the third term, while they are discussing about poetry.

AUTHOR VISIT:During the third term, an author or an illustrator visits the school and tells us about his/her work and books.We decided whether he/she would visit only the last course of each level (5 years-old, 2nd, 4th and 6th).Before the visit, pupils investigate about the author, read some books, illustrate some texts, imagine and draw about her/him… We also decorate the library surroundings with the topic.

And then, there are other “extra” activities that also belong to the reading enhancement activities, and beside they envolve the whole school.

LEONES Y OREJONES:

We play with the Spanish meaning of Leones as “good readers” and orejones as “big ears”.The activity consists on 20 teachers telling stories to a group of students from different levels at the same time. Each teacher was going to read aloud a chosen book.5th grade students made posters with the front page of the books for the rest of the students to choose the book they want to listen to.6th grade students are at the classes helping the storytellers and children.During the week, kids are able to get the tickets in the desk at the entrance.

The pointed day, at 10 o’clock, the pupils, assisted by other teachers, moved around the school and joined the readers. For around 20 minutes they are read a story and then are asked for their comments.

We finish at breaktime with cake and chocolate for everyone.

3.- SCHOOL LIBRARY AND CURRICULUM

One of our aims is the library became a documental resource centre, thus the group take part in the cultural week. Each year all the centre works on a topic and the library is open for everyone to look up. The library group help with the search criteria, select one of the different sources (books, web pages, dvds, magazines and so on.

As we follow a bilingual project, the first year was devoted to France. Every stage found out some aspects ( in infant education about castles, primary the olimpic games and the older students about comics and French cuisine.

Besides, at ordinary classes pupils are doing more and more topic related investigation projects ( human body, street names, the neighbourhood)

We´d like to highlight the fact that the information and knowledge is given back to the rest of the schoolmates thanks to the noticeboards or printed materials , cdsAmong the diverse activities done in the library it is worth pointing out those realised by cooperative learning based groups. Children usually work in established teams as in the class we follow a methodology based on cooperative learning group and work with corners. Students come to the library with their teacher and borrow the different materials they will need. Then, they expend time reading together. During the reading aloud, one of the groups read the previously chosen book to the restand finally they work along the three different corners.The quiet reading corner. Children sat comfortably and read any book they want. Then they paint a ball. It is a moving form of sample card. When they have coloured every ball they get a more special activity such as visiting a town library or becoming storytellers for younger students The self creation cornerIn which pupils can make stories, poems, comics depending the syllabus timing or the children interests.

The corner to investigate.

The different teams improve the different contents in Science, Languaje, etc, learned in the classroom previously, using research

4.- GET INVOLVED

The name of this chapter is “get involved” because there is a very important part in our community, resides students and teachers, that mustn’t be forgotten when activities are planned. We’re talking about FAMILIES.

How can families participate ?

There are different ways, One of them is trough the group named « Leer juntos », something like « reading together » (but I’m always going to name it in it’s original form : Leer juntos)

What is it ?

It’s a literary educational programme for families, teachers and people related to school, for example, former students or teachers, librarians, and so on. It take place at the school library. We have meetings every 15 days, on Fridays, from

2,30 to 4, that’s the same timetable as childrens’ so it’s easier for parents to come.

Our aims are :

- To attend the parent’s requests for reading. Families are worried about their children to be fond of reading and how to help them, then we provide them tools and skills to promote this habbit.

- To develop their own criteria for selecting books. Every year lots of books are printed, we want families to have knowledge about those books they can find and buy. Gidelines are given for each age group, attending to message, illustration, visual appeal,... That’s just to be able to realice when we have a high quality book in our hands.

- To enhance the relationship between school and families and also into the proper families, I mean, among parents and children, Sharing a book gives opportunities to start a conversation. It could be a meeting point that may it remain even when children became a teenager.As parents realize the valuable role they have in the school and how their engage improves their children’s education, relationship between school and families is reinforced.

- To be on equal terms with parents. Families and teachers working together, sharing aims in a place where none is more important than other, where talking about literature is just an excuse to talk about our feelings, fears, troubles, losses, about children, finally.

How do we get it ?

We address the needs of parents throug a variety of activities. A regular Leer juntos sesion could be as follows :

1. A poem or micro-story is read.2. Discussion about the book we’ve read. Everyone is free to say their

points of view or to be quiet as they feel more comfortable. After talking the book that shoul be read for next day is given.

3. Different essays or articles about reading skills, literature, authors,... are analysed.

4. A picture book or a book for first readers is introduced.5. Another short text is read to finish (optional because hardly ever there is

enough time to do it)

On other hand we visit exhibitions, book-shops and have meetings with authors or illustrators.

Other way to get involved are the MIXED MEETINGS with teachers and families. Once a term we meet also around a book to discuss it and say our opinions. Now it’s in the afternoon, at 8 p.m. and the books we’ve read are for young or adult people. This is the way we pay attention to parents with higher cultural level and those who’re working while Leer juntos is going on.

When parents became more self-confidence into the group they turn into active parents and dare to do more activities, for example :

- Participate in our marathon of stories, telling stories, of course.- Tell stories in the classrooms, sometimes in spanish, sometimes in their

mother tonge.

The point is: the best way to help our children to read is to read to and with them.

Every year we make the assessment with parents and here there are some of their ideas :

- I like comming because I meet other people to speak to and I have the opportunity to Know about their thoughts and belives.

- Leer juntos has changed my attitude to books. Now I read more and I feel myself more confident to tell stories.

- I’m delighted in this group because outside everyword is about “crisis” in opposite to here where everything is lovely.

- Comming here make me more conscious of multicultural fact.- Children enjoy their parents to come to school. It’s a way to appreciate it.