e mpowering o ur r eaders tywanna b. burton nbct vestavia hills elementary school-west 1965...

EMPOWERING OUR READERSEMPOWERING OUR READERS

Tywanna B. BurtonNBCT

Vestavia Hills Elementary School-West1965 Merryvale Road

Vestavia Hills, AL 35216EMAIL: [email protected]

“Reading is our Business”Promoting reading is essential as we instill a love

of reading in our learning communities

EVERYDAY POETRYEVERYDAY POETRY(SHARING THE POETRY OF CHILDREN AND TEENS)(SHARING THE POETRY OF CHILDREN AND TEENS)

The Open Door by Donna Marie Merritt

Truth sails across great spaces of invitations,

Offering images, which before,

Have only been mine in dreams…

The chance to be everywhere,

anywhere, nowhere

At once.

Who else knows of this wonder?

Has it popped up like a mushroom,

Stirring the silent earth

In the quiet of the night?

Where does this enchantment begin?

Do its delights ever end?

I step through

The open door

As other seekers appear, then

Disappear along myriad, marvelous paths

Into that secret world of possibilities…

The library.

LET’S TRANSFORM OUR MEDIA CENTERSLET’S TRANSFORM OUR MEDIA CENTERS

As the first common belief in the Standards for the 21st Century Learner indicates, the promotion of reading for pleasure and learning remains the core of our Library Media Centers.

Books-stories-are things that draw us to them. They speak across the globe; they reach across frontiers. They bring together the imaginary and the real, the local and the universal, the present and the past. They bring us together, just as they did when the first stories were told by firelight in ancient caves. They bring us together because each of us has that thing that is both ordinary and quite astonishing; the imagination, which allows the writer and the reader, the teller and the listener to reach out to each other.

David Almond



The Role of Reading Guideline: The school library media program

promotes reading as a foundational skill for learning, personal growth,

and enjoyment.


Actions: The school library media specialist: Models reading strategies in formal and informal

instruction Collaborates with teachers and other specialists to

integrate reading strategies into lessons and units of instruction

Acquires and promotes current, high-quality, high-interest collections of books and other reading resources in multiple formats

Develops initiatives to encourage and engage learners in reading, writing, and listening for understanding and enjoyment

Fosters reading for various pursuits, including personal pleasure, knowledge, and ideas

Creates an environment where independent reading is valued, promoted, and encouraged

Motivates learners to read fiction and nonfiction through reading aloud, booktalking, displays, exposure to authors, and other means

Creates opportunities to involve caregivers, parents, and other family members in reading

QUESTIONS

Editorial Focus: Explores What One Needs To Understand About Questions And Questioning To Be A Creative And Effective Teacher Or Learner

What does the research say about questions? What are the elements of a good question? Why do we have to teach children to ask questions? What is the role of different types of questions in learning? How can we sequence questions to shape learning? What instructional strategies make use of questions? How do questions help us assess learning and learners? How can one learn to become a better questioner? What and how do we teach students about questions? How do school librarians use student-generated questions? What is the relationship between questions and

dispositions? What does neuroscience tell us about questioning? What questions does that leave us with about the

connection between brain research and education? What is the connection between questions and creativity? What questions do we have about the connection between

creativity and intelligence?

QUESTIONS

Editorial Focus: Explores What One Needs To Understand About Questions And Questioning To Be A Creative And Effective Teacher Or Learner

How do questions differ across disciplines? How do we shape interdisciplinary questions to lead

toward intellectual coherence? How do conditional instruction and other instructional

strategies lead to divergent thinking? How does divergent thinking serve our students in

learning to learn?

ReadingReading is a foundational skill for 21st-century learners. Guiding learners to become engaged and effective users of ideas and information, and to appreciate literature, requires that they develop as strategic readers who can comprehend, analyze, and evaluate text in both print and digital formats.


Reading skills involve thinking skills. The extent to which young people use information depends upon their ability to understandings with what they already know, and to realize their unanswered questions. To this end, library media specialists model and collaboratively teach reading comprehension strategies: assess and use background knowledge, pose and answer questions that are appropriate to the task, make predictions and inferences, determine main ideas, and monitor reading comprehension, as well as the learning process.


The Learner is able to: Build upon prior knowledge to make sense of

new information Ask questions about the text before, during,

and after reading Monitor comprehension by summarizing,

predicting, and using fix-up strategies Determine what is important Draw inferences from the text Make connections Synthesize information to create new

knowledge

QUALITIES OF STRATEGIC READINGQUALITIES OF STRATEGIC READING

READING IS OUR BUSINESSREADING IS OUR BUSINESSHOW LIBRARIES CAN FOSTER READING COMPREHENSION

Step 1.

Transform our Physical Environments to Encourage Discourse and Reflection

Comfortable seating/lighting comfortable chairsCreate areas where readers can gather talk, skim, and

browse appropriate technologies


Step 2.

Teach Comprehension strategies through booktalks or storytimes

Begin a study group with fellow librarians, teachers, or parents. Read 7 Keys to Comprehension; How to Help Your Kids Read It and Get It! (Zimmermann and Hutchins 2003); Strategies that Work: Teaching Comprehension to Enhance Understanding (Harvey and Goudvis 2000); and Reading with Meaning: Teaching Comprehension in the Primary Trades (Miller 2002).

Step 3.Create a Forum for the Arts

• Organize book discussion• Display students’ work• Use puppets/engage students in Reader’s Theatre• Showcase multimedia productions (podcasts, videos)• Provide access to hardware/software for students• Include Social networking


Step 4.Create a Community of Readers through Shared Questions

• Organize book discussion groups based on the questioning strategy.

• Host and monitor question blogs for various genres: mystery, science, fiction, fantasy, and historical and realistic fiction

• Create online book clubs • Create an electric display of fiction books almost

guaranteed to provoke questions


Step 5.

Share Your Expertise with Parents and Teachers• Collaborate with teachers. School librarians should meet

at least monthly with grade-level or content-area teams to co-plan instruction. The collaboration must be scheduled through and supported by school administrators, it should not be the result of hurried conversations in the hall or after school. We have too much to offer and much to learn from our colleagues. Demonstrate the need for shared planning time by presenting to school administrators the results of the numerous studies that show increases in student achievement when library media specialists collaborate with classroom teachers.

• Collaborate with other Librarians• Collaborate with Parents


ConnectConnect

VisualizeVisualize

QuestionQuestion

Find AnswersFind Answers

Determine ImportanceDetermine Importance

Infere and PredictInfere and Predict

Analyze and SynthesizeAnalyze and Synthesize

GOOD READERS CANGOOD READERS CAN

GOOD READERS CAN MAKE:GOOD READERS CAN MAKE:

Text - to - Self

Text - to - Text

Text - to - World

GOOD QUESTIONS TO ASK: GOOD QUESTIONS TO ASK:

• Based on the title, what do you predict this book will be about?• Does the cover illustration confirm or contradict your prediction?• Who is the author, and what do we know about him or her?• Can we tell from the title, cover, or author what genre this book is?

• What is your favorite part of the story?• What problem did the main character face, and how did he or she

solve it?• What happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the story?• How did the setting contribute to the story?

• Why did you choose this book?• What do you think will happen next? Which part of the text makes

you think that?

GOOD QUESTIONS TO ASK: GOOD QUESTIONS TO ASK:

• Does this book remind you of anything that has ever happened to you?

• What have you been wondering as you read this?• Does this book make you think of anything else you have read?• Were there any words or phrases in your reading that you really

liked? Which ones?• What has been your favorite part of the book so far? Why?• Was there a part of the book that surprised you? Why?• Would you like to read another book by the same author? Why or

why not?• Can you think of someone else you know who would like this book?

Why?• Is this book too hard, too easy, or just right for you? How do you

know?• Were there any places in the book that had you confused? Did you

reread to help you understand?

Read the back cover summary Read the reviews on the back Read the first page Read “about the author” blurb Look at the cover Other things we could do to find out about a book.

Before You Read - Shiloh Before You Read - Shiloh

QUESTIONING

QUESTIONING

USING PROMPTS• As you are reading, record questions that you have. I

wonder…

FOR UNDERSTANDING• What were some of the questions you asked yourself while

you were reading to make sure that you were understanding the book?

THE CHARACTERS OR AUTHOR• What are some questions you would like to ask the author or

the characters in the book?

USING A WEB• create a web of questions you have while reading.

USING A MIND MAP• Create a mind map of questions and answers you

have while reading.

QUESTIONING

JUST ONE QUESTION• If you could ask the author or Characters just one question

about this book, what is the most important thing you’d want to know

LETTER TO THE AUTHOR• Write a brief letter to the author asking him/her to answer

some questions that you have about the book. For example, you may be wondering why he/she chose a certain character…

FOR FURTHER INQUIRY• Write a new question that you have now that you would like

to research further.

QUESTIONING CHART

As you read, add to the chart things you know and things youstill want to learn.

Things I know Thing I still want to learn

QUESTIONING (FQR)

Complete the FQR chart below. Select three important facts from the text. For each fact, record a question you have about it and your response to either the fact or your question.

FACT QUESTION RESPONSE

QUESTIONING RESEARCH REPORT

If you were using this book to start a research report, what are three questions that you could use to find out more about this subject? Record some of the things you have already learned by reading this book.

Inferring is when readers use their prior knowledge and textual clues to draw conclusions and form unique interpretations of text

What I’m thinking as I read each line: I’m inferring that…

INFERRING

Good readers always make predictions or tell what they think might happen before reading and as they read!

I predict… What was the thinking behind my prediction?

PREDICTING

Four common type of Blogs found in elementary classrooms. Classroom News Blog

Many classroom blogs are used to share news and information with parents and students.

Mirror Blog Mirror blogs allow bloggers to reflect on their thinking.

Showcase Blog Teachers use blogs to post student art projects,

podcasts, and writing in showcase blogs. Literature Response Blog

Literature response journals are common in elementary classrooms. A teacher may post a prompt and invite student responses to a text.

BLOGS

READING STRATEGIES

FOCUS LESSON CHECKLIST: READING STRATEGIES

Focus Lesson Dates Taught

Using what you already know (background knowledge)

Previewing

Predicting

Reading on to see if predictions make sense

Identifying important information

Thinking about what would make sense

Self-correcting when reading doesn’t make sense

Creating pictures in your head

Using flexible strategies to identify unknown words

Reading what you don’t know slowly and what you do know quickly

Asking yourself (or the text) questions

Finding evidence to support a point

Comparing/contrasting

Building vocabulary through reading

Analyzing, interpreting, inferring

FOCUS LESSON CHECKLIST: LITERATURE QUALITIES

Focus Lesson: Story Structure Dates TaughtBeginnings

Climax

Endings

Problems or attempts to solve problem

Beginning, middle, end

Focus Lesson: Memorable Language Dates TaughtInteresting words and phrases

Action verbs

Descriptive details

Alliteration

Similes, metaphors, analogy

Synonyms

FOCUS LESSON CHECKLIST: LITERATURE QUALITIES

Focus Lessons: Literary Elements Dates TaughtCharacter

Plot

Setting

Theme

Point of view and perspective

Tone and Mood

Persuasive devices

Focus Lessons: Genre Characteristics Dates TaughtRealistic fiction

Historical fiction

Fantasy and science fiction

Traditional literature (folktale, myth, legend, tale)

Poetry

Biography and autobiography

Informational books

PREPARING FOR DISCUSSIONS

Before you meet with your literature circle, choose a part of your book that:

Makes you wonder Makes you laugh Makes you sad or upset You don’t understand Was your favorite part Has interesting words Reminds you of another book Reminds you of something that has happened in

your life

Mark the parts you want to discuss or make a note in your journal about them. Be ready to talk about your choices.

LITERATURE CIRCLES GUIDELINESI am looking for:1. Getting started in one minute

Quickly and quietly carry your chairs to your spot, open books, and begin reading or discussion

2. Reading and Following Along Sit knee to knee Look at book Gently help others with words they don’t know

3. Cooperation Get along Work out disagreements Encourage members of your circle Respect others’ ideas and opinions

4. Discussion Ask questions Support ideas and opinions Disagree politely Listen: eyes and ears on speaker Vary responses (e.g., I notice…, I think…, I feel…, I wonder… This

reminds me of…)

http://readkiddoread.com/ http://www.c-t-l.org/kids_recommend.html http://www.hbook.com/pdf/childrensclassics.pdf http://www.utm.edu/departments/acadpro/library/newbery/

index.php http://www.publishersweekly.com/microsite/48891/booklife.html?

cache=false http://www.readingrockets.org/blogs/ http://www.boysread.org http://www.cbcbooks.org http://www.blogwithoutalibrary.net/links/index.php?

title=School_libraries http://nancykeane.com/booktalks http://www.sunlink.ucf.edu/weed/ http://megalibrarymedia.wikispaces.com/

WEBSITES

Bush,G. 2005. Every Student Reads: Collaboration and Reading to Learn. Chicago: ALA

Harvey, S. and A Goudvis, 2007. Strategies that Work: Teaching Comprehension for Understanding and Engagement, 2nd ed. Portland, ME: Stenhouse

Krashen, S. 2006. The Power of Reading. 2nd ed. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Miller,Debbie 2002. Reading with Meaning: Teaching Comprehension in the Primary Trades. Portland, ME: Stenhouse

Zimmermann and Hutchins, 2003. 7 Keys to Comprehension; How to Help Your Kids Read It and Get It!. CA: Three Rivers Press

BIBLIOGRAPHY

e mpowering o ur r eaders tywanna b. burton nbct vestavia hills elementary school-west 1965...

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