Internet Competency

Rationale: Over the course of this semester, I have performed many searches on the topic of book clubs for children and have become familiar with many of the websites on this topic. For the Internet competency, I decided to search for literature circles, a version of a book club that has a base in literacy research. Literature circles have been implemented in schools across the country; even I have used this method in my own fourth grade classroom. The research on and guidelines for using literature circles make starting book clubs in an elementary school, which is my ultimate goal as a librarian, a much easier process. For this reason, I selected the website for the Literature Circles Resource Center developed by the College of Education at Seattle University as a pertinent resource on this topic. This website provides a plethora of information and resources to help classroom teachers and librarians to implement literature circles in their own schools. The Literature Circles Resource Center website includes everything from printable handouts to use with children to criteria for selecting books and has resources for early elementary school through middle school.

Search Engine Used: To locate this website, I used the LYCOS search engine. A discussion of the actual search that produced this result can be viewed at the following link.

Citation: Schlick Noe, K.L. (2009). Literature Circles Resource Center. Retrieved from http://www.litcircles.org/

Research Visual Competency

For the research visual competency, I selected a figure from the article PiggyBacking, which discusses implementing a book club for children in a classroom setting and focuses on including students with learning disabilities in the book clubs. The authors determined that the following model for a book club best met the needs of students with learning disabilities.



Rationale: This figure directly correlates to my topic of interest: implementing book clubs for children in schools. As a future elementary school librarian, this information will be helpful in starting my own book clubs and will also be useful information to pass on to classroom teachers so they might begin book clubs of their own. Because this method has been shown to work with students with learning disabilities, it provides a way for book clubs to be accessible to all studens, no matter what their ability level may be.

Citation: Paxton-Buursma, D. and Walker, M. (2008). Piggybacking. Teaching Exceptional Children, 40(3), 28 - 34.

Interested in reading the entire article? Copyright Link

Image Competency

Citation: Books for Kids Africa. (October 2009). Machava after-school book clubs and the Simon J. Kirby grant. Retrieved from http://www.booksforkidsafrica.org/news-and-events/

Rationale: In searching for information on book clubs for children throughout this semester, I came upon the website Books for Kids Africa in Mozambique, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding literacy in Africa. In reading through the website, I located a section discussing how the organization had received a $4000 grant from the Simon J. Kirby Foundation to purchase books for the Machava After-School Book Clubs in Matola, Mozambique. In July 2009, sixteen teachers were trained on how to how to read books aloud and engage children in real conversations around books. The book clubs began later that month and more than two hundred students attended. The image above is a photograph of one of these meetings.

This image really touched my heart. As a future elementary school librarian, one of my goals is to organize voluntary book clubs for students. To see passionate teachers halfway around the world with the same goal in such different circumstances made me feel a deep connection to these fellow educators.

For further information on this great cause, please visit the website Books for Kids Africa in Mozambique.

Module Eight: DIALOG Competency

Database: DIALOG – Library Literature and Information Science (LIBLIT 438)

Search Strategy: Building Block

Initial Question: What techniques are effective in developing successful book clubs for children?

Key Terms/Facets:

Key Terms or Facets	techniques	book clubs	children
Descriptors	▪strategies ▪methods ▪teaching methods ▪techniques	▪literature circles ▪book discussion groups ▪literature clubs ▪book clubs ▪group reading	▪kids ▪elementary students ▪children

Search One:

• Command One: ss strategies OR methods OR teaching methods OR techniques
  
• Command Two: ss literature circles OR book discussion groups OR literature clubs OR book clubs OR group reading
  
• Command Three: ss kids OR elementary students OR children
  
  

Results:

Set	Term Searched	Items
S1	STRATEGIES	1437
S2	METHODS	1948
S3	TEACHING METHODS	0
S4	TECHNIQUES	1914
S5	STRATEGIES OR METHODS OR TEACHING METHODS OR TECHNIQUES	5065
S6	LITERATURE CIRCLES	0
S7	BOOK DISCUSSION GROUPS	200
S8	LITERATURE CLUBS	0
S9	BOOK CLUBS	93
S10	GROUP READING	0
S11	LITERATURE CIRCLES OR BOOK DISCUSSION GROUPS OR LITERATURE CLUBS OR BOOK CLUBS OR GROUP READING	293
S12	KIDS	851
S13	ELEMENTARY STUDENTS	0
S14	CHILDREN	20612
S15	KIDS OR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS OR CHILDREN	20969

Combined Facet Command: ss S5 AND S11 AND S15

• Results: 5 records
  

Pertinent Records:

• 16/8/1 DIALOG(R)File 438:(c) 2010 The HW Wilson Co. All rts. reserv.
  0318964 H.W. Wilson Record Number: BLIB91002494
  Commentary on an approach to discussion: the CCBC guidelines for book discussion
  
  
• 16/8/2 DIALOG(R)File 438:(c) 2010 The HW Wilson Co. All rts. reserv.
  0318963 H.W. Wilson Record Number: BLIB91002493
  Guidelines for book discussions
  
  
• 16/8/5 DIALOG(R)File 438:(c) 2010 The HW Wilson Co. All rts. reserv.
  0318960 H.W. Wilson Record Number: BLIB91002488
  Book discussion as an evaluation tool
  
  Library Lit. & Info. Science (Dialog® File 438): (c) 2010 The HW Wilson Co. All rights reserved.
  

Reflection: The first search I ran was successful in locating a few pertinent records that would be helpful in answering my initial question, but the results were quite limited. Based on previous experience with this same initial question, I knew that sometimes the 'techniques' facet could throw off the results. With this in mind, I decided to run a second search eliminating this facet to see if this would be successful in producing a larger number of pertinent resources.

Search Two:

Combined Facet Command: ss S11 AND S15

• Results: 38 records
  

Pertinent Records:

• 17/8/3 DIALOG(R)File 438:(c) 2010 The HW Wilson Co. All rts. reserv.
  0550339 H.W. Wilson Record Number: BLIB09109960
  Literature Circles in Library Class
  
  
• 17/8/4 DIALOG(R)File 438:(c) 2010 The HW Wilson Co. All rts. reserv.
  0543510 H.W. Wilson Record Number: BLIB06104513
  Going Clubbing
  
  

  
  

• 17/8/10 DIALOG(R)File 438:(c) 2010 The HW Wilson Co. All rts. reserv.
  0489483 H.W. Wilson Record Number: BLIB02002956
  Book club on a budget
  
  

  
  

• 17/8/14 DIALOG(R)File 438:(c) 2010 The HW Wilson Co. All rts. reserv.
  0460995 H.W. Wilson Record Number: BLIB06000200
  Reading raps a book club guide for librarians, kids, and families
  
  

  
  

• 17/8/19 DIALOG(R)File 438:(c) 2010 The HW Wilson Co. All rts. reserv.
  0356536 H.W. Wilson Record Number: BLIB03002089
  Talk about books! a guide for book clubs, literature circles, and discussion groups, grades 4-8
  
  

  
  

• 17/8/20 DIALOG(R)File 438:(c) 2010 The HW Wilson Co. All rts. reserv.
  0346177 H.W. Wilson Record Number: BLIB03000359
  Connecting with Boys at Lunch: A Success Story
  
  

  
  

• 17/8/21 DIALOG(R)File 438:(c) 2010 The HW Wilson Co. All rts. reserv.
  0321056 H.W. Wilson Record Number: BLIB98004015
  Having their say: how to lead great book discussions with children; bibliographical essay
  
  

  
  

• 17/8/23 DIALOG(R)File 438:(c) 2010 The HW Wilson Co. All rts. reserv.
  0319920 H.W. Wilson Record Number: BLIB94001996
  Children's book discussion groups; for ages 9-12 in Hennepin County
  
  

  
  

• 17/8/34 DIALOG(R)File 438:(c) 2010 The HW Wilson Co. All rts. reserv.
  0317522 H.W. Wilson Record Number: BLIB02000136
  Children to chatter about books; Orange Chatterbooks program launches at several PLs
  
  

  
  

• 17/8/35 DIALOG(R)File 438:(c) 2010 The HW Wilson Co. All rts. reserv.
  0317415 H.W. Wilson Record Number: BLIB01009027
  Talkin' the night away; book discussion group for children's librarians in Albany, N.Y.

Library Lit. & Info. Science (Dialog® File 438): (c) 2010 The HW Wilson Co. All rights reserved.

Reflection: As I suspected, the removal of the 'techniques' facet was successful in producing a greater number of pertinent results. Interestingly, all of the pertinent records located in my first search were also present in the second search.

Conclusion: The DIALOG database was quite an interesting experience. It was extremely different from the other databases I had used in the past, but was very successful in producing pertinent records that I had not come across in the many other database searches I had completed using the very same question. While expensive (the brief time I was on DIALOG cost $11.76), if access was provided I would certainly take advantage of this unique searching tool.

Multimedia Competency

For the multimedia competency, I located a video about a book club for boys hosted by an elementary school. My topic of interest is implementing book clubs for children in elementary schools, and as a fourth grade teacher, I know from experience how difficult it can be to get boys interested in books. The video clip gives great insight into why this book club has been so successful and also gives perspectives from the young students who participate in this group.



Citation: Insley, K. (Copyright 2010). 'Guys read' program at Westview Elementary is cool in school [KARE 11 News]. Apple Valley, Minnesota: Multimedia Holdings Corporation.

Copyright Link

Searching Competency Four: Library Literature and Citation Pearl

Database: Library Literature

Search Strategy: Citation Pearl

Initial Question: What techniques are effective in developing successful book clubs for children?

Rationale: For the final of four searching competencies, I chose the Library Literature database, which I had recently used for the first time while searching for resources for my Novice to Expert paper. While using this database, I found it quite user-friendly and thought it had the potential for producing a variety of resources to meet my information needs. I chose to wait until the final searching competency to use the citation pearl strategy because in order to use this strategy, you must first have a resource that has been identified as pertinent to the initial question as a starting point. Waiting until last to use this strategy allowed me to have a variety of records to choose from using the resources I had found in the three other searching competencies.

Known Item: Gelman, Judy, et al. (2007). The kids' book club book: Reading ideas, recipes, activities, and smart tips for organizing terrific kids' book clubs. New York, NY: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated.

I began the citation pearl strategy by selecting a known pertinent record that I had located on a previous search. I did a title search on the resource, and then located the related subject terms associated with the resource.

Related Subject Terms:

• book discussion groups
  
• children's reading/projects
  
• children's book clubs
  
• young adults' reading/projects
  
• school libraries/activity projects
  
• children's reading/Canada
  
• book lists
  
  

I selected the following subject terms from the list that I believed would produce further pertinent results: book discussion groups, children's book clubs, children's reading/projects, and school libraries/activity projects.

Search 1:

• Boolean Statement (Subject Search): (book discussion groups OR children's book clubs OR (children's reading AND projects) OR (school libraries AND activity projects))
  
• Records Retrieved: 3649
  
• Reflection: This search produced far too many results to browse through, I decided to reduce my subject terms by eliminating the 'school libraries/activity projects' facet, as it is not directly pertinent to my initial question.
  

Search 2:

• Boolean Statement (Subject Search): (book discussion groups OR children's book clubs OR (children's reading AND projects))
  
• Records Retrieved: 1324
  
• Reflection: While this search produced significantly fewer results than the first search, there were still far too many records, most of which were not pertinent to my initial question. To further reduce the results, I again eliminated an additional facet, 'children's reading/projects.'
  

Search 3:

• Boolean Statement (Subject Search): (book discussion groups OR children's book clubs)
  
• Records Retrieved: 224
  
• Reflection: Reducing the search terms to only those that were most closely related to my initial question allowed me to retrieve a reasonable amount of records.
  

Pertinent Records Citations:

Saricks, J. (2009). Leading book discussions. Booklist, 106(1), 37.

DeVault, N. (2009). Literature circles in library class. Library Media Connection, 28(1), 24-5.

Saldana, R. (2009). The bilingual book club: A family affair. Teacher Librarian, 36(3), 27-32.

Jones, C. (2009). Hands-on reading: The Pioneer book club. Virginia Libraries, 55(1), 26-8.

Knop, K. (2008). Graphic novels--join the club!. Library Media Connection, 27(3), 40-1.

Beyers, C. (2008). Connecting with students. School Library Media Activities Monthly, 24(6), 48-9.

Hall, S. (2007). How I learned to run a really popular book club (and what I learned about its effect on students' reading skills and attitude). Teacher Librarian, 35(1), 32-6.    

Conclusion: The citation pearl strategy was highly effective in producing pertinent results related to my initial question. The only potential problem I could identify with this method is identifying a known source at the start. Had I not already had several known sources to choose from as a result of my previous searching competencies, I would have had to go through several more steps to identify a known source. However, if, like in my case, one has multiple known pertinent records, the citation pearl strategy would be an efficient method to use in order to locate further resources.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Searching Competency Three: Academic Search Complete and Building Block

Database: Academic Search Complete

Search Strategy: Building Block

Initial Question: What techniques are effective in developing successful book clubs for children?

Rationale: For the third of four searching competencies, I chose the Academic Search Complete database, which I had recently used for the first time as a requirement for Module Seven. While using this database for the required element of the course, I found it fairly easy to use and thought it had the potential for producing a variety of resources to meet my information needs.

Using the building block strategy, I first identified the main facets of my questions, then brainstormed possible descriptors for each facet, and finally used the Subject Terms feature on Academic Search Complete to identify synonymous thesaurus terms the database would recognize.

Key Terms/Facets:

Key Terms or Facets	techniques	book clubs	children
Descriptors	▪strategies ▪methods	▪literature circles ▪book discussion groups ▪literature clubs	▪kids ▪elementary students
Academic Search Complete Thesaurus Terms	▪teaching methods ▪strategy	▪book clubs ▪discussion groups ▪group reading	▪children

After identifying all thesaurus terms, I continued to follow the building block strategy by using Boolean logic to express the facets as a Boolean search string and began searching using the Subject Terms search.

Search 1:

(teaching methods OR strategy) AND (book clubs OR discussion groups OR group reading) AND (children)

Records Retrieved: 7

Reflection: This search succeeded in producing a limited number of results, but most of the records produced were focused more on reading strategies than on book clubs. While I did find a couple of pertinent records, I decided I needed to refine my search slightly to eliminate the heavy focus on strategies.

Pertinent Records Citations:

Anderson, P. & Corbett, L. (2008). Literature circles for students with learning disabilities. Intervention in School & Clinic, 44(1), 25 – 33.

Paxton-Buursma, D. & Walker, M. (2008). Piggybacking. Teaching Exceptional Children, 40(3), 28 – 34.

Search 2:

Reflecting upon my first search, I decided to eliminate the 'strategy' and 'teaching methods' facets as well as to refine the 'discussion groups' facet to 'book discussion groups.'

(book clubs OR book discussion groups OR group reading) AND (children)

Records Retrieved: 68

Reflection: This search produced significantly more results than my first search had and there were also many more pertinent records.

Pertinent Records Citations:

DeVault, N. (2009). Literature circles in library class. Library Media Connection, 28(1), 24 – 25.

Hill, R.A. (2009). Lunchtime book clubs. Book Links, 18(3), 12 – 13.

Patalano, T. (2008). Join the club. Scholastic Parent & Child, 15(8), 92.

Sennett, F. (2006). Book clubs turn the page to learning. Curriculum Review, 46(2), 14 – 15.

Bianchi, J. (2006). Book clubs for kids. Good Housekeeping, 243(1), 103.

Preis, A. (2006). Going clubbing. School Library Journal, 52(4), 37.

King, C. (2001). "I like group reading because we can share ideas": The role of talk within the literature circle. Reading, 35(1), 32 – 37.

The little O's book club. (1998). Reading Today, 16(2), 1 – 2.

Conclusion: I was very pleased with the records produced using the building block strategy and the Academic Search Complete database. This search was successful in producing more pertinent records than any other database search I have performed thus far. The Academic Search Complete database was very easy to use and had a wide variety of journals and other resources to from which records were accessed. The building block strategy was a great tactic for organizing my search and pertinent results were located efficiently with no frustration.

 

 

 

Searching Competency Two: WorldCat and Specific Facet First

Database: WorldCat

Search Strategy: Specific Facet First

Initial Question: What techniques are effective in developing successful book clubs for children?

Rationale: For the second of four searching competencies, I chose to use the WorldCat database, which I had used once in the past, but, was not highly familiar with. Using the same initial question I had on the first searching competency, I believed that there most likely would not be a high quantity of resources available on the topic. Having previously used the successive fractions strategy to search, and feeling that this method started out much too broad, I thought the specific facet first strategy would help narrow my results in a more timely fashion.

Key Terms/Facets:

Key Terms or Facets	techniques	book clubs	children
My Initial Terms	▪strategies ▪methods	▪literature circles ▪book discussion groups ▪literature clubs	▪kids ▪elementary students
WorldCat Thesaurus Terms	▪learning strategies	▪book clubs ▪library clubs	▪children ▪pre-teens ▪preadolescents ▪preteenagers ▪students ▪school children

I had difficulty finding WorldCat thesaurus terms to match the facet 'techniques.' The closest match I could produce was 'learning strategies,' though this really wasn't what I was looking for. I even went to an online thesaurus and used all the synonyms for techniques I could locate ('tactics,' 'systems,' 'approaches,' etc.), but none produced results in WorldCat.

Facet Retrieval Results:

I performed a Subject Search on each facet phrase to determine which facet produced the least number of results, as this would be my starting facet following the specific facet first strategy.

Facet Phrase Searched	Records Retrieved
learning strategies	1,982
(book clubs OR library clubs)	2,306
(children OR pre-teens OR preadolescents OR preteenagers OR students OR school children)	1,310,784

Narrowing the Search Results:

According to the specific facet first strategy, you should start with the most unique facet that produces the least number of results, and then add a second facet to produce more targeted results. You should continue gradually adding facets as needed to best match the needs of your initial question. In following this strategy, I completed the following succession of searches.

Search 1 (Subject Search):

(learning strategies)

Records Retrieved: 1,982

Reflection: The first time I ran the facet phrases, I was surprised that 'learning strategies' produced the least number of results, as I felt that the 'book clubs' facet was most unique. Not surprisingly, this search was much too broad to provide resources pertinent to my initial question.

Search 2 (Subject Search):

(learning strategies) AND (book clubs OR library clubs)

Records Retrieved: 0

Reflection: This search provided no results. The phrase 'learning strategies' continued to bother me as it was not a direct match for my original facet 'techniques.' I decided it was leading my search astray and chose to eliminate this facet during the next search.

Search 3 (Subject Search):

(book clubs OR library clubs)

Records Retrieved: 2,306

Reflection: In scanning through the first two pages of the records this search produced, there did seem to be a few pertinent results, however, they seemed more targeted towards adults, when my question was specifically about children. Following this logic, I believed that adding the 'children' facet to the 'book clubs' facet should produce more pertinent records.

Search 4 (Subject Search):

(book clubs OR library clubs) AND (children OR pre-teens OR preadolescents OR preteenagers OR students OR school children)

Records Retrieved: 192

Reflection: While this search still produced quite a few results, there were definitely much more pertinent resources scattered throughout. I was easily able to scan through each page of results and pick out the resources that would be useful in answering my initial question.

Pertinent Records Citations:

Criswell, P. K., & Douglass, A. (2007). The book club book. Middleton, WI: American Girl.

Daniels, Harvey. (2002). Literature circles: voice and choice in book clubs and reading groups. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Day, J. P. (2002). Moving forward with literature circles: How to plan, manage, and evaluate literature circles that deepen understanding and foster a love of reading. New York: Scholastic Professional Books.

Gelman, Judy, et al. (2007). The kids' book club book: Reading ideas, recipes, activities, and smart tips for organizing terrific kids' book clubs. New York, NY: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated.

Smith, L.J.H. (2004). The book bunch: Developing book clubs for beginning readers. Fort Atkinson, WI: Upstart Books.

Soltan, Rita. (2006). Reading raps: A book club guide for librarians, kids, and families. Westport, CN: Libraries Unlimited.

Conclusion: I was very pleased with the outcome of the specific facet first search strategy as well as the WorldCat database. This search produced the greatest number of pertinent results on my topic compared to any search I had completed in the past. While it took a little extra brainwork to determine that the 'learning strategies' facet was not an appropriate fit, once I eliminated this facet and followed the specific facet first approach, I was able to locate a good number of pertinent results. I will definitely use this strategy as well as the WorldCat website in the future.

Searching Competency One: ERIC/FirstSearch and Successive Fractions

Database: ERIC/FirstSearch

Search Strategy: Successive Fractions

Initial Question: What techniques are effective in developing successful book clubs for children?

Rationale: For the first of four searching competencies, I decided to begin with a database I was familiar with, ERIC/FirstSearch. After revising the initial question I had been using in the past, I looked through the search strategies available for use and chose the successive fractions strategy specifically because it is described as a good technique to use if you're not sure there are many resources available on the topic. Not having received many results on my previous searches with a question that was also related to book clubs for children, I felt that this would be a logical strategy to begin with.

Key Terms/Facets:

In previously searching for thesaurus terms on the ERIC database, I received no results with the facet 'book clubs,' so with this search, I separated 'book clubs' into two separate facets in order to receive results.

Key Terms or Facets	techniques	book	clubs	children
My Initial Terms	▪strategies	▪literature ▪text	▪groups	▪kids ▪elementary students
ERIC Thesaurus Terms	▪methods ▪teaching methods	▪literature ▪books ▪childrens literature ▪adolescent literature ▪reading materials	▪clubs ▪youth clubs ▪peer groups	▪adolescents ▪elementary school students ▪youth

Facet Retrieval Results:

I performed a Subject Search on each facet phrase to determine which facet produced the greatest number of results, as this would be my starting facet following the successive fractions strategy.

Facet Phrase Searched	Records Retrieved
(methods OR teaching methods)	169, 082
(literature OR books OR childrens literature OR adolescent literature OR reading materials)	60, 896
(clubs OR youth clubs OR peer groups)	4,293
(adolescents OR elementary school students OR youth)	86, 594

Narrowing the Search Results:

According to the successive fractions strategy, you should start with the facet that produces the largest number of results, and then narrow by adding a second facet. You should continue gradually adding unique facets to refine the search results. In following this strategy, I completed the following succession of searches.

Search 1 (Subject Search):

(methods OR teaching methods) AND (adolescents OR elementary school students OR youth)

Records Retrieved: 7,154

Reflection: This search was overwhelmingly broad and produced more results than could be scanned through. Basically, any record related to teaching elementary school was retrieved by this search, and the search obviously needed to be refined to produce more pertinent results.

Search 2 (Subject Search):

(methods OR teaching methods) AND (adolescents OR elementary school students OR youth) AND (literature OR books OR childrens literature OR adolescent literature OR reading materials)

Records Retrieved: 413

Reflection: This search produced results that were greatly narrowed from the first search, but was still too broad to retrieve resources pertinent to my initial question. The records retrieved through this search primarily focused on teaching reading to elementary students, which was still not exactly what I was looking for.

Search 3 (Subject Search):

(methods OR teaching methods) AND (adolescents OR elementary school students OR youth) AND (literature OR books OR childrens literature OR adolescent literature OR reading materials) AND (clubs OR youth clubs OR peer groups)

Records Retrieved: 3

Reflection: Though this search produced the fewest results, all three results were pertinent to the initial question. While each resource focused on a different elementary school student demographic rather than children in general, they all had information and techniques on establishing successful book clubs, which would be useful gathering information on my initial question.

Pertinent Records Citations:

Center for the Learning and Teaching of Elementary Subjects, Institute for Research on Teaching. (1992). Moving literature-based instruction into the special education setting: A book club with nontraditional learners. East Lansing, MI: Goatley, V.J., & Raphael, T.E.

McMahon, S., & Goatley, V.J. (1995). Fifth graders helping peers discuss texts in student-led groups. Journal of Educational Research, 89(1), 23 - 24.

Wallace Foundation. (2009). Effective and promising summer learning programs and approaches for economically-disadvantaged children and youth: A white paper for the Wallace Foundation. New York, NY: Terzian, M., Moore, K.A., & Hamilton, K.

Conclusion: I found the successive fractions strategy useful in eventually producing a few pertinent results; however, it took several searches to narrow the retrieved records enough to find records pertaining to my initial question. If instead of beginning with the broadest facet and adding one facet on at a time, I had begun with several facets, the search would have gone much quicker and produced the same results. I do see how the successive fraction strategy could be useful in searching a subject that may not have many pertinent records available and I will definitely keep it in mind during future searching.

Module Five: LibraryLiterature and Books in Print Competency

For the LibraryLiterature and Books in Print database searches I used the same topic-related question I have used previously.

Question

How do you create a book club for students in an elementary school environment?

Key Terms/Facets

book club, students, elementary school

Key Terms or Facets	book club	students	elementary school
My Initial Terms	▪literature clubs ▪literature circles ▪book discussion groups	▪children ▪adolescents ▪pupils	▪primary school ▪grades k - 5
LibraryLiterature Thesaurus Terms	▪book clubs ▪book discussion groups ▪cooperation/book clubs ▪children's book clubs	▪children	▪school libraries/elementary schools
Books in Print Thesaurus Terms	▪book clubs ▪book clubs (discussion groups)	▪students ▪children	▪elementary schools

LibraryLiterature Search

In searching for thesaurus terms on the LibraryLiterature database, the facet 'book club' produced quite a few results, which was a pleasant surprise considering this is the face I usually have to revise. I did run into trouble with the facet 'students,' so I tried the key term 'children' which again produced no results. Considering the results for 'elementary school' and the single result of 'children's book clubs' under the facet 'book club,' I decided that these phrases would most likely produce resources focusing on elementary school students and that the facet 'students' was not necessary.

I used the Subject Search and input following Boolean statement to search for resources on this topic on the LibraryLiterature database:

(book clubs OR book discussion groups OR cooperation/book clubs OR children's book clubs) AND (children) AND (school libraries/elementary schools)

This search produced only one result; however, this result was exactly what I was looking for. The article, entitled How I Learned to Run a Really Popular Book Club (and What I Learned about Its Effect on Students' Reading Skills and Attitude), details an elementary school librarian's implementation of a voluntary book club in her school and how she made it successful. This article would definitely be pertinent to my needs and my initial question.

I went back and repeated the Subject Search to see if I could refine my Boolean statement to produce more results. I searched the following statement:

(book clubs OR book discussion groups OR cooperation/book clubs OR children's book clubs)

This search produced 323 records and when scanning through the results, I selected multiple resources that appeared they would be beneficial to my information needs. Two articles, Leading Book Discussions and Literature Circles in Library Class (which I had also located on my previous ERIC search), both piqued my interest and contained just the information I was looking for. This database search was the most encouraging of all the searches I had performed as it was the first time I found extremely pertinent results.

Citations

Hall, Suzanne. (2007). How I learned to run a really popular book club (and what I learned about its effect on students' reading skills and attitude). Teacher Librarian (35)1, 32 - 36.

Saricks, J. (2009). Leading book discussions. Booklist(106) 1, 37.

DeVault, N. (2009). Literature circles in library class. Library Media Connection (28)1, 24 - 25.

Books in Print Search

It took me quite awhile to discover how to search for facets on the Books in Print database. Ultimately, I went to the Browse button, selected Browse by Index: Subject (All), and was able to type in my initial facets to produce related results. The facets I used produced very few and mostly identical thesaurus terms.

I used the Subject (All) Search and entered the following Boolean statement:

(book clubs OR book clubs (discussion groups)) AND (students OR children) AND (elementary schools)

This search produced no results.

When pondering what search to try next, I thought about how my search for thesaurus terms had produced only identical results for 'students' and 'elementary schools,' but had produced at least one different result for 'book clubs.' I decided to limit my search to only the 'book club' and 'students' facets using the following Boolean statement:

(book clubs OR book clubs (discussion groups)) AND (students OR children)

This search resulted in 3 records, all of which were pertinent. One resource was focused on middle school students, but the other two, The Kids' Book Club Book: Reading Ideas, Recipes, Activities, and Smart Tips for Organizing Terrific Kids' Book Clubs and Reading for Themselves: How to Transform Adolescents into Lifelong Readers Through Out-of-Class Book Clubs, seemed like they would provide the exact information I was looking for. The Books in Print search was even more encouraging than the LibraryLiterature search. Both LibraryLiterature and Books in Print produced results were perfectly matched to my information needs.

Citations

Gelman, Judy, et al. (2007). The kids' book club book: Reading ideas, recipes, activities, and smart tips for organizing terrific kids' book clubs. New York, NY: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated.

Appleman, Deborah. (2006). Reading for themselves: How to transform adolescents into lifelong readers through out-of-class book clubs. United States: Heinemann.

Module Five: Tagging/Indexing

My primary area of interest in my future career as a librarian is implementing book discussion clubs in schools. As a fourth grade classroom teacher, I have used literature circles, which are a small-scale version of the formal book discussion groups I envision as a librarian. Using the librarything tag search option, I searched "literature circle," which produced the following tags:

adventure (130) animals (428) chapter book (281) children (700) children's (1,532) children's books (192) children's fiction (380) children's literature (718) classic (446) classics (223) diaries (159) dogs (272) drugs (220) fantasy (892) farm (165) fiction (3,208) friendship (322) historical fiction (211) humor (120) juvenile (313) juvenile fiction (233) kids (222) literature (127) museums (155) mystery (832) newbery (589) Newbery Honor (263) Newbery Medal (386) non-fiction (140) novel (251) own (240) paperback (135) pigs (258) read (607) realistic fiction (180) spiders (239) teen (120) YA (569) young adult (810)

The results of this tag search led me to several popular books in children's literature. I chose Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, a book I have used in my own classroom as a literature circle selection. There is even a literature circle version of this book with discussion questions and activities to use throughout the novel study.

Upon further research, I found A Guide for Using Because of Winn-Dixie in the Classroom, a book published by Teacher Created Resources, which gives even more discussion questions and activities that could be easily used to develop an exciting book discussion club study for elementary school students. This publisher has many A Guide for Using in the Classroom books for all reading levels. These resources will be very helpful in developing a successful elementary school book club.

Module Four: ERIC/WorldCat Competency

A topic that is of extreme interest to me in my future career is how to get students excited about reading. As a school librarian, I would love to start voluntary book clubs where students can gather together and discuss literature. With this goal in mind, I chose a related question for the ERIC/WorldCat competency.

Question

How do you create a book club for students in an elementary school environment?

Key Terms/Facets

book club, students, elementary school

Key Terms or Facets	book club	students	elementary school
ERIC Thesaurus Terms	group discussion, peer groups, cooperative learning	elementary school students, children	elementary school, elementary school students, elementary education
WorldCat Thesaurus Terms	group reading, book clubs, library clubs	school children, children, students	elementary school environment, school environment, classroom environment

ERIC Search

In searching for thesaurus terms on the ERIC database, I ran into trouble with the facet ‘book clubs.’ None of my initial terms produced subject headings, so I had to try simply ‘discussion groups’ to produce results. The other two facets, ‘students’ and ‘elementary school’ produced similar and overlapping results. Following this, I refined my search to separate ‘book clubs’ into two separate facets and combined ‘elementary school students’ into one facet.

I searched the following Boolean statement to search for resources on this topic on the ERIC database:

(group discussion OR peer groups OR cooperative learning) AND (literature OR books OR reading) AND (elementary school OR elementary education OR elementary school students OR children)

This search produced 512 records. Of these records, one of the most relevant to my topic was Literature Circles in Library Class, which details an elementary librarian’s experiment in having fifth grade students participate in a literature circle each week in an attempt to expand the students’ pleasure in reading.

Citation: DeVault, Nancy. (2009). Literature circles in library class. Library Media Connection, (28)1, 24 - 25.

WorldCat Search

Unlike the trouble I ran into in searching ‘book clubs’ using the ERIC database, ‘book clubs’ did produce subject heading in WorldCat. When I searched for ‘students’ I received an overwhelming number of results, which caused me to narrow my search to ‘elementary students’ for a shorter, more specific list of terms.

I searched the following Boolean statement to search for resources on this topic on the WorldCat database:

(group reading OR book clubs OR library clubs) AND (school children OR children OR students) AND (elementary school environment OR school environment OR classroom environment)

This search produced no results and suggested I reduce the number of phrases used in order to receive better results.

I then searched the following Boolean statement:

(group reading OR book clubs OR library clubs) AND (elementary school students OR elementary school environment)

This search produced four records. While none of these four records seemed to match exactly what I was looking for, there appeared to be some information in Peer Tutoring in the Supplemental Reading Group that would assist me in my research.

Citation: West, Joyce Ann Griffin. (1981). Peer tutoring in the supplemental reading group. Dayton, Ohio.

Results

For my specific topic search, the ERIC database offered more relevant and accessible resources. All the resources offered through WorldCat were print resources that were not available in full-text online. The ERIC database provided many useful materials to answer my question and assist my research needs.

Module Four: RSS Feed

In searching for an RSS feed, I was looking for a way to stay updated on the latest in children's literature. As a future elementary school librarian, it is important to keep up to date on the most recent trends for elementary schools. This is why I chose the School Library Journal K - 8 News Feed. This feed regularly updates the happenings in literature and teaching trends targeted at students in elementary and middle school. This feed is an excellent resource for teachers and librarians.

Module Three: Podcast

As a future elementary school librarian, one of my goals is to inspire children not only read, but to explore their potential to write. One of the ways I intend to do this is by introducing students to the authors of some of their favorite books. Oftentimes literature takes on a whole new meaning when you hear how it was developed from the person who actually wrote it. While it may not always be possible to have authors come speak to students in person, a podcast interview is an excellent and cost effective alternative.

I located the following podcast through the Podnova search engine. Children's Book Radio offers a variety of podcasts created with educators, parents, and young people in mind. The following podcast features Newbery Award Winning Author Lois Lowry, who happened to be one of my favorite authors as a child.

Lois Lowry Interview

A podcast such as the one you just heard would be a wonderful way to delve deeper into literature with children. Through interviews such as these, the author's intent and creative process is described using his or her own words. This can allow children to think about literature in a whole new way and open their eyes to the world of writing.

Citation

Children's Book Radio. (2007). Children's book podcast childrensbookradio #25. Retrieved from http://www.podnova.com/channel/397363/episode/17/

Module Two: Types of Summarization

Types of Summarization

The discussion question for Module Two asked students to creatively explain one of the concepts in Chapter Two of Heting Chu's textbook Information Representation and Retrieval in the Digital Age. My imagination searched for a way to relate the types of summarization Chu describes to something everyday people could identify with. Then it came to me. What's easier to understand than Dr. Seuss? The result was a comical PowerPoint using the Seuss classic Green Eggs and Ham to explain summarization techiques.

Green Eggs and Ham Summarization PowerPoint

Module Two: Related Blog

The following entry is taken from Caroline Starr Rose's blog Caroline by Line on Writing, Reading, and Waiting, which I located using GoogleBlog. This site does not offer an RSS feed, but can be located by clicking on the following link:

Caroline by Line

Citation

Rose, Caroline Starr. (2009). Connecting with other readers: Fourth and fifth-grade book club. Retrieved January 28, 2009 from http://carolinebyline.blogspot.com/2009/10/connecting-with-other-readers-fourth.html

Connecting With Other Readers: Fourth and Fifth-Grade Book Club

One of the reasons I love reading (and writing, for that matter,) is the opportunity to connect with others beyond myself. Stories are meant for sharing. I love recommending books. It's like introducing two people you know are meant to be friends.

That's why it's so important for all of us, but especially children just starting to "own" their reading, to discuss, share, and explore literature with others. I could feel the energy in the air yesterday (silliness, too) as my fourth and fifth-graders came to discuss Pedro's Journal, a mid-grade historical novel about a (ficitonal) boy who sailed on the Santa Maria during Columbus's first voyage. Not all of them liked it, but all of them came with something to say.

Stories create worlds, characters, and circumstances bigger than ourselves. They point out what it means to be human. It is so key to share these things, making meaning beyond ourselves. I love that kids love this. I love that I get to be a part of the process. Thank you to everyone who fosters reading in the young -- parents, teachers, librarians, volunteers, writers, readers, dreamers. Your efforts make a difference.

Review

Caroline Starr Rose's blog covers a wide array of topics focused on young adult literature, both reading and writing. This blog piqued my interest for several reasons. First, as a current fourth grade teacher, I am priveleged to observe the amazing connections and friendships children can develop based on literature. Reading brings out such emotion and curiosity in young people; it is inspiring to witness. Secondly, as a future elementary school librarian, I have a goal of developing voluntary book clubs for students. I believe that when children dialogue about literature with peers, they have the opportunity to develop relationships and engage in communication that departs from the usual surface level discussions young people become so accustomed to. Literature allows children to escape reality and use their imaginations and higher level thinking skills to create meaningful connections.

Module One: Purpose, Library Type, and Topic

Purpose

As a graduate student at Texas Woman's University, the purpose of this blog is to fulfill the requirements of LS 5013: Information Storage and Retrieval. This blog will explore a variety of topics covered in the class.

Library Type

Ever since I was a little girl, the library has been a place of solace, tranquility, and adventure. I remember the excitement of perusing the shelves for the stories my imagination craved. Hours were spent tucked away in a corner, lost in the pages of everything from the classics of Charles Dickens to the adolescent novels of Judy Blume to the sarcastic comedies of Roald Dahl. Books were gateways to other worlds and the library was my utopia.

As a fourth grade teacher, I try to recreate the library atmosphere in my own classroom. Countless books line the walls; we have a designated time each day in which I read aloud to the students, as well as a separate time for them to read books of their choice. Almost every lesson I teach, no matter what subject, includes a picture book pertaining to the topic. The students can tell how excited I get when I share one of my favorite books with them or when I discover a new author, and they match my enthusiasm. I encourage them to share new literary finds with the class and they eagerly share their favorite parts and characters. In my classroom reading is not a chore; it is something to look forward to; the most relaxing part of the day. I love knowing that I am helping to build lifelong readers and really adding to my students’ literary knowledge. To be able to share this love of literacy with children all day long, every day, as a school librarian, would be a dream come true.

Topic

The topic I am most interested in exploring throughout this semester is the implementation of recreational literacy circles or book clubs in elementary schools. I believe these programs would be of high interest to elementary aged students and encourage literacy for pleasure in young people.