Dhaka Lit Fest

Don't forget to attend the Dhaka Lit Fest this weekend.  It is always a fun event and there is much to do for all ages.
You can see another presentation with our visiting author, Mitali Perkins, who will be speaking there after visiting us.  Also, our own Ms. Jahan will be interviewing some of the authors attending the Lit Fest.
It's free to attend but you must register ahead of time. Register and find the program at the link below.

https://www.dhakalitfest.com/index.html

Genre Feature Table- an easy addition to library lessons

I am lucky enough to see Middle School Humanities and English classes once per 8-day cycle for a 30 minute library lesson and book checkout.  This year, we added a genre feature table to our classroom area with the the hope of increasing checkout and introducing students to new books.
At the start of each library lesson, I book talk 4-5 books from the table and we discuss the featured genre.  For me, it's a great way to focus students and kick off our lesson.
This small addition to library time has been so successful that I have to re-stock the table after almost every lesson.
The featured genre for this week is: Sci Fi.

Comics belong in the classroom

Something to think about as we get ready to begin a new school year...

Gene Luen Yang was the 2016-2017 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. His platform was "Reading Without Walls" which suggests that being, and reading, outside our comfort zones can increase empathy. 

We have his comics in the MS/HS Library.  Find them all at: COMIC 741.5 YAN

ECIS Library 2018

I just returned from a great conference in Chennai, India.  ECIS Library happens every three years and is some of the best PD for international librarians that I have experienced.  I met many people, learned a lot and now have a long "to-do" list of all sorts of fabulous ideas for the library!

I presented at ECIS Library this year on our nonfiction gentrification process for the MS/HS Library.  I have blogged about the process here.  If you would like the slide presentation, please let me know.  If you attended ECIS Library, the presentation and materials are in the shared Drive folder.

Here are a few photos of the workshop:

Leveling Books

A professional read!  Interview with Fountas and Pinnell from School Library Journal that touches on the leveling of classroom libraries. At the schools I've worked at, school libraries are not leveled but classroom libraries are. This article contradicts that thinking in regards to leveling classroom libraries.

"We certainly never intended that children focus on a label for themselves in choosing books in classroom libraries." (Fountas &Pinnell)

and even better....

"It is our belief that levels have no place in classroom libraries, in school libraries, in public libraries, or on report cards."  (Fountas &Pinnell)

Fountas and Pinnell Say Librarians Should Guide Readers by Interest, Not Level

Our recent article on reading levels and the dangers of using strictly prescribed leveling systems in libraries for young readers sparked much dialogue and debate. One of the most popular and widely used reading systems is the "A to Z" gradient, developed by Irene C.