Ms. Jones' posting remindsme of the "women who work" are better, smarter, fill in
the blank than"women who choose to stay home" argument. Didn't women allsettle
that by finally agreeing that there's no way to settle that? Whereis the proof
that a flexible schedule is better than a fixed one? Doug Johnson,a well-known
Media Director and author of the Blue Skunk blog, weighed in onthis argument in
School Library Journal. See what he says
here:http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA179495.html
I am an elementarySchool Media Specialist on a fixed schedule and one of the
Specials Rotations. Ithink it is ideal! I am guaranteed to see every student in
the school forapproximately 39 45-minute class periods a year, during which I teach
studentshow to become independent information searchers, evaluators, producers
andpresenters. I have an information literacy and technology curriculumbased on
NETS standards, and I give grades out for the projects we do eachtrimester - many
of which are planned and executed collaboratively with theteachers, and 90% of
which are based on curricular goals. I also work onprojects with students during
non-class times.
I advocate reading and thelove of books, as those same 350 students come through my
door at least onceper week to exchange books. Many also come before school, during
school,and occasionally right after school. I work closely with the LanguageArts
Specialist to host book clubs and reading incentive contests that have thekids
begging for more!
Why would I switch to aflexible schedule when the fixed schedule gives students
time to practice suchthings as new ways to showcase their learning, or how to
evaluate websites. Truthfully,I don't think flexible scheduling would give me
enough time with the students!
I agree with many of theideas and postings on Mrs. Jones' blog. I agree with this
entry that thegoal of Readers Workshop is to encourage a love of reading and that
it is importantto model reading. But her description of what she does is not
ReadersWorkshop. It is more closely related to Sustained Silent Reading.
ReadersWorkshop is an interactive and reflective period of reading instruction.
What Ibelieve was most unfortunate was Ms. Jones assertion that "...it has theadded
benefit of requiring little planning from you. DEFINITELY prefererable (sic)to busy
work."
-----Original Message-----
From: Robert <rajoyce59@VERIZON.NET>
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Sent: Fri, Jul 9, 2010 6:00 pm
Subject: ELEM-(share) What's so special about specials?
Shared with permission from the sender on another listserv. RObert Joyce
Virginia rajoyce59@verison.net
What's so special about specials?
via Shelf Consumed by Leigh Ann Jones on 7/9/10
Specials rotation. The very words strike fear in the heart of elementary
librarians. If you're a secondary librarian, a new elementary librarian, or a
really fortunate experienced elementary librarian, let me explain.
Specials rotation is the infamous fixed scheduling you heard about in library
school. Specials are the classes where the kids go while their teachers are
having conference periods. Generally the specials schedule rotates between art,
music, P.E., and sometimes computers. In a large elementary or if numbers at
certain grade levels are high, the library may be placed in the specials
rotation.
What does this mean? It means that every single day one or more classrooms of
students will be dropped off at the library for a 45 minute block while their
teacher has planning time with the team. It means that the librarian will not be
able to plan collaboratively with these teams. It means that the library
schedule will be driven by these fixed blocks of time. And it also means that
the quality of the entire library program suffers because the librarian is not
able to serve students and staff at the point of need.
If you are attempting to fend off being in the specials rotation, I would
suggest that you read the following:
AASL Position on Flexible Scheduling
School Libraries Work
AASL Resource Guides for School Library Program Development
If you have already lost the battle and are in specials rotation, I would
encourage you to document instances when the fixed schedule bumps research
projects and spontaneous opportunities to meet needs. Talk with administrators,
teachers, and parents about why a flexible schedule is best. Be sure to frame
your reasons in terms of student needs or it may sound self serving.
In the meantime, what should you do during specials rotation?
Be positive and professional. Don't make the kids pay for a scheduling issue.
Resist the temptation to kill time with arts and crafts or worksheeets.
Ditto (double ditto) for library lessons such as learning about Dewey, how to
use the almanac, etc.ICK!!
Ok, so that was what NOT to do. How about some things TO do...
If it were me, I would implement Reader's Workshop. The goal of reader's
workshop is to foster a love of reading, and tons of research supports the fact
that the more kids read, the better readers they are. Reader's Workshop is
something meaningful that students can do during specials rotation, and it has
the added benefit of requiring little planning from you. DEFINITELY prefererable
to busy work.
Set the tone for reading each day by reading aloud. Read a chapter a day from a
novel that will hold the attention of your students. If you need suggestions,
try Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook. Alternate the types of books you read but
make sure they are ones that your students will enjoy. Have fun with the
reading and avoid the temptation of "making a lesson" out of everything. Just
have fun with the book and your kids.
After reading aloud, each student should settle down with a good book(s) to
read. Kindergarteners and other students with limited reading skills can enjoy
all types of books with illustrations and photographs. You should always model
reading. The importance of this can't be overstated. If you're up doing
something else, it tells the kids that reading isn't important.
You can find all kinds of information about Reader's Workshop online. You won't
need to take grades, of course, but tips on managing RW may be helpful.
If you'd like an occasional change of pace, you could intersperse I-Search
research projects. Again, even the youngest of students can choose and research
a simple topic with assistance.
Although specials rotation isn't what's best for kids, you can make the best of
the situation with meaningful learning in a positive environment.
Things you can do from here:
a.. Subscribe to Shelf Consumed using Google Reader
b.. Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite
sites
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