Let's talk booktalks!

Book talks are an exciting way to get kids attention and to introduce them to books that might otherwise be off their radar. Most people have certain genres of books that they prefer to read. A gripping book talk can help people find books outside of that genre, which might be fascinating. Sheila Anderson, in Serving Young Teens and Tweens, provides a number of helpful clues to remember while giving a book talk.

The first is to think about the order of the books you will book talk. Anderson prefers to start with a book that will grasp the attention of listeners before moving into books that are more realistic or historical. I know I have grabbed a stack of books that I was planning on discussing and presented them in an order that didn't facilitate listener's attention. I had thought to end with the most exciting, but by placing the more realistic books first, I had not reached in and grabbed students attention. Organizing the order of book talks is an art that will only improve the success of a book talk experience.

I appreciate Anderson's discussion of the mental preparation that is required for successful book talking. She recommends a review of characters, plot twists, settings, and some dialogue. However, when working with students, it is important to be able to grasp onto the teachable moment. Often, a situation will occur that provides an opportunity for a fascinating discussion to anyone who is bold enough to be able to jump onto that train of thought. For this reason, I appreciate that Anderson recommends that readers remind themselves about the book as a whole so that they might revise their book talk along the way.

While Anderson does a good job of addressing potential book talk fears, I feel as if her discussion on proper book talk hydration might have been a bit excessive-- it seemed like it wold make people more nervous than they had before! Regardless, her comments on using special effects, playing cool, but not trying to be cool, and making tweens laugh offers useful insights for potential book talk presenters.

Anderson, S. (2007). Serving Young Teens and Tweens. Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited.

Reading aloud

While discussing the things that motivate tweens to read, Teri Lesesne discusses the importance of reading aloud. She points to Jim Trelease, the unofficial read-aloud guru, and his discussions of the importance of continuing to read aloud to all students--even in the upper grades. Trelease advocates for reading, but reminds all of us that sometimes reading needs to be done for pleasure. He notes that children might be in school for 900 hours a year, but they are out of school for 7,800 hours a year. This means that as much as students are expected to be exposed to these concepts within the school day, parents actually have a far greater responsibility to their children than do teachers. Trelease goes on to explain that children are sponges who will mimic whatever it is that they are exposed to and that it is society's obligation to ensure that they are exposed to positive messages.

Lesesne talks about the fact that read alouds help readers understand dialects and foreign words, and that they are especially important for English language learners. I work at a school where the vast majority of students have learned English as their second language. The students are dedicated to learning and are able to decode vocabulary far above their reading levels, but are struggling with comprehension at that level. Many problems with dialects, idioms, and pronunciation become clear when these students are able to listen to materials read aloud. Furthermore, much high quality literature contains concepts which must be pieced together to fully comprehend the depth of argument. Lesesne also discusses the importance of students being able to pick up vital information from observing a read aloud-- such as being able to observe the expressions on a reader's face, or picking up other non-verbal clues.



Follos, A. (2006). If teens want to listen, why do we shut up? School Library Journal. Retrieved July 20, 2010 from: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6377863.html

Lesense, T. (2006). naked reading: Uncovering what tweens need to become lifelong readers. Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

Trelease, J. (2010). Retrieved July 21, 2010 from: http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/rah-intro.html

To print or not to print?

An article written by Laura Bruzas, entitled Before You Press the Print Button, Consider This, has caused me to analyze my printing passion and to reconsider an alternative. In the article, Bruzas discusses her experiences of learning about the not-so-green side of our computer lifestyle-- the obsession to "hit print" that has taken the world by storm since the personal home computer has become so central to our lifestyles. She reveals that 1 million tons of solid printer hardware waste was created in 2007. I can only imagine how much will be produced in 2010.

Instead of wallowing in our waste, Bruzas gives us a number of practical actions we can take to try to reduce our own personal impact. Number one would be to only print when we actually need to. How many times have I printed something because the information seemed important, and then lost that exact paper. As the computer age continues to dominate the ways we relate to information, we have become increasingly better at storing that information in an online environment. It seems like time for society to adjust to the use of online information storage and file sharing and learn to let go of the printed document. But, at what point will society completely let go of the written document and stop creating printed books. Does this mean that in the future, instead of buying books for the library I should go out and buy each student a kindle?

While Bruzas offers a number of other suggestions ranging from draft settings, to types of ink to purchase, and the reuse of ink cartridges, I think it is important to stop and reconsider her first tip-- to only print when it's really necessary. At the elementary school where I work, the teacher who runs the computer lab keeps the power to the printers turned off. Each time I want to print something I have to go to the computer lab, turn on the printer, return to my room to print, and then return to the computer lab to pick up the printed paper, and then return to my room. If something isn't lining up or working correctly, it can take over ten trips back and forth. Which, maybe, might have, kind of sort of driven me a little crazy before. Now, reconsidering the effect that this has had on the school, I realize that the computer lab teacher is doing his best to conserve precious resources, which, I might add, the schools have precious little of these days.

What I am getting at, is that sometimes changing our habits might feel annoying or restrictive, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth doing. Eventually, we adjust to the little bit of extra effort that it takes to try new ways of functioning. Maybe we don't need to print out everything. In the schools, we need to continue evolving toward the use of less printed materials. It's so hard for elementary teachers to transition from printed assignments to digital ones, but in doing so, we will be instilling values in our students that will allow them to try their best to save this planet we've been quietly destroying for years.

Bruzas, L. (2010). Before you press the print button, consider this. American Libraries Magazine. Retrieved July 8, 2010 at: http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/green-your-library/you-press-print-button-consider

Cyberbullying

According to an article in the New York Times entitled, Online bullies Pull Schools Into the Fray, cyberbullying has become an ever-increasing problem for students-- especially those in middle school. The article discusses a number of issues, but a few really stand out in my mind. Students are inundated with new forms of social networking. Tweens are obsessive about having friends, labeling them, and feeling included. Unfortunately, one of the major ways some tweens feel included is by excluding others. This used to take place at school, in a real environment that is easily observable. Now, the name-calling and back-stabbing take place in cyberspace and there is nobody who is able to monitor it all. The article quoted one young tween as saying, "It's easier to be mean on facebook". Many people who would not have the gumption to confront somebody in person are using cyberspace as an arena to act in ways that are deeply offensive.

Schools have tried to react to the cyberbullying phenomenon, but some have done better than others. Many schools are already weighed down with the bullying that takes place on school grounds, and might not feel as if they have the resources to address cyberspace situations. The problem is that the people who are fighting online are often the same ones who are doing so at school. Schools that neglect the issue of cyberbullying will eventually have to deal with it. What can we, as educators, do to prepare? Because if we do nothing, we will be in the same boat as BP-- cleaning up a giant mess that could have been prevented with careful planning and precautions.

It is time for us to embrace the era of social networking, to involve ourselves into the intricate media web so that we will better understand how to deal with these situations. The first way, is to educate students about the issues. If we do not become role models for proper social networking use, then tweens will only have each other to emulate. Secondly, schools must set up a way for students to anonymously report instances of cyberbullying. There are many kids who know that cyberbullying is painful and dangerous. It is our educational duty to provide them with a safe place to voice their concerns before they become insurmountable. Finally, we must come up with a consistent understanding for inappropriate behaviors and consequences. The courts haven't been consistent and they need to get with the times. Our students are depending on us.

Hoffman, J. (2010). Online bullies pull schools into the fray. The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2010 at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/style/28bully.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&adxnnl=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1278180054-W%20J6LWVlTpLVuvSf2vIglw

Vampire vs. Werewolf?

Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagen sat in front of the U.S. Senate pondering a question that has been plaguing this country this month. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, of Minnesota, informed Elena Kagen that the question she wanted to ask was one that had been on her mind since she took a group of teenage girls to the midnight screening of the third Twilight movie the night before. It was the question of Edward vs. Jacob, or vampire vs. werewolf. Elena Kagen let her know that she wished the question were not asked, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar graciously moved things along. She commented on Kagen's inability to comment on any cases that might come before her in the future, and let her off the hook. Obviously, the nomination of a Supreme Court justice has nothing to do with teenage girls. Kagen made it quite clear that Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series is not on her radar. She best be careful walking through the streets alone late at night. Not that I'm saying she needs to look out for vampires or werewolves-- just the teens coming home from the movie theater still waiting for their answer!


Derschowitz, J. (2010). "Eclipse" review sidestepped by Elena Kagen. CBS news. Retrieved July 1, 2010 at: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-20009309-10391698.html