Elementary Media Center

Today I spent time in the media center at Sardis Enrichment School. I did not realize how busy the elementary school media center was. The media center was very warm and welcoming. The entire back wall had natural lighting, which really added to the media center environment. The book shelves were lined with dioramas and other student displays. In addition, many of the shelves were lined with books and stuffed animals that complemented the books or were actual characters in the books. There were several computers available for the students to use as well. The media specialist and media clerk were wonderful.

I was able to watch the media specialist read, Where is My Mummy? to a group of kindergarten students. The students were very engaged and very well behaved. Then, a group of 4th graders came in to listen to The Headless Horseman. The media specialist had created an acceleratred reader quiz to go along with the book so the students could take a test to obtain AR points. I had the opportunity to sit down and read the AC test to a student who was unable to read the assessment, but knew the answers. The media specialist showed me how she created AR assessments for the teachers. Afterwards, a group of 2nd grader came in for enrichment time. They media specialist had taken them outside the previous week and gave pairs of students cameras. The students took pictures of each other and created a PhotoStory along with an essay, "All About Me". I was very impressed with the students' work. I had the opportunity to watch the students create the entire PhotoStory from scratch, implement transitions, music, and script. I was amazed at how quick the students' picked up on PhotoStory and how willing each students was to experiement with the transitions, fonts, script, and music. One group of girls showed me their finished product, and they did an excellent job! I was very impressed.

The media specialist communicated that she had been in her position for 20 years. She initially began teaching with a degree in History, but after teaching 1 year, she transfered into the media specialist positions. the media clerk had graduated from high school with me. It was great to see her after 30+ years. The media specialist and media clerk were great. I had the opportunity to watch the media specialist collaborate with different teachers. She was very helpful to all of the teachers. I will say that the media specialist never sat down. She ate her lunch and worked at the same time. The elementary media center is very different from the high school. I enjoyed spending time at Sardis Enrichment Academy.