Author Archives: Markie Deleavey

November 2019 Roundup – St Margaret Mary’s Secondary School Library

Disco Books:  The Library celebrated Book Week Scotland by throwing a book tasting disco party! Blether was this year’s BWS theme, so pupils were invited to attend a special lunchtime Library club to learn and talk about books. Pupils took a seat along the table. In front of them were books ranging in different genres, lengths, and levels were positioned. The activity involved blasting disco music as pupils handed books around the table. When the music stopped, they had four minutes to read the blub and a section of the book then write what they thought about it, whether or not they’d read it, and who’d they recommend it to. Discoveries were made, conversations were had, and books were shared!

First Minister’s Reading Challenge shelf recommendation cards were distributed to S1 and S2 classes to encourage them to share their favourite book or a title they’d recommend. These were used to inform the books selected for our Book Week Scotland display.

Finally, the Library had a special guest, multi-award winning slam poet Ash Dickinson, to perform and deliver a workshop with one of our S3 classes during Book Week Scotland. Ash is a poet, author, performer, and workshop facilitator who has toured worldwide. Students got the chance to hear some of his performance poetry as well as having a go on creating their own.  

 

The Scottish Book Trust ran a poll to find out the Nation’s Favourite Scots word. Judges narrowed down 30 words from across Scotland that we displayed on our board outside of the Library to encourage pupils to vote on their favourite. The Librarian worked with S1 pupils who spent their lunch break collecting other students vote.  

 

November 2019 Roundup – Shawlands Academy School Library

Author workshops: Author, poet, and Bafta-award winning scriptwriter, Michael Lee Richardson, returned to deliver two more poetry workshops. Michael had introduced the pupils to ‘cut-up poetry’, a technique popularised by Dada artists Tristian Tzara in the 1920s where linear text is cut up then reassembled to create a new poem. Our version was LGBT themed, using some of Michael’s published text on Ru Paul and Queen frontman, Freddie Mercury. Our final  session with Michael saw us creating poems and creative writing pieces using LGBT photos as inspiration. In the latter part of the session, pupils were instructed to write about colours of pens they’ve chosen using sensory, descriptive words that he would then take away, rearrange and send back in poem form.

A big thank you to Michael Lee Richardson for his time and talent. The group really enjoyed the workshops and felt empowered and proud of the poems they created.

Book Week Scotland:  This year’s Book Week Scotland theme is Blether, so the Library has created a display of pupil suggestions taken from FMRC recommendation cards. Here’s what some pupils are saying about their favourite books:

Does my Head Look Big in This by Randa Abdel-Fattah: You’ll enjoy this book if you like realistic stories that you can relate to.

The Cupcake Wedding by Gillian Cross: You’ll enjoy this book if you like books about cupcakes and humour

S/He by Catherine Bruton: This book is worth reading because it shows the LBT community working together and you shouldn’t have to label someone. You should just be accepting of everyone.

Wonder by RJ Palacio: You’ll enjoy this book if you like realistic books, comedy and emotional text. It has an incredible ending.

Tokyo Ghoul 14 by Sui Ishida: You’ll enjoy this book if you like books full of action

Book Week Scotland Comics: The Library teamed up with the English Department who organised a week-long comic-making activity for all S1 pupils. Pupils were put into teams and given free rein to plan, design, and create their very own comic book. The top four comics were chosen by a teacher and the Librarian and winners would receive Amazon gift vouchers and would have their comics turned into a flip-book. Congratulations to the winners and well done to those who participated.

Book Week Scotland: Book Swap: We also enjoyed a cake, a book, and a blether as part of the Big Book Swap in the library to end an eventful Book Week Scotland. . Students and teachers were encouraged to donate books for the event in exchange for a slice of cake or a free swap. A huge thank you to Miss McLean of the English Department for organising some the event.

Shawlands Favourite Scots Word: As part of Book Week Scotland, the Scottish Book Trust held a poll to find out the nation’s favourite Scots word. Judges narrowed the selection down to 30 words. We thought it would be interesting to run our own poll within the school to find out Shawlands Academy’s favourite Scots words.

Here are the winners:                                                                                                                        Scotland’s favourite: Driech                                                                                                              Shawlands Academy’s favourite: Wheesht!

Hurricane Book Group: The Hurricane Book Group met for their Twitter chat with Muhammad Khan to discuss his book I Am Thunder. Pupils enjoyed pizza and soft drinks and were thrilled to have an opportunity to chat back and forth with a published author. Looking forward to the next term when we will read Sara Barnard’s prize-winning book, Goodbye Perfect.

Author visit: Jem Milton: The Library invited illustrator and author, Jem Milton, to visit some S3 pupils for an LGBT superhero character workshop as part of our SLIF-funded project. Jem introduced the pupils to LGBT identities and taught them how to create their own characters by thinking about their background, personality traits, powers and abilities, and how they identify. Students then had the opportunity to bring their superheroes to life using one of Jem’s templates.

 

October 2019 Roundup – St Margaret Mary’s Secondary School Library

National Poetry Day:   National Poetry Day – an annual UK-wide celebration of poetry now on its 25th year. This year’s theme is ‘Truth’. We’ve handed out FREE official National Poetry Day postcards. As it’s the UNESCO Year of Indigenous Languages, the featured ‘truth’ poems are written in Manx, Cornish, Welsh, Scots, and Gaelic alongside their English translations. We’re also promoting these amazing YA titles written in verse. Download the list here: Books in Verse Reading List

Participatory Workshops:  Over the course of October, the Library worked with various S2-S4 English classes on selecting books for the library. This year’s emphasis is on acquiring more accessible stock that will appeal to a broad range of readers. We targeted publishers Barrington Stoke and Badger Learning websites.

Barrington Stoke is a Scottish company who publishes books written by well-known authors that are suitable for different types of readers using specially designed dyslexia-friendly font and layout as well as printing the text on cream paper to reduce glare. The stories are short length than standard novels and designed for Reading Ages and Interest Ages. The language is specially edited to improve accessibility.

Badger Learning is a UK-based publisher who specialise in shorter length fiction for Young People. Like Barrington Stoke, stories are designed for Reading Ages and Interest Ages. Teen Reads, Two Sides, and YA Reads are different series published by Badger that includes a range of genres and themes.

Classes logged onto the Library’s PCs and were guided through the websites by the Librarian. Pupils were instructed peruse the titles and features of the website then list what books they thought would be good for the Library to stock. The Librarian correlated the data. See February’s post for the results. Pupils found the activity fun and made them feel included in the decision making of the Library

 Bookopoly –St Oswalds: The Library has been working with St Oswald’s English Department as part of the school’s FMRC. Bookopoly has been rolled out to all St Oswald’s pupils. This reading challenge encourages participants to explore genres and non-fiction subjects. Pupils are given their Bookopoly board. Each ‘property’ (or, ‘genre’) is colour coded on the board. Participants must read two books per genre (or one non-fiction book per subject) to collect their genre badge and have their name put into the end of the year prize draw. Further chances to win can be achieved by completing a ‘Chance’ block. This could be a recommendation from the teacher, the Librarian, a book that’s over 300 pages, etc. Participants can record their progress and opinion on the books they’ve read on the back of their Bookopoly board.

October 2019 Roundup – Shawlands Academy School Library

October was a very eventful month here at Shawlands Academy Library. Catch up with our highlights or keep scrolling to find out more info!

National Poetry Day: National Poetry Day – an annual UK-wide celebration of poetry now on its 25th year. This year’s theme is ‘Truth’. We’ve handed out FREE official National Poetry Day postcards. As it’s the UNESCO Year of Indigenous Languages, the featured ‘truth’ poems are written in Manx, Cornish, Welsh, Scots, and Gaelic alongside their English translations.

We’re also promoting these amazing YA titles written in verse. Download the list here: Books in Verse Reading List

   

                                  

Black History Month: Black History Month is observed in the UK during October to celebrate the achievements of African and Caribbean people at home and abroad. It is an opportunity to honour those who fought for equality and civil rights against racism, discrimination, and colonialism as well as to highlight the societal contributions of black individuals and communities. Black History Month works to ensure that Black History is included in History and recognised in mainstream education throughout the year.

For Libraries, BHM is another opportunity to spotlight and promote some fantastic literary talent and books. Shawlands Academy helped support BHM by facilitating pupil-led information sessions and activities throughout October including BHM presentations by S4 pupils, a bake sale, and a pupil curated display in the library. The students involved created beautiful posters to be used for the display and throughout the school. Books were selected by the students. Click here for a full list of BHM + Beyond books available in the Library. Black History Month and Beyond 2019 Reading Lists

Shelf Help in the Library: October is Mental Health Month and  World Mental Health Day is celebrated on the 10th to raise awareness, education, and advocacy against the social stigmas attached to mental health matters. To coincide with these observances, the Library has launched a new non-fiction collection relating to mental health and welling as well as books about physical health topics. With a reported 1 in 8 children having a diagnosable mental disorder (NHS,  2017) as well as a significant increase in the number of specialist referrals  (22% between  2013/2014 to 2017/2018) (Audit Scotland, 2018), it is vital that Young People have access to relevant information.

The School Library can play a role by providing reliable literature to pupils. This year, we are promoting the Reading Agency’s Shelf Help and Reading Well Books on Prescription programme who supply a list of reliable, well-researched mental health literature endorsed and/or written by experts. We have invested part of our budget to purchase the remainder of the titles from the list that will be arriving later on in the year.

 

The Shelf Help and Books on Prescription Fiction titles are found in the Fiction section.

For a more detailed list of mental health-related literature available in the section as well as a wider range of fiction dealing with mental health topics and/or containing characters experiencing mental health issues, click here: Mental Health Book List. For more information about the Reading Well with Books on Prescription titles, click here. Many of these titles are also available from the Community Libraries and can be reserved on the catalogue

Find more mental health information for Young People on the following websites:

Glasgow Association for Mental Health, Mentalhealth.org.uk, Mental Health Network Greater Glasgow, SAMH , See Me Scotland, Scottish Children’s Services Coalition, Support in Mind, Young Minds

Sources:

Audit Scotland (2018) Children and young people’s mental health

NHS Digital (2017) Mental health of children and young people in England, 2017

Scottish Government (2018) Children and young people’s mental health taskforce: delivery plan

Author Visit: Shawlands Academy Library has invited author, poet, and Bafta-winning scriptwriter Michael Lee Richardson to deliver a series of poetry workshops to the school’s LGBT+ group as part of a project between Hillhead and Smithycroft secondary schools as part of the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) school library improvement funding. Michael introduced himself and his work to the group and very generously donated copies of Proud, compiled by Juno Dawson, which features one of his short stories.

Our first exercise involved Michael displaying a lemon, three stones, a pair of plastic hands, and a Pride flag along a table. Unbeknownst to the group, each item represented an emotion. Pupils were instructed to write descriptive words about the objects relating to senses. The result…..

JOY (Lemon)

Joy is softish and round with no smell.                                                                                                    Joy looks like a lemon, yellow, tastes sour, feels lumpy, and smells questionable.                         Joy tastes of acid and citrus, and joy smells fresh.                                                                                Joy is round with a bumpy texture, smells very potent.                                                                        Joy is a luminous yellow baseball-like plant with a soft nip surrounding the Satanic, squishy, radioactive emblem stood there with a grace like 1,000 red angels.

ENVY (Stones)

Envy feels cold, it has nice colours and interesting shapes. It smells like absolutely nothing.       Envy is hard, round, flat and shiny.                                                                                                        Envy is disformed shapes smooth but gritty.                                                                                       Envy is vinegary, cold and smells like salt.                                                                                            Envy makes the sound, ‘thunk!’                                                                                                               Envy is calming seabed quartz it lights up the room with a relaxing aura.

FEAR (Plastic hands)

Fear smells like rubber feels like rubber it has a cool shape and details.                                           Fear is squishy, rubbery, and creepy.                                                                                                     Fear wouldn’t really make a noise.                                                                                                          Fear is a smooth plastic baby hand.

LOVE (Pride flag)

Love is a flag.                                                                                                                                                 Love is colourful it feels like fabric and smells like Skittles.                                                               Love is plastic and smooth. and smells like air.

Instagram: Some of the School Librarians are using the Glasgow Life School Libraries Instagram account to highlight some of the work they do. Over the course of the week, I’ve been asked to show what we get up to over my two schools: Shawlands Academy and St. Margaret Mary’s Secondary School.

Hurricane Book Club: The Library is one of three participating Glasgow secondary schools piloting a Young Adult version of Hurricane Book Group. Hurricane Book Group was originally started as an adult book group in Orkney Libraries that gave an opportunity for readers to connect with each other remotely and chat with the author online. This term we’re reading the 2019 Branford Boase award-winning book I am Thunder by Muhammad Khan which questions how far you will go to stand up for what you believe in.

“Fifteen-year-old Muzna Saleem is used to being invisible. So no one is more surprised than her when Arif Malik, the hottest boy in school, takes a sudden interest. But Arif is hiding a terrible secret and, as they begin to follow a dark path, Muzna faces an impossible choice: keep quiet and betray her beliefs, or speak out and betray her heart”.

Our first meeting was a chance to discuss our thoughts on the book so far and come up with questions to submit to the author for when we meet again in November and chat with Muhanmmad on Twitter. Pupils engaged in lively conversation and debate about the themes and the book and how they apply to our everyday lives.

 

September 2019 Roundup – Shawlands Academy School Library

We held a number of activities in the Library throughout September.

Library Club

The Library Club was launched on September 2nd and runs Mondays during Lunch and Friday’s after school, offering space where pupils can participate in making book-themed crafts. Each month, we focus on making one craft so that all pupils are given the chance to create the craft if they are attending other clubs/activities during lunch or after school. Our September craft was creating bookmarks re-using damaged books and magazines. It was a relaxing way to spend a lunch break and practice some creative skills. Check out these beauties.

Library Inductions

It was a busy month full of Library Inductions. Each S1 class was given a short talk about the rules and sections in the Library. They were then given a Library Map with a set of questions that prompted them to explore the different sections of the Library so that they had an understanding of the layout and arrangement. They were then issued their School Library cards.

First Minister’s Reading Challenge

This year, the Library is participating in the First Minister’s Reading Challenge. To help support a school-wide Reading Culture, we’ll be showing the number of books issued in each class on the teleprompter at the entrance. Over 450 books were issued to S1 pupils in September! FMRC Shelf Cards were also distributed to S1s who were encouraged to recommend a book. Once the cards are completed, we’ll be posting the titles on our notice board outside of the Library and display the cards on the shelves.

Hurricane Book Club

We’ll be one of two Glasgow secondary schools piloting a YA version of Hurricane Book Club. Hurricane Book Club is an online book group that originally started as a collaboration between PanMacmillan and Orkney Libraries. Now running on its fourth season, Libraries and bookshops across Scotland are now connecting with each other and authors on Twitter. Glasgow Libraries have teamed up with Lourdes Secondary School and Shawlands Academy to trial a YA Hurricane Book Club. Pupils will be reading I Am Thunder by Muhammad Khan, a recent Branford Boase award winner which questions how far you’ll go to stand up for what you believe in.  The book group was advertised within the Library. Members will be meeting in October to come up with questions for the author who we’ll be Tweeting in November.

LGBTQ+ in the Library

The Library has also been participating in a SLIF-funded project for LGBTQ+ students, partnering with Hillhead and Smithycroft Secondary Schools. We’ll be hosting author workshops for our LGBTQ+ pupils who’ll also be involved in the selection of titles for an LGBTQ+ section that’ll be launched in February 2020.

Blog

Lastly, as you can see, our blog is now up and running! heck here for information for Library events/activities, pupil and Librarian book reviews, reading lists, and all things School Library related! Follow our Twitter page at @Shaw_Acad_Lib

Coming Up

October will be a busy month for our wee blog, with observances such as Black History Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, Dyslexia Awareness Month, Challenge Poverty Week, National Poetry Day, and National Tell a Story Day just to name a few! Watch this space for more information, recommended reading lists, feature fiction, and book reviews throughout the month.

September 2019 Roundup – St Margaret Mary’s Secondary School Library

Welcome to St. Margaret Mary’s Library!

The Library is divided into three main sections: Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Senior.  The Fiction section is arranged by genre and the Non-Fiction section is arranged by subjects. This is a result of a pupil survey that was circulated in December 2018. The pupils opted for a Genre-based system so that they could access the stories that interested them.

Action:  Spies and espionage, missions, survival, adventure

Fantasy: Magic & wizardry, supernatural powers and beasts, adventures & quests, myths, legends, folklore, fairy tales

Historical Fiction: Based on true events/people, set in the past, diaries/memoirs. Currently covers stories set in Neolithic period through to the end of WWII

Horror: Ghosts, hauntings, zombies, creepy dolls, dangerous creatures, Gothic stories

Humour: Comedy, diary stories, jokes

Comics, Graphic Novels, and Manga: DC/Marvel, Simpsons, Adventure Time, Lumberjanes.  novelizations of chapter books & classics (Alex Rider, Percy Jackson, To Kill a Mockingbird, Pokemon, Blue Exorcist, Fairy Tail

Realistic Fiction: Bullying, discrimination & racism, refugee stories, bereavement, mental and physical health stories, poverty, homelessness, coming-of-age

Relationships: Romance, families, friendships, crushes, first-love, crushes, emotional connections

Science Fiction: Space, time travel, alien beings, dystopian futures, alternate reality/universe, gamer stories

Thriller/Mystery: Detectives, crime, disappearances

Non-Fiction Sections: The Non-Fiction Subject arrangement ties in with the curriculum so that pupils can easily access the information they require for classwork or leisure reading. Sections include History, Society, Arts, Literature, Science and Technology, Sports, Entertainment, Languages, Mental and Physical Health, and World of Work.

Senior Section: The Senior section holds a small but well-stocked range of classics old and new, award-winners, Scottish authors, popular film tie-ins, and best-sellers, non-fiction titles, and adult graphic novels.

Inductions

It was a pleasure getting to meet our new S1 pupils from St Margaret Mary’s as well as classes from St. Oswalds . Classes were introduced to the library and the resources available to them. It turns out we have plenty of keen readers this year who are already making their way through new book series.

Bookopoly

This year, we’re rolling out the Bookpoloy reading challenge for S1s and 2s. This reading challenge encourages participants to explore genres and non-fiction subjects. Pupils are given their Bookopoly board. Each ‘property’ (or, ‘genre’) is colour coded on the board. Participants must read two books per genre (or one non-fiction book per subject) to collect their genre badge and have their name put into the end of the year prize draw. Further chances to win can be achieved by completing a ‘Chance’ block. This could be a recommendation from the teacher, the Librarian, a book that’s over 300 pages, etc. Participants can record their progress and opinion on the books they’ve read on the back of their Bookopoly board.

 

 

Shawlands Academy Library virtual tour

The Library is divided into three main sections: Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Senior.  The Fiction section is arranged by genre and the Non-Fiction section is arranged by subjects. This is a result of a pupil survey that was circulated in December 2018. The pupils opted for a Genre-based system so that they could access the stories that interested them.

Fiction Sections

Fantasy: Magic & wizardry, supernatural powers and beasts, adventures & quests, myths, legends, folklore, fairy tales 

Science Fiction: Space, time travel, alien beings, dystopian futures, alternate reality/universe, gamer stories

Horror: Ghosts, hauntings, zombies, creepy dolls, dangerous creatures, Gothic stories

Action:  Spies and espionage, missions,  survival, adventure

Thriller/Mystery: Detectives, crime, disappearances

Realistic Fiction: Bullying, discrimination & racism, refugee stories, bereavement, mental and physical health stories, poverty, homelessness, coming-of-age

Relationships: Romance, families, friendships, crushes, first-love, crushes, emotional connections

Humour: Comedy, diary stories, jokes, cringe stories

Historical Fiction: Based on true events/people, set in the past, diaries/memoirs. Currently covers stories set in Neolithic period through to the end of WWII

Comics, Graphic Novels, and Manga: DC/Marvel, Simpsons, Adventure Time, Lumberjanes.  novelizations of chapter books & classics (Alex Rider, Percy Jackson, To Kill a Mockingbird, Pokemon, Blue Exorcist, Fairy Tail

Quick Picks: Novellas, short stories, dyslexia-friendly, fewer words, pictures/illustrations. All separated according to the genre

Non-Fiction Sections

The Non-Fiction Subject arrangement ties in with the curriculum so that pupils can easily access the information they require for classwork or leisure reading. Sections include History, Society, Arts, Literature, Science and Technology, Sports, Entertainment, Languages, Mental and Physical Health, and World of Work.

Senior Section

The Senior section holds a small but well-stocked range of classics old and new, award-winners, Scottish authors, popular film tie-ins, and best-sellers, non-fiction titles, and adult graphic novels.