Window Writing Public Library Programming Observation Fayetteville Public Library Lynsey Moats

Free template from 2 I chose to complete my public library observation at the Fayetteville Public Library (FPL) located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Location

FPL Program Free template from 3 The program that I observed was a writing camp designed for students that will be in grades 4 th through 6 th during the upcoming school year. The program was a four day event that lasted one hour each day. Caitlyn Walsh, Youth Services Librarian, coordinated the program. Stephanie Cowan, 2 nd grade teacher at Owl Creek Elementary, taught the program.

Goals Free template from 4 There were two primary goals of the writing camp. 1.Students will have the opportunity to enjoy, enrich, and explore their writing capabilities. 2.Students will produce a piece of writing to be published in the Wanderer 2011 by Friday, June 24 th. C. Walsh, personal communication, June 27, S. Cowan, personal communication, June 22, 2011.

Free template from 5 After the students and Ms. Cowan shared their writing pieces from the previous day, she began building the students background knowledge about the writing theme of the day: Hiding and Seeking. Background Knowledge What items have you hidden? Where have you hidden items? What is the purpose of hiding items?

Read Aloud Free template from 6 Next, Ms. Cowan read aloud a picture book by Colin Thompson titled Looking for Atlantis. She used questioning strategies and different voices to represent the characters.

Visual Springboard Free template from 7 Thompsons book encouraged the use of imagination and illustrated a boy discovering a whole new world through a window. As a result, after the read aloud, Ms. Cowan had the students draw a window with four panes and illustrate items that they have hidden or sought. This activity was used as a visual springboard for the students writing activity.

Words are the tools that thinkers use. Free template from 8

9 Students were hard at work creating their window illustrations to help generate their creative thoughts. Photographs

Free template from 10 Writing Assignment Finally, Ms. Cowan taught a mini-lesson about informational writing. She demonstrated how the students can use their hands to recall the 5 W +H questions. She concluded the session by asking students to write in their journals about an item they have hidden or sought while answering the 5 W + H questions in their writing piece.