Danah Boyd and social media

I've mentioned Danah Boyd before on this blog, after reading a Ross Todd "tweet" about her - here is a video interview with her...

Danah Boyd, "high priestess" of networked social media, interview
After presenting the keynote address at the American Association of School Libraries National Conference, Danah Boyd, the "high priestess" of networked social media, discussed the role that school librarians should be playing in their students' social networking activities, how to cut through the red tape that may be preventing them from filling this role, and how Wikipedia can and should be used to teach students about information.
http://alfocus.ala.org/videos/danah-boyd-interview
SOURCE: Peter Scott's Library Blog, 18 November 2009

UK resources on involving fathers in children's reading

Though very UK focussed eg role of football/ soccer, Dad's Clubs etc, these resources may be of interest to spark ideas / discussion...

Getting the Blokes on Board
A downloadable resource from the UK Literacy Trust about involving fathers and male carers in reading with their children, aimed at professionals who work with parents rather than the parents themselves.

http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/familyreading/Blokes.html

Father's impact on their children's education and achievement
Children, both boys and girls, benefit enormously from their fathers' involvement in their learning and education. And what matters most is not how much time fathers spend with their children, but the quality of what they do when they are together.
http://www.fatherhoodinstitute.org/index.php?id=12&cID=583

Children want "ordinary activities" with their dads
Britain's children want not expensive holidays, computers or bikes from their dads, but shared time playing football, chatting at bedtime, being helped with homework, "messing about", being cooked for, attending the mosque, going shopping.

http://www.fatherhoodinstitute.org/index.php?id=12&cID=78

Think Fathers "Dad test"
The free downloadable Think Fathers Dad Test is designed to help managers and practitioners start to assess how father-inclusive their service is, with ideas for small changes that can help meet the needs of mums, dads and children more effectively.
http://www.fatherhoodinstitute.org/index.php?id=3&cID=922

Awful Library Books blog

Here is a link to an article about two librarians, Mary Kelly and Holly Hibner, who started the blog Awful Library Books in April to add some zing to an industry convention speech on the quality of collections in public libraries
http://www.freep.com/article/20091113/NEWS03/911130364/1001/News/Blog-names-worlds-worst-books

Check out the The Betty Betz Party Book: The Teen-Age Guide to Social Success from 1947 - good grief - these examples should inspire some vigorous weeding !

Publishing student writing

Here are some opportunities for publishing students' writing on the web, shared on the list serve...

• The Book Council has a creative writing gallery on their website... With the buy-in of teachers, we will soon have this to the stage that it will be a privilege to be published there – choosing the 3 top at each of primary and secondary school levels to publish online.
  http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/Education//Writers_Gallery/Creative_Writers_Gallery.htm

• Here is a list of online publishing opportunities for young writers http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/basic/yngwrite.html

• We'd be happy to publish it on The Pulse - alongside other young poets:
  http://thepulse.org.nz/Read/Poetry/Your-Poetry/ Christchurch City Libraries, Central Library http://christchurchcitylibraries.com

• At the School for Young Writers we have the twice-yearly Write On magazine which is open at very low cost to subscribing individuals and schools and free to those who join our programme or whose schools do. It's a great resource for teachers and students and we can do with more subscriptions to keep it going. It is generally easy to get published on a website and harder in a 'real' publication where the standards of selection provide a better guide to students' achievements. The next edition will be launched on 12th December and available to schools either then or early in 2010. We welcome support for this magazine. It can be viewed in library collections around the country and samples are posted on our website. If anyone wants a complimentary copy of the last issue, send a stamped-addressed A4 sized envelope to me at the address below Dr Glyn StrangeDirector The School for Young WritersPO Box 21-120Christchurch 8143 ph/fax 03 355 3588 young.writers@xtra.co.nzwww.schoolforyoungwriters.org

Citing sources

Here is some information on citing soures (shared on the list serv by Janet McFadden from the Wellington EdLib group), as well as a couple of other websites which may be of interest...

• Catherine Doughty of Whitireia Community Polytechnic has shared information about citing of sources and the approach they use to teach this (contact Jeannie.skinner@natlib.govt.nz if you would like to be sent a pdf copy of this.)
• This guide (thanks to Barbara Garriock) comes from MIT, and Sue Roylance who developed them is happy to share them.
  http://library.manukau.ac.nz/pdfs/apa2008.pdf (this is the long version) http://library.manukau.ac.nz/pdfs/miniapa2008.pdf (the brief version)
• This guide is from the University of Auckland - it seems very clear and uses a student-friendly approach http://cite.auckland.ac.nz/

• http://librarymedia.northandoverpublicschools.com/bibliographic-format.html

• http://www.tekmom.com/cite/index.html

• Check out the Tool Box on various EPIC databases eg Discovering collection, where there is information on using information including citing sources....
  

Fleur Beale on writing

Award-winning NZ author Fleur Beale wrote the guest introduction in the latest edition of the New Zealand Library and Information Management Journal (Vol 51, Issue no 3, Oct 2009)

"It’s 8 on a Wednesday morning and most people are heading off to work or school. I’m sitting at my computer trying to work out how the last third of the current book will sort itself out.
I have friends who get their stories almost as a dream from the mysterious repository of story. I live in hope of one day receiving such a gift but until that happens I scrabble around, grab the thread of a story and follow it until it wanders off. When I come to recognise that it’s wandering I take a long bath because that’s where ideas drift and float. I’ve learnt that I can’t let the story toddle off on its own because when it does it meanders, burbles and mucks about indulging itself.
There seems to be a balance between leaving enough rope for a story to unfold and surprise me, and keeping it heading in a forward direction along the lines I’ve envisaged for it. Sometimes writing a story feels like hacking a sculpture out of marble. It’s a process of discovery; chipping away at the rough rock until you find the shape lurking inside. Other times writing feels much more ephemeral, insights come when I’m not looking for them, a what if possibility wings in out of nowhere and makes me see a character, scene or plot from a different perspective.
Sometimes a sentence will appear on the computer screen, I’ll look at it and say, ‘Damn! Didn’t know that was going to happen.’ Such sentences are gifts with prickles – usually pointing to something that the story needs, but which is also going to mean going back and weaving in the implications.
Those books aren’t comfortable to write – they are the walking-on-ice books where I slip and slide, and where at any second the ice could break. Those are the stories whose wanderings fill up the Bits Bin on my desktop. The Bits Bin is where the out-of-control passages get sent. It’s comforting to know they’re there just in case I was having a bad day and banished a scene when it didn’t deserve it.
Writing is a strange sort of job, it’s the thrill of living in another world, of creating your own movie in your head. It’s also probably something of an addiction, for which if we’re lucky, there is no cure. "

Weeding

Received this fabulous article on weeding, and it has appeared on the Listserv too, but if you haven't seen it, it is really worth reading:

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6705360.html

Now it is on Jeannie's blog you'll be able to access it anytime you need a reminder!

Books for Keeps and "teachers as readers" research

I've mentioned this UK research in a previous post - here is the Books for Keeps article about it... http://www.booksforkeeps.co.uk/issue/179/childrens-books/articles/other-articles/developing-teachers%E2%80%99-knowledge-of-children%E2%80%99s

It quotes the wonderful Aidan Chambers who was saying, 30 years ago, :
‘Unless a school is staffed by people who enjoy books and enjoy talking to children about what they read then it is unlikely that they will be very successful in helping children to become readers.’
Introducing books to children, 1973

Books for Keeps is a UK children's literature journal, available online, full of great information, reviews, articles and editorials - check it out.

School book clubs - and EPIC

There has been a bit of discussion about book clubs on the school library listserv recently - if you have missed it, email me jeannie.skinner@natlib.govt.nz and I can send you a collation of the various suggestions shared by people.

I checked out EPIC and came across this article too - if you haven't been into EPIC, here is a good pretext to have a go - log in through TKI http://www.tki.org.nz/r/epic/ and your school password (give me a call if you are stuck at this stage !) then go to Masterfile Premier and search for this article - full text, from Teacher Librarian... "Users may print, download, or email articles for individual use."

How I learned to run a really popular book club (and what I learned about its effect on students' reading skills and attitude).

Authors:Hall, Suzanne

Source:Teacher Librarian; Oct 2007, Vol. 35 Issue 1, p32-36, 5p, 2 color

Document Type:Article

Subject Terms:BOOK clubs (Discussion groups)

GROUP reading
CLUBS
READING
STUDENTS
BOOKS & reading

If you get stuck, get in touch and we'll talk through it.
EPIC is a great resource - use it or lose it !

The Literature Base

I've just received the October 2009 issue of The Literature Base - what a great journal for inspiring ways to use literature in the classroom and library...

The focus on of this issue is "around the world in 80 books" - travelling the world through literature, with suggestions for extension work, displays and lists of books - it would make a great book week theme... classics, multiculturalism, passports, hot air balloons, continents, mapping...

This issue also has a great article on "fractured fairytales in the classroom" - traditional literature re-interpreted - with activities for middle and upper primary classes - analysis, character autobiography, reward poster for folktale villain, poetry, plays, picture books, diorama, trial by jury...

A good item to include in your library budget for 2010 :
Literature Base ($46 - 4 issues pa) Magpies ($53 - 5 issues pa)
http://www.magpies.net.au/magpies/public/?MIval=m_pages&pagename=SAOI

Around the Bookshops ($36.50 - 4 issues pa)
http://www.marigold.co.nz/publications.html

Danah Boyd and social media

Here is an interesting person - Danah Boyd - her blog is at http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/ "Buzzwords in my world include: public/private, identity, context, youth culture, social network sites, social media."

and here is her self-selected "best of" her blog http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/bestof.html

"Over the years, i have written numerous posts about social media, social software, social networks and other industry-relevant topics. Colleagues often remark that it is difficult to sift through my personal blog to find relevant material. For that reason, i decided to put together a "best of" to highlight the essays that are most interesting to newcomers interested in social media. Right now, these are just recent essays and blog posts that deal with particular issues in depth. If you think that a particular entry should be listed here, please let me know! Better yet, add it to del.icio.us or to digg - i'm watching these sites to see what entries are particularly popular or useful. "

Reading series books

A couple of columns from Amy Goldsmith writing in Knowledge Quest about the importance of series reading "examining why series books are useful, why they are subtly challenging to support, and how to overcome support obstacles to launch more lifelong readers... "

Series books can give the newly independent reader what they need and want: "the exact same book again, but different" (Rosen, 2000, p. 39).

Why kids need series books
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/knowledgequest/kqwebarchives/v36/361/361goldsmith_.cfm

Why kids don't have series books
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/knowledgequest/kqwebarchives/v36/363/363goldsmith.cfm

Read to feed - and changing the world

A wonderful account of one school's reading promotion tied into raising money to donate animals in places where it will change lives, and providing students with opportunities to apply what they learn to real life situations where they can respond in a socially just and humane ways...

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/knowledgequest/kqwebarchives/v36/364/364rabbat.cfm

This is from Knowledge Quest, the journal of the American Association of School Librarians.

KQWeb is the online component of this journal, and the archive of articles is here
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/knowledgequest/kqwebarchives/kqwebarchives.cfm

Writing for the web and blogs

I've just completed an online course provided by Contented about writing for the web and blogs developed by Rachel McAlpine. I found it clear, useful and inspirational and highly recommend it.
Here is the link to the blog http://www.contented.com/contented/
and website http://www.contented.com/index.php

Imaginary geographies of childhood

From the School Library Monthly blog is a post about "secret spaces" in school libraries -
http://blog.schoollibrarymedia.com/index.php/category/library-as-place/ - those secret little corners and nooks in libraries where children feel in a place of their own...

Here is a real little nook at Kerikeri Primary !

The writer quotes Brian W. Sturm’s article in the Maps issue of Knowledge Quest... Here’s the abstract (from Worldcat) for his article “Imaginary ‘Geographies’ of Childhood: School Library Media Centers as Secret Spaces”:

Secret spaces serve as mirrors in which children can explore themselves and play with identities, while at the same time they act as windows to the real world through which children develop an understanding of social interactions and societal norms and expectations. The understanding of secret spaces has important implications for the physical design of school library media centers (SLMCs). What more creative space exists than the room in the school that is filled with the world’s knowledge and the endless possibilities that knowledge creates. However, libraries tend to be built with close attention to easy sightlines to avoid blind spots where children can cause mischief. In this article, the author contends that if SLMCs are to function as secret spaces, designers should reconsider this practice and allow children some spaces to hide. Children need small spaces, nooks and crannies, and areas not in the direct sightlines of adults if they are to feel sheltered enough to imagine freely.

Here is a link to open the pdf of the article from Knowledge Quest, Vol 36, No 4, March/ April 2008 http://tiny.cc/ImaginarygeographiesofchildhoodSturm

Library Link of the Day

If you would like to be sent a library related article in the news each day, you can subscribe here :
Library Link of the Day http://www.tk421.net/librarylink/

Ralph Fletcher and boys' writing...

Ralph Fletcher has written about the particular needs of boys in becoming writers...

"In general, we have sanitized the writing classroom (no weapons, no war, no blood, no farts) to such an extent that there’s not much left for boy writers to sink their teeth into. It’s boring! I hoped to widen the circle for boy writers. We need to get them engaged if we want them to become stronger writers."

Here is his website http://www.ralphfletcher.com/index.html

Have a look at the Teacher handouts for some good quotes http://www.ralphfletcher.com/teacher.html
and also the Tips for young writers http://www.ralphfletcher.com/tips.html

He has written a book Boy writers : Reclaiming their voices http://www.stenhouse.com/shop/pc/viewprd.asp?idProduct=9033&r=n157w&REFERER= and you can read the first chapter online

or more at Google books http://tiny.cc/BoyWriters

"At the heart of Ralph Fletcher's Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices lies the provocative notion that writing instruction isn't about teaching writing; it's about teaching writers, and upon this central premise Fletcher bases all of his ideas about how to nurture boys in the "dangerous, supervised sport" (p. 49) of writing. "

Teachers have submitted examples of boys' writing which Ralph has commented on at the Stenhouse blog http://blog.stenhouse.com/index.php?s=Fletcher&searchbutton=Go!

National Library CIS collections have books by him on writing autobiography and poetry.

There is an inverview with Ralph Fletcher on a good website called "Getting boys to read"

http://www.gettingboystoread.com/content/interview-ralph-fletcher

Reading and writing non-fiction

From the School Library Monthly blog :

http://blog.schoollibrarymedia.com/index.php/2009/10/27/inquiry-and-choice/

"I’ve just finished skimming the Stenhouse title A Place for Wonder: Reading and Writing Nonfiction in the Primary Grades, which you can read in full-text online here. It is full of great ideas that we could extrapolate from classroom-only environments and into classroom-and-library environments.

Among my key takeaways:

• Consider starting a wonder center where kids can write wonderings on Post-Its and others can answer them.
• Have a place where kids can deposit wonder items for others to enjoy.
• When planning a non-fiction piece of writing, have kids use a table of contents page as a way to organize the order of their thoughts.
• Distinguish between heart questions that can be answered with your inner knowledge (e.g., “What makes a great friend?”) and research questions (e.g., “How do whales breathe?”).

Check out the rest of the post - questioning how the library can capitalise on the wonder children bring, maximise the use of non-fiction, and be partners with the classroom in fostering wonderment and curiosity...

WebTools4U2Use - a wiki of the latest online technologies

If you would like to learn more and stay current with the latest online technologies, take advantage of WebTools4U2Use http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com/

It is an appealing "wiki for school library media specialists to learn about cool new web tools, see how they can be used in school library media programs, and share ideas and success stories."

More research on the benefits of reading comics

Various papers have reported on some more research from the US about the benefits of reading comics - for vocabulary, reading motivation, mileage, visual literacy...

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Academic+pushes+comics+classroom/2198006/story.html

The reports say that the research was published by Professor Carol Tilley in School Library Monthly though it hasn't appeared on their website yet.

You may find School Library Monthly an interesting website to explore... http://schoollibrarymonthly.com/

"School Library Monthly magazine supports K-12 school librarians as they plan instruction collaboratively with teachers. It helps strengthen information literacy skills, inquiry and the research process and encourages the use of a variety of resources. It promotes the integration of technology and provides links to a vast array of literature. The articles in each issue are written by school library professionals, helping others stay abreast of current issues and trends."

Maori "word of the day" by email

You can sign up for a Māori word of the day email from He Kupu o te Rā.
Just go to http://kupu.maori.nz

Library 101

Bridget Schaumann from Kings College Dunedin shared this link on the list serv :
"You might like to go and have a look at this cool project. http://www.libraryman.com/library101/
A wee groovy thing for the (nearly) end of your week. Play till the end when they crack up with laughter. "
The video is fun and lively, but check out the essays as well - about what is changing in "libraryland" and what skills and aptitudes are needed for libraries to stay relevant as technology and society evolve... http://www.libraryman.com/blog/essays-on-101/

Chris Cleave The Other Hand

WOW! The most startling book I have come across in years - run don't walk to your bookshop (you will want to keep this one). Funny, tragic, thrilling and his writing is glorious. And have a look at his website - www.chriscleave.com (or similar)...
From Jill Hatherly

PhotoStory free software

PhotoStory is wonderful free software which enables you to turn a collection of digital photos into a "video" complete with your own narration, text and music background. It is lots of fun and very easy to use... It could be a great tool for the classroom with students of all ages for a variety of purposes, and in the library maybe for doing book reviews ? It could be a good resource to promote to families in the school newsletter too perhaps ?

Here is the website http://tiny.cc/Photostory610

There is a guide to making a video using a single photo which is also very effective, if a bit more complex ! http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory/tips/create.mspx

My "not to be missed books" for Term 4

Here are a few recent favourites :

• Isabella's garden by Glenda Millard illus by Rebecca Cool, Walker - cumulative rhyme a la the house that Jack built - This is the soil, all dark and deep, in Isabella's garden... Gorgeous bold colour naive illustrations, wonderful language These are the flowers that waltz with the wind that ruffles the buds, all velvety-skinned... http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/Books/Isabellas-Garden-9781921150333

• A book by Mordecai Gerstein, Roaring Brook Press - a clever picture book about a family that live in the pages of a book and wake up when the book is opened - ah, but what is their story - each character tells a different one and it includes the reader - wonderful. Sorry, no NZ edition, you'll have to borrow it from NLNZ http://www.natlib.govt.nz/cis-online-request or get it through Amazon.

• The rabbit problem by Emily Gravett, Macmillan Children's Books - another brilliant, inventive picture book by Emily Gravett - no two are the same - this is as a calendar, telling the story month by month - the book even hangs vertically from a hole like a calendar, of one lonely rabbit, joined by another and then nature takes it's course with a rabbit explosion neatly illustrating the Fibonacci sequence. Each month includes an element of "ephemera" - an invitation, a knitting pattern, a ration book.. and an amazing pop-up at the end. http://www.emilygravett.com/
  

• The magician's elephant by Kate Di Camillo, Candlewick Press - another classic in the making from Kate with this magical, old-fashioned tale with a very Eastern European feeling about love, hope and magic- quirky and heartfelt, amazing language, with all the impossible, remarkable chain of events and characters coming together at the end - would be a good read aloud. http://www.katedicamillo.com/ There is a teacher's kitetc available at http://www.candlewick.com/authill.asp?b=Author&pg=1&m=actlist&a=&id=0&pix=n&dlisbn=0763644102

• Grace by Morris Gleitzman, Viking (Penguin) - a story told in the first person by Grace, a Australian girl whose family belongs to a religious sect which is becoming increasingly strict and controlling. When Grace's father starts to rebel he is separated from his family, and Grace has to find a way to bring everyone back together. She is a redoubtable character, speaking in the language of her religious upbringing, trying to make sense of what she has been taught. The book opens "In the beginning there was me and Mum and Dad and the twins. And good luck was upon us adn things were great and talk about happy families, we were bountiful. But it came to pass that I started doing sins. And lo, that's when all our problems began." Read more here http://www.morrisgleitzman.com/books/fst_grace.html

• The hunger games by Suzanne Collins - intermediate up, un-put-downable novel based on the desperate premise of teenagers fighting for their lives in "televised games" in a future world - I didn't think this was a book for me from the sound of it but is great - strong characters, fast moving plot - I can't wait to read the second in this trilogy. http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/the_hunger_games_69765.htm

• The disreputable history of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart, Hyperion - strong female character who resents the "old boys club" at her boarding school and cleverly infiltrates and undermines it, risking relationships in order to assert her own individuality - clever, funny, readable. I've done posts about this book earlier in this blog. E. Lockhart has a great website http://www.e-lockhart.com/ and here is a link to a video of her acceptance speech for the Michael Printz award http://blog.booklistonline.com/2009/10/20/e-lockharts-2009-printz-speech/

Library reading challenge at Mangonui School

At the network meeting today Carole Archibald from Mangonui Schoool shared an activity she does with her class in the library - We call it the reading challenge (new one each term ) divided into three parts.

• The class challenge where they pick out( as a class ) challenges pretty wide eg A book where a rodent is the central character, a sporty theme, one featuring grandparents etc We started off with eight categories / genre. Just read and record on a fun sheet in reading book. NO OTHER WORK! Just read and enjoy.
  

• The teacher challenge: Each student presents by the end of term the best............... book they've read. Teacher picks category.

• Own challenge: Number of books, finish a long novel, 10 picture books all sorts of things.

Gives a real focus to library times. " I've still got to get a book from the 599's"

Whangarei Libraries summer reading programme

At a meeting in Whangarei, Sue Scott promoted the Whangarei Libraries summer reading programme - Great Summer Read Library Pride (with lions motif).

Students come to the library and with a librarian set up a "contract" with their own goals eg total number of books read, or number of hours, along with number of reviews or activity sheets...

One element was the "Wild Card" which was simply a card with a letter of the alphabet and students then had to choose a book from that section - limiting choice...

The students got prizes at the end of the programme if they met their goals. It would be easy to adapt this programme for schools...

Summer slide - 3 - ideas from teachers

A couple of NLNZ sessions this term with teachers explored the importance of maintaining the progress made by students during the year by setting up strategies to keep reading and writing happening over the school holidays - avoiding the "summer slump".

Here are some links to articles about the summer slump :
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/c41/ Summary of articles...

Summer Reading Loss by Maryann Mraz and Timothy V. Rasinski (2007) http://www.readingrockets.org/articles/15218

These are some suggestions from the a group of teachers about what they plan to do:

• Intend to set up school LibraryThing for students to record summer reading
• Promote the library in newsletters and the need to read.
• School newsletter item about summer slide
• LibraryThing class site - link up with other classes as "friends"
• I will be better prepared to set up a focus group to monitor over summer.
• Will try and inspire community to make this work
• Look forward to bringing it up at staff meeting to discuss
  
• Good ideas for making books. Will follow through with newsletter
• Will make class slogan for summer holiday reading.
• Had not really thought about this issue deeply and now I realise we can make a difference.·
• Share at syndicate meeting.
• Discuss with librarian about holiday borrowing.
• Liaise with public library about their summer reading programme.
  

Summer slide - 2 - messages to parents

Here are some notes you may wish to use as a starting point for communicating with parents… Put them onto your school letterhead or in a newsletter, and edit them as you wish…

3 important messages for parents / caregivers / whanau

We know you want the best for your children.
Here are three things you can do which will really help them :

1. Encourage your children to read.

• If your children spend 15 minutes each day reading or being read to, it will help them become excellent readers, writers and thinkers and do well at school and life.
• 15 minutes is only 1 % of each day. It could be in 3 lots of 5 minutes. It isn’t much time but it makes a HUGE difference.
• If you would like some help getting books to read and share, then please ask us, we’d be happy to help.

2. Keep reading and writing happening over the school holidays.

• Many children, especially struggling readers, forget some of what they've learned or slip out of practice during the summer holidays. If you keep reading to your child and encouraging them to read and write, then they won’t lose ground they have made over the year and “slide” back.
• Keep it fun – read anything, write anything – lists, recipes, stories, postcards, comics… Ask your child’s teacher for ideas.

3. Read aloud to your children.

• The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.
• Reading aloud to children stimulates their interest, their emotional development, their imagination, and their language.
• Reading aloud to your children every day will help them become great readers and listeners, but most of all they will love you for doing it with them and they will remember the times you read to them all their lives !

Summer slump / slide...

Overcoming the “summer slide” : students and reading mileage, summer holidays and the school library…

• The “summer slump” or “summer slide” is the decline in reading achievement children suffer just from being away from school and formal literacy instruction.
• Often it is the students who can least afford to lose the reading gains they've achieved during the school year who fall the furthest behind when they return to school after a summer break.
• A New Zealand masters thesis[1] showed a 5.8 month summer reading slide for pupils in a Decile 1 school who were reading at below-average levels. · In a key Baltimore study[2] it was found that low-income children fell further behind than their classmates – characterised as the “the Harry Potter divide”, and that the effects are cumulative and long-term.
• Term 4 is the time to consider how your school can prevent any “summer slide” and what strategies you can implement before the end of term for the coming holiday...

Perhaps the two main actions to consider are

• getting parents on board, informing / reminding them of the powerful benefits for children of reading and being read to, and that even just 10 minutes reading a day by or to children will maintain / develop their child’s reading skills, habit and enthusiasm…
• looking at ways to get books in hands / homes during the holidays and what role the school library or the resource room might play in this, as well as liaison with the public library to encourage membership and use…

There are other strategies, such as making sure children have the skills to choose reading material independently, how to build some fun writing activities into their summer reading programme, or setting challenges – individual, class and school targets for reading mileage.

It would be also be productive to gather evidence of the impact of any initiative you take.

Perhaps the discussion at your school could also include an invitation / challenge to teachers to extend their own summer reading of children’s books – getting to know children’s books that they can promote to their students next year, read aloud, incorporate into their teaching programme…

For more information, discussion or workshops at your school on this topic, please contact me jeannie.skinner@natlib.govt.nz

1 An investigation of the effectiveness of a summer school reading intervention in a low decile school as a way of preventing the summer slide in reading, Shanthi Tiruchittampalam, University of Auckland, MEd thesis 2006
2 Lasting Consequences of the Summer Learning Gap Karl L. Alexander, Doris R. Entwisle, Linda Steffel Olson, John Hopkins University, Baltimore in American Sociological Review, 2007, Vol. 72 (April:167–180)

Digital NZ / A-tihi o Aotearoa

DigitalNZ is an initiative that aims to make New Zealand digital content easy to find, share and use. This includes content from government departments, publicly funded organisations, the private sector, and community groups.

Here is a link to an introductory video on Youtube about DigitalNZ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXLDS5JLyR4

One thing you can do is to create your own customised search tool http://www.digitalnz.org/customise, selecting which websites you want to browse - this might be of interest to teachers who want to direct their students to certain resources / results... I have guide to doing this - contact me if you would like a copy jeannie.skinner@natlib.govt.nz

LibraryThing

Have you checked out LibraryThing yet ? www.librarything.com

A couple of accounts I've set up are PukapukaMaori (Maori books) and JulsFarNorth (for the Junior Literacy MOE cluster).

Fiona Mackie, the librarian at St Cuthbert's College has a great account fabfic-terrificteens - go here for her profile http://www.librarything.com/profile/fabfic-terrificteens
or here for her library http://www.librarything.com/catalog/fabfic-terrificteens/yourlibrary

Have a go - it is easy, fun and free, and could be a great way for individuals, classes, teachers, book clubs etc to record their reading...

New NLNZ Library advice 0800 service

If you need advice on school library matters you can now call our new 0800 service = 0800 LibLine (0800 542 5463). It is a telephone advisory service just for school libraries, for help, support, advice... Monday - Friday 8am to 5pm and slightly reduced hours during the holidays.

You can call the free number and if the phone is engaged you can leave a voice message. You can also send an email and you will be contacted the same day - schoollibraryadvice@natlib.govt.nz

If a school has questions about CIS resources, then they still use the CIS 0800 number which is 0800 356 000 or free fax 0800 356 001 and there is the online-request form to order resources at
http://www.natlib.govt.nz/cis-online-request

Reading at the beach

National Library Auckland runs a summer reading development programme for teachers called "Reading at the beach", designed to give teachers some great reading material over the summer holidays.
It's aims are to provide a supportive and enjoyable community in which to explore the pleasures of children's literature and to help increase teachers' awareness of literature for children and young people...
You need to enroll by the 13th November, completing a survey around reading preferences, and you will be sent a bag of books and instructions on how to participate in the blog.
There is a free introduction session held at National Library Auckland on the 1st December at 4.30 but that might not be suitable for those in the Far North, and it isn't compulsory...

Contact Jeannie to be sent a copy of the enrollment and profile form jeannie.skinner@natlib.govt.nz

As Donnalyn Miller says, her "summer slump" is lying happily prone, deeply engrossed in her book !

Storyteller Terry Sleator

Some schools have been recommending the following storyteller on the school library list serv :

Terry Sleator A.K.A Mr Bushman
Phone 073124302 mob 0274921720 fax 073124306
Email terrysleator@terrysleator.com
Website http://www.terrysleator.com

Wendy Ballard from Greenpark School asked this question and the responses from others were very favourable...
"Hi there - Terry Sleator - alias bushman, poet, balladeer, storyteller from Opotiki area dropped in to introduce himself to me and I really liked his enthusiasm and bush/fishing/NZ theme - he is looking for bookings next year - he sets up a campsite with props like fire, axe and chopping block and launches into tales and poems - has anyone had him to their school and how did it go? - I am keen to book him for next year but at $2.50 a head I'd like to know other people's experiences first..."

Maori blessing

kia hora te marino,
kia tere te karohirohi,
kia papapounamu te moana

may peace and calmness surround you,
may you reside in the warmth of a summer's haze,
may the ocean of your travels be as smooth as the polished greenstone

From the website of NZ Digital Library http://nzdl.sadl.uleth.ca/cgi-bin/library