Media matters, Vol. 11, Issue 1 (Aug. 2011)

August 2011
Volume 11 Number 1

Media Matters
A newsletter for people who care about Library Media Programs

Inside this issue:

Recognition

2

Tips for new MS 3

Masters of the

4

Universe

Fulbright

5

Linda Wahlig's 6 Excellent Adventure

Georgia Eat

8

Smart

Transliteracy

9

This article was reprinted with permission of the author, Doug Johnson, Director of Media and technology at I.S.D. 77 Mankato (Minnesota) Public Schools and with permission of Marlene Woo-Lun, Publisher and President of Linworth Publishing, Inc.
Top 10 things first year teachers should know about librarians

Take control of 10 your space

Cyberbullying

14

Literacy grants 17

Find a Book GA 18

Calendar

20

Dear First Year Teacher,
Welcome to school. It's ever so nice to see your fresh, smiling face. I hope some of your eagerness and enthusiasm rub off on the rest of us, who've been here awhile. (a couple of us still yearn for the days of the one-room school.)
I'm the school media specialist. Or librarian, if you prefer. I answer to both. I recognize that your teacher preparation may not have given you much information about, or experience with, working with me or effectively using a library's resources. There's also a pretty good chance that the school library you used during your own school days was different from the program here.
To help us begin with a positive spin, here are a few things I'd like you to know about the library, our program, and me that can help us form a great partnership.
The librarian doesn't own the library; you and your students do. You can recommend materials and have a voice in library policy making. Volunteer to become a member of our school's library advisory committee.
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When kindness has left people, even for a few moments, we become afraid of them as if their reason had left them. When it has left a place where we have always found it, it is like shipwreck; we drop from security into something malevolent and bottomless. ~ Willa Cather

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Media Matters

Volume 11 Number 1

More retirees to recognize!
Patricia Chandler, Media Specialist - Savannah High Joann Larabee, Media Specialist - East Broad Elementary Mary Miller, Media Clerk - Garden City Elementary Lynn Shearouse, Media Clerk - West Chatham Middle Judy Sudderth, McKibben Lane Elementary Marsha Rauscher, New Georgia Elementary, Paulding County Priscilla Cronon , Media Specialist of Swain Elementary in Gordon County

Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes
fear. That is why it is such a powerful
weapon. ~ Nelson Mandela

More Honorees!

Janet Brook Campbell Susan Morgan

Teacher of the Year for Cross Creek Elementary and TOTY for Thomas County
Bibb County Media Specialist of the Year Westside HS

Hannah Talley

TOTY City Park Elementary Dalton City

I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt.

Media Matters

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1754 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Phone: 404-657-9800 Fax: 404-656-5744 E-mail: jserrite@doe.k12.ga.us
Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, but only saps today of its strength. ~ A. J. Cronin
Tips for New Media Specialists
(from GLMA summer leadership "camp" several years ago)
1. Smile and say YES as much as possible. Make sure teachers know you are there to support them
2. Keep to do lists 3. Learn to prioritize. 4. Make one big goal for each day and be happy if you accomplish that one goal 5. Learn that it is your job to handle interruptions. Expect them! 6. Sit down with your parapro (if you are fortunate enough to have one) to talk about
his/her job and duties 7. Coordinate duties 8. Honor confidentiality. Listen but never repeat 9. Set up collaboration forms and procedures 10. Learn the Common Core and Georgia Performance Standards 11. Have a "Meet the New Media Specialist" party and serve food (More tips next month if veteran Media Specialists will share their ideas. Send your tips for new media specialists to jserrite@doe.k12.ga.us)

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Librarians track spy info and classified intelligence When the CIA needs to provide information to the U.S. president, they turn to their librarians. To become one of the U.S. intelligence's community research experts, a librarian must pass medical and psychological exams, polygraph interviews and clear extensive background investigations.

Volume 11

Librarians are heroic Alia Muhammad Baker, the chief librarian of Basra, Iraq, removed 30,000 books from the city's main library before it was destroyed during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Famous people who were librarians FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, Casanova, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, former first lady Laura Bush and China's Mao Zedong. At one point in their lives, each of them either worked as librarian or in a library.
Author Kerith Page McFadden has a masters of library science from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and has been a librarian at CNN for the past 12 years. Read the entire article these tidbits were taken from at http:// www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/04/12/librarians.masters.of.universe/index.html
The librarian isn't a clerk who happens to work at a library. A librarian is a data hound, a guide, a sherpa and a teacher. The librarian is the interface between reams of data and the untrained but motivated user. ~ Seth Godin

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Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program

Many of you might have heard of the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program (also available for administrators) but perhaps have never had an opportunity to investigate it fully. The beauty of this program is that it enables you to retain your pay and position while abroad - and your school hosts a highly qualified international teacher to teach your class! The program is available to teachers in every content field, and at every level!

Deadline In order to find the perfect match for the following school year, the U.S. Dept. of State requires a long lead time therefore, the application deadline is October 15, 2011. Since this falls in the middle of the busy first semester, many teachers and administrators let the deadline slip by.

Please consider applying. We would love to see more of these highly prestigious awards go to Georgia teachers and administrators!

Requirements - U.S. Citizenship - Fluency in English - Three (3) Years Full-Time Teaching / Administrative Experience - Have not participated in a Fulbright program longer than eight weeks in the past five years, or an eight week program in the past two years

Program Basics - U.S. Dept. of State arranges direct, one-to-one exchanges - In most cases, teachers receive a leave of absence with pay from their home institution and "trade" classrooms for the school year - Program is open to K-12, Two-Year, and Four-Year college teachers and administrators - Educators with families are encouraged to apply and bring their families along on the exchange - Most teacher exchanges are for a full year; however there are also semester and six-week exchanges (for the U.K) - Administrators may participate in seminar programs in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, and Uruguay (as well as select additional countries for the next school year)

Application and further information: website: www.fulbrightexchanges.orge mail: fulbright@grad.usda.gov telephone: 800.726.0479

Please share this program widely in your school. This program is open to all teachers and administrators at all levels. The administrative programs are shorter in duration but also provide an excellent opportunity add global perspective to all levels of the curriculum.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me. And if you receive (or have ever received) a Fulbright scholarship, I'd love to hear more about your experience!

Jon Valentine Program Specialist Languages and International Education Innovative Academic Programs Division GaDOE Twin Towers East, 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Dr. SE. Atlanta, GA 30334 404-463-0601 jvalentine@doe.k12.ga.us

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And how did you spend your summer, Linda Wahlig?

When I found myself at loose ends during the last school year (a topic for another article), I
decided to consider the year as a "gift" an opportunity to do the sorts of things I planned to do when I officially retired. Travel is my favorite pastime, so I visited friends and relatives and kept my eyes open for reasonably priced packaged travel deals. One spam email caught my eye a 21 day sailing on the MV Explorer that visited most Central American countries and crossed the Panama Canal on Christmas Day. With my children's blessing, I flew to San Diego, shuttled to Ensenada, Mexico, and boarded the 800 passenger ship. Although the food was great and the entertainment enjoyable, this voyage was all about education. There were professors on board to lecture on topics of biology, geology, history, economics, and the arts all with a Central American slant. Desmond Tutu was the keynote speaker and spent a week on board with us. It was a fabulous trip and I dreamed of doing it again in the future.

Two months later I opened another email advertising "my" ship's April 2011 voyage. I took a chance and emailed the Semester at Sea program, offering my services as the ship librarian. Now, the Explorer is primarily used to take college students on full semester voyages around the world and they have a 9,000 volume library onboard that supports the curriculum. Academic librarians with university experience are required on these voyages. However, on these shorter Enrichment Voyages, they keep the library open for passengers, but don't engage in college level research. My email was forwarded to the appropriate person who was in the process of staffing the April voyage. She called, I sent my resume, and within 48 hours, I was a staff member! I even got to take a friend for free!!

My son was my "friend" and we set sail in April. Due to a last minute staffing glitch, my son got

a job on board as well (in the AV department). We both ended up wearing staff shirts and

sleeping in our own rooms!

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Page 7
For 21 days we sailed around Central America, stopping on the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of every country except El Salvador. My job consisted of manning the desk in my lovely library for the few days we were at sea, usually from 9AM until around 5PM. On days in port we were open for a few hours in the early evening. Although there was an automated system on board (Destiny, in fact) we used the old fashioned method of pen and paper for checkout. It was nice to use Destiny to look up specific book requests. We also had a large "swap" section for fiction and travel books. We did have books on reserve that were specific for the voyage. Keeping up with them was probably the most "difficult" part of the job. Did I mention that this was a Library of Congress catalogued collection? Fortunately, with only 9,000 volumes it wasn't too difficult to get the layout straight, but it was definitely challenging.
My son and I have both been hired to work on the December 2011 voyage to the Amazon! When I am officially retired next year (having given up completely on ever getting a school job in the library again), I hope to make a yearly voyage with this wonderful program. There is so much to say about Semester at Sea that I encourage you to check out their website semesteratsea.org. Another good website for pictures and information specific to this trip is maritimematters.com. Look for the three articles on the April 20011 voyage by passenger Shawn Dake.
Who knew a public school librarian might end up working on a cruise ship? I can't wait to see where this degree will lead me next.
Georgia has Library Media Specialists who ride motorcycles, are equestrian champions, jump out of airplanes, and climb mountains! What did you do this summer ? Write an article and let us know. Be an inspiration to your colleagues!

Georgia Eat Smart is a new program at the GaDOE using funds from a grant from the
United States Department of Agriculture. This program will focus on good nutrition, wellness, fitness, and combating childhood obesity. (The program is based on the Georgia Read More program but with an emphasis on nutrition.) We have filmed Chef Marvin Woods at Winnona Park Elementary (Decatur City) and First Lady Sandra Deal at the Governor's Mansion. Chef Marvin read The Sweet Tooth by Margie Palatini and Mrs. Deal mesmerized the children with D.W., the Picky Eater by Marc Brown. Both readers also filmed public service announcements concerning healthy eating.
Georgia Eat Smart!

Transliteracy
From an interview with Gwyneth Anne Jones, who works as a teacher-librarian in Laurel, Md.
For starters, how would you define literacy in 2011?
Transliteracy. It's transliteracy.
Thinking beyond the format. Literacy has evolved, to not be defined or confined by container or format. It's not just reading words on a page. It might be decoding graphic novels, it might be decoding video. It will be literacy in forms we haven't even dreamed yet. We should encourage kids now to get their literary riches in formats that appeal to them and that they are comfortable with, whatever it may be. That is the future. The literacy of the future is finding meaning in many forms.
Read the entire article here: http://plpnetwork.com/2011/06/14/ how-teacher-librarians-can-save-the-world-and-maybe-their-jobs/

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Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh!" he whispered. "Yes, Piglet?" "Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you." ~ A.A. Milne

Image from Chicago Tribune July 25, 2011

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Leadership and the School Librarian: Take Control of Your Space Susan Grigsby
When I was in college getting my
undergraduate degree a B.S. in Commercial Music Recording and Production I took a class through the psychology department simply titled "Leadership." The professor was a woman who chose to guide the class with The Tao of Leadership by John Heider. If you go to http://www.amazon.com and look up the title you will find this description: "The Tao of Leadership is an invaluable tool for anyone in a position of leadership. This book provides the simplest and clearest advice on how to be the very best kind of leader: be faithful, trust the process, pay attention, and inspire others to become their own leaders. Heider's book is a blend of practical insight and profound wisdom, offering inspiration and advice. This book is used as a Management/Leadership training text by many Fortune 500 corporations, including IBM, Mitsubishi, and Prudential." ( http://www.amazon.com/TaoLeadership-Tzus-Ching-Adapted/dp/0893340790/ref=sr_1_1? s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305638259&sr=1-1; accessed 5/17/2011).
I have owned that book since 1991 and I still refer to it 20 years later. Not because it is a "how to" type of book but because it is timeless in its wisdom. It isn't about how to run a company and it isn't about how to take control of a group. It is, however, a guidebook for the personal journey to that place in ourselves that is confident (not arrogant), joyful (not ignorant), and intelligent (not elitist). I think it should be required reading for the school librarian. Why? Because I consistently hear from colleagues who complain that teachers "won't collaborate," administrators "don't get it," and legislators and lawmakers think "we're expendable." All true. But I rarely, if ever, hear those same
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colleagues talk about where they are making changes within themselves or their programs to address these issues. Rarely do I see that there is an acceptance of some personal responsibility for this state of affairs. I'm not saying it doesn't exist and I'll even go out on a limb and say that those who are making the effort to read this blog are not the librarians to whom I am referring. But if you're reading this blog, you know I am speaking the truth. We are surrounded by those that blame "the other" before ever taking a critical look at their own contribution to the problem.
In the May/June issue of School Library Monthly there is an article titled "Success is an Attitude" by Kara Fribley. This article is part of the magazine's "Taking the Lead" series and, in my humble opinion, a must read. Ms. Fribley opens her article by saying "School librarians can be leaders who positively impact the tone for the entire school" (p. 34). The article is about how Ms. Fribley looked critically at the physical space of her library and made changes that altered the feel and usability of it. Isolated seating areas were opened up and made more accessible. Individual study carrels were removed and open tables with flexible seating were put in their place to foster collaborative learning. In some areas the changes cost absolutely nothing but a little sweat worked up by moving some furniture around. According to Ms. Fribley, "...it ultimately falls to the librarian to encourage or discourage patron usage of the library" (p. 35). Truer words are rarely spoken. The words spoke to me directly because I am putting thought into action by changing my library space, too. I am taking on the leadership needed to improve my space and it is already paying off.
For starters, I painted a rainbow of colors on the cinderblock columns that surround the collection space. Suddenly, the beige and cream color scheme (if you can really call beige and cream a color scheme) was brightened up and brought a little joy to the library. What did it cost? About $60 for paint, brushes, and painter's tape and a couple of my days during the summer. Then I looked at the entrance more beige and cream, nothing inviting students in, nothing that said I welcomed them. So, I came up with a quote and stenciled it on the walls of the entry way in the same rainbow colors I used on the columns. As you walk in you see the first part of the quote "Enter with Curiosity..." and as you leave you see the second part, "Exit with Knowledge." It looks professional but was beyond easy and anyone who wants to know how I did it can send me an email and I'll explain. I am a creative problem-solver, not an artist!
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Next, I tackled my Reference collection. Surrounded by overstuffed shelves and no teaching space I had to think critically about how to rearrange that area. I did some very necessary weeding and opened up some of the shelving. I had the county come in and remove the tall shelves that took up one entire wall those were distributed to grateful teachers for classroom use. I then did some serious negotiating with our county warehouse and found a dry-erase board sitting unused that they were willing to install on that wide open wall. Now my reference collection is updated and the area is more like a small classroom. How much did it cost? Nothing (although I did offer our warehouse manager a plate of brownies for his help he declined).
Finally, I looked at the flow of traffic in my media center and did not like what I saw. This school is only 10 years old and there are still many "opening items" here that had to go. I had rows of shelves that had never held any books and, quite frankly, it did not make sense to just fill them up because they were there. I began looking at the emptiness and began thinking in terms of efficiency. My clerk, my intern, and I began rearranging the collection. No shelf is stuffed but the Dewey categories are now closer together. By tweaking the shelving arrangement I ended up with 16 double-sided bookshelves that were completely empty right in the center of the collection. I asked the county to come and pick them up (they did), I asked teachers to let me know if they wanted any of them (they did), and asked the rest to be taken to the county warehouse for storage (done). Now I have this open area with a couch and 2 chairs, 4 beanbag chairs, and a round table with 4 chairs where those empty shelves used to be. And you know what? That area is full of students every morning and has been since the shelves were removed. I didn't advertise, I didn't make a big deal about it but they came and they sat together and they read books and worked on projects together. And they seemed happy! I have a lot more transformative projects up my sleeve and I will let you know when (notice I did not say "if") they happen. !
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The Tao of Leadership tells us that the great leader knows when to listen and when to speak. It tells us that the great leader understands that s/he becomes empowered by empowering his/her team. It tells us that leadership is sometimes quiet and evolutionary rather than vocal and demanding. It is an ebb and flow of action and assistance. It tells us that if we want to make a change we must begin with ourselves because clarity of thought and action draws others to us more powerfully than anything else. So... start rearranging.
In summer, the song sings itself. ~ William Carlos Williams
The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy has announced its 2012 National Grant competition, which supports nonprofits working to develop or expand projects designed to promote the literacy skills of adult primary caregivers and their children. In order to be considered eligible for a grant, applicant organizations must have current nonprofit or public status, have been in existence two or more years as of the date of the application, and have maintained fiscal accountability. Applicants must operate an instructional literacy program that has been in existence for at least two years and must include one or more of the following components: literacy for adults, parent education, pre-literacy or literacy instruction for children pre-K to grade 3, and/or intergenerational literacy activities. A total of approximately $650,000 will be awarded; no grant request should exceed $65,000. September 9, 2011 is the application deadline.
http://www.barbarabushfoundation.com/site/c.jhLSK2PALmF/b.4344531/k.BD31/Home.htm
In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

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Cyber Bullying - What You Need To Know To Keep Your Family Safe
The Internet allows instantaneous connections with people from across the street or across the world.
Because of the perceived anonymous nature of communicating online, however, some individuals use the Internet as a medium to communicate in inappropriate, harmful, and even threatening ways. A growing concern has been the use of the Internet to "bully" or harass someone, which is called cyber bullying. While the activity affects both adults and children, this newsletter focuses on the impact to children and what steps can be taken to protect them.
Online Bullying While both traditional "offline" bullying and cyber bullying can have serious negative impacts on the victim, cyber bullying has its own special concerns:
Cyber bullying allows a level of anonymity. Children who would never say certain things in person can now make attacks or threats anonymously. A bully can more easily hide their identity or use an alias to trick their victims into thinking they are someone else.
Cyber bullying eliminates the safe haven of "home." Children used to be able to retreat to safety of their home to escape traditional "offline" bullying, but in the connected world of today that is not always the case. Physical walls cannot block text messages, instant messages, social networks, emails and other forms of instantaneous communication. The constant barrage of attacks from these various sources can greatly increase the stress on a victim of cyber bullying.
Cyber bullying attacks can have a greatly magnified audience and a permanent impact. With the click of a button, embarrassing images, sensitive information, or even misinformation can be sent to hundreds, thousands, even millions of people. This greatly increases the potential damage one instance of cyber bullying can have. Once something is made public on the Internet it can be impossible to remove it, leaving a legacy of the event that can haunt an individual for years.
What can you do to protect your child?
Talk to your child about cyber bullying. Make sure you keep an open dialogue so he/she feels comfortable coming to you with any issues.
Be familiar with your child's interactions with friends and others. While cyber bullying can be caused by a random person (and thus difficult to prepare for) trouble with friends and others in your child's social circle can also lead to cyber bullying.
Teach your child not to respond to cyber bullies. Bullies enjoy the response; by not responding, that may encourage them to move on.
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Limit the amount of information your child shares online. Bullies can use multiple methods of communication to taunt or harass; by limiting your child's exposure, you make it easier to limit a bully's access. This may also limit the chance of a random cyber-bullying incident.
If the bullying is a problem, consider closing down the particular point of access, if possible. Email, instant message accounts and even some phone companies allow you to block specific user names or phone numbers. Most companies will even let you change cell phone numbers, email addresses and instant message accounts if needed.
If your children are being harassed or threatened, report the activity. Many schools have instituted bullying programs, so school officials may have established policies for handling incidents. If necessary, contact your local law enforcement. Your local police department or FBI branch are good starting points.
Resources for More Information: (Don't forget to share this information with family and friends)
National Cyber Security Alliance, Cyber Bullying and Harassment www.staysafeonline.org/in-the-home/cyberbullying-and-harassment
Stop Cyberbullying www.stopcyberbullying.org/index2.html
Cyberbullying Research Center www.cyberbullying.us/
US-CERT tip, Dealing with Cyberbullies www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST06-005.html
The mission of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation is to promote positive change in people's lives and to build and enhance the communities in which they live. The Foundation has an especially strong interest in supporting innovative endeavors leading to better circumstances for low-income youth and their families. The geographic focus of the Foundation includes Arizona, Georgia, and South Carolina. Ongoing deadline. http://www.blankfoundation.org/

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The library should be considered an "intellectual gymnasium." It is not a student lounge, study hall, or babysitting service. The students in the library, including the ones you send, should have a reason for being there. Whether for academic purposes or personal use, students should be in the library because they need the library's resources, not just because they need to be somewhere.
The best resource in the library is the librarian. I can help you plan a project, solve a technology problem, find professional research, give insight into an ethical problem, or answer a reference question. And if I can't do it, I'll help you find someone who can. I can help find inter-library loan materials that aren't in the school library itself. Helping others gives me a huge sense of satisfaction, so please never hesitate to ask me for assistance.
Planning is a good thing. Advanced planning with me will greatly increase your and your students' chances for success with projects that require information resources. A well-planned research unit or technology project will greatly decrease frustrations for everyone involved. With my experience, I can let you know what strategies work and don't work.
Recognize that the library provides access to both print and electronic information. I can determine which one best suits your and your students' needs. Students don't always realize that print resources are best for many purposes. It breaks my heart to watch a student spend a frustrating hour trying to find the answer to a question on the Internet that could have been answered in minutes by a print resource.
The librarian can help evaluation information found on the Internet. One of the greatest challenges of using the Internet is determining whether the facts and opinions found there are credible. I have the training and tools to do just that. And it's my mission to teach students effective evaluation skills.
The librarian can help create assessments for your students' projects. The findings of research projects presented in electronic form, conclusions drawn from primary resources, and research that calls for higher-level thinking to be demonstrated, all call for good, authentic assessment tools rather than a simple gut-reaction comment or an objective test. I can help you find examples of, or create, these sorts of tools, as well as help you and administer them. Let's work together to make your students' learning experiences as meaningful as possible.
The librarian can be your technology support center. I can help you and your students with technology applications. Need to use a scanner or a digital camera? I can show you how. Need to create a multimedia presentation? Let me give you a quick lesson. Looking for effective ways to search the Web? Ask me. And even though I'm not a technician, I can sometimes help you locate that kind of help, as well.
The library can help improve your students' performance on standardized reading tests. Research has proven that children become more adept at reading by extensively practicing reading. The library contains a wide range of material in print format that students can use to improve their reading skills. And I can help match just the right book or magazine with each reader. If you need a book talk for your class or if a student needs help to find something of interest, just say so.
The librarian will be your partner when trying new things. It's been said that during some teachers' careers, they teach one year, 30 times. Can you imagine how long those 30 years must have seemed? If you need someone to share the glory or the shame of a new unit, activity, or methodology, I'm the one. I hope your next 30 years will be exciting and gratifying. They should be, because you'll be influencing the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of kids in incredibility positive ways.
I'm here to help you and your students do things you can't do alone.
Again, welcome,
Your library media specialist

Worlds of Words Literacy Grants

via Library Grants by Stephanie Gerding

Deadline: August 15, 2011

Worlds of Words announced the availability of grants of $1000 for literacy communities who want to explore the use of global literature to build international understanding. The funding for these grants was made possible by the Longview Foundation for Education in World Affairs and International Understanding.

Twelve literacy communities will be funded from September 2011-May 2012, These communities can be elementary educators or middle and/or high school educators. Any literacy community of 5 -10 educators can apply. The group of educators can be school-based, district-based, or community-based.

The literacy community commits to meeting on a regular basis as a study group and to engaging in innovation using global literature with students during September 2011 through May 2012.

Each community will post regular entries on a members-only forum established for the communities to exchange ideas and share experiences. In addition, advisory board members from Worlds of Words will offer support, resources, and suggestions. Each community will create several classroom vignettes about their experiences for a special issue of WOW Stories as a way to share their experiences with other educators and will respond to a survey about their experiences. Vignettes examples include a written story with student artifacts, a podcast, or a video.

The money from the grant can be used for global literature, supplies for classroom work or study group meetings, technology support, or stipends for summer work on vignettes.

Proposals must be submitted by August 15, 2011 at http://wowlit.org/links/grants

When you are growing up, there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully -- the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is a great equalizer. ~ Keith Richards (Rolling Stones guitarist)

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Not all

jyuesatrsruomumnde!r....

If you would like to post the FIND A BOOK GA link on your school's webpage, please email me for the logo in several different formats. jserrite@doe.k12.ga.us

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A valuable reading resource is FIND A BOOK on the Lexile
website. This tool allows you to search thousands of book titles by both Lexile measure and topic to find books that will tap into students' personal interest and complement their reading comprehension level. The book search is free and allows users to see if book titles are currently available in local public libraries. Post a link to the Find A Book GA on your school Library Media Center's webpage and promote it! If we keep our students reading on their Lexile level we are less likely to see a decline in their reading achievement scores. http://www.lexile.com/findabook/ http://georgia.lexile.com

August 2011

Su nday

Georgia Department of Education

Mond ay

Tuesday

1

2

Herman Mel ville James Baldwi n

born:

born:

1819-1891

1924-1987

Wed nesday
3
Columbus sets sail: 1492

Thu rsday

Fr iday

Satu rd ay

4

5

6

Birthday ofP ercy First federal

Shel ley: 1792- income tax:

1822

1861 Who was

president?

1st atomic bomb used in warfare dropped on Hiroshi ma: 1945

7
Read The Man Who Walked Between t he Towers by Mordicai G ers tein

8
Sara Teasdale born: 1884-1933

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Who is P.L. Trav ers : 1899-1996

10
Who is the Smit hsonian named for? Why?

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Who is Alex Haley?

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What do you

What happened

know about

on this day in

Thomas Edison? Germany?

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Congress created Sir Walter Scott

the Oregon Terri- born:

tory: 1848

1771-1832

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What is your favorit e Mat t Chri stopher book?

17
Who is Ariane Dewey?

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Have you read Who is Philo T. any books by Farnsworth? Paula Danziger? You do know him!

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Count Basie born: 1904-1984

21
X.J. Kennedy born: 1929-

22
Who wrote All Summer in a Day?

23 24 25 26

Texas Rangers Mt. Vesuvius Leonard

1st t elevised

arrest John

erupts: 79 A.D. Bernst ein born: Major League

Wesley Hardin:

1918-1990

baseball game:

1877

1939

27
Who is LBJ?

28
St. Augustine, Florida estab lis hed : 1565

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Hurricane Katrina 1st African-

slams into Gulf American in

Coast: 2005

space: 1983.

Who was it?

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Lewis & Clark start their expedi tion from Pit tsburgh at 11 AM: 1803

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Our de eds de te rm ine us a s m uch as we de te rm ine o ur de eds. ~ Ge o rge Eli o t