5. Reading Is Fundamental
Use the RIF website for many free
downloads, including handouts for
parents and activities for educators.
‗Content Connections‘ on the website
is the same thing as common core.
The Activity Calendars are simple to
use.
6. Reading Is Fundamental
Why We Need STEAM:
Three millions jobs that are not filled
are the jobs we don‘t know how to do
because they require technical skills
we don‘t have.
There are initiatives that address this
problem, but they are geared to
middle school and older.
7. Reading is Fundamental
Children learn by doing. Help teach
vocabulary by calling things what they are. An
example is that when presented with a
fraction, 2/3, and asked to name the
numerator, many could not.
Low reading scores are tied to poverty.
Access to print can improve those scores
because they can help develop background
knowledge.
Cognitive demands get higher by grade.
Phonics is one approach to learning to read,
but cannot be the only one. For example,
some letters don‘t work—‗c‘(k or s sound)
and ‗q‘ (‗kw‘ sound).
8. Reading Is Fundamental
With common core, keep in mind that
different books may have different text
features. For example, lift-the-flap books
help teach prediction. Show parents how
they can help their children by using
these different text features.
All children develop Basic Interpretative
Communication Skills.
They need to learn Cognitive Academic
Language Proficiency.
9. Reading Is Fundamental
Keep in mind that there is a
difference between acquisition and
learning. With acquisition, learning
is acquired naturally. With
acquisition babies and children
develop language early literacy
skills naturally. Learning is forced.
The acquisition of early literacy and
early learning is always more
powerful.
13. Reading Is Fundamental
The information, activities, and
ideas provided on this website
are endless!
Booklists, activity sheets,
games, online activities,
research…
Something for everyone—
babies-adults!
And a lot for librarians!
17. Reading Is Fundamental
―We tend to teach reading
like we‘re sending people to
the electric chair. We need
to be happier about it.‖
Judy Cheatham, Vice-President of
Literacy Services, RIF
18. Resources for STEAM
Programs in Libraries!Websites:
Boston Children‘s Museum: STEM Sprouts Teaching Guide -
http://www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/STEM
Guide.pdf
Reading Rockets: Literacy in the Sciences -
http://www.readingrockets.org/extras/stem_series/
Science Discovery: A Hands-on Discovery Science Curriculum for
Preschoolers and Kindergartners -
http://www.teachpreschoolscience.com/index.html
Blogs:
Library Makers (Hands-on Activities for all Ages) -
http://librarymakers.blogspot.com/search/label/WonderWorks
Show Me Librarian – All Things Steam -
http://showmelibrarian.blogspot.com/p/all-things-steam.html
Wiki:
Simply STEM programming in libraries
http://simplystem.wikispaces.com/Welcome+to+Simply+S.T.E.M.
34. Block Parties
Block play helps children develop
many skills:
◦ Motor & eye-hand coordination
◦ Spatial skills
◦ Creative & divergent thinking
◦ Social skills
◦ Language skills
35. Block Parties
Studies show that children who
engage in block play:
◦ Have improved
language, vocabulary, grammar, & verbal
comprehension
◦ Improved spatial skills.
◦ Improved math skills--& advanced math
skills in later life!
◦ Better able to solve problems.
And they watch significantly less TV!
36. Get Stem Connected: Bring
Free Education Resources into
Your Library Programming
Star_Net Project aims to bring science
& technology resources to libraries.
The National Girls Collaborative
Project targets mostly after & out of
school organizations to encourage
girls in STEM learning
NASA has upcoming launches with
program possibilities--& and annual
‗Observe the Moon Night‘.
43. 20 Programs for under $20
For teens—but many
programs can be adapted
to a younger—or older age
group.
Several programs have
STEM components
All are cheap & fun!
44. So many programs
Look for that STEM (or STEAM)
connection:
◦ Rube Goldberg Machine
(http://www.rubegoldberg.com/ )
◦ Pi Day 3.14
◦ Gross Out
◦ Tall Paintings
◦ Excavation
◦ Life on Mars
◦ Marshmallow Wars
And more……
45. Download the handouts
From the blog:
http://cedarlakelibraryala.blogspot.com
. Click on the ‗teens‘ label.
From the ALA Conference site:
http://ala13.ala.org/node/10082.
47. VTS
Encourages the kind of thinking that
helps creativity & innovative thinking
develop.
Teaches higher order thinking skills.
Teaches acceptance. Children learn
about each other and from each other.
Teaches self-awareness & the ability
to be self-critical.
Teaches metacognition—becoming
aware of your own thinking.
48. VTS
This is an ideal form of brainstorming
This is the opposite of group think—
each individual thinks his idea is the
best.
VTS teaches visual constructivism—
each person brings an idea and
everyone can build on each other’s
ideas.
49. VTS
Is true non-competitive learning
Is truly collaborative.
Is suitable for multiple age groups.
Is a format for civilized discourse.
Is a research-based method to teach
viewers to make meaning out of what
they see.
50. VTS
―Through VTS' rigorous group
'problem-solving' process, students
cultivate a willingness and ability to
present their own ideas, while
respecting and learning from the
perspectives of their peers. ―
http://vtshome.org/what-is-vts
51. VTS
Select the image—
Viewers must be able to associate
with what they see. Something should
be familiar or recognizable. For more
suggestions check out the vts website:
www.vtshome.org
http://www.vtshome.org/pages/articles-
other-readings
55. New York Times‘ Learning
Network
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/cate
gory/lesson-plans/whats-going-on-in-
this-picture/
Every Monday morning the blog
posted a New York Times photograph
without a caption, and invites students
to answer three simple questions
about it. It starts again Sept. 9!
59. Questions & Responses
1. What‘s going on here? (Not what do
you see? Young children may list
what they see, but this question goes
beyond to what they think, wonder,
feel.)
Paraphrase what is said. It validates
what the viewer said and shows you
are listening and understanding.
Paraphrasing invites the child to look
again.
60. Question #2
2. ―What makes you say that?‖ Or,
―What do you see that makes you
say that?‖
Ask for evidence. (This is very
‗STEAM‘!)
Viewers can state innovative and
surprising ideas, but they need to
back them up.
62. Using books!
Many Caldecotts work well for VTS
Pictures and words both communicate
with marks on a page. Reading is
‗art-rageous‘!
63. Ending the ‗book picture‘
session…
End with hands-on experiential
learning. For example, after viewing &
discussing a picture from Click Clack
Moo, children made a cow hat and
paper plate typewriter.
64. Keep in mind
The moderator does not tell the
viewers anything about the picture—
the title, the artist, etc.
This approach in nonjudgmental. It
provides a space for many right
answers. It encourages everyone to
participate.
65. LOTS of info online!
Go to the blog:
http://cedarlakelibraryala.blogspot.com/
and click on ‗Visual Thinking
Strategies.
Go to the vts website:
www.vtshome.org
Check out the NY Times Learning
Network Blog:
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/category/l
esson-plans/whats-going-on-in-this-picture/