Need to Read 7

Sunday, August 19, 2007


When technology and reading conflict
* Children better off flipping pages than pushing buttons on the remote.

Editorís note: Information in this article was excerpted with permission from ìThe Read Aloud Handbook,î 5th Edition, by Jim Trelease.

Modern technology surrounds us everywhere. No matter where we go there are cell phones, iPods, iPhones, MP3 players, wireless Internet and the list goes on. And it doesnít stop once we enter our homes. The average American home owns two or more televisions plus DVD players, VHS players and video game consoles.

Scientific analyses of television and its impact on children over the last 40 years still leaves many questions unanswered. One we know for a fact: Children who watch the most TV also have the lowest school test scores.

The U.S. Department of Education compared the scores of 13-year-old math students, based upon how much TV they watch. Their results indicated that for a student watching up to two hours of TV a day, their average math scores were 283. But what if they watched three to five hours of TV a day? Their scores fell to 274, and if they watched six or more hours a day, their scores were 260.

Is it the fault of TV viewing or the fault of families that allow children to waste that much time in front of a plastic box? Thatís someone elseís call. All we can do is raise a warning flag: If you allow your child to watch too much TV, youíre asking for academic trouble.

To help combat the effects of TV on reading and learning, families can start by following two simple suggestions: limit daily TV time and remove TVs from childrenís bedrooms. Give them a book instead!

This monthís book suggestions:

* ìAngus and the Ducksî by Marjorie Flack. This book is appropriate for children preschool to kindergarten age. Angus, the Scotch terrier, represents all inquisitive young children exploring and confronting their surroundings.

* ìLittle Tim and the Brave Sea Captainî by Edward Ardizzone. This book is appropriate for children kindergarten to second grade. Between 1936 and 1977, this popular British illustrator created a wonderful series of adventure books around the seaside lives of three children, all of whom are called upon to exhibit bravery, contrition and perseverance as they confront great obstacles in their seaside community.

* ìMick Hartle Was Hereî by Barbara Park. This book is appropriate for children in grades 3-5. Told through the eyes of an angry, grieving, yet plucky and funny 13-year-old sister, itís the story of her younger brotherís death from a bike accident, which would have ended otherwise had he been wearing a helmet. Park fills it with warm and often hysterically funny recollections of this terrific boy, who could unnerve anyone with her creative antics.

Excerpts from Jim Treleaseís book are running this month as part of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley Need to Read series about literacy.

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Sunday, July 22, 2007


Plenty of summer left for good reading
* Greater S. Tier BOCES site lists more titles.

Hey, teens, what are you going to read besides the last Harry Potter book? Here are some suggestions with a brief description of each title:

* ìThe Book Thiefî by Marcus Zusak: historical fiction set in Nazi Germany.

* ìPants on Fireî by Meg Cabot: Katie keeps everyone else around her happy but not herself.

* ìAmazing Graceî by Megan Shull: Teen tennis sensation takes a break from fame.

* ìDairy Queenî by Catherine Gilbert Murdock: Sixteen-year-old DJ tries out for her schoolís football team.

* ìEnthusiasmî by Polly Shulman: Two friends fall for the same boy.

* ìHarmlessî by Dana Reinhardt: What are the consequences of telling a lie?

* ìHattie Big Skyî by Kirby Larson: Sixteen-year-old Hattie inherits her uncleís homesteading claim in Montana in 1917.

* ìAn Abundance of Katherinesî by John Green: Colin has been dumped by 19 girls named Katherine.

* ìPeachesî by Jodi Lynn Anderson: Three very different girls spend the summer picking peaches in a Georgia orchard.

* ìChew On This: Everything You Donít Want To Know About Fast Foodî by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson: The one nonfiction title every teen should read.

If you are looking for more great books to read, check out the GSTeens Read! book blog, sponsored by the School Library System of the Greater Southern Tier Board of Cooperative Educational Services. Students are invited to leave comments on the books they have read and suggest titles for inclusion on the blog. For more information go to http://gstbookblog.blogspot.com/

Gina Beirne, a library media specialist at Southside High School in Elmira, is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.

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Sunday, June 17, 2007

Steele Memorial Library forms book discussion group
* Program gives teens a chance to talk about their reading.

My 15-year-old year old son came to me recently and let me know it was time for him to work ... at a job at the mall. Quickly realizing that this job was going to cost me more than heíd make I had to respond with positive wisdom surrounding a negative answer. So I thought and thought, and I realized that every opportunity I or he will ever have can be taken back to our ability to read.

I offered him the opportunity to help somebody else. This was easy, as he loves to read. So I embarked on a self-directed research assignment to understand our communityís resources for helping people read. What a wonderful exercise. From my sonís guidance counselor came some great direction. Those calls led me to where else but the library! There I meet Chris Corter. She spent an hour with me helping me to understand the need and the resources ... the two ends.

What excited Chris so much was being able to talk about the resources and the need in our community. As with many things the devil is in the details. In this case it reduces to a lot of need and a lot of resources but a sometimes thin middle, that chasm between good intentions and sincere outreach for help.

Quickly comprehending the situation and Chrisí enthusiasm, we began to brainstorm. Chris pointed out there was a drop-off in reading at the middle school level. We agreed it would be opportune to have Eli facilitate a book discussion group this summer based on the summer reading assignments for Ernie Davis. The response so far has been encouraging and everyoneís hope is that we are onto something that will help ìmake the two ends meet!î

For information on this book discussion group and others available this summer in the community, contact Chris Corter at the Steele Memorial Library.

Fell Cadwallader of Elmira is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. His comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.

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Sunday, April 22, 2007

Recorded books help reading skills
* Literature in CD, cassette or MP3 formats has value for the ages.

Listening to a story read aloud can be a wonderful and enriching activity for people of all ages. When I was a student, I always loved when teachers read aloud from books. There is something magical about hearing the words and language of a well-written story come alive with a human voice. For many years after leaving grade school, I rarely had the opportunity to hear a story read aloud. But in the last few years, there has been an explosion in the publishing world of books being recorded on CD or cassette and even in MP3 format. With the abundance of audio books now in my beloved public libraries, I am in heaven. I listen to stories while I walk the dog, drive the car, cook dinner, and while I clean house (except while the vacuum is running).

My 11-year-old daughter often joins me as I listen to a book while I exercise. (A good story can make exercise almost enjoyable!) As a middle school library media specialist, I will often listen to childrenís literature. At some point, because there is only so much I can exercise, I will go off to shower. My daughter, unable to stop in the middle of a good part (ìNooooo, you canít stop now!î) will continue to listen without me. Long car trips are a breeze. ìHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenixî got us to Maine and back a few summers ago. Shorter trips to Binghamton are made more enjoyable.

I often sense that people do not think listening to audiobooks is as good as reading the words off the printed page. Maybe it is seen as an easy out for those who struggle to read. Or just what you do for young children because they canít read for themselves. But I will argue that the benefits of listening to a book read aloud are too good to dismiss, for people of all ages and reading levels.

For the new or struggling reader, listening to stories introduces new vocabulary in context. When that new word appears in a printed book later, there is a better chance of decoding and understanding it. A well-read audio book demonstrates how important it is to read fluently.

A struggling reader who listens to a story read aloud by a skilled reader hears what it is like to have a lively inner voice while reading. Then, in their own reading they can strive to hear this voice to bring the words to life. By listening to a fluently read story, they can learn to visualize in their heads as well, learning to ìseeî the story without pictures. This is an important part of reading successfully on oneís own. Finally, quality literature can be enjoyed by those who may not be able to pull it from a printed page, but can still appreciate the story and be enriched by it.

For those who are considered good readers already, listening to books continues to sharpen all of those same skills. And in our tightly scheduled lives, listening might allow one to enjoy the latest best-seller before it becomes yesterdayís old paperback. It also provides a wonderful opportunity to share a book with a loved one at exactly the same time. Ask my daughter how many times I have paused our CD player to talk about something happening in a story. She is likely to say I stop it too often. But itís a great way to find out what she thinks, and share my thoughts with her. As she grows older, I see our listening to stories together as a nice opportunity to bridge discussions between events in the books and her own life.

Have I convinced you yet? The next time you face a long car trip, or dreary household chores, either by yourself or with someone you love, consider visiting the library and stocking up on a few audio books. There are many titles that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

Maureen Frei is a library media specialist at Horseheads Middle School and a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.

Here are some suggested audio books that children would enjoy:

* All of the ìHarry Potterî books by J. K. Rowling read by Jim Dale. (Listening Library.)

* The classic ìCharlotteís Webî by E. B. White, read by the author himself. A beautiful, beautiful story. (Listening Library, 2002.)

* Imagine waking up one morning and finding that you are invisible. ìThings Not Seenî by Andrew Clements follows 15-year-old Bobby in an exciting and believable account of his sudden and unexplained invisibility. (Listening Library, 2003.)

* ìPeter and the Starcatchersî by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, narrated by Jim Dale (Brilliance Audio 2004), is a wonderful adventure, set on a ship named Never Land, of orphan Peter and starcatcher Molly, who must guard a trunk of magical stardust from greedy pirates.

* ìBud, Not Buddyî by Christopher Paul Curtis tells the heartwarming tale of 10-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Mich., during the Great Depression, as he escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of his father. (Listening Library, 2000.)

* ìSarah, Plain and Tallî by Patricia McLaughlin, read by actress Glenn Close, is the classic frontier story of Anna and Caleb, their father, and Sarah, the mail-order bride who comes to live in their prairie home.