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Katelyn Smith & Explore

    In my school district, I have noticed several elementary librarians incorporating STEM and makerspace-type activities into their literacy efforts, which exemplify the shared foundation, Explore, in the AASL Framework for School Librarians. I asked Katelyn Smith at Jackson School about how she goes about implementing the competencies of this area in her elementary library programming and I found that her semi-flexible schedule is a big piece of the success.

    Katelyn offers a literacy club called “Books and Blocks”, which centers around a read-aloud story. After the story is shared, students use blocks and other objects to design and build something related to the story. This might be related to the conflict or something that would be significant to a retelling of the story. Students work in small teams to brainstorm and collaborate on their build. She emphasizes the key skills of communication and problem solving in this work. Students are coached through their progress, allowing her to actively support their teamwork. She said some personalities make this stage more challenging for her but these are opportunities to help students learn skills on a personal level. Her favorite part is giving each team time to share their design and reflect on their experience. They often surprise her on their approach to building and their final product. One way that she adds a twist to this club is by selecting diverse stories and different genres.

    One aspect of this activity that is significant to its success is time. When she sees classes on her bi-weekly schedule of 30 minutes, it can be very difficult to do this type of activity. She has found that offering it in her weekly club time of 45 minutes or scheduling the class visit in her flex time for 45 minutes or longer is the key. She has found that the students need time to truly work through designing and modifying their build. In the shared foundation of Explore, students are expected to be innovative and use problem-solving in an inquiry experience. This “Books and Blocks” activity elevates literacy in just that way!





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