ALA Session: Sisters' Act

Sisters' Act: Learn How to Make Your Library Lessons Award Winning and Generate Enthusiastic Readers
Presented by sisters, Brenda Copeland and Pat Messner.

This session was a breath of fresh air. I love watching presenters who are obviously passionate about what they do and know how to present at a rapid pace to keep the audience interested. In addition to providing a handout with standards based lessons, resources, and a bibliography, the presenters offered to forward the lessons presented if you send them an email.

Lessons learned from watching these presenters:

1. Show the audience, don't tell them. I love that they both became the character during their book talks (Rosa Parks from the book Rosa and the student from the book Sister Anne's Hands.
2. Use realia. They showed several ways to incorporate the use of objects from the story into library lessons. Examples:
   
1. Reading with Mr. Dewey using a vest, glasses, umbrella or cane and a briefcase. Put books in the briefcase and have students figure out where they belong in the library.
2. Atlas Review Lesson- Cut a map like a puzzle. Groups assemble the puzzle and answer the questions about maps (Ex. Where is the nearest school to...., How many parks are in the city of..., How far is it from...)
3. Dress up like Fancy Nancy and make fancy and plain word cards for students to match (Sample words: Limousine and Car)
4. Use a backpack to become the student from Sister Anne's Hands.
5. Make a photo album about myself (from birth to now) and pair it with That's Our Librarian to do a compare/contrast lesson at the beginning of the school year. (another option: collect baby pics from the teachers/staff and make a school book of then and now describing what kind of kid they were on one side and describe their job and duties at the school today).
6. Use seed packets with character names taped to them and match the character with the problem and solution cards, or setting cards with the book Muncha Muncha Muncha.
7. Brave Harriet by Marissa Moss. Create the English Channel using a large sheet of blue paper, provide paper and directions to make paper airplanes, fly the planes of the English Channel and provide prizes for the plane that goes the farthest.
8. Mr. Wiggle's Book. Fill a backpack with "good friends" and "bad friends" (Ex. Soda can, water bottle, soap, gum, candy, bookmark, etc.) Each child will hold a GOOD sign and a BAD sign to hold up when you pull an item out of the bag.
9. Skeleton Hiccups. Use physical props related to parts of the story for a sequencing lesson.
   
3. Give away free stuff! Everyone loves to pause for a free giveaway.
4. Have fun! Enough said.