Finding the Right Book

  
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Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. From the Atlantic Canada English Language Arts Curriculum
3. From the Classroom
4. From the Past
5. Some Book Suggestions
6. Newsletter Information

Introduction

Literacy development depends, among other things, on the availability of a wide range of books. Teachers know that finding the right book is an essential part of the process of helping children to become engaged readers. In this issue we will see how two schools are working together within their communities to provide quality reading materials and to develop confident readers. We also feature a brief history of school and public libraries in New Brunswick and the role they continue to play in community literacy development.

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From the Atlantic Canada English Language Arts Curriculum

"Children's literature plays a central role in the English language arts curriculum in the primary grades. Students benefit from being surrounded by a wide variety of literature and from the opportunity to choose their own texts from this variety. The use of literature in the curriculum motivates young readers and encourages them to see themselves as readers." p.213.

"Students will be expected to regard reading/viewing as sources of interest, enjoyment and information, [and] read widely and experience a variety of children's literature." p27.


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From the Classroom:

Sun streams through the window behind Gwen Church's rocking chair. She asks the group of children seated on the hooked rug at her feet if it is in anyone's eyes as she holds up the book she is about to read. Settling in with the first of nine classes at Barkers Point School to whom she will read in the next two days, Gwen feels very much at home. "I love it here," she had said earlier in the morning as we talked. "Maybe it is because I helped build this library."

Barkers Point School had always had a school library, but as new subdivisions developed enrolment increased and the space became a third kindergarten room. The books needed to be moved. The teachers volunteered to do this so that they could take a careful inventory. They discovered that many books were in bad repair or outdated. After "house cleaning" there were three shelves of books left. These were placed at the back of a classroom.

At this time, 1997, the Home and School decided to help develop a new library. They had begun to plan for space when an air quality check revealed high levels of airborne mould in the building and the school was closed indefinitely and the students bussed to other facilities while the problem was attended to. As is often the case, bad fortune brought good things. Portions of the old building were sealed off and a new wing was built, with space for a library.

S-PAC chair Doug Daley discovered that The Ronald McDonald Literacy Foundation had grant money available for books and literacy related tools for children. Teachers Debby Symonds and Karon Dean wrote and submitted a proposal and sometime later everyone was overjoyed to learn that they had received the grant for $20,000. The Home and School raised an additional $10,000 for shelving and other furnishings, including a braided rug and rocking chair. Duane Greer, of Lakewood Builders, whose children had attended the school, donated his labour, building 9 handsome oak shelves. Students, parents and teachers were asked what books they wanted to have in the new facility.

In the fall of 1998 Gwen Church became the new librarian. She arrived to an empty room with boxes of furnishings stacked in it. She was responsible for ordering and shelving all of the books and other materials. Gwen arranged the books for the children around the room leaving a space for classes to sit for stories. She collected the math manipulatives which teachers had been storing in their individual classrooms and arranged them on shelves for everyone to borrow when they needed them. She placed the computer donated by PC Connections, on a table where it was accessible to everyone and she reserved one corner for books for parents and teachers.

Since its official opening in March of 1999 attended by over 500 people, including Ronald McDonald, of course, the space has been well used. Gwen is there each Thursday and Friday for children. Other days teachers can make use of the facility with their students. Parents are free to come at any time. Debby Symonds pointed out that just the night before my visit a parent had done a presentation on bullying which had been researched right there in the new Literacy Centre. Gwen also acknowledges the volunteer work that parents do to maintain the library. In fact, as we talked there was a knock on the door and a parent arrived with a stack of catalogue cards which she had typed at home. Gwen, the teachers, parents and the larger community have worked hard to insure that their children have opportunity to learn to "regard reading/viewing as sources of interest, enjoyment and information."

Strategies for teachers and children:

Students need the opportunity to select from a wide range of reading materials in order to meet their instructional needs and personal interests. A school library certainly supports teachers in providing a wide range of materials on a variety of topics. Classroom book collections, however, usually consist of three types of reading material: children's literature, non-fiction and reference material, and series of levelled books appropriate for instructional purposes. Interest in the subject matter of a book is important and children can often read challenging texts if they are motivated to do so. However, it is also important for children to have some strategies for selecting books written in their range of reading ability. Teachers can "Teach mini-lessons on making appropriate text selections (eg., using table of contents or index to determine if text contains information to serve learning needs; determining whether a book is too difficult)." P.86.

"I suggest students use the ‘five-finger test' to help them choose books at an appropriate reading level. I show them how to use their fingers to keep track of each word they have difficulty with. If there are five or more such words on the first page, I suggest they return the book and try another." P.87.

Book collections containing a number of fine pieces of children's literature in a variety of genres, provide resources for read-alouds and independent reading. A balanced approach to literacy instruction consists of the above as well as guided reading. During guided reading, a group of children who are at a similar point of reading development are introduced to and guided through a text that has been carefully selected to address their instructional levels. Children should generally be able to read the text with 90 to 94 percent accuracy with evidence of comprehension for a book to be appropriate for guided reading purposes. Levelled book collections are often used in this setting. The difficulty level is ascertained by examining print features (e.g., length, layout, use of punctuation), content, text structure (e.g., narrative, informational) and language features (e.g., point of view, literary devices, vocabulary). These books may also become selections for independent reading. Teachers often facilitate children's choices by storing books in baskets marked with children's names or the book levels.

Just as a school library is served by reviewing the books in the collection and taking a careful inventory, staffs can create a school book room of levelled texts by pooling classroom resources. A professional resource such as "Matching Books to "Readers" by Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell offers guidelines for levelling books and storing in a common area for easy access. Staffs that embark on such a project are often surprised by the number of resources already available in the school. As well, they are able to identify levels of books, topics and genres that are absent and thus make more informed choices when purchasing.

District 8 is currently working at implementing guided reading and facilitating the use of their existing resources. They have appointed a curriculum team of 4 teachers which helps schools to develop a common book room. The process begins with teachers compiling all of the books in their classrooms that have been purchased with school money. Fontas and Pinnell's Matching books to readers: Using levelled books in guided reading, K-3 helps them to identify book titles and level them. The curriculum team also helps level books that do not appear on published lists. Books that are not appropriate for guided reading are shelved according to author, genre or other categories. Levelled books are placed in baggies, 4-6 copies per bag. They are then shelved or stored in cardboard magazine holders according to levels for easy access. Teachers borrow the packages for two to three weeks for use in their classrooms. This fall the district is planning a book swap where schools can bring extra copies of books and trade them for new titles.

Even with a wide range of materials and strategies in place, some children may need the extra support that can only be provided by low student teacher ratios and materials designed to bring the young reader along in a stepwise approach. There are many levelled reading kits available for this purpose. Finding time and skilled adults to help these children can be difficult. The following is an account of how Magnetic Hill School, in District 2, works with children in an after school reading club which operates between the early and late busses four afternoons per week. We'd like to thank Flora Noel, Methods and Resource teacher at the school for submitting this to us.

Magnetic Hill School first started their After School Reading program in 1994. It follows a modified reading recovery format and runs for approximately 20 weeks from November to April. The program is based on the philosophy that early intervention is the key to preventing reading difficulties.

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From the Past:

The free public library, which we take for granted, is a relatively new institution. The Ewart Act, passed by the Parliament of Britain in 1850, provided tax support for libraries. This act "served as a model for the first free public library legislation in Canada, enacted by the legislature of Ontario in 1882." Coughlin (p.52) That same year a public library was established in Portland, N.B., a town which was later incorporated into the city of Saint John. In 1883 the Saint John Free Public Library opened. By 1930 four more free public libraries were in operation in Moncton, Woodstock, Port Elgin and Sussex.

Free access to books was possible prior to this time through the establishment of school district libraries. The 1858 Education Act promised that money raised for books through the local school district would be matched by half that amount from the province. This did place books in rural areas but was not a very successful effort. In the peak years, 1895-1896, there were only 20 such libraries, primarily because of the difficulties of fundraising at the local level.

Schools continued to play an important part in getting books to children. The teachers association formed library committees to visit established collections to borrow books for use in rural areas and in 1941 the Department of Education formed a mail service lending books to teachers and students.

Other community and service groups have actively supported the idea of providing books for children and continue to do so. Among them are the I.O.D.E., the Women's Institute, and the Home and School Associations. "It takes a village . . ."

*Thanks to Leslie Balcom from the Harriet Irving Library for helping us with this topic.

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Some Book Suggestions:

Books suggestions for children:

Finding the right book depends upon the accessibility of a wide range of literature. Teachers across our province use the school library, the public library, the Department of Education Catalogue of Instructional Resources, bookstores and book clubs to stock their shelves. Some schools sponsor book fairs at which families can purchase relatively inexpensive books for their children. The following books were purchased at a local school fair. They are about the importance of books and reading. They are both Scholastic Publications.

Edward and the Pirates, David McPhail. 1997. Edward loves to read, "especially stories of adventure." One night as he is reading Lost Pirate Treasure he finds his bed surrounded by pirates who have come for his book. When Edward refuses because "it is checked out on my library card" the troubles begin. McPhail's dark illustrations add to the suspense.

Santa's Book of Names, David McPhail`1993. "Edward was good at numbers (he could count all the way to fifty). He could recite the alphabet and knew the names of most of the dinosaurs, but when he opened a book and tried to read it, he just couldn't." Edward's mother and Santa both know that patience and the right circumstances are what is needed to help him. A Christmas Eve adventure helps Edward to become a reader.

Books suggestions for teachers:

We would like to wish our readers a relaxing summer with enough time to catch up on all the reading you have had to put off during the hectic school year.

The following books on the topic of literacy development are available through the Department of Education Catalogue of Instructional Resources. Catalogue numbers are listed:

Matching books to readers: Using levelled books in guided reading, K-3, Fountas, I. & Pinnell, G. (1999). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. (Available through Instructional Resources # 042040) This professional resource book provides guidelines for creating and using a school collection of levelled books as well as a levelled book list containing 7500 entries.

Literature circles: Voices and choice in the student-centered classroom, H.Daniels (1994). York, ME: Stenhouse. (Available through Instructional Resources # 265890).Literature circles offer a format for students to read books of their choice and engage in discussions with peers. Daniels offers practical advice for classroom management and strategies to support young readers in leading their own discussion groups.

Organizing for a literacy hour: Quality learning and teaching time, Iverson, S. & Reeder, T. (1998). Toronto, ON: Wright Group. (Available through Instructional Resources # 041480). Iverson and Reeder discuss the format of an hour of literacy instruction which includes a shared text, word study, guided reading/independent reading, and student reflection.

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Newsletter Information

Early Childhood Centre News is published by the:

Early Childhood Centre,
Faculty of Education,
University of New Brunswick
P.O. Box 4400,
Fredericton, NB
E3B 5A3.

We welcome your submissions. Please sign your letters and include your mailing address and telephone number.

Editors: Anne Hunt, Pam Nason, Pam Whitty and Cindy Hatt