STEAM Storytime Surprise -- Youth Services Forum Oct. 29, 2018 Presentation

See the slides from the presentation

Rebranding storytime as a S.T.E.A.M. Storytime Surprise allows librarians to use the ECRR2 format for early literacy and combine that with the interest and excitement that STEAM brings – not just elements of Science and Technology and Engineering, but also Arts and Mathematics. This format emphasizes process during craft and play times; examples of successful programs for children ages 3-10 years will be shared. 

Info from other programs at the presentation is here: https://www.njstatelib.org/services_for_libraries/consulting_services/youth_services/2018-youth-services-forum/

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Previous Workshops for Librarians & Educators:

Slides & Resources at: Storytime Shake Up -- Jazzing Up Storytime Programs

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Slides: Books Alive! Storytelling Workshop

Around the year thematic bibliography: Using Storytelling Skills and Interactive Books to Create Excitement and Empathy in Your Students 

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Slides here: UnCommon Core -- Youth Services Forum 2014 –Slides

Bibliography:  “UnCommon-Core” -- Outstanding Informational Read-Alouds for PreSchool & Primary Students

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Picture This: Adventures in Art & Imagination
Interested in taking your school-age programing in another direction? Want some ideas for this summer’s Summer Reading Club “Be Creative @ Your Library?” Carol Simon Levin (Somerset County Library - Bridgewater) will share ideas from a program she created that merges literature, art, and creativity. She'll present her program plans for everything from prehistoric cave paintings to Pointillism, Cubism to Chagall, Escher, O'Keefe, Matisse, and many more. It is a program suitable for both public libraries and school settings.

NJLA 2009 “Picture This” Slides and  Program Notes 
(a revised version of my 2007 Youth Services Forum program)

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Carol Simon Levin is a retired youth services librarian, author, storyteller and program presenter for audiences of all ages based in Somerset County, NJ. Whether she is impersonating the woman who helped to build the Brooklyn Bridge, engaging families in a rousing Halloween Hootenanny of songs and stories, expanding on the mathematical and artistic possibilities of a simple square, or sharing the story of a dolphin who learned to swim with an artificial tail (along with activities to help children understand what it is like to live with a disability), Carol always strives to create exciting programs that engage her audience’s interests and expand their horizons.  Librarians are welcome to replicate or use portions of any of these programs. If you have questions or need more details (including providing song tunes), contact her at cslevin59 (at) gmail.com or 908-361-6519.

Maker Program: Emily Roebling Builds a Bridge–A Hands-On Program for Exploring Bridge Building and Encouraging Women in Engineering

"Emily Roebling" tells the story of her role in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge then assists children & tweens as they experiment with bridge designs & construction.

 

Carol Simon Levin portraying “Emily Warren Roebling”

Storytime Shake Up -- Jazzing Up Storytime Programs

Storytime Shake Up -- Jazzing Up Storytime Programs
Extended Version of the Youth Services Forum Program

Presented by Carol Simon Levin, Youth Services Librarian, Somerset County Library.

I have been doing storytimes for 20+ years and love to "jazz them up." Most of the plans for programs I've done in the last couple of years are posted here on my blog: CarolSimonLevin.blogspot.com. You can also search the blog for any of the items listed below to find their use in context.  Email me if you want me to share any patterns.

Today, will be:

*sharing favorite flannelboards,

* participatory story-sharing/theater (e.g. showing how we act out Halloween stories, The Three Little Pigs in my Houses & Homes storytime, Green Eggs & Ham for Dr. Seuss Day, a Hopi Rainstick story for our Rain storytime),

* piggyback songs to reinforce activity sequencing (e.g."This is the way" for the steps in baking after we read The Little Red Hen),

*using sign language songs (we call it "dancing with our hands" - Pick Me Up: Fun Songs for Learning Signs is a great resource),

*action songs and surprises (e.g. indoor "snowball fight"),

*and a variety of other things I do regularly to jazz up the traditional book- flannel-song/fingerplay rhythm of storytime.

Fall favorites -- interactive Halloween stories & songs, a turkey towel-folding story for Thanksgiving...

· "Brand New Day" (sign language song) from Pick Me Up: Fun Songs for Learning Signs 

· One by Kathryn Otashi bullying/concept book

· Monkey Face by Frank Asch -- flannel

· "Look There Daddy Do You See?" -- flannel song, make up verses

· "School Stuff" from A Storytime Year by Susan Dailey-- flannel

· Moonkey by Mike Thayer -- flannel

· "Aikendrum" by Raffi -- flannel song

· Little Red House with No Doors...-- flannel/hanging signs

· Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman = Great Big Enormous Turnip -- flannel/participatory story-acting

· Rotten Pumpkin by David M. Schwartz -- non-fiction potential reader's theater!

· The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams -- flannel/participatory story-acting

· One Dark Night by Edna Mitchell Preston - flannel/participatory story-acting

· "Old McDonald Had a Haunted House" -- piggyback song clip art flannel

· Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

· It's Monster Day by Linda Arnold -- pinking sheers flannel

· I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson -- prop

· "Ten Friends - Diez Amigos" -- glove puppets

· Towel folding story: The Case of the Missing Thanksgiving Turkey -- Rhonda Turley  

· "The Turkey Shot Out of the Oven" words: Jack Prelutsky, chorus: Cathy Darby – song

Winter favorites -- snowball fights, stone soup, counting cookies…

· Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathon London -- participatory story-acting

· The Mitten by Jan Brett -- participatory story-acting, prop

· Frosty the Snowman by Steve Nelson

· "In the Freezer" by Joe Scruggs -- flannel/song

· Snowball Fight -- plastic bag snowballs Leroy Anderson's Sleigh Ride

· Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Tabeck

· "Hi, My Name is Joe and I Work in a Button Factory" -- action (Also good to pair with Herve Tullet's Press Here)

· The Little Red Hen -- various versions

· "This is the Way" -- piggyback songs

· The Cake That Mack Ate by Rose Robart-- flannel

· The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins -- flannel math concepts

· The Gingerbread Man -- flannel/masks

· "Helping" from Free to Be You and Me -- flannel

· The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) by Philemon Sturges

· "I Am a Pizza" by Linda Arnold -- flannel

· "On Top of Spaghetti" -- flannel

· Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert,

· "This is the Way We Make the Soup" -- piggyback song "Mulberry Bush"

· Mean Soup by Betsy Everitt

· "If You're Happy and You Know it...sad, angry, loving"... piggyback song

· Doing the Chocolate Shake -- action

· Stone Soup -- puppets & props, participatory storytelling

· Alphabet Soup by Tom Chapin -- flannel

· Monkey Soup by Louis Sachar

· Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak, tune from Really Rosie -- enlarged pages

· "Popcorn" by Linda Arnold -- action song

Spring Favorites-- interactive Earth Dance, Three Little Pigs, Napping House, Hopi Rainstick…

· Green Eggs & Ham by Dr. Seuss -- participatory story-acting

· "On My Head I Wear a Hat" -- Cat in the Hat hat, song Seussapalooza

· "Deep in the Jungle" by Joe Scruggs -- puppet/flannel song

· "Alligator Pie" by Dennis Lee -- make up your own verses

· "I'm Being Swallowed by a Big Alligator" -- action song

· "There's a Dinosaur Knocking at My Door" by Linda Arnold -- puppet song

· "Down by the Bay" by Raffi -- flannel song

· "And the Green Grass Grew All Around" -- flannel song

· Earth Dance by Joanne Ryder -- participatory story-acting

· Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson -- participatory story-acting

· All the Water in the World by George Ella Lyon -- simple but very profound

· Rainstorm – interactive action chant

· The Frog: Hopi Rainstick Story -- rainstick, puppets

· "Walk the World Now Children" by Tom Chapin -- sign language song

· A Squash and a Squeeze by Julia Donaldson -- great to act out this story with a large box or card table

· Mouse House -- flannel shapes

· The Three Little Pigs -- participatory storytelling

· "Cluck Cluck Red Hen" by Raffi -- flannel/puppet song

· The Napping House by Audrey Wood -- prop story

These and many more ideas are posted on my blog: CarolSimonLevin.blogspot.com.
Historical impersonation programs for adults & children are at: tellingherstories.com.

Questions?  Patterns? Please feel free to contact me at:
cslevin59 (at) gmail (dot) com
or call 908 526-4016 x126.

 

Carol Simon Levin presents Interactive Stories & Songs for all Reasons & Seasons!

Halloween Hootenanny * Dinosaur Roar * Bundle Up * Houses & Homes * Holiday Happenings * Seussapalooza * Earth Day * Animal Antics * Summer Fun * Folk Tale Frolics

A Sampling of S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) Programs:

A library is a feast to which we are all invited. -- Katherine Paterson

A library is a place full of mouth-watering food for thought. -- Diana Wynne-Jones

If you don't like to read, there are books out there that you will love...and this is why librarians were invented. -- Linda Sue Park

presented to Union County Children's Librarians, 2/20/15

Jazzing Up the Traditional Book-Flannel-Song/Fingerplay Rhythm of Storytime -- Youth Services Forum 2014

 

Carol Simon Levin's notes for Storytime Shake-Up – NJ Youth Services Forum Oct. 1 2014

Here are some suggestions I shared, please click on each of the links for more information.


Using sign language songs ("dancing with our hands"), – great resource Pick Me Up - Fun Songs for Learning Signs has catchy tunes and drawings for each of the signs described. Any song with lots of repetition is also a good candidate, e.g. Tom Chapin's Walk the World Now Children (easy to find signs online, just Google what you are looking for e.g. "American sign language water")

Creating piggyback songs to reinforce activity sequencing, pre-reading skill, kinesthetic learning (e.g."This is the way" for the steps in baking after we read The Little Red Hen) carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2013/12/pre-school-storytime-whats-in-oven.html

Participatory storytelling/theater (e.g. showing how we act out The Three Little Pigs in my Houses & Homes storytime, Green Eggs & Ham for Eggs or Dr. Seuss Day, The Frog Hopi Rainstick story for our Rain storytime)

Fall Favorites:
The Little Red House with No Doors & No Windows, a Chimney On Top & a Star in the Middle (tip: instantly turn flannel pieces into hanging signs for kids to wear using plastic paper protector sleeves with stiff paper inserts & yarn ribbon to hang around each child's neck)

It's Monster Day song with flannel pieces quickly cut using pinking sheers & google eyes.

Big Pumpkin, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, One Dark Night, Old McDonald Had a Haunted House and other Halloween-themed stories & Songs.

Turkey Towel-Folding Story and Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie Prop for Thanksgiving

Stone Soup  (using our Halloween plastic cauldron plus puppets, & 3D veggies (sewn from felt) and  Snowball fight made from plastic bags for winter storytimes

These and many more ideas are posted on my blog: CarolSimonLevin.blogspot.com. Family storytelling and historical impersonations programs are at: tellingherstories.com.

Carol Simon Levin, Youth Services Librarian, Somerset County Library Bridgewater, 908 526-4016 x126. Please feel free to contact me at cslevin59@gmail.com.

UnCommon Core -- Youth Services Forum 2014 –Slides

For a TERRIFIC post  about using picture book biographies as mentor texts at any grade level, check out: http://teachwithpicturebooks.blogspot.com/2014/02/heroes-of-history.html




Carol Simon Levin is a Youth Services Librarian at the Bridgewater Branch of the Somerset County Library.  She is a passionate fan of great non-fiction and biography, particularly those titles that spark the imagination of young readers.

Dr. Ellen Pozzi is an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the School Library Media Program at William Paterson University. She has been on the Garden State Children Books Awards committee for over a decade, and is a past president of the Children’s Services Section. Ellen enjoys reading nonfiction books for readers of all ages.

A complete copy of this presentation, book & resource lists  can be found here:
http://guides.wpunj.edu/content.php?pid=631942&sid=5228723

Nonfiction Blogs – courtesy of Ellen Pozzi:
•The Uncommon Core
•Nonfiction Monday
•The Nonfiction Detectives
•Great Common Core Nonfiction for YAs
•INK Nonfiction Minute
•The Classroom Bookshelf
•Common Core Exemplar Texts

AASL has two GREAT resources:

1. http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslissues/toolkits/CCSSActionToolkit_2014.pdf Common Core State Standards Action Toolkit for Public Librarians (11 pg. doc)
   
2. http://www.ala.org/aasl/ecollab/ccss101 The Common Core and the Public Librarian: Reaching Patrons and Students (1 hr. Webinar)

Here's the link to the Prezi Ellen and Arlen Kimmelman did at NJLA 2014. It's  "public" and "reusable"  http://prezi.com/ur5gah-zj8ao/teaming-up-to-support-common-core/

In the Prezi, slide  #23 lists what public librarians already do to support Common Core:

• award winning titles
• connections to non-fiction audiobooks
• story times & book clubs
• highlighting primary sources
• navigating the shelves
• topic displays
• lists of matching fiction to nonfiction

That is also the type of information that is in the AASL Toolkit mentioned above.

Here is the link to our bibliography for the presentation:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12C2agjp1l0leBStZsnO5Tn1cR8F2dyyNAAD2Tnn3Vco/edit?usp=sharing

--Mrs. Arlen Kimmelman, Librarian

National Board Certified Teacher

President-Elect, New Jersey Association of School Librarians

Clearview Regional High School, Mullica Hill, NJ 08062

http://clearviewregional.edu/docs/hs/libra/HomePage/Index.html

"Saying you don't need a Librarian because you have the Internet is like saying you don't need a Math Teacher because you have a calculator."  ~Don Reynolds, TLA

Great reviews of "un-common" science picture books: http://www.smartbooksforsmartkids.com/20-best-science-books-children-2014/  (site has great reviews & author interviews in general)

Another good resource:

Picturing the World: Informational Picture Books for Children 

by Kathleen T. Isaacs

Presentation on Outreach for NJ Youth Services Forum February 7th, 2013

More information about each program can be found at the bottom of this blog entry and in individual listings elsewhere in this blog.

Sample Parent Letter for Afterschool Programs:
I use the back side to include information about the specific program I did that day at the center – some samples:





Sample Parent Letter for Preschool Programs (printed double-sided, two per 8.5x14 sheet):


Full descriptions of the programs listed above (also available, sometimes with more detail & updates, as individual program listings in this blog).