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. The Lexile Framework for Reading by Metametrix provides quantitative assessment of both students' reading levels and texts' complexity. I have no issue with assessing students' reading levels and identifying text complexity.
Articles - How to be an anti-racist librarian | BfK No. 243 Zoey Dixon suggests ways to make your library anti-racist. Her advice will be useful for everyone, whatever your role. The recent Black Lives Matter protests have shown how many people recognise that systemic racism, and particularly anti-black racism, is rife in everyday life. People are not just angry at the killing of George Floyd, but at the lack of action from industries and organisations that, often unintentionally, uphold and perpetuate the oppression of Black people. In the library profession, 97% of library workers identify as white (2015 ARA/CILIP Workforce Mapping). As children’s librarians, supporting Black people and being anti-racist goes beyond just listening and educating yourself; that is the first step, but it is not enough. Here are some actions you could take, focussing on supporting Black people to create a diverse and inclusive book collection, work environment and community space: 1. 2. 3. In Lambeth, where I work, more than 50% of staff are Black or Asian. 4.
What the Research Says: Reading Self-Selected Books for Fun | edu@scholastic Nurturing a love of reading comes naturally when we rely on good research to guide us. On edu@scholastic, we're featuring five important issues related to children's literacy development—and evidence supporting the importance of each one. Today we take on "Reading Self-Selected Books for Fun." The Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report: Fifth Edition confirms what we’ve long known: Independent reading, both at school and at home, builds successful readers. The report adds to the abundant data we’ve had for years that demonstrates that in-school independent reading centered on reading books for fun creates kids who love to read. Some of the first research linking choice to reading pleasure dates back to the 1970s in a report titled They Love to Read by Dr. References: Scholastic Kids & Family Reading ReportTM: Fifth Edition commissioned by Scholastic and conducted by YouGov; 2014.
FYI | 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. 1. Do we provide enough reading opportunities? While passive activities create interest in reading, and possibly motivation, they are more effective when balanced with active reading through sustained silent reading. 2. 3. Do young people believe they have free choice?
Build a Reading Culture – Pete the Librarian I asked teacher-librarians for their favourite and most effective ideas to build a strong reading culture in schools. The response was overwhelming, and I’ve collated the ideas under six categories: Reading, Events, Programs, Relationships, Students and Environment. Many thanks to everybody who responded with such enthusiasm and generosity. Select an image to open in a new window. Like this: Like Loading...
Knowledge Quest | AASL Reading communities: why, what and how? Cremin, Teresa (2019). Reading communities: why, what and how? NATE, Primary Matters Magazine. Are you seeking to build a vibrant community of readers in your classroom and/or school? monthly total The Draw-a-Reader Test: Informal Assessment Supporting Teacher Inquiry My department was trying to fill a position in science education and we were interviewing a candidate who had worked extensively with inner-city youth to support their interest in and confidence about science. The job candidate presented a fascinating Powerpoint presentation showing photographs of the summer workshops she facilitated in which girls and boys from economically disadvantaged homes gathered for six weeks in the summer to explore science. To measure the impact of the summer program on children's perceptions of what it meant to be a scientist, the facilitators asked students to take the Draw a Scientist Test (DAST) at the beginning and the end of their summer experience. The DAST was designed "as an open-ended projective test to detect children's perceptions of scientists" (Nuno, 1998) by asking them to draw a picture of a scientist doing science. Other researchers used Chambers' data to develop a checklist of children's stereotypes about scientists (i.e. Next Steps 1. 2. 3.
Enid Blyton slammed by English Heritage as a “racist, sexist, homophobe” | Th... Celebrated children’s author Enid Blyton has been trending on Twitter in Australia after her work was deemed “racist and xenophobic”, according to English Heritage. The Sun reports that an article on English Heritage’s website about the late Famous Five author noted that her work “has been criticised during her lifetime and after for its racism, xenophobia and lack of literary merit”. It noted that her story The Little Black Doll was criticised after “the doll of the title, Sambo, is only accepted by his owner once his ‘ugly black face’ is washed ‘clean’ by rain”. English Heritage also claimed Blyton was rejected by the Royal Mint for commemoration on the 50p coin because she was “a racist, sexist, homophobe and not a very well-regarded writer”. However, the organisation confirmed it has “no plans whatsoever” to remove a blue plaque for Blyton. The author is commemorated with a plaque from the heritage organisation outside her former home in Chessington, southwest London.
Use the news to teach reading comprehension | District Administration Magazine Allowing students to explore news articles that spark their curiosity can provide a bigger literacy boost than having them read nonfiction texts about random topics far removed from a youngster’s interests. At Lancaster Middle School near Buffalo, New York, students read news articles to help write stories for a classroom magazine and to prepare for debates in social studies. The articles are a highly effective tool to teach students how to summarize and organize information in their writing and their arguments, says Christine Stockslader, a librarian at the school, which is part of the Lancaster Central School District. “When students read and understand current events, they are extremely interested and form strong opinions,” Stockslader says. This engagement also allows Stockslader and classroom teachers to build students’ abilities to make valid inferences, and to compare and contrast content and how it is presented. Upcoming Literacy Conferences Chicago, June 26-28 Orlando, July 15-17
The time to read To enhance motivation to read amongst our staff, the QLiteracy Committee decided that choice of reading material for staff was a powerful motivator in gaining staff commitment to the program. All staff were invited to select a book of their choice as the Christmas holiday period commenced, as a gift from the school. This was a very special way to formally introduce Just Read to our staff. Staff collection in the library Very early in the project it became apparent that staff would be relying on our school libraries to support their daily reading practice. The clear expectation for all staff during these 20 minutes is to stop formal teaching and learning, pick up a book of their choice and read silently. ‘Currently Reading’ posters It is not enough to simply give staff time to read – it is critical to make reading and books a visual constant around our school campuses. Drip-feeding for success Targeted professional development Image credits Images supplied by Gabrielle Mace
Study: Teachers Value Independent Reading But Lack Class Time for It Nearly all teachers and principals believe students should have time for independent reading at school, yet only about a third of teachers set aside time each day for this, according to a recent survey by Scholastic. The new report, released today, looks at how nearly 3,700 preK-12 teachers (including several dozen school librarians) and more than 1,000 principals answered questions about student reading and access to books. The findings, considered nationally representative, were part of a larger study that the education-publishing company released in November on equity in education. The literacy findings show that 94 percent of teachers and principals agree or strongly agree that "students should have time during the school day to read a book of their choice independently." When independent reading occurs, students spend an average of 22 minutes on it. Asked about the primary barrier to independent reading time, 9 out of 10 teachers cited "demands of the curriculum." In School At Home
How Much Do Authors Make Per Book? This post contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Book Riot may earn a commission. How much do authors make per book? As with everything else in publishing, the answer is: It depends. In 2018, the Authors Guild partnered with 14 other writers organizations as well as some publishing platforms to conduct a survey of 5,067 professional writers in the United States. How do authors get paid? Before we get into the numbers, I want to explain how author payment works in the traditional publishing industry, since I’ve seen a lot of confusion about it. Once the book is published, authors make a percentage of sales (more on this later) for each book sold, which are their “royalties.” This is a general description of the process and there are any amount of variances. How much do authors make per book? A traditionally published author makes 5–20% royalties on print books, usually 25% on ebooks (though can be less), and 10–25% on audiobooks. Maxym M.
Research supporting a focus on independent reading for students by tforrest Nov 13