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Here is a hit for the replies that I received for how to teach the Dewey. Thanks again for all the wonderful help that was given. It is long. I teach my students that while it seems strange that fairy tales,drawing books etc. are in non-fiction, the reason is that literature,music, art, sports, cooking, customs, holidays etc. are all part ofculture. Culture is comprised of all these various components that makea people who they are.It's simple enough and seems to satisfy them but then I do a great bitwith culture at the beginning of the year. will start by saying the books with numbers on the spine do not make up the nonfiction section of the library. The Dewey Decimal system includes all books of the library, including the fiction, picture and biography books. The drawing books are in the 700s, which includes music, art, and sports. I handle the fairy tales by saying that they are in the 300, which is the social sciences--this is where there are books about people's governments, clothing of cultures, holidays of different cultures and the stories of different cultures. I just never say the numbered section of the library is the nonfiction section. Nonfiction books DO have numbers on the spine, however. I also tell my students that actually, biographies belong in the 900s and fiction belongs in the 800s, they are just pulled because of the huge amount of books! There have been some past discussions of this -- you can probably findthem with a search of the archives.I work with grades 7-12, and they all come with the idea that "Dewey" istrue. I try to instill the knowledge that will most are fact based,some are not "true" (fairy tales, legends, mythology, etc.) But thatDewey numbers are used to put like books together to make for easierbrowsing. We also talk about the fact that the entire fictioncollection could be housed in the 800s, and that it makes it much easierto pull the fiction out and put it in its own section.Hope this helps a little. explain to my students that Melvil Dewey set up the system to include ALL books. Originally fiction books were placed in the 800s. Eventually the 800 section got so large that librarians decided to pull them out and make their own section. In our library we call the numbered books the "Dewey Section". Give them the example of changes in information about dinosaurs and more recently Pluto...there are a lot of ideas and theories, but no one knows 'for sure' what dinosaurs looked like. Also talk about the paranormal - ghosts, big foot, etc...my kiddos seem to get it when I use these examples. Every book has a Dewey Decimal number--fiction is in the 800s. I tell my students that and also that we just don't put the numbers on fiction because there are so many and because they would have to be divided by the country of the author. American fiction is 800s 813 to be precise. British fiction is 820, German 830 and so on. I don't call the books labeled with numbers the non-fiction books--I call them the Dewey books--the ones we shelve by number instead of author. I have used this explanation with K-12 students and none of them have ever had a problem with it. try to get past the "true" part by telling my students that the books with Dewey numbers contain facts and information. That covers everything but 398.2's, which I connect to the 300's (living in a community) by doing lessons that show that they tell us how to live with each other, not to talk to strangers (Red Riding Hood, etc.), how to treat each other (Talking Eggs), etc. It does take a while. I usually deal with fairy tales by pointing out that kids can learn about a culture by comparing fairy tales and I'll reinforce this by using the different Cinderella versions. I also talk about the oral tradition to explain how fairy tales traveled around the world. As for art books, I explain that they are "how to" books. When I taught elementary, I told my kids that graphic novels were art AND story, sopeople usually put them with the art books, it was an arbitrary decision (okay, so Ididn't use the word "arbitrary" with 3rd graders!). Drawing books teachyou how to make art, so they're near the other craft teaching books (like how toknit, etc.). Fairy tales and folk tales are usually old stories that were oftenhanded down orally and/or used to teach something about a culture, so they're in thesection that covers people in groups (i.e. social sciences). I used to tell them,"Most people like to tell stories to other people, not just keep them tothemselves, so stories that were told for a long time before they were written downgo in the 300's." That seemed to satisfy them. teach that the nonfiction books are books with facts. The fairy tales I explain that it's a fact that people told these stories orally until someone finally wrote them down. I've never had to explain graphic novels, but I guess you could say it's a fact that you can tell stories with pictures. We have got to get away from saying books with Dewey numbers are non-fiction. THEY ARE NOT. They are the main collection and other things like Fiction, biography, and maybe story collection are pulled out of the regular collection. That is what I teach my kids. Dewey numbers main they are in the main library collection . I explain to the kids that we keep those books together by subject category. I do this lesson after we do Biographies which we have by subject’s name. I also tell them fiction could be put in this section, but since it is soooo big, we put it in It’s own section. Seems to work for 3rd graders- I would tell them that, indeed, the fiction would be part of the Dewey system (800's)but then it would take up too much shelf room. In the Library of congress system,fiction IS part of it, not a separate set-aside area. Also, the"non-fiction" books aren't always intended to be read "cover tocover," as novels are. And, for the most part, provide information rather thanentertainment (800's and 398's excepted). Tell them that, althought the 398's and800's contain stories and other 'fictions,' they are cataloged because they are oftenused for study and assignments, rather than leisure reading. Can't speak about the graphic novels but drawing is a craft/how to book, and fairy tales and folklore are the "true" (in the sense of being authentic) oral (now written down) stories of peoples of various cultures. They often reflect the cultural mores, stereotypes, wisdom, etc. of their respective cultures. I have always taught the students the main divisions of the library arethe Fiction and the Dewey SectionsWhen the Dewey Decimal System was created, the fiction and thebiographies sections were not separated into distinct sections, but allinclusive in the system. Fiction was primarily in the 800's(Literature), the Biographies in the 920's. Dewey placed no regard as to fiction or not.....just where it fell inthe scheme of the system. The Dewey Secion has both fiction and and non-fiction in almost all ofthe sections (depending on your individual religious, philosophical andpolitical beliefs)....and I always tell the kiddos...read both sides,make your own decision (lower levels encouraged parents to be involved),and you decide if it is true (non-fiction) or if you think it isfiction, Go for your own opinion...we all have our own beliefs.I have had kids on the fifth and sixth grade get into some really greatdiscussions on some of the really controversial subjects......the bestone was actually on the existence of dinosaurs. (There are religionsthat question the existence) A fabulous debate which made the childrenrealize that we are all are entitled to our own opinions and beliefs. Some areas in the Dewey that I personally consider to be fiction: 000 - UF0's, Bigfoot and Lock Ness100 - Ghost200 - Greek Mythology300 - Fairy Tales400 - Novels in Spanish700 - Cartoons800 - Literature and Poetry900 - History - The Warren Commission on the The Kennedy Assasination And of course my favorite.....that " biography" many years ago aboutbeing captured and spending three years aboard a spaceship. There are others that question the validity of the following: 500 - Dinosaurs and Evolution600 - Global Warming and the Moon Walk The best answer I have for fairy tales and such is they fall in the 300's or theSocial Science section of the library. I consider these books Traditional Literaturewith the definition of this as stories that were told orally and handed down overtime. I explain to the students that books have not always been available in printbut stories have always been told. Fairy tales and Folk tales and such have a lessonto be learned from them and these stories have been passed down as part of ourculture. I use the two example of Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella. They areeasily able to pick out the social lessons from these stories. For drawing books Ijust explain that anything in the 700's is directed towards things we like to do inour spear time. Drawing is something we like to do in our spear time. The graphicnovels I have moved to the fiction section partly because I am in a new school and weare still building our collection and I could use more volume in the fiction. Hopethis helps. I think I gained this insight from reading something on LM-Net. Collaborating to Meet Standards: Teacher/Librarian Partnerships for K-6 Second Edition (Linworth 2007) BRAND NEW! Collaborating to Meet Literacy Standards: Teacher/Librarian Partnerships for K-2 (Linworth 2006) Read! Perform! Learn! 10 Reader's Theater Projects for Literacy Enhancement (Upstart 2006) Toni Buzzeo and YOU (Libraries Unlimited 2005) Collaborating to Meet Standards: Teacher/Librarian Partnerships for 7-12 (Linworth 2002) Terrific Connections with Authors, Illustrators, and Storytellers (Libraries Unlimited 1999) Read! Perform! Learn! Two: 10 More Reader's Theater Projects for Literacy Enhancement (Upstart 2007) BRAND NEW! The Collaboration Handbook (Linworth 2008) FORTHCOMING ABC Read to Me: Teaching Letter of the Week in the Library (Upstart 2009) FORTHCOMING * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * R is for Research, illustrated by Nicole Wong (Upstart 2008) BRAND NEW! Fire Up with Reading: A Mrs. Skorupski Story, illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa (Upstart 2007) Our Librarian Won't Tell Us ANYTHING! A Mrs. Skorupski Story, illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa (Upstart 2006) Ready or Not, Dawdle Duckling, illustrated by Margaret Spengler (Dial 2005) Little Loon and Papa, illustrated by Margaret Spengler (Dial 2004) Dawdle Duckling, illustrated by Margaret Spengler (Dial 2003) The Sea Chest, illustrated by Mary GrandPre (Dial 2002) The Library Doors, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott (Upstart 2008) FORTHCOMING The Great Dewey Hunt: A Mrs. Skorupski Story, illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa (Upstart 2009) FORTHCOMING Adventure Annie Goes to Work , illustrated by Amy Wummer (Dial 2009) FORTHCOMING No T. Rex in the Library, illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa (McElderry 2010) FORTHCOMING Adventure Annie Goes to Kindergarten, illustrated by Amy Wummer (Dial 2010) FORTHCOMING A Lighthouse Christmas, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter (Dial 2010) FORTHCOMING Elliot's Aquarium Secret (Dial) FORTHCOMING Vickie Cole Library Media Specialist Hoxie Elementary -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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