Orientation for Athletes as Readers and Leaders

This week was orientation week for College of San Mateo student athletes who have signed up to read to young children who attend the campus child care center. The program, Athletes as Readers and Leaders, got off to a great start when two women basketball players toured the child care center. A young boy came up to them and told them that basketball was a guy's sport. He was shocked and totally confused when the girls said they were on the Womans Basketball Team. Apparently, stereotypes are formed very early.

Child Care Services Coordinator Louise Piper, Library Director Lorrita Ford, Woman's Basketball Coach Michelle Warner, and Library Support Specialist Bryan Gerbig kicked off the CSM Athletes as Readers and Leaders Project on May 13 and 14, with a tour and orientation of the Mary Meta Lazarus Child Development Center. CSM athletes will read picture books to children to encourage reading and open a dialog about the importance of sports, exercise and academics. The program will also help athletes appreciate their influence as role models. The program get into full swing over the Summer 2010 Semester.

The program is modeled after the CSLA Athletes as Readers and Leaders program, which was developed by Kate MacMillan in Napa Valley, CA.

College of San Mateo Announces Athletes as Readers and Leaders Program

The College of San Mateo has announced that it is starting an Athletes as Readers and Leaders* program. Page three of the CSM Library's Spring 2010 issue of its newsletter, "Bulldog's Bookcase" announced: "Coming Soon! Child Care Services Coordinator Louise Piper, Library Director Lorrita Ford, Head Football Coach Bret Pollack and Library Support Specialist Bryan Gerbig recently met to kick off planning for the CSM Athletes as Readers and Leaders Project. CSM athletes will read picture books to children in the Child Development Center to encourage reading and open a dialog about the importance of sports, exercise and academics. The program will also help athletes appreciate their influence as role models."

*Athletes as Readers and Leaders is a program endorsed and promoted by the California School Library Association. CSLA is delighted to see the "best practice" embraced by the College of San Mateo.

10 Ways to Support English Language Learners in Libraries

Colorin’ Colorado posted an excellent article by Jacqueline Jules on "10 Ways to Support ELLs in the school library". Here is the list, but see the full article for details and a short video.

1. Provide Foreign Language Materials in Easy-Access Displays. There are a number of ways to keep bilingual or foreign language books front and center in the library, and to integrate them into the curriculum.
2. Provide Books and Information on Countries of Origin. ELLs love seeing colorful pictures from their birth countries in books or online. You can offer them access to those resources by making these materials available.
3. Provide Electronic Access to Materials in Other Languages. Many online resources are also available in other languages.
4. Provide Audio Materials and Instruction on How to Use Them. Audio materials can be very helpful to ELL learners, from books on CD to free podcasts.
5. Share Culturally Meaningful Stories. With curricular demands, classroom teachers have little time to acknowledge holidays through stories and read-alouds. This can be done in the library.
6. Watch Your Words! ELLs sometimes need help with instructions, vocabulary, or understanding a key piece of background knowledge in a story. It's important not to take their comprehension for granted as you might for English-speaking students.
7. Make Story Time Interactive. Interactive story time is a favorite activity for many ELLs at our library.
8. Use Visuals at Story Time. Using visuals will help ELLs learn new vocabulary words and will add meaning to stories or read-alouds.
9. Use Visuals in Your Correspondence Home. The concept of a lending library may be new to immigrant families. You can help them get familiar with library books.
10. Promote the Public Library, too! There are a number of things that school librarians can do to encourage ELL families to use the public library, including library cards, inviting a public librarian to a school event, arranging a family night at the public library.

Book Recommendation Websites

The California School Library Association's listserv often has fun end-of-school posts. One theme was on book recommendation sites. Here they are:

• Nancy Keane's "Readalike" website is full of book recommendations. You select a book from a list of: If you liked [this book]...you'll like [these other books]. It includes lists of Readalikes, Read Alouds, Readership - targeted lists, school subjects, specialty lists, themes, and values. Acknowledgement at the end of the lists: The reading lists were started as part of a librarian collaborative project, All Together Now, begun by Dale Copps.
• ATN (All Together Now) Collaborative WIKI - includes online videos.
• TeenLinks at Hennepin County Library. Includes teen recommendations.
  
• "This One Next" allow you to register and search a database for "What should I read next?" The registration page states: Enter a book you like and the site will analyse our database of real readers' favourite books (over 65,000 and growing) to suggest what you could read next. (You can register on the results page and build your own favourites list).

National Poetry Month

In 1996, the Academy of American Poets had a great idea. It introduced National Poetry Month. This is popular in the schools and libraries, and can be used to encourage poetry along different themes. This year's National Poetry Month Poster was designed by Paul Sahre -- it is a question written on a steamy window: "Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?" I handed a copy of the poster to my college-age daughter and she snapped it up! That is a very good sign.

The Academy of American Poets website includes a tab especially for educators called the Online Poetry Classroom. One program that is co-sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English is the Poetry Read-a-Thon.

There is also a "Young People's Poetry Week in April, sponsored by the Children's Book Council. Year-round is the Library of Congress-sponsored Poetry 180 - a poem a day for American High School Students. Have you looked at the Library of Congress' Poetry "home" page to see what's happening?

My favorite poem appears above in the second line of the blog title:
The more you read, the more you know.
The more you know, the smarter you grow.
The smarter you grow, the stronger your voice, when speaking your mind, or making your choice. - anon.

In years past, the American Library Association's Young Adult Library Services Association promotes poetry slams and other poetry programs. Ever text message mini-poems to your friends or family? It is one fun way to catch their attention!

Athletes Show Strengths as Reading Mentors

Fresno's Central High School has a new class of athletes trained as reading mentors. Teacher Librarian Janet Melikian has trained 15 high school athletes to read to groups of Central Unified School District elementary students, and lead discussions about healthy diets and exercising. [See photo by Eric Paul Zamora from Fresno Bee.] Members of the football team, led by Grizzlies quarterback D.J. Tate and offensive lineman Joe Cisneros are "coached" by Teacher Librarian Janet Melikian, who:

• Helps the high school students polish their reading-aloud skills
• Advises them on how to steer discussions with the younger kids to nutrition and fitness.
• Selects sports- and fitness-related picture books appropriate for 1st-3rd grade and purchased with funds donated by the athletic department.

Two of America's top issues are related to increasing literacy and healthy kids. Janet's initiative tackles both by empowering high school athletes to be role models for younger students. This is another example of an "Athletes as Readers and Leaders" program, but the first I've seen that adds a healthy eating component. Young students are left with the message to "keep our grades up and stay healthy." Kudos to athletes and coaches of Central High!

Library as a solution: literacy, youth leadership, healthy kids (youth obesity)

National Day of Listening - November 28

Just in time for Thanksgiving and the holiday season!

StoryCorps has declared November 28 the first annual National Day of Listening in order to encourage, instruct, and inspire Americans to record conversations with loved ones during the holidays. The organization has created a do-it-yourself guide for home interviews. National Public Radio and the Library of Congress American Folklife Center are partners on the project....[highlighted in American Libraries Direct, 11/12/2008]


Good time to start family traditions like family read-alouds.

Coast to Coast Reading Day - 9/27/2008

Peggy Yost, Branch Manager, Fairfield Civic Center Library, Solano County California alerted librarians and others across America about Coast to Coast Reading Day. Here is what Peggy says:

If you are not familiar with the Baldwin brothers, I would like to introduce you to these remarkable teens and their plan for a Coast to Coast Reading Day on September 27, 2008, the National Day of Service. Kyle and Brady Baldwin are passionate about spreading the joy of reading by giving away books to less fortunate children. For more information about the boys’ work, see their website at MyOwnBook. If you would like to participate in the event, it is easy:

1.Make a commitment to read to K-3rd grade children on 9/27/08 in the capitol city of your state (or any city!)
2. Publicize it
3. Tell the Baldwins if you need books to hand out, and if so how many
4. Read aloud a book or two to children
5. If possible & willing, the librarians/volunteers could let the children pick books out for their very own book.
6. Tell us how the event went

The Baldwins can be reached by writing to kyleandbrady @ myownbook.net or by phone (707-864-4046). Here is what they say:

“We are not looking for a big time commitment- plus reading aloud to children is fun & easy. Hopefully you can get a bevy of librarians from across the nation involved! We'd certainly appreciate it. Thank you for your support & efforts.”