We announced our "universal book" for grades 9-12 today ---- it is "Exodus" by Leon
Uris. This should be interesting since we've already had parents complain about it
on political and religion grounds, and the students are already exhausted with the
length of the book....
However, we also offer a unique program for our 10th-12th graders called our
"Faculty-Led Summer Reading". As a part of their "required" reading over the
summer, we have faculty members from the middle school and high school choose a
title that they would like to be responsible for in facilitating a small book
discussion at the beginning of the school year. Students will need to read and
discuss the book in order to receive credit for four (4) subject-area tests. In
addition, the universal book will be tested and that grade will apply to their
English grade. Last year we had 28 faculty members participate. This year we have
42 faculty members.
The students will make up to five choices of books that they'd like to read. They
will review the list of books from the faculty-choice website---we've broken them
into genres, so that is helpful this year for those who are interested in specific
types of books.
Then they will go to our online survey and choose their top five with 1 being their
first choice, 2 being their second, etc. We then decide which students will be
placed with what book / group based upon their survey responses (the survey
information will tell us what students have chosen which books, who signed up first
for a specific title, what are the most popular choices, and how many students have
signed up.)--I used SurveyMonkey.com for the survey.
To see our entire list of summer reading, the faculty-led book list, our online
survey, and the universal title, go to our library's website:
http://www.fwcds.org/campus/libraries/default.asp
then scroll down until you see SUMMER READING. Each file for grades K-9 is a .pdf
format. The 10th-12th grade levels are websites.
So, just in case you thought we were doing everything so "techno-geeky"....you'll
see we still have those staunch supporters of "the old ways" of required summer
reading and lists of books. The only comforting thought is that I can offer them
my "Not Required Summer Reading List" of hot, edgy books...because the students are
also required to read a THIRD book of THEIR choice. Next year, I may offer a "No
Book--Booklist" and offer only downloadable titles for MP3 players that they can
access via our library website all summer...but that's still "a dream" in the
making! :)
~Shonda
Shonda Brisco, MLIS
US / Technology Librarian
4200 Country Day Lane
Fort Worth Country Day School
Fort Worth, TX
817.732.7718 ext. 339
"We can't wait for somebody outside of ourselves to rescue us, because nobody is
coming to the rescue..."
~ Ross Todd, Professor
School of Communications, Information, and Library Studies, Rutgers University
sbrisco@fwcds.org
http://www.fwcds.org/campus/libraries/default.asp
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