Media matters, Vol. 6, Issue 3 (Oct. 2007)

October 2007

Media Matters
A newsletter for people who love Library Media Centers
Volume 6, Number 3

2008 Exemplary/Exceptional Library Media Program Coming Soon!
The 7th Annual Exemplary/Exceptional Library Media Program information will soon be on the GaDOE website. Please consider applying for this recognition program, or think about reading and scoring the applications. Many times the narrative readers realize their program meets or exceeds the criteria and apply the following year.
The rubric will be updated, the application deadline will be changed, and the honorees will attend the June 2008 State Board Meeting.
Information will be sent to principals, media coordinators, the GaMedia List Service, and the GaDOE Media List Service.
Check the GaDOE site frequently, subscribe to one or both of the List Services, and think about applying this year!
Absorbed Readers!

Georgia Department of Education
Awesome 2 webpages
Principal's Page 3 Pajama Night 4 Georgia Peach 5 Award Helen Ruffin 5
Children's 5 Book Award Big Shanty 6 Free GALILEO 7 Training Open House 8

Jacque Hornsby of West Side Magnet School in LaGrange snapped this picture of these fifth graders who never realized they were photographed. The students are reading about a Venus flytrap. This book was one of a group of science titles purchased as part of Troup County's Library Literacy Grant. Last year they were one of two schools in Georgia to receive this federal funding. This year they were the only school in Georgia to receive a Library Literacy Grant.
Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools

Best Practices 12
Taylor Creek 14 Elementary
Carmen at 15 Dalton
Calendar 16

Page 2
We will lead the nation in improving student achievement.
1970 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Judy Serritella Phone: 404-657-9800 Fax: 404-657-6822 E-mail: jserrite@doe.k12.ga.us

Check out these Georgia Library Media Center WebPages!
Want to add pizzazz and information to your current webpage? Check out these outstanding pages.

Media Matters

Look at Ann Roger's terrific website at
Swainsboro Elementary School. http://www.emanuel.k12.ga.us/ SwainsboroElementary.cfm?subpage=68199
Peggy Crumbley at Eighth Street Middle has a wonderful
website too. http://teach.tiftschools.com/users/pcrumley
Buffy Hamilton, School Library Media Specialist at
Creekview High School, invites you to look at her school's stupendous website. http://webtech.cherokee.k12.ga.us/creekview -hs/MediaCenter/default.htm

Want to spotlight your Library Media Center webpage? Let us know.
Remember to list the name of the Media Specialist or have a link to the Library Media Center on the school's webpage.
Remember do not put the GALILEO password on your website!
Send your website URL to Judy Serritella.

GaETC 2007 is rapidly approaching and promises to be an exceptional professional learning opportunity for all of us! For registration information,
go to http://www.gaetc.org/reginfo07.htm
Georgia International Convention Center College Park, Georgia November 14-16, 2007 www.gaetc.org

Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools

Page 3
Announcing our new "Principal's Page." We hope to have this feature in every newsletter. The articles can be printed out and given to your principal each month. The articles will contain brief, positive, easy to digest information that helps administrators better utilize their school library programs. Got an idea? Share it! Write an article for the next newsletter! Thanks to Andy Spinks for this great idea!

Volume 6, Number 3

Principal's Page: MEDIA CENTERS AND TEST SCORES

By Andy Spinks
Did you know that good library media centers have a proven impact on student achievement? Numerous studies (encompassing 16 states, thousands of schools, and millions of students) have proven that students on all grade levels tend to score higher on standardized tests when their school libraries are accessible, well-equipped, and well-staffed. Skeptics might be tempted to explain away these results as the effect of other factors such as socioeconomic status, per-student funding, or student-teacher ratio, but these findings are statistically controlled for these variables and many others.
What does a good, strong, test-score-impacting media center program look like? Not surprisingly, it has a large, diverse collection of books, periodicals, AV materials, and online resources. Not surprisingly, it also is open and accessible to students as much as possible. However, the research also shows that a library media center that impacts student achievement must be staffed by one or more professionallytrained library media specialists, and those media specialists must collaborate with other teachers and coteach information literacy skills in the context of the appropriate curriculum.
What can you do to support your library media center's impact on student achievement? You are the leader of your school, so your support is essential to the effectiveness of your media center. First, you can work with your media specialist to ensure that the media center materials allotment is spent in ways that improve the media center collection and support the media center program. Also, you can ensure the media center is accessible to students by ensuring that the staffing levels of the media center meet or exceed standards, and that the media center is never closed for non-instructional activities (such as school photos or voting). Finally, you can support co-teaching by encouraging your teachers to collaborate with the media specialist and structuring your school schedule in a way that allows teachers and media specialists time to plan together.
If you would like more information about the impact of media centers on student achievement, download this summary: http://www.scholastic.com/librarians/printables/downloads/slw_2006.pdf.
If you would like more information on what you can do to support your media center program, contact your media specialist or your district media coordinator.

Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools

Page 4

Media Matters

Pajama Literacy Night at Morrow Elementary
by Giselle Escobar
On the evening of September 14th, Morrow Elementary drew a crowd to their annual Pajama Literacy Night event. Pre-K through 3rd grade students and their families were invited to listen to some fun bedtime stories read by their favorite teachers and to buy books at the book fair. Everyone was invited to wear their best pajama outfit. At the end of the evening, one lucky boy and girl were chosen for the best pajama outfit and received one free book from the book fair. Read aloud sessions were delivered by volunteer teachers and our principal, Mrs. Lee Casey. These sessions demonstrated how reading brings families together and how reading together positively impacts children's literary development. Afterwards, families shopped the book fair and enjoyed refreshments of cookies and punch. Pajama night was organized, publicized, and run by the Morrow Elementary Media Specialist, Ms. Escobar.
On September 27th, 4th and 5th graders will enjoyed their very own literacy night dubbed "Hats Off to Literacy" where they were invited to wear their favorite hat.

Ms. Darden-Brunson, Speech teacher reads to students

Ms. Hart, 3rd grade teacher, reads to students
"Today's librarian is a well-trained, technology-savvy, information expert who can enrich the learning process of any library user--from early reader to graduate student to young Web surfer to retiring senior citizen." -- ALA
Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools

Page 5
The Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers
2007-2008 Nominees Booktalks
http://www.glma-inc.org/peachaward.htm

One of the nominated books this year is I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter.
To all appearances, The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is an exclusive prep school for spoiled rich girls. From outside the high protective walls, it seems no different from any other prep school. Oh, but it is different. Behind the carefully crafted faade, the Gallagher Academy is a super-secret training ground for future master spies.
In addition to an accelerated high school curriculum, Cammie and her friends study 14 languages, covert operations, advanced encryption, and explosives. Her future as a super-spy in service of her country seems clear, until an incident on her first covert ops practice assignment in town turns her life upside down.
What could cause such a gifted, assured teen to question all she holds dear? Why, a boy of course. A cute boy. Local boy Josh assumes that Cammie is just an ordinary local girl, and she does nothing to correct his impression of her. She must then construct an elaborate fictional life, rope in her friends to cover for her, and outsmart her headmaster mother to sneak out of school to meet him. But who better to live a complicated double life than a spy in training?
I'd Tell You I Love You but Then I'd Have to Kill You is full of smart girls who face situations ranging from slapstick-funny to deep questions of loyalty and ethics. Just like real teens, they sometimes handle challenges with grace and style, at other times with bumbling confusion. As Cammie herself puts it, "All these years I'd thought being a spy was challenging. Turns out, being a girl is the tricky part."

Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl
The Georgia Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl is open to students in grades four through twelve across the state. The DeKalb County's School System's Georgia Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl has been a leader in this endeavor. They have hosted both the local and state competition within the DeKalb County School System.
For more information: http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/hrrb/

The 39th Annual Conference on Children's Literature will be February 29 -March 1, 2008 in Athens.
Featured speakers include:
Brian Pinkney Cynthia Kadohata
Ian Ogilvy David Wiesner
Mo Willems

Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools

Page 6

Media Matters

CONGRATULATIONS BARBARA AND BETSEY
Congratulations to Media Specialist Barbara Powell-Schager (pictured) and Fifth grade teacher Betsey Kennedy at Big Shanty Intermediate in Cobb County, the 2007-2008 recipients of the TEAMS Award from Library Media Connection magazine and Gale Schools!
The TEAMS award (Teachers and Media Specialists Influencing Student Achievement) is given annually to recognize outstanding collaborative efforts between classroom teachers and school media specialists. Recipients of this prestigious national award are chosen based on evidence of successful collaboration that positively impacts student achievement and learning.
Ms. Kennedy and Ms. Powell-Schager were selected based on their history of successful collaboration, but one of their crowning achievements was last year's Big Shanty Author's Night, an event in which 174 students and their families met to present their own writings and participate in workshops to further hone their skills. This event was not just enjoyable and highly educational for students; it was a tour de force of educational best practices: Ms. Kennedy and Ms. Powell-Schager designed it to address curriculum standards in writing; the student presentations served as a highly rewarding, performance-based assessment for learning; and in the months of instructional preparation leading up to the event, they employed co-teaching, collaborative learning, and differentiation.
Ms. Kennedy and Ms. Powell-Schager will be honored with $2,500 in cash and $1,000 worth of professional materials from the sponsors. They will be featured in an upcoming issue of Library Media Connection, and they will also be flown to Reno, NV in October for the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) national conference. There they will be honored at a reception and will give a short presentation to conference attendees about their collaborative accomplishments.
The Georgia Department of Education is very proud of these educators and Big Shanty Intermediate School!
COMO is coming! COMO is coming!
Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools

Page 7

Volume 6, Number 3

Free GALILEO Training!
There are still seats in most of the training sessions listed below. The training is free and open to staff in all GALILEO libraries. Registration and more information on each of the sessions is available at http://www.usg.edu/oiit/training/

*SIRS Discoverer/WebFind (elementary and middle school)*

October 9 at 11:00 A.M..-12:00 noon November 1 at 3:00-4:00 P.M.
December 5 at 11:00 A.M..-12:00 noon *
SIRS Researcher (high school)*

October 9 at 3:00-4:00 P.M. November 1 at 11:00 a.m.-12:00 noon
December 5 at 3:00-4:00 P.M.

*Kids InfoBits for Elementary School (K-12 consortium)*

September 18 at 10:00-10:45 A.M.. October 23 at 2:00-2:45 P.M. November 29 at 2:00-2:45 P.M.

*EBSCOhost Databases*

Oct 10 at 2:00-3:30 P.M.

K-12 Resources

Oct 22 at 10:00-11:30 A.M. Literary Reference Center &

Consumer Health Center

Oct 29 at 2:00-3:30 P.M.

Business Searching for Academic

Libraries

Nov 5 at 10:00-11:30 A.M. Business Searching for Public Li-

braries

Nov 12 at 2:00-3:30 P.M.

Literary Reference Center & Con-

sumer Health Center

Online training has been in demand in GALILEO libraries because it cuts down on travel time and expenses. In these sessions, different vendors use different meeting/classroom products to present online training; registered participants will receive configuration instructions prior to the scheduled class time. Many libraries set up a computer with speakers and a projection system in a classroom style, making it possible for several staff to participate using one "seat" in the training. This has the advantage of offering dialog and shared learning experiences, in addition to leaving seats open for others.
If you have any questions or need more information, please use GALILEO's Contact Us feature or contact OIIT Customer Services at helpdesk@usg.edu.
Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools

Page 8

Media Matters

Exceptional Library Media Program Open House
Eagle's Landing Middle School Media Center
Thursday, November 29, 2007 9:00am - 2:00pm

Eagle's Landing Middle School 295 Tunis Road
McDonough, GA 30253 770-914-8094
Hosted by Janis Hayden, Media Specialist Deania Gilliam, Media Paraprofessional
Handouts, presentations, refreshments, and much more!
DIRECTIONS:
From I-75 southbound: Take Exit 222, Jodeco Road. Turn left, proceed to the third traffic light and take a left on Tunis Road. The school is on the left. From I-75 northbound: Take Exit 222, Jodeco Road. Turn right, proceed to the second traffic light and take a left on Tunis Road. The school is on the left. Please visit Flippen Elementary School, Exemplary School Library Media Program, which is located on the next street.
Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools

Page 9

Media Matters

Come to our Open house!
Exemplary School Library Media Program East Jackson Middle School Media Center
October 25, 2007 Presentation at 1:00 PM (view application, portfolio, questions answered, and networking)
Hosted by: Holly Canup, Media Specialist and Terry Smith, Media Paraprofessional
Directions
www.mapquest.com East Jackson Middle School
1880 Hoods Mill Rd. Commerce, Ga. 30529
Contact
Holly Canup 706-335-2083 hcanup@jackson.k12.ga.us
"I'm of a fearsome mind to throw my arms around every living librarian who crosses my path, on behalf of the souls they never knew they saved."
-- Barbara Kingsolver, novelist
Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools

Page 10

Volume 6, Number 3

Exceptional Media Program Open House David C. Barrow Elementary Library Media Center
Marsha L. West, Library Media Specialist Karen Collins, Assistant

Tuesday, November 27 8:00 3:00

Please come!!
Student Video Essays Why I love my library? Photos Storybook Parade
Questions answered Sharing Portfolio
706-543-2676, ex. 38280 westm@clarke.k12.ga.us

Directions: www.mapquest.com David C. Barrow Elem.
100 Pinecrest Dr. Athens, Ga 30605
Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools

Elementary Exemplary Media Center Open House
Come experience a "day in the life" of the Flippen Elementary School Media Center!
When: Thursday, November 29, 2007 9:00am--2:00pm
Where: Flippen Elementary School 425 Peach Drive
McDonough, GA 30253 770-954-3522
Hosted by: Cindy Adair, Media Specialist and Diane Wright, Media Parapro
What to Expect: Come see our media program in action, watch a video, take a tour of our school, talk to those who help make our program so successful,
and enjoy some refreshments.
While you are here, plan to also visit the exceptional program at Eagle's Landing Middle School, just one street over.
Directions: From I-75 S: Take exit 222 (Jodeco Rd.), Turn left. Go 1.2 m. and turn left
onto Peach Dr. Go approx. 1 m. and the school is on your left.
From I-75 N: Take exit 222 (Jodeco Rd.), Turn right. Go 1.2 m. and turn left onto Peach Dr. Go approx. 1 m. and the school is on your left.
Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools

Page 12
Best Practices

Media Matters

GET ACTIVE IN YOUR MEDIA CENTER!
7 Wonderful Ways to Make Your Media Center a Happening Place
Misti Sikes Hubbard Elementary
Monroe County

1. Advertise--Why should I have to advertise my media center? Let teachers, parents, and students know about the great lessons and events that you have planned for the media center. If you are like me, you probably spend lots of time planning for these events, so take time to share what you are doing! If you publish a monthly newsletter for teachers, then add in a section telling about the services that you can provide to them and to their students. Does your school have a website? Use the website for promoting for your media center. Tell the world what your media center is doing!

2. Give the Freedom of Choice--Everyone loves choices, especially teachers! If collaboration isn't going well or if you are trying to get back on the right track, come up with a short list of lesson options (3 or 4 will do) to offer. Teachers are so excited to find out what will be offered each month! Some teachers will even have their own ideas for lessons that you can teach in the media center, which will be a fabulous opportunity for collaboration to occur. One option that is always included on my media menu is a collaborative lesson. Be open to ideas that your teachers might have. As media specialists, we want every teacher to feel that we value his/her expertise when it comes to assisting their students. Collaboration can bond teachers and media specialists, which will lead to valuable learning opportunities!
3. Get Students Excited--There is nothing like technology to get students excited about learning something new! One of the lessons that my students enjoyed most last year was Resource Jeopardy. In this lesson students were given a "cheat sheet" to study. Then students took notes for 10 minutes, and finally worked as teams to answer questions about a variety of reference materials. Each question was displayed on a small computer monitor, which was hard to see. The students did not mind that the monitor was small; they learned
(continued on next page)

Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools

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Volume 6, Number 3

Something new, enjoyed the game, and had fun working as a team. In fact, this lesson was so popular that students asked me to make a Resource Jeopardy Part Two and Part Three. Tap into what makes your students excited about learning and do it! My students were thrilled when they found that the media center now has an ActivBoard. Students enjoy manipulating objects on the board and using the Activotes to respond to group questions. Because of technology, my students can't wait to come to the media center for lessons!
4. Teach-- Allow classroom teachers to see you in the role of a teacher. It is so easy to become bogged down in circulating materials and the many other tasks that we do. To truly make a difference in the lives of my students, I feel that I must do more than recommend and check out fabulous books. Think about what will make the greatest impact on your students and your school community and take action! Teachers and students will appreciate your efforts!
5. Get Excited about the Media Center!--If you are not excited about the media center, then no one else will be. A positive attitude and excitement about the media program is contagious!
6. Be Skills Oriented--Information literacy skills are keys to success! In order to make sure that I have taught each class the skills they need to know, I organize a notebook of skills for each class at the beginning of the school year. The Clayton County Public Schools website has an information literacy skills checklist for each grade level (http://www.clayton.k12.ga.us/ departments/instruction/mediaservices/elementaryschool.asp). After teaching a lesson, I write the date beside the skill I just taught. If the students were only introduced to the concept, then I write "introduced" and the date beside the skill. This checklist keeps me focused on the skills that I need to instruct and re-teach throughout the school year.
7. Reflect, reflect, and reflect some more--It is not always fun to think about each lesson that you teach, but it is necessary to continue to grow as a professional. To make the process easier, ask students and teachers to write down what they enjoyed about the lesson or what they think would make the lesson better next time. Students are often very insightful and give good hints about improving a lesson. Also, reflect on how you spend your time in the media center. My assistant and I try to keep track of how many hours per day (and each week) we spend on working with students, collaborating with teachers, and providing curriculum support. The form that we use to record how we manage our time is from the state of Indiana and can be found at http://www.indianalearns.org/collaborativeLOG.asp. This activity log gives us a clear picture of how we spend our time and how we can manage our day more efficiently. More reflection on our teaching now will lead to better instruction in the future.
Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools

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Georgia Department of Education

Thanks to Mary R. Lewis at Taylors Creek Elementary School in Liberty County for sharing these photos of her Media Center. The Media Center webpage is pretty awesome as well: www.liberty.k12.ga.us/tcemedia
Raise awareness during Banned Books Week!
Banned Books Week is September 29-October 6
Are you receiving this email directly through the GaDOE List Service like over 900 of your colleagues? If not, subscribe to the List Service to receive emails on contests, events, grant and job opportunities, best practices, and more. To join the List Service: Send an email to: join-doemedia@list.doe.k12.ga.us Leave the subject and body of the email blank. You will receive a confirmation
email to which you will need to respond.
Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools

Page 15
CARMEN DEEDY COMES TO THE DALTON ETTC!
Media Specialists who attended the recent Library Media Consortium had a wonderful day with interesting and important sessions, a delicious lunch, and a day topped off with a visit from author Carmen Deedy.
"Libraries allow children to ask questions about the world and find the answers. And the wonderful thing is that once a child learns to use a library, the doors to learning are always open."
--Laura Bush Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools

Sunday

October 2007

GaDOE Library Media Services

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

1

2

3

Birthday ofJimmy Carter: 1924-
First National Geographic magazine: 1888

Thurgood Marshall sworn in to U.S. Supreme Court: 1967

1895 : The Red Badge of Courage is published

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

4

5

6

Robert Lawson- Louise Fitzhugh- 1847 : Jane Eyre is

1892-1957 http:/ 1928-1974 http:/ published

/falcon.jmu.edu/ /falcon.jmu.edu/

~ramseyil/

~ramseyil/

lawson.htm

fitzhugh.htm

7

8

Birthday of James

Columbus

Whitcomb

Day!

Riley: 1849-1916

Faith Ringgold1930- http://

www.

faithringgold.

com/

14 15

Birthday ofLois 1881 : P.G.

Lenski: 1893-1974 Wodehouse is

ee cummings

born

born:

1894-1962

9

10

Who is Benjamin Banneker?

James Marshall born: 1942-1992
Pledge of Allegiance written: 1892

16 17

Noah Webster born: 1758-1843
Oscar Wilde's birthday: 18541900

Birthday of Arthur Miller: 1917-2005

11
Birthday of Eleanor Roosevelt: 1884-1962
18
Susan Jeschke born: 1942-

12 13
Columbus lands Teen Read Week in America: 1492 starts tomorrow! Grab a book!

19 20

Ed Emberley born: Nikki Grimes-1950-

1931-

Wylly Folk St.

Edison demon- John-1907-1985

strates electric

light: 1879

21 22
Samuel Taylor Cuban Missile Coleridge born: Crisis: 1962 1772-1834

23
National Mole Day: http:// www.moleday. org

24
Who is Anton Van Leeuwenhoek?

25
Picasso's birthday: 1881-1973

26 27

Steven Kellogg's birthday: 1941http://www. stevenkellogg. com/

Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, Theo Roosevelt, and Constance Greene all share this birthday.

28 29
Statue of Liberty Who is John dedicated: 1886 Glenn?

30 31
Ezra Pound born Katherine today: 1885-1972 Paterson born: 1932-

September
S M TW T F S
1 2345678 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

November S M TW T F S
123 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

"In the nonstop tsunami of global information, li brarians provide us with floaties and teach us how to swim." -- Linton Weeks, Washington Post, Jan. 13, 2001.
Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools