First Annual Information Literacy Boot Camp

     Seventh graders embark on research projects in several of their courses during their first year at Northwest, and the teachers and I agreed that there was a need to align these projects so that students learned a process for research and then logically built on those skills as the year progressed. However, we recognize that students come to Northwest with varying degrees of familiarity with the research process. For this reason, we decided that an Information Literacy Boot Camp in the first month of school would be beneficial for ensuring that all students had a foundation for research and some experience in 5 core skills:

1. Creating and refining research questions
2. Selecting and modifying keywords for effective searching
3. Evaluating information sources based on the C.R.A.A.P. criteria
4. Note-taking in Easybib (We have a paid subscription to Easybib so that students can create accounts and save their work in projects here. This is the same platform they will use as high school students in our district.)
5. Citing Sources in Easybib

     7th grade literacy teachers (Anah Austin and Jess Harris) and I worked together this summer to create lessons that addressed all these skills and implemented the 9-day Boot Camp from September 2nd-12th. After the Boot Camp we asked students to reflect on their own level of comfort with the skills we addressed and respond using Google Forms:

 

     Although, these numbers reflect students own thinking about their research skills, they will still give us a baseline to look at growth throughout the year as they embark on 4 research projects in their core curricular areas of Literacy, Language Arts, Science, and Global Studies. We plan on administering this same form towards the end of the year.

 

     Overall, I think the Boot Camp was very successful. Next year we will be changing the pacing of the unit by breaking the lessons into 2-day blocks of time over the course of 3 to 4 weeks. We felt the students lost focus at the end, and needed to have some of the routine of the regular classroom environment so early in the year. We also plan to refine our essential learning outcomes and implement more differentiated instruction strategies so that students are able to pace themselves through the lessons. We found this to be especially necessary during the Easybib note-taking and citation lessons and will address our problems by making a series of short instructional videos so that students can move through the skills at their own pace and review key concepts. (For example, citing an image or creating a project.)

New Year, New Library

     When I began working here two years ago I knew that the physical space of our library had a lot of potential and that a critical component in fostering a collaborative environment for students and staff was an updated look and arrangement. We already completed our first major unit in the library with the first ever Information Literacy Boot Camp, and the library is consistently booked for the first trimester. I think teachers are attracted to the new space and the way the design can be used to enhance the projects and inquiry they are already engaging in. I know that this space will continue to impact student learning this year. I am feeling so thrilled about our library renovation and thankful for all of the generous donations from parents, students, and community members that made it possible!


Before

After

 Our main goals with the renovation project were: 

1. New, lower shelving for increased visibility and a more open space.
2. Mobile work tables designed for individual and collaborative work.
3. Whiteboard tables for creative group work.
4. New flexible seating options.
5. Mobile device charging station.
6. Centrally located circulation desk.
7. New carpet and paint to create a less institutional feel.
8. Murals of Northwest students to foster a sense of community.
9. Salt water aquarium to bring elements from the natural world into our window-less library.

Although, there is always more we could achieve, we met all of my goals for the renovation and then some.

• Our new teaching area is completely flexible, all tables and chairs are on wheels. The uniquely shaped tables offer many opportunities for small and large group work.
• We moved the circulation desk to the center of the library which left us with a large space that had previously been off limits to students. We were able to create a reading nook and work area that include counter-height tables, soft seating, and a charging table for personal devices. This has quickly become a very popular section in the library.
• A 66 gallon saltwater aquarium was donated to the library. Because our library has no windows, we really felt that we needed a way to bring the nature inside. The students absolutely love this addition and we have begun an Instagram contest to decide which literary characters the fish will be named after. One of our science teachers, Dan Hill and the ecology club are going to take most of the responsibility for the care and maintenance of our tank.
• Our new, large photographs are quite popular. Students were either thrilled to be featured in them, or wondering how they can be in the future. :)
• The new magazine boxes are a particular favorite of mine. They make it very easy for our students to locate and use the older issues of our magazines.

New Tables and Rolling Seating

Reconfiguring the tables



Counter-height seating

 

New Photographs

Salt-water aquarium

Magazine Boxes

Magnetic Poetry Board

Charging Table

 

Reading Area

Slat Wall for New Books

Dry Erase Tables