STEAM + Read for the Record | HIGHLIGHT

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Nicole Ulvestad has been the librarian at RF Pettigrew Elementary Library in the Sioux Falls School District for a full decade now. Read on to find out how she connected STEAM with Read for the Record in her library...
mural
Mrs. Ulvestad holding Oshie, a Green-Cheeked Conure Parrot. Oshie was a guest at the school's Halloween parade.

 After seeing something similar at her son's elementary school, Nicole chose to take this colorful idea one step further and connect it with a Read for the Record book and STEAM.

 Utilizing the Read for the Record book, Maybe Something Beautiful, Nicole was able to use the library as the vehicle to build rapport within her school community and to highlight the arts - all while focusing on literacy.
title cover
goodreads.com
During each class, Nicole read and discussed Maybe Something Beautiful. She then invited each student to decorate a feather and cut it out. Students then assembled the feathers one by one to create the feathery, colorful mural in the hallway.

The goal with the mural was to encourage students to feel as though they were walking out of the school each day with wings on their back to bravely rise up to their dreams with courage and passion!

 Nicole invited teachers to use the mural for fun classroom photos too.

Visit the book's website for lots of resources like author/illustrator bios, teacher's guide, and trailer.

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