Alaska Bush Library Service

Last Monday I traveled to Gambell Alaska for my first trip out for the school year. I worked with the elementary students on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Great lessons in how to come up with ideas for research. I bring in Jelly Bellies, a movie on how they are made. This takes about seven minutes and then we discuss why I would choose Jelly Bellies if I could research anything. I then move the third through sixth grade students into Ebsco Student researcch databases so that they can find magazine articles on anything that interests them.

I work with the kindergarten through second graders on our statewide Battle of the Books program.

The big news comes next, on Thursday, I head to the jr. high and high school area. One of the seventh grader students comes up to me and says, “I remember you. You taught us how to use Worldbook Online last year.” I was blown away. I mean I remember that I did teach his class how to use Worldbook Online. They got to use the laptop lab which was new to the school. The class was great and by the end of the lesson, I could allow them to sit anywhere because they did a good job of staying on task. I remember most lessons that I give in each school so that I can build on them and/or ask teachers how it is going later, but I didn’t expect to be remembered by a student.

I am in Savoonga this week. Here, I will give the same lessons. In addition, I will do a lot of library maintenence. This school wants to implement Accelerated Reader. We have a $5,000 Laura Bush Grant to purchase books. That will help a lot to purchase books that the students here will enjoy. I have talked to teachers about which books they would like to see. I will tallk to students this week to see what they want to see.