Building a nation of readers. . . .
by Mirah Dow
School of Library and Information Management
The 2009 Kansas Summer Institute for School Librarians will be on June 17-18. “Read the Signs: Pathways to Student Learning” will have daily sessions from 9:00 to 4:30 in the Kanza Room at the ESU Memorial Union. The registration of 100.00 includes lunch and breaks.
Reading is not a timeless, universal capacity. It is a specific intellectual skill that depends on many educational, cultural and economic factors. Reading a book requires active engagement and attention. When individuals learn to read, they connect what they are reading to what they already know and synthesize the information. Windows to the world are opened. When students master the “basics,” including reading, they can expand their knowledge beyond their local community to become responsible and contributing global citizens.
To give our children and youth a fair shot to thrive in a global, information-age economy, today’s progressive libraries and teachers know they must partner with parents and community members to make certain everyone can read. It is this opportunity and challenge that the planning committee members decided to take up when they made “reading competency” the focus of the 2009 Kansas Summer Institute for School Librarians. Literacy and library experts and authors will share bold strategies and valuable resources. There will be two days of summer productivity, fun and door prizes. The committee and sponsors extend a special invitation to public and school librarians, reading specialists, Title I and At-Risk coordinators and teachers. Invite someone in your library, building or district. Register and start making your plans today.
Keynote Address
Judi Moreillon
“Streamlining the Coteaching of Reading”
Judi is author of Collaborative Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension: Maximizing Your Impact (American Library Association) and author of Sing Down the Rain and Read to Me/Vamos a leer. In the national drive to improve test scores and build a nation of readers, the proven teamwork tools presented in Judi’s textbook and in the workshop will help educators accomplish these goals.
Featured Guest Author
Nancy Werlin
Nancy is National Book Award Finalist and Edgar Award Winner. She is author of Impossible; The Rules of Survival; Double Helix; Black Mirror; Locked Inside; The Killer’s Cousin; and Are you Alone on Purpose. Nancy’s new novel, Impossible, is a School Library Journal Best Book of 2008, a Booklist Editor’s Choice for 2008, and a Kirkus Reviews Best YA book of 2008.
Featured Presenter
Sharon Coatney
Sharon is teacher-librarian, past president of the American Association of School Libraries, and Acquisitions Editor, School Library Media, Libraries Unlimited. Sharon will demonstrate the International Digital Children’s Library, the world’s largest collection of children’s literature on the Internet.
Evening Event
On Wednesday evening, 7-9:00 p.m., visit the historical showplace home of William Allen White, nationally known newspaperman and author. Beverley Olson Buller, Kansas teacher-librarian and author of From Emporia: The Story of William Allen White, will introduce you to “the sage of Emporia” and sign books. The house will be open for tours. Tour Tickets: $3/each available during the Institute. Buller’s book will be available for sale.
Complete Information – Visit the Web
Visit the Institute website for complete details about time, location (map), featured presenters, onsite book sales, registration, Wednesday evening event, lodging, enrollment for graduate credit and the course syllabus, and sponsors. Any questions, please contact Mirah Dow, mdow@emporia.edu or Jackie Lakin, jlakin@ksde.org.
Institute Webpage
http://slim.emporia.edu/programs/summerinst.htm
SLIM’s School Library Media Professional Development Webpage
http://slim.emporia.edu/programs/professionaldevelopment/index.html
Sponsors
Kansas Department of Education
School of Library and information Management, Emporia State University
State Library of Kansas, and
Kansas Association of School Librarians