Recently, I spoke with a
teacher about young people and their reading habits. The teacher believed
that young people don't like to read. A common misperception, I quickly
shared that based on my experience most young people don't enjoy reading
because they don't have choice and access. I shared some of my
experiences with undiscovered readers and suggested he give Book Matching a try.
He agreed and we set up a time for the students to receive the survey and
selected days for the class visits to the library.
The class visits were a chance for me to meet the students and lead them through the surveys. During the visits, I shared the background of Book Matching and the connection to an upcoming
assignment. Most students were interested to hear book suggestions would be
made based on their interests. There were also a few students who were
nonplussed and uninterested. I assured them that they would enjoy the process.
The first set of surveys was completed.
Due to a glitch, the
second set of surveys was not completed. Based on the time necessary to review
surveys and select three to four titles for each student, Mr. Giles and I
revamped the focus of the class visit and morphed it into a thematic Book
Tasting.
A first for me, I pulled
a variety of nonfiction and fiction titles related to the theme and topic of
resistance. From graphic novels depicting the American Revolution to
historical fiction set in WWII, numerous genres and formats were selected. Each
place setting included three titles: a nonfiction title, a fiction title, and a
graphic novel, comic, or manga. The three books were placed on the tables in
the library as place settings.
The first day of classes
began with students discussing their ideas of
what a book tasting might be. Some students mentioned "trying out new
books" and others shared that they would have a chance to look at books to
see what they liked. I then shared the purpose of the Book Tasting. Mr. Giles
shared the why. Next, I discussed the process and modeled for the students ways to use a variety of pre-reading strategies to "taste" the books and the first round of Book Tasting began.
After two to three
rounds, students were able to check out books that they had listed as their top
picks. By the end of the day, 65 books had been checked out by the two
classes. I decided to revise the lesson one more time.
For the second day of
lessons, students didn't receive a worksheet. Instead, students were asked to
place their favorite books to the right, their least favorite books to the
left, and any other book in the middle. After the first round, students were able
to take their top picks with them as they "tasted" other titles. By the time
the class had completed three to four rounds, many students had at least one
book selected to check out. By the end of the day, we
had 36 students who had checked out 41 books.
Two things were
observable, the students enjoyed the visit and were excited to get books.
Second, nearly half of the students were visiting the library for the first
time in nearly two years. *
The enjoyment was
apparent the next day when two students stopped by the library to check out
more books.
Based on this
experience, this reset of Book Tasting will be shared with more classroom
teachers to connect curricular requirements and infuse the joy of
reading.
Stay tuned for more
updates.
* See my previous
blog, Reset Time: Part One, for
more details.
Spring is a time to reset. In an effort to reset the library program at my school, I am providing information to highlight successes, as well as spotlight resources that are available to the school community. I will chronicle the promotions throughout the month of March.
First, an infographic. A quick and easy tool to showcase some of the positives, I created two infographics. The first version had the four highlights of the library program. When it was shared with a few others, the reception was lukewarm. This led to the creation of version two.
4 Highlights of the SWA Library Program
It's important to note that my current school did not have a librarian in the building for nearly two years. For some, the checkout numbers and visits may be low; however, my school community is relearning to utilize the library program for lessons and access to engaging literature. This reset time is a chance for us to focus on the positives.
Stay tuned for more updates to Project Reset.
February is Black History Month. While the history of any group of people should not be relegated to one month, consider using one or more of the following resources to highlight the rich history and accomplishments of African Americans.
The Very Asian Foundation along with We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) and The Asian/Pacific Librarians Association of the ALA (APALA) recently created a project called The May Book Project.
Created as a way to provide information that can be used to promote Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the May Book Project has a variety of resources.
In a poignant video, students express the importance of seeing themselves in a book and detail the steps taken to complete The May Book Project.
"We are raising national awareness of the need to create inclusive libraries, give readers access to up-to-date Asian American literature, and provide funding for donating books to libraries." -- Very Asian Foundation
The MASLMD Advocacy Committee newsletter has been updated. Check out this special edition related to censorship and challenges.
#IntellectualFreedom #schoollibraries
**If you use any of these tools please give me credit and link to this blog post. Thank you.**
Book Matching is something I started doing with students in Reading courses about six or seven years ago. Based on the belief that many students say they hate to read because of a lack of choice and voice, Book Matching is a great tool for school librarians to use.*
I've found that Book Matching helps me to build a rapport with students while finding gaps in the library collection. Based on the students' interests, I'm able to see what resources are needed to create high interest in the resources of our school library.
Using the Book Matching services, the students become Very Important Patrons, V.I.P.'s, and it helps to reshape their perception of reading and the school library. Please let me know if you have any questions.
IMPORTANT NOTES
*Book Matching should be provided by the school librarian and is a resource for collaboration. Book Matching should not be used solely by classroom teachers. That would defeat the purpose of Book Matching and the utilization of the school librarian and school library.
**School librarians may also want to use Book Tastings as a way to familiarize students with the resources in the school library collection.
***Here is a link to the form I use to learn more about the interests of the students. If you use any of these tools please give me credit. Thank you.
This Throwback Thursday, I want to highlight the phenomenal library program in the Baltimore County Public School System. Not only has the library program received national awards and recognition, but it has also been recognized for its robust support of school library programs and the staffing of certified school librarians in fully funded school libraries. This forward-thinking has helped to ensure that ALL students in BCPS have access to print and nonprint books. If the goal is to ensure that every student succeeds, then the Office of Digital Safety, Education Technology, and Library Media has done just that. From virtual book talks to research and makerspace opportunities, #BCPSLMS has done it all.
Thanks to the encouragement of the Library Media Office and the numerous professional development opportunities throughout the years, programs, such as Lunch Bunch, book clubs, and maker spaces were introduced. Each new program provided students and members of the school community a chance to engage with other people, experiment with new ideas and encounter new opportunities.
The examples above are just a few of my examples. Below are more examples of the many ways school librarians in BCPS have helped students succeed.
Although National School Library Month ended in April, let us continue in BCPS and beyond to discuss the importance of school libraries. Let us continue to support certified school librarians and fully funded school libraries as we strive to meet the needs of our global learners.
