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ORIGINAL TARGET: I'm hard at work here on a Friday night and looking for some great examples of fully collaborative projects you've done that YOU initiated. Sometimes the teachers come to us, but sometimes the opportunity is one of our own making. We see or hear that a teacher will be doing a new unit or project and we pounce (so to speak) and turn it into something collaborative and wonderful. Thanks to my six respondents! Here are the responses: I have posted lesson plans at <http://www.sde.state.ok.us/home/defaultie.html>http://www.sde.state.ok.us/home/defaultie.html Log in with bookwoman These are some of my formal collaborations. Caldecott/Courgarcott and Animal Unit are the best. I'm in the middle of a very good collaboration. The 6th grade SSt/Sc teacher had been aloof since joining us last year. In early November I got an email "I have Latin America coming up and I'm a little stumped. Do you have any fun ideas?" Technically this collaboration was initiated by her, but it has been driven by me. She is very uncertain, and we didn't have the trust established to comfortably teach together. Well, it has taken a few weeks and we had a timetable set back because of testing.... but we do have a nice relationship built now, and we are very pleased with our unit. 7 Countries from Central and S. America were the topic for classes divided into groups. 3 or 4 students each research a country. Their guiding question: "Which country will Mrs. Wallace choose for her vacation?" The students must research and then "sell" the country in a presentation. We are taking 5 weeks for this unit, and 2 week are done. It has become an evolving experience so I'll try to give highlights. Week 1 - students begin with Big 6 (they used this during Fall Science Fair), 3 days of library research with print materials, they look for language, currency, physical features and cities of interest. Each library visit is about 30 min. Week 2 - students add Internet sites that we provide (<http://follett.mooreschools.com/common/welcome.jsp?site=101>http://follett.mooreschools.com/common/welcome.jsp?site=101 See links Central/SoAm) to locate activities to do (hiking, snorkeling, etc) and foods to expect also Festivals!!! Week 3 - flag research and map making. Each group will add these colorful artifacts to their presentations. It also helps them learn the necessary geography skills. We also dealt with bibliographic citations during weeks 2 and 3. Week 4 - presentations in the classroom; assessment. Students will be assessed by their presentation and audience participation. Questions are expected. After 2 or 3 days of presentation the teacher will lead discussion and students will offer questions that will become the Unit Test. It's even collaboration for assessment!!! Week 5 - Fun and Foods week. Students will have a "foods" day, and my Library Class students (these are students who spend 2 recess periods a week coming to the library to learn and be assistants; it's extracurricular) collected craft ideas (rain sticks, Peruvian hats, etc) and games that they will share with the classes. Each week has about 3 days of these lessons and/or library visits. Fridays are Free Reading days, and Mondays are Current Events. Anyway, the students are really getting the time needed to do research and they are learning great stuff!!! The best part is that both myself and the teacher are a better team. She keeps thanking me for all the help, and I thank her for letting me help. It just might be the beginning of a beautiful relationship!! *** At my school I do most of the initiating because otherwise I would sit in front of my computer all day. I started a freshman orientation project that is done in collaboration with English teachers, who read speak. Te freshman then come to the library, learn what resources I have available, and create a flier based on an issue that impacts teens that includes information and resources for further information or help. We display the fliers in the library. It has taken on a life of its own, even got included in our union (CTA) magazine in December. There is more information at <http://www.csla.net/pub/goodideas.htm>http://www.csla.net/pub/goodideas.htm in the Fall 05 pdf. I also do a pseudoscience project with AP Physics in which they have to take on a psuedoscience such as Spontaneous Human Combustion or ESP and try and prove or disprove - and present their findings. They create a hypothesis, describe the scientific principles, provide findings, and then a conclusion. The teacher and I collaborate on introducing it, guiding them through, and the assessment. Most of them are seniors and it is a fun way to finish the year - it is their final. I also approached the teacher for this assignment, it took a lot of talking. The same teacher and I also spent yesterday listening to book talks from his math and Physics students on books that semi -related to math or Physics. They read on their own time and then present to us. That didn't take quite as much talking into and now he loves it and so do his kids. Recently I begged my way into a slam poetry assignment - but that wasn't really collaboration. The teachers created the assignment and I convinced them to add on digital recording and posting to a wiki - results at <http://aaipoetry.pbwiki.com>aaipoetry.pbwiki.com. As I type I keep thinking of other things that I went to the teacher and said can we try this but these are my most successful. Point is - do it all the time. *** <http://www.proquestk12.com/productinfo/pdfs/BookCarts_Collaboration_Tool.pdf>http://www.proquestk12.com/productinfo/pdfs/BookCarts_Collaboration_Tool.pdf I think that this addresses the librarian needs to be proactive with teachers rather than waiting for teachers to come to them. Elizabeth Golden and Johanna Lawler: <http://www.proquestk12.com/bulletins/08JAN/eLib_Ont_Story.shtml>http://www.proquestk12.com/bulletins/08JAN/eLib_Ont_Story.shtml *** I do a collaborative project with my 4th graade social studies teacher. The kids came to me 3 years ago and said they were starting their reports on the states. I worked with the teacher and we collaborated on the project. The students create a Photo Story 3 project with the information on the state. Last year they had to compare 2 different states. This year I am teaching the students how to cite their different sources and then do a bibliography. We are doing that right now with a biography project they are doing. I want them to be able to do a complete bibliography to accompany their state projects that we do during the months of March to May. The classroom teacher uses a rubric to evaluate the students' reports. I need to develop a rubric to evaluate their technoloogy skills. *** Two projects that I initiated that are still part of our curriculum. First is the 4th grade genre project. We begin with short stories, then historic fiction, then science fiction/ fantasy. The classroom teacher, reading teacher and I teach about the genres, we discuss, setting, characters, plot, time and place. I book talk books from the library and we help the children choose a just right book for the project. Then in the 5th and 6th grade I do a mock Newbery and build on the knowledge gained in the genre study. Kids arrive in these upper grades knowing the difference between a dystopic and a utopic novel and immediately understand when I say this is a quest tale. I initiated a plagiarism scared straight seminar. 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade. Before they begin any research projects, I swoop in for 30 minutes with my real world example of bad things that happen to those who plagiarize and what all that means. *** I initiate almost all of the collaborative projects in my school. With the lower grades k-2 I check in with the teachers every week to find out what they are studying in the classroom that week. I then find a picture book and activity to go along with the book that reinforces what is being taught in the classroom. It doesn't take long for the kids to make the connections and recognize the pattern. With the upper grades 3-6 I have the same approach, but the projects are longer and more detailed and don't necessarily involve picture books. For example, our 5th grade teacher was doing Reader's Workshop based on books about Colonial Children. I found a webquest based on Colonial children which turned into a 4 week internet research project and a culminating expository paper written comparing life of Colonial children and modern children based on what they learned in Reader's Workshop and the knowledge they gathered from the webquest. I guess this is a proactive approach, I seldom wait for them to come to me, but as a result of this approach, I think they now have the confidence in me and they approach me now. Toni Buzzeo, MA, MLIS <mailto:tonibuzzeo@tonibuzzeo.com> Maine Library Media Specialist of the Year Emerita Maine Association of School Libraries Board Member Buxton, ME 04093 http://www.tonibuzzeo.com Collaborating to Meet Standards: Teacher/Librarian Partnerships for K-6 Second Edition (Linworth 2007) BRAND NEW! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book. 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