What Public Librarians Need to Know about CCSS

Today I'm hosting a webcast, sponsored by LJ and SLJ, on what public librarians need to know about common core state standards. Since they've been around a while, they aren't as mysterious as they once were, but myths remain.

The Myths
1. CCSS are a mandate. Not true. The Standards are an initiative. Before they began, it was decided that kids weren't prepared for college or a "real job" after high school. Something needed to be done to push kids to learn more. Learn to write. Learn to think. What if each grade level built on the next? What if reading material got harder and harder? Enter the CCSS. Each state adopted and developed its own state standards. They aren't curriculum. They show the location of the finish line, but they don't tell teachers how to get their students to it. Educators have great flexibility in how they teach the standards, but it's another reason why it's scary.

2. Appendix B is a shopping list of books students must read. Also not true. In fact, if you tried to buy them, you'll find that many are out of print. Some of the science books are old enough to weed from your collection.  Appendix B is a list of example exemplars. They are the type of books that show increased rigor and text complexity needed to support CCSS.

As librarians, we then need to examine our own collections. Are they current? Do we have texts on the same topic but different reading levels? Do we know the reading level? While it's not necessary to mark them on the book, knowing how to find the level is a good support for your patrons. Perhaps you can add it to the MARC record. You can teach your patrons how to search the catalog by reading level. If you have access to teaching guides for texts, be sure your parents and teachers know about them.

3. Fiction is no longer needed. Seriously false. The Standards increase the use of nonfiction, but certainly don't discount the need for quality literature. It's like changing the way you eat to be more well-rounded. Perhaps you add more poultry and fish, but you don't have to completely give up steak.  By the time students are in grade 12, they should be reading 70% nonfiction. When you think about it, that's what the real world is like (unless you're like me and you read for a living).

Informational text is all around us--in our email, on the internet, and in our work. Reading for informational purposes is what adults do. Helping our students digest and think about what they read has always been our goal. Making a conscious decision to use nonfiction allows readers to learn more about their world. It's up to us to make sure they have access to the best.

So in today's webcast, we'll also address how to find the best texts, and look at ways our programming can support CCSS. It's not too late to join me. Sign up at SLJ.com. See you at 2:00 Eastern.

Orientation 2.0 Style

One of the first things we “do to” our students is bore them to death with an Orientation. Rules, procedures, what we will learn this year… Yak. Yak. Yak. Snore. Snore. Snore. Sometimes, I think we should just herd them all into the cafeteria and do it all at once. Get it over with- like ripping off a band-aid. It’s a necessary evil. We have to do it, right?

Maybe we do have to do it, but it doesn’t have to be boring- for your students or for yourself. They only have to hear it once. You may have to do it 6 to 25 times! Enter a solution. Orientation 2.0 Style. On Saturday @ the IMC I’ll be teaching a Saturday Matinee about modern ways to teach the same old thing. We'll look at websites that offer free digital tools. For example, we’ll learn how to make a Voki, like the one here (click on the play button to get your homework assignment). I'll show you how to work smarter by looking at what other folks have done. For example, my class for elementary teachers has its own website- Best of the Best- Top 100 Web Resources for Teachers or a wiki like Web 2.0, Cool Tools for Schools.

During our quick hour, I’ll introduce you to PowerPoint games that you can adapt for Orientation- Jeopardy, Millionaire and Smarter than a Fifth Grader. These interactive games can be adapted by your older students and played by your younger students. They can be used later in the year as pre or post tests for your curriculum units. The more students are involved in the learning, the more likely they are to remember.

We can also take those same slides, add some pictures, and create movies in Photo Story or other video programs. One of the best uses of this media is that it saves your voice (and retains your enthusiasm). You can play it all day long without having to repeat yourself, ensuring that all students get the same message. Once your movie is created, you can also place it on your website and students or parents can watch it when they need to do so. Be sure to do “best practice” and introduce your video as well as discuss it afterwards.

You can also use your interactive whiteboards for your orientation. You could create a flipchart that has students take a test. Use Inspiration and have older students create a chart of rules and procedures. You can easily use it with the PowerPoint games you created.

Online voting is another interactive way to use 2.0 technology is You can create a survey that students have to complete online. As the creator, you can get their compiled answers. It’s a great way to test students who ought to know the answers. There are many free online sites for creating surveys- Survey Monkey, Google, or even your school website. Our district uses School Wires which has surveys as a component.

Another fun way to use technology is to create a QR code. Anyone who has a Smart Phone can scan the QR code and it will take them to your website. It’s a great marketing tool. Once you create it, put it on your brochure or newsletter. How about a bookmarker for your parents?

And because I am a firm believer in working smarter by collaborating, I have added a page on my wiki- Libraries Matter for Orientation. As folks create their orientation, I'll invite you to post yours to my wikispace page. Then, as we add projects, we can borrow what someone else created and adapt it to suit our needs.

And yes, I know everyone doesn’t have a Smart Phone, interactive whiteboard or even an LCD projector, but just like everything else we do, we need to reach out in all manner of ways. Different fish are caught with different bait. Why not try some new bait this year? You never know who might actually bite.

Developing New Seminars

On Monday- was that just yesterday?- I sent in my handbook for my newest seminar, How School Library Staff Can Impact Student Achievement: Collaboration Ideas that Work. (See Institute for Educational Development to find out if I am coming to your area. Like most other things in my life, one deadline follows another.

Now I am working on another seminar on Using Technology in the Library. I have my own ideas about what to include, but I am curious as to yours. What would you like to learn about in a 5 hour seminar? Though there will be breakout exercises, this seminar will be mostly show and tell. Participants won't necessarily bring their laptops or have internet connectivity. So, put in your two cents and let me know.

Thank Goodness for English

I've spent most of the last two days at the district hearings regarding the layoff notices to certificated teachers. This morning, the union attorney told us that 20 teachers would be recalled before the testimony continued. She rattled off many different subject areas. Library was not one of them. I settled in for what I was sure would be a long day. The very last name that was called was me. I gasped. I cried. People applauded.

What happened? I don't know exactly, but it seems there were errors made in the seniority list and tie breakers due to other certification. I believe my English teaching credential saved me. Now I am free to breathe and go about my work.

Relieved? Extremely. Relaxed? Not yet. Classifed battles have yet to begun. Now, I get to stay to help fight them.

For all of you who wrote to support me. I thank you. For those who prayed and spoke and wrote to others, let's remember we're not out of the woods yet. Let's keep all libraries open. Libraries matter because children matter.