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Thank you for responding to my queries regarding a move from a K-8 school to a Career and Tech 11th and 12th grade campus. My specific concerns are threefold: (1) suggestions for a school-wide reading club (2) high school contests regarding literacy (3) advice for an old dog learning new tricks Here is a hit of the great responses I received! HIT #1 Good luck in your new job. I made the same transition some time back and getting in the groove of HS reading was one of the challenges. I found that HS students did not have as much time for reading as I had hoped. Here is a website that gives some good lists and statistics that you should find helpful. http://www.quizlistinteractive.com/AcceleratedReader_BookLists.aspx Jo Lewis, MLS Staff Librarian www.quizlistinteractive.com jo.lewis@comcast.net HIT #2 Your question was "What books do you recommend for a school-wide reading club?" ANSWER: The Boy, The King, and The Chihuahua, which is an RR Bowker recommended book. HIT#3 I moved from Elementary (K - 5) to HS (9 - 12) two years ago. I found that kids are kids are kids, for the most part. Depending on your principal and how much freedom/control you will to have to engage these kids in reading, you might try something simple and fun for school-wide reading to begin (like Battle of Jericho by S. Draper or one of Walter Dean Myers books). If you want something a little more substantial, maybe And Still We Rise (M. Corwin) or Nickel and Dimed (by D Ehrenreich). It is wonderful that the school already has independent reading in place! The hardest thing for me to do when starting over at a new place was to "listen". I wanted to go in like a bull in a china shop and change everything around (and that may be just what your new school needs). Since you are going to a technical school, I'm guessing ( maybe wrongly) that the majority of students will be male. If so, I've observed that boys who like to read rarely pick realistic fiction. They love fantasy and horror (Darren Shan, Meredith and Pierce, Tamora Pierce, Emily Rodda, Chris Paolini), or they go to non-fiction and biography. Anything with Hiphop, Tupac, NBA, or Skateboarding catches their eye. If there are a lot of computers programs, you might think about reading Geeks (Jon Katz). Cayla Armatti Library Media Specialist Lake Weir High School Ocala, Florida (352) 671-4820, or 5-8971 cayla.armatti@marion.k12.fl.us HIT #4 Setting up a blog for the students to share their thoughts about books they've read seems to be working well for some of the folk on the list (you can set it up so that you can moderating submissions). One of the librarians held a contest to encourage the kids to submit "booktalks" to--the prize was a $20 gift certificate-- offered as incentive to participate. If you combine something like this with a good "feed" of booktalks about books that might be of interest, it could tie in nicely with other activities you're doing. HIT#5 1.) What high school contests have been successful at your schools regarding literacy? Literary couples contest -- you give them the couples, they need to write down the book 2.) What books do you recommend for a school-wide reading club? Breathing Underwater -- Alex Flinn Good for males and females. Lots to discuss Easy enough for the less-strong readers 3.) What other advice do you have for an old dog learning new tricks? Get yourself a copy of Joyce Valenza's PowerTools Recharged! Make some flashy displays and booklists of good books (I'll see kids walking around with my lists looking for the books) Get students involved -- through book suggestions, student monitor programs, etc. Don't be surprised if they don't show up right away -- 11th and 12th grade are high pressure ( the "college?!! life after high school? I need to think about that NOW??" 11th graders) and then slide into "I'm outta here" (the "I'm going to college, so why do I have to do anything anymore?" 12th graders) <grin> Rena Deutsch, Librarian Bayard Rustin HS for the Humanities 351 W. 18th Street New York, NY 10011 renadeutsch@att.net library site: www.hhslibrary.org I can't wait to share these ideas with my dean! This listserv is a fantastic networking tool for our profession. Laurel W. Jernigan Cybrarian Diamond Oaks Career and Technical Institute Cincinnati, Ohio ljernigan@cinci.rr.com -------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book. 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