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I am a "specials" teacher just as you described on a fixed schedule. I enjoyed the article about Readers Workshop. Sounds like a great plan, with many useful suggestions. I have one little problem and that is that I am *required* to give grades, and not just on behavior. I have to have 3 - 5 "assignments" per 10 week term on which the child is assessed objectively (i.e. with a rubric, not just A for Effort). If I could remain anonymous, I might confess that in 7 years, I still manage A for Effort but this year we have a new "curriculum" which involves, alas, the Dewey decimal system, website evaluation, genres and poetry. "Reading" is left up to the specialists!! In these economic times however, I do not want to give anyone provocation to think that only a clerk is needed to "run" a library. With flexible scheduling, their teacher would come with them and might feel that another masters degree is surplus to requirements, when an aide will do. I am glad to be employed. My plan is to continue to model enthusiasm for both reading and research and just make sure that as much time as possible is spent promoting books and getting stories and information into the hands (hearts and minds) of eager students. Meg Hawkins MLS Teacher Librarian Darby Township School 1-8 Glenolden PA caughey195@yahoo.com ----- Original Message ---- From: Robert <rajoyce59@VERIZON.NET> To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU Sent: Fri, July 9, 2010 6:00:28 PM Subject: ELEM-(share) What's so special about specials? Shared with permission from the sender on another listserv. RObert Joyce Virginia rajoyce59@verison.net What's so special about specials? via Shelf Consumed by Leigh Ann Jones on 7/9/10 Specials rotation. The very words strike fear in the heart of elementary librarians. If you're a secondary librarian, a new elementary librarian, or a really fortunate experienced elementary librarian, let me explain. Specials rotation is the infamous fixed scheduling you heard about in library school. Specials are the classes where the kids go while their teachers are having conference periods. Generally the specials schedule rotates between art, music, P.E., and sometimes computers. In a large elementary or if numbers at certain grade levels are high, the library may be placed in the specials rotation. What does this mean? It means that every single day one or more classrooms of students will be dropped off at the library for a 45 minute block while their teacher has planning time with the team. It means that the librarian will not be able to plan collaboratively with these teams. It means that the library schedule will be driven by these fixed blocks of time. And it also means that the quality of the entire library program suffers becauseĀ the librarian is not able to serve students and staff at the point of need. If you are attempting to fend off being in the specials rotation, I would suggest that you read the following: AASL Position on Flexible Scheduling School Libraries Work AASL Resource Guides for School Library Program Development If you have already lost the battle and are in specials rotation, I would encourage you to document instances when the fixed schedule bumps research projects and spontaneous opportunities to meet needs. Talk with administrators, teachers, and parents about why a flexible schedule is best. Be sure to frame your reasons in terms of student needs or it may sound self serving. In the meantime, what should you do during specials rotation? Be positive and professional. Don't make the kids pay for a scheduling issue. Resist the temptation to kill time with arts and crafts or worksheeets. Ditto (double ditto) for library lessons such as learning about Dewey, how to use the almanac, etc.ICK!! Ok, so that was what NOT to do. How about some things TO do... If it were me, I would implement Reader's Workshop. The goal of reader's workshop is to foster a love of reading, and tons of research supports the fact that the more kids read, the better readers they are. Reader's Workshop is something meaningful that students can do during specials rotation, and it has the added benefit of requiring little planning from you. DEFINITELY prefererable to busy work. Set the tone for reading each day by reading aloud. Read a chapter a day from a novel that will hold the attention of your students. If you need suggestions, try Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook. Alternate the types of books you read but make sure they are ones that your students will enjoy. Have fun with the reading and avoid the temptation of "making a lesson" out of everything. Just have fun with the book and your kids. After reading aloud, each student should settle down with a good book(s) to read. Kindergarteners and other students with limited reading skillsĀ can enjoy all types of books with illustrations and photographs. You should always model reading. The importance of this can't be overstated. If you're up doing something else, it tells the kids that reading isn't important. You can find all kinds of information about Reader's Workshop online. You won't need to take grades, of course, but tips on managing RW may be helpful. If you'd like an occasional change of pace, you could intersperse I-Search research projects. Again, even the youngest of students can choose and research a simple topic with assistance. Although specials rotation isn't what's best for kids, you can make the best of the situation with meaningful learning in a positive environment. Things you can do from here: a.. Subscribe to Shelf Consumed using Google Reader b.. 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