by Laura Guest, ASD
 
Session: Creating School Library Needs Based Budget Proposals –Presented by Ann Morgester
 
Creating a plan to spend your current budget is different from creating a needs-based budget. Both require studying your collection, and analysing the age and condition of each subsection. The first type of budget takes into condiseration all monies available for the current school year: school budget, fund raising and donations/grants. Purchasing items in a variety of areas including things such as the next book in a series, curriculum related books that are of student interest and new topics are important. The second budget type, needs-based, is a plan to overhaul one to two areas ranked in greatest need to request additional funding. Many principals have money left over that needs to be spent “right now” and it might come your way if they know you can spend it wisely and quickly!
Continue reading article HERE:
Check out sample spreadsheet budget HERE.

Past Puffins: These articles may have been written a while back but the topics are still timely, informational and worth revisiting.

Originally submitted in April 2018
By Martha Tomeo, Librarian, Tri-Valley School
 
The concept of global education really resonates with my school district’s mission statement. So at the 2018 AKLA Conference, I attended two sessions: Going Global! Libraries and Implementing Ed Tech for Global Libraries, both presented by Michelle Carton. Ms. Carton, U.S. State Department Global Education Ambassador, is compelling and convincing! I’ve found my mission for elementary library classes next year: to show our students the world and help them become the best citizens they can be.
 
Ms. Carton shared a wealth of resources for global education. These are just a few of many adaptable resources that require little preparation for elementary library classes and school transition times  - before school, lunch, indoor recess, after school – whenever students have time in the library!
 
Mystery Skype https://education.microsoft.com/skype-in-the-classroom/mystery-skype
 
Mystery Doug https://mysterydoug.com
 
Exploring By The Seat Of Your Pants http://www.exploringbytheseat.com/
 
Learn Around The World http://www.learnaroundtheworld.com/
 
Michelle Carton’s website, for many more resources and ideas, is http://www.globaleducationak.org/
 
I look forward to implementing these ways to expand student horizons and nurture a global mindset, from a little library in the interior of Alaska.

The following is a presentation on Nearpod created on prezi by Eileen Mock
Click on the live link to watch her prezi.
prezi.com/view/ou7h9Nmi29HEw2phhSsT/

By Leigh Horner

​The Power of using Improv in the Library and Classroom
 
This year after returning from Juneau for the 2019 Alaska Library Association Conference, before I even unlocked the Library door, my principal stopped me with a request. She needed extra staff and was wondering if it would work with my schedule to help. Most of the high school students have left for Region V in Sitka this year. This left behind only 30 high school students in the building. We call this “mini-week” where we offer alternative classes to our remaining students rather than having to make-up all the work for the travelling students who will be absent for a week. This year they needed someone to assist with an “Improv Class” that was offered. I was about to find out how attending Peter Bromberg’s presentation “The Magic of Yes, and….” prepared me to use Improv in the library. Thankfully, Peter is happy to share his materials https://www.dropbox.com/sh/flreis4ldg8bq5q/AABqFXLWdwxfQXOxlmn142mEa?dl=0. He also recommends the website:  Improv Encyclopedia http://improvencyclopedia.org/categories/  which has a wide variety of activities and games that are searchable by topic. He included these links are a few other exercises to consider:

• What are you doing? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0yxCxiboo8
• A bunch of other games quickly illustrated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIHnGvbiWU8
• If you want to try something a little more advanced - but easy to understand and a lot of fun, try "Freeze" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EbCy08p4Ko

These short games can be used in the classroom to help students engage and encourage a flexible mindset. Working as a team builds confidence and gives them the skills needed to collaborate in small groups. These are skills they will need in the future to successfully deal with a 21st century reality. Learning to say “Yes, and...” just feels better than saying “No”. In the library we can manage student behavior a lot easier with a yes than with no. Use simple improv activities to help students learn the power of “Yes."  It can teach them to view a situation differently and learn how to offer another ideas by practicing these skills in games that are fun and engaging. Working with students this week I was able to see this group of students shine in ways I hadn’t before. These were the students who were not able to travel due to grades or who were not involved in sports. However, during our improv class these students were stars. I could see the positive feedback from their classmates made a difference. From the cheers and laughter it was a huge motivator for them to come back for more tomorrow.

By Leigh Horner

​Book review: Fighter in Velvet Gloves: Alaska Civil Rights Hero Elizabeth Peratrovich by Annie Boochever with Roy Peratrovich, Jr.,
 
On February 16, the Haines School celebrates Elizabeth Peratrovich Day. This annual event honors the achievements of one of the most significant civil rights leaders in Alaska and her courageous efforts to fight for Alaskan Native rights. Our community event is collaboration with the ANS Camp 5 with performances from the Dei Shu Dancers, and student performances. However, students doing research on Elizabeth Peratrovich often come up empty handed. There are books written about her, but not nearly enough at a level for our younger students who are learning about her remarkable work during a time in our history filled with discrimination against Native people.
Fighter in Velvet Gloves: Alaska Civil Rights Hero Elizabeth Peratrovich by Annie Boochever with Roy Peratrovich, Jr., University of Alaska Press/Snowy Owl Books, 2019 will start to fill an enormous void in juvenile Alaskan non-fiction. Annie’s book covers the efforts of Elizabeth Peratrovich and her public testimony before the territorial senate, but it also offers a glimpse into who she was as a person. We learn about who she is as a child, woman, mother and civil rights leader who fought for the rights of all Native Alaskans. This is a book that can be used as a classroom read-aloud or purchased as a class set to teach the efforts of Elizabeth Peratrovich who in 1945 lead to the passage of the Anti-Discrimination Act, the first formal piece of civil rights legislation ever passed in the United States. Having a book that is accessible allows all readers the opportunity to learn the history of Elizabeth and her ability to sit through the senate debate and then choosing her words wisely present to the senate a most remarkable argument against discrimination. Copies can be purchased from the Store at the APK in the Alaska State Museum Building https://www.storeattheapk.com/books and if you mention this article you can receive free shipping.

By Michelle Carton

Access the article here:  blog.globaleducationak.org/computational-thinking-the-way-we-think-in-libraries/

Past Puffins: These articles may have been written a while back but the topics are still timely, informational and worth revisiting.

The following article was written by Julie Leary in March 2018.
leary_-_article_to_tweet_or_not_to_tweet_.pdf

by Laura Guest, ASD
 
Session: Engaging Learners through Technology –Presented by Carrie Day
Carrie introduced so many good websites and tools, it will take a long time to sort through them and figure out which lessons I can use them or which ones to pass along to a teacher. One of the topics was on timelines. We often immediately think of the biographies and historical events in social studies, but she had us brainstorm other uses of a timeline—how it could be used in a math class—by  creating a “when mathematicians came onto the scene”, science—scientific  discoveries or life cycle and uses in literature. I would not have thought to use a timeline program to create a story sequence.  Character development might work too.
CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING

by Laura Guest, ASD
 
Session: Fostering wonder, empowering curiosity and inspiring inquiry –Presented by Katie Clark
Katie’s serene presentation was spot on. Through her presentation slides, she reminded us how curious children are by nature. How often do we hear “why” from the youngest child, then a bit later “how come, what is it, how does it work” only to have them replaced by stony silence as they move from grade to grade? As we rush through curriculum we feel pressured to move on at the speed of light leaving no room for curiosity. Many of my lessons were designed for a 50 minute library class and I realize now, I am trying to teach them in 30 minutes leaving us all frazzled at the end of library.
 
Trying to prove to administrators, co-workers and parents that I am teaching something of value, I have forgotten to take the time to slow down and enjoy the books I am reading to my students. I have been rushing through the story, maybe calling on one or two students to quickly answer a question I pose and turning the page. I often have an activity that relates to our books that include the AASL library standards and the related CCSS as proof I taught something of value. Katie’s session reminded me that I need to teach these skills by allowing the students to do the inquiring. Katie suggests using the phrases “I notice” (understanding what you see) and “I wonder” (a form of critical thinking).  A website that would have been perfect for my oldest son, whose first word was ‘why’, is Wonderopolis®. Their website states “Welcome to Wonderopolis®, a place where natural curiosity and imagination lead to exploration and discovery in learners of all ages. Each day, we pose an intriguing question—the Wonder of the Day®—and explore it in a variety of ways.” 
 
My next lesson will use the book Do Not Open the Box by Timothy Young a book that will easily encourage curiosity! Rather than squeezing too much into one lesson, we’ll slow down and it might take three or four for the students to create their own box with a surprise.