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These lessons on book care are great, and I will use parts of them as I teach this
lesson each year. However, something is missing: proper book care is hardly
mentioned while improper book care is clearly demonstrated. Somehow we have to
show proper book care--not just give lessons on improper book care. For every
error there must be an example of correct behavior, and the correct behavior must
look as interesting and profitable as the incorrect behavior. Kids ooohing and
aaahing over damaged books just makes damaged books the stars. The stars are the
clean, well-taken of books that they should be coveting. Over the years, I've
altered my lessons on sad books as I became convinced that students were learning
more from me on how to damage books than they were learning about how to and why to
take care of beautiful library books.
In a quest to teach proper book care, I've tried these techniques with some
success: have students model some example proper care in front of the class for a
pat on the back or a jelly bean; for every picture of an improper activity, show a
picture of a good one, and be sure the improper activity has a big X on it or is
less attractive somehow. For every "sad" book, pull out a gorgeous one. Just
thinking off the top of my head, but perhaps with the baby book idea below, I could
counter with the thought that MY students aren't babies, and, therefore, their
books aren't babies either, so they will be properly taken care of. I know that
isn't completely logical, but it might make sense from a primary student's point of
view with the appropriate theatrics.
Thanks for sharing the lessons below. Book care is a yearly lesson, and
every new idea just helps us all get better and better at this important job.
---
Donna Cook, Nacogdoches, Texas :
Teacher Librarian Central High;
District Coordinator, Central ISD;
Library Consultant, Douglass ISD;
"Minister of Information" First Baptist Church.
donnacook@comm.lycos.com
936-853-9345 (work)
936-569-2426 (home)
On Sun, 3 Sep 2000 09:08:28
Christine Strebel wrote:
>Some of the hits have lessons that are truly riveting. I doubt that any
>child would forget these quickly. So enjoy the responses from those who
>graciously gave of their ideas and time.
>
>
>I do my book baby lesson. I take out a baby doll with a disposable
>diaper and talk about care of a baby--do we throw the baby on the
>ground? Do we pour water on the baby? (Using props) Do we let the baby
>get near a magic marker? How about scissors? Glue? What do we do if
>it's raining outside and we want to take the baby out? (Cover him with
>a blanket.) After discussing care of a baby, I then take a book out of
>my bag. This book has a disposable diaper on it, too. This draws a
>laugh from the kids. I call it my book baby. Then I go through the
>things again.--throwing, water, marker, scissors, etc. "No markers for
>the real baby," I say, "no markers for the book baby." We talk about
>covering the book up when going outside. I end the lesson by saying,
>"Now books aren't really supposed to have diapers! Books are supposed
>to be read." And we take off the diaper and read the book.
>Anne Knickerbocker
>______________________________________
>I dress a board book up as a baby w/a baby's face laminated and taped on the
>end of a paint stick inserted into the center of the book, sticking out of
>the top. The book is wrapped up in a baby blanket and wears a diaper. We
>discuss how a book is like a baby-you wouldn't let your baby get wet, marked
>on, etc. I got this idea from someone on this listserv but I don't know
>who...
>I model turning a page properly and we do that together. We discuss how
>each book lives in a special place in the library and how it likes to be
>near its' neighbors. We decorate shelf markers (PK-2) and use them to keep
>the book's place on a shelf in case it has to be put back. I put their
>names on sentence strips, they can choose one sticker to put on theirs and
>then they can color it if they wish.
>I also have about 10 really old books that I have saved over the years that
>have had various misfortunes befall them-scribbled in, wet, torn, etc. I
>show those and we discuss what might have happened. I show the various
>tapes and tools we use to fix books but emphasize that not all books can be
>fixed.
>I also read Mr. Wiggle's Book, and I have an ancient transparency I use that
>shows 2 copies of the same book-one new and one very badly mistreated and we
>discuss that.
>Lastly, I have about six coloring sheets with poems at the bottom about
>taking care of books and we color and discuss them. They were in the file
>when I got here-I don't know the source-but I would be glad to snail mail
>them to you if you'd like. I'm not big on cookie-cutter coloring sheets,
>but these are rather clever.
>Julia Steger, Librarian
>______________________________________
>To start, I pull out some examples of badly damaged books and we chat about
>how they might have become damaged. I note that they seem to know how to
>care for books quite well. Then I tell the kids that just to review how to
>care for books we'll play a game where they pretend they are the librarians
>and I'll pretend I am a student who does not know much about taking care of
>books. They are to say together, "No, no, never, never!" everytime they see
>me doing something that is not a good way to care for books.
>
>Then I pull out a marker and pretend to start to write my name in a library
>book "because I really like this one so much". They say their little no-no
>litany to stop me. I get one to elaborate on what I'm doing wrong and how I
>should treat the book. After that I proceed to do other no-no's: bring out
>scissors to cut out a favorite picture, try to balance the book on my head,
>discuss giving it to baby sister to read, start to fold over a corner to
>mark my place. The best I save for last when I pull out a plastic sandwich
>bag with a gooey peanut butter and jelly sandwich and talk about how I'll
>just eat it while I'm looking at my library book. At the end we sum up all
>the right ways to care for books. It is a fun review!
>Mary Flanagan, Librarian
>______________________________________
>I had a big hit this year with Dr. Booklove. I borrowed the nurse's white
>coat and stethoscope and used some big dark-rimmed glasses. I told the kids
>I had a special visitor coming and went in the storeroom and put on Dr.
>Booklove's coat, stethoscope, and glasses. Came rushing back out with a
>"sick" book in my hands, listening through the stethoscope. Went through
>the book and showed them each problem the book had and at the end told them
>we needed to check to see if this book could be helped. I listened through
>the stethoscope and told them it was a very sad case. The book would have
>to be sent to a home for sick books. They're still asking me when Dr.
>Booklove is coming back. Each time they leave the library now we do a quick
>review on how to keep our books "healthy."
>Susan Koskelin
>______________________________________
>This is not original with me, but I can't remember where I first read about
>it. But it is a favorite with K's and 1's.
>
>This is my first year as a MS, but for my K and 1st grade classes, I placed
>a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in a ziplock bag, some markers and
>crayons, and a bar of soap and a book mark in canvas bag. We talked about
>do's and don'ts when they take their books home and I pulled out the
>sandwich (don't eat with your books), the markers (don't mark in your books
>or let your little brothers/sisters do so), and the soap (wash your hands)
>and the marker (don't dog-ear or bend spines). They were really interested
>as to what was in the bag and it held their attention. I gave them eacha
>book mark as they left the library.
>HOpe this is helpful.
>Millicent Flake
>______________________________________
>I use ALLISTAIR IN OUTER SPACE and have a basket full of things that are
>"good" and "bad" for books-candy, markers, bookmarks, gum, a stuffed dog, a
>baby, a soda bottle, glue, crayons, scissors etc. I read Allistair and then
>we talk about whether the items are good or bad and why. I have lots of
>ESL/Bi-Lingaul kids so the more props I use the better!
>Guusje
>______________________________________
>I keep a box of damaged books to show each class during one of their first
>library periods. For example, there is the obviously chewed book, which was
>brand new when checked out. The child then renewed the book so he must have
>been interested in it. The family's new puppy was also interested which the
>child knew so he put the book on a high shelf. Somehow during the night,
>the puppy wanted that book so badly that he got it and had a feast. Classes
>gasp when they see the book and love hearing the story of how it was
>damaged. I have others with tire marks, water marks, etc. which I use for
>show and tell and have been known to embellish the story a bit for dramatic
>effect. Older kids have come back to visit the library and ask to see those
>torn up books. This works as well as anything I know of and gives me a
>chance to do some storytelling.
>Diana Lamey
>______________________________________
>When I was working at the elementary level, I used to save all the books
>that kids had damaged and then paid for. Then I could show them examples of
>books that had been chewed up, cut up, marked up, rained on, run over, etc.
>etc. It was especially effective with the Kindergarten and 1st graders.
>Nan Sprester, Librarian
>______________________________________
>Save some of those dog-eaten, water damaged books for examples. A "picture"
>is worth a thousand words.
>Carol Harma, Thurston Elem, Springfield, OR
>
>
>Christine Strebel
>Media Specialist
>North Bay Elementary
>North Bay, NY 13123
>rstrebe1@twcny.rr.com
>
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