The Lower school community understands that the library is everyone’s space. Students and teachers view the school library as an extension of the classroom that offers a space for deeper learning, an area for independent productivity, and group study or projects. Consequently, as the main library and the library corner evolve, we look forward to a shift in the way the physical environments are designed to meet our needs.
This year, students and teachers are encouraged to follow a self-check-in and out process. The students are learning the system, and they are enthusiastically following the proper procedures. As an incentive of ownership to the library, it no longer has a traditional book drop area. Everybody is encouraged to return the books on the shelves in their official space after checking them on the computer.
Preschoolers through second grade meet several times during the week, where we read, write and retell stories using props such as animals, legos, and magnetic tiles. Third through Fifth-grade students come to the library on a regular basis to check in and out books of interest. They display a considerable interest in fiction, graphic novels, and poetry.
While it’s tempting to read a new book each time we meet, we hold back at times and read a book that we have already read to allow students to focus on the skills and objectives of the lesson. It helps demonstrate that good readers enjoy books over and over as they re-read with a new lens and encourages struggling readers to independently read a book that they are familiar with. This month, students learned more about the Hispanic culture by making food with playdough and creating Luminaries. Additionally, we began learning about Diwali, and discussing and reading fiction and nonfiction books to gain more knowledge about the holiday. Whether it’s through reading, communicating, creating, or imagining; the library is here to promote literacy and to show children that reading is a pleasurable activity. It is about freedom; freedom to read, freedom of ideas, and freedom of communication.
