There are few things that sadden me more than seeing a school library that is not useable by every student on campus. Maybe it’s not intentional: perhaps your library administrator isn’t “into” improving access, maybe she doesn’t think it’s necessary or valuable, or does not really understand how to create a viable academic resource for [...]
Universal Design is a concept that seems so simple, yet has not been incorporated as a standard of excellence for educators. The concept is simple: plan something from the beginning so that anyone can use it successfully. One common example of Universal Design is incorporating ramps into the design of a building. Everyone can benefit [...]
So far this week, I’m 0-for-3. I sent all three books I was reviewing for my library back to Library Services with the same post-it attached: Too mature for middle school, please send for high school review. There has been much discussion in our district about where boundaries are between middle school and high school [...]
Anyone else think it’s pretty cool when your profession gets a “shout-out” from CNN? Public libraries (and school libraries for that matter) find themselves in high demand when things go south in the economy. Here’s an article that looks at how this wonderful establishment is helping Americans get back on their feet. From Cnn.com: [...]
Mr. Doctrow: If I wanted to rescue novels as a culturally relevant mainstream industry (and I do), I’d put the majority of my effort into figuring out ways to get a wide variety of books in front of people who don’t go to bookstores. Ms. Ghareeb: They have this already. It’s called a Library. [...]
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The Trouble With Boys:A Surprising Report Card on Our Sons, Their Problems at School, and What Parents and Educators Must Do This is a must read for anyone who may find themselves tearing their hair out over that one little boy who will just not sit still, whether you’re a parent, teacher, or school administrator. As [...]
My assistant principal recently asked for a list of high interest, relevant books for our very diverse student population. This list features some of the best books out there, passing both Librarian Review and kid approval.
In a few weeks I’ll be presenting at the annual TRLD Conference (Technology, Reading, Learning and Diversity) in San Francisco. The title of my presentation, session 2309, is “A is for Access, Create an Inclusive Library with Universal Design” This is a similar presentation I gave to the Long Beach Teacher Librarians, focusing on what [...]
Last week 6th grade science classes spent two days researching minerals. Sounds like a boring project, I know. I attempted to create an assignent accesible enought for everyone to complete it, but while still reinforcing fundaental research, reading, and writing skills. Lesson plan, resources, and worksheet are included.
I read just about every new novel that comes into our library before the kids get hold of it. The Orca Sounding series offers high-interest books about topics teens will actually be interested in, but written at 3-5 th grade reading levels, making these short and relevant novels accessible even to struggling redaers. Here are [...]
