Mrs. Cara Morris at Prosperity Rikard Elementary School works hard to let her students explore in the library. Her goal is to create high interest library sessions with cross curricular ties. She continues to engage the students even though COVID restrictions have forced her to rethink the ways student interact with information. Students now have the opportunity to explore more varied types of sources and books because all students now have an iPad or laptop. The school district provides some eBooks through the SORA platform. Mrs. Morris saw that students enjoyed reading books in SORA, so she used some funds set aside for magazines to purchase more eBooks. Students are having to adapt to new a new learning environment quickly this school year, but through her guidance they are learning to navigate the new technology that the library has to offer.
Because of COVID restrictions, students are having to engage with text in a different ways than before. Students are provided several lessons about how to effectively inquire and purse topics of interest. Library lessons support student inquiry through use of varied texts. Creation is limited because of physical and time constraints, but students have the freedom to explore databases and the internet. Final projects may look different this year, but students still have time to explore and find resources that support student inquiry.
Mrs. Morris collaborates with teachers frequently. Teachers ask questions and seek her help when curating resources or introducing new technology. Mrs. Morris tries to be proactive and anticipate teachers' needs either in technology or classroom resources. She helps them find resources that enhance instruction. There are a few times built into the school year where she leads professional development sessions, but she says that collaboration and learning with teachers happens more organically. Often, suggestions and resources come from a need in the classroom and Mrs. Morris finds materials to help teachers meet those needs.
One challenge with the explore shared foundation is time. Mrs. Morris is on a fixed schedule as part of the related arts rotation. Students cannot come to the library, so they cannot explore the print collection like they have been able to in the past. Mrs. Morris brings as much of the library as she can into the classroom for her lessons. Students are learning how to find and use information, but she wishes that she had more time to let students be creative in final projects. Most of the research that is done related to a classroom standard. Mrs. Morris wishes that students had more time to truly explore their interests and create projects that interest them. Time constraints do not allow for students to explore to the depth that Mrs. Morris would like them to.
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