Author Visit: Sheila Keenan

On Thursday we welcomed author Sheila Keenan to our library to talk to 4th and 5th graders about her new book, Dogs of War.  Illustrated by Nathan Fox,  Dogs of War is historical fiction, in graphic novel format, about the canine rescue heroes of World Wars I, II, and the Vietnam War.  It's a collection of fictional stories inspired by the real military dogs who served as messengers, scouts, and rescuers.  Sheila talked about the seed for the story (a photo she found in her neighbor's garbage, of a soldier in the trenches with his German shepherd), and the process of collaborating with the artist, and the multiple revisions (she has worked as editor of several well-known graphic novels, including the Amulet, Explorer,  and Hereville series).  Her recommendation to aspiring graphic novelists:  self-publish and sell your books cheap or even give them away.  Have a friend read your writing to get feedback.  And, to writers in general: the secret is to just write!  Each child got to take home a copy of the book, signed by the author.

Sheila Keenan is a cat owner,
but after her research for the book
she would like to own a dog.

Graphic Novels in Our Library

Graphic novels are hugely popular with our students.  Comic-book adaptations of the '80s series The Babysitters' Club; Smile, a "dental autobiography" by the same author; and the Lunchlady series are among the highest circulating items in our library's collection.

What is a graphic novel?  Simply put, graphic novels are book-length comics. They are not just about superheroes.  Graphic novels can teach about ballet, history, and mythology, and be science fiction, adventures, biographies, and folk tales. They also vary in reading level from beginner readers to the highest reading level.  Manga is a sub-category of graphic novels, written in the Japanese style (the book is read from right to left, and so are the story panels. (Anime is the animated version of manga).  

What are the benefits of graphic novels? Reluctant readers are very often attracted to the format.  The context clues provided by the pictures are helpful to children who are struggling with decoding words.  Graphic novels also provide an opportunity for kids to develop their visual thinking skills.  Not only must a reader figure out what’s happening inside a panel, s/he must also figure out what is happening between the panels.  Do not worry that your child will choose nothing but graphic novels.  Graphic novels are often a gateway to more reading.  As children can confidence in their reading, they almost always transfer their enthusiasm for reading to different formats.  

In our library, I apply rigorous selection criteria to choose graphic novels for our library, and make sure that our graphic novels have an "all ages" rating for content.  If your child brings home a graphic novel, what can you do to support his/her reading choice?  Read alongside you child if s/he will let you.  Ask her/him to tell you the story that occurs between the panels, discuss the panel shape and size.  See if s/he can read a character’s emotions from his expression or postures.  Get to know your child’s favorite comics!  

Some of our finest writers were avid readers of comics when they were young:  Ray Bradbury, Cynthia Rylant, and John Updike.  Maybe your child will follow in their footsteps!

Resources for Parents:

No Flying, No Tights -- Reviews by librarians of graphic novels for kids and teens.  

A Parents’ Guide to Anime

ToonBooks - great for beginning readers; the site contains activities that coordinate with these easy-to-read “indie” line of comics.  

adapted from the Internet Public Library, http://www.ipl.org/div/graphicnovels/gnsSchoolsNLibs.html

and Sarah Kresberg, Librarian, Allen-Stevenson School

Why Read Aloud to Your Child? Lots of Reasons!

When does my child have Library? Flexible Scheduling

In our library we use a flexible scheduling model for our upper grade classes.   Flexible scheduling is an alternative to a rigid weekly schedule. With a flexible schedule library or research skills are taught in tandem with the content of the teachers.  Some weeks, grade 3-5 classes can come twice/week; during other weeks, a class may not come at all.  In addition to whole-class visits, the library provides "open checkout" twice daily for children to come independently to exchange library books.   This slide show (esp. pages 11-18) shows the benefits of a flexible scheduling model in the library.

Flexible Scheduling from Nerine Chalmers

When the Library is Closed: Professional Development for the Librarian

by Jackie (our student teacher in the library) and Cheryl

On October 29th we headed out to Citifield, not for a Mets game, but to attend the NYCDOE's School Library System’s Annual Fall Conference. The theme of this year's conference was “Connect, Create, Lead.” Jackie, a student at Pratt Institute’s School of Information and Library Science, and I split our time between sessions, compared notes, and enjoyed talks by authors James Patterson and Jerry Spinelli. Along with the sessions on ebooks, graphic novels, Common Core alignment in the library, inquiry, and technology, there was a larger message regarding reader engagement and how that can be implemented in the school, in the library, and most importantly, at home. Keynote Speaker James Patterson introduced the conference with a talk on his self-proclaimed “missionary work” to get more kids reading. A distinguished author and New York Times bestseller, he has recently started Read Kiddo Read, a website for parents and educators. The site has parent and educator reviews, tips for parents on how to get their kids reading more, and book lists such as the “I-Hated-To-Read-Til-I-Read-This-Booklist for Boys.” Patterson spoke of his experience with his fifteen year old and how he and his wife got Jack reading. Here are some takeaways from Patterson’s keynote: 1. Kids HAVE to read in the summer. As Patterson says, “Jack didn’t have to mow the lawn, but he had to read for 45 minutes each day.” 2. It is a shared effort of parents and educators to get kids engaged in reading. Patterson told us, “if parents don’t get their kids reading, it’s like giving them a disability.” 3. Let them read what they want to read. “It's our job as parents & educators to make kids read but we also need to find them books they love.” Let your child read It’s Disgusting and We Ate It. Any active reading is going to lead to active learning.  Similar to Patterson, author and teacher Torrey Maldonado gave a workshop called, “Getting Reluctant Readers to Read.” Maldonado grew up in Red Hook, Brooklyn in the 1980s. He explained to librarians that he grew up in a village that began to disintegrate. When this happened, his mother created a patchwork village. This included the Red Hook librarian and store clerks who would exclaim “here comes the reader!” and “when are you going to write me a book?” Along with the celebration of good grades and an emphasis on the power of the written word, Maldonado had a positive self-fulfilling prophecy with his powerful novel, Secret Saturdays. Now, Maldonado teaches at Park Slope’s M.S. 88 and gives lectures to young people about the power of reading.  Kids should have a huge influence on collection development as it is FOR them.  This is a philosophy we have been adhering to for years in our school library.  How can a young person develop a love for lifelong literacy if lifelong literacy doesn’t love them?

Maldonado also advocates for books that show children's race/gender/culture in a positive way.  Maldonado referenced a New York Times article that pointed to the lack of Latinos in children's books.

We attended a session on purchasing ebooks for libraries, taking away the message that school libraries should not (yet) be investing money on ebooks, at least until we can work out a more sensible model of pricing.   We also went to a presentation by the founder of a kid-friendly book review site called Biblionasium, a safe site where kids can keep track of their reading, share virtual shelves, and rate books.  We think our upper-grade students will love this social forum to connect around books.   In addition to the concurrent sessions, we had a chance to walk around the exhibitors area to peruse new books, apps, software, and hardware, and to get to talk to the various vendors who provide our students with resources.

While we are apologetic for having to close the library for the day, this kind of work is essential for us to continue to grow in a field that is continually changing.  In November, Cheryl will be attending the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) Conference, the national conference of school librarians.  She is looking forward to a stimulating time of learning, and bringing back lots more to our community of learners.

Colonial America

Web Mix for Colonial America
Here are some interactive websites we've been looking at in the library, in connection with the 4/5 grade investigation of Colonial American life.  Have fun exploring!

 

100 Great Picture Books/100 Years

I love book lists.  And now, The New York Public Library has just published a list of "100 Best Picture Books," on occasion of their current exhibition The ABC of It: Why Children’s Books Matter, "an examination of why children’s books are important: what and how they teach children, and what they reveal about the societies that produced them."  The exhibition is really geared for adults interested in the history of children's literature; however there are some fun hands-on displays and lively spaces--like the recreation of Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon's great green room, that will occupy kids while their grown-ups examine the contents of the display cases.  

You can browse the list here

published 1928

Most of these books are in our school library's collection, and they circulate regularly, proving that these "classics" on our shelves withstand the test of time--and children!  

published 1938

published 1962

published 1972

BookPALS Group Read!

Last week, we inaugurated a visiting readers program in collaboration with BookPALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools).  Professional performers volunteer as readers in elementary school classrooms. BookPALS is a national program administered by the Screen Actors Guild  (SAG) Foundation.  To learn more, go to their website.  

Another literacy program offered by the SAG Foundation is the website StoryLine OnLine. There you can hear (and watch) great picture books, including Betty White reading the classic picture book Harry the Dirty Dog and Satoshi Kitamura's Me and My Cat? read by Elijah Wood.  

Reading Interest Surveys

I like to begin the school year by asking students what they like to read.   In the lower grades, students draw a picture of what kinds of books they like.  This week, to launch our year of Library with third graders, I am reading Wild About Books, a tribute to Dr. Seuss by Judy Sierra. After reading this entertaining, rhyming narrative in which all the zoo animals go crazy for reading (and writing), students completed a survey (below) that will help me get to know their preferences as readers.

Click HERE to listen to Judy Sierra reading Wild About Books

Summer Reading!

We have been distributing NEW New York Public Library library cards these last weeks.  If you have not filled out an application for your child, please see Cheryl in the library or Fidelina in the lobby.  She is there each morning with a stack of personalized cards for each child.  The major advantage of this card is that the library will forgive prior fines and no longer charge any late fees. This is major!  

"Miss Thea," librarian from the NYPL's Ottendorfer Branch, visits
classrooms to get kids excited about the summer reading program.

Library Celebrates Earth Day

Recycling notes

The library continues to offer learning experiences that connect children to the community outside of our school through human resources.  Thanks to a library visit from Julia Goldstein from the agency GrowNYC, we learned how we can become good citizens by recycling at school and at home.  Ms. Goldstein is partnering with teachers Mrs. Heather Madigan (STAR)  and Danette Lebron (TNS).   Julia played a trash sorting game with grades 1/2, in preparation for which we learned about recycling categories.  Did you know that only if plastic has a neck that is smaller than its body it is recyclable? That means those plastic berry containers go in the trash.  Don't be surprised if your child has more recycling facts to share with you!                      

Creative Lettering

For All School Work Time this month, I offered the activity of Bubble Lettering, inspired by The Kids' Book of Creative Lettering, which had been sitting on my "personal" shelf in the library for awhile, waiting for the right opportunity to use it.  Surprising, the attendees were all PreK and K's (not the "tween" group I would have imagined would have been drawn to the activity).  With a They Might Be Giants "ABC" album soundtrack, we sat down and embellished our names for 45 straight minutes.  Some of the results:

Author Visit: Laura Pedersen

Laura Pedersen, Unplugged,
Tilbury House, 2012

On April 5th, just in time for Screen-Free Week (formerly known as "Turn off Your TV Week") Author Laura Pedersen discussed her book Unplugged with S.T.A.R. third graders in our library.  In this realistic fiction picture book, Ella is frustrated by her family's being constantly "plugged in" to their electronic devices, and decides to unplug them: her brother from his videogames, her dad from his computer, and her mom from her cell phone, in order to reconnect as a family. Ms. Pedersen asked kids what they would do without a screen, and there was no shortage of answers. 

April is School Library Month

Students from grades 2+ are invited to participate in the School Library Challenge.  Forms are available in the library. The deadline is April 30th.

Read, Give, and Share with We Give Books!

I just found an amazing free resource and I wanted to pass it on to all of you. We Give Books is a free online library of children’s books that enables your kids to help other children around the world while they’re reading. The best part is, your reading will directly impact the great work of non-profit organizations around the world! Their tagline says it all, “combining the joy of reading with the power of giving.” It’s the perfect tool for parents, teachers, caregivers, and anyone who loves children’s books!

When you go to www.wegivebooks.org, you’ll be able to read a special selection of books without a We Give Books account, but you have to sign up to access their full library. It’s definitely worth it, though. It’s just a quick form, and once you’re signed up, you’ll have access to over 150 quality children’s books! There are a lot of familiar classic titles, and even more new ones for us to discover. You can sort the books by age level, genre, author, and seasonal selections in the “Featured” section, so everyone can find something they like.

On the Causes page you can learn more about where your donated books are going. This fall, We Give Books is focusing on early childhood literacy across the United States and supporting great causes like Jumpstart for young children. In the winter, you’ll be able to read to support global literacy and give books to non-profits like Room to Read. They also give you the option to donate to help your book donations reach even more children.

We Give Books is a program of the Pearson Foundation and Penguin Group. Penguin works with its authors to provide an outstanding selection of online books while the Pearson Foundation donates print books to charity partners. We Give Books is a great way to get your children excited about reading and to teach them about the importance of helping others.

School Libraries Boost Achievement!

Every so often a study is published that justifies the necessity of school librarians.

Latest Study: A full-time school librarian makes a critical difference in boosting student achievement

By Debra E. Kachel and Keith Curry Lance on March 7, 2013 

School Library Journal

"Imagine trying to teach kids how to swim in an empty pool."  "...students suffer when they don’t have adequate resources—and, in particular, we’ve found that student achievement suffers when schools lack libraries that are staffed by full-time librarians."  Read full article here

What Does Reading Aloud Mean to You?

I recently asked families, in a survey posted here on this blog, to share what reading aloud meant to them.  Here are the responses so far:

I love feeling a connection with my children -- we're all sharing the experience of a story together. I love getting to do dialogue and accents and drama -- I'm not an actress, but I play one at bedtime! I love that my kids end their day with me, immersed in words and images as well as family togetherness. I love when they yell "JUST ONE MORE CHAPTER!" 
Reading aloud to my children gives me a chance to bond with them.  Also since my children are still young, reading out loud gives them a chance to hear how certain words sound.  For me, reading aloud means sharing the books I loved as a child with my children. It also represents my hopes that books and reading will become as valued a part of their lives as they are of mine.
Reading aloud to my son is one of the most consistent things in our life and that in itself is valuable! I am learning as I read to him and I am hoping connections are being made and his imagination may be sparked. I have fond memories of my mom reading to me and am grateful to be able to keep that tradition. I had hoped that by reading to my son that he would "get" reading just by being read to every night for an hour or more for 6 years...alas this is not the case and needs much more support for decoding and so on--as per usual-lessons come all the time --and as with most all things-I realize never to take anything for granted and reading aloud with confidence is one of those things! I will not stop reading to him no matter what-and I am grateful for such a great librarian like you!
I think that read aloud means the same thing that for you, an act of love. It's a moment that we spend together, as a family. There is a ritual, every night we pick a book together and i read to my boys. I read only in french to them, so reading is not only an act of love but it's also a way to pass on my culture and where i come from. Since I love reading and I love to read to them, they feel it and love this moment too. It's a moment where I am relaxed (and I don't screamed at them!). I think that the mission is accomplished, they love reading too (even though one of my children struggles reading, he still loves books).
A chance to connect with my child and to share in a meaningful moment. To smile together, to learn together, to laugh together or be sad together. We get to be transported to an imaginary world and meet imaginary friends. form connections with characters, and discuss their actions, behaviors and motivations. Sometimes it offers an opportunity to learn, other times it just offers an excellent excuse to snuggle up together in bed at the end of a long day chill.  
For me, reading aloud to my two boys is a time to unplug.  No TV. No video games. No iPad.  Just us, on the couch or in bed, snuggled close and minds open to a story that comes off a page.  It's special and oh so important.
Reading aloud is a chance for me to bring my boys together in a quiet, cozy moment and to share the experience of going on an adventure together without leaving the couch!
Reading aloud is huge priority in our family. Two years ago we read the entire Harry Potter series outloud as a family over the course of just 3 months. It was amazing and something we all will remember and share. I also love being read to -- by children and adults. The book "reads" differently when it's delivered orally. I hear details I might otherwise miss. And there are few things I love more than snuggling in bed with my boys each night and reading even for a bit and I love pulling out picture books that they might think they are "too old" for, but which have an ageless message. 
For me, reading aloud is a great way to spend time with my daughter.  To connect and share an experience with her.  It is also a great way to open a dialog with her about a problem or situation she is experiencing that is similar to what a character in a story is experiencing.  It is also a great way to go on an adventure and use our imaginations.
Everything.  I think it is THE most important thing we do as parents.
Reading aloud cultivates a love of books and reinforces language and learning.
It is special part of of each and everyday. You are never too young to listen to a story and you are never to old to read one."
Yes, I love to hear a story.  Sometimes when I go to a classroom and the teacher is reading aloud I can't help but stay.  It just gives me such joy and it brings the characters alive.  I also agree with you, Cheryl "it's an act of love."
I was always convinced that my children didn't want to learn to read themselves because they didn't want me to stop reading to them. And although they finally gave in and learned, they still enjoy being read to.

Broadway Star Visits Our Library

Actress Isabel Keating, currently co-starring in the Broadway musical,  Spider-Man--Turn off the Dark ( she plays Peter Parker's Aunt May) joined 2nd graders and 5th graders from S.T.A.R. Academy for a dramatic reading of "Jack in the Beanstalk" and "Jack the Giant Killer" (respectively). The occasion was Read Across America, an annual celebration around literacy, to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Seuss.  After the reading came a Q&A with the actress.  Second graders came prepared with great questions, such as "do you get nervous before you go onstage? (the answer is "yes"); "Do you have a stunt double" (in theater it's called an understudy); and "When was your first performance," to which Ms. Keating told us that is was when she was in kindergarten (she had to hold up a sign), and then, in sixth grade, a speaking part.  Fifth graders showed their impressive knowledge of the Spider-man story and characters.  We learned that one of the most important skills for being an actor is reading (and re-reading!).

"Old-School" Interactive Whiteboard

Today at Community Day, we transformed our interactive whiteboard into an old-school library tool: the flannel board.  Ruby and her mom cut figures and props from classic folktales out of felt squares.  They are going to sew a big piece of pale blue flannel onto the SmartBoard cover, turning it into a dual-purpose tool.  Our inspiration for the figures are Judy Sierra's 1987 Flannel Board Storytelling Book.  (Of course, the SmartBoard will still be used when we are in "digital mode").  Children will be using the flannel board to perform stories for their classmates.

Farm Animals and Figures from The Three Billy Goats Gruff

 

What does reading aloud mean to you?

Worldwide at least 793 million people remain illiterate.   

Imagine a world where everyone can read…

World Read Aloud Day will take place on March 6th

Please check back in to hear about what we're planning!

Using Skype to Learn about a Rural Community

American Gothic House

Grant Wood, American Gothic, 1930
Art Institute of Chicago

Soon the second graders from Ms. Farkas and Mrs. Madigan's class will travel to Eldon, Iowa--by Skype--to meet second graders in Ms. Greiner's second grade class.  Eldon is home to the Gothic House featured in Grant Wood's famous painting American Gothic.  Both classes are developing questions to ask the other.  We're so excited!

Caldecott Medal

While slowing down with young readers while reading picture books, it is possible to take in how the illustrations work to move a narrative along.  Emerging readers prove to be very keen readers of pictures.  It's the adults who seem to have lost the skill of this kind of reading, and any thorough reading of a picture book must include a visual as well as textual reading.  Grades 1 and 2 have been reading and discussing several books published in the last year, to see if we can make a prediction for the Caldecott Medal, the prestigious award bestowed upon the most distinguished American illustrator.  These are the books we have looked at and will vote on:

A summary of the book: Annabelle knits for everyone and everything in town with a supply of yarn that never seems to run out, until an evil archduke decides he wants the yarn for himself.  One observant reader recognized the little brown bear figure from Klassen's 2011  I Want My Hat Back.  

Leaving the den as the weather warms, Baby Bear discovers blue birds, red strawberries, orange butterflies, and other colorful things in nature. Author Ashley Wolff claims the picture book classic Blueberries for Sal as the inspiration for her linocut illustrations.  

In Extra Yarn, the pictures enables the reader make inferences that are essential in making sense of the story.

In this cumulative tale, A series of animals falls into a deep hole, only to be saved at last by a very large rescuer.

The carrots that grow in Crackenhopper Field are the fattest and crispiest around and Jasper Rabbit cannot resist pulling some to eat each time he passes by, until he begins hearing and seeing creepy carrots wherever he goes.

Illustrator Peter Brown reveals his inspiration in the book trailer below:

The Creepy Carrots Zone -- an uproariously funny book trailer from Peter Brown on Vimeo.

The Caldecott winner will be announced at the annual mid-winter conference of the American Library Association on Monday, January 28th.