Stromness Academy Library

Think the WBD plans for today are now all ready to come to fruition. We have a [National] Book Token design competition; a Shelfies competition; info on current reading from staff and pupils; a book swap; and a Peedie Book Fair courtesy of Stromness Books & Prints. Hoping people will be interested in coming to the library at lunchtime to share their reading and to partake of snacks and hot chocolate.

The cycle of the school year continues. It is now that time in the session when pupils in S2 and above start to consider subject choices prior to moving up a year group. S2 have just embarked on their 5-week course of ‘Careers Library Information Literacy Skills’.  This takes them through learning about the Careers Section of the library as well as getting them to think about different careers areas and the sort of jobs they might like to do so that they can therefore make decisions about their future subject choices.

The first session involves classes playing the Careers Game (loosely based on Carel’s Reading Game).

In CLCI (Careers Library Classification Index) there are 18 job groupings / categories. To link in with the arrangement of the Careers Section, these are used as the basis for the Careers Game and 6 of them (zones) are used at anyone time. We have three classes in S2 so, all 18 groupings will be covered and the information collated is put on display in the Upper Library where the Careers Section is located.

The aim is for pupils (in groups of 3 or 4) to visit as many zones as possible in the time allowed, which is usually 30-40 minutes. This allows for up to 5 minutes at each zone. Pupils move on when a whistle is blown. To make it more interesting and to help pupils focus, time can be reduced by about a minute for each subsequent zone. This means they have to work faster and ensure each has a task to do.

The Careers Game links to the following Curriculum for Excellence outcomes:

Learning Outcomes:

I am investigating different careers/occupations, ways of working, and learning and training paths. I am gaining experience that helps me recognise the relevance of my learning, skills and interests to my future life.   HWB 3-20a

When I engage with others, I can make a relevant contribution, encourage others to contribute and acknowledge that they have the right to hold a different opinion. I can respond in ways appropriate to my role and use contributions to reflect on, clarify or adapt thinking.   LIT 3-02a

Pupils are given an A3 ‘map’ which matches the zones and they discuss the skills, personal qualities, jobs and school subjects they agree are needed for each job grouping. To help select these, colour coordinated cards are provided. These are noted on the relevant part of the career map. Time is of essence, pupils must work to strict time limits (similar to many work situations), and they must work as a group to ensure they get the relevant information noted down.

Pupil Instructions:

• Look at the job areas on the map.
• Look at the 4 sets of cards jobs; skills, personal qualities; school subjects
• Think about them. Discuss them with other group members then:
  • select 3 career examples
  • select 3 skills needed
  • select 3 personal qualities
  • select 2 key school subjects

…and write them in the appropriate space on the map.

The game is a good introduction to the careers info lit course and gets them thinking about their own skills and personal qualities with a view to making the right subject choices later in the session.

The info lit course continues with a session on learning how to find and use information in the careers section, including the arrangement of resources (CLCI); selecting up-to-date information; finding books and leaflets; and a brief introduction to the internet for careers information, specifically the Careers Choices LiveBinder, and Careers LiveBinder Shelf (info on specific careers areas and jobs) collated by Mrs Sinclair, the Librarian.

In the third week pupils start to do personal research using the skills they have learnt previously, thinking about their own skills, qualities and favourite subjects, leading on to build a profile of a career area they are interested in.

Finally, they are required to plan, research, design and create poster about a the career area they are interested in. They are required to work to a strict timescale and criteria, mimicking what they might come across in the world of work or further study.

This course hopefully gives pupils a good grounding in the use of the Careers Section and hopefully empowers them to be able take responsibility for researching their own choices.

The Academy now has a Twitter feed so that news and information can be communicated. Look at the side bar to the right for the feed.

Other local Twitter feeds that you might be interested in are:

Orkney Islands Council

OIC Roads

Orkney Library

Radio Orkney

You may also wish to follow these on Facebook too:

OIC Updates

OIC School Transport

Orkney Library

Radio Orkney

Okay, so that heading is maybe a bit misleading, but it is the premise of our Thursday lunchtime get-togethers which started earlier this term. As a Tolkien fan, any excuse to discuss the books, particularly Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, is welcome. We do try to do things Middle Earth related, but in reality the session is a revival of something that evolved a couple of years ago when the Pupil Librarians could make themselves a hot chocolate on a Thursday lunchtime.

So, Hot Chocolate Thursdays were born and now renewed… with a passing look at all things Tolkien, whether doing quizzes, discussing the books or listening to audiobooks. Today, around eight pupils joined us to partake of a hot choc ad play Lord of the Rings Monopoly – it was a BIG hit with pupils from S1, 2, 5 & 6 being involved. Twenty minutes, though is not a long time to play the game so effectively it was ‘speed’ Monopoly meaning players had to be on the ball in terms of ensuring they got their rent. To enable a little continuity and a chance of finishing the game, each players’ money and property was clipped together so they can restart next week from ‘Go’ with their ‘possessions’ intact.

F. Sinclair

Today saw on of the most successful information literacy sessions to date which gets pupils engaged (in a bit of friendly competition), using books, in particular contents and indexes and teaches them scanning skills. It also ensures S1 pupils get an idea of the resources available for their big History research project.

To begin with, pupils are asked about what they know of keywords. We also discuss how we find information in books and online using contents and indexes of books and search engines.

Pupils are paired off. Each gets a bingo card and a recording sheet. There are 5-6 books, each on a different topic covered in Ancient Civilisations (Romans, Vikings, Aztec, etc) on the tables. Keywords are called out. Each pair has to browse through the books, using contents and indexes and find the keyword. The keyword, title of book and page number (if they find it) has to be recorded on the sheet (good practise for recording the resources they use in a project in a bibliography). If their keyword is on the bingo card, they score it off. We start slow, giving pupils time to find and record the keywords. As the game progresses, the time between the call outs gets less and pupils only need to record the keyword and/or mark it off, although some still continue searching in the books. Prizes (from a mixed tin of sweets) are given to the first three groups who get a line. If time permits we then go on to see if anyone gets a full house.

Pupils appear to be really engaged and enjoying the lesson whilst probably not realising they are learning stuff in the process. Not only are they trawling through the books, they start discussing the topic and some will even be thinking ahead about which book might be appropriate for the keyword called out. 5-10 minutes at the end is set aside for them to just browse the books (start background reading) and think about the topic they will finally choose to research. It is great to see two or three pupils huddled over a single book actively engaged in and discussing / sharing the content with each other.

‘Some chuffed’ as they say here in Orkney.