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"Shelfies", pictures taken with a stack of five books, are a popular beginning-of-the-year learning engagement in the library with our Upper Primary students. As students select five books that show who they are as readers and ponder on further questions such as when they enjoy reading the most, with whom they like talking about books, what might stand in the way of their reading enjoyment, and what kind of reader they want to become, they learn more about their reader identity and what might help them best as they continue on their reading journey. It also signals that they are in charge of their reading journey. I always love hearing the resulting conversations among our students, the at times passionate recommendations of books.
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Next, our students embarked on an exploration of the rights and responsibilities of readers and library users. As their first unit of inquiry of the year is under the transdisciplinary theme of Who We Are, looking at human rights, it is a great way of bringing their learning from the classroom into the library setting. The knowledge they had already acquired around the terms of rights and responsibilities, provoked great conversations during read-alouds and during a sorting activity about what might be a right, what a responsibility of a reader and library user. Students agreed for example that they have the right to check out books, to choose and read what they like, and to have access to all kinds of books and information sources. They further agreed that with these rights come responsibilities as for example returning library books, sharing the space and resources with others, respecting other readers' choices, and using resources and information responsibly. At times there were heated discussion that ultimately led to the conclusion that some aspects can be considered both a right and a responsibility, for example the notion of safety: our students have a right to a safe reading and learning environment; it is their responsibility to contribute to maintaining our library as a safe environment as well as taking care of their own safety both in the physical space and when using online resources.
In order to be able to take advantage of these rights as well as in order to be able to honor one's responsibilities, students brainstormed what kind of skills they would need, identifying four main areas: skills related to library set-up and organisation, library policies (including book care), book selection strategies, and dispositions. We will now revisit and practise some of these skills, and will continue to do so throughout the year.
A first step was to look back at what we already know about call numbers as they are key in understanding library set-up and material arrangement and the ability to access resources efficiently and independently.
Next, students embarked on a scavenger hunt around the library. This allowed students to familiarise themselves (again) with the set-up, the material arrangement within, as well as library policies and procedures. Well done, Fourth Graders!
