The Reader. Metropolitan Reading Council Omaha, Nebraska. Winter 2016 Volume 39, Issue 2. Advocating for literacy in the Omaha Metropolitan Area

Transcription

1 Winter 2016 Volume 39, Issue 2 The Reader Advocating for literacy in the Omaha Metropolitan Area A local council of the Nebraska State Reading Association Metropolitan Reading Council Omaha, Nebraska And the International Reading Association

2 The Reader Published since 1966 Metropolitan Reading Council #30400 Chartered in Winter 2016 President Metropolitan Reading Council Executive Board Amy Coacher Learning HQ Past President Kate Alseth President-Elect Abby Burke University of NE Omaha Vice President Kelli Vanwinkle Brownell Talbot Treasurer Linda Placzek Executive Secretary Audrey McNamara Information Manager Renee McArthur Bellevue Public Schools Volume 39, Issue 2 Publications/Social Media Elesha S. Harris University of NE Omaha MRC Website: Like us on Facebook: and follow us on Volume 39, Issue 2 Page 2

3 WINTER MRC BRING A FRIEND MEMBER MIXER Abby J. Burke, Ed. D--MRC President Elect ajburke@unomaha.edu MRC sponsored a Member Mixer on Friday, January 29, Brazen Head Irish Pub was the perfect spot for this event. What a fun diverse group of people were there including a retired professor, classroom teachers, a first year teacher and even a future teacher. Thank you to all of you who attended. Please check our website for the next Member Mixer. And don t forget to bring a friend. THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC MRC Writing Contest THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC More than twice as many essays were submitted for the MRC Writing Contest than last year. That meant that Saturday, January 9 was a busy one for MRC. MRC members met at UNO s Rosken s Hall to read and score all of the student essays. The winners of the writing contest will be announced at the Meet the Author event on Saturday, March 12 at UNO s Strauss Performing Arts Building at 9:00am. Student writers from across the metropolitan area will be recognized for their work. Young Adult Fiction, Poetry and Narrative Fiction writer, Lydia Kang will be our guest speaker at this event. The Reader p.3

4 Books + Time = New Library By Wilma Kuhlman What s the prescription for a biblioholic* literacy professor who has a couple thousand young people s books, and she s retiring with limited space for more books at home? Besides that, she wanted to see those books used in children s hands when possible. For me, fate seemed to work with me, and I m now the proud librarian of an updated and operational library at Girls, Inc. Omaha at 45 th and Maple. Timing was a huge factor in this effort. Having worked with directors and young people at Girls, Inc. in the past, I was in touch with Director of Programs, Emily Mwaja, as I was making decisions about the best way to share my special books. Due to a generous grant to improve and add on to the aging elementary school that has been their home for the past 35 years, a good-sized conference room became available for their new library. The small, cramped space that had served as a book collection space in the past would also be repurposed, and so my work was cut out for me. Not only could I donate books to their new library, they needed a volunteer to set up the new space in a user-friendly way. And I was seeking appropriate work for my newly available time. Voila! The fit was obvious, and I eagerly began the work. What s more fitting for a Metropolitan Reading Council member and avid champion of reading and writing for everyone, but especially for youth as they become informed as citizens and decision makers? So how does a non-library-trained but avid proponent of literacy tackle the work of setting up a library? I first had to learn to weed inappropriate, outdated, and/or damaged books. Putting any book in a recycling bin is not easy for us biblioholics, but I learned. And I started with a pile of books, many valid, but many not useful for the new library. Books at Girls, Inc. had all been donated, and sometimes people are not very discerning when they choose which books to give away. Maybe they re like me, and have trouble discarding any books. I was amused with how many copies of Black Beauty were in the pile of books from the old library. There were at least a dozen, so evidently people had reached the point where they didn t see a reason for that book in their home collections; or maybe they thought the girls would really enjoy the book, since it was one of their favorites. But horses tend to be scarce in inner cities, so those and dozens of other

5 horse books seemed inappropriate for shelf space. One copy of each is still available and others are available for free, but I don t see them going out at least not yet. Going through a few thousand books, one at a time, is time consuming, and it took all fall to get them sorted, organized, entered into a data base, and ready to share. My biblioholism came in handy there, as I had to/got to handle each book several times. The library is not organized by Dewey Decimal numbers or precise categories as determined by publishers. I tried to use my knowledge of youth and of books and arranged them roughly by age group interests, with types of books together like animal stories separate from people stories and nonfiction categorized by types of animals, etc. With a small donated library, some groups of books are very small, and some are large. While I realize the arrangement doesn t differ a lot from traditional libraries, I hope to keep this space flexible enough for the girls to suggest different ideas that we can consider for future organization. I also had some suggestions from librarian friends and colleagues, and I hope the space will work to the benefit of the girls at Girls, Inc. Emily was able to find some furniture grant funds for more library shelves and for amazing beanbag chairs comfortable for reading time. We re still figuring out how to use those chairs without too much noise and a lot of flopping down on them out of pure enjoyment. But the space is very inviting and friendly. My favorite day was December 22, when I got to introduce the space to several different age groups of girls. It was a very busy day, but I was able to catch some girls utilizing the library as any literacy teacher would love! So now I m done with a lot of the more tedious parts of being a volunteer librarian, and I get to be there a couple of times a week to keep the books fairly well organized, talk with the girls about what they want to read or learn about, and be the literacy pusher that I m most comfortable with. After we d visited about sharks and wondered about their preference (or not) for human meat over other meat, two girls and I found some shark books in the library. After getting some answers, the girls settled back to read their chosen books.

6 Maybe I ll also find the time to read aloud and do other fun activities with books as time progresses. Of course, we ll have to fit in some writing. I think that summer and other breaks are going to be even busier, and more interesting. What more fun could a biblioholic MRC member have? *

7 Continued on p. 8 p. 7 The Reader Children s Literature for your classroom By Wilma Kuhlman Literature awards for 2016 were announced in mid-january, and due to time constraints, I ll only be sharing some winners and some recommendations from other sources. I find all sources to contain some interesting and engaging choices. Typically, the Newbery winner would be a chapter book, but the big surprise is that the 2016 winner is the picture book Last Stop on Market Street written by Matt De La Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson. Robinson also received a Coretta Scott King honor and an honor in Caldecott for Last Stop on Market Street. If you look at the book on Amazon, you ll see a long list of awards. So what makes this book so special and so unusual? I would say that it s a delightful book, but I am unclear what brings it into the Newbery realm. Illustrations do certainly get my applause. The story is of young CJ and his Nana, who get on the bus like they do every Sunday after church. Readers don t know where they re going at first, but it s clear that CJ is not particularly enthused about their travel, at least not today. Miguel and Colby never have to go nowhere is answered with Nana s I feel sorry for those boys. When they arrive at the soup kitchen and CJ sees the familiar faces of people they serve each week, CJ is glad they came. The lyrical writing carries readers through the book with comfort and ease and has an important lesson that I think De La Peña tells best in an interview: "You can feel like you have been slighted if you are growing up without, if you have less money, or you can see the beauty in that. And I feel like the most important thing that's ever happened to me is growing up without money. It's one of the things I'm most proud of." I d venture that people rarely are proud of growing up without money or at least that s not the typical American attitude. This book can invite comfort to some, invitation to share with some, and lots of discussion. And seeing lack of money as fortunate can bring discussion for all ages. The Caldecott winner for 2016 is Finding Winnie: The true story of the world s most famous bear, written by Lindsay Mattick and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Since the award came for the illustrations, I ll note first those delightful parts of the book. Blackwell has illustrated many of the books I enjoy, even though I don t always note that. At her blog, she tells how exciting and overwhelming it was to get the call about winning the Caldecott. Finding Winnie is set during WWI, and the dress and features of people fit that timeframe. Soldiers clothing is as we ve seen in photos (a few copies of photos are also included). The true story is the author s veterinarian great-grandfather Harry s story of the bear, Winnie, that became his rescued pet and actually served as a mascot for the Second Canadian Infantry Brigade. Harry named the bear Winnipeg to take a part of home with him to Europe with the regiment of soldiers. Her name was shortened to Winnie, and many soldiers helped feed and care for her. When it was time for that regiment to actually go into battle, and Winnie was getting pretty big, Harry took her to the London Zoo, where she lived out the rest of her life happily, according to the book. The second part of the story is about the little boy, Christopher Robin Milne. He visited the zoo with his father, and named his teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh after Winnie, the real bear. Christopher was even allowed to go inside the bear s enclosure to play and snuggle with Winnie. That part is hard to imagine today, but that was a hundred years ago.

8 This book is a natural fit with the Winnie the Pooh books, and the album of real photos at the end shows the real Winnie with the soldiers and with Harry, the former veterinarian who bought and loved a baby bear. It could be an introduction to WWI and a comparison with current soldiers work. Fish in a Tree is a novel written by Lynda Mullaly Hunt which won the 2016 Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience for middle school. I also saw this book on an on-line list of recommended books for children, and I really like the idea of an award for these types of books. After Palacio s Wonder, I m pleased to see others come along. Author Lynda Hunt is dyslexic as is Ally, the book s protagonist. Also true to the author s life is sixth-grade Ally s constant angst about her inability to read and her desire to fit in. It s also the story of bullying and the cost to people who don t really fit the supposed mold. I like the book; however, I do think it actually fits teachers a little more than young people. Ally s first teacher (as is implied of all her previous teachers) essentially nags Ally for not working hard enough. We learn of Ally s ruses for getting away during stressful writing and reading assignments. When Mr. Daniels becomes the substitute for the regular teacher during her pregnancy and new-baby leave, he begins to recognize Ally s issues and becomes her tutor and support. It all works out very nicely with two good new friends, who also don t fit in very well, and Ally ultimately becomes popular. She is very bright and artistic, so her talents also help a lot. Again, it s a great story; it feels like it s great for teachers, but it might not be encouraging for young people who don t have the extra talents of Ally, and it would be a long read for struggling readers. Worth a look, though, and again, I m pleased to see this award. Being aware of bullying and the need for kindness brings me to the last two picture books I ll review. Both are also 2015 publications and were recommended in Dragon Lode, ILA s journal for the children s literature SIG (special interest group). Red by Jan De Kinder doesn t show up on the popular sites, but it s a realistic look at the feelings and face color during a child s (Tommy s) embarrassing times. Red refers to the color of his cheeks when other children giggle and taunt him. Paul is especially loud and unkind and our female protagonist doesn t like that. We learn, though, that she is afraid of Paul, who does more than just laugh at Tommy. BUT, when the teacher once asks what happened to upset Tommy, her hand goes up without her permission. Good piece to accompany talks about bystanders or how we each respond to teasing. Kadir Nelson has won several Coretta Scott King awards for his illustrations and once for authorship as well as a Seibert Award for nonfiction, and I ve always been a fan of his illustrations. His recent picture book is entitled, If you plant a seed, and as you can see from the cover, rather than his usual outstanding people illustrations, the actors are animals for this book. The simple story tells about a rabbit and a mouse each planting one seed - tomato, carrot and cabbage seeds and tending those seeds while they grow. The question is, will they share the crop with the hungry birds who come to eat? Outstanding and entertaining illustrations show what happens if they don t share and what happens if they do share. The message is valuable, but the illustrations are the best. Nelson comes through again, in the picture-storybook genre.

9 Continued on p. 10 p. 9 The Reader Students Evaluate Young Adult Literature Lynn Thurber MRC Membership Chair Beadle Middle School lthurber@mpsomaha.org I ponder each grading period, How am I going to hold my students accountable for their independent reading? How can I get them to get past the usual cutesy book project that doesn t really test the depth of knowledge gleaned from their reading? As I read Chapter 3 from Pam Cole s text, Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century, it occurred to me that students could use the same criteria as adults to evaluate independent novels and judge whether they were reading quality young adult literature or not. Students could use the standards that Cole suggested and apply them to novels that they were reading and share concrete examples from their books and use these as the basis for their evaluation. What follows are the rudimentary notes of criteria with examples and a final evaluation of a Golden Sower nominated book for entitled Grand Master (2014), a father-son chess tournament filled with dramatic twists and turns. The following points are areas that might be included depending on the age and ability of students. Students take notes as they read, including citations so they can go back and elaborate on their basic findings later. Multithemed Story (many deep issues)-mental health issues and familial love are featured. Tension versus Shock Effect (Is this book a page-turner)-i could not put it down. Memorable Characters (neither all good nor all bad)-the father and the son are well-rounded characters, the father with some scary flaws counterbalanced with a very droll sense of humor. Accurate Facts and Details-Game description, lingo, and game rules are spot on. No Unlikely Coincidences (one is allowed) His father s greatest nemesis is plays at the tournament. No Critic Pandering (I would probably leave this out for my eight graders) Original Idea (The book wasn t written to ride a trend) Father/son chess tournament fosters mental health breakdown has to be an original idea. Memorable Voice and Authentic Dialogue (A good novel captures the language of the characters) See Chapter 14 for clear dialogue between father and son that defines the relationship as it is and what it could become. (p ) Effective, Clear Writing Style (well-constructed sentences) Students can explore sentence fluency and complexity. Sense of Humor-The main character s father delivers humorous sarcasm after he has been bullied by the wealthier fathers during the tournament.

10 Lyrical/Poetic Language (no wasted words slow down the reader) No Superfluous Characters or Wasted Scenes (Everything has purpose. Events or minor characters are not left hanging.) A Karaoke party that advances very little could have been left out, but even it advances the subplots of the foil characters. Widespread Appeal -Teens will readily connect with the family and social issues in this book. Openings- I was grabbed by the end of the first page when high powered upper classmen bully the main character, ridiculing his name. Closings (Sometimes endings wrap up too quickly) The resolution is satisfying with even dash of romance. David Klass creates extreme suspense from a father/son chess championship-a highly unexpected synergy in his novel Grandmaster. Well-constructed dialogue carries this page-turning novel from beginning until the end. Mental health issues fuel the plotline as freshman Daniel Pratzer discovers secrets of his father s past. As Daniel struggles with the game itself, the reader gets an inside view of the pressures that chess places on top players as well as insights into chess itself. Teen and adult bullying flare but are humorously dispatched as a counterpoint to more serious considerations for a most satisfying young adult novel. References Klass, David. Grandmaster. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, "Trends and Issues in Young Adult Literature." Cole, Pam. Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century / Edition 1. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education,

11 International Literacy Day Celebration Linda Placzek--MRC Treasurer Our Metropolitan Reading Council partnered with Omaha Golden K Kiwanis and Conestoga Elementary School, 2115 Burdette St. in Omaha to celebrate International Literacy Day on September 9th. Members of MRC and members of the Kiwanis Club joined together to have a special book giveaway for all Kindergarten students. To help the students with their book selections, three members of Golden K Kiwanis, who read with the three classrooms of students each week joined in the fun. Over 60 children selected their first new book for the school year. MRC member, Linda Placzek, coordinated this celebration of International Literacy Day with the school staff and principal, Vanita Jarmon, while the Kiwanis Club provided the books.

12 Join us as the Metropolitan Reading Council Celebrates 50 Years of Advocating for Excellence in Literacy! Watch for registration information. ***As someone who has been part of MRC, do you have any memorabilia that shows MRC's influence past, present, OR future?? Contact Lynn Thurber with your interesting What: Spring Leadership Night 2016 When: April 28, :30 PM Where: Nebraska Brewing Company 6946 S. 108 th St. LaVista, NE

13 p. 13 Continued on p. 14 The Reader Metropolitan Reading Council Educator s Leadership Awards Nomination Form Please circle the award for which you are nominating Award criteria are located on the following page Celebrate Literacy Award Friend of Reading Award Linda Gehrig Educational Leadership Award Nominee s/organizationname: (Please include title if appropriate) Position: Address/City/Zip: Phone number/contact Information: Nominator: Position: Address/City/Zip: Phone Number: Is your nominee a member of the International Reading Association? (Circle One) Yes No Unsure **Please write a narrative supporting this nomination; give as much specific information as possible. Attach the narrative to this form.

14 Descriptions of MRC Literacy Awards Nominations due by March 31, 2016 Celebrate Literacy Award The purpose of the Celebrate Literacy Award is to recognize a local individual, agency or institution which has made significant contributions to literacy in the Omaha area. Candidates who have shown exemplary accomplishments in any of the following areas may be submitted for consideration of this award: *Direct teaching at any level *Organizing local literacy programs *Promoting support from the public (relative to enhancing literacy) *Conducting research in fields related to literacy *Conducting special surveys of importance for literacy planning *Conducting informational educational activities of a social, cultural, economic or political nature in which literacy activities are included Friends of Reading Volunteer(s) and/or Professional(s) The purpose of the Friends of Reading Award is to recognize an individual or group who advances reading and promotes literacy in our schools and community. Candidates who have shown exemplary accomplishments in any of the following areas may be submitted for consideration of this award: *Organizing local literacy programs *Promoting support from the public (relative to enhancing literacy) *Providing young people the opportunities to help in literacy activities *Conducting informational educational activities of social, cultural, economic or political nature in which literacy activities are included Linda Gehrig Educational Leadership Award Administrator The purpose of the Educational Leadership Award is to recognize an administrator who demonstrates outstanding concern for the advancement and promotion of reading above and beyond the norm. If your administrator (principal, supervisor, director, etc.) is deserving of recognition for the efforts made in the advancement of literacy, please take a few moments to complete and mail this nomination form. When nominating someone, please indicate contributions the nominee has made in the following areas: *Enthusiasm and energy *Impact on students *Impact on teachers *Innovation and creativity *Community involvement *Knowledge of reading research PLEASE SEND ENTRIES TO: Via to metroreadingcouncil@gmail.com Or Audrey McNamara South 49th Street Papillion, NE Thank you for supporting literacy by participating in this year s Metropolitan Reading Council Educator s Leadership Awards!