Standard 2: Literacy and Reading
Candidates promote reading for learning, personal growth, and enjoyment. Candidates are aware of major trends in children's and young adult literature and select reading materials in multiple formats to support reading for information, reading for pleasure, and reading for lifelong learning. Candidates use a variety of strategies to reinforce classroom reading instruction to address the diverse needs and interests of all readers.
2.1 Literature
Candidates are familiar with a wide range of children’s, young adult, and professional literature in multiple formats and languages to support reading for information, reading for pleasure, and reading for lifelong learning.
Exposing students (and teachers) to the wide array of literature available in the library, both print and digital, is another job the librarian must embark upon. There is so much more to a library's resources now than just books. Our libraries contain a plethora of information that should be readily available to all of its patrons. From digital resources to print resources, our libraries are well-stocked arsenals to arm our students against simplistic or one track thinking.
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A library with a varied amount of resources is great, but not everyone always knows the contents of the library. We as librarians, need to expose the users of the library to what it holds. There are many resources in the library, both for the students and the teacher, but if they don’t know about them, what good are they?
“At school and in their homes, all children must have access to abundant text of all kinds (print and eBooks, short texts, magazines, and more); children need to develop a sense of genre, text structure, and purpose,” (Bridges, 2015).
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In the above examples, I created different ways to expose students and teachers too the resources found within the library at school. From the author study on Chris Crutcher which exposes an author who may not be known to readers, to a Power Point on a poetry book for girls, to a digital curation of suggestions and information about young readers book series, these digital compilations allow for the student to view just what we have in the library.
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These are all examples of ways that we as librarians can create multiple formats to entice students and teachers to read for pleasure or knowledge. While they all took a little time when I first had to create them for the assignments, I now have the confidence needed to add to these creations or even to create new ones. My goal is to get as much information out to the students and teachers as I possibly can about what our library contains.
2.2 Reading promotion
Candidates use a variety of strategies to promote leisure reading and model personal enjoyment of reading in order to promote habits of creative expression and lifelong reading.
Promoting reading through different programs in the library can reach many students and teachers. One program may appeal to one student while another program can appeal to another student. Variety is the spice of life.
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Reading may not be every student’s favorite activity. So ,appealing to students in a variety of ways (read-alouds, digital platforms, book talks, etc.) can be used to make reading a viable option for those who might shy away from it. Using more than one way to show how reading is fun will give you a greater chance of reaching all students.
“Children who are routinely read to day in and day out—and immersed in rich talk about books and the various activities in which they are engaged—thrive (AAP, 2014; Cunningham, 2013; Needlman, 2006; 2014; Bernstein, 2010; Senechal & LeFevere,, 2002),” (Bridges, 2015)
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In the above assignment, which is a book talk on a group of books on a subject that has not often received much public attention, but should be talked about nonetheless: self harm among teens. This topic is often shied away from in hopes that ignoring it will help it to go away. However, this is not the case. Such an important issue needs to be brought to light. The books within this book talk do just that.
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By using a book talk to reach students about subjects that are often thrown behind the curtains, we can help create a path in which to ensure that students can feel safe in discussing these and other sensitive topics. Book talks are a great way to encourage students to read particular books, especially books that might not always receive the attention they should. Book talks can also help students become more comfortable discussing book subjects as well as getting them to read these books so that they can join in the discussion and be an active part of the group. Book talks can be valuable in more than one area for our students. They are a great tool to richest to our students and encourage them to discuss relevant topics among their peers.
2.3 Respect for diversity
Candidates demonstrate the ability to develop a collection of reading and information materials in print and digital formats that support the diverse developmental, cultural, social, and linguistic needs of P-12 students and their communities.
Diversity enables us to allow for a greater range of resources and materials in our libraries. Just as I stated above about book talks being a valuable tool to reach reluctant readers, they can also be used to reach out to all students and engage them in discussions of diverse topics. Again, the topic of self harm is not one that we hear being discussed in the classroom, but perhaps it should be. We can reach students in greater numbers when they have the ability to feel unhindered in discussing such relevant topics to students of today.
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“Effective teachers understand the importance of adolescent choice and ownership, as well as the importance of helping teens develop a sense of their own reading lives (Kittle, 2013; Miller, 2009; Tatum, 2013; 2009; Guthrie, 2008; Gallagher 2009; Atwell, 2007),” (Bridges, 2015).
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Book talks can create an avenue of discussion among all students, not just the students that "know the answer." With book talks, there really is no right or wrong answer. Book talks are discussions about books, what they are about, who the characters are and how they may be relevant to our students' lives, and about why the author may have chosen to write a book about such a topic. These are a great tool to get everyone involved in reading and discussion of what was read.
2.4 Literacy strategies
Candidates collaborate with classroom teachers to reinforce a wide variety of reading instructional strategies to ensure P-12 students are able to create meaning from text.
Now that we have seen and are involved in the movement of bringing our libraries into more modern times, we as librarians must also be right there with that movement in what we know and the way we teach our students. Makerspace lessons are a great way to help create the newer image of our modern day library.
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In our makerspace lesson above, we were assigned a science topic and had to create a way to carry that topic over into the library through the use of a makerspace lesson. We wanted to include as much STEM as possible in our lesson, but we also wanted to make sure that this lesson could carry over to other grades as well with simple aligning to state grade standards.
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The use of makerspaces in our libraries don't have to be extravagant ordeals and have large areas stocked to the hilt with STEM supplies. We found that the simplest of makerspaces could be created using things already found within schools and lower cost items from dollar stores or online markets.
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The greatest part I learned about a makerspace was that it should be enticing and inviting to the students. Makerspaces are about getting the students involved in a learning process that is far different that the traditional pen and paper approach. It is a hands-on experience that moves at the speed of the students. The librarian is there to help monitor activities, not to be the sole teacher. It is the job of the makerspace to form a group of students that can work together to create something using their own hands. The librarian is there to introduce the makerspace to the students and make sure it is kept supplied; not to be the facilitator of the students' learning.
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Using exit tickets and group rubrics as a means of assessment, the librarian and the teacher can get a better feel for what the students are learning in the makerspace. Their accomplishments can be seen first hand through their creations.
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The library makes a great makerspace area as it is the center of the school. There are already many resources here and the space required for a makerspace isn't much. This is also another way to invite students and teachers into the school library.
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Collaboration between the librarian and the classroom teacher is a part of this standard. Also, Makerspaces allow for learning to happen through hands-on involvement from students, which is a part of diverse learning. Makerspaces allow all students to feel as if they are on the same level playing field. The students use their own creativity and imaginations, as well as pulling on what they already know, to build masterpieces.
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Makerspaces are exciting ways to involve all students, even those who may not enjoy school. This became evident in my own eyes when I did a Makerspace. I simply set out materials and a few task cards to get them started, but then every student in the class got excited to create their own masterpiece. I hadn't given any directions except that they were to use the resources in front of them, they could use the task cards to give them ideas of what to make, and they couldn't destroy anyone else's creations.
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Makerspaces are efficient ways to involve students and allow them to be the leaders of their learning. The librarian may model at the beginning, as was the case with this makerspace lesson but it is up to the students to explore and investigate to come up with the solutions. The librarian becomes more of a background figure, and not the sole contributor.