Move Over Dick and Jane: Reconsidering Books for Beginning Readers

What constitutes a book for beginning readers? Do they come in one format or many? Historically media specialist and reading teachers have referred to Frog and Toad or Dr. Seuss books as beginning readers. Many of the Geisel Award winners and honor books are bold departures from these titles. Full of innovative writing and book design these books offer rewarding experiences for beginning readers in your school library. Are you ready to change your perception of books for beginning readers? Interactive workshop. Powerpoint Slide Show. Handout.

Several folks expressed the feeling that classroom teachers will not embrace the picture book Geisel winners as appropriate books for early readers. The absence of text blocks, no chapters, and the picture book format will not match the expectations teachers have for students who are learning to read. Is the problem with the books or with educator’s perceptions of what reading “looks” like?

More discussion when I have had more sleep.

The Whole Enchilada: Visioning, Planning, and Implementing Media Programs for Learning and Teaching

We are bombarded with talk about the information age and the importance of information and information technology in education. But, there’s a gap between recognition of need and having vibrant, essential media programs that meet the needs of students and teachers. In this keynote, Mike Eisenberg challenges media specialists to be true innovators and agents of change with the “A-B-C” approach: Articulate a vision, Be strategic, Communicate! (This presentation is based on a seminal article that appeared in the September 2002 issue of School Library Journal.)

Here are my notes from this session:

The next president will be the Google president – government information, world news and events – so much will be available online in this information age.  We need to equip students to navigate this environment.

Students – need to gain essential information knowledge & skills

Will we ever adopt the Teacher-Librarian label used in Canada?  This places an emphasis on the teaching role we preform everyday.

The A-B-C approach

Articulate a vision and agenda – “to ensure that students…are effective users of ideas and information”

Teach information skills, Advocate reading, Manage information resources and services.  What is the percentage of your total work time that is devoted to each of these areas?

Be strategic – Attitude is everything.  What if North Carolina created a core collection and provided it to every school in the state?  Wouldn’t this free up the Teacher Librarian to do things other than collection development and selection? Teacher-Librarian’s can give a context to all the technology tools.  What does a wiki do?  How does these tech tools connect to educational goals? Don’t be isolated! Look for the “Big Juicies” – the major projects that each teacher really is concerned about doing.

Communicate continuously – progress reports to administrators (10 week memo).

In summary – Embrace the vision & strategy, deliver an active engage program, be systematic, communicate, meet with all stakeholders, set up advisory committee.

I missed the slide handout – it should be available here soon and includes useful forms, documents, templates, and resources. Now the hard work – embracing these ideas and completing the planning documents!

Implementing the new standards brings changes in emphasis and relevance to evolving 21st century concept-based curriculum and technologies.  This session will highlight some of the standards and how they might be implemented in your program.

The American Association of School Librarians has recently launched National Plan for Implementation of the new AASL Learning Standards called Learning 4 Life.

North Carolina’s State Board of Education is busy working to revise the state’s approach to teaching and learning that will incorporate standards such as AASL’s. This is expressed in the new Framework for Change.

All of this connects to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills Framework

Standards are not curriculum, they support the development of curriculum.

Information literacy is one of the many educational goals we are addressing as educators.

Ending Topical Research.  Are we ready to change the research process to meet the demands of the 21st Century? Here’s a quote to think about

If we keep assigning topics, students will drive their earth moving equipment through the information landfill, pleased by the height and depth of the piles.

Putting an End
to Topical Research

By Jamie McKenzie

read the full article here: http://www.fno.org/feb07/topic.html

This article addresses the problematic nature of easily answered topical assignments. There is a wealth of information that can be found on most topics – if students are just finding the facts we aren’t asking them to critically think about the information they are finding and put it into a unique product.

One participant mentioned the need for student responsibility and accountability as being vital to achieving these Learning Standards.  The new Learning Standards address this through ethical behavior, reflective practice, and group based work.

“the library is a growing organism” – Ranganathan from the Five Laws of Library Science.

All of the presentations from DPI staff should be available at http://www.ncwiseowl.org/zones/professional/Conferences/Spring08/default.htm

SEPTEMBER 2008

September 18-20 / ALSC National Institute in Salt Lake City
more information and registration (deadline coming soon) information at http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscevents/institute/index.cfm
(I’ll be missing this one since our newest arrival is due during this time)

OCTOBER 2008

October 29-31 / North Carolina School Library Media Association Annual Conference in Winston-Salem, NC webpage http://www.ncslma.org/Conference.htm

My friend and colleague Vicki Stanfield and I will be presenting “Move over Dick and Jane: reconsidering books for beginning readers”

NOVEMBER 2008

November 13-14 / NCAIS Teacher Conference in Raleigh, NC more at http://www.ncais.org/events_current_indiv.asp?event=53

I will offer two sessions – “Great Reads for the Lower School” and “International Children’s Literature”

JANUARY 2009

January 10 / Librarian to Librarian Networking Summit at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC
webpage to follow

proposed session – “Great Reads – the Stars of 2008″

January 23-28 / ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver, CO – http://www.ala.org/ala/eventsandconferencesb/midwinter/2009/geninfo.cfm
consider the Bundled Registration which open September 2, 2008

FEBRUARY 2009

February 25 27, 2009 / NAIS Annual Conference in Chicago, IL, USA
Schools of the Future: Sailing the Winds of Change
http://www.nais.org/ac/ac.cfm?ItemNumber=150610&sn.ItemNumber=150620

My Independent school colleague from the Sidwell School, Patt Moser, and I have submitted a proposed a session on 21st Century Learning and the school library – we are awaiting a decision.

MARCH 2009

sometime in March / NCaect conference http://www.ncaect.org/index.html

considering a proposal about Google School Applications (Sites, Docs, gMail) and how our use of them supports the new 21st Century Learning standards. (give it a try here before Internet @ Schools).

March 30-31 / Internet at Schools East in Arlington, VA
http://www.infotoday.com/I@SE2009/default.shtml

considering a proposal about Google School Applications (Sites, Docs, gMail) and how our use of them supports the new 21st Century Learning standards.

APRIL 2009

April 18/ 2009 Arbuthnot Lecture in Clinton, TN http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/arbuthnothonor/2009arbuthnot.cfm

MAY 2009

I just can’t think about it yet….

Keynote speaker Will Richardson’s wiki, look for “A Web of Connections–Why the Read/Write Web Changes Everything”.

My presentation (ppt) on screencasting: Faculty Instruction in a Wink

Much to think about..more soon.

• Finding Your Buddy: Collaborative Teaching for Dynamic Results

• Independent School Libraries: a snapshot (PPT presentation)