We’ve probably all enjoyed some version of Carly Rae Jepsen’s song “Call Me Maybe.” (My favorite is probably Cookie Monster’s version.) But thanks to my Pinterest obsession I found this, and with the dedication of some hard-working library science students, we made this bulletin board. Students can scan the QR codes to watch the trailer and then check out the book of the one they like! Fun with a purpose is always a good thing.
Holly Frilot, Collins Hill High School
Gail Giles, a YA author that has appeal to guys, girls, high and low level readers, Skyped into Collins Hill HS a few weeks ago. I was a nervous wreck, anticipating the many things that could go wrong when you combine teenagers, technology, and the first attempt at something new. However, it was a resounding success! Gail Giles was witty and fun, and our students did a wonderful job asking questions and keeping the conversation going. If you want to see the highlights, see our short video here. If you want more details, keep reading…
Amy Golemme, my co-media specialist, and I brainstormed authors that would have mass appeal. Gail Giles was our first thought, so I took a shot in the dark and emailed her. She emailed back quickly and we got the details planned out – one test session a few days before, then 2 sessions during our 2nd and 3rd periods. We decided to use the media center to keep it cozy and inviting, rather than a larger space like the commons area or theater. I made signs for the hallways and classrooms and the media center. I went into all the 9th and 10th grade LA classes to promote it. Students that wanted to participate had to read at least one of her books, answer a few questions, and write a few questions they’d like to ask her. For those students, I gave them a pass out of class during 2nd or 3rd period and they were our VIPs. I also invited two language arts classes per session and any media specialists from the around the county that could come.
In Gwinnett, we aren’t allowed to use Skype, but we do have an alternative – Polycom and the Blue Jeans network. We use those tools and the author uses Skype. Kevin Tomlinson from the county was excellent technical support for us and helped put my technology fears to rest. On the day of the event, we set up about 80 chairs in the media center, created VIP seats, put out a breakfast spread, set up the technology, and hoped for the best! Gail came on, introduced herself, and then we had the students come up to the computer to ask questions. We had a webcam and external mic hooked up to my laptop. The students asked good questions, and Gail was entertaining, funny, and informative. When I polled the students after the event, they all said they had a positive experience and many expressed interest in doing it again. One student even turned in a top ten list of authors she’d like to Skype with!
If you have any questions or want templates for signs, the handout students filled out, or any other details, don’t hestitate to email me at holly_frilot@gwinnett.k12.ga.us or call at 770.682.4126. It was a lot of work, but a great experience for us and for the students.
Holly Frilot, Collins Hill High School
Lexiles are standard scores that match a student’s reading ability to the difficulty of the reading material. Many GALILEO resources not only include Lexile scores, they also let students limit their search results to a particular Lexile range. Let’s take a look at GALILEO resources that include Lexiles.
NoveList and NoveList K-8 include a Lexile score in the information for many books as well as a link to a Lexile chart. To limit your search to a specific Lexile range, just click on Advanced Search and choose your range. Tip: In Advanced Search, you can leave the search box blank and just choose the Lexile range of your choice to see all books in that range.
SIRS Discoverer and SIRS Issues Researcher both include a Lexile score in articles. In either database, search for the topic and then choose to sort results by Lexile. To limit to a particular range in either database, click on the Advanced Search and type in the Lexile range.
Many EBSCO resources, such as Student Research Center, MAS Ultra, Middle Search Plus, Kids Search, and Searchasaurus, also include Lexile scores. Most resources let students limit their search to a Lexile range from the main search screen. In Kids Search, students can choose the Detailed Search to limit their search.
See this handout for more information.
Please Contact Us if you have questions or comments or if you need to report problems.
Courtney McGough
GALILEO Support Services
Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
Screenshot from Advanced Search in NoveList
Some links may not work off site. Log in to GALILEO first for access.
Express Links for Databases Mentioned in this Post:
NoveList: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zknl
NoveList K-8: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zkne
SIRS Discoverer: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zssd
SIRS Issues Researcher: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zsks
Student Research Center: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zbst
MAS Ultra: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zbma
Middle Search Plus: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zbms
Kids Search: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zbks
Searchasaurus for Middle: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zpms
Searchasaurus for Primary/Elementary: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zpps
Find All Your Express Links (what’s this?)
A first grade teacher and I teamed up for a lesson about apples. The 2-day lesson included several read a louds about the life cycle of the apple tree and what wonderful things we get from apples, an apple tasting, making a class pictograph of your favorite kind of apple, how applesauce is made, and a homemade apple sauce tasting.
The first thing we did when the students came to the library is fill out a graphic organizer on the white board as a class—anything and everything the students could tell me about apples. Then I read several books about apples and the apple harvest. We revisited the graphic organizer to see if there was anything students wanted to add based on the information from the books we just read.
Next, we had an apple tasting. Every student ate a piece of green apple, yellow apple, and red apple. We discussed words like “sour” and “tart.” Once each student decided on his/her favorite apple, they got a die-cut of their favorite apple and put it on the pictograph. We then talked about the graph: what apple do students like the most? What apple do students like the least? How many more students like one kind of apple over another kind.
After the pictograph discussion, we talked about the steps involved in making applesauce. All the ingredients were shown to the students. They got to smell the different spices, see how a peeler works, and see how a slow cooker works. (When they smelled the spices, they made comments like: “That smells like my oatmeal.” Cute!)
Rounding out the first day of the 2-day lesson, the students completed an apple book printed from Enchanted Learning. Before leaving the library, they were told they would come back tomorrow to finish the lesson. Several students cheered: “YAY! We are coming back to the library tomorrow.” You gotta love hearing that as a librarian!
At home that evening I peeled about 16 apples and put everything in the slow cooker to make the apple sauce. The next morning, everything was ready!
When the students came in for the second day of everything apples, they were so excited! We first reviewed things from the day before—we revisited the pictograph, we talked about the steps (in the correct order) of making applesauce, and we talked about all the facts they learned about apples and the life cycle of the apple tree. Then everyone got a bowl of homemade applesauce. Comments from the students: “Ms. Tigges, you are genius.” “Ms.Tigges, you are a rock star.” I was feeling the love!
The students enjoyed the lesson. The students felt comfortable in the library. The students read non-fiction books. Mission accomplished!
Now I hope to take this lesson and turn it into a Media Festival project with a few of the students.
Some age-appropriate apple books:
The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons
Apples Grow on a Tree by Mari Schuh
Picking Apples by Gail Saunders-Smith
Apples by Gail Gibbons
Apples by Ken Robbins
Apples by Elaine Landau
How Do Apples Grow? By Betsy Maestro
Seed, Sprout, Fruit: An Apple Tree Life Cycle by Shannon Knudsen
Apples, Apples, Apples by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
Apples, Apples Everywhere! Learning about Apple Harvests by Robin Koontz
Slow cooker apple sauce recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spiced-Slow-Cooker-Applesauce/detail.aspx
Happy Harvesting!
Anja Tigges, Ed.S.
Librarian
William J. Scott Elementary School, Atlanta Public Schools
1752 Hollywood Road
Atlanta, GA 30318
404. 802. 7000
My daughter has already had a book read to her every day since she was born
Happy Father’s Day! For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been enjoying The Reading Promise: My father and the books we shared by Alice Ozma. This was such a fitting book to read as I think about my own relationship and reading life with my 18-month old daughter, but the book connected with me in so many more ways as well.
The Reading Promise is Alice Ozma’s memories of a reading streak that she achieved with her father from the time she was in 4th grade until college. Her father, an elementary librarian (see another connection?), had seen his older daughter move away from wanting to be read to, so he vowed he wouldn’t let that happen with his youngest daughter. Even though they already enjoyed reading together often, they decided to make a commitment to read together every day for 100 days. When they accomplished that, they set their sights on 1,000 days and just kept going. Alice recounts the stories of her life and how the streak seemed to come into every aspect of her life from informing her questions about growing up to coping with life topics like divorce to finding the conversations to have with her father. The book is about so much more than just the streak. It surrounds the reader with ideas and themes such as:
After seeing where “the streak” took this now 22-year-old, I can’t help but think about my own life and my own students and families. What would happen if every family in my school started a streak? What would it look like? How would it change the culture of my school? How would it impact student achievement? What roles could technology play?
So much has developed since Alice Ozma experienced the streak with her father. I could imagine families using blogs, wikis, and shared documents to document their streak. Tools such as Skype or Face Time could be used stay in touch on nights when they might be away from one another. E-books and the many tools that accompany them such as highlighting, sharing, and note-taking could further support family discussions. At the same time, more traditional print books and journals could still be a valuable tool as well. I think so often there is a mindset that it’s technology or paper when in reality it’s a combination of them all. We must harness the wealth of tools at our fingertips and find ways to incorporate them into our lives.
At the end of The Reading Promise, there is a form that can be used to create an actual promise to read together as often as possible, to protect the written word in whatever format it takes, and to celebrate the joy of story. It makes me curious, and I’m thinking a lot this summer about how this idea might come to life in my school next year. I encourage you to read this book and consider this too.
Andy Plemmons
School Librarian
David C. Barrow Elementary
Athens, GA
NEWS
For Immediate Release
April 26, 2011
Contact: Jennifer Habley
CHICAGO – Shanna Miles and her project the “Billionaire’s Book Club” is the 2011 recipient of the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) Innovative Reading Grant. Sponsored by Capstone Publishers, this grant of $2,500 supports the planning and implementation of a unique and innovative program for children that motivates and encourages reading, especially with struggling readers.
Working out of the Tech High School Library in Atlanta, Ga., and with the support of the Tech High School Parent Teacher Association, the Billionaire’s Book Club will team ninth grade struggling readers with an upperclassman who is a member of the National Honor Society. These teams will read one book a month for six months, and each month the teams will host an online radio show analyzing the book read. In addition, the teams will keep a reading journal and maintain a Billionaire’s Book Club Facebook group as a place to share their thoughts about their reading.
The goals of the project are to increase the reading level of the struggling reader by improving reading comprehension and fluency. The students will also use social networking to improve their academic success by discussing literacy academically and socially. The program seeks to create a reading culture within the school and help bridge the digital divide. Throughout the program the students will work cooperatively to produce their radio shows, but team members can work competitively to earn the grand prize, an e-reader.
“Shanna Miles has established an exemplary example of engaged reading opportunities for her students with the Billionaire’s Book Club,” said Leslie Preddy, award committee chair. “This project incorporates reading with social interaction, which is vital for reading to thrive and survive with this generation. It is a shining model for others to follow.”
Miles’ “Billionaire’s Book Club” project and other AASL award recipients will be honored at AASL’s Awards Luncheon during ALA’s 2011 Annual Conference in New Orleans. The luncheon will be held Monday, June 27, and Lauren Myracle, best-selling young adult author and national spokesperson for intellectual freedom, will headline. Ticket information can be found on the AASL website athttp://www.ala.org/aasl/annual.
The American Association of School Librarians, www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), promotes the improvement and extension of library services in elementary and secondary schools as a means of strengthening the total education program. Its mission is to advocate excellence, facilitate change and develop leaders in the school library field.
On March 31st at the Kennesaw Children’s Literature Conference secondary day lunch, members of the Peach Committee shared the results of the 2010-2011 voting and the nominees vying for the awards for the 2011-2012 school year. Without further ado, here they are:
GA Peach Book Award Winner for 2011
GA Peach Honor Book 2011
The Georgia Peach Book Awards for Teen Readers 2011-2012 Booklist
Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher
With his mother working long hours and in pain from a romantic break-up, eighteen-year-old Logan feels alone and unloved until a zany new student arrives at his small-town Missouri high school, keeping a gender secret.
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
In a small South Carolina town, where it seems little has changed since the Civil War, sixteen-year-old Ethan is powerfully drawn to Lena, a new classmate with whom he shares a psychic connection and whose family hides a dark secret that may be revealed on her sixteenth birthday.
Birthmarked by Caragh O’Brien
In a future world baked dry by the sun and divided into those who live inside the wall and those who live outside it, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone is forced into a difficult choice when her parents are arrested and taken into the city.
Black Hole Sun by David McGinnis Gill
On the planet Mars, sixteen-year-old Durango and his crew of mercenaries are hired by the settlers of a mining community to protect their most valuable resource from a feral band of marauders.
Bruiser by Neal Shusterman
Inexplicable events start to occur when sixteen-year-old twins Tennyson and Brontë befriend a troubled and misunderstood outcast, aptly nicknamed Bruiser, and his little brother, Cody.
Dirty Little Secrets by C. J. Omololu
When her unstable mother dies unexpectedly, sixteen-year-old Lucy must take control and find a way to keep the long-held secret of her mother’s compulsive hoarding from being revealed to friends, neighbors, and especially the media.
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
Now on the cusp of manhood, Finnikin, who was a child when the royal family of Lumatere was brutally murdered and replaced by an imposter, reluctantly joins forces with an enigmatic young novice and fellow-exile, who claims that her dark dreams will lead them to a surviving royal child and a way to regain the throne of Lumatere.
Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John
Eighteen-year-old Piper becomes the manager for her classmates’ popular rock band, called Dumb, giving her the chance to prove her capabilities to her parents and others, if only she can get the band members to get along.
Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can’t Have by Allen Zadoff
Fifteen-year-old Andrew Zansky, the second fattest student at his high school, joins the varsity football team to get the attention of a new girl on whom he has a crush.
God is in the Pancakes by Robin Epstein
Fifteen-year-old Grace, having turned her back on religion when her father left, now finds herself praying for help with her home and love life, and especially with whether she should help a beloved elderly friend die with dignity.
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Sixteen-year-old Valerie, whose boyfriend Nick committed a school shooting at the end of their junior year, struggles to cope with integrating herself back into high school life, unsure herself whether she was a hero or a villain.
Jane by April Lindner
In this contemporary retelling of “Jane Eyre,” an orphaned nanny becomes entranced with her magnetic and brooding employer, a rock star with a torturous secret from his past.
Lockdown: Escape from Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith
When fourteen-year-old Alex is framed for murder, he becomes an inmate in the Furnace Penitentiary, where brutal inmates and sadistic guards reign, boys who disappear in the middle of the night sometimes return weirdly altered, and escape might just be possible.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.
The Morgue and Me by John Ford
Eighteen-year-old Christopher, who plans to be a spy, learns of a murder cover-up through his summer job as a morgue assistant and teams up with Tina, a gorgeous newspaper reporter, to investigate, despite great danger.
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Calla and Ren have been raised knowing it’s their destiny to mate with one another and rule over their shapeshifting wolf pack, but when a human boy arrives and vies for Calla’s heart, she’s faced with a decision that could change her whole world.
Shift by Jennifer Bradbury
When best friends Chris and Win go on a cross country bicycle trek the summer after graduating and only one returns, the FBI wants to know what happened.
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
In a futuristic world, teenaged Nailer scavenges copper wiring from grounded oil tankers for a living, but when he finds a beached clipper ship with a girl in the wreckage, he has to decide if he should strip the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl.
Split by Swati Avasthi
A teenaged boy thrown out of his house by his abusive father goes to live with his older brother, who ran away from home years ago to escape the abuse.
The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt
Although they have never gotten along well, seventeen-year-old Levi follows his older brother Boaz, an ex-Marine, on a walking trip from Boston to Washington, D.C. in hopes of learning why Boaz is completely withdrawn.
Remember to read reviews for all books and get media committee approval for any Peach titles you wish to purchase for your school library as each community is different, and not all titles will suit all schools. Thanks for your promotion and support of the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers.
No, I didn’t don a full-length gown and gloves for what some call “The Oscars of Children’s Literature.” I hadn’t packed festive attire for the occasion since I was supposed to be home in Atlanta before the big announcements. But, thanks to the southern snow and ice, I was stranded in San Diego long enough to see the ALA Youth Media Awards a couple of weeks ago. It turned out to be a good thing that I wasn’t wearing a gown, since I ended up sitting on the floor of a crowded ballroom along with scores of other youth librarians and literature lovers.
You can check out the full list of winners here, and reactions to the awards by avid children’s literature aficionados are scattered across the web. For this post, I wanted to share the experience of attending the awards in person. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be very exciting. In past years, I have listened to the announcements online or watched the twitter stream, so I knew how the program would go. But from the moment I sat down on the ballroom floor and started listening to and tweeting the awards I realized that participating virtually, while wonderful, could not convey the electricity in the room.
It is amazing to be surrounded by people who are deeply committed to youth, libraries, and literacy. Clearly, many in the room had read lots of this year’s potential honorees. The whispers and murmurs (and sometimes squeals and screams) gave the event such an air of excitement. There were books that were clearly loved and celebrated by many, and honored books that many people had not heard of (yet). The winners were greeted with warm admiration.
Each award is selected through the work of a dedicated committee. Being at this event, where the committee is recognized after each award is announced, rekindled my interest in serving on one of these committees one day. Have any of you ever served on an award committee? Do you hope to serve in the future? Which award would you choose? Two of my recent favorites are the Geisel Award (likely because my youngest child is learning to read so I read a LOT of beginning reader books) and the Schneider Family Book Awards. I reference these lists in my literacy courses often. I hope you’ll share your thoughts on the awards and the committees you’d love to work with in the comments.
As for the awards announcement, it was an energizing experience. I think we all left with good memories, not to mention longer reading lists. It will be wonderful to roll out the red carpet for the Youth Media Awards when ALA’s Midwinter Meeting is held in Atlanta in 2017. (Yes, it’s a ways off, but plenty of time to save up for that Oscar-worthy outfit!)
Beth Friese
Ph. D. Student
Department of Language and Literacy Education
University of Georgia
Teachers are often the gateway to students being involved in the life of the library media center. With that in mind (and the help of a few LA teachers) I developed several ready-made assignments for teachers to use with “choice” novels that provide students with a “real” audience other than the teacher. Check them out at the bottom of this page under 
“Publish a Book Review.”
Luckily, teachers often allow me into the classroom to give a 10-minute presentation on what I’m looking for with display signs, posters, blog entries, catalog reviews, and book trailers. I can show good examples, talk about what isn’t good, and answer questions. I also get to explain the benefits – a real audience, and perhaps something to show off at a job interview, college interview, etc., plus a good grade! They also get to know me a little better and know they can come ask me questions in the media center.
The display signs and posters are used in the media center or outside the media center on the bulletin board. For the blog entries, the students are directed to email me the words and a picture; this I’ve found to be the easiest way to make sure that student names stay private (first name, last initial) and that the information is accurate and appropriate. The video book trailers are the most time-intensive but also the most interesting! I’ve been working with three classes the last couple of weeks and hope to upload some good examples to our website soon.
Feel free to respond with your own ideas or send me questions!
Holly Frilot
Library Media Specialist
Collins Hill High School Media Center
The October 2010 Library Media Connection One-Question Survey is now
open. The question for the current survey is: What devices are
you using for ebooks with your students?
And please check out the the results from previous surveys!
Thank you!
Judi Repman, Associate Editor/Georgia Southern University
