While this might be a bit off-topic for our coursework, I must vent a bit about the issue of a students' right to personal choice when it come to library selection. Just this week, I had two different, well-meaning moms approach me and ask me to keep their primary boys from selecting 'junk' during library book exchange. By junk, they were referring to the widely-purchased, and well-regarded DK Readers series, levels 1 - 4, which feature eye-catching 'boy' subjects such as Batman, Spiderman, and Star Wars. Apparently, Guinness World Records and Ripley's Believe It Or Not also fall in the 'junk' category, along with pretty much anything that his not a standard 'chapter book." One rather bewildered third grader usually comes to library time armed with a sticky note from home bearing titles from which he is 'allowed' to choose. Needless, to say, this boy does not really enjoy library time, and is anxious to find a book from his 'list' so that he can breathe a sigh of relief.
Luckily, one mom approached me at a time in the day when I actually had time (!) to give her a little tour of the library and a "talking to." I explained that students get required reading in their classrooms, at-home reading books from their teachers, etc... that library time should be THEIR time to choose a book of interest to them, not necessarily one at their particular reading level. In fact, if all students were ONLY allowed to take out books at their reading level, then library time would literally take hours.
The word needs to get out about multi-literacies. The act of reading is an all-encompassing technique which involves visual cues, prior knowledge, connection-building, visualization, and questioning. It is not simply the ability to decode words.
The venerable Ron Jobe stated it best in his book, Info-Kids: How to use nonfiction to turn reluctant readers into enthusiastic learners when he described the the critical importance of 'appeal.' Children will not choose books that don't hold some sort of personal appeal or connection for them. Once that connection is made (a 'gross' cover, a familiar character in the title, a creepy-crawly photograph), students will naturally want to read about that topic.
In the end, does it really matter if our students are reading chapter books or graphic novels for pleasure? Think about the wide range of 'pleasure' reading that adults do: newspapers, magazines, comics, TV guides, blogs, Facebook conversation threads, MSN headlines... it is ALL reading and it is ALL valid.
As Jobe concluded, we must give ourselves and our children 'permission' to pursue our own interests in reading.
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Works Cited:
Jobe, Ron (2002). Info-Kids: How to use nonfiction to turn reluctant readers into enthusiastic learners. Markham, Ont: Pembroke Publishing
Monday, November 15, 2010
Geographical Reference Sources - "what's good?"
Are print atlases a thing of the past? Are online sources a faster, speedier, more reliable source for geographical questions?
Happily, print atlases seems to be a steadily- used reference tool in my school. I recommend the Nystrom Canadian Atlas as a whole-class set. It has a great teacher’s guide, and colourful, clear images. The student copies are soft covers, though and need reinforcing. I agree with many of you that a class set is not a library budget purchase. However, I do recommend a full class set being purchased out of learning resource money. It is not always easy physically for students to share, and as a left-handed person, there are just some things I can only do ‘one way’ and leaning to the right to study from a book is not one of them!
I do also enjoy the Scholastic Children’s Atlas of Canada and the Scholastic Children’s Atlas of the World. Both editions are reasonable priced for quality hardcovers (approx. $30.00 - $40.00) straightforward indexing, clearly labelled images. It fits most of the criteria that Riedling sets out: it has a simple, clearly- defined scale, colourful, clear, and legible images, and Scholastic Canada is a widely-used and recognized publisher of school learning materials.
I have been checking out some of the online geographical sources that Riedling recommends, such as The Map Machine Atlas and The Lonely Planet. The Lonely Planet was a bit too busy and full of advertising. It is rather like a trip planning site than a site useful to elementary students. I enjoyed the Map Machine Atlas. It has a great downloadable feature which allows students to view maps in 3D. It’s connection to the National Geographic Society lends authority and reliability to the site.
It was interesting to read that Riedling states that any atlas (actually any reference material) five years or older is considered “historical.” New class sets of atlases every four or five years will definitely stretch school budgets!
Bibliographies - print and online
This was an interesting question to tackle, mostly because there is quite a bit out there to use. Firstly, I have to mention that I continue to use a couple ‘old’ print lists. They sit on my desk as a quick reference:
Meet the Authors and Illustrators (Scholastic)
Meet the Canadian Authors and Illustrators (Scholastic)
Every Teacher’s Thematic Booklist (Scholastic)
Yes, these were published in the 1990’s (for the record, when I was still in high school!!) but I find these print copies useful, especially when talking to parents and teachers who are looking for the ‘golden oldies.’ Also, I find that, more and more, classroom teachers are returning to classic picture books and, less frequently, older novels to create a balance between old and new.
As others have stated, NoveList k-8 is an excellent source, comprehensive and up-to-date. Our school district provides this site for free for school and at-home use. I also continue to use the Canadian Children’s Book Centre site (http://www.bookcentre.ca) frequently for biographies and for current information on literacy awards and author visit info. Also, the information at ERAC (Educational Resource Acquisition Consortium) (https://bcerac.ca) is critical.
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