I think it's time we begin to revamp the entire "book selection" process
with our teachers. Many teachers have no clue how to select materials for
students and do not realize what is available for them or their students.
(Disclaimer: I said "many teachers" not "all teachers.")
One of the restrictions that I was faced with recently was a teacher who
required her students to read ONLY books with a 7th grade reading level and
ONLY books that were within the Fantasy / Science Fiction genre. Aside from
the fact that our middle school collection is very limited (my first year
here...still working on updating and adding to this area, which is one of
our weaknesses), I was as frustrated as the students in locating materials
that were within both of these frames of requirements. Added to this
restriction was the requirement that the students be required to locate a
book that they had not read or tested on (an AR program is in
existence...but will be eliminated beginning next year--ask me personally
about this issue and how we are doing it, if you are interested).
The results were that many students were missing the collection of NEW books
now available-- because I don't buy AR tests for anything now AND many of
the limited titles available with tests had already been read or were lower
/ higher reading levels than what was requested by the teacher.
My response: my lower school librarian and I will be conducting a workshop
for our teachers in the fall regarding ways to select materials for students
at the appropriate levels. This will include how to "re-teach" our teachers
what they have already should know about reading and literature evaluation /
instruction. In addition, we will be instructing students throughout the
year how to select materials without worrying about reading levels, points,
etc. Our biggest problem will be the parents who are now "caught-up" in the
program and want their children to "acquire points and prizes" for their
efforts, rather than realizing that discussing their favorite childhood
books with their children and suggesting that they utilize the library
programs effectively through bibliographic requests via their public and
school librarians.
This type of program begins at the top-down. We have received permission
from our administrators to revamp the ways we direct both our teachers and
our students to utilize materials in the library. A few of our teachers are
"easily releasing" the program and re-directing their students to books that
they enjoy. These teachers are also taking back the literature-evaluation
process in their classrooms by teaching the books they select for classroom
projects and requiring students to utilize creative activities to determine
if they have read the book, rather than just taking a multiple choice test.
Other teachers are still restricting the students to our electronic reading
program and the frustration levels continue for all of us. We hope that we
can liberate these students and teachers once we re-structure the program in
the fall.
My insights and experiences only...
~Shonda Brisco
Trinity Valley MS / US Librarian
Fort Worth, TX
sbrisco021@charter.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "Liz McMahon" <lmcmahon@SAD47.K12.ME.US>
To: <LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU>
Sent: Friday, March 28, 2003 10:13 AM
Subject: book selection
> A student was sent back down to the library today to get another
> historical fiction book and I was introduced today to a new method of
> selecting a book to read:
>
> With a ruler, measure the width of the pages and the thickness of
the
> page; this will determine how many days it will take to read. If it is too
> narrow and too thin it obviously will not take the student very long to
> read it, therefore the student will have to pick a new book...preferably
> thicker and wider!!! :(
>
> Now, this is after an entire day of booktalks and discussion about
the
> various historical events of a wide variety of historical fiction books
> and booktalks trying to entice students to venture out into time periods
> they knew little about. Unfortunately the teacher was absent and the
> classes were accompanied by a sub! At this point, I feel I've missed
> something somewhere!!!! Why do teachers persist in looking at the length
> of a book as a judgement of it's suitability???? How do we encourage and
> nurture a love of reading when we do things like this? How many small
> books have we read in our lives that have impacted us greatly?
>
> Liz
>
> Liz McMahon
> Library Media Specialist
> Williams Jr. High Library SAD 47
> 55 Pleasant St.
> Oakland, ME 04963
> lmcmahon@sad47.k12.me.us
>
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