Language Arts

• Multi-grade readers theatre : picture book authors and illustrators by Suanne I. Barchers and Charla R. Pfeffinger (Teacher Ideas Press, 2009, 210 p., $_____, ISBN: 9781591588191)

  Readers Theatre is such an easy way to involve children and even teens in reading, promotion, and dramatic activities that it should be commonplace in every school and certainly in every learning commons. The authors here provide over thirty scripts that are easily duplicated and used instantly. Barchers work is exceptional in this arena for the easy flowing narrative that is both entertaining and easy for many struggling readers to present. Barchers fans already know this and those unfamiliar with her work, this is a good volume to add to your collection. Highly recommended.

   

• Creating a culture of literacy : programming ideas for elementary school librarians by Ann E. Ruefle (Libraries Unlimited, 2009 150 p, $_____, ISBN: v)

  Here are a collection of ideas for the reading program of the learning commons that concentrates on the building of the love of reading. For teacher librarians, our suggestion is to sort through these ideas and turn most of them over to paraprofessionals and volunteers. For example, many of these activities can be done by paras during scheduled LC times so that the teacher librarian is freed up to plan with the teacher whose class is in the LC that period and or work with another class on a collaborative project requiring co-teaching. It is part of the balance needed in many elementary school programs so that both schedules and activities/collaborative units push the entire school forward. The activities outlined in this book are explained in enough detail that the teacher librarian can plan easily with paras or volunteers to make them happen.  Recommended for the solid ideas contained.

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  Storytime magic : 400 fingerplays, flannelboards, and other activities by Kathy macMillan and Christine Kirker (ALA, 2009, 140 p. $45.00, ISBN: 9780838909775)

   

  The pre-K, K set can be both entertained and instructed with these fun activities connected to appropriate books. For teacher librarians, this is a resource for paraprofessionals and volunteers to use in story time with the youngsters. Lots of ideas here on common themes both in the ral world and the world of imagination.

   

   

• Big book of animal rhymes, fingerplays, and songs by Elizabeth Cothen Low (Libraris Unlimited, 2009, $324 p., $_____, ISBN: 9781591586302)

  A wide selection of the three genres that will add to your collection. You already know if such a collection would add  to your repertoire already available on your shelves. Recommended.

   

   

• Paper action figures of the imagination : clip, color and create by Paula Kay Montgomery (Teacher Ideas Press, 2009, 305 p. $_____, ISBN: 9781591587514)

The use of paper dolls or action figures have been a technique for many years in involving children in literature activities. Montgomery published many of these sample activities in Crinkles magazine and has collected them here for use by fans. We are aware that such activities are popular with scheduled classes in the library media center. No doubt the children enjoy the activity, but we favor much more substantive uses of the time available while retaining the fun nature of the crafts. Perhaps paraprofessionals could use this volume to work with students in the appreciation of reading, but for teacher librarians, there is just not the depth here to boost achievement. The idea of using action figures is a good one. Pursue that idea but in more substantive ways.

• Parallel curriculum units for language arts, grades 6-12 edited by Jeanne H. Purcell and Jann H. Leppien (Corwin press, 2009, 220p. $_____, ISBN: 9781412965378)

  Are you familiar with Carolo Ann Tomlinson’s parrell curriculum model? It is an attempt to  get students to think much more deeply and learn in much greater depth than the usual hurry hurry coverage sequencing.  The model has four parallell sides of a box with the following elements: core understandings, Identity (self-actualization), connections (linkages), and practice (creative problem solving). To explain the model in actual practice, the editors have worked with four teachers of language arts to develop extensive examples for teachers to examine. There are only four units of instruction in this book, but each is outlined in depth complete with handouts, charts, diagrams, examples and other helps. The four units cover literary criticism, voice, writing an original piece, and writing literary criticism. Obviously, each unit is for the advanced student but differentiation is approached. If you are familiar with this model or want to explore it in depth, this is a book worth considering. It is dense reading with lots of details, so it is not something that is easily explained in a brief PLC session  Going beyond basics to develop expertise is certainly what needs to happen, particularly for gifted students who are often so self-assured but rarely challenged. Recommended as  a more complex model if that is what you are looking for.

   

   

• Genre talks for teens : booktalks and more for every teen reading interest  by Lucy Schall (Libraries Unlimited, 2009, 309 p., $_____, ISBN: 9781591587439)

  Schall has assembled several hundred titles of interst to teens. For each book, she provides a plot summary, read aloud suggestions, a sample brief booktalk, questions for teens to address after reading the book,  and an annotated bibliorgraphy of related titles. Thus, this book is more than an assembly of booktalks and is much more useful.  The genres covered include issumes, comtemporary, adventure/survival, mystery/suspense, fantasy/science fictionhistory, and multiple cultures. This is an excellent collection of titles with complete indexing maing it a very useful handbook. Our suggestion is to have teens create similar guides to their favorite titles on wikis – thus building a whole reading community. Student presidents of virtual book clubs can use this volume to suggest titles to other readers.

   

   

• More than 100 ways to learner-centered literacy by Laura Lipton and Deborah Hubble (Corwin, 2009, 186p., $_____, ISBN: 9781412957847)

  When paired with a book like Reading to Learn in Secondary Classrooms by Perna and Mahurt, this is a terrific book. Perna and Manhurt provide the overview of how to build reading skills with strategies before, during, and after reading texts. This volume provides the hundred activities that can fit under the larger umbrella. In other words, we are now given 100 ways to accomplish the main objectives. I like such an approach because it helps the teacher who has not received a degree in reading to understand a main strategy with many ways of accomplishing it. It seems that great teachers have this kind of repertoire. The advantage is that one can easily differentiate with creative ideas that provide variety to engage restless learners what accomplish the main goal. Teacher librarians working with classroom teachers on topics where multiple texts are being encountered need a repertoire of ideas as they plan and co-teach with classroom teachers. It is the idea that both adults are stronger together than separately because they encourage each other to develop strategies that work no matter the content area or the backgrounds of the learners at hand. In literacy professional learning communities, teacher librarians can get this idea across quite successfully. It is a strategy that replaces the one-size-fits all mentality that is often dictated by one fashionable trendy focus being placed on a faculty.

   

   

• Reading to learn in secondary classrooms : increasing comprehension and understanding by Daniel M. Perna and Sarah F. Mahurt (Corwin Press, 2009, 113 p., $_____, ISBN: 9781412956123)

  Many secondary teachers have little training in how to teach reading and are very troubled about the number of poor readers in their classrooms. For some time, it has been recognized that every teacher, no matter the grade level, should be a teacher of reader. Teacher librarians must be teachers of reading as learners encounter texts of varying difficulty and complexity. Perna and Mahurt provide a very easy-to-read introduction to the major umbrella ideas of how to help learners before they dive into a text, what to do during the reading, and what to do after the reading. In other words, they provide the overview or the major principles that any subject teacher can use to promote deep understanding of the texts they encounter. The presumption of the book is that a group of learners are being presented with a single text. Teacher librarians are often working with classroom teachers on projects where multiple texts are being presented to learners to accomplish an assignment. Nevertheless, the umbrella strategy presented here is a good one to hold in the head as various are tested.  If used with Lipton and Hubble’s More Than 100 Ways to Learner-Centered Literacy, then a repertoire of techniques can be used by classroom teachers and specialists including teacher librarians to incorporate reading as a part of regular teaching. This work is recommended for that main idea upon which reading skills can be enhanced throughout the school.

• Teaching reading to English language learners : a reflective guide by Thomas S. C. Farrell (Corwin Press, 2009, 107 p., $_____, ISBN: 9781412957359)

  One has high expectations of a book aimed at helping he huge ELL population in North America succeed with reading. However, to read almost any page, you could take out ELL and not know the target audience. I want to know strategies for using multiple types of text and visuals simultaneously; I want tips on selecting  texts for differentiation in the normal class that has multiple languages spoken. I want to know strategies of using the various specialists including teacher librarians in working with ELLs. Not here. Skip this one.

   

   

• The literacy coach's companion : prek-3 b Maryann Miaz, Bob Algozzine, and Brian Kissel (Corwin Press, 2009, 160 p., $_____, ISBN: 9781412960731)

  When I was reading in this book about a teacher who became a literacy coach in her own building, she expressed difficulty in assuming a more shall we say, authoritative role among her former colleagues. Why? Looking over the role expressed by the authors, they envision a person who is advisory, a data person, a leader of professional development, but not the direct supervisor. A powerless position in most school organizations. But there is a huge gap, in my opinion. The authors do not picture a person who gets their hands dirty with real learners alongside the teacher. No co-teaching here, Probably someone most folks would greet as a necessary nuisance. For a literacy coach making an effort at real improvement in literacy, I would take little advice from this source. Teacher librarians who have built collaboration and co-teaching could well embrace a frustrated literacy coach and together, create a marvelous and documented impact on literacy together. These authors have never heard of libraries or teacher librarians who are interested in literacy. Look elsewhere for the real role.

   

   

• The Fiction Gateway by Suzanne  Eberle and Noelle Williamson (Acer Press, 2009, 162 p., ISBN: 0864318804)

  Two Australian teacher librarians team to build a list of great books and their recommendations for use with elementary students. Many titles you will recognize but it is the Australian ones that add perspective. Recommended if you want a more international  flavor for your collection.

• Power Tools for Adolescent Literacy: Strategies for Learning by Jan Rozzelle and Carol Scearce (Solution Tree, 2009, 206p., $_____, ISBN: 1934009350)

  The best way to use this book is to think of a scenario in high school. You and a subject area teacher are co-teaching an inquiry unit. The learners have either low reading scores or are ESL. They are having trouble finding resources they can read and when do settle on something are having trouble reading and comprehending what they are reading. Hopefully there is a reading coach in the school. If not, then a book like this one provides strategies to use before, during, and after trying to read something. Yes, these are skill-based ideas but are defined with good examples and handouts to use at the moment. They are quirk and well supported in the skill arena. The teacher librarian should collaborate with the reading and language arts folks in the school to integrate reading skill in all the content area classes. Many subject area teachers don’t know these reading strategies and so are very frustrated. The insertion of the ideas in this book at the appropriate time can help even the good readers to do more than just glance at the text and suppose they are absorbing its meaning – a characteristic of the digital generation. For the many and varied strategies here that are useful both for teacher librarians and content area teachers working with teenagers, this on is a winner. Keep it handy.

   

• Content Area Reading, Writing, and Storytelling: A Dynamic Tool for Improving Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum through Oral Language Development by Brian “Fox” Ellis (Teacher Ideas Press, 2009, 256 p., $_____, ISBN: 1591587018)

  Teacher librarians have tried over the years to make storytelling and creative dramatics a part of the agenda to love literature and reading, so they have concentrated on imparting the pure joy, laughter, mystery, and attention-grabbing power of oral language. Ellis has a different purpose. He wants to weave the power of story into the language arts curriculum to push elementary school children into creating their own stories as a way of improving literacy. In the book, he begins storytelling “lessons” with a sory to be read aloud/told to the class. Then, he provides detailed instructions of how to engage the class in using that story to model creations of their own. Complete lesson plans with rubrics and links to NCTE standards are provided, Thus, the book provides a way to integrate storytelling into the language arts curriculum. In the age of the Internet, there are all kinds of Web 2.0 technologies that kids can use to not only create, but share their stories virtually. Ellis does not seem to embrace technology but those possibilities need to be added to his recommended activities. How does one help children become better storytellers in their own right without killing interest in this powerful medium? The only way to know is try some of his ideas and watch for the results – both in terms of improved literacy but also in fun, excitement, interest, and powerful kid tellers. Use this one with caution as a collaborative learning experience with classroom teachers.

   

• Active reading : activities for librarians and teachers by Beth McGuire (Libraires Unlimited, 2009, 170 p., $_____, ISBN: 9781591586661)

  McGuire as created worksheets for both fiction and nonfiction books. One presumes that kids would select a book and fill in the worksheet instead of teaking an AR quiz on the book, however, our author states no real purpose nor does she justify how this would advance reading other than giving kids something to demonstrate that demonstrates that they have read the book. This is the kind of reading requirement sure to kill the joy of reading and create useless busy work for kids. Is there a way to move beyond worksheets in K-12 education? Engagement, higher-level thinking, creativity, compare/contrast, and almost any other 21st century skill can be integrated into wide reading, but there just isn’t a clue in this collection of deadly required exercises. Pass it by.

   

• Tangram tales : story theater using the ancient Chinese puzzle by Dianne De las Casas (Teacher Ideas Press, 2009, 110 p., $_____, ISBN: 9781591586524)

  A tangram is a set of seven paper or plastic shapes that the players uses to build shapes of all kinds. The object is clever construction. Our author has developed a technique of reader’s theatre where kids tell stories and illustrate those stories with a tangram as one would on a felt board. Dozens of simple stories are presented here with suggested tangram illustrations. It is a fun and clever technique to engage kids and teen tellers in another way to capture the attention of the listener but also develop the reading and storytelling of the participants. Teacher librarians could demonstrate this technique to a volunteer, a group of students, a paraprofessional and get the ball rolling in a class or across the school. It dawns on this that here should be a way to do this on a computer projected on a screen, and one might issue this as a challenge to kids who might actually create an app to do so. This idea is clever enough to demand its purchase and integration into the idea of reading, telling, and doing stories for fun. Highly recommended.

   

• Relentless progress : the reconfiguration of children's literature, fairy tales, and storytelling by Jack Zipes (Routledge, 2009, 189 p., $_____, ISBN: 9780415990646)

  Zipes, a well-known expert on children’s literature, is worried that the idea of globalization is turning much of story to children into a massive consumerism. He is wondering out loud if international publishers, writers, librarians and other should take back the territory of having literature speak clearly to children about a more traditional world – one that has raised the children of the world for centuries. Thus, his book title is a question rather than a welcoming trend.  What are the messages of story you as teacher librarians encounter each day as you recommend, tell, enact, and discuss modern children’s literature? Compare your own thoughts with those of this scholar for a big think and re-assessment.

   

• Interactive learning experiences, Grades 6-12 : increasing student engagement and learning, 2nd ed. BDavid Kmokler (Corwin Press, 2009, 152 p., $_____, ISBN: 9781412963367)  There is some research evidence that indicates that a rest/movement activity can restore order/attention/interest in classroom work Smokler provides many activities that give a bit of respite. Interesting enough to check out.

   

• Vocabulary lists and activities for the PreK-2 classroom : integrating vocabulary, children's literature, and think-alouds to enhance literacy by Susan E. Israel (Corwin Press, 2009, 122 p., $_____,ISBN: 1412953502) Teachers and teacher librarians already probably know that the best study of vocabulary comes from the books we are reading. If you already know that, then skip this book.