Since the start of the school year, G1 students have explored how they can positively impact the library experience for others as well as for themselves. Not only allowed this that we revisited rules, procedures and responsibilities in the use of shared resources and learning space (skills connected to Standard 3 of our information literacy program), it provided also a wonderful connection to their unit of inquiry under the transdisciplinary theme Who We Are. Through various read-alouds such as The Library Lion (Michelle Knudsen), Beverly Billingsly Borrows a Book (Alexander Stadler), The Kindness Quilt (Nancy Elizabeth Wallace), and This is Our House (Michael Rosen), we got the conversations going. Our G1 students, already experienced with stories and the use of our library, had no trouble making connections between the stories and their personal experiences in the library.  They shared many wonderful ideas on how to go about showing kindness to classmates, teachers - and the books!

And here are some of the ways in which our G1 students show kindness and consideration of each other and other library users in general:

This week, students got a first taste of the author inquiry, we are going to dive fully in after the break. There was much excitement after the first read-aloud and the buzz from questions and wonderings filled the air in the library. Would you like to know which author the first graders are excited about? Ask your first grader - or stay tuned to read more on this blog soon :)

We have been off to a wonderful start, already revisiting numerous skills related to Standard 2 of our information literacy program (Pursuing Aesthetic and Personal Growth) especially regarding the ability to make connections between text and personal experiences and in pursuing personal interests when looking for books; as well as Standard 3 (Demonstrating Social Responsibility) by looking at our responsibilities when in the library - and having overall a wonderful time in sharing some great stories as a class and in small groups of friends.

In connection with what students have been inquiring about since the beginning of the year under the transdisciplinary theme Who We Are, we shared read-alouds, encouraging and helping students make connections between the text and personal experiences and in the process also revisiting library routines and procedures as well as our responsibilities in the use of shared resources and a shared learning space. Some of the stories we shared were from the ever so popular Piggie and Elephant series by Mo Willems.

During each of their visits to the library, PK2 students also get to listen to a Mandarin story - a wonderful opportunity also for us librarians to hear stories in Mandarin and to admire our young learners developing Mandarin language skills.

What confident and experienced library users PK2 students are, they don't just demonstrate with their listening skills while a story is shared, their thoughtful responses and at times very enthusiastic comments and observations about the stories, but in particular when choosing books to check out and take home. Familiar with the routines, aware of their responsibilities, knowledgeable in locating books that interest them and confident in expressing what they are looking for if they can't find it themselves.

After the break, we will go right into our first author inquiry to which we have already provided some tuning in through our read-alouds from the author Mo Willems.

In connection to their first unit of inquiry under the transdisciplinary theme Who We Are, kindergarteners inquired about relationships also while visiting the library during the first couple of weeks of the school year. Through the reading of various picture books such as A Big Guy Took My Ball (Mo Willems), Friends (Eric Carle) This is Our House (Michael Rosen), and Chicken Big (Keith Graves), we explored and talked about the relationships the characters in the books have with one another and how their actions can affect these relationships.

We then moved the conversation to the library setting to look at how our actions and our behaviour have an impact on others with us in the library. In this context, we spoke about taking care of books, checking books out and returning them to the library, using an indoor voice, as well as sharing and recommending books to each other. Many students needed little or no further encouragement to look for books with a friend and to spend some time exploring books together.

Starting the year in this way not only allowed us to tie in with their current unit of inquiry but also helped us to address various standards and skills from our information literacy program, mainly of Standard 2 (Pursuing Aesthetic and Personal Growth) in encouraging students to make connections between the stories they are listening to and their personal experiences and in following personal interests when choosing books to check out; and of Standard 3 (Demonstrating Social Responsibility) when looking at our responsibilities as users of shared resources and a shared learning space and in following general library procedures, during check out for example.

After the break, we will begin our first author inquiry. This week, students already asked about the pictures up on the big bulletin board in the library, wondering whether these are all authors and which one they will be inquiring about.

By now, our youngest students have visited the library several times already and are beginning to settle into the routine of a library visit: listening to a story in English, responding to this story, choosing a book and checking it out, and listing to a story in Mandarin. In support of their current unit of inquiry, we have focused on the theme of friendship also in our read alouds and responses therefore revolve around how the characters show they are friends and how we can show we are friends. With this, we also encourage and support students in making connections between the stories they hear and their own experiences. Further, this context allows us to address a library user's responsibilities: taking care of a book, returning a book, sharing books with friends, using an indoor voice in the library, to mention a few.

Here are some of the things our PK1 students are enjoying when they visit the library.

Listening to stories - we have been focusing on stories that feature friends and friendship in various ways, such as Oliver's Tree (Kit Chase), Fox Forgets (Suzanne Bloom) and We are in a Book (Mo Willems).

Choosing books - while we provide a pre-selection display, including a wide range of stories and informational books, our youngest readers already know quite well what they are looking for and are confident in asking us for other books if they don't find what interests them within the pre-selection.

Checking out books - many of our students came with prior knowledge, either from having learned from older siblings or from having visited a public library before joining HKA. Students therefore needed little guidance in getting into the check out routine: choosing a book, picking up their name card, bringing both to the circulation desk, having the book checked out by one of the librarians, and packing the book away into their folder.

Well done, PK1 students!