Accidental STEAM from
the Library Reading Program
“Read Seed and Feed” is under way with over
60,285
minutes read and reported in the first week of reading!
Books and periodicals are being read, banners are flying in the LS and MS
parking lots, gardens of seeds are being “planted” in the Tanglewood library and
MS collection space,
librarians
are blogging, and microgreens are sprouting in classrooms. We even have a hash tag - #SSFSReads! (Thanks, Michelle!)
Each year your librarians strive to create a reading program
that encourages students to read and illustrates how reading, in a quiet but
ever-present way, empowers individuals to shape their own lives and influence
the world around them. In doing so we
try to incorporate thinking and activity across academic departments.
Interdisciplinary and real world opportunities have been
part of the SSFS approach to learning since its founding in 1961 - think maple
syrup in 2nd grade and Assateague in 8th. Approaching projects through multiple disciplines
is a much talked about in education these days, particularly when it comes to
science. You may have heard the acronyms
STEM or STEAM. Turns out the library
reading program is moving full STEAM ahead.
S is
for Science: plant biology, seeds,
gardening, nutrition, food cycle
T is for Technology:
blogging,
posting, and tweeting
A is for Art: displays, Black
History Month bulletin board, one class is making an artistic surprise for the
rest of us
M is for Math: calculations, conversions, estimates and predictions
When I asked a group of MS students, “Why read?” I got a
diverse set of answers: to learn, to
understand others, to relax, to escape, to figure out stuff, to figure out
about myself.
Reading opens the way.
