Background: ME Pearson is located in downtown Kansas City, KS. The school serves around 600 students in grades K-5. The school is primarily made up of free and reduced students who come from Spanish speaking households. This year we are excited to redesign our library and technology centers and programs. We are focusing on five concrete actions to promote our center to our students, teachers, communities, parents, and administrators!

Concrete Action Plans1. Create a warm and inviting learning environment.2. Encourage and promote reading among staff and students.3. Invite the community into the library center.4. Organize a school wide Book of the Month reading list.5. Compile a weekly school power point.

Create a warm and inviting learning environment.

This year the library has been moved to three separate centers. Each center will be arranged to meet the specific needs of the students.

Library Center

Live Plants-to create a warm and inviting reading environment Black Picture Frames to display authentic student artwork and replace generic posters. Organize books in a user friendly way. For example, pull popular books such as

SpongeBob altogether in one area, all the Easy Readers in one area, and all the award winning books in their own area.

Create specific and clear signs in the library to help with navigation. Set up a computer center where students can quickly look up the card catalog. Display teacher and student book picks at the front of the library. Hang school wide expectations, Animated Alphabet characters, Daily 5 guides, and

reading strategies. Since space is limited, remove unnecessary furniture and bring in a carpet for students

to read on.

Reader’s Theater Center

Bright fabric on walls and curtains. Hang “stage” area with Puppet Theater.

ME Pearson Elementary School’s Technology and Library Advocacy Plan-Breanna Gutierrez-Fall 2010- Spring 2011

Assortment of comfortable seating, such as couches, rugs, laundry baskets, etc. Milk Crate seating/storage around theater. Book Baskets with genre reading materials. Cuddle Friends to read with during read-to-self time. Easily accessible materials such as pencils, paper, yippee yellows. Hang school wide expectations, Animated Alphabet characters, Daily 5 guides, and

reading strategies.

Technology Center

Bright fabric on walls and curtains. Assortment of comfortable seating, such as couches, rugs, etc. Bright Lamps for mood reading. Tables to use for laptops and writing. Easily accessible materials such as pencils, paper, yippee yellows. Hang school wide expectations, Animated Alphabet characters, Daily 5 guides, and

reading strategies. Technology Materials to excite and enhance student learning: Green Screen for class

videos, smart boards, cameras, gaming center, etc.

Encourage and promote reading among staff and students.

Research shows that in order to improve reading scores students must be reading EVERYDAY! By visually showing staff reading, students will become more excited.

Make and display “Get Caught Reading” posters throughout the school. o Each poster shows staff members or students reading in their favorite place or spots

around the school. The posters say, “Get caught reading in the garden, Miss Merrill did!”

Display current staff reading lists next to their rooms. Laminate lists so staff can update them regularly with dry erase markers. The lists show current books so that students see how to pick “just right” books and see that we continue reading after school.

Wear “Read!” t-shirts every Wednesday. The shirts are bright colors and simply say “Read!” on the front and “Leer!” on the back. This way students and the community can see that we are excited about reading!

Invite the community into the library center.

In order to have an effective library center, the community must be involved. This year we are beginning the process of opening the communication with them and involving them in our learning.

Open Library Center every 2nd Saturday of the month. Each Saturday will have a theme and program plan to encourage students and parents to attend. For example, Gamers’ Lounge Program and Bilingual Storytelling. Parents can also bring their students into the library and check out materials for home on the weekends. This way they can choose materials together and find Spanish/English materials they are comfortable with.

Back to School movie on the playground. Send out a flier encouraging parents to read a specific children’s book over the summer. Then gather students and families on an August evening and show the film version of the book outside.

Find community members and services to visit the school and share their talents.

Organize a school wide Book of the Month reading list.

A great way to encourage discussions and explorations of books is by having a mutual book read in every classroom every month.

Choose a children’s book for each month that every class will read and share by the end of the month.

Purchase multiple copies of the books in the library so that teachers can check them out and read with their classrooms.

Assign a grade level each month to create an interactive bulletin board about the book of the month.

Assign a separate grade level each month to fill out an ongoing Reading Strategies and Story Elements bulletin board.

Compile a weekly school power point.

Sharing with the community and school updates about the library is a very important task. There are many outlets that the library shares information, such as the school website, fliers and posters. This year, we are inviting the entire school to use their technology abilities and help create a weekly school power point.

Each Thursday, collect a power point slide from administration, different departments, and participating classrooms.

On Monday share the Weekly power point show in the cafeteria, in classrooms and load to the library website. Include a couple slides about upcoming events in the library, book trivia, and gentle reminders to the staff and students about library center procedures.

Keeping everyone informed and involved in the library technology center is essential in keeping the center open and operating. These five areas are starting points for this upcoming school year. Each area involves collaboration and support from everyone in the community. We are excited for new and exciting activities in our library technology center!!