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. |
Elements
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Reflection
I truly believe that a lifelong love of reading is essential for continued academic and personal growth; an appreciation for diverse perspectives; and a more understanding, accepting, and progressive society. Reading brings us closer together and celebrates our differences as what makes us strong, not what pushes us apart. If we want a better future for our children, we should all do a little more reading. It’s that important.
It’s also one of the hardest parts of my job—getting students to read, that is. With today’s incessant digital distractions, packed schedules, and the constant pressure to succeed, it seems that reading has lost its luster for many teenagers. I mentioned this struggle in a recent post on my practicum blog. And because I work at an independent school where college is the expectation for students, not the exception, many parents and teachers assume that students are reading. However, circulation numbers can tell a different story. I’m always trying to find new ways to promote reading at my school.
Banned Books Week presents itself as a great tool to pique student interest in reading. In September of 2015, I hosted an event in which I invited students to write the names of their favorite frequently challenged books on black sticky notes, then to put those notes on the school library’s glass walls. We “blacked out” the library after just a few days, and frequently challenged books flew off the shelves. For Banned Books Week this year, I taught a unit on intellectual freedom and why reading frequently challenged books is such an important part of the educational process to a group of eighth graders (Task 1). I finished with a book talk on other frequently challenged books, and once again, circulation surged. I have come to rely on these circulation numbers to judge my job performance on reading promotion and collection development.
Maintaining a collection that appeals to all patrons at all reading levels is another big challenge. I learned early on that a collection crowded with books unsuited to my patrons wasn’t doing me any favors; new arrivals and high-interest titles need to be front and center. Having a streamlined collection makes finding those great titles easier for students. For FRIT 7332, The School Library Literacy Environment, I completed a collection evaluation and weeding plan for a small section of my school library. I used what I learned during that project to develop a set of criteria for a library-wide weeding plan that I’m actually undertaking right with the help of my library assistant. I also developed a collection development selection toolkit during this class that I still use today.
Above all, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest children’s and young adult reading trends. I rely on my professional learning network to do just that. With updates from sources like School Library Journal, the American Association of School Librarians, and Joyce Valenza's blog, I can be confident that my collection stays current.
It’s also one of the hardest parts of my job—getting students to read, that is. With today’s incessant digital distractions, packed schedules, and the constant pressure to succeed, it seems that reading has lost its luster for many teenagers. I mentioned this struggle in a recent post on my practicum blog. And because I work at an independent school where college is the expectation for students, not the exception, many parents and teachers assume that students are reading. However, circulation numbers can tell a different story. I’m always trying to find new ways to promote reading at my school.
Banned Books Week presents itself as a great tool to pique student interest in reading. In September of 2015, I hosted an event in which I invited students to write the names of their favorite frequently challenged books on black sticky notes, then to put those notes on the school library’s glass walls. We “blacked out” the library after just a few days, and frequently challenged books flew off the shelves. For Banned Books Week this year, I taught a unit on intellectual freedom and why reading frequently challenged books is such an important part of the educational process to a group of eighth graders (Task 1). I finished with a book talk on other frequently challenged books, and once again, circulation surged. I have come to rely on these circulation numbers to judge my job performance on reading promotion and collection development.
Maintaining a collection that appeals to all patrons at all reading levels is another big challenge. I learned early on that a collection crowded with books unsuited to my patrons wasn’t doing me any favors; new arrivals and high-interest titles need to be front and center. Having a streamlined collection makes finding those great titles easier for students. For FRIT 7332, The School Library Literacy Environment, I completed a collection evaluation and weeding plan for a small section of my school library. I used what I learned during that project to develop a set of criteria for a library-wide weeding plan that I’m actually undertaking right with the help of my library assistant. I also developed a collection development selection toolkit during this class that I still use today.
Above all, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest children’s and young adult reading trends. I rely on my professional learning network to do just that. With updates from sources like School Library Journal, the American Association of School Librarians, and Joyce Valenza's blog, I can be confident that my collection stays current.