MEDIUM Spring 2011 V35 N3

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Washington Library Media Association

2011

Annual

Conference October 13–15 Spokane, WA Authors Neal Schusterman • Nicole Rubel • Karen Cushman • Jess Walter. Speakers Joyce Valenza • Mike Eisenberg • Sarah Applegate • Lisa Layera • Susan McBurney. Workshops Information Technology Instruction • Reading Advocacy • Information Management Preconference Elementary Booktalks • Secondary Booktalks LIT Framework—Elementary • LIT Framework—Secondary Technology Peer Coaching • Using the Tools that Scare Us! • Free Tech for Teachers Northwest Council for Computer Education (NCCE) Technology Workshop

www.wlma.org


Spring 2011

Volume 35

Number 3

Powerful LIT: Reading Advocacy Red Carpet Readers Find Their Favorite by Katie Nedved...........................................................................................................................................................6 A Week in the Life by Leigh Lohrasbi........................................................................................................................................................9 Reading Advocacy: Something Old, Something New by Chris Gustafson.................................................................................................................................................. 10 Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award by Elizabeth Bruno.................................................................................................................................................. 11 Sasquatch Book Award: A Member’s Perspective by Erin Ostrander..................................................................................................................................................... 12 An Excellent Story: 71 Years of the Young Reader’s Choice Award by Barbra Meisenheimer and Linda Frederiksen........................................................................................... 14 The Evergreen Young Adult Book Award by Mary Jo Heller and Teresa Jensen.................................................................................................................. 16

Department Library News

Library Snapshot Day................................................................................................................................................2 Spotlight on Success: Washington Library Media Association Receives Award....................................2

From the Editor: Alice McNeer

L is for Reading............................................................................................................................................................3

President Steve Coker

We’ll Be Back...............................................................................................................................................................4

President-elect Craig Seasholes

WLMA Conference Update: October 13–15, 2011.........................................................................................5

Beyond the Jacket Cover: Chris Wolfe

Typical Librarians: Sarah Applegate and Marianne Hunter

Reading & Sharing: A Finnish Idea.................................................................................................................. 19

Planbook.......................................................................................................................................................................... 20

Journal of the Washington Library Media Association


Library News

Library Snapshot Day April 12, 2011 marked Washington’s first involvement with the American Library Association (ALA) sponsored “Library Snapshot Day” efforts. A glimpse of the day in the life of Washington’s Libraries included over 300 K-12 libraries, and scores of academic, public and special libraries. Data, video and snapshots are still pouring in, and continue to be posted on the project’s wiki, Facebook page and Washington Library Media Association website.

A big thank you to everyone who participated and helped spread the word about great things happening @library! Additional thanks, to Mackin and Follett for providing incentive prizes to school librarians, which helped make participating in this great grassroots advocacy… a snap!

Spotlight on Success: Washington Library Media Association Receives Award

Craig Seasholes accepted the WLA President’s Award on behalf of WLMA..

Washington Library Media Association (WLMA) received the Washington Library Association (WLA) President’s Award from their President, Tim Mallory. The award honors and recognizes WLMA’s leadership and hard work as an advocate on behalf of all libraries in Washington State. Citing WLMA’s legislative and Library Snapshot Day work, the award signaled the broad positive impact of WLMA during a time of stressed budgets and challenging reallocation of resources. WLMA’s collective efforts deserve a moment’s recognition as the organization further harnesses its efforts for the common good.

MEDIUM Journal of the Washington Library Media Association (ISSN 0889-00773) Alice McNeer, Editor Karen Paulson, Advertising Kate Pankiewicz, Business/Subscriptions

Publication Information

As an official publication of the Washington Library Media Association, the MEDIUM is published three times annually (September, January, and May) and is included in the WLMA membership dues. Nonmember subscriptions are available and can be obtained by contacting the WLMA Treasurer at the following address: WLMA, Attn: Kate Pankiewicz, 10924 Mukilteo Speedway PMB 142 Mukilteo, WA 98275.

Copyright

The Washington Library Media Association retains electronic representation and distribution rights to the contents of its publication the MEDIUM. Furthermore, WLMA reserves the right to use text, photos, and artwork from the MEDIUM in subsequent editions, with notification to the submitter if possible. Otherwise all rights revert to the creator author of the work. The contents of the MEDIUM appear electronically in EBSCO’s LISTA database (beginning Fall 2004 issue).

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Editorial Policy

Washington Library Media Association reserves the right to make the final judgment on all submitted material. Inclusion of an article, photo, graphic, or advertisement does not necessarily express the opinion or constitute an endorsement by WLMA. All responsibility and liability for the content of advertising rests with the individual advertiser. Unless otherwise stated, copyright is retained by each contributor.

Advertising

For information about WLMA’s advertising policy for the MEDIUM or to place an ad, please contact the MEDIUM Advertising Manager Karen Paulson. E-mail: kpaulson@scholasticlibrary.com. Mail: 26520 NE Anderson St., Duvall, WA 98019. Phone: 425–788–6431.

Upcoming Issues/Themes Fall 2011   WLMA: This is LIT! Winter 2012   Dynamic LIT: Information Management Services VOL 35 NO. 3


From the Editor: Alice McNeer

L is for Reading “  The more that you read, the more things you will know.  The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” l

I Can Read with My Eyes Shut by Dr. Seuss

A is for voting. Why? Because… Voting decides the book awards.

C is for professional development. Why? Because… Professional development takes place at conference.

Librarians and teachers realized that national awards honor children’s literature, but adults actually choose the winning books. However, librarians have created state book awards where children have a voice and a vote in which book wins an award. In Washington, the awards are the Washington Children’s Choice Award, Sasquatch Reading Award, the Young Reader’s Choice Award and the Evergreen Young Adult Book Award. A bit about each award, the name of the winning book chosen by students for 2011, and a list of nominees for 2012 starts on page eleven of this issue. In addition, one teacher shares how she turns those book awards chosen by adults into a reading promotion program where students read and vote for their favorites on page six.

Every year, members of the Washington Library Media Association’s conference committee spend days and hours planning, preparing and executing a yearly conference in order to offer professional development opportunities. They choose and sponsor authors, keynote speakers, presenters, workshop providers and vendors to address current issues and learning in school libraries. Find out more about this professional development opportunity on page four of this issue.

B is for healing. Why? Because… Healing can begin through bibliotherapy. Life is never easy and dealing with hard or trying times is a part of growing and learning. Reading and connecting to literature can help children to understand, work through and address their concerns. Sometimes children connect with their reading and it helps them realize that they are not alone in facing whatever life presented to them. Other times they connect with their reading because it helps them understand how another student, parent or adult feel and strengthens both their ability to view a situation from another perspective and assists in developing empathy. Who better to play a role in this connection than a teacher-librarian who develops and provides access to a large collection of reading material available to each and every student in their school. Recently, a teacher-librarian observed her students dealing with events that took place for which they had no control, but needed to address and to try to understand. These events not only affected her students, but also the staff at her school. She took steps to help them understand and deal with these events and shares this very special story with you on page nine. SPRING 2011

L is for reading. The title and heading for this article received inspiration from the children’s book Q is for Duck by Michael Folsom, Mary Elting, and Jack Kent. This book has a unique way of looking at the alphabet. The title comes from the middle of the book where the reader learns that “Q is for duck. Why? Because…A duck quacks.” This issue of the MEDIUM from Steve Coker’s column on page four where he notes “…the medium through which my patrons read will always take a back seat to the exercise” to the Sarah Applegate’s and Marianne Hunter’s column on page nineteen where the authors explore and discuss reading ideas from Finland, demonstrates how librarians advocate reading. Now read, contemplate, use and share the information on the following pages and remember: L is for reading. Why? Because… Libraries staffed with teacher-librarians are essential advocates for reading.

Alice McNeer is the Teacher-Librarian at Eton, an Independent School in Bellevue. E-mail: mediumeditor@earthlink.net.

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President Steve Coker

We’ll Be Back As any fan of the Terminator films knows, we can all breathe a sigh of relief that here, in the Spring of 2011, our civilization remains intact, and we are all able to continue going about our business. As you may remember, according to the first movie in the series, Skynet, a fictional, artificially intelligent master computer system, became self-aware on August 29, 1997 and promptly began a Governor Schwarzenegger and WMD-fueled quest to eliminate humans. As that date and several sequels passed in the real world, the franchise continued to move the date of our annihilation forward, with the latest (and, we hope last) “judgment day” passing without incident on April 21, 2011. Whew! So far, no evil robots visible on the horizon. Plugging specific dates into dystopian depictions of the future (or utopian visions, for that matter) rarely works out as envisioned. From 2001: A Space Odyssey and 1984 to Back to the Future and The Jetsons, there are plenty of fictional examples in which our hopes or fears for the future have outstripped day-to-day reality. Failed attempts notwithstanding, we are not currently ruled by any Big Brother-like entity nor are we zipping around in fusion-fueled flying cars. How do bold predictions in our reality-based world fare, especially in the realm of historical, social and political imagination? As any follower of current events knows, a good science fiction author can often prove to be more accurate. Since Francis Fukuyama predicted the “end of history” way back in the early ‘90s, we have seen them come and go: continuous stock portfolio growth, the Y2K millennium bug, hidden stocks of weapons of mass destruction, “mission accomplished,” housing bubbles and more. As a teacher-librarian, the predictions that have been of most interest to me are those revolving around learning, technology and the role of reading in our school and everyday lives. Remember the lofty requirements (not goals) of No Child Left Behind (NCLB)? Despite the fact that our educational establishment has spent the last ten years divesting in meaningful learning experiences for children while reinvesting precious taxpayer dollars and human resources in standardized testing preparation, services and products, we are a long way from achieving the 2014 target date for 100 per cent proficiency in reading and mathematics. Pundits also predicted that the advent of the Internet and improved search technologies would soon render reference librarian work obsolete,

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when, in reality, information overload has lead to an increased need for assistance and training in information literacy, and studies indicate ongoing increases in library use across the public and educational spectrum. However, nothing seems to get media pundits, educators and librarians fired up like a discussion about the future of reading. Depending on whom you ask, print may be gone in five years. Or, perhaps it will happen in ten years? How about the loss of the tactile experience of reading? What about the feel of the pages and the smell of a new (or old book)? What will drive the move to more digital text in schools? Will it be the convenience and appeal of technology (e-readers and pads), or will it be driven by content provider economics? Is engagement via an app on an iPad the same as engagement via a picture book? At what point should schools stop buying textbooks? Can we have a library without printed books? I love books—but can I also love my Kindle? Dare I make a prediction? As a teacher-librarian, I am in the business of reading advocacy, and the medium through which my patrons read will always take a back seat to the exercise. While brainstorming ideas for this piece, I took some time to observe the different ways in which my students were reading throughout the day. Some examples included my TA reading an online newspaper article about an upcoming community event in Olympia, sixth-graders reading articles via eLibrary and World Book Online, sports fans killing time during break reading the printed sports sections, kids slouching throughout the day in the comfy chairs reading print fiction, another student excited that I still had enough money in my budget to download the remainder of a popular series on one of our Nooks, the usual perusal of Facebook during lunch and many, many other instances of students accessing digital resources for academic and personal purposes. The conclusion? Aside from a few scattered YouTube videos and some Discovery Streaming content, the vast majority of activity throughout the day revolved around engagement with words. The kids were reading, almost all the time, all day long. [ continued on page 18 ] Steve Coker is the Teacher-Librarian and District Technology Coordinator at Rainier High School, Rainier SD. He is a member of the Teacher-Librarian Summit Committee for NCCE. E-mail: cokers@rainier.wednet.edu.

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President-elect Craig Seasholes

WLMA Conference Update: October 13–15, 2011 Spokane: This is LIT! Preconference

Thursday’s Preconference offers two half-day development sessions with top-notch trainers providing in-depth training with tips and tools to sharpen your skills. Info-tech enthusiasts can attend Richard Byrne’s “FreeTech4Teachers,” or explore “Using Tools that Scare Us.” Reading advocates can attend in depth teen-lit book‑talks by Benedetti and Battisti or take advantage of elementary age book-talks from Sally Chilson and Mary Ellen Brak. Preconference attendees can delve deeper into the Library Information and Technology (LIT) framework with either an elementary or a secondary focus, or explore the benefits and challenges of tech peer coaching.

Keynote Speaker

Friday’s keynote address with Mike Eisenberg, Lisa Layera, Susan McBurney and Sarah Applegate, will shine light on the powerful ways Washington Library Media Association’s LIT framework articulates and invigorates the essential role we play in our schools and students lives through Information and Technology Literacy Instruction, Reading Advocacy, and Information and Resource Management Services.

Authors

Authors are everywhere at conference this year. Spokane’s own Jess Walters is Friday’s banquet speaker with his keen humor and dazzling literary talent. Friday’s breakfast features Nicole Rubel, author of books for youngsters and at Saturday’s breakfast Neal Schusterman covers the Young Adult turf. Newbery Medalist Karen Cushman and Baltimore librarian Barb Langridge are just two more of wide range of authors and reading advocates participating in this year’s conference.

Make no mistake: We are the experts!

Our annual conference is also the opportunity to learn and share from one another in an enormous range of workshops during the day on Friday and on Saturday SPRING 2011

morning. In addition to sessions with authors, organizations and big-name presenters, this is also when Washington Library Media Association (WLMA) members share our own success and expertise. Use the “Call for YOUR Workshop Proposal” link on the WLMA Conference web page and submit your proposal.

Webinars @ WLMA

The growing role of webinars has inspired a series of consecutive webinar sessions for conference attendees. Currently onboard to present during the Friday and Saturday workshop sessions reads like a “whose who” from the cutting edge of professional development and collaboration. Presenters include David Loertscher and Betty Marcoux, Steve Hargadon, Mike Eisenberg with Janet Murray and Colet Bartow, Michelle Luhtala, and Karen Bonnano. Bring your laptop or sit back and enjoy watching how and why webinars are such a fast-growing feature of the educational landscape.

Do not leave early!

The ever-dynamic Joyce Valenza will address Saturday’s luncheon with her own iteration of all that LIT can be. Anticipating a buzz akin to the dizzying exit from a tilt-a-whirl carnival ride, I invite conference attendees to consider lingering Saturday afternoon and evening to take advantage of all the Spokane riverfront and pedestrian‑friendly downtown has to offer. Taking time for informal conversation with colleagues may just turn out be one of the best intangible benefits of our professional association. To encourage folks to stay, we are holding onto the convention center exhibit hall for an informal musical evening starting at 6:30 pm open mike and ending with a bit of DJ Mark Ray’s musical magic. We invite family and friends to have more than a little fun together at the end of the conference. Craig Seasholes is the Teacher-Librarian at Sanislo Elementary, Seattle SD. Blog: bookmansbytes.blogspot.com. E-mail: seasholes@gmail.com.

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Powerful LIT: Reading Advocacy

Red Carpet Readers Find Their Favorite by Katie Nedved

“And the winner of the 2011 Best of Award Winning Books is…” Hockinson Middle School eighth graders will reveal the most anticipated Award Winning Reader (AWR) title in June based on shared book reviews, podcasts, and literature projects. The reading promotion program focuses on eight different awards: Newbery, Coretta Scott King, Young Reader’s Choice, Horn Book, Evergreen, Edgar Allan Poe, Schneider Family, and the Margaret Edwards Award. The aim of the AWR Program is to expose students to current young adult literature by truly celebrating reading accomplishments. Students personify book titles and strut down the red carpet in boas and top hats, much like celebrities at the Academy Awards. The first reading celebration, the V.I.P. Party, welcomes eighth grade students who have met the reading goal of completing and reviewing two AWR books in

8th Graders Hayden Hall and Alyy Chaco present the AWR nominees.

VIP Passes are awarded to students who meet their reading goal.

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each of the first two trimesters. They are given V.I.P. passes, (lanyards with tickets to hang proudly around their necks), and must show their earned status to our event bouncers (the principal and vice principal). The V.I.P. Party unveils three nominated books from each of the eight AWR categories, or 24 books total. Students watch book trailers for the top 24 selections on the big screen in the school’s cafeteria. The environment is buzzing with excitement as eighth graders eagerly cheer and chant their favorites. Once the top 24 AWR books are exposed, students have the mission of voting for their number one pick. For the third and final trimester, eighth graders are challenged to read two out of the top 24 books. The library has AWR books labeled with vibrant green stickers on the spine, ensuring easy access for patrons. Eighth grade teachers provide bookmarks and focus literature projects around students and teachers sharing their favorites. Voting day takes place in the library and students need to be “registered” and verify their signature once they have cast their ballot. All of this anticipation VOL 35 NO. 3


leads to one culminating event… the Best of Award Winning Books Ceremony; otherwise known as the BOA Awards. The BOA Awards is an event to remember. As the lights dim, every eighth grade student turns around to witness representatives of the top 24 books strutting their stuff down the red carpet in style. Some have glamorous sunglasses, others have sported their finest attire; all are putting their best foot forward and all are hoping their book will be the favorite. The paparazzi (teacher-librarian) shoots photos as the 8th Grader Kailey Dishongh struts AWR books make their her stuff down the red carpet as Sharon Draper’s Copper Sun. way down the aisle. Past BOA Awards have incorporated spoofs on popular television shows. The American Idol parody included four students playing the part of the judges, slowly eliminating contestants until the number one book was announced. (And yes, Simon Cowell’s British accent was impeccable!) Performances by students have included AWR raps, poems, and even the school band playing their part. After the audience can wait no more, the top AWR book is announced and the winning contestant comes to the stage to accept their golden Oscar statuette. When the initial shock subsides, the winner thanks the Academy and any other significant contributors to their success. They draw a name from a basket and the eighth grade student whose name 8th Grader Porter Hunt dresses is called gets a free for the occasion to honorably represent his favorite AWR book. copy of the winning SPRING 2011

book. The look on the winning student’s face is priceless; it is truly an honor to be selected. Students, teachers, administrators, the teacherlibrarian, and community members witness the comradery and genuine enthusiasm that the AWR Program brings to young adult readers. Each and every eighth grader sees himself or herself as a reader. The “prize” is a celebration of their accomplishments. We know this experience has a significant impact when high school students visit and tell us they still have their VIP pass hung proudly at home. The amount of effort put into this reading advocacy program has paid great dividends simply because of the intrinsic motivation it has ignited in young adult readers. So, who will win this year’s BOA Oscar? Will it be Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games? Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson? Perhaps Christopher Paolini’s Eragon? Hockinson Middle School’s Award Winning Readers will be the ones to decide on June 10, 2011. “And the winner of the 2011 Best of Award Winning Books is…”

Katie Nedved (l) and teacher-librarian, Barbara Fritzler (r) wear their boas proudly. Katie Nedved is an 8th Grade Teacher at Hockinson Middle School, Hockinson SD, Brush Prairie, WA. Katie is a WLMA Member and a 2009 WLMA Memorial Award Scholarship Recipient. E-mail: katie.nedved@hock.k12.wa.us.

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Beyond the Jacket Cover: Chris Wolfe

Jesse Joshua Watson: Hope for the World What books were influential to your decision to be a children’s book illustrator and writer? When I was a kid, my parents read to my brother and sister and I all the time. There wasn’t a time when we didn’t have story time as a pillar of our day. Blueberries for Sal, Make Way for Ducklings, the Phantom Tollbooth, the Princess and the Goblin, the Chronicles of Narnia, and the Lord of the Rings were all in regular rotation. The decision to create story was never an option for me. It happened on its own accord. The decision I faced was whether or not to gamble on doing it full time. Can you give us some background information on your upcoming book, Ghetto Cowboy and how you went about your research for the illustrations? “Inspired by the real-life inner-city horsemen of Philadelphia and Brooklyn, Ghetto Cowboy is an timeless urban western about learning to stand up for what’s right—the Cowboy Way.” l Teen Fiction from the Mind of G. Nerie G. Neri and I had worked on Chess Rumble together and have done many incredible school visits since, so I knew for sure I wanted to ride shotgun on any project he would have me on. He spent some time in North Philly and sent me photos he took, as well as a pile of images from news sources. I bought the book, Fletcher Street, by Martha Camarillo, which has gorgeous photography of the neighborhood. I also spent time on Google street view looking at the style of buildings and the layout of the city. I set up a big model shoot at the house of a friend who I play music with. I had models for each character in the book all riding horses and laughing it up. We had great fun and the imagery I got from that shoot was invaluable in the creation of the illustrations. How did you become involved in helping the kids in Haiti? When I first saw the scope of the earthquake’s damage, I decided that if I was unable to use my pen and paintbrush for good now, then my life was not what I wanted it to be. I set out to create my book, Hope for Haiti, and have been amazed by how a lot of love and

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hard work can blossom into a vehicle for change and inspiration. Pearson Foundation and Penguin Young Readers have been very supportive in terms of giving the book a longer reach. I visited Haiti in September last year, where I connected with organizations that are really doing good work, and have been sharing stories and images with kids in the US ever since. I go back to Haiti again in three days to bring Kreyol translations of the book to kids living in desperate situations. This trip will be extra special because I am working with ON MY MIND FOUNDATION on first steps in a long, steady walk to fight despair and boredom with a mobile education project focusing on playful learning in basic literacy, music, arts, and athletics. What do you think publishing for kids will look like in 10 years? While I am attached at the aorta to my iPod touch, laptop, computer, Photoshop, Netflix, facebook, twitter… I am still a paper and pencil kind of guy. I like the smell of old books, the feel of turning pages, and the snuggling you get to experience with your child on your lap, completely lost in the story you are reading. There is something irreplaceable about the actual vibrations of a parent’s voice as they read to their child. It is a special bond that will always have appeal, regardless of the coolness of the next techie toy. I do not think traditional books are going away. I am all about new tech possibilities for writers and illustrators, as well as librarians and teachers. Colleagues have pointed out how amazingly useful digital books can be to remote or impoverished areas that would otherwise not get the experience at all. Can you offer advice to librarians to promote your books and author visits? Librarians are my best supporters. With Chess Rumble, it was the librarians who helped that book find its wings. It received the ALA Notable and many other awards and recognitions because the librarians had been talking about it and had helped create the buzz. I follow lots of librarians who blog or on Twitter so I can get the pulse of the industry from the inside. In regards to my author/illustrator visits, I just really love the opportunity to connect with the kids. It is an honor for me and I know the kids can feel my respect and enthusiasm. Since my illustrator side takes over on [ continued on page 10 ] Chris Wolfe, is the NBCT Teacher-Librarian at Griffin School, a K-8 one-school district west of Olympia. E-mail: cwolfe@griffin.k12.wa.us.

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Powerful LIT: Reading Advocacy

A Week in the Life by Leigh Lohrasbi For years (literally), I have been trying to insert the research process (Big-6™, others as well) into the understanding of my middle school students and staff. For three of my four years at middle school, I have been chinking away at the armour of the standardized curriculum— which for me, was not as hard to do at the middle school level in comparison with our elementary school curriculum (where I worked for 12 years). Each grade level has an assigned project. The teachers love the projects and how their students grow from them. The sixth grade students do an Ancient Civilizations project for social studies. The seventh grade students learn about endangered species and how humans affect the habitat of endangered species for social studies and eighth grade students have a biography project entitled “Wax Museum” combining social studies and language arts. I worked with the eighth grade teachers to closely align what we cover in the library to what they teach in their classrooms. Since they were going to trainings and had to have substitutes, we met to discuss a good library topic to cover in their absence. We decided to go over the research skills used in the project, to examine student learning and to cause the students to reflect and evaluate during the process. I prepared by looking at rubrics, focusing on learning abilities and how they could best apply what they had learned from the research process given the assignment. We would teach critical thinking in context. Then came the aha! moment... Then on a Monday evening just after returning from the Northwest Council for Computers Education Conference, by a sheer twist of fate I ran into a teacher from school at the Dollar Store. We discussed the recent tragedies that had befallen our school in the last two weeks. All were very upsetting to staff and students who were dealing with them. One of our eighth grade students died in a car accident on February 26. The day the staff heard about this tragedy, a sewer pipe cracked and spilled into our 7th grade wing. Then a student set a fire in an office. The teacher shared more about the 8th grade student’s family and the many relatives he had in the building. She shared details of the accident and how many of our students saw it happen or knew someone that was there when he died. This student’s death affected the atmosphere in the entire building. He attended our school for 6th, 7th and 8th grades. The teacher was organizing dinners to be delivered to the boy’s family. Since I work with the teachers to make the library lessons as relevant as possible, in these difficult times I knew we would still need to talk about their SPRING 2011

research project. Looking at the overall situation and taking the steps in the research process, I examined other situations that I had faced in the past. I reflected on and evaluated what I had learned from each crisis. Looking at this overall situation and taking the steps in the research process, I examined other situations that I had faced in the past by reflecting on and evaluating what I had learned from each crisis. I have four children. Each child had faced situations where a classmate had passed away while they were going through the public schools. What made it possible in each instance, for them to think through it, learn from it and move on? My conclusion was to try to help by reaching out to others that were hurting, which also provided support. It occurred to me that the idea of reflecting on (evaluating) what went well and what did would be the instructional goal that I should cover with my students. I was willing to change my lesson plans to better reflect and make relevant the situations students were finding themselves in. Our school was going through a period of numbness. I busied myself with my examples of how one person could reach out. My examples are as follows... A teacher shared with me that the student’s obituary appeared in the local paper. I thought, I bet most kids who do not read the paper, would not know of his obituary. I found the obituary on line, copied it, converted it into a word document and printed it so students could pick it up at our library circulation desk. My second example comes from an examination of our library collection. I found that the collection lacked books about teenagers coping with the death of a loved one. I contacted district librarians to borrow books on the subject. I also contacted librarians in the central region secondary book review council and asked for suggestions of books I should purchase to fill this gap. After traveling over to another library to borrow books, I had four that I could use. As each 8th grade class came to the library, the learning target on the board remained the same as what I would have had if we were going to reflect on their research projects: “I know how to reflect, evaluate and learn.” [ continued on page 18 ] Leigh Lohrasbi is the Teacher-Librarian at Lewis and Clark Middle School, Yakima SD. E-mail: lohrasbi.leigh@yakimaschools.org.

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Powerful LIT: Reading Advocacy

Reading Advocacy: Something Old, Something New by Chris Gustafson The Wildcats Read list is still going strong eight years into its run because it is so easy and versatile. The basics are simple: you create a list of titles you want to promote. I like picking fifty or so titles that won some sort of award or recognition in the previous year. Make sure there is something for everyone on your list. Then choose from a variety of add-ons: • Challenge the entire school — faculty, staff, and students— to each read at least one book from the list. • Create a special display of the books in the library. Decorate with student-written book reviews on index cards. • Invite students to come tell you about each book they have read from the list and have them fill out a ticket for a drawing for each book they read. • Organize some prizes and draw winners form the entries. Have staff and faculty winners too. • Write book reviews of titles from the list for the school newsletter and/or your blog. • Encourage parent/kid book clubs to read books from the list. New this year was the purchase of fifteen Kindles. I wanted to do something to encourage the most

discouraged readers at our school: the eighth graders who are enrolled in their third year of double dose reading. 1. Teach students to shop for books on Amazon. They all excelled at this! Have them list four titles they want to preview. Download the four titles for each student— it is free. Students read their previews and selected the one they wanted me to purchase. Everyone has to choose a different title. 2. Have students take notes on what they are reading on the Kindle. Students said they liked to read better on the Kindle. They could make the print bigger! They hated to write but they did not mind writing on the Kindle because it was not really writing. The teacher said students were more motivated to read and more motivated to write about what they read. They could not lose what they had written and the teacher could easily check what they had written. They could use the text to speech feature. Caution: I had huge tech challenges getting the Kindles set up and doing downloads. I wasted tons of time figuring it all out and probably made every possible mistake. E-mail me if you are planning to work with Kindles and I will be happy to tell you all I learned. Chris Gustafson is the Teacher-Librarian at Whitman Middle School, Seattle SD. E-mail: cgustafson@ seattleschools.org

Hope… [ continued from page 8 ]

presentation planning, my visits are filled with great imagery, some of the process of creating the books, some of my trips to Haiti and involvement with the kids there, and others of my crazy life as an author and illustrator. Kids always tell me how much they enjoy that aspect of my presentations. Giving several presentations at area schools, followed by a family night at the library where I can share with the kids and the parents has been really fun for me in the past. Shoot me an e-mail and we can discuss presentations. I would love to visit! For more please visit Jesse Watson’s website.

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Jesse Watson’s Books Ghetto Cowboy Hope for Haiti Marcelo I and I, Bob Marley by Tony Medina Chess Rumble by G. Neri The Hank Zipper (Series) by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs (Series) by Sharon M. Draper These Things I Wish by Lee Pitts VOL 35 NO. 3


Powerful LIT: Reading Advocacy

Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award by Elizabeth Bruno

2011 Winner Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine, and a Miracle by Major Brian Dennis, Kirby Larsen, and Mary Nethery The Washington Children’s Choice Award (WCCPBA) is selected annually by Washington State’s K-3 students, who may vote for this award through their local teacher‑librarian. The winner of the 2011 WCCPBA is Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine, and a Miracle by Major Brian Dennis, Kirby Larsen, and Mary Nethery with 31,291 votes. Second place goes to I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll with 10,867 votes and third place goes to Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

WCCPBA 2012 Nominees

You may contribute and interact with WCCPBA in three key ways:

Don’t Slam the Door by Cori Chaconas

1. Nominate titles for the committee to consider during the selection meeting each March. Find Full instructions by clicking on “How to Nominate Titles” under Award Information in the left-hand bar of the wiki. 2. Add to the extension activities for any of the titles listed in the left-hand bar of the wiki. Each nominee is hyperlinked and opens to information about the title, link(s) to suggested activities from the WCCPBA Activity Packet, and a list of web links related to the title. Teacher-librarians have the opportunity to add additional extension activities to this part of the wiki. 3. Join in the Discussion Board. You may comment on books, share ideas and thoughts, make suggestions, ask questions, and respond to postings after you have registered for a wikispaces membership.

A Balloon for Isabel by Deborah Underwood Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson

Duck for Turkey Day by Jacqueline Jules How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills Immi’s Gift by Karin Littlewood Little Pink Pup by Johanna Kerby More Bears by Kenn Nesbitt Mr. President Goes to School by Rick Walton My Best Friend is as Sharp as a Pencil by Hanoch Piven Never Smile at a Monkey by Steve Jenkins Ol’ Bloos’ Boogie-Woogie Band and Blues Ensemble by Jan Huling

Your starting point for everything a teacher-librarian could ever want to know and do with WCCPBA online at: http://childrenschoiceaward.wikispaces.com.

Oscar and the Very Hungry Dragon by Ute Krause

The WCCPBA committee invites you to take an active role in helping other librarians do all they can do with each of the nominated titles and in getting students excited about reading!

Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum by Megan McCarthy

Elizabeth Bruno is the Teacher-Librarian at Clover Creek Elementary, Bethel SD and a WCCPBA Committee Member, 2007-Present.

SPRING 2011

Pierre the Penguin: A True Story by Jean Marzollo

The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania Al Abullah Sophie Peterman Tells the Truth by Sophie Weeks Ugly Pie by Lisa Wheeler MEDIUM | 11


Powerful LIT: Reading Advocacy

Sasquatch Book Award: A Member’s Perspective by Erin Ostrander My first job post-college was as a bookseller at Secret Garden Bookshop, an independent bookstore in Seattle. Shortly after starting there in mid-August, I had families looking for the books on the Sasquatch list. “The what list?” I thought to myself. Then I learned that this list was a big deal and that, along with the Young Reader’s Choice Award (YRCA), we actually had a special shelf in the store where we stocked the titles all year long. “Wow,” I thought, “those must be super-important people who get to decide on that list of books!” When I started working as a children’s librarian at the Bellevue Library, part of the King County Library System (KCLS), I discovered another special shelf of Sasquatch and YRCA books. “Wow,” I thought again, “those must be super-important people who get to decide on that list of books!” Thank goodness for that special shelf! At my library, we have kids looking for the titles on the list all year long. In October, November, and December, after the school librarians booktalk the titles to their students, it seems we can never keep copies on the shelf. But, by keeping all the titles together in one place, we can at least point the young patrons to other titles on the list when they come in looking for one specific title. They also learn that we keep the books all in one place and on future visits to the library they can just go to that shelf to see which Sasquatch titles we have in that day. A great way to build self-sufficient patrons! Well, you can imagine my astonished delight when, at the KCLS children’s librarian meeting in April, 2010, it was announced that the Sasquatch Award committee was looking for public librarian members. “Wow,” I thought, “I could actually be one of those super-important people deciding on that list of books!”

And so I applied to and, without too much delay, was accepted to the Sasquatch committee. I have completed nearly a full year on the committee and am enjoying being one of those super-important people. But, I must say, it is not all the glamorous lifestyle I imagined. Mostly, it is lots of reading. And reading. And reading some more. Some of the books that other committee members nominated I had already read — when I got those e-mails, I felt smug. Some of the books I had been meaning to read — with those e-mails I was glad for “an excuse” to read a title. Some of the books I would never even heard of — reading those e-mails I felt overwhelmed at the vastness of publishing and all the reading in front of me. Somehow, book by book, I have made my way through the nominations and am now ready to meet in the coming weeks with my fellow committee members to decide the titles on the 2011-2012 Sasquatch list. The benefits of being on the committee have been many. I’ve had a chance to read many titles I would not have picked up — which has led me to better book conversations with kids. I have had a chance to think outside my service area — the public library — and consider the role of the library in the schools. I have had a chance to think outside my geographic service area — Bellevue/King County/Puget Sound — and consider the appeal to young readers all across our state. Finally, I have had a chance to get to know — through shared book titles and many e-mails — some wonderful fellow library professionals serving young patrons all around Washington. Erin Ostrander is a Children’s Librarian for the King County Library System and a member of the Sasquatch Committee.

Washington Library Media Association Sasquatch Reading Award 2011 Final Vote Count Votes 2594 2529 2131 1390 1238 1200

Title Found The Lemonade War Knucklehead Diamond Willow The Magic Half Ellie McDoodle, New Kid in School

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Author Haddix Davies Sciezka Frost Barrows Barshaw

Votes 962 828 579 609

Title Simon Bloom, Gravity Keeper Leepike Ridge 42 Miles The Truth about Horses, Friends, & My Life as a Coward 574 First Light 487 A Friendship for Today

Author Reisman Wilson Zimmer Gibson Stead McKissack

VOL 35 NO. 3


Powerful LIT: Reading Advocacy

Sasquatch Reading Award 2011 Sasquatch Award Winner Found (The Missing Book 1) by Margaret Peterson Haddix

About the Sasquatch Committee

2011 Sasquatch Committee Members

The Sasquatch Committee members are public and school librarians from all parts of the Washington.

Gary Bosley, Hawthorne Elementary, Kennewick Arika Dickens, Medina Elementary School, Bellevue School District Sandra Earnest, Cooper Elementary, District #81 Sean Fullerton, Chinook Elementary, Auburn Robin Howe, Auburn Public Library, King County Carter Kemp, Kimball Elementary, Seattle Schools Catherine O’Brien, Bonney Lake Public Library Erin Ostrander, Bellevue Public Library, King County Ruth Shafer, Ft. Vancouver Regional Library Beth St. George, Lee, Cascade, Grant, Kenroy Elementaries, Eastmont David Winkeljohn, Mountlake Terrace, Edmonds Teresa Wittmann, Westgate Elementary, Edmonds

• We collect nominations from students, teachers, and librarians from all over the state. • Each suggestion is researched and read, talked about and kid-tested. • We think about every fourth, fifth, and sixth grade student in our state when we create this list. • We think about every librarian or paraprofessional, their limited budget and limited time. Here is our list for 2012. Thank you for participating. Let us know what you think.

WLMA Sasquatch Reading Award 2012 Nominees Title

Tango: Tale of an island dog NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society Moving Day (Allie Finkle’s rules for girls) Lost and found The Gollywhopper games Dying to meet you The Flight of the Phoenix Alvin Ho Allergic to girls, school, and other scary things Long shot 11 Birthdays Wild River Dragonbreath SPRING 2011

Author Beha, Eileen

Level 4.8

Cabot, Meg

5.0

Buckley, Michael Clements, Andrew Feldman, Jody Klise, Kate

La Fevers, R. L. Look, Lenore Lupica, Mike

Mass, Wendy

Peterson, P. J.

Vernon, Ursula

5.3 5.0 3.9

4.9

4.2 3.8 5.2 4.1

3.4

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Powerful LIT: Reading Advocacy

An Excellent Story: 71 Years of the Young Reader’s Choice Award by Barbra Meisenheimer and Linda Frederiksen

And the winner is … In 1938, Seattle bookseller, Harry Hartman, sent John Richards, then the Pacific Northwest Library Association (PNLA) President, a letter stating that, “some recognition would be given to a book for children which your readers endorse as being an excellent story.” After two years of determining the criteria of nominations, the first award was made in 1940 for Paul Bunyan Swings His Axe by Dell McCormick, published in 1936. After the first award was made, there was more discussion and it was determined that the nominated titles needed to be published within the last two to three years and that the books have universal appeal to both boys and girls and that children can read themselves in grades four to eight. The original lists of nominees were compiled from suggestions made by teachers and librarians and each list usually contained forty to fifty titles. These lists were sent to school and public libraries and the librarians were to choose three titles, in order of popularity, those books “most widely liked by boys and girls.” Final ballots were then sent to Miss Elizabeth Groves at the School of Librarianship, University of Washington. The results were announced at the next meeting of the Pacific Northwest Library Association. That first year, 43% of the ballots sent out were returned. The first Young Readers Choice Award luncheon was held in the Paul Bunyan Room at the Timberline Lodge. Mr. McCormick attended the luncheon and accepted his award, a parchment with a figure of a small child reading with the following inscription: The boys and girls of the Pacific Northwest hereby express their appreciation to Mr. Dell McCormick for the pleasure he has given them in his Paul Bunyan Swings His Axe, the

Young Reader’s Choice for 1940. Presented by the Children’s and School Librarian’s Section of the Pacific Northwest Library Association on June 14, 1940. After Walter Farley won the award in 1944 and again in 1948, there was discussion about limiting the number of times an author could win. The members agreed that the choice should be left up to the children. Throughout the years, Beverly Cleary won five times and Walter Farley, Marguerite Henry, William Corbin, Judy Blume, Eve Bunting and Kate DiCamillo each won twice. Today, we have three divisions, Junior (Grades 4-6), Intermediate (Grades 7-9) and Senior (Grades 10-12). Any student can vote in any division as long as they have read at least two books in that division. Students may vote in multiple divisions. Until a few years ago, titles on the list were chosen from those having the most nominations. State and provincial representatives now analyze the nominations and choose, as much as possible, a balanced list. There has been concern that there were not enough books that boys would enjoy; that there were not enough short books in the Junior Division; that there were too many fantasy books; that sequels would require children to read more than just the nominated book; etc. YRCA has tried to address these concerns now only the first book of a series can be on the list and we have added nonfiction as well as graphic novels (2011 winners for both the Junior and Intermediate Divisions were graphic novels). There was also concern from British Columbia and Alberta that there was not enough Canadian representation; now each division has at least one book either written by a Canadian author or taking place in Canada.

2011 Young Reader’s Choice Award Winners Junior Division: The Stonekeeper (Amulet, Book 1) by Kazu Kibuishi Intermediate Division: Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale Senior Division: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 14 | MEDIUM

VOL 35 NO. 3


Voting used to be open for two weeks, but we received comments from teachers and librarians that voting always occurred either immediately before or after spring break and it was too inconvenient. Voting is now open from March 15 to April 15, with voting closing at midnight on April 15. Several years ago, YRCA tried online voting, allowing teachers and librarians to access a database and enter their student’s votes. However, savvy students discovered how to access the database and entered bogus votes, creating quite a vote count problem for us. It was decided that we would go back to having teachers and librarians send their votes to state and provincial representatives and the YRCA Chair and state and provincial representatives would enter the tallies. Other changes of note: we are no longer producing a DVD. It was quite expensive to produce. We tried to get volunteers to do it for us, but the quality was not always up to our standards. However, we have tried to assist you in your efforts to promote YRCA. From our website, www.pnla.org, click on YRCA and on the left hand side, you will find Discussion Guides. For each title, I have listed subjects; short description of the book, reviews and whenever possible, online book talks (including videos); author’s site and book discussion guides. Also on the YRCA portion of our website, if you click on FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) and go to the bottom, you will find Teacher’s Resources with a link to Edmonton Public Library’s website with lots of information on the current YRCA nominees.

For the last several years, the YRCA Chair has been in contact with the publishers of our nominated books and have received permission from them to use the book jacket art on our posters and on our website. We also have seals with the YRCA logo that can be put on the front of the winners. Both items are available for sale from the YRCA store located on our website. We still have an YRCA luncheon at our annual conference in August. Whenever possible we try to have one of the winners as our luncheon speaker. Each winner receives a medal with the year and division in which he or she won on one side and our logo on the other side. Over the last 71 years, there have been many changes made in the Young Readers Choice Award, but one element has always remained the same, our young readers get the final say on their favorite book. Barbra Meisenheimer is the Librarian at Vancouver Mall community Library, Vancouver, WA. Linda Frederiksen is Head of Access Services at Washington State University Vancouver Library, Vancouver, WA.

2011 Young Reader’s Choice Award Nominees Junior Division (4th – 6th Grades) The 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass Happenstance Found by P. W. Catanese Scat by Carl Hiaasen Watching Jimmy by Nancy Hartry Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow by James Rollins Three Cups of Tea by Sarah L Thomson When the Cherry Blossoms Fell by Jennifer Maruno

Intermediate Division (7th – 9th Grades) The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade The Maze Runner by James Dashner Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica George Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld Peace, Love and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede

Senior Division (10th –12th Grades) Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by C. Alan Bradley SPRING 2011

Going Bovine by Libba Bray Lockdown by Alexander Smith Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater Witch & Wizard by James Patterson MEDIUM | 15


Powerful LIT: Reading Advocacy

The Evergreen Young Adult Book Award by Mary Jo Heller and Teresa Jensen Every state has one. In Texas, it is called the “Bluebonnet Award.” In Illinois, it is the “Cardinal Award.” In Washington, it is the “Evergreen Award.” It is simply the award given to the best Young Adult novel of the year as voted on by students. Only students in 7th through 12th grade can vote. The Washington Young Adult Reviewers’ Group (WASHYARG) sponsors the award. Giving students a voice in selecting the best Young Adult (YA) literature has been a goal of that group of librarians across the state, both public and school, since 1977. The history of the award and information on current titles as well as past winners can be found on the King County Library’s website at http://www.kcls.org/evergreen. Thanks to King County Library System (KCLS) Teen Librarian Kirsten Edwards, the artwork, book talks, pictures, and ready-to-print brochures can also be found there. Large posters are also available through the generosity of Mackin (www.mackin.com). Each year, students, librarians, and teachers nominate books for the Evergreen Award. The books are drawn from titles published two years prior in the hopes that paperback editions are available to mitigate the cost of the contest for all libraries. These titles are whittled down by a committee of 15 librarians from WASHYARG based on popularity and quality. Popularity at a public library can mean something different than popularity at a public or private school. King County Library System, for example, can order multiple copies of all the nominees and gain a sense of popularity that would be different from a public school with little or no budget that could not order all the nominees. The popularity there would be based on availability. The librarians on that committee read, argue, read, add a book that was just recommended after we thought the list was finished, read, argue more (rinse, repeat?) From this comes a list that we hope is not top-loaded with books from a single genre, or includes only one from every genre, or does not include a graphic novel because we all know it will fall apart in two months. We learned a lesson one year when we put one of each genre on the list and students only read the one genre that interested them. That year was our lowest vote ever because they did not read any other genres! In fact, a great deal of thought is put into what genre each book represents. We strive to have something for every reader (some romance, some sports, some sci-fi or fantasy and perhaps a non-fiction and/or a graphic novel, etc.…). We also need to say a few words about “appropriateness.” This is a 7th-12th grade list. We have been asked to make it more appropriate to high school because some of the books have been too juvenile for

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2011 Evergreen Young Adult Book Award Winner The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 12th graders. We have been asked to make the list more “censored” so that it will be more appropriate for 7th graders. These are our best, perhaps most volatile, discussions. Truly, what is appropriate for a 12th grader may not be appropriate for a 7th grader. However, remember that we are a combination of public and school libraries. School libraries do not have to purchase all of the books, as they are all available at the public library. While a junior high might balk at some of our titles, they have access to a public librarian who is very willing to provide them, and even book talk them at their school. We quite honestly love this collaborative feature. We also love the 2011-2012 list. Every person on the committee finds this list a solid representation of YA lit, while not having a clear winner. (note the Twilight and Hunger Games years). Mary Jo Heller is the Teacher-Librarian at Albert Einstein Middle School, Seattle SD. Teresa Jensen is the Teacher-Librarian at Timbercrest Junior High, Northshore, SD.

2012 Evergreen Young Adult Book Award Nominees Swim the Fly by Don Calame Teenage friends Matt, Sean, and Coop set themselves the summer goal every year. This year they are 15, and their goal is to see a real, live, naked girl for the first time in their lives. However, after seeing Kelly, Matt resolves to swim the 100-yard butterfly to impress her. Anyone who has done some swimming knows how awful this will end. And anyone who reads this book will stop people to read passages to them. Simply the funniest book we have read in a long time. There is a sequel already. The Maze Runner by James Dashner Thomas wakes up with no memories in a freight elevator that opens on a large forested area known as the Glade. The Glade’s 60 residents—all boys—inform VOL 35 NO. 3


Thomas that a new boy shows up every 30 days. However, a new person – a girl - suddenly arrives the next day and this changes everything, especially for Thomas. This is a fast paced novel in the ever expanding dystopian genre. Of course this is a series, and the second is out already. We Were Here by Matt De La Pena There are many troubled youths at the juvenile detention center that Miguel now calls home. Part of his rehabilitation is a mandatory journal that little by little reveals his inner demons and his guilt. When two other residents arrange an outbreak, Miguel is only too glad to be a part. His companions want to run to Mexico and their journey is faithfully recorded. As they travel closer to their goal, more of Miguel’s past becomes part of his future. If I Stay by Gayle Forman Mia is in a car accident. In fact, we very vividly see her “out of body experience” as she sees her parents and brother dead, with body parts strewn across the highway. Now she is in a coma at the hospital, and must decide if she will join her family (whom she truly loved and had a great relationship) or stay and face an unknown future of rehab, and life without her parents and brother. She is visited by many people while in a coma- her boyfriend (is this a comfort?), her friend Kim, who has a myriad of emotions and reactions, and others who are important in her life. Her decision is a genuine struggle. It is no wonder that it has already been hugely popular. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia Part historical novel, part romance, part sci-fi thriller, this is the story of Ethan, who lives in Gatlin, South Carolina, a town where a re-enactment of the Civil War is the most-important event of the year. He hates it. But lately he has been having dreams—dreams of an event during the Civil War involving a neighboring plantation—and an unfamiliar girl. She appears the first day of school having had the same dreams. Lena is part of an underground society of witches, and on her 16th birthday, she must choose between light and dark. This sound silly. It most definitely is not. This sounds romantic. It most definitely is. However, it is also thrilling, intense, and authentic. North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley Terra Rose is tall, slender, blonde gorgeous. That is, if you don’t look at the “port-wine” colored stain that is the birthmark on the left side of her face. She is really tired of people staring at that side of her. She is tired of her controlling father, and she is tired of her “perfect” boyfriend. In walks (or rides through a car accident) Jacob, a Goth Chinese boy with a cleft lip and his dynamic mother who becomes fast friends with Terra’s mom. The four of them travel to China to see Terra’s SPRING 2011

brother and to track down Jacob’s birth mother. The cartographer theme runs throughout the book- finding a place, finding a place in life, in romance, in your personal journey, in love, and in your own voice. Forest of Hands an d Teeth by Carrie Ryan Mary lives in a village where you do not dare touch the fence, where the “unconsecrated” wait hungrily for human flesh. If you are bitten, you join these living dead. Or you kill them. Mary’s life turns upside down when her mother is bitten and is shunted outside of the village. Her brother arranges for her to live at the nunnery while waiting to marry the man she does not love and the man she does love marries someone else. While she lives with the controlling nuns, she begins to suspect that there is a world outside the fence. A zombie attack of the village forces Mary and others to leave in search of that world. This multifaceted plot is what saves it from just another zombie novel, and leaves us wondering when this really is and if anyone will survive. Remember you can kill a zombie only by cutting off its head or burning it, even if you love them. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater No, not vampires or zombie but werewolves, of course. The winter of her 6th year, Grace was taken from her swing by hungry wolves but one of wolves stopped them from eating her. She remembers his eyes. Every winter Grace looks for him. Sam works at the bookstore/coffee shop every summer and watches Grace with the eyes she remembers. But she does not know Sam and every winter he disappears. He is obviously the wolf, and it is love at first…oh never mind. But this story is much more. Told in alternating chapters by each, this is really a complex story and one both boys and girls are asking for. If you blink, you’ll miss the sex, but it’s there… Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld Do your students know the term “Steampunk?” They will now. Based VERY loosely on the murder of Archduke Ferdinand in 1914, this is the story of the surviving son, Prince Alek, who escaped with machine‑creatures and a faithful advisor. They are the “Clankers.” Deryn, a girl who is passing as a boy in the British Airforce, is a “Darwinist,” those who use genetically-altered beasts. Prince Alek finds himself helping Deryn save the Darwinian beast Leviathan, a whale/ship, while trying to escape to his secluded castle. There are even black and white illustrations in case you were wondering what these half beast/half machines looked like. Malice by Chris Wooding Seth and Kady sit with Luke as he performs the “Tall Jake” ritual‑mix some hair from a cat, a tear and several other things in a pot and burned while he says six times, MEDIUM | 17


“ Tall Jake, come take me away.” (just imagine what a great book talk this is!) And nothing happens. Then the next day he disappears. His friends know in their hearts what has happened even as they try not to believe. They break into the comic book store to find more information,

they redo the ritual to get into this place called “Malice” and they succeed. At this point, the book becomes a comic/graphic novel. This is a horrid world that is half horror, half steam-punk. Intertwined graphic novel and prose, this is a great addition to any collection!

President… [ continued from page 4 ]

The Library Information and Technology (LIT) framework identifies the elements of reading advocacy as: • Establishing and modeling a powerful, fashionable and ubiquitous culture of reading in the school community • Motivating and guiding students to read for enjoyment and understanding • Developing a relevant collection of fiction and non-fiction in a variety of formats, ensuring quality reading choices for all students • Managing resources in support of established curriculum and student passions The only prediction I can make—and I believe it is a safe one—is that, in the future, students will need to read to learn. The learning process will continue

to require that students have opportunities to explore personal interests and to engage in what Stephen Krashen refers to as “free voluntary reading” and do so by any means or medium necessary; the kind of reading that, while it cannot be easily tested, provides the experience, practice and cultural context students need to perform well in all academic subjects and in their roles as productive, engaged citizens. Students cannot do this alone (see another favorite, Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, for the consequences of that approach). The pages and screens will change, but the fundamental activity of reading and its long-term benefits will not and, like the later kinder, gentler models of Mr. Schwarzeneggar’s character, we need to be relentless in our efforts to ensure that we will be there, in all possible futures, to teach, guide and inspire our students.

Week… [ continued from page 9 ]

I shared with them about the change in instruction, about what I had learned by reflecting on my experiences and what was available for them. There was a handout up at the desk explaining what an obituary was (description of how my student’s family had felt about him) and four books on the subject for them to use during class time. We offered to make copies from the books for those who wanted or needed the information, until I had received the books I had ordered on the topic. Next, I asked the students to reflect on their experience with all of the crises that had occurred during that time. Helping each other and the staff seemed to be the way to surviving this and moving on. I explained to them that they were young and that “this is not the last time you will lose a person close to you.” We discussed how we all have due dates, but that generally, if they looked to see what works when we loose someone dear to us, it would be trying to be helpful and reaching out to others. I explained that adults at the school (and their parents) were hurting as well but were better at soldiering on. During this time, one student posted a video on YouTube in the student’s honor. Other students went out on street corners seeking donations to help his family pay for his funeral. Our school is 80% poverty level. Some students sold t-shirts with this student’s photo. I brought attention to these efforts and told the students how proud I was of their efforts.

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I had many staff members come to the library while I gave these lessons. I ended up briefly talking about this to all grade levels (sixth, seventh and eighth) during their library lesson time. I would have to say that I saw an overall change in the attitude at our building— among students and staff. There seemed to be a better understanding of how we all help one another. We seemed to have less students suspended and our detention room experienced a decrease in frequent flyers. Another example of this change took place a week after the incident, when we had a fire alarm drill and we received an e-mail asking for our reflection on what had gone correctly and what could be improved. This had not been asked for in the past. I share this experience to draw attention to the application of the research process in our real world. We are living in a time where it seems we are enamored by the next best thing in technology. We need to see the importance of reflection and evaluation (thinking and collecting our experiences and learning from them). I share all of this to bring attention to the power in a teacher‑librarian’s position. You work with all of the students in your school. Research skills can help our coping skills on many levels. We all have the opportunity to make a difference in our schools. I am very thankful to be a part of this profession with all of you. VOL 35 NO. 3


Typical Librarians: Sarah Applegate and Marianne Hunter

Reading & Sharing: A Finnish Idea Dear Marianne

Dear Sarah,

As you know, I am in Finland. Wait. I HOPE you already knew that (or you might be pretty ticked at me for not returning your phone calls!) Anyway, I have been doing research about school libraries and information literacy skills in Finnish schools, and I found something that I think we might want to borrow from the Finns (I could say steal, but they are such nice people, I know they will share.) Many schools have a “Reading Diploma,” which is essentially a reading incentive program. Students read books from a list of titles in various areas (humor, poetry, folktale, fiction, etc.), and they do a small project on each of the books they read. If they read a certain number, they get a diploma at the end of the year, which is very exciting for the younger students in particular. There isn’t really a “canon” of Finnish work all students must read, because teachers have so much freedom about what they teach. However, this is a way to help create a bit of a common reading experience among students, and it really motivates them to read. Most schools come up with their own list or share in the municipality. I often saw students working on these small projects or talking about what they are reading with teachers and friends. Students typically create a booklet at the beginning of the year in which they record all of the books they read. They also include a list of the titles and the possible “projects” that can be done for each of the book. Projects are often pictures of scenes within the book, an extension of the story, or even a new title and summary. They are brief activities that don’t take a lot of time, but show understanding of a story without being a burden for student or teacher. I think the “Reading Diploma” idea is one that would be very transferable and possibly useful in our schools, especially as a way to get students to talk about common titles. I also really like the fact that even starting in first grade (they start later, so they are 7 years old in first grade), they are expected to read poetry, non-fiction and folklore. I think it pushes them to try out genres they normally might not choose on their own. I think it would make for a fun end of year activity like having all Reading Diploma students report to the field for games or something like that. I also like that students have a record of their reading, something I know we haven’t really figured out how to manage well at my school. So, what do you think of this? Any thoughts on how we could make it work in our district?

Yes, I’d heard rumors about your adventures in Finland, so I haven’t been sitting pathetically by the phone waiting for your calls. But, I have missed you, and have been hoping you’d send me some good ideas. And I like this one! It seems very do-able with elementary students and might help teacher-librarians connect with teachers in a more collaborative way. I can even see it working for middle and high school, particularly if we could have students create a kind of electronic portfolio of their books and projects. We could give them some controlled choice of projects and some parameters for not doing the same project for every book. All of the projects could be web-based so we wouldn’t be overrun with hard copies. Perhaps we could also use this as a way of promoting eBooks? Of course, this would take a lot of cooperation from our Language Arts teachers. They have “outside reading” requirements, and with a little planning, we could tag on to that. If students read beyond those class requirements, we could provide the “Reading Diploma.” Keeping it as an option that comes with its own rewards would be a motivator. Maybe that could mean an invite to an author visit or a field trip to a play or something related to reading. What would REALLY be cool is if we could make the Reading Diploma an item on the report card or perhaps even the transcript. That would certainly give it more validity as a measure of student achievement, and it would enable the library program to show up on the report card! Hmmm… you have definitely planted a seed. I hope you’ll get a chance to gather more details from, as you describe them, “Finland’s perfect teachers, in the world’s greatest school system, in the best country in the universe,” and then we can cook up a plan of our own. Thanks for the great idea. See you soon, and don’t forget to bring me a souvenir!

Sarah SPRING 2011

Marianne

Sarah Applegate is the NBCT Teacher-Librarian at River Ridge High School, North Thurston SD. E-mail: SApplegate@nthurston.k12.wa.us. Marianne Hunter is the Teacher-Librarian at Timberline High School, North Thurston SD. E-mail: mhunter@nthurston.k12.wa.us.

MEDIUM | 19


Planbook

Conferences

Calendar

WLMA

WLMA

2011

Meetings

2011 Fall Conference

July

Full Board

This is LIT! October 13– 15 Spokane, WA

June

23 – 28: ALA Annual Conference New Orleans, LA. www.alaannual.org 26 – 29: ISTE 2011 Conference Philadelpha, PA www.iste.org/conference.aspx

October

27 – 30: AASL National Conference Minneapolis, MN www.aasl11.org

01: WLMA Administrator/Special Recognition of the Year and Outstanding Teacher‑Librarian Award nominations due.

September

01: WLMA Emeritus Award nominations due. 24: Banned Books Week Starts

October

16: Teen Read Week

2012 January

2012

15: Sasquatch Reading Award book nominations due.

January

February

20 – 25: ALA Midwinter Meeting Dallas, TX www.ala.org

March

13 – 16: NCCE Conference Seattle, WA www.ncce.org

April – May

29 – 02: International Reading Association Chicago, IL www.reading.org

20 | MEDIUM

01: Young Reader’s Choice Award book nominations due. 04: Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award book nominations due.

March

02: Read Across America 15: Evergreen Young Adult Book Award ballots due.

April

School Library Month 01: Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award and Sasquatch Reading Award ballots due. 8 – 14: National Library Week 15: Young Reader’s Choice Award ballots due. 15: WLMA Scholarship Applications due.

October 14, 2011 Spokane at Conference

Executive Committee

September 10, 2011 CWU Ellensburg, WA

President Steve Coker, Rainier President-Elect Craig Seasholes, Seattle Past President Linda King, Yakima Vice President Gary Simundson, Vancouver Treasurer Kate Pankiewicz, Shoreline Secretary Jean Staley, Yakima Elementary Level Chair Rosemary Saul, Yakima Middle / Jr. High Level Chair Sharyn Merrigan, Olympia Senior Level Chair Terri Litt, Steilacoom Small Dist. / Private Schools Chair Jen Fukataki, Yarrow Point Paula Palmer, Seattle Webmaster Carina Pierce, Bethel Membership Chair Pat McKinley, Cheney Medium Editor Alice McNeer, Bellevue Higher Education Lorraine Bruce, UW-Seattle Exhibiting Partner Nancy Sikora Legislative Chair/Advocacy Roz Thompson, N. Thurston Listserv Administrator Heidi Roycroft, N. Thurston OSPI Liaison Gayle Pauley, Olympia

VOL 35 NO. 3


Exploring Teaching with Primary Sources 2 Day Workshops for K-12 Educators and Teacher-Librarians  

AUGUST 15-16, 2011 – EVERETT AUGUST 18-19, 2011 - ELLENSBURG

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP SERIES Northwest Council for Computer Education would like to introduce you to the vast collections on the Library of Congress website (over 19 million digitized resources) and explore how you can use them to engage students in the classroom. Two day workshops will include information on:  Navigating the Library of Congress website  Searching materials and lessons  Analyzing primary sources  Copyright information  Designing lessons utilizing Library of Congress materials  Engaging and challenging students using primary source materials ABOUT THE PROGRAM Workshop is from 8 AM to 4 PM. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided each day of the workshop; however travel and housing are not included. Approximately 4 hours of pre-workshop online activities will also be required. University credit and Continuing Education hours will be available. APPLY TODAY Participation will be limited to approximately 30 people per site. Applications will be accepted until June 15th. Submit your name for consideration by filling out the form at WASHINGTON LOC WORKSHOPS. Applicants will be notified by email by June 20th, 2011 FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact Becky Firth at bfirth@ncce.org Northwest Council for Computer Education 1031 N Academic Way, Suite 242, Coeur D’Alene, ID 83814


PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SEATTLE, WA Permit - 1270 Attn: Kate Pankiewicz 10924 Mukilteo Speedway PMB 142 Mukilteo, WA 98275

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