English Language Learners + Graphic Novels
Beginner’s Mind Recently I had a powerful if uncomfortable experience. I spent a month in Italy taking Italian language lessons.
TRAILS: Tool for Real-time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills
This is the procedure for a library media specialist or teacher to use TRAILS. 1. Create an Account From the homepage, click CREATE AN ACCOUNT. Complete the form.
Position Statement on Labeling Books with Reading Levels
The following position statement is currently under review to align with the National School Library Standards. Librarians use spine labels to organize and identify library resources by call number to help patrons locate general subject areas or specific fiction, non-fiction, reference, audiovisual, or other items. Viewpoint-neutral directional labeling in libraries increases students’ access to information and supports their First Amendment right to read. Best practice in school libraries includes books and other resources being shelved using a standard classification system that also enables students to find resources in other libraries, such as a public library, from which they may borrow materials. One of the realities some school librarians face in their jobs is pressure by administrators and classroom teachers to label and arrange library collections according to reading levels.
I’ve Got Research. Yes, I Do. I’ve Got Research. How About You?
In 1847, Hungarian doctor, Ignaz Semmelweis made a remarkable discovery. When doctors washed their hands in a solution of chlorine and water, childbirth fever rates at Vienna General Hospital dropped from 18% to near zero. Offended that Semmelweis implied doctors were killing their own patients, the medical community rejected hand washing as an infection prevention measure, and drove Semmelweis out of medicine and into an insane asylum. A few years later, Louis Pasteur and Joseph Lister made scientific advances that reinforced Semmelwies’s claims about germ theory and infection.
Include – NSLS Shared Foundations Challenge
I’ve given myself the challenge of spending a few weeks with each of the Shared Foundations in the new National School Library Standards. Unsure about the new standards? My intro post has some explanation. The standard I’ll be focusing on for the next few weeks will be include. Once I dove into the “include” section of the standards, I realized that I had a misconception of what “include” was. I’d say that most media specialists strive to be inclusive.
"The Good Stuff": Why Arguments about YA Matter
Years ago, after weeks of urging teachers to come to me for student book recommendations, an English teacher dropped by to take me up on my offer. I asked her what kinds of books she wanted for her 8th graders. “Good books,” she replied promptly. And then, looking over her shoulder as if checking for the library police, “None of that Young Adult literature…just, you know, the good stuff.” At a conference a few years later, a high school librarian lowered her voice and leaned towards me.
Broward County Public School Students - Your ID is Your Key!
DATE: September 29, 2017MEDIA CONTACT: Catherine McElrath Libraries DivisionEMAIL: cmcelrath@Broward.org PHONE: 954-357-7402 BROWARD COUNTY, FL - Broward County Public School students - your ID is your key! Broward County Libraries (BCL) and Broward County Public Schools have partnered to offer students outstanding, free educational resources through the BCL Digital Direct Library Card. Just use your ID number as your new BCL Digital Direct Library Card.
Position Statement on the Value of Independent Reading in the School Library Program
The following position statement is currently under review to align with the National School Library Standards. In an information age, literacy demands not only the ability to read and write, but also the ability to process information and communicate effectively. Research suggests that reading proficiency increases with the amount of time spent reading voluntarily. Unfortunately, independent reading is often a casualty in our fast paced, media-oriented society. Today's students know how to read but have little or no interest in doing so.
Guess My Lexile - The Book Whisperer
What do Jeff Kinney's popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Ray Bradbury's classic Fahrenheit 451 have in common? What about Gossip Girl: A Novel, Cicely von Ziegesar's catty romance and The Great Gilly Hopkins, Katherine Paterson's 1979 Newbery Honor book? While clear distinctions exist between each book's literary merit, age appropriateness, and reader appeal, these titles possess one similarity--they sit within the same Lexile text complexity band.** Well-meaning educators, concerned about increasing text complexity and reading rigor, engage in this game of "Guess My Lexile" when denouncing the low-reading level of young adult literature, elevating certain titles over others, or dictating book purchases and recommended reading lists.
Flipping the Library: Tips from Three Pros
Through the use of innovative technologies and online resources, school libraries can now be available to students wherever—and whenever—they need them. “Flipped” or blended learning offers students the power of personalized instruction, through a mix of virtual and face-to-face interactions, at a student’s own pace. Embracing this concept is a must for student engagement and the future of the profession, say school librarians Joyce Valenza, Brenda Boyer, and Michelle Luhtala. The powerhouse trio of experts shared their thoughts on the concept during “Flipped School Libraries,” a rapid-fire, dynamic session during The Digital Shift: Reinventing Libraries (#TDS13) webcast on October 16, in which they exchanged tips, inspiration, motivation, and their favorite tech tools. “The library has to be flipped.
How to Reach the Dormant Readers
Can Books Compete with VR? Dormant vs. Reluctant Readers As with most things Donalyn Miller (a.k.a. The Book Whisperer) writes, I wish I had thought of it.
Welcome to School Library Expert Support - Todaro ALA Initiative SCHOOL LIBRARIES WORKSPACE "Libraries Transform: The Expert in the Library" - LibGuides at Austin Community College
Skip to main content Todaro ALA Initiative SCHOOL LIBRARIES WORKSPACE "Libraries Transform: The Expert in the Library": Welcome to School Library Expert Support AASL Infographic Strong School Libraries Build Strong Students (AASL Infographic)
Five Librarian Bloggers to Follow
There are so many blogs about librarianship that it would be difficult to follow them all. Everyone has his or her favorites, of course, but NewsBreaks is highlighting some you may not have heard of in the hopes you’ll find it worthwhile to hear their perspectives. If you already know about these passionate authorial librarians, read on for some insight into why they started their blogs and what advice they’d give to those thinking about blogging. If these names are new to you, check out what you’ve been missing. David Lee King David Lee King is the eponymous blog of a digital services director whose interests include social media, emerging trends, and libraries.
Meeting Readers Where They Are: Mapping the intersection of research and practice
Meeting Readers Where They Are: Mapping the intersection of research and practice The reading patterns and habits of young and old are changing as reading migrates from the printed page to the computer screen. Now, new forms of expression such as remixes and mash-ups are emerging from interactive digital environments. How can school librarians help students read with understanding in dynamic digital environments? How can they anticipate the help young people need to successfully negotiate new forms of reading? Examining current reading practices—and the underlying research-based beliefs that may or may not guide those practices—can not only help us improve our work today, but it can also help us create future practices.
