First...thanks to all who submitted ideas to me. I knew you were a
supportive bunch, but I had no idea there would be such a tremendous
response!
Second...several asked if I would post the suggestions as a hit, so here
goes...(I didn't include names or duplicate ideas. The post was already so
long.) Thanks again to all who posted suggestions.
Jan Moore
Hillsboro HS Librarian
Hillsboro, TX
moorej@hillsboro.k12.tx.us (work)
moorejan@hillsboro.net (home for summer)
April is Poetry Month.
**************************************************************************
You can always build displays around holiday themes, and there are plenty of
them throughout the school year. Ditto seasons. Promoting various
fictional genres and historical periods are also good. Look through the
Upstart and Demco catalogs to get other ideas of reading themes. Many of
those are elementary oriented, but could be adapted for high school.
Building displays around various Dewey categories is also a good way to get
students interested in different materials and familiarize them with what
they can expect to find in each numbered section of the shelves.
********************************************************************
You might consider doing something related to flight this November/December
in honor of the hundredth anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first powered
flight. (no signature)
*********************************************************************
How about Hispanic Month, then there is the Chinese New Year, and there's
the different ways Christmas is celebrated throughout the world. Then of
course you can do a month regarding Texas. Just some ideas.
*************************************************************************
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (middle of September to middle of
October) at http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson023.shtml and
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May) at http://www.education-
world.com/a_lesson/lesson235.shtml .
**************************************************************************
A new approach I tried this year was doing a curricular area a month.
This is at a primary school, but I worked teaching at the high school and
think it would work there too. Some coincided with the "Biggies" Some did
not.
I did a display in the library all month long; picked one day where I
truckeda display of both new materials on the topics as well as great
materials that
had been around, but seemed underutilized (leaving them for the day) and
then I printed off a bibliography of available library materials in that
subject
area and a listing of great Websites applicable to that subject
area....when
time permitted. I would like to expand to include some of the applicable
materials available through our county system's databases, but just didn't
get to
it.
My teachers seemed to enjoy this approach and I saw a dramatic
overall increase in requests for all materials including the subject areas
highlighted. It seemed to demonstrate to them that I do have some idea of
what their
curricular needs might be. I also put out a legal pad and pen in the
faculty
room with the book truck display for them to jot down other materials they
would like to see.
Here are the topics I covered this year:
English Language Arts----- September emphasis on Poetry
Social Studies---October emphasis on History included
appropriate
Fic
Social Studies----November emphasis on Geography
Art----December Techniques, Media, Crafts,movements and
biograph.
appropriate
Fic.
Social Studies----January Biographies & Civil Rights
Music---February Instruments, Movements, bios &
appropriate Fic
Science Living---March Animal Books(our students
do THE
animal report)
Math----April Enumeration, Counting
Books,Operations shapes, money,
time
*************************************************************************
While some of them could go with the "Month" themes. I would tie them to
the curriculum. No theme is going to grab people to come in better than
something that is happening in the classrooms where the students can see
that you can help them be successful.
Sure, don't kill yourself off.
September do something for back to school have you read these type of
excitment.
October do something from your teachers. Pick there brains, go to everybody
and ask them for their course plan so that you can get a general idea of
what is happening throughout the year. This will kill two birds. You can
select interesting monthly themes and you will know what is happening in the
classrooms giving you a chance to make purchases and be ready for library
support of the curriculum.
November use a National Month theme or something.
December use a school theme
Jan use the Black History month, but see if you can tie it to the
curriculum. Maybe, you can talk your 9th grade english teachers to moving
some of their stuff around to fit the themes and they could do "To Kill a
Mockingbird" during that month. (2 birds!)
Feb use a school theme
March use your national theme
April use the library month, but tie into it, books you missed this year,
that are great summer reads. Because who really cares about National
Library month? Except us.
I've tried doing monthly newsletters and spent more time working on those
silly things than presenting a great library program. Monthly things are
hard. You get the displays all up and a week later you need to be thinking
of the next one, getting stuff gathered. Pre-ordering several months ago to
be ready.
Teachers, teachers, teachers. Show them what the library can do to enhance
their curriculum and they will be "beating" down your door for assistance,
ideas and projects. Show them they are not alone, show them what a great
library and librarian can do to make their life easier. By getting to know
their projects, and curriculum you will be doing great library PR.
****************************************************************
One year I worked my way around the library- made book marks for each
section, did displays, book talks - pushed the underutilized sections!
Aug- 000- General info - Almanacs "So much to learn, check out the OOO's
section
Sept - 100- Philosophy - "Great thoughts lead to great thinkers"
Oct - 200 - religion - "Halloween got started how?"
Nov - 300 - Social Sciences - "Those pilgrims really did it"
Dec - 400 - Languages - "How many ways to say 'I wish Spring were here'"
Jan- 500 - Pure science - "Is there life on Mars?"
Well, you get the drift.....
With the book marks- you can get six on one sheet of paper, make sure YOUR
NAME is on each book mark :)
**************************************************************
Banned books week in September can be expanded to a month. This October is
National Book Month. Thanksgiving, Halloween, pumpkins, etc. can be used
somehow in late October and November. The Holidays take over in December.
January and February in our school is a bit slow considering midterms and
all but we did very well with two displays this year - 1. books that were
made into recent movies and 2. graphic novels. In May the library sponsors
a literary trivia contest and a bookmark contest (in conjunction with the
Art dept) and June is summer reading.
********************************************************************
April is also National Poetry Month and there is a Hispanic Month too -- not
sure which month. Check the Demco, etc. catalogs. 1st month can always be
"Back to School" & last month "Summer Reading" or something like that. Then
Dec. could be Holidays or Winter Festivals, something like that, which
doesn't leave too many! Should be fun!
**********************************************************
I know October has a Teen Read Week and the slogan is Slammin' as in
basketball. There's a lot of free stuff available to promote it; I think on
ALA's web site??? There was a blurb about it in last month's School Library
Journal.
**********************************************************
We use citizenship themes each month school wide and I can tie literature
into those. For others...many see School Library Media Quarterly...they have
a great selection of celebrations for each month in the beginning of each
issue. You might be able to cull some of the other themes from this
publication...or search LM-Net for "______(Insert name of month) is..." I
think that will get you a shorter month of celebrations/holidays/significant
events you can tap into.
*********************************************************
Here are some ideas to get you started....
For October you could have a display of mystery books and scary stories on a
table with pumpkins and cobwebs. November, Native Americans. December,
Holidays Around the World.
*************************************************************
At the end of September there is Banned Books Week (you can combine this
with theme of U.S. freedoms...or something of the sort)
Teen Read Week is in October, I believe.
Other sources for ideas of monthly themes include:
http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/
and
http://www.annieshomepage.com/2004.html
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