Making the Library and School Events Accessible to Everyone in Our School

A couple of years ago, I came across Mrs. ReaderPants' reading incentive idea: book bingo.   I really liked her templates and easy to follow directions.  I shared the idea with two Special Education teachers in my building that teach students with intellectual disabilities in a program called PALS (People Achieving Life Skills).  The teachers really liked the idea because it encourages students to pick different types of books and provides a purpose for each visit.

This is our third year doing the book bingo program with our PALS students.  Students in the two PALS classes come in each Friday with bingo cards in hand.  We create stations in the library with books for each category and signs with clip art that matches the clip art on their bingo cards. Students select a book from a station to match the category on their bingo card.  Students check out and we take down the stations, so we can do it again the following week.  Fridays are my favorite day of the week and it's not because it's the end of the week.  Our PALS program is awesome.

Each quarter we have an exciting reading celebration for our PALS students. Both classes come in for a story, spin the library wheel and win prizes for completing their book bingo card.  It's a party for real. At the end of the celebration, students get a new bingo card with new categories.  And the library fun begins anew.

This next idea came from a casual conversation my Special Education teacher had at a conference last year.  She learned from a fellow Special Education teacher in another district about using Youtube to live stream assemblies and pep rallies into the classroom for students that are uncomfortable with the loud noises and large crowds.  I followed these instructions to get started. Our school has a verified Youtube account which is the first step.

Last school year, we streamed a pep rally with a chromebook with a built in webcam and microphone. Unfortunately, the audio did not work that time, but we could at least watch the pep rally.  I'm not sure what I did wrong that time. This school year we persevered and streamed our Veterans Day assembly using a different chromebook.  It worked great!  The event was streamed live and privately into the classroom.

Super thankful to work with the teachers in my school! I love being a part of a team that finds ways to make our library and school accessible to all of our students.

It's Monday! What are you reading? 10/12/15

I am currently reading Hello, Goodbye and Everything In Between by Jennifer E. Smith. 

I am a fan of Jennifer E. Smith's books. She writes young adult realistic fiction with romance, comedy and friendship. 

I just finished reading What Waits in the Woods by Kieran Scott. It's a suspenseful thriller that will have you guessing until the very end. You will also probably rethink that next camping trip after reading this book. 

I also read The Time Traveling Fashionista at the Palace of Marie Antionette by Bianca Turetsky and illustrations by Sandra Suy. I enjoyed this fantasy, historical fiction novel.  The combination of fashion and time travel through history made this story fun for me to read. 

The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz

The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz 

Candlewick Press, 2015, 387 pages

Reading this book took me back to middle school when I first discovered Jo March from Little Women and Anne of Anne of Green Gables. 

In The Hired Girl, fourteen year old Joan Skraggs is an avid reader whose father does not value education or girls that like to read.  Instead, Mr. Skraggs pulls Joan out of school to work full time as a housekeeper, maid, cook and chicken coop cleaner on the family farm.  As a farewell gift, Joan's teacher Mrs. Chandler gives Joan a diary as a gift and encourages Joan to write. Joan's diary is what we read as we follow Joan's journey from the farm in Pennsylvania to her job earning six dollars a week as the hired girl cooking and cleaning for a family in Baltimore.

Joan is smart, funny, innocent and a total romantic. With each diary entry, I wanted to know what happened next. What mishap, tragedy or comedic event would Joan be involved in that would have me laughing or cringing. Highly recommend this title. 

 

It's Monday! What are you reading? 10/5/15

It's Monday and I've been reading Laura Amy Schlitz's book The Hired Girl. 

I am currently listening to Cherie Priest's book I Am Princess X via Hoopla available through our local public library system. 

I recently finished reading Sisters by Raina Telgemeier and listening to A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen. 

I am a fan of Raina Telgemeier's books. Sisters is a funny story of how two very different sisters, Raina and Amara, love and support each other in the only way sisters can. I have a big sister and I could relate to this book. We drove each other nuts as kids but no one knows us better than each other. (Graphic novel & Nonfiction) This book is really popular in our school library, including Telgemeier's other titles, Smile and Drama. 

We recently held a Scholastic Book Fair at our school. Students loved the book trailer for A Night Divided and many purchased it. Twelve year old Gerta's family is separated overnight by the rise of the Berlin Wall. Gerta's father and middle brother are stuck in West Berlin unable to return to her, her mother and older brother. As Gerta and her family try to survive in East Berlin under the watchful eye of soldiers with guns, she keeps watch for her father at the Wall. One day she actually does see her father standing on a platform on the western side of the Wall. And then she receives a mysterious drawing. Is her father trying to give her a message? Will she figure it out? Will this be the key to reuniting her family? (Historical fiction & mystery) 

It's Monday! What are you reading? 06/17/13

Last week I finished reading:

Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer- I liked this title.  It was funny, had some romance and a little drama.  Here is Mrs. ReaderPants' review of this title.  I like how she breaks it down.

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park-   I would recommend this book to a high school audience.  This is a love story, but it also deals with family relationships and friendship.  As I was trying to figure out the audience of this book, I became curious to find the publisher of this book (I already returned my copy to the library) when I came across author Jessica Park's article about self-publishing.  Her story of why she self-published is interesting and informative.

Endangered by Eliot Schrefer- While visiting her mother who runs a bonobo sanctuary in the Congo, fourteen year old Sophie becomes separated from her mother.  She must learn to survive during a revolution and in the company of bonobos.  Great story!







How the Leopard Got his Spots: The Graphic Novel by Sean Tulien, Rudyard Kipling and Pedro Rodriguez

Marcell the Shell with Shoes On: Things about Me by Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp

I started reading:

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick

Here are some books I read during the last two weeks:

The Encyclopedia of Me by Karen Rivers  The format of this book is unique as the story is told through encyclopedia entries and lots of footnotes. 

Little White Duck: a childhood in China by Na Liu and Andres Vera Martinez

Bad Girls: Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves, & other Female Villains by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple

Mister Death's Blue Eyed Girls by Mary Downing Hahn

Stolen by Lucy Christopher- This story drew me in right away.  Interesting story.  

It's Monday! What are you reading? 5/27/13

Here is what I finished reading last week:

If I Stay by Gayle Forman- This book has lots of positive reviews on Goodreads, but I personally did not enjoy it.  The audiobook is only four CDs, but that was too long for me.  I think it has it's place in a high school library.  

Life Happens Next by Terry Trueman- Interesting story told from the view point of a young man with cerebal palsy.  Even though I had not read the previous titles also about the same main character (Stuck in Neutral & Cruise Control), I was still able to follow the story.

Rock God: The Legend of BJ Levine by Barnabas Miller- Very fast paced story with lots of odd ball characters.  

Crossing the Line (Border Town, #1) by Malin Alegria- I really like the way the author weaves in Spanish words throughout the story without sounding cheesy.  

The Accidental Genius of Weasel High by Rick Detorie

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire- I'm not sure if this book if for high school or even some adults.  The romantic relationship is so dysfunctional, but I could not stop reading it.  I just had to know what was going to happen. 

Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti- This story deals with bullying, sex, suicide, abusive parent, self esteem issues and overall tough times in high school. 

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

I read this book to my son: 

Mad Scientist (Babymouse #14)

I started reading:
The Encyclopedia of Me by Karen Rivers

It's Monday! What are you reading? 5/20/13

Last week I read:

Enchanted (Woodcutter Sisters #1) by Alethea Kontis- I thought this story had a very slow beginning, but it got interesting after I was half way through it. 

Last week I read these books to my son:

That is not a good idea! by Mo Willems- We love Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series. 

Everyone can Learn to Ride a Bike by Chris Raschka

This is not my Hat by Jon Klassen- I read Jon Klassen's I Want My Hat Back and LOVED IT!  I think my son liked it, too.   

Millions, Billions, Trillions by David A. Adler

I started reading:

Rock God: The Legend of BJ Levine by Barnabas Miller

If I Stay by Gayle Forman (audiobook)

It's Monday! What are you reading? 5/13/13

I know.  It's Tuesday.

Last week I finished reading:

Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman- Funny title that involves a high school romance between a boy whose dad is a mobster and a girl whose father is the FBI agent investigating him.

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen- I listened to this title as part of my #bookbootcamp project about romances for tweens/teenagers.

The Bronte Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily and Anne by Catherine Reef- I read Wuthering Heights as a teenager and loved it.  Being familiar with the work of one of the authors made me want to read this book.  It was interesting.  I am not sure how many middle schoolers have read Wuthering Heights.  And if they haven't read it, would they would be interested in reading about these authors?  I guess I will find out.

Cow Boy by Cosby Nate- Short, funny graphic novel.  I liked the artwork in several of the stories in the book.

Guitar Notes by Mary Amato- I LOVED THIS BOOK.  I first heard about this book on the Teen Librarian Toolbox when they blogged about it here.  I finally got my hands on this book and I could not put it down.  Definitely adding it to my list of romance titles for teens.

The Ghost of Graylock by Dan Poblocki- Scary.  Students looking for a ghost and mystery story will enjoy this book.  I wish I had not waited so long to read it.

I read these books to my son:

Belle, the Last Mule at Gee's Bend: A Civil Rights Story by Calvin Alexander Ramsey-





Owly: A Time to Be Brave by Andy Runton






Martin de Porres: the Rose in the Desert by Gary D. Schmidt



I'm currently reading:
Enchanted (Woodcutter Sisters #1) by Alethea Kontis

Starting my reading slow.

It's Monday! What are you reading? 5/6/13

I finished reading all of the 2013-2014 SC Junior Book Award nominees!  Yea!

Now to begin my work reading some teen/tween romance titles as part of the Middle Grade Book Boot Camp.  Interested in discussing and learning about middle grade books?  Join us!  Here is the form to enlist.  I'm looking forward to collaborating and discussing books with other middle school librarians.  We're going to be blogging, wiki-ing, tweeting and possibly Google Hang-outing.  I know.  That was cheesy.  It's the middle school in me.

Last week I finished reading:

Wild Life by Cynthia DeFelice- This book was a quick read that I will recommend to students that like to read survival stories.

A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull- I listened to the audiobook.  I liked how this story got off to a quick start with Jason landing in Lyrian via a hippo.  Several of my fantasy readers have already finished the second book in this series.

Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby- I'm always on the search for our next Read Across America/Disability Awareness Month title. The main character of this book is named Joey.  Joey lost her hearing at the age of seven.  Her mother wants her to rely on lip reading, instead of learning sign language.  Joey's world cracks open when she meets Charlie and Sukari, a chimpanzee who uses sign language to communicate.

Skinny by Donna Cooner- This is a serious title about a young woman that undergoes gastric bypass surgery.  Without realizing it, this book is also a romance.  It was hard to appreciate that as I was more concerned about the more serious health issues that this book glides over.

I read these books to my little guy:

Here Come the Girl Scouts!: The Amazing All-True Story of Juliette "Daisy' Gordon Low and Her Great Adventure by Shana Corey- I loved this title!!

Boo to You! by Lois Ehlert

Chopsticks by Amy Krouse Rosenthal- My son really liked this story about chopsticks.

The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man by Michael Chabon


I am currently reading:
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman

It's Monday! What are you reading? 4/29/13

Last week I finished reading:
How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg- This book was gross and engaging.  I can't wait to share with students.  I hope they enjoy it as much as I did.

The Fairy Ring: Or Elsie and Frances Fool the World by Mary Losure- I would like to tie this story in with a lesson on evaluating pictures for authenticity.  Here is a link to a webpage with hoax pictures.

Waiting to Forget by Sheila Kelly Welch- Painful story with a hopeful ending.  I was able to booktalk this title today to several seventh grade students who immediately checked it out.

Icefall by Matthew Kirby- I could not get into this audiobook.  It was very slow paced.  All of our library copies are checked out.  I have talk to a student that has read this book to get their opinion on it.

The Underdogs by Mike Lupica- I am not a sports fan and thought I would not enjoy this book.  I was happily surprised.  It was funny, fast paced and full of great motivational speeches.

The Apothecary by Maile Maloy- The cover does not do this book justice.  This book has magic!  I am booktalking it to all my fantasy readers.

I am currently reading:
A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull (audiobook)
Manuscript found in Accra by Paulo Coelho
Debt-Free U: How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships, or Mooching Off My Parents by Zac Bissonnette
Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby

I read these books to my little guy:
Awesome Dawson by Chris Gall
Wiener Wolf by Jeff Crosby
All the Water in the World by George Ella Lyon
Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld
The Day Dirk Yeller Came to Town by Mary Casanova

Skype in the library and more literary cafes

I've always wanted to use Skype in the library.  This month we used Skype, not only once, but twice!  Last week, our students participated in a Poetry Slam via Skype with Michal Hope's middle school students as part of Poetry Month.

This week we used Skype to have our seventh grade Language Arts students meet author Diane Stanley and discuss her novel 'Saving Sky' which is on this year's SCJBA nominee list.  We met with Mrs. Stanley online twice for 30 minutes each time in order for all of our seventh graders to have a chance to "meet" her.  Mrs. Stanley shared with students background about the book and about her life as a writer from her home office in New Mexico.  Students had about 20 minutes for Q&A and they did a great job asking thoughtful questions.

The Language Arts teachers and students really liked the literary cafes we did for The Outsiders unit and for the myths/fairy tales/legends unit and wanted to do something similar for this project.  I set up different stations in the library where students learned about Japanese internment camps, concentration camps and the US Patriot Act.  Students wrote journals about their reaction to what they read/watched at each station.  I pulled books from our shelves and from the public library to create the following stations: 

• poetry books with poetry written by children & adults in Japanese internment camps and concentration camps. 
• picture books about Japanese internment camps & concentration camps. 
• nonfiction books about Japanese internment camps & concentration camps.
• articles from DISCUS about the US Patriot Act
• Discovery Education videos about the US Patriot Act
• Discovery Education videos about Japanese internment camps 

Our literary cafes have been a hit this year with seventh grade.  I'm hoping to get sixth and eighth grade classes in next school year to try it out now that they've had a chance to see it in action a few times.  Another nice thing that happened this year is that I've had a chance to work with many of our student teachers during these literary cafes.  One student teacher told me on Friday that she will make sure to become best friends with the media specialist at her new school.  Yea for collaboration!!!

Please share any projects you've done using Skype!

Building a Reading Culture

Last night we held an open house at our school for our upcoming sixth grade parents and students.  After a presentation from our administrative team and sixth grade faculty, I had the chance to meet and greet lots of families into the library for a quick presentation on how to encourage reading over the summer.  I also took this opportunity to invite the Manager from our local public library branch to talk about summer reading programs and FREE resources available at the public library.  She, in turn, invited the new Youth and Family Services Supervisor to join the conversation.

I'm always happy to find a way to tie in our public library to what we are doing in our school.  During our chat before the presentation, I learned that there will be a new teen center at our main branch inspired by what YouMedia has been doing in Chicago Public Library.  I'm excited about this news and am looking forward to checking it out!!!

Last week the Teen Librarian Toolbox blogged about reluctant readers for Reluctant Reader Week.  Check out the posts linked here.  It's a great resource and the timing was perfect for me.  I printed off the ten tips in this post and handed those out to parents last night.  I used this article from Educational Leadership to create the presentation below.  (The images on tips #2 and #5 are hyperlinked.)

Building a Reading Culture from Lorena Swetnam

This school year I shared weekly literacy tips in our school newsletter along with my regular library news announcements.  I used tips from this article to help me get started.  What literacy events/programs do you use to promote reading with your parents and community at the middle school level?  I'd love to hear!!

4/22/13 It's Monday! What are you reading?

I finished reading::

The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine- I was hooked to this historical fiction novel about integration in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1958.  Stories about this time period are popular in our school library.  I look forward to promoting this title to our students. 

Small as an Elephant by Jennifer Richard Jacobson- I started listening to this on audiobook and had to checkout the print version to quickly finish reading it.  This story left me relieved, angry and sad all at the same time.  

City of Orphans by Avi- I was a little skeptical about this novel.  The story is set in 1893 in New York City and gives readers a taste of what life was like for immigrant families, especially children.  It's fast paced with a mystery to be solved.

I am currently reading:

The Apothecary by Maile Maloy

Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby (audiobook) 

Manuscript Found in Accra by Paulo Coelho

I read these titles aloud to my little guy:

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin

Oh, No! by Candace Fleming

Little Dog Lost: The True Story a Brave Dog Named Baltic by Monica Carnesi

No Sleep for Sheep by Karen Beaumont

Chloe and the Lion by Mac Barnett

Road Work Ahead by Anastasia Suen

Star of the Week by Barney Saltzberg

Read Across America Day, Dr. Seuss' Birthday and Disability Awareness Month

During the month of our March, our school has a wonderful tradition of celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday and Read Across America Day by reading one book in one day as a whole school.  This is a great event that promotes reading and creates a feeling of community in the school.  We accomplish this feat by reading aloud 3-4 chapters in each class period until we finish the book in the last class period of the day.  

In the past, we read Sharon Flake's book "The Broken Bike Boy and Queen of 33rd Street", David Lubar's book "Hidden Talents and Three Cups of Tea- The Young Reader's Edition by Greg Mortenson, Sarah L. Thomson, and David Oliver Relin.   

At the end of last school year, our Special Education department chair suggested we read a book that ties in with Disability Awareness Month which is also recognized in the month of March.  This year we celebrated Dr. Seuss' Birthday, Read Across America and Disability Awareness Month by reading author Sharon Draper's book "Out of My Mind."

If you have not read this book yet, please go out and read it.  Our teachers and students loved this book. And to make it even better, when I explained to our Language Arts department our plans to move forward with this theme for Read Across America for next year, a Language Arts teacher volunteered to read books to help us pick out a title for next year.  Now there are three of us reading books and discussing possible book titles for next year's Read Across America.

If your school reads a book as a whole school, please share in the comments!

Edublog nomination, Literary Cafe and "The Outsiders"

Edublog nominations were due last week and my friend & fellow SC library media specialist Tamara Cox nominated my little blog for 'Best New Blog.'  How cool is that?!?

I'm very, very flattered!!  I had to post a screenshot of her tweet just to make sure I was not making it up :)

Speaking of Mrs. Cox, she recently blogged about an activity in her library called a Literary Cafe.  After reading her post, I approached a seventh grade Language Arts teacher at my school to ask if she was interested in trying this activity out with her students.  Her class is reading "The Outsiders" and a literary cafe would be a great way to tie in videos & informational text with several of the topics addressed in the book.

Here are the stations and activities we came up with:

1. Crime- Our School Resource Officer (SRO) talked with our students about gangs, crime, and self defense.  Students wrote a reflection about what they learned.

2. Health- Students watched Brainpop videos about smoking and drinking.  Students took notes while they watched the videos.  After watching the videos, students created word clouds using the main ideas and facts about the health risks involved with smoking and drinking.

3. 1960s- Students watched video clips about life in the 1960s.  I found some great video clips on Discovery  Education about entertainment, sports, Science and government news during the 1960s.  While watching the videos, students took notes about important events and people from the 1960s.  Next, students went online to find images to create collages about the 1960s using PicMonkey.

4. High School Dropout rate- Students read articles from DISCUS and reviewed our districts' annual report card.  Students also reviewed the interactive dropout map on Boostup to learn the high school drop out rate for our state and nation.  After reviewing the website and articles, students created a graph to show the overall dropout rate of our country, state and school district.

5.  Family Court- Students read news articles and encyclopedia articles from DISCUS that shared information about juvenile court, child abuse and sibling guardians.  Students wrote a persuasive argument after reading the articles.

Students were engaged.  We were able to help students 1:1.  Students were reading, writing and creating visuals.  I look forward to trying this out with our sixth graders next.  Please feel free to share some ways you are tying fictional text and informational text in your libraries/classrooms.