Access Enabler

EDIT 6380 Summer 2006

Patricia Carey Karen Dockery Amy Moxley

“This book is too hard!” This comment is frequently heard by classroom teachers all over our nation. Students regularly visit their school library and check out books based on appearance or interest, only returning to the classroom frustrated with their selection. We have identified this as a barrier which directly affects the reading habits and attitudes of children as they select materials appropriate to their reading and developmental levels.

In order to combat this barrier, we would suggest teaching students strategies which they can use to select a “just right” book. We have located several strategies that could easily be taught to students at different grade and developmental levels in order to help them procure a lifelong love of reading. These strategies include (but are not limited to) The Goldilocks Rule, The Five Finger Rule, and BOOKMATCH. Please see Appendices A - C for an explanation of each strategy.

Research has indicated that students who are easily able to select reading materials on their own are more likely to have positive attitudes towards reading. To the contrary, we have all observed children who select a book from the stacks based solely on appearance or for the convenience of fulfilling a requirement, such as having an AR book. According to Lesesene (2003) finding a good fit is dependent upon three criteria: knowing the reader, knowing the book, and having knowledge about effective techniques and strategies that will bring reader and book together. Katz (2005) also asserts that students select “just right” books based on several criteria: is the book new to the student? can the student understand a considerable portion of the book? is the vocabulary decipherable? We believe that as students learn strategies, they will be more successful in locating books appropriate for their reading, interest, and developmental levels, which in turn will aid in building a lifelong love of reading.

A LMS could begin teaching these age appropriate strategies in his or her classes at the beginning of the school year, with the exception being first grade (this issue is addressed later in this report). Ideally, however, a consensus to implement these strategies should be made jointly with the reading teachers in the building. By doing so, the relationship between the LMS and the reading teachers is strengthened and will pave the way for future collaborative efforts. Once a decision has been made to incorporate the teaching of a selection strategy at a grade level, instruction should preferably occur at the beginning of the school year, with both LMS and classroom teacher continually reinforcing the process.

Prior to teaching the particular strategy, visual aids should be created to assist in student learning. Ideally the reading teacher will introduce the strategy, scheduling a library visit soon thereafter. At this point the LMS will reinforce this strategy in context as the children practice self-selecting books. It is vital that the LMS and teacher interact with the children throughout the school year to ensure that the strategy is being continually practiced.

Based on our combined classroom experience, we noted that students traditionally begin to read during the first grade year. Taking this into consideration, we would recommend teaching the simple strategy for the first time at the mid-year point to students in the first grade. Furthermore, the strategy should be taught and reinforced throughout the school year for other grade levels. As students learn to use one of these strategies during independent book selection, they are more likely to select a book that is within their zone of proximal development. We would recommend using the Goldilocks Rule or the Five Finger Rule with elementary and middle students and the BOOKMATCH strategy with high school students.

The effectiveness of the particular strategy will be measured through observations made by both the reading teachers and the LMS.

It must be noted that an additional barrier might be created by implementing one of these strategies. Specifically, we do not wish to restrict materials to any patron. If we demand that the student read only a book that is on his or her “level,” we are in effect creating an access barrier. For example, a first grade student might select a text such as Rylant’s When I was Young in the Mountains. Most likely a younger student will not be able to read such a book on his or her own; however, we should not limit what is chosen due to the possibility of that book actually being read to the child. The strategies proposed in this access enabler are intended solely to aid students in locating books that they will enjoy reading independently.

References

Asselin, M. (2000). Text for beginning readers: The critical match between reader and

text. Teacher Librarian, 28(2), 58-59.

Allen media center hompage. Accessed June 1, 2006, from

http://www.aaps.k12.mi.us/allen.mediacenter/just_right_books

Kasten, W.C., & Wilfong, L.G. (2005). Encouraging independent reading with ambience:

The Book Bistro in middle and secondary school classes. Journal of Adolescent

and Adult Literacy, 48(8), 656-664.

Katz, C.A. (2005). “Shhh…I am reading: scaffolded independent-level reading. School

Talk, 10(2), 1-3.

Lesesene, T.S. (2003). Making the match: the right book for the right reader at the right

time, grades 4-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Lesesne, T. S. (2006). Naked reading: Uncovering what tweens need to become lifelong

readers. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Sigmon, C. (n.d.) Cheryl Sigmon’s Website. Accessed June 2, 2006, from

http://www.cherylsigmon.com/pdf/GoldilocksRuleChart.pdf

Spangler, M. (n.d.). Mrs. Spangler’s superstars. Accessed June 2, 2006, from

http://www.bow.k12.nh.us/spangler/five_finger_rule.htm

Wutz, J.A., & Wedwick, L. (2005). BOOKMATCH: Scaffolding book selection for

independent reading. The Reading Teacher, 59(1), 16-32.

Appendix A

The Goldilocks Rule

(Sigmon, C., n.d.)

Appendix B

The Five Finger Rule

Appendix C - BOOKMATCH (Wutz & Wedwick, 2005)

B	Book Length
		Is this a good length for me?
		Is it too little, just right, or too much?
		Do I feel like committing to this book?
O	Ordinary Language
		Turn to any page and read aloud.
		Does it sound natural?
		Does it flow? Does it make sense?
O	Organization
		How is the book structured?
		Am I comfortable with the print size and number of words on a page?
		Are chapters short or long?
K	Knowledge prior to book
		Read the title, view the cover page, or read the summary on the back of the book.
		What do I already know about this topic, author, or illustrator?
M	Manageable text
		Begin reading the book.
		Are the words in the book easy, just right, or hard?
		Do I understand what I read?
A	Appeal to genre
		What is the genre?
		Have I read this genre before?
		Do I like or expect to like this genre?
T	Topic appropriateness
		Am I comfortable with the topic of this book?
		Do I feel like I am ready to read about this topic?
C	Connection
		Can I relate to this book?
		Does this book remind me of anything or anyone?
H	High interest
		Am I interested in the topic of this book?
		Am I interested in the author/illustrator?
		Do others recommend this book?