1. 1. I don't label my books but I do have a different sections
based on reading level. For instance, all picture books are in the E
(Everybody) section. Easy Chapter books are books that are great for 2nd and 3rd
graders. I have them marked with a call number EC, last name, first name.
These have an orange sticker on the very top and are located in their own
section next to the easy books. These books are then followed by Juvenile books
and Juvenile nonfiction. With my second and third graders, the teachers and I
really steer them towards the easy chapter books. I tell them that they can
check out any books from this section but if they want to check out a book
from the juvenile section, they need to visit with me or their teacher first.
The reason we started this was because we had a bunch of second graders start
to check out "thick" books or Goosebumps books simply because they saw
someone else do it. They had no real intention of reading the book. By having
them check with us first, we can do a spot check to make sure the book is
appropriate and would be a good reading match for the student.
1. This year for the first time I have begun to label such books. This
is due to a parent who caused quite a stir over a cat encyclopedia (another
whole story!). We now put a sticker on any book that we are limiting (we are
also a K-5 school) to just the older kids. I even have put some books behind
the desk where the kids have to ask for them. This is because they are very
poplar books for gr. 3 - 5, and the kids were hiding them around the library
so they would be there when they wanted them!! I also had a first grader take
out one of the high-interest, low voc. books we have in a series on monsters
and his mom was quite upset because the pictures in the books (awesomely
gruesome - the older boys love them!) gave him horrible nightmares. These books
we labeled for the older grades (which is who we bought them for originally
anyway) and put a note in the child's record so he doesn't take them again. I
really don't like doing this - but since we have limited them to the older
grades we haven't had any parental problems.
1. I put colored spine labels protectors on my books. I used green for
primary and clear for upper. Our rule was a primary student could choose
any green tag with no questions. A clear tag had to be checked by an adult,
usually me. I would have them read out loud to me for comprehension. At that
point many students made their own decision that it was an inappropriate
choice. For inappropriate topic, the explanation that it is not age appropriate
was usually accepted. On occasion, I had some students who insisted on
checking out a book that I felt was inappropriate. Then I encouraged them to
return the book and get a new one if they didn't like it, or mom didn't approve.
I had few problems. I also had a "helping" category. A primary student
could check out 1 book that mom, dad, nanny, or other adult reader could read
to them or with them. I had many above grade level read at my school, close
to 75%. Many of my primary students could and would read the clear tags. Use
them as a guide to appropriate books. In reverse the upper grade teachers
would question a student that was reading to many green tags, especially for
book reports.
2. We use the AR system of LG, MG, and UG for interest levels. We
include the interest level with the AR levels and points on small label inside
each book. I teach the students what the interest levels mean and how it changes
the content of the book. It helps the students evaluate for themselves
whether the book is right for them and to look at the content more closely if
needed.
1. I serve a K-4 school. We use AR. My solution may not be considered
'correct' policy but does help with the situation you mention. First, I
present a short lesson to each class about AR points. I show them that it is
easier to earn AR points by reading lots of books.
Reading and testing on the short books will earn points faster. I ask a
child how long it might take them to read this novel. 2 weeks is often the
answer. I tell them they might answer 7 out of the 10 questions correctly
because they will forget some of the answers. They may answer them all
correctly and earn the 10 points for that book. I ask another
child how many short books can be read in one day. 2-4 books. We do the
math. 4 books a day for 5 days a week for 2 weeks. They could earn 20 points
in the same 2 week period. I tell them that reading books for fun is more
important than reading the books with the most AR points. Of course, it is
often teachers or parents who need this lesson more than the students.
The second solution is the way I arrange the library. I place more books in
the Easy section. I limit K-2 to these books. About the second semester I
introduce second grade to nonfiction books. I start third graders with
chapter books. I am alone with no help maintaining this collection as well as a
separate collection to support reading. I train my students to use
self-check-out and to replace the books on the shelf. It is not perfect .I do
relate
to your problem. Some of the biggest complaints I receive come from the art
books and Italy books with pictures of classic art.
1. A possible response to this is to label the books by the AR level.
Students know their particular level and would know to steer away from that
book.
Also, there is the basic five-finger test. A child randomly chooses a
page from the book. They have to read the entire page. For each word
they are unable to read/understand, they put up a finger. At the end
of the page, the child should have no more than three fingers up.
The rating system:
0 fingers= too easy
1 finger= just right
2 fingers= a little challenging
3 fingers= challenging (but still acceptable)
4 fingers= too challenging
5 fingers= inappropriate
Most students won't lie about having conducted the five finger test.
However, you may wish to set up a buddy system. Given the limited time available
to
you, you may wish to ask the teacher to select the "buddies." If the teacher
remains in the library (which would be an extra set of hands), the students
could be asked to double-check with the teacher.
1. I think I would probably post the interest levels somewhere in the
library. I think they are:
Lower Grades: Kinder-3rd Middle Grades: 4th-8th Upper Grades:
9th-12th
The interest levels are put out by the publisher, not AR, and you can have
them printed on your AR lablels. I would hold the kids to those levels except
under special circumstances.
1. I solved the problem by having EC (Early Chapter books) and FIC. THE
EC shelves are for grades 1-3, and reading K. The Fic are for grades 3-6.
It really slows down the 1-2s who are trying to get to the BIG books. It
takes time to relabel the books, but once you do, it is a wonderful collection.
1. After reading your post on LM_Net, I don't know if my experiences
are helpful or relevant, but your experience certainly struck a chord. I am in
my first year as a school librarian in a 7-9 junior high, but I've been at
the same school as an English teacher for over a decade. The previous
librarian was always fairly liberal in her selection choices, and became even more
so
in her last few years. I have continued this trend. Her rationale was always
that we have high schoolers in our school -- ninth graders -- so we need to
have at least some things that support the reading habits of the most
advanced and/or mature freshmen. Then again, some of those books might not be the
best choices for seventh graders -- especially in the first couple months of
the school year when they are still essentially tender little sixth graders who
haven't been exposed much to the big scary world of junior high school yet.
The previous librarian tended to steer these younger kids away from certain
books, or at least make a disclaimer, something like, "This book has some
rough language/mature situations/high school-y content, and if that's going to
turn you off or upset your parents, I can help you find another book."
I've continued this policy, but what I think I've noticed this year is that
the 7th graders, especially the girls, are the ones MOST likely to check out
all the "edgy" books. For a while this fall, for example, a whole group of
7th grade girls were tenaciously tracking down all the books about gay kids and
passing them around and recommending them to each other and putting holds on
them. Now they're over it. I think they heard that there were a couple ninth
graders who were gay, and this was their "safe" way to find out more.
Other than our casual (and probably pretty hit-and-miss) readers' advisory
attempts, we do not label our books in any way or restrict check-outs by grade
level. I realize this may seem like a more touchy subject in an elementary
school than in a junior high, but I think in this way it is the same:
sometimes this is just how kids learn things and find out about the "shocking"
sides
of life that no one will tell them about and they would be mortified to
bring up with anyone. Maybe it's better they read books about this stuff than
just listen to playground gossip???
1. I struggled with this for years too. I'm in a K-8 school, so our
age/appropriateness span is even wider than yours. I strongly believe in
self-selection too, but after a point I felt like I wasn't helping them become
better readers, especially when the middle school students
couldn't read Lord of the Rings for weeks on end because we had a crew of
first grade boys who insisted on dragging them around for weeks simply so they
could gaze at the cool covers! They kept insisting their parents would read
them these and similar titles, but I had my doubts
...
I finally went through the entire fiction section and asked myself "Would I
have purchased this book for this school if we went only through 5th grade?"
The books for whom the answer was "no" got YA stickers on their spines, and I
put them in a separate section of the library. Only our 6-8 school students
are allowed to check these books ut, or even browse those shelves.
Honestly, most of the younger kids aven't even noticed that the ection is there.
Once in a while they ill stumble on one via OPAC (Harry Potter V, for example)
and wonder hy they can't find it on the shelf. Then I just smile and say "Oh
...
that's in the middle school section. You may check that book out when ou're
in middle school, OR you may have your mom write me a note saying t's OK for
you to check out that book even though it's in the middle School section, OR
you may go to the public library with your mom and find it there." So far
it's worked just fine. The middle school kids like having their own section
- after browsing the same fiction shelves since the primary grades, it's like
a whole new world. And the younger kids actually have an easier time
finding appropriate books with the too-hard titles out of the way.
2. We are a brand new K-8 school and we have labeled books that we feel
are inappropriate for younger students because of mature content. We have
put a red "UG" both on the spine, and beside the barcode.
Ruie Chehak, Library Media Specialist
Sallie Jones Elementary School
1230 Narranja Street
Punta Gorda, FL 33950
Ruie_Chehak@ccps.k12.fl.us
941-575-5440
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter
and those who matter don't mind." ~ Dr. Seuss
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