First time for everything. . .

I always begin the school year with my new kindergarten students talking about book care.  I show them damaged books that I keep on hand for these first 2 weeks with them.  Some have mold in them.  Others have had pink drinks spilled on them. One has coffee stains on the pages.  Another has purple marker on each and every page where a sibling decided to use it as a coloring book.  Then I show a couple of video clips made by other librarians out there.  Skippy Jon Jones and Pigeon are usually a big hit.  One clip has an early elementary girl leaving her library book around the house and the preschool little sister cuts, colors, etc., on/in the book.  We stop at each section and discuss what was wrong, etc.  This year, for the first time, I have a student who became extremely upset about the damage done to the books and now is afraid of coming to the library!  I promised no more video clips and we are going to move to centers and how we are going to do library centers while checking out books, etc.  I hope I can mend the gap with the student because it breaks my heart to think this student doesn't think of the library as a refuge.  That is my main goal in the library-to have the students want to come because it gives them a place to escape reality, testing, etc., by just losing themselves in books.  That is what the elementary school library represented for me back in the day.  I will keep working on mending my relationship to this student!

Part of my job (I feel) is to try to connect students with some book that resonates with them.  I have many students who come to me every week asking "What can I read?" "Show me what you would recommend for me to read."  Some 4th and 5th graders are still doing this after 4 to 6 years of this!  I will persevere!  As part of this, I stress to my classes that when we move about the library to "book shop" it is what they as individuals want to look at and read, not a friend, not someone else in the class and they need to experiment and branch out.  Some boys only will read nonfiction books about sports.  Some girls only want the drawing or art books.  I tell them they won't enjoy reading if they only read what others read or what others tell them to read.  This is one of my favorite quotes:

Sharing books or interests and partner reading is fine up to a point.  But independent readers and thinkers begin to experience books on their own only when they allow themselves to assert their interests, ideas, and tastes as an individual.

Watching the first graders take a beginning level nonfiction book, share it with a partner, discuss the pictures, pick out sight words they know, and help each other out with unfamiliar words is such an exciting part of my job.  Having them come to me to share a fact they just learned is very fulfilling.  Having a struggling reader, such as a 3rd grader that only reads graphic novels or snake books and reads on a 2nd grade reading level, get a DK book about reptiles that is probably on a 6th grade reading level, and read facts and come report them to me every 2 minutes just shows how important interest comes into play with becoming a successful independent reader.  "Did you know that snakes are not really slimy but are dry and smooth?" Straight from the book!  Hopefully, we can make inroads into his reading this year with this kind of interest!

Until next time, enjoy the beginning of the new school year!

Mrs. Trevenia

Beginnings and stuff

I have struggled with physical organization of my small library space as well as wrapping my head around ways to read aloud to students while adhering to a state librarian evaluation model that does not allow independent reading time, choosing of books or just reading to be entertained.  As I cleaned out, moved things around and read this summer, I found myself asking what is reading?

I don't have all of the answers nor do I pretend to be an expert.  However, I have found one blog post that at least gives an easy to understand, layman's definition of close reading. Many parents probably have no idea what it means.  This teacher explains it well.  http://hojosteachingadventures.com/2014/03/close-reading-whats-it-all-about.html

Meanwhile, parents juggle schedules, sports practices, games, work, supper, and other things but are asked to read to children every night, even school-age children.  Reading is one of THE most important things anyone can learn to not only survive in life but to succeed. This site from the Smithsonian is a great source of informational text that anyone can use.  http://tweentribune.com/

Free online read alouds are a great way for me to introduce new books or topics to my students. Our library is small. Likewise, our budget is very small.  I cannot order a wide variety of new and interesting titles every year. Online books give me an option to meet that need.  Students need to hear books read fluently and with expression.  These options are a great starting point.  http://rachelktutoring.com/blog/free-online-read-alouds/

For residents of the state of Tennessee, through tel4u.org (Tennessee Electronic Library-a free service to Tennesseans) you can access World Book's early learning resources.  It is a great site I learned about this summer.  http://www.worldbookonline.com/ewol/home#knowItcategory

I have more to share next month! Happy August! 

Mrs. Trevenia