Need a "Just-Right" Book? Talk to the Hand!

We spend a lot of time at the beginning of 4th grade talking about finding books to read that are "just-right". Many students come from smaller schools where books were labeled with the reading level or the library collection was divided into sections based on the difficulty of the book. At Meadowview, we try to take a more real-world approach and provide many options while teaching students the skills necessary to make good choices. We start by giving them a 5-step approach to choosing a "just-right" book.

1. Read a page and make sure you can say and understand most of the words. (If you have trouble with more than 5 words, it may be too hard.)
2. Retell what you read to show your understanding. (Who or what is it about? What is happening?)
3. Make sure you are interested enough to read the whole thing.
4. Make sure it isn't too long or too short. (How many pages would you have to read each day to finish it in one week?)
5. Make sure it fits the assignment. (Did your teacher ask for fiction? Is there a certain type of book you need to read for class?)

To bring these points home, we use a hand as our graphic reminder and put a question on each finger. This is posted in the LMC all year long. Some teachers hand out smaller hand reminders for the students. When any student needs to decide if they can read a book by themselves, all they have to do is talk to their hand!

WELCOME BACK!

The start of a new school year always brings with it new ideas, new faces, and new challenges. With it comes a sense of excitement and energy that is so huge it can almost be felt as you walk down the sparkling halls. Hopefully, we can keep that energy going throughout the year. Towards that end, we are making some big changes in the LMC this year.

1. New catalog and circulation software! We have moved to Follett Destiny and are in the process of getting links installed on the computers. Right now, we have the checkout part working but no student access to the catalog. If you have used the links to InfoCentre in the past, they will no longer work. Keep reading this blog for updates on our progress.


2. Introducing Playaways! We have added a new form of audiobook to the collection called a Playaway. Basically, it is an entire book on an MP3 player. They run on batteries and come with earbuds. I will be introducing these to the students once the software issues are resolved.


3. Moving towards a project-driven schedule! All classes will have a 45 minute block of time for regular instruction and checkout for the 1st trimester. After that, we will keep a smaller weekly block for checkout and open up the schedule so classes can get in here 2, 3, or 4 days in a row to work on projects.

We are looking forward to a great year here at the Meadowview LMC!

The Woes of Overdues

We are rapidly approaching the end of the school year, so my attention must turn to those nasty overdue notices. Since we have summer school using this LMC soon after the year's end, it is important to get as many books returned as possible now. Towards that end, we have begun being more vigilant about student overdue books.

1. Any student with an overdue book will be allowed to check out only one additional book for reading until the overdue material is returned.


2. Students who have had materials overdue for more than 2 months will be receiving a letter requesting payment for the material. (We will accept a replacement copy provided it is the same title and in good condition.) No check outs (other than those required for class) will be allowed until the material is either returned or paid for.


3. Overdue notices are being printed on a weekly basis -- every Day 4. Ask your child if he or she has received an overdue note on that day.

Inevitably, someone will claim that they returned the material already or that they never checked it out. Errors do occur, especially when we have multiple people running the circulation desk, so we ask students to check their classroom shelves and at home again. In return, we will check the shelves for the missing material to make sure it has not been re-shelved without being checked in.

If this doesn't solve the dispute, things can get difficult. It is a very rare occurrence that a material gets checked out to the wrong person, so we will often let the overdue ride until the inventory has been completed. Letters and overdue notices will continue to be sent, however, as we struggle to come to some acceptable solution.

There are some parents who become agitated when letters are sent home, and I guess that is understandable; however, trying to retrieve lost or missing materials is simply part of the job. It is not a personal action against anyone and is not intended to be punitive. Those who cannot pay for a replacement can call the LMC and make some other arrangements. The main idea is to teach our students to be responsible for what they borrow. That's a priceless lesson to learn.