Lunch+Procedures

The following were ideas posted to CALIBK12, October 2017 by Yvonne Weinstein

Do you have a contract that specifies a 30 minute duty-free lunch?

1. Open seating area: 2. Puzzle area 3. Legos/ Little Bits/ sewing/ tinkering station/sewing area/ duct tape creation/ friendship bracelets areas- Ditto as for the puzzle area. Resources:  http://ascip.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Student-Supervision-Guidelines.pdf
 * We gave each of the tables and places where students sit a number, and posted small signs with the numbers on the center of the tables. We then created "tickets" (laminated) for the number of seats at each table. For example if there were 4 places at Table 1, we created 4 tickets with the number 1 on them. Ditto for all of the tables and seating areas.
 * We put all of the laminated tickets in a gift bag and each student entering the library who was there to study put their hand in the bag and drew a number. That number was the table where the student was to sit that day.
 * The numbered ticket was immediately dropped into a basket to be used the next lunch period. This meant that all students. including those who arrived in a group, were randomly placed at different tables to sit and study/read. Things were immediately much quieter. The first few days there was much gnashing of teeth because students wanted to sit together to socialize, but we stuck with our procedure or the student could choose to leave "Choose a number or choose to leave" was our mantra when we began this. After the first few days, the students got used to the procedure and knew to expect this when they were going to the library.
 * We created a sign in sheet with the maximum number of students who were allowed at the puzzle station. If students arrived to do puzzles, instead of drawing a number for a seating area, students signed in for puzzes. When the maximum number of slots was filled, no one else could work on the puzzles that day.