Monday, December 12, 2011

Presentation to Local Education Professionals

Professor of Library and Information Studies, Joyce Chao-Chen Chen, from National Taiwan Normal University brought about twenty local education professionals to The Taipei American School to tour the libraries. I gave a presentation on what is means to be a Teacher Librarian and promote reading in a school library. The education professionals are interested in what the libraries look like and how the U.S. school library  model is similar and/or different to the Taiwan school library model.

Here is a copy of the presentation.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Hopper and Wilson Newspaper Sailor Hats

The 2011 book, Hopper and Wilson by Maria van Lieshout, is about an elephant and mouse that set sail in a newspaper sailor hat boat to see the end of the world. Kindergarten students made a simple sailor hat before I read the story. I set out a one page spread of a newspaper folded. Students had to make a triangle at the folded edge then fold up the bottom. It was easier for the students if we taped the edges down. There are always a couple of students who say they can't do it on their own. I'll start the triangle and make them do it on their own. Some got help from another student. The story itself is cute. Hopper gets lost in a storm and Wilson is afraid he's lost at sea. The two become reunited and sail around the world ending up at the same place they started. I keep mixing up the names. Hopper is the elephant and Wilson is the mouse. I always want to reverse them. Kids kept laughing at my mixup.