Reading Comprehension
Strategies and Information Literacy
through Classroom-Library Collaboration
and Storytelling Workshops
Reading Comprehension Strategies Workshops
I begin by facilitating dialogues about the opportunity for teacher-librarians
to engage in explicit instruction in reading comprehension strategies
- with an emphasis on classroom teacher and teacher-librarian collaboration.
Using think-aloud protocols, the workshop experience provides opportunities
to strengthen participants' understanding of reading comprehension strategies
while improving their instructional practices. I integrate children's
literature and research-based instructional strategies into the works.
Materials for participants include bibliographies, graphic organizers,
and rubric assessments.
At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
1. Synthesize the research related to reading comprehension strategies
and effective instructional practices.
2. Design sample lesson plans and library programs that directly address
reading comprehension strategies for pre-K-12th-grade students.
3. Develop strategies to strengthen and increase the impact of collaboration
between librarians, classroom teachers, and families to support reading
comprehension.
4. Identify specific opportunities for sharing these practices in the
library community.
Reading Comprehension through Information Literacy
In addition, I offer a workshop geared to intermediate and middle school
students' reading comprehension. My perspective comes from the library
where students are often engaged with texts that are above their fluent-reading
levels. I take an "information literacy" approach, which stresses processing
new and unfamiliar information. In addition to reading comprehension strategies,
I utilize the Big6 Skills (http://www.big6.com/).
Materials for participants include graphic organizers and rubric assessments.
Recent Comprehension Workshops:
- Maximize Your Impact! TUSD Back-to-School Conference 2007: Infinite Possibilities: Expanding Our Community of Lifelong Learners
- Building Fluency: Readers' Theatre, Blenman Elementary, Tucson, Arizona
- What Every Librarian Should Know about Teaching Reading Comprehension: Arizona School and Public Librarians, Lakeside, Arizona (sponsored by ASLAPR)
- Schecter K-8 Schools, Chicago, Illinois
Information Literacy and Collaboration
Workshops:
In my work as an elementary and high school
teacher-librarian, I collaborated with classroom teachers to integrate
the resources of the school library, including technology, into the classroom
curriculum. Before students came to the library, their classroom teacher
and I sat down together and planned how students utilized books, magazines,
non-print, and computer resources to seek answers to their information
needs. I utilized the Big6 research
process model.
I faciliate a workshop entitled "Teacher-Librarians = Teacher Leaders." The participants are invited to maximize their impact on their school communities through leadership and collaboration with principals, classroom teachers, and students. In my "Two Heads Are Better than One Workshop for Classroom Teachers and Librarians," I use sample lesson plans, student work, and storytelling, of course, to give educators tools and ideas to work together to teach their students information literacy. (This link will take you to the American Association of School Librarians' nine student learning standards for information literacy.)
In addition to a Ph.D., I have a Master's degree in Library Science. As an adjunct instructor, I taught a course called "Current Resources in School Libraries" for the School of Information Resources and Library Science at the University of Arizona. The course focused on classroom-library collaboration and information and electronic literacy. I also make collaborative work a central feature of the "School Library Administration and Organization" course I teach.
Recent Collaboration Workshops/Courses:
- Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records
- Washington Elementary School District
- A:shiwi Elementary School, Zuni, New Mexico
- Tucson Unified School District Professional Development
- "Literacy I: Integrated Language Arts" (ECI 309), Department of Teaching and Learning, Northern Arizona University - Tucson
(2004, 2005)- "Current Resources in School Libraries" (LIS 696D)
School of Information Resources and Library Science
University of Arizona (1995, 1997, 1999, 2001)- School Library Administration and Organization (IRLS 581)
School of Information Resources and Library Science
University of Arizona (2006, 2007)
Storytelling Workshops:
I am a member of Tucson Tellers of Tales and the National Storytelling
Association. In my storytelling workshops for educators, I guide participants
through learning experiences that help them develop their own story sharing
skills while they learn strategies for incorporating storytelling into
their classroom curriculum, scouting activities, community, and family
life. I can develop workshops to meet the needs of your group.
Past workshops include:
- StoryTeller, StoryWriter
- Storytelling: Building Classroom Communities
- Growing a Storytelling Community: Tending a Troupe of Student Storytellers
- Stories: The Place Where History Begins
Recent Storytelling/Poetry Workshops and Presentations:
- Tucson Area Reading Council
- Ocotillo East Reading Council
- Arizona Reading Association
- Arizona State Museum
- The Extended University, University of Arizona
- Huachuca Area Reading Council
Updated: 19 October 2007
