Lisa Orchard's Blog - Posts Tagged "reading"
Blog Tour Schedule
Hello Everyone! I hope this Monday finds you well! I'm going on a blog tour for my first book in the Super Spies series, "The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer". Here's the schedule below. You can read excerpts and reviews and there are giveaways too! :)
August 6th: Book Excerpt and giveaway of an e-book copy of "The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer". http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.com/
August 7th: A review at http://aboveaveragebelowspecial.blogs...
August 8th: A review at http://thecoverbybrittany.blogspot.com/
August 9th: A promotion and giveaway at http://littlepocketbooks.blogspot.com/
August 10th: A guest post and a giveaway at http://www.imabookshark.com/
August 11th: A review at http://myescape84.blogspot.com/
August 12th: A review at http://readinglittlebitofeverything.b...
August 12th: A review at http://youngadultbookaddict.blogspot....
I hope you can stop by one of these sites and check out the reviews and enter the giveaways. Leave a comment with your thoughts! I'd love to hear what you think!
Happy Reading everyone!
Lisa
August 6th: Book Excerpt and giveaway of an e-book copy of "The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer". http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.com/
August 7th: A review at http://aboveaveragebelowspecial.blogs...
August 8th: A review at http://thecoverbybrittany.blogspot.com/
August 9th: A promotion and giveaway at http://littlepocketbooks.blogspot.com/
August 10th: A guest post and a giveaway at http://www.imabookshark.com/
August 11th: A review at http://myescape84.blogspot.com/
August 12th: A review at http://readinglittlebitofeverything.b...
August 12th: A review at http://youngadultbookaddict.blogspot....
I hope you can stop by one of these sites and check out the reviews and enter the giveaways. Leave a comment with your thoughts! I'd love to hear what you think!
Happy Reading everyone!
Lisa
The first Questions for September!
Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! I’m here today to answer some questions from Megan from http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.com/.
The questions that I’m answering today are: What is your first memory of reading as a child? Do you have memories of your parents reading bedtime stories to you? And, do you think it’s important to read bedtime stories to your children?
So here we go!
What is my first memory of reading as a child?
I would have to say it is the first time my mother brought home a Bobbsey Twins mystery for me. I was SO EXCITED! You see, it was the first gift that I can remember getting for no reason and I didn’t have to share it with my brother or sister. It was just for me! It was also the first chapter book that she had ever bought for me and I was consumed by the story. I kept the bag that it came in and I would get on my bike and ride around the neighborhood with that bag clutched in my hand as I gripped the handlebars. It would sway in the breeze and I felt sooo grown up! You see, I was pretending to ride my bike to the book store and buy the book on my own. Yeah, I had a very active imagination (still do!). But from there, more books arrived and I would sneak out of my bed at night and hide in the upstairs bathroom and read by the night light. The next series that I became interested in were the Trixie Belden series and Nancy Drew series. My life was complete as long as I had a book to read.
Do you have memories of your parents reading bedtime stories to you?
I don’t have specific memories of them reading to me at bedtime but I’m sure they did, otherwise where would I have developed my love of reading?
Do you think it’s important to read bedtime stories to your children?
Absolutely! I started reading to both boys when they were babies and they would love to cuddle with me while a read before their nap or bedtime. We’ve made it a habit to read together almost every night. However, it’s changed since they’ve started school and reading on their own. Now, they read to me and it’s so much fun seeing what their interests are and how they’re developing as readers.
I also feel very strongly that reading helps youngsters develop self-esteem and it’s instrumental in helping develop social and analytical skills. And it’s my firm belief that the more a child reads the better he/she will do academically.
So if you have a tween/teen who you'd like to develop an interest in reading. Check out my new Super Spies Mystery/Thriller Series! They'll keep the young reader on her toes! The Amazon links are below! :) Thanks for stopping by!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007...
http://www.amazon.com/Super-Spies-Sch...
The questions that I’m answering today are: What is your first memory of reading as a child? Do you have memories of your parents reading bedtime stories to you? And, do you think it’s important to read bedtime stories to your children?
So here we go!
What is my first memory of reading as a child?
I would have to say it is the first time my mother brought home a Bobbsey Twins mystery for me. I was SO EXCITED! You see, it was the first gift that I can remember getting for no reason and I didn’t have to share it with my brother or sister. It was just for me! It was also the first chapter book that she had ever bought for me and I was consumed by the story. I kept the bag that it came in and I would get on my bike and ride around the neighborhood with that bag clutched in my hand as I gripped the handlebars. It would sway in the breeze and I felt sooo grown up! You see, I was pretending to ride my bike to the book store and buy the book on my own. Yeah, I had a very active imagination (still do!). But from there, more books arrived and I would sneak out of my bed at night and hide in the upstairs bathroom and read by the night light. The next series that I became interested in were the Trixie Belden series and Nancy Drew series. My life was complete as long as I had a book to read.
Do you have memories of your parents reading bedtime stories to you?
I don’t have specific memories of them reading to me at bedtime but I’m sure they did, otherwise where would I have developed my love of reading?
Do you think it’s important to read bedtime stories to your children?
Absolutely! I started reading to both boys when they were babies and they would love to cuddle with me while a read before their nap or bedtime. We’ve made it a habit to read together almost every night. However, it’s changed since they’ve started school and reading on their own. Now, they read to me and it’s so much fun seeing what their interests are and how they’re developing as readers.
I also feel very strongly that reading helps youngsters develop self-esteem and it’s instrumental in helping develop social and analytical skills. And it’s my firm belief that the more a child reads the better he/she will do academically.
So if you have a tween/teen who you'd like to develop an interest in reading. Check out my new Super Spies Mystery/Thriller Series! They'll keep the young reader on her toes! The Amazon links are below! :) Thanks for stopping by!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007...
http://www.amazon.com/Super-Spies-Sch...
Megan's Last question for her Children's Book Event
Hello Everyone! I hope everything is going well with you! Today is the last question for Megan’s Children’s Book Event and the last question is…..
Why do you think Children should be encouraged to read? And what is the importance of reading for Young Children?
Okay, here is the answer to why do you think Children should be encouraged to read?
I love this question because it allows me to get up on my soap box and preach about the importance of reading. :) First of all, reading with your child is a great bonding experience between parent and child. I read to both my boys before bed and it was such a wonderful experience to have their tiny bodies snuggle up to me and listen to me read. They both are wonderful cuddlers now and I believe it’s because we used to snuggle when we read. Now, they read to me and it’s great to see their confidence grow in their reading ability.
Studies have shown that reading improves social and analytical skills, and builds self-esteem. Let’s think about this for a second, the ten to twenty minutes that you spend with your child reading each night could be the answer to some of those emotional issues that all kids experience in their teen years. Now, I don’t have any statistics on that and I’m probably oversimplifying the situation, but I really feel that the conclusion I’m drawing has a grain of truth to it. So, when you’re reading with your kids and you’re reading the same story over, and over, and over again. Just think of it as a way of saving money on future therapy bills. :)Just take a look at what the New York Times has to say about reading fiction in this article “Your brain on Fiction” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opi....
Now, the second question…what is the importance of reading for Young Children?
Well…I feel I’ve answered this in the above question, but I’ll say it again. Reading builds social and analytical skills and improves self –esteem. But there are other benefits as well. Avid readers tend to do better in school and reading also reduces stress.
So there you have it, the last question for Megan’s Children’s Book Event. And if you haven’t entered any of her giveaways stop on by her blog and enter…you could win! http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.com/
Thanks for stopping by and leave a comment and tell me how you feel about reading.
Why do you think Children should be encouraged to read? And what is the importance of reading for Young Children?
Okay, here is the answer to why do you think Children should be encouraged to read?
I love this question because it allows me to get up on my soap box and preach about the importance of reading. :) First of all, reading with your child is a great bonding experience between parent and child. I read to both my boys before bed and it was such a wonderful experience to have their tiny bodies snuggle up to me and listen to me read. They both are wonderful cuddlers now and I believe it’s because we used to snuggle when we read. Now, they read to me and it’s great to see their confidence grow in their reading ability.
Studies have shown that reading improves social and analytical skills, and builds self-esteem. Let’s think about this for a second, the ten to twenty minutes that you spend with your child reading each night could be the answer to some of those emotional issues that all kids experience in their teen years. Now, I don’t have any statistics on that and I’m probably oversimplifying the situation, but I really feel that the conclusion I’m drawing has a grain of truth to it. So, when you’re reading with your kids and you’re reading the same story over, and over, and over again. Just think of it as a way of saving money on future therapy bills. :)Just take a look at what the New York Times has to say about reading fiction in this article “Your brain on Fiction” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opi....
Now, the second question…what is the importance of reading for Young Children?
Well…I feel I’ve answered this in the above question, but I’ll say it again. Reading builds social and analytical skills and improves self –esteem. But there are other benefits as well. Avid readers tend to do better in school and reading also reduces stress.
So there you have it, the last question for Megan’s Children’s Book Event. And if you haven’t entered any of her giveaways stop on by her blog and enter…you could win! http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.com/
Thanks for stopping by and leave a comment and tell me how you feel about reading.
Cheating an Epidemic in our Schools
Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! I’m back after a two week Halloween Party. It was a blast! And I want to take just a minute and thank all the wonderful authors and contestants who participated in our event. I hope you had a great time and we’ll try and brew up some new and exciting events in the months to come. So stay tuned!
The topic that I want to discuss today is cheating. I posted this on my blog yesterday and I thought I should share it will all of you today. :)
From my research, I’m finding that cheating is a way of life in our schools today. At first, I was surprised by this but then I looked back on my own high school days, and realized that cheating was prevalent back then too.
Back in my day, (not so long ago, wink) I remember a certain football player who wanted to copy my answers on a test in health class. The teacher had left the room and there was a debate between all the students. Half of them wanted me to let him copy my answers and the other half didn’t. What a dilemma I was in, because I liked him and considered him a friend, but I didn’t want to get caught cheating.
Luckily, the teacher returned, and the class settled down. I didn’t have to make that decision. But what about kids who do? From what I’ve learned, it’s becoming easier and easier to cheat. It’s almost the norm nowadays. There is tremendous pressure on teens to get good grades and many are taking the quickest route to success.
And it’s hard for parents to caution against the perils of cheating when kids get away with it and are rewarded with good grades. And isn’t that the goal? Good grades?
What makes the process even more difficult is that these students see adults cheating as well. In fact, what do you do when your own school does it? In this article, http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/07/06/i...
Authorities found that educators in Atlanta were changing test answers on students’ tests in order to get a better score. Officials suspect this is a widespread problem brought on by the initiative “No child left behind” where teachers can suffer salary cuts and lose their job if their class doesn’t meet the requirements specified by this initiative.
So what’s the answer to the cheating epidemic that seems to be a problem not only among students but teachers as well?
In my opinion, the problem is that we’ve become a results oriented society. Our society is sending this message and our kids are smart…they’re picking it up loud and clear, and that message is…we don’t care how you get the best score…it only matters that you get it.
How very sad. We’re not doing our children any favors by sending this message. We need to shift that focus from results to the learning process. That’s right. :) We need our kids to be graded on how much they’ve learned or improved and let’s make learning fun again! I mean when they were babies those kids were curious they wanted to learn. Now, that curiosity has been snuffed out because society says you’ve got to learn these specific things and you’ve got to achieve this result. I don’t know about you, but for me that takes all the fun out of it!
I know what you’re thinking, how in the world are we going to do that? That is a good question and I don’t have all the answers, but I’ve got some ideas. :) In my opinion, as parents we need to focus on the strengths of each of our children. And we need to work in conjunction with educators in developing those strengths. I believe that our kids will grow up with healthier self-esteem and more confidence because they were able to develop these strengths.
There’s a great book available written by Jenifer Fox, M. Ed., titled “Your Child’s Strengths” and it’s a great resource for parents and teachers. We need to start there and create an educational environment that allows each child to develop their strengths. By doing this, we’ll eliminate the cheating problem we have in our schools today.
You can find the book in many book stores or on Amazon. Here’s the link.
http://www.amazon.com/Your-Childs-Str...
I know what you’re thinking…that’s going to be hard to do. You’re right it is…we’d have to revamp the whole educational system…but aren’t our kids worth it?
I’d love to hear any other ideas or thoughts on the topic. Feel free to leave a comment and thanks for stopping by!
The topic that I want to discuss today is cheating. I posted this on my blog yesterday and I thought I should share it will all of you today. :)
From my research, I’m finding that cheating is a way of life in our schools today. At first, I was surprised by this but then I looked back on my own high school days, and realized that cheating was prevalent back then too.
Back in my day, (not so long ago, wink) I remember a certain football player who wanted to copy my answers on a test in health class. The teacher had left the room and there was a debate between all the students. Half of them wanted me to let him copy my answers and the other half didn’t. What a dilemma I was in, because I liked him and considered him a friend, but I didn’t want to get caught cheating.
Luckily, the teacher returned, and the class settled down. I didn’t have to make that decision. But what about kids who do? From what I’ve learned, it’s becoming easier and easier to cheat. It’s almost the norm nowadays. There is tremendous pressure on teens to get good grades and many are taking the quickest route to success.
And it’s hard for parents to caution against the perils of cheating when kids get away with it and are rewarded with good grades. And isn’t that the goal? Good grades?
What makes the process even more difficult is that these students see adults cheating as well. In fact, what do you do when your own school does it? In this article, http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/07/06/i...
Authorities found that educators in Atlanta were changing test answers on students’ tests in order to get a better score. Officials suspect this is a widespread problem brought on by the initiative “No child left behind” where teachers can suffer salary cuts and lose their job if their class doesn’t meet the requirements specified by this initiative.
So what’s the answer to the cheating epidemic that seems to be a problem not only among students but teachers as well?
In my opinion, the problem is that we’ve become a results oriented society. Our society is sending this message and our kids are smart…they’re picking it up loud and clear, and that message is…we don’t care how you get the best score…it only matters that you get it.
How very sad. We’re not doing our children any favors by sending this message. We need to shift that focus from results to the learning process. That’s right. :) We need our kids to be graded on how much they’ve learned or improved and let’s make learning fun again! I mean when they were babies those kids were curious they wanted to learn. Now, that curiosity has been snuffed out because society says you’ve got to learn these specific things and you’ve got to achieve this result. I don’t know about you, but for me that takes all the fun out of it!
I know what you’re thinking, how in the world are we going to do that? That is a good question and I don’t have all the answers, but I’ve got some ideas. :) In my opinion, as parents we need to focus on the strengths of each of our children. And we need to work in conjunction with educators in developing those strengths. I believe that our kids will grow up with healthier self-esteem and more confidence because they were able to develop these strengths.
There’s a great book available written by Jenifer Fox, M. Ed., titled “Your Child’s Strengths” and it’s a great resource for parents and teachers. We need to start there and create an educational environment that allows each child to develop their strengths. By doing this, we’ll eliminate the cheating problem we have in our schools today.
You can find the book in many book stores or on Amazon. Here’s the link.
http://www.amazon.com/Your-Childs-Str...
I know what you’re thinking…that’s going to be hard to do. You’re right it is…we’d have to revamp the whole educational system…but aren’t our kids worth it?
I’d love to hear any other ideas or thoughts on the topic. Feel free to leave a comment and thanks for stopping by!
It's a Thanksgiving Blog Hop!
Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you today! Some of my esteemed colleagues and I are participating in a Thanksgiving Blog hop! There are prizes galore so stop on over at my blog, here's the link: http://lisaorchard.wordpress.com/2012...
You could win an autographed paperback of "The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer"! And that's not all! There are other prizes too! So click the link above and check it out! You'll be glad you did! :)
You could win an autographed paperback of "The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer"! And that's not all! There are other prizes too! So click the link above and check it out! You'll be glad you did! :)
Writing for the Tween Market
Hello Everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m writing a post for the Emblazoner Blog today and so I thought I would share my thoughts with everyone here as well. Today, I’m talking about writing for the tween market. Here’s the link if you’d like to check it out! http://emblazoners.com/writing-for-th...
First of all, I love this age group! When I look back on my life, I recall my tween years as some of my happiest memories. In fact, my friends and I formed our own detective squad and tried to solve a mystery in our small town. We never did, but let me tell you that was one of the best summers of my life. When I get together with those friends, we always bring up that summer and laugh about it.
When I look back on those years, I chuckle at my attitude. We thought we were invincible and we could accomplish anything! What a wonderful feeling to believe that there are no limitations or obstacles.
So, when I decided to write for this market I wanted to bring that same feeling to my readers. And being an avid mystery fan, it was a natural choice for me to write stories in that genre. However, I had to be careful because I wanted my characters to be good role models too. So, I made sure they didn’t condone or take part in any negative behavior like bullying or teasing. I had to do that and keep the story entertaining. No small task, that’s for sure!
While keeping my stories interesting, I also weave life lessons throughout the books; that way my readers can learn the lesson right along with the characters. Fiction can be a wonderful teacher, and sometimes it’s easier to learn a lesson from a book than it is to learn one from a parent. Sometimes, it’s easier on the parent too. :)
I’m always striving to teach with my stories and the other Emblazoner authors feel the same way. It’s so nice to work with a group of like-minded individuals. We all use different tools to tell our story. For example, some of us use humor, and some use fantasy or history. What’s nice about that is there’s something in our selection for every type of reader. So go ahead and check out our books, I’m sure you’ll find something for even the most reluctant reader! You can find our books here: http://emblazoners.com/our-books/
Thanks for reading my post and if you’d like to share some of your thoughts on writing for the tweens in your life, feel free. We’d love to hear from you!
First of all, I love this age group! When I look back on my life, I recall my tween years as some of my happiest memories. In fact, my friends and I formed our own detective squad and tried to solve a mystery in our small town. We never did, but let me tell you that was one of the best summers of my life. When I get together with those friends, we always bring up that summer and laugh about it.
When I look back on those years, I chuckle at my attitude. We thought we were invincible and we could accomplish anything! What a wonderful feeling to believe that there are no limitations or obstacles.
So, when I decided to write for this market I wanted to bring that same feeling to my readers. And being an avid mystery fan, it was a natural choice for me to write stories in that genre. However, I had to be careful because I wanted my characters to be good role models too. So, I made sure they didn’t condone or take part in any negative behavior like bullying or teasing. I had to do that and keep the story entertaining. No small task, that’s for sure!
While keeping my stories interesting, I also weave life lessons throughout the books; that way my readers can learn the lesson right along with the characters. Fiction can be a wonderful teacher, and sometimes it’s easier to learn a lesson from a book than it is to learn one from a parent. Sometimes, it’s easier on the parent too. :)
I’m always striving to teach with my stories and the other Emblazoner authors feel the same way. It’s so nice to work with a group of like-minded individuals. We all use different tools to tell our story. For example, some of us use humor, and some use fantasy or history. What’s nice about that is there’s something in our selection for every type of reader. So go ahead and check out our books, I’m sure you’ll find something for even the most reluctant reader! You can find our books here: http://emblazoners.com/our-books/
Thanks for reading my post and if you’d like to share some of your thoughts on writing for the tweens in your life, feel free. We’d love to hear from you!
It's a Back to School Blog Hop!
Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you! Guess what? I’m participating in another blog hop this week! That’s right! It’s the back to school blog hop! The members of the We ♥ Middle grade Books Facebook Group are hosting it and we’re giving away some awesome prizes! Books! That’s right! Books for your tweens and teens!
Here's the link to my Blog:
http://lisaorchard.wordpress.com/2013...
So please visit the other blogs and see what you can win! Here at my blog I’m giving away one full set of the Super Spies series (e-book copies) to one winner! And a ten dollar Amazon Gift Card to another. How do you enter to win? Very good question!
You can enter a variety of ways. You can like my Facebook author page and leave a quick comment letting me know you’re from the blog hop. The link is below:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-O...
You can also tweet about my books and leave the tweet in the comment section below: Here’s an example of a tweet you can use:
What would you do if you were 15 and accused of murder? http://www.amazon.com/Super-Spies-Lad...
Amazon bestseller and great #teen read! 4.5 stars!
You can also leave a comment telling me your favorite book you read during your middle school years.
And you can enter more than once! Good luck and don’t forget to check out the other blogs on the hop! They have prizes too!
Click the link below to check out the other participating blogs!
“http://www.inlinkz.com/wpview.php?id=...[image error]
Here are the three books in my Super Spies series!
Blog hop is open until midnight, September 15th! Winners will be announced on the 16th! Good luck everyone!
Here's the link to my Blog:
http://lisaorchard.wordpress.com/2013...
So please visit the other blogs and see what you can win! Here at my blog I’m giving away one full set of the Super Spies series (e-book copies) to one winner! And a ten dollar Amazon Gift Card to another. How do you enter to win? Very good question!
You can enter a variety of ways. You can like my Facebook author page and leave a quick comment letting me know you’re from the blog hop. The link is below:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-O...
You can also tweet about my books and leave the tweet in the comment section below: Here’s an example of a tweet you can use:
What would you do if you were 15 and accused of murder? http://www.amazon.com/Super-Spies-Lad...
Amazon bestseller and great #teen read! 4.5 stars!
You can also leave a comment telling me your favorite book you read during your middle school years.
And you can enter more than once! Good luck and don’t forget to check out the other blogs on the hop! They have prizes too!
Click the link below to check out the other participating blogs!
“http://www.inlinkz.com/wpview.php?id=...[image error]
Here are the three books in my Super Spies series!
Blog hop is open until midnight, September 15th! Winners will be announced on the 16th! Good luck everyone!
Improving our Libraries will Improve our Literacy Levels
Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! Last year I did a post on Literacy and it’s a subject that’s near and dear to my heart. And at that time I had the thought that e-books might be one of the solutions to our literary woes. But then I started working on a grant proposal for an organization (more about that later) and I did some research and found out something very interesting.
In all communities lack of funding or poverty is the number one cause of low literacy. By providing the tools (e-readers, e-books, and paperbacks) needed to fight this issue we are having a direct effect on it. Wan (2000) reviewed multiple reports to find the positive impacts of reading to children. Some experiments Wan reviewed involved reading aloud with individual students while others combined alone and group storybook readings to a class. Wan’s findings showcased that reading to children was vital to personal and school achievement. Even Stephen D Krashen author of “The Power of Reading” and Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern California said, “In my opinion, the place to focus is the library, both the school and public library. Studies show a positive relationship between library quality (school and public) and the amount read, as well as a relationship with reading competence. Better libraries mean more literacy development for younger readers as well as for high school students.” Therefore, successful approaches to reading including read-aloud programs and setting aside time for reading. The first way to do this is to improve the amount of books on the library shelves.
So the gist of the last paragraph is that if we improve our libraries (school and public) we’ll have a positive effect on literacy levels. Here are some statistics that support this claim.
Information Brief: Impact of School Libraries on Student Achievement by the New York Comprehensive Center
State Impact Studies
Collaboration between Teachers and the School Library
Collaboration between teachers and the school library through cooperative planning, identification of educational resources, and imparting information literacy skills, positively impacts teacher effectiveness and promotes student growth.
• Colorado: A study conducted in 2000 showed that students in elementary schools with highly collaborative relationships between teachers and school librarians scored 21% higher than students with less collaborative relationships on the Colorado Student Assessment Program, or CSAP (Lance, Rodney, & Hamilton-Pennell, 2000).
• Indiana: A 2006 study showed that when principals put an emphasis on in-service opportunities for collaboration between teachers and school librarians, there was an increase in test scores of 29.5% compared to those who placed a lower emphasis on such activities. Additionally, collaboration in curriculum design and delivery of instruction resulted in a 7.8% increase in test results. It should be noted that these relationships were evident in both the elementary and high school grade levels (Scholastic, 2008).
• Illinois: A 2005 study involving high schools showed that American College Testing (ACT) scores were highest for 11th graders when there was a high degree of collaboration between school librarians and teachers across a range of activities such as identifying materials, planning lessons, and motivating students to read.
• Oregon: A study indicated that schools with the best Oregon Statewide Assessment reading and language scores had teachers who were twice as likely to collaborate with school librarians. Furthermore, students in such classes were over 3 times more likely to visit the school library (Scholastic, 2008).
Access for Students
Providing access for teachers and students to school library facilities and resources, including through flexible scheduling, helps support students and has a positive effect on retention, work performance, and grades.
• Delaware: A study noted that teachers and faculty placed high value on school libraries due to their role in providing students with technology access, as well as ensuring information source quality and diversity. The study concluded that teachers believed that such access helped them perform their responsibilities and duties better (Todd & Heinstrom, 2006)
• Illinois: A study involving schools that provided increased access to the school library through flexible scheduling found that fifth grade students performed 10% better in reading and 11% better in writing on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) compared to those schools with less access. Similar results were seen in high school, where there were 5% differences between schools on the ACT (Lance Rodney, & Hamilton-Pennell).
• Michigan: A study demonstrated that teachers and students in schools with the highest reading scores on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) were four times more likely to have access to the school library on a flexibly scheduled basis than those in the lowest scoring schools (Rodney, Keith, & Christine, 2003).
These statistics demonstrate that the more teachers work with their library and the more resources a library can provide this has a direct effect on literacy levels of the students. This also applies to public libraries as well.
Without a variety of books to choose from a public library will attract very few readers. So, the more books a library has the more young people will be using its facilities.
A low cost alternative is the e-book. E-readers can hold approximately one thousand e-books. And e-books are less expensive and more durable than paperbacks. So, let’s help our libraries. We can donate our books and our time to them. I said it before and I’ll say it again! E-books are one of the solutions to our literacy issues!
Thanks for stopping by today and reading my post! Leave a comment and share your thoughts! I'd love to hear from you!
In all communities lack of funding or poverty is the number one cause of low literacy. By providing the tools (e-readers, e-books, and paperbacks) needed to fight this issue we are having a direct effect on it. Wan (2000) reviewed multiple reports to find the positive impacts of reading to children. Some experiments Wan reviewed involved reading aloud with individual students while others combined alone and group storybook readings to a class. Wan’s findings showcased that reading to children was vital to personal and school achievement. Even Stephen D Krashen author of “The Power of Reading” and Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern California said, “In my opinion, the place to focus is the library, both the school and public library. Studies show a positive relationship between library quality (school and public) and the amount read, as well as a relationship with reading competence. Better libraries mean more literacy development for younger readers as well as for high school students.” Therefore, successful approaches to reading including read-aloud programs and setting aside time for reading. The first way to do this is to improve the amount of books on the library shelves.
So the gist of the last paragraph is that if we improve our libraries (school and public) we’ll have a positive effect on literacy levels. Here are some statistics that support this claim.
Information Brief: Impact of School Libraries on Student Achievement by the New York Comprehensive Center
State Impact Studies
Collaboration between Teachers and the School Library
Collaboration between teachers and the school library through cooperative planning, identification of educational resources, and imparting information literacy skills, positively impacts teacher effectiveness and promotes student growth.
• Colorado: A study conducted in 2000 showed that students in elementary schools with highly collaborative relationships between teachers and school librarians scored 21% higher than students with less collaborative relationships on the Colorado Student Assessment Program, or CSAP (Lance, Rodney, & Hamilton-Pennell, 2000).
• Indiana: A 2006 study showed that when principals put an emphasis on in-service opportunities for collaboration between teachers and school librarians, there was an increase in test scores of 29.5% compared to those who placed a lower emphasis on such activities. Additionally, collaboration in curriculum design and delivery of instruction resulted in a 7.8% increase in test results. It should be noted that these relationships were evident in both the elementary and high school grade levels (Scholastic, 2008).
• Illinois: A 2005 study involving high schools showed that American College Testing (ACT) scores were highest for 11th graders when there was a high degree of collaboration between school librarians and teachers across a range of activities such as identifying materials, planning lessons, and motivating students to read.
• Oregon: A study indicated that schools with the best Oregon Statewide Assessment reading and language scores had teachers who were twice as likely to collaborate with school librarians. Furthermore, students in such classes were over 3 times more likely to visit the school library (Scholastic, 2008).
Access for Students
Providing access for teachers and students to school library facilities and resources, including through flexible scheduling, helps support students and has a positive effect on retention, work performance, and grades.
• Delaware: A study noted that teachers and faculty placed high value on school libraries due to their role in providing students with technology access, as well as ensuring information source quality and diversity. The study concluded that teachers believed that such access helped them perform their responsibilities and duties better (Todd & Heinstrom, 2006)
• Illinois: A study involving schools that provided increased access to the school library through flexible scheduling found that fifth grade students performed 10% better in reading and 11% better in writing on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) compared to those schools with less access. Similar results were seen in high school, where there were 5% differences between schools on the ACT (Lance Rodney, & Hamilton-Pennell).
• Michigan: A study demonstrated that teachers and students in schools with the highest reading scores on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) were four times more likely to have access to the school library on a flexibly scheduled basis than those in the lowest scoring schools (Rodney, Keith, & Christine, 2003).
These statistics demonstrate that the more teachers work with their library and the more resources a library can provide this has a direct effect on literacy levels of the students. This also applies to public libraries as well.
Without a variety of books to choose from a public library will attract very few readers. So, the more books a library has the more young people will be using its facilities.
A low cost alternative is the e-book. E-readers can hold approximately one thousand e-books. And e-books are less expensive and more durable than paperbacks. So, let’s help our libraries. We can donate our books and our time to them. I said it before and I’ll say it again! E-books are one of the solutions to our literacy issues!
Thanks for stopping by today and reading my post! Leave a comment and share your thoughts! I'd love to hear from you!
Book Fair adventures
Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today and I’m going to write about a personal experience that I had over the weekend. It’s kind of funny now, but at the time…not so much.
I should have known it was going to be one of “those” days when I got up.
My alarm went off and the numbers on the clock were blinking in their neon redness twelve o’clock. My clock reverts to twelve o’clock when there’s an interruption in power. I didn’t think anything of this at the time, though I just stumbled out of bed, and jumped in the shower.
After my shower, I made my way to the kitchen to make some breakfast. As I opened the fridge, I glanced at the clock. Did a double take and glanced at it again. Then I walked forward and put my face right up next to it, just to make sure I was reading it correctly. Sure enough, it said four thirty. It was four thirty on a Saturday morning; I didn’t have to be up until seven. Of course, I freaked out a bit and then went back to bed, wet hair and all. I should have known then, what kind of day it was going to be, but I ignored this glaring sign. Totally disregarded it.
I was so excited, I was going to meet fellow author and great gal pal Lori Lapekes. We were going to share a table at a book fair/craft show/bake sale and sell our books. We haven’t done this together in quite some time and I was really looking forward to it. I went to MapQuest and found directions to our destination. Lori arrived, and together we set out for this quaint little town north of where I live.
Things were going smoothly; the directions were accurate and Lori and I were chatting, having a great time. Until…MapQuest told us to turn left on Elm Street.
That’s when things started to get a little funny. We were supposed to look for Croton-Hardy Dam Rd. We became concerned when we’d driven south for ten miles and hadn’t come across it. So we backtracked.
Pulling off the side of the road, we asked a woman who was pulling out of her driveway for directions. She gave us some, but when we got to where she directed us, the road she said we needed wasn’t there. Now we were really concerned. We didn’t want to be late and miss the fair.
We pulled up to a four-way stop and parked along the side of the road. We weren’t sure what we should do. When another car pulled up to the stop sign, I acted quickly and waved them down.
This nice young woman gave me directions. She even wrote them down for me. Lori and I were on our way. However, things still didn’t go smoothly for us.
We were on a Michigan highway and unbeknownst to me the speed limit for these highways is fifty-five miles an hour, not the seventy that I was going. At least that’s what the State Trooper said when he wrote me a speeding ticket. Boo! According to him, all State highways are fifty-five while interstate highways are seventy. I learned something new! Grrr..
We asked this officer of the law for directions and he gave them to us. It seemed like he knew what he was talking about and his directions matched the young woman’s, so we were once again on our way, going fifty-five instead of seventy. :)
We finally reached the tiny burg that housed the show we wanted to attend. However, there was still another glitch in the directions. According to the directions from the cop and the young woman…we were supposed to turn left. After going to the wrong school and getting still more directions. We found out we were supposed to turn right.
We weren’t out of the woods yet, though, because we still couldn’t find the school we were looking for. That’s right, you guessed it, we stopped and asked someone who was standing on her porch where the school was. She didn’t know and her daughter didn’t know either. Now, you have to understand, this was not a large town by any means.
Finally, we found it, nestled off on a side street. We were an hour late. We had a speeding ticket. But we finally made it. We even sold some books.
We talked amongst ourselves in between moments of trying to sell our books and there were bouts of hysterical laughter and tears running down our faces. Now that we had arrived, we could laugh at the comedy of errors that occurred on our way to the fair.
I should have known it was going to be one of “those” days when I got up.
My alarm went off and the numbers on the clock were blinking in their neon redness twelve o’clock. My clock reverts to twelve o’clock when there’s an interruption in power. I didn’t think anything of this at the time, though I just stumbled out of bed, and jumped in the shower.
After my shower, I made my way to the kitchen to make some breakfast. As I opened the fridge, I glanced at the clock. Did a double take and glanced at it again. Then I walked forward and put my face right up next to it, just to make sure I was reading it correctly. Sure enough, it said four thirty. It was four thirty on a Saturday morning; I didn’t have to be up until seven. Of course, I freaked out a bit and then went back to bed, wet hair and all. I should have known then, what kind of day it was going to be, but I ignored this glaring sign. Totally disregarded it.
I was so excited, I was going to meet fellow author and great gal pal Lori Lapekes. We were going to share a table at a book fair/craft show/bake sale and sell our books. We haven’t done this together in quite some time and I was really looking forward to it. I went to MapQuest and found directions to our destination. Lori arrived, and together we set out for this quaint little town north of where I live.
Things were going smoothly; the directions were accurate and Lori and I were chatting, having a great time. Until…MapQuest told us to turn left on Elm Street.
That’s when things started to get a little funny. We were supposed to look for Croton-Hardy Dam Rd. We became concerned when we’d driven south for ten miles and hadn’t come across it. So we backtracked.
Pulling off the side of the road, we asked a woman who was pulling out of her driveway for directions. She gave us some, but when we got to where she directed us, the road she said we needed wasn’t there. Now we were really concerned. We didn’t want to be late and miss the fair.
We pulled up to a four-way stop and parked along the side of the road. We weren’t sure what we should do. When another car pulled up to the stop sign, I acted quickly and waved them down.
This nice young woman gave me directions. She even wrote them down for me. Lori and I were on our way. However, things still didn’t go smoothly for us.
We were on a Michigan highway and unbeknownst to me the speed limit for these highways is fifty-five miles an hour, not the seventy that I was going. At least that’s what the State Trooper said when he wrote me a speeding ticket. Boo! According to him, all State highways are fifty-five while interstate highways are seventy. I learned something new! Grrr..
We asked this officer of the law for directions and he gave them to us. It seemed like he knew what he was talking about and his directions matched the young woman’s, so we were once again on our way, going fifty-five instead of seventy. :)
We finally reached the tiny burg that housed the show we wanted to attend. However, there was still another glitch in the directions. According to the directions from the cop and the young woman…we were supposed to turn left. After going to the wrong school and getting still more directions. We found out we were supposed to turn right.
We weren’t out of the woods yet, though, because we still couldn’t find the school we were looking for. That’s right, you guessed it, we stopped and asked someone who was standing on her porch where the school was. She didn’t know and her daughter didn’t know either. Now, you have to understand, this was not a large town by any means.
Finally, we found it, nestled off on a side street. We were an hour late. We had a speeding ticket. But we finally made it. We even sold some books.
We talked amongst ourselves in between moments of trying to sell our books and there were bouts of hysterical laughter and tears running down our faces. Now that we had arrived, we could laugh at the comedy of errors that occurred on our way to the fair.
The Inspiration that keeps me Writing!
Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’ve been busy these last few months with a new job and working on my Coming of Age novel. Because of that, I have had quite a few guests on my blog. So, I thought today I’d write a quick post for all of you to let you know what inspires me to keep writing.
I love Christmas time. It’s my favorite holiday. The reason for this is because; it’s a time of giving. I love giving gifts and shopping for my family, but it’s also a time of great inspiration. At least it is for me. Just the other day, I thought of another idea for a great story. But I have to finish the one I’m working on plus its sequel before I can start it. Sigh.
However, I digress. Anyway, this year I participated in an event that occurred close to home. I became involved with the “Raising Spirits with Reading” program at the Helen Devos Children’s Hospital. What an experience.
I must say, it was very rewarding to meet the young people who’re battling life-threatening illnesses and watch their faces light up when they get a signed copy of your book. It’s hard to describe that feeling. Knowing you were responsible for that bright smile. That spark of happiness in another day of fighting for their lives. That’s more rewarding to me than making any bestseller list by far and it has inspired me to keep on writing.
I also ran a writing workshop for a girl’s group. It’s so nice to work with young girls who’re pursuing their dreams. They want to learn and it’s a rush to work with such eager young minds. It was another rewarding experience for me, and one more reason to keep writing.
I feel it’s good for the girls as well, to meet an author or an artist and realize that they’re normal people and not celebrities. I feel this way because it makes their dreams possible. I mean if this “normal” mom can write a book, why can’t I?
That’s the feeling I want these girls to leave with when they leave my workshop and I feel like I accomplish it each time I do one. It’s another reason I keep writing. I want girls to grow up with the confidence that they can achieve their dreams if they “believe.” And isn’t this the season of believing? ;)
Thanks for reading my post. I’d love to hear what inspires you to keep writing. So leave a comment I’d love to hear from you!
I love Christmas time. It’s my favorite holiday. The reason for this is because; it’s a time of giving. I love giving gifts and shopping for my family, but it’s also a time of great inspiration. At least it is for me. Just the other day, I thought of another idea for a great story. But I have to finish the one I’m working on plus its sequel before I can start it. Sigh.
However, I digress. Anyway, this year I participated in an event that occurred close to home. I became involved with the “Raising Spirits with Reading” program at the Helen Devos Children’s Hospital. What an experience.
I must say, it was very rewarding to meet the young people who’re battling life-threatening illnesses and watch their faces light up when they get a signed copy of your book. It’s hard to describe that feeling. Knowing you were responsible for that bright smile. That spark of happiness in another day of fighting for their lives. That’s more rewarding to me than making any bestseller list by far and it has inspired me to keep on writing.
I also ran a writing workshop for a girl’s group. It’s so nice to work with young girls who’re pursuing their dreams. They want to learn and it’s a rush to work with such eager young minds. It was another rewarding experience for me, and one more reason to keep writing.
I feel it’s good for the girls as well, to meet an author or an artist and realize that they’re normal people and not celebrities. I feel this way because it makes their dreams possible. I mean if this “normal” mom can write a book, why can’t I?
That’s the feeling I want these girls to leave with when they leave my workshop and I feel like I accomplish it each time I do one. It’s another reason I keep writing. I want girls to grow up with the confidence that they can achieve their dreams if they “believe.” And isn’t this the season of believing? ;)
Thanks for reading my post. I’d love to hear what inspires you to keep writing. So leave a comment I’d love to hear from you!
