Bursting With Flavor, Appetizing Library Activities and Events For elementary, middle and high librarians Session 2 – 9:10 – 10:10 Session 3 – 10: :20 Session 4 – 11:20 – 12:30 PRESENTER – Susan Harris

Objectives Know: The DRAFT SCS Comprehensive Literacy Improvement Plan (CLIP) ensures a quality balanced literacy approach to instruction that results in high levels of learning for all students, across content areas Understand: All teachers can respond to the literacy needs of struggling readers and writers, including ELLs and students w/disabilities, and support improved content-area learning so that students develop the literacy skills and strategies of skilled readers and writers Be able to Do: Implement research-based literacy strategies and practices that enable students to comprehend informational texts across all content areas Plan reading and writing tasks that are meaningful, analytical, and authentic to specific content areas Provide effective vocabulary instruction that not only includes discipline-specific words, but also high utility (or Tier 2) words that occur across other content areas

What is the Goal of Content Area Literacy Instruction? To teach the ideas, concepts, and principles of a specific subject in a manner in which learners receive instruction in reading strategies that meet the unique requirements of the individual subject area

ACT, The Forgotten Middle, Chance of Later Success ScienceMathematics Unprepared In Reading 1%15% Prepared In Reading 32%67% Literacy and content area learning depend on each other What happens if students leave MS and enter HS unprepared for reading?

 Building knowledge through content-rich,non- fiction and informational texts [Reading Standards #1-10 in ELA and Reading Standards for History/SS, Science, and Technology]  Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from the text [Reading Standard #1, Speaking and Listening Standard #1, and Writing Standards #1, #2, #9]  Regular practice with complex texts and their academic vocabulary [Reading Standards #10 and #4] Progress toward CCR Shifts in Literacy/ELA holds Promise for Content Area Learning

CCR Standards designed to Support Content Area Learning 6

7

What do we mean when we say, “Our students can’t read”? What do we do? “When faced with students’ resistance to reading or difficulty in comprehending course materials, teachers respond in a variety of ways. Feeling pressed to cover the curriculum, unprepared to assist students with reading, and eager to make sure students understand the content of a particular discipline, many find themselves teaching around reading.” “They make adjustments that may seem sensible but that they know are compromises. ‘I’m doing backflips in the classroom to get the content across without expecting them to read the textbook,’ … ‘I’ve stopped assigning reading; the text is almost supplementary for my … curriculum’” (Schoenbach, et al, 1999: 4)

Time for a Literary Tune-up

Norms Be present and engaged Be respectful of differences in perspective while challenging each other productively and respectively Monitor “air time” Make the most of the time we have Stay focused on students

Objectives Know: Literacy is every educator’s obligation. Every librarian has the potential to impact literacy through instruction, resources and support. Shelby County Schools has developed a Comprehensive Literacy Improvement Plan (CLIP) to accelerate literacy learning. Understand: Learned strategies can be integrated across content areas to increase student literacy. Development and implementation of high-quality programs encourages student reading and enhances literacy instruction across all grades and subjects. Digital resources are additional tools that can be used to impact student literacy. Do: Analyze literacy assessments to determine the instructional needs of their students Design activities or lessons that support Common Core Standards in literacy Obtain grants to provide high quality resources to increase literacy Provide multiple opportunities to engage in authentic literacy activities

Literacy in the Content Areas Models and reinforces metacognitive strategies, e.g., self-correction, questioning, visualization, annotation, connections/PK, summarization, graphic organizers Includes explicit instruction (including modeling) and practice in the literacies and content of each discipline Appreciates vocabulary is strongly related to general reading achievement; includes both direct, explicit instruction and indirect, learning from context (e.g., listening, other reading instruction, reading) to support vocabulary and comprehension Leverages writing as a means to learn and develop—how students make sense of, synthesize, summarize, and evaluate their learning (not just to assess content learning) Uses discussion and writing prompts to reflect on current understandings, questions, and learning processes help improve content-area learning Includes explicit literacy (and ELD) learning objectives

High School Instructional Design (per DRAFT CLIP) Lessons span multiple days Gradual release of responsibility across days Reading and writing inextricably linked ReadingWritingELA Core (Grade-Level Instruction for All Students) Complex TextsWriting About Texts Taught in the Context of Writing Whole GroupTeach/model grade level standards, concepts, skills I do – teacher models We do - guided practice Teach/model grade level standards, concepts, skills I do – teacher models We do - guided practice Teach/model grade level standards, concepts, skills I do – teacher models We do - guided practice Small GroupTeacher Led Flexible groups Teacher Led Flexible groups Teacher Led Flexible groups Whole GroupClosure - Summarize what you have learned Closure - Summarize what you have learned Closure - Summarize what you have learned Supplemental (Tier 2) Support for Targeted Students

It’s not about how students are arranged; it’s about the work in which they are engaged. Is instruction…? -Purposeful -Rigorous -Differentiated to meet student needs -Consistent with evidence-based practice -Aligned to TEM standards Beyond Appearances

The Gradual Release of Responsibility (to introduce or reinforce a new skill) Teacher Responsibility Student Responsibility I do it. We do it. They do it (together). You do it (independent of the teacher). Guided Collaborative Independent

Access Points to Build a Bridge Between Reader and Text (Frey & Fisher, 2013) 1.Establishing a purpose for reading a complex text, and modeling how an expert reader makes meaning 2.Providing scaffolded and close reading instruction to guide students through complex texts 3.Creating opportunities for collaborative conversations w/ peers to refine understanding 4.Moving them forward through independent reading of increasingly complex texts 5.Using formative assessment so teacher and reader know what is known and still needs to be learned 16

Reading and Writing in Science Compare and contrast Form hypotheses and draw conclusions Understand the “big picture” Determine the relative importance of information Write about findings in learning logs Write and discuss conclusions from lab reports

Reading and Writing in Social Studies Sequence and make connections between historical events Understand text structures and text features Evaluate sources Recognize issues and trends in context Engage in reflective inquiry through reading and writing Write about cause-and-effect relationships Distinguish between and write about fact and opinion

Reading and Writing in Mathematics Understand and describe processes Translate abstract concepts into symbols Distinguish patterns In math journals, examine ideas and reflect on solutions Write paragraphs to compare key concepts

Reading and Writing in Language Arts Articulate thinking orally and in writing for various artists Employ context clues Interpret texts from different literary genres Understand mechanical standards and rhetorical techniques Develop fluency with the use of the writing process to generate different modes of writing Connect reading and writing to persuade, learn, inform, and evoke emotions

Literacy “Look-Fors”-Content Area Literacy Clearly identified/observed literacy and language objectives for each content area lesson Research-based literacy strategies and practices implemented in lessons Students read content-specific text and respond, with evidence, to text-based questions Students respond to text in ways that are meaningful, analytical, and authentic to the content area

2015 National Literary Events by the Month January 23: National Reading Day February: Library Lovers’ Month February: National African American Read-In March 2: Read Across America (birthday of author, Dr. Seuss) March 8-14: Teen Tech Week April: National Poetry Month, School Library Month April : National Drop Everything and Read Month (honoring author, Beverly Cleary) April 12-18: National Library Week May 4-10: Children’s Book Week * Not a comprehensive list

2015 National Literary Events by the Month August 9/November 7: National Book Lover’s Day September: Library Card Sign-Up Month September 8: International Literacy Day September 27-October 3: Banned Books Week October 3: Read for the Record Day October 18-24: Teen Read Week November: Picture Book Month December: Read a New Book Month * Not a comprehensive list

Book Fair Vendors (must be approved SCS vendor) Backyard Book Fair: Barnes & Noble Book Fairs: Scholastic Book Fairs: (Warehouse sale twice a year!!!) Usborne Book Fairs:

Pajama Party Book Fair Kick-Off Event Cookies, Milk and Good Reads! Cookies, Milk and Good Reads!

Celebrate Dr. Seuss’ Birthday! Jarvis Greer Mr. Chuck Radio Personality Wil Clay, illustrator Read Across America Grizzlies (Grizz Girls???) Principal Quarterback UM Rufus Thomas

Activities for students who are unable to attend after- school or evening events Seuss character coloring contest Cat in the Hat costume contest

How Can you Accommodate for ESL and SPED Students? 1. Dr. Seuss books can be found at many reading levels. 2. Audio books can be used for students who need to hear words spoken or have books read to them. 3. Many Dr. Seuss books can be found in other languages – do you have a reader who could read the book in Spanish or other needed language to a group? 4. Videos or eBooks can be used for for non-readers. 5. Pair non-readers with readers for a read along.

Activities for students who are unable to attend after- school or evening events Design a bookmark contest Design your own Cat in the Hat - hat

Book Making Workshop Memphis Arts Council Whole group storytelling activities also took place throughout the day with Will Clay.

Interactive Book Club Rippin' Roadrunners Reading Club with-the-wranglin/510481/?more=true&verify=

Other Interactive Library Activities Skype an Author: Authors who Skype: ors-who-skype-with-classes-book- clubs-for-free/ Skype an Author Checklist: ms/met-any-good-authors-lately- classroom-author-visits-can- happen-via-skype-heres-a-list-of- those-who-do-it-for-free Join ePals: Connect with Classrooms Around the World

Teen Tech Week Ask permission to pilot a Cell Phones in the Classroom Project Cell Phone Policy Teach students to use Audioboom ( Create a library blog/website and include students *(use Gaggle, if available) Use Channel 1 equipment (if available) to promote the library, to promote new books, to do a broadcast (Serious Magic Visual Communicator software), etc.

RIF (Reading is Fundamental) (check out the section for kids and the resources link)

DOLLY PARTON’S IMAGINATION LIBRARY Books From Birth

Teen Read Week 2012 Best S’more book cover cash prize Book talks Cooking demonstration Door prizes Evaluation for data

Library Card Sign-Up Month Invite the local public librarian to set up a booth at a school event Have library card sign-up forms available in your library Offer a bookmark and candy to any student with a library card Have a competition between grade levels/classes Banned Books Week Create a display of banned books Host a book talk about a banned book Host a debate about whether or not a book should be banned Visit an ELA class to discuss why certain books have been banned (Fahrenheit 451 discussion I held with ELA class at request of teacher)

What to do? Invite celebrity readers: professional sports players, radio and television personalities, politicians, musicians Invite a professional storyteller, author, or illustrator to your school Host a bookmaking workshop/create a book with Shutterfly Host a Library Knowledge Bowl Host an Academy Awards Program for best technical presentation Host a book character dress-up day to kick-off a book fair week Host a poetry slam for National Poetry Month in April Maintain a book swap basket: bring one, take one

What to Do? What to Do? Host an author birthday party Invite a clown, magician, or local wildlife volunteer to read a book about clowns, magic, or wildlife and then perform or bring in wild animals Host a Reader’s Theater Contest Take middle/high school students to read to elementary school students for special literary events Host a murder mystery night Have a library scavenger hunt during library orientation

What to Do? What to Do? Surf the Internet for activities/ideas that you can modify and make your own Coordinate programs with national themes or create your own themes* JOIN YOUR PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION - TASL (TN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL LIBRARIANS)

BOOK ORDERS Be selective and take your time Use reading interest surveys (Google Drive) Talk with your students about books in your library or books that have been made into movies or books that you have read Read the books that you order or that are in your library so you can recommend them to your students Read your professional magazines for book reviews: Booklist and School Library Journal Be a reviewer for a professional magazine Look at what is selling on Amazon and Barnes and Noble Visit the ALA website and see what books have won awards Go to Goodreads and see what is popular Surf the Web and see what books are repeatedly displayed on public library websites as new and popular Pay attention to the books that are already circulating well in your library Know your curriculum and observe what students are researching while in your library

Things to Remember Always try to include food: cake, candy, cookies and milk, cupcakes, green eggs and ham, pizza, S’mores (collaborate with your school cafeteria manager, order from Sam’s Club, order from Oriental Trading) Include prizes when possible: bookmarks, candy, cash, iTunes gift card, stuffed animals * Kohl’s Cares: hardback books and matching characters: $5.00 each * Use library activity books such as: Story Stretchers, Storyteller’s Cornucopia, One-Person Puppet Plays, etc. for fun activities to incorporate into a lesson (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom coconut tree dance), bookmark websites of educational games such as

Library Activities (Lessons) Author studies Blogs, RSS feeds Bookmarking tools: Caldecott winners Internet safety, copyright, plagiarism Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling Library rules, policies and procedures (book care) Library skills: Biographies, Catalog, Fiction/Nonfiction, Reference, Parts of a book Newbery winners TEL (Tennessee Electronic Library), specifically Books and Authors! Variants of T’was the Night Before Christmas or other books

Promote Yourself and Your Library Collaborate with teachers: send out a monthly of resources (websites, etc.) from eSchool News, School Library Journal, T.H.E. (Technological Horizons in Education) Journal, new books notice, library newsletter, catch them in the hallway if you do not have a planning period with them, offer to do a new teacher orientation, know the curriculum and relate library lessons to the grade level curriculum, offer to judge the spelling bee (Internet Toucan Sam fruit loop catching game in the rain forest), tutor, design a library web page and include needs and interest surveys Ridgeway High School LibraryRidgeway High School Library Work with feeder schools if you are a middle/high school librarian. For example, be a guest reader at Read for the Record Day or Read Across America. If the featured book is The Snowy Day, take some edible snowballs, a recipe for snow cream, and make snowflakes with the students after reading the book. Work with the local public librarian. If you are new to the school, make contact with the youth librarian as soon as possible. Make your library inviting: create a reading corner, create book displays, use greenery, literacy posters, plush characters, bulletin boards, art prints

Funding Sources: Alumni Association American Honda Foundation (one grant per district) Best Buy Technology Inspired Teaching Grant Digital Wish ( Dollar General Family Literacy Grants Donors Choose ( Junior League Grants Michael Jordan Foundation Grants NEA Foundation Grants PTO/PTA Rotary Club Grants School Adopters Target Title I Funds Toshiba American Foundation Grants *Not a comprehensive list (SCS distributes a grants each month)

What to Buy? Accessories: Finger play sets, flannel board sets, plush book characters, puppets, reading rug Audio books and cassette players (eBooks, Playaways) Author, illustrator and storyteller visits Books Classroom magazines Digital cameras Remodeling Software (database subscriptions) Video cameras

LAST BUT NOT LEAST… Remember that even older kids still enjoy kid’s stuff when you let them know that it’s still ok to be a kid! (This includes you!)