Using Google as my search engine, I found the Vaughn Gross Center for Reading and Language Arts. This is a wonderful website that I didn't know existed! When I clicked on the website, I didn't think it would really pertain to my blog, but as I dug around a little bit, I found it very helpful.
One thing that I found helpful was the materials that were provided. I clicked on the grade level of materials that I wanted and it brought up a plethora of booklets, and professional guides, some of which are downloadable, and some which someone can purchase online through the online store. Even though some materials need to be purchased, it is a wonderful site to get great ideas to help struggling readers.
I chose this website because not only does it have information helpful to struggling readers, but also has information for readers that are in special education. In a library setting, I will have many different readers and this website aids in reaching those learners.
This website is through the University of Texas at Austin.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Competency #8 Research Visual/Multimedia
Researching how to help struggling readers in the library can be a difficult task, so articles found that are meant to be used in the classroom, can easily be used in the library. The image above is a student organizer meant to help struggling readers organize their thoughts and gain more comprehension of the story. This can easily be done in a library whole group setting, by having a chart tablet ready to go and using interactive writing with the students to answer the questions. This image was very helpful in getting an idea of where to start helping struggling readers in a whole group setting, such as the library.
Copyright information: Arthaud, T.J., & Goracke, T. (2006). Implementing a structured story web and outline strategy to assist struggling readers. Reading Teacher, 59, 581-586.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Competency #7 Image
This image was found in Google Images by searching for struggling readers.
I selected this image because it shows the importance of reaching at-risk students at an early age. As one can see from the graph, the gap between successful students and struggling students is pretty narrow when the students first start school, but as they go through the grade levels, the gap widens considerably. I am trying to find a way to reach these struggling children through the library.
The image is from Diebels Data System, a company that tracks and measures progress of a student within a school district.
Copyright link: https://dibels.uoregon.edu/images/trajectory_graph.gif
Competency #6 Databases
Building Block Search Strategy
I decided to see how many hits I could find for struggling readers in Academic Search Complete. When I typed in struggling AND readers OR reader AND elementary, there were 79hits.
Entry selected:
I like this strategy because it is very simple to do and I like being able to use all of the facets that I can think of. I like how someone can use Boolean logic to combine all of the terms that are needed for the search.
Successive Fraction Approach
I used ERIC as my database and typed in the reader OR readers. I got 27,022 hits. To narrow my search considerably, I added struggling to the search and received 528 hits. Finally, I added library in my search and I then got 12 hits.
My entry that I chose in ERIC:
This search allowed me to narrow my search down to make it a more managable number of hits. I liked seeing how adding the different facets made a difference in how many hits I received.
Snowballing Approach a.k.a. The Citation Pearl-Growing Approach
Using this approach in the Library Literature database, I first typed in struggling readers AND media AND school library because I was looking for an article that I was already familiar with (a known item). Upon finding it, I then looked at the document to see if there were other searches that I could do based off of it. I decided to add reading AND difficulties to the search to see if it would expand the search. It did, for a total of 16 hits.
Entry chosen in Library Literature:
This search was ok, but it is not my favorite. It would be very helpful if I already had a "known item" because then I could look and see what other terms I could use to add to my search. However, if someone doesn't already have a "known item" it makes it hard to expand the search.
The Most Specific Facet First Approach
The fourth and final database that I searched in was World Cat. I decided this was the statement I was wanting to research: helping struggling readers in the library The keywords are library, at-risk children, struggling, reading. I decided that the most specific facet was "struggling readers library"
When I typed that in World Cat, I had 51 hits. When I added the word helping, I had only two hits.
Database Entry:
I do like the specific facet first approach because it helps you get at the meat of what you are searching for, rather than having to dig through lots of information to finally discover what you want.
I decided to see how many hits I could find for struggling readers in Academic Search Complete. When I typed in struggling AND readers OR reader AND elementary, there were 79hits.
Entry selected:
I like this strategy because it is very simple to do and I like being able to use all of the facets that I can think of. I like how someone can use Boolean logic to combine all of the terms that are needed for the search.
Successive Fraction Approach
I used ERIC as my database and typed in the reader OR readers. I got 27,022 hits. To narrow my search considerably, I added struggling to the search and received 528 hits. Finally, I added library in my search and I then got 12 hits.
My entry that I chose in ERIC:
This search allowed me to narrow my search down to make it a more managable number of hits. I liked seeing how adding the different facets made a difference in how many hits I received.
Snowballing Approach a.k.a. The Citation Pearl-Growing Approach
Using this approach in the Library Literature database, I first typed in struggling readers AND media AND school library because I was looking for an article that I was already familiar with (a known item). Upon finding it, I then looked at the document to see if there were other searches that I could do based off of it. I decided to add reading AND difficulties to the search to see if it would expand the search. It did, for a total of 16 hits.
Entry chosen in Library Literature:
This search was ok, but it is not my favorite. It would be very helpful if I already had a "known item" because then I could look and see what other terms I could use to add to my search. However, if someone doesn't already have a "known item" it makes it hard to expand the search.
The Most Specific Facet First Approach
The fourth and final database that I searched in was World Cat. I decided this was the statement I was wanting to research: helping struggling readers in the library The keywords are library, at-risk children, struggling, reading. I decided that the most specific facet was "struggling readers library"
When I typed that in World Cat, I had 51 hits. When I added the word helping, I had only two hits.
Database Entry:
I do like the specific facet first approach because it helps you get at the meat of what you are searching for, rather than having to dig through lots of information to finally discover what you want.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Competency #5 Tagging
Elementary School, Professional Book, Reading
, Reading Recovery, Reading Resources, Struggling, Struggling Readers
One Child at a Time: Making The Most of Your Time with Struggling Readers, K-6
is a book that focuses on struggling readers and interventions that will help them. It is a professional resource that I could use in the library when I am able to work individually with a child that needs individual attention, or when I am working with a small group. I should also be able to use this book when working with a whole class. It would also be a good addition to the professional library that other teachers can check out.
http://www.librarything.com/work/2616657
, Reading Recovery, Reading Resources, Struggling, Struggling Readers
One Child at a Time: Making The Most of Your Time with Struggling Readers, K-6
is a book that focuses on struggling readers and interventions that will help them. It is a professional resource that I could use in the library when I am able to work individually with a child that needs individual attention, or when I am working with a small group. I should also be able to use this book when working with a whole class. It would also be a good addition to the professional library that other teachers can check out.
http://www.librarything.com/work/2616657
Monday, June 22, 2009
Competency #4 RSS
I found a website, ReadingRockets.org, that had wonderful information for parents, teachers, and librarians about struggling readers. It has a section that gives numerous tips to help us assess what is causing a child to struggle and what to do about it. The RSS feed, Reading Rockets: Sound It Out, at http://www.readingrockets.org/blogs/sounditout gives examples and encouragement to parents on what to do with their child during the summer to help with reading.
Competency #3 Podcast
I used Podcast Directory at http://www.podcastdirectory.com to find a podcaast on struggling readers and how they are being helped. NPR had a segment that orignally aired on
This is the Arts Connection Archives on NPR in Central Florida. It is called Tune-In-To-Reading. It lasts about 5 minutes. Tune-In-To-Reading was orignally meant to teach music, but instead was found to help fluency because it has students use repetition to practice singing the notes, and while they are practicing their singing, they are actually reading the words over and over again. The program boasts that within 9 weeks of using the product, only 30 minutes a day, the student gains over a year's worth of learning.
The Arts Connection
http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podshows/2853382
This is the Arts Connection Archives on NPR in Central Florida. It is called Tune-In-To-Reading. It lasts about 5 minutes. Tune-In-To-Reading was orignally meant to teach music, but instead was found to help fluency because it has students use repetition to practice singing the notes, and while they are practicing their singing, they are actually reading the words over and over again. The program boasts that within 9 weeks of using the product, only 30 minutes a day, the student gains over a year's worth of learning.
The Arts Connection
http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podshows/2853382
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Competency #2
I used GoogleBlog to search for blogs that related to the library and struggling readers. I was excited to find a blog that is done by Education and Social Science Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This blog, The School Collection: Children's Literature at the Education and Social Science Library is much broader than my topic, but it does have a posting that goes hand in hand with mine. The rest of the blog is also going to be extrememly useful tool in the Elementary library when helping struggling readers because, as just one of numerous examples, it lists numerous books under certain topics and tells about them. This will be great for getting ideas of books for struggling readers to read.
The following excerpt is from this page:
http://www.library.illinois.edu/blog/esslchildlit/archives/2007/05/high_interest_l.html
Advocates of high interest/low vocabulary books argue that getting reluctant or struggling readers to practice reading is essential for the continued development of reading skill, and that the best way to do so is to provide them with materials that match their interests as well as their current reading level. In creating such materials careful attention must be paid to constructing a work that will not only keep the readers interests (and not appear too babyish) but also present the material in a format that will not further frustrate or confuse a struggling reader. Kenneth Schatmeyer has compiled the following list of essential characteristics of a good high interest/low vocabulary book (Schatmeyer, 2007):
- Compelling storyline and credible characters
- Topics and issues with which readers can make personal or emotional connections
- Supportive formatting that includes illustrations and appropriate text placement on the page
- Careful introduction and reinforcement of difficult vocabulary and concepts
- Straightforward plot development
- Simple sentence structures
The following excerpt is from this page:
http://www.library.illinois.edu/blog/esslchildlit/archives/2007/05/high_interest_l.html
Advocates of high interest/low vocabulary books argue that getting reluctant or struggling readers to practice reading is essential for the continued development of reading skill, and that the best way to do so is to provide them with materials that match their interests as well as their current reading level. In creating such materials careful attention must be paid to constructing a work that will not only keep the readers interests (and not appear too babyish) but also present the material in a format that will not further frustrate or confuse a struggling reader. Kenneth Schatmeyer has compiled the following list of essential characteristics of a good high interest/low vocabulary book (Schatmeyer, 2007):
- Compelling storyline and credible characters
- Topics and issues with which readers can make personal or emotional connections
- Supportive formatting that includes illustrations and appropriate text placement on the page
- Careful introduction and reinforcement of difficult vocabulary and concepts
- Straightforward plot development
- Simple sentence structures
Friday, June 12, 2009
This blog is for identifying ways to help all struggling readers in an elementary setting. There are so many at-risk students in the school that I am working at, that it would be very helpful to research ways to help them in the library. Not only do I want to identify ways to help struggling readers from an elementary library, but I would like to identify ways to help parents with their struggling child.
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