What’s Black and White and Reid All Over? (book)

Reid, R. (2012). What’s Black and White and Reid All Over? Something Hilarious Happened at the Library. Chicago, IL: American Library Association. ISBN: 978-0-8389-1147-1.

Best-selling children’s author Reid knows a thing or two about getting kids’ attention and holding it. His advice? Cut out the blah-blah-blah and make ‘em laugh! In his new book, aimed squarely at the preschool/elementary school crowd, he highlights dozens of programming and title suggestions that are surefire ways to banish young ones’ yawns permanently, including

• Humorous lesson plans, organized by age group, with storytelling tips for maximum yuks
• Several book lists of the funniest titles published since 2000, encompassing picture books, books for beginning readers, graphic novels and Manga, juvenile fiction, poetry, and other literature
• More than a dozen original fingerplays, songs, activities and stories, along with a new “Rappin’ Rob Rap”

With the hilarious ideas and ready-to-use programs in this book, your storytimes will be the laugh factory of the library!

(book description)

Ture Stories of Censorship Battles in America's Libraries (book)

Nye, V. & Barco, K. (2012). True Stories of Censorship Battles in America's Libraries. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.

Intellectual freedom is a core value of librarianship, but fighting to keep controversial materials on the shelves can sometimes feel like a lonely battle. And not all censorship controversies involve the public objecting to a book in the collection—libraries are venues for displays and meetings, and sometimes library staff themselves are tempted to preemptively censor a work. Those facing censorship challenges can find support and inspiration in this book, which compiles dozens of stories from library front lines. Edifying and enlightening, this collection

• Tells the stories of librarians who withstood difficult circumstances to champion intellectual freedom
• Touches on prickly issues such as age-appropriateness, some librarians’ temptation to preemptively censor, sensitive cultural expressions, and criminality in the library
• Presents case studies of defenses that were unsuccessful, so librarians facing similar challenges can learn from these defeats
  

There are fewer situations more stressful in a librarian's professional life than being personally confronted with a demand to remove a book from the shelves or not knowing how to respond to other kinds of censorship challenges. Reading this book will help fortify and inform those in the fray.

(book description)

Developing 21st Century Literacies

Langhorne, Mary J., Denise Rehmke, and Iowa City Community School District. Developing 21st Century Literacies: A K-12 School Library Curriculum Blueprint with Sample Lessons. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2011. ISBN: 978-1555707521

From the Publisher:
Here is a guide that shows you how to help students develop the critical thinking and learning skills necessary for effective and engaged citizens in the 21^st Century. It provides tools and strategies to deliver a cutting-edge school library curriculum. Langhorne and Rehmke survey visual, technological, media, and information literacies, explore the concepts for learning with electronic formats, and expand the teacher librarian’s role in school reading programs. All of the forms, lessons, and worksheets found in the book are just a sample of what is available on the website, all of it available for easy downloading.

Part I of this book outlines the building blocks for creating a school library instructional program. Part II presents the curriculum blueprint developed in the Iowa City Community School District, including sample lessons and units. Like most curriculum documents, this one is organized around standards, benchmarks and objectives. Because school librarians have two major areas of responsibility for teaching, the content is also organized into two concept areas: literature and inquiry.

The school librarian plays a critical role in the reading program of the school, both in supporting classroom reading instruction and in library teaching activities that enrich reading for students through exposure to various types of literature, literary elements and the work of respected authors. The literature component of this curriculum reflects the long-held belief that skillful reading is fundamental to all types of literacy.

An inquiry-based approach involves students seeking multiple perspectives, working collaboratively with others, using information ethically and creatively, and developing dispositions for learning—curiosity, responsibility, persistence and independence.

The following is a sampling of lessons provided in the printed version of the book. Many more are available on the website.
• Alphabetical Order
• Library Orientation – Sections of the Library
• Book Care Kindergarten and
• Book Parts
• Selecting a Just Right Book
• Using the Table of Contents in a Nonfiction Book to Locate Information
• Using Nonfiction Book Elements to Locate Information
• Identifying Elements of Setting
• Identifying Elements of Character
• Poetry
• Fantasy: Characters
• Exploring Historical Fiction, Biography, and Nonfiction through Baseball
• Realistic Fiction
• Types of Literature Review
• Asking Questions of Text
• Barbara O’Connor Author Study
• Using Keywords to Find Online Information and Choosing Appropriate Sources
• Basic Searching in the Library Catalog
• Navigating Websites without Getting Lost
• Evaluating Sources of Information
• Using Non-fiction Text Structures to Improve Comprehension
• Note Taking
• Two Column Notetaking
• Notetaking and Citation Using Index Cards
• Creating a Beginning Bibliography
• Producing a “New Directions” Movie

Coteaching Reading Comprehension Strategies in Secondary School Libraries

Moreillon, Judi. Coteaching Reading Comprehension Strategies in Secondary School Libraries: Maximizing Your Impact. Chicago: ALA Editions, 2012. ISBN: 978-0-8389-1088-7

From the Publisher:
This companion volume to Collaborative Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension, which covered lower grades, completes the educational arc by focusing on adolescent readers in grades 6-12. Drawing on the most current standards from the American Association for School Librarians (AASL) as well as cutting-edge research, this straightforward book

• Offers a comprehensive approach to increasing students’ reading comprehension, with chapters covering the complete range of skills
• Includes graphic organizers, rubrics, sample student work, adaptable lesson plans, and more
• Addresses the evolving relationship between technology and reading comprehension

Designed to raise reading scores and encourage classroom teacher-school librarian partnerships, this timely resource identifies new and critical areas of importance as they relate to current standards.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction

Chapter 1 Collaborative Teaching in the Age of Accountability
Chapter 2 Maximizing Your Impact
Chapter 3 Reading Comprehension Strategy One: Activating or Building Background Knowledge
Chapter 4 Reading Comprehension Strategy Two: Using Sensory Images
Chapter 5 Reading Comprehension Strategy Three: Questioning
Chapter 6 Reading Comprehension Strategy Four: Making Predictions and Drawing Inferences
Chapter 7 Reading Comprehension Strategy Five: Determining Main Ideas
Chapter 8 Reading Comprehension Strategy Six: Using Fix-up Options
Chapter 9 Reading Comprehension Strategy Seven: Synthesizing

References
Index

Companion Book
Coteaching Reading Comprehension Strategies in Elementary School Libraries: Maximizing Your Impact

Digital and Media Literarcy: Connecting Culture and Classroom

Hobbs, Renee. Digital and Media Literacy: Connecting Culture and Classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-4129-8158-3

From the Publisher:
Maximize the power of media for teaching 21^st-century skills

Today’s students tweet, text, and navigate apps up to 12 hours each day, but they may not know how to effectively analyze a TV show or website. Award-winning author Renee Hobbs demonstrates how to incorporate media literacy into the secondary classroom, providing the tools teachers need to:

• Effectively foster students' critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills
• Integrate media literacy into every subject
• Select meaningful media texts for use in the classroom
• Recognize the "teachable moment" in dialogue about popular culture

Included are vignettes of Grade 6-12 teachers who are connecting their English, history, chemistry, and health classrooms to media culture. A companion website offers video clips and discussion questions related to the sample lesson plans in each chapter. Digital andMedia Literacy offers a wealth of ideas that you can implement immediately to prepare students for college and the workforce.