Reflection 1.2
1.2 Literacy and reading
Candidates are aware of major trends in reading material for children and youth. Candidates select materials in multiple formats to address the needs and interests of diverse young readers and learners. Candidates use a variety of strategies to promote leisure reading. They model their personal enjoyment of reading in order to promote the habits of creative expression and lifelong reading.
During the course of this cohort, various classes provided me with the strategies, information, and exposure to a variety of literature genres that enabled me to meet the guidelines of Standard 1.2. This standard focuses on the media specialist being able to address the needs and interests of young readers and to promote leisure reading within the student body. In EDUC 590 (Children’s Literature) and EDUC 590 (Young Adult Literature) we discussed the use of a variety of strategies to promote functional and recreational reading. Many formats were explored: audio books, books on trendy devices such as an ipod shuffle, Green Earth Awards (hosted each year by Salisbury University), graphic novels, international books, wordless picture books, as well as, newly published fiction and nonfiction. Literary elements such as plot, voice, character, setting, style, and themes were explored. Visual literacy and the ability to deconstruct a picture had an impact on me that has changed the way I teach with picture books. No more will I ever take a book’s illustration for granted. I learned not only how each picture has a story to tell in itself, but the images mean as much to a picture book as the text.
In ISTC 789 (Practicum), I designed a lesson unit comparing/contrasting two very different illustrators using the same poem, Casey at the Bat. My students were amazed at the polarizing feelings elicited from each book.
The literature courses also exposed me to the major trends in reading material for children and young adults. Encouraging students to read by doing books talks led to some enjoyable projects using photostory and animoto. I have included 4 of these talks with my artifacts, but Babymouse was the only age appropriate book I could share with my younger age group. In response, Babymouse books went flying off the shelves. I also taught my second graders to do book reports themselves using voki’s; my artifact includes some of those.
Reading is actively promoted within our library and in our school. In ISTC 689 (Multimedia in the Classroom), I made a video with a group of students promoting our library and how to choose just-right books. At the beginning of each year, in particular with my second graders, we read, Goldilocks and the Three Libearians, talk about the Five Finger Rule, and I play this video story.
I also am the administrator of the Accelerated Reader program where we have 100% participation in grades 1 and 2. We strive to have a diverse selection of books which are clearly identified with a color dot designating a reading level. Teachers send students to the library, for instance, looking for 15 ‘blue’ dot books for their classroom reading baskets. We have purchased over 6,000 AR tests over the last 8 years, although next year we have signed up for the Accelerated Reader Enterprise online version, where all tests will be available to our students.
An incentive I began this year targeted students who achieved 100% of their goal. Those students received a place of honor on the Wall of Fame outside the library windows. After the first child’s picture was spied on the wall, we had an onslaught of winners wanting their pictures taken too. Each child chose their favorite place in the school (inside or out), along with their favorite book, and an 8 X 10 was put up on the wall. I was happy to see that two-thirds of the winners chose the library as their most favorite place in the school!
Reading is encouraged through my Lunch @ the Library group. Flat Stanley was a much loved book. We would meet once a week and after reading the book, we made our own Flat Stanley’s, sending them to hosts within the state of Maryland (integrating with our school’s yearlong study of our state). We also reenacted the story with puppets for a presentation to the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes and each student appeared on our closed circuit television system sharing their Stanley’s adventures.
We had the opportunity to host a Flat Joey from Nebraska. Members of our book club took turns taking him home for the weekend and a letter was written by each describing life on the eastern shore. When it was time to return our visitor, we enclosed lots of pictures and a box of our famous Dolle’s salt water taffy.
I host 2 Book Fairs a year. This February, I held a first ever Build a Potato contest and thought I would end up with a handful of contestants. It ended up being a huge success with over 60 entries. I have a slide show of our wonderful entries in my artifacts.
Black-Eyed Susan nominated books are purchased at the beginning of each school year. I set up a display in the library and have the teachers read them to their classes at their leisure. We gather votes in March and April and I combine that with a lesson on the award and how special it is that ‘kids’ actually get to do the choosing.
Each year, our library hosts the Canine Ambassadors. These are a group of ladies with well trained dogs who teach the children how to interact with dogs, how to protect themselves from an aggressive dog, and much more valuable information. We are able to prepare for their visit by exploring all of our nonfiction books on dogs. The kindergarten children love this unit!
I offer a Birthday Book Club to those families who would like to donate a hardbound book to the library in honor of a special event or birthday. In April, we celebrate these birthdays with cupcakes in the library. This gift book legacy will hopefully be circulated and enjoyed by many children for years. Anytime one of these books is found in the library (through a book plate in the front) the students will bring it to me to show what they have found (as if I didn’t know!). Additionally, this information is entered into our OPAC system…..a student’s name can be entered in the catalog and the donated book will be displayed.
For the first time this year, in March, we invited five Parkside High School athletes to our school to read to our students in the library. This was made possible through collaboration with the Parkside Librarian, Erin Smith, who had been a member of our cohort. What a huge success this turned out to be! The entire school was abuzz as to what was happening in the library. The only negative is that they couldn’t read to everyone. Plans for next year are to host these Reading Leaders every quarter.
Guest Reader Day is held in June, which I head up, and community leaders come into the school throughout the day and read to classes. We also support the Hit the Books program with the Shorebirds and each year our school marches across the infield with our WES banner held high. Finally, last year we had a million minutes of reading challenge that our students achieved. This year it was raised to two million minutes with the parents also recording their minutes.
I strive to make reading a top priority for our students, as well as our library the most inviting and exciting place to be. I feel that I am building a valuable foundation for our children that will stay with them as they begin their journey as lifelong learners!
1.2 Literacy and reading
Candidates are aware of major trends in reading material for children and youth. Candidates select materials in multiple formats to address the needs and interests of diverse young readers and learners. Candidates use a variety of strategies to promote leisure reading. They model their personal enjoyment of reading in order to promote the habits of creative expression and lifelong reading.
During the course of this cohort, various classes provided me with the strategies, information, and exposure to a variety of literature genres that enabled me to meet the guidelines of Standard 1.2. This standard focuses on the media specialist being able to address the needs and interests of young readers and to promote leisure reading within the student body. In EDUC 590 (Children’s Literature) and EDUC 590 (Young Adult Literature) we discussed the use of a variety of strategies to promote functional and recreational reading. Many formats were explored: audio books, books on trendy devices such as an ipod shuffle, Green Earth Awards (hosted each year by Salisbury University), graphic novels, international books, wordless picture books, as well as, newly published fiction and nonfiction. Literary elements such as plot, voice, character, setting, style, and themes were explored. Visual literacy and the ability to deconstruct a picture had an impact on me that has changed the way I teach with picture books. No more will I ever take a book’s illustration for granted. I learned not only how each picture has a story to tell in itself, but the images mean as much to a picture book as the text.
In ISTC 789 (Practicum), I designed a lesson unit comparing/contrasting two very different illustrators using the same poem, Casey at the Bat. My students were amazed at the polarizing feelings elicited from each book.
The literature courses also exposed me to the major trends in reading material for children and young adults. Encouraging students to read by doing books talks led to some enjoyable projects using photostory and animoto. I have included 4 of these talks with my artifacts, but Babymouse was the only age appropriate book I could share with my younger age group. In response, Babymouse books went flying off the shelves. I also taught my second graders to do book reports themselves using voki’s; my artifact includes some of those.
Reading is actively promoted within our library and in our school. In ISTC 689 (Multimedia in the Classroom), I made a video with a group of students promoting our library and how to choose just-right books. At the beginning of each year, in particular with my second graders, we read, Goldilocks and the Three Libearians, talk about the Five Finger Rule, and I play this video story.
I also am the administrator of the Accelerated Reader program where we have 100% participation in grades 1 and 2. We strive to have a diverse selection of books which are clearly identified with a color dot designating a reading level. Teachers send students to the library, for instance, looking for 15 ‘blue’ dot books for their classroom reading baskets. We have purchased over 6,000 AR tests over the last 8 years, although next year we have signed up for the Accelerated Reader Enterprise online version, where all tests will be available to our students.
An incentive I began this year targeted students who achieved 100% of their goal. Those students received a place of honor on the Wall of Fame outside the library windows. After the first child’s picture was spied on the wall, we had an onslaught of winners wanting their pictures taken too. Each child chose their favorite place in the school (inside or out), along with their favorite book, and an 8 X 10 was put up on the wall. I was happy to see that two-thirds of the winners chose the library as their most favorite place in the school!
Reading is encouraged through my Lunch @ the Library group. Flat Stanley was a much loved book. We would meet once a week and after reading the book, we made our own Flat Stanley’s, sending them to hosts within the state of Maryland (integrating with our school’s yearlong study of our state). We also reenacted the story with puppets for a presentation to the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes and each student appeared on our closed circuit television system sharing their Stanley’s adventures.
We had the opportunity to host a Flat Joey from Nebraska. Members of our book club took turns taking him home for the weekend and a letter was written by each describing life on the eastern shore. When it was time to return our visitor, we enclosed lots of pictures and a box of our famous Dolle’s salt water taffy.
I host 2 Book Fairs a year. This February, I held a first ever Build a Potato contest and thought I would end up with a handful of contestants. It ended up being a huge success with over 60 entries. I have a slide show of our wonderful entries in my artifacts.
Black-Eyed Susan nominated books are purchased at the beginning of each school year. I set up a display in the library and have the teachers read them to their classes at their leisure. We gather votes in March and April and I combine that with a lesson on the award and how special it is that ‘kids’ actually get to do the choosing.
Each year, our library hosts the Canine Ambassadors. These are a group of ladies with well trained dogs who teach the children how to interact with dogs, how to protect themselves from an aggressive dog, and much more valuable information. We are able to prepare for their visit by exploring all of our nonfiction books on dogs. The kindergarten children love this unit!
I offer a Birthday Book Club to those families who would like to donate a hardbound book to the library in honor of a special event or birthday. In April, we celebrate these birthdays with cupcakes in the library. This gift book legacy will hopefully be circulated and enjoyed by many children for years. Anytime one of these books is found in the library (through a book plate in the front) the students will bring it to me to show what they have found (as if I didn’t know!). Additionally, this information is entered into our OPAC system…..a student’s name can be entered in the catalog and the donated book will be displayed.
For the first time this year, in March, we invited five Parkside High School athletes to our school to read to our students in the library. This was made possible through collaboration with the Parkside Librarian, Erin Smith, who had been a member of our cohort. What a huge success this turned out to be! The entire school was abuzz as to what was happening in the library. The only negative is that they couldn’t read to everyone. Plans for next year are to host these Reading Leaders every quarter.
Guest Reader Day is held in June, which I head up, and community leaders come into the school throughout the day and read to classes. We also support the Hit the Books program with the Shorebirds and each year our school marches across the infield with our WES banner held high. Finally, last year we had a million minutes of reading challenge that our students achieved. This year it was raised to two million minutes with the parents also recording their minutes.
I strive to make reading a top priority for our students, as well as our library the most inviting and exciting place to be. I feel that I am building a valuable foundation for our children that will stay with them as they begin their journey as lifelong learners!