Last Wednesday and Thursday, many of our students visited the library to share with their parents about their learning in the library and their reading lives. It was wonderful hearing our students speak so confidently as they shared amongst others about author inquiries, how we go about finding and recording information, how we use the online catalog (Destiny Discover), how knowledge around call numbers helps us to locate books in the library, and what kind of books our students enjoy checking out and reading. Thank you to all those who made the time to stop by!

If you were not able to schedule an appointment, here are two big ideas and related resources I shared during the various conferences. 

For those of you who have been to a PTSC in the library, you know that I always speak about the importance of reading aloud to your child, no matter the age. This round of PTSCs was not different; read-alouds were my number one recommendation to all of our parents, for those with children in PK1 and all the way up to G5. As the infographic below also clearly states - supported by research findings - reading aloud to children is key to their development as readers. This is also true for older children, as discussed in this wonderful post on the Read Brightly blog: The Importance of Reading Aloud to Big Kids.

Source: ​https://ebookfriendly.com/best-audiobooks-infographics/audiobooks-promote-literacy-full-infographic/

PTSCs are always a wonderful opportunity to showcase our collection and this time, I had decided to feature mostly titles from our nonfiction collection. While we have some very passionate nonfiction readers amongst our students, the large majority is more drawn to fiction. I therefore suggested during numerous PTSCs the exploration and inclusion of nonfiction in a student's reading selection. I find that for those of us not drawn to nonfiction in our recreational reading choices, it is especially narrative and expository nonfiction that provide a nice entry point to nonfiction reading. Examples were displayed on one of the tables, and as students explored and selected from the display, I was excited having to refill the table regularly over the two days. 

But also so-called browsable and active nonfiction (see examples in the image below) can have a great appeal, especially when carefully selected according to a child's passions and interests. In this context, it is important to remind young readers that this kind of nonfiction does not need to be read from beginning to end; rather, the reader can decide on what sections to read and in which order. For more ideas around nonfiction reading, you might enjoy exploring this post on the Read Brightly blog: How to Get Kids to Read Nonfiction.

You are welcome to stop by on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons between 3 and 4pm to explore what our collection has to offer :)

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!

Last Thursday was our first Battle of the Books (HKBoB) meeting of the year and once again our students at HKA have shown what passionate readers they are, and how much excitement and enthusiasm surrounds this competition at HKA. For those of you not familiar with HKBoB, it is an interschool competition during which students aim to read as many books as possible from a list of 20 to then demonstrate their knowledge at a competition in May against other schools in Hong Kong. In order to make points, competitors have to recognize the respective book through a question, stating and pronouncing author and title of the book correctly.

Our fourth and fifth graders turned up in large numbers and it was great hearing the many reasons shared what brought them to the meeting and to join HKBoB: a love for reading, the books on this year's list, what they have heard and seen of the competition already, a friend, last year's experience and wanting to be on the team again. A comment that warmed my heart in particular was, "I am here today because this is the first library that made me a reader." 

The main goal of our first meeting was introducing the books from this year's list...

... and getting books into the hands of our readers! Over the next weeks and months, we will keep you posted and share more information on what the actual competition will look like, how we select our traveling team, and how parents might support their child's participation in the competition. 

I hope you all got through Typhoon Mangkhut safely, without any major damages to your home. It was a scary experience but it also made me appreciate once again living in a city that does such an amazing job in dealing with natural disasters like this - all the precautions taken beforehand and now the joined clean-up efforts in which so many people participate. 

For those of you at home, I wanted to remind you of the online resources available to you from home through our Primary Hub Page (the link is embeded) and suggest especially the following two resources for you to explore and enjoy today:  Tumble Book Library and our online catalogue (OPAC).

The Tumble Book Library is an online library, with a collection of over 1,100 titles, geared towards students in K-6. Amongst others, the collection includes animated picture books, chapter books, videos, non-fiction titles, books in languages other than English, math stories, and even some graphic novels. It is perfect for days like today, when you cannot get to our school or a public library. I bet you are going to be surprised how many familiar, and favourite authors and titles you will discover, ready to be read and enjoyed right there on your computer or iPad. (Your teachers recently shared the various passwords for our online resources. Feel free to send me an email, should you not have received the password for Tumblebooks.)

Today might also be a great opportunity for you to explore our online catalogue (OPAC) ​with the Destiny Discover interface, which you can also access through our Primary Hub Page or the link I embedded. There is no need for you to sign in to search and explore what our libraries have to offer. Not only does our online catalogue allow you to search for books in our libraries, it also provides access to a wide range of online resources; it even links to World Book articles now. 

My top tip for the day, however, is that you look at this day at home as a gift of time, time to spend with your family; and a gift of reading time, enjoying some stories you love together. So, get some favourite stories from your book shelves, find a cozy reading spot, cuddle up and read together. Have a wonderful day!

We want to provide a warm and welcoming environment that invites children to read, a space that awakens their curiosity, an environment in which they feel safe and inspired to ask questions and search for answers; “a habitat for curiosity” as inquiry-guru Kath Murdoch described it recently.
 
In order to do this, we don’t just continuously develop our collection of books to reflect and meet all of our readers and learners, their preferences and interests. We also look for ways to improve the learning environment in general. This year for example, in addition to books we have also added a few items like a small collection of rocks and bugs, which are getting much attention from our young inquirers. 

In addition to providing such an environment, we aim to equip our students with the necessary tools and skills to be independent inquires and lifelong leaners; so that they are able to express what they are curious to find out, to search for and find answers efficiently in different ways: through books, electronic resources, by talking to experts, by making experiments and observations. We use an inquiry approach in all we do, with children of all ages, the main difference being the level of independence with which the students go through this process. In all this, we, the teachers and librarians are learning alongside our students, modelling what we are curious about, and facilitating the process as the more experienced inquirers.

Our second big goal is to nurture passionate readers. We belief that everyone is a reader; however it takes some of us a bit longer to discover the reader that lies within us. We want to open the wonderful world of stories, of books, and the power of reading to our students, giving them an idea of what is available to them, letting them experience some of the magic that happens when you loose yourself in a book, to nurture a joy and love for reading that will last a lifetime.
 
We help our students to find out who they are as readers, what kind of reader they want to become, making sure they understand that the reading journey they are on is theirs, and we, the grown-ups  are just facilitators and guides. We show them what is available - through read-alouds, author inquiries, author visits in person and via Skye, book talks, reading recommendations as well as modeling our own love for reading – so that ultimately they feel empowered to make their own choices.
 
Our one wish for all of our students and families this year is that you find a little bit of time every day to read together. 

(And remember, our community hours are every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 3-4pm. You are welcome to stop by, to explore our collection, read together, and check out books. We are always happy to make some book recommendations too.)

A warm welcome from us here in the Primary School Library! We hope you all had a great start into the school year 2018-19, we definitely did! It is wonderful having our enthusiastic readers and inquirers back in the library, seeing them share books with each other, browse through our shelves and displays, looking for new and old favourites to read, with many of our students exchanging books every morning.

During the first class visits of the year, our conversations and activities were around our identity as readers, our younger students sharing with each other when they enjoy reading the most (many appreciate a quiet and comfy reading space as well as having found the right book), and our older students selecting books to create a shelfie of books that reflect who they are as readers. Thinking and talking about who we are as readers helps our students in understanding that it is up to them to decide what kind of reader they want to become as well as seeing the importance of knowing who they are as readers to be able to move forward on their reading journey. As teachers and librarians, we want to provide them with the necessary guidance, give them the tools they need to be successful, inspire and nurture a love for reading.

We are fortunate to have a beautiful space in which to do this, with a wonderful collection of books. ​If you haven't had a chance yet to see our library, feel free to stop by when you are at school the next time and see for yourself what we have to offer in resources and cozy reading spaces. Our library is open to our community every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon between 3 and 4pm. Ms. Marné and I are looking forward to seeing you!