Constructing Knowledge About and With Informational Texts: Implications for Teacher-Librarians Working With Young Children

Whitney Fischer

ET

Reference:
Filipenko, M. (2004). Constructing Knowledge About and With Informational Texts: Implications for Teacher-Librarians Working With Young Children. School Libraries Worldwide, 10(1/2), 21-36.

Summary:
This article explores how children learn information literacy skills by analyzing video transcripts of children ages 2 - 5 engaging with informational texts.  The author determined that children can engage with these texts that are often overlooked or deemed too complicated for that age group. The key lies in presenting the information in a context that children are able to reconcile with their world view.  When children are able to understand how a complex issue affects them personally or they can easily grasp the notion of cause and effect, they will approach the literature with enthusiasm.

Evaluation:
This article is valuable to teachers and teacher librarians alike because it demonstrates that it is a mistake to think that informational texts may be too complicated for younger readers.  After reading this article, teachers have the know-how to present these texts to students in a manner that is less intimidating by highlighting how the subject relates to them and the world around them.

Transformation or decline?

Young, Alice

ET-Restructuring

Transformation or decline? Using tough times to create higher-performing schools.
Miles, K. (2011). Transformation or decline? Using tough times to create higher-performing schools. Phi Delta Kappan, 93(2), 42-46.

The article discusses strategies to increase school performance and structure in the environmental climate of recessions. The author comments on the increased funding of U.S. schools in relation to the student experience, school structure, and teacher salaries. The Education Resource Strategies (ERS), a nonprofit education organization, is discussed, as well as the 7 strategies it provides for successful school restructuring. Topics include the relation between teacher effectiveness and teacher compensation plans, evidenced by the Baltimore City Public Schools' teacher contract plan, the rethinking of the standardized class-size models, and the redirection of special education spending to early intervention strategies.

The author states the idea of dismantling traditional school structures – revamping compensation, staff and student assignment, and scheduling – is daunting, YET essential if schools are to unlock the resources needed to succeed. This article was encouraging in that it presented the breakdown of strategies for restructuring education, which addresses the many issues of teacher compensation and job structure, also leveraging outside partners to maintain or improve quality at lower cost. The education system is set in place with familiar process from the beginning, so it would take many steps in overcoming obstacles and introducing opportunities.

Jolene Nechiporenko

ET, CA

Shananhan, T. (2013).  Common core ate my baby.  Educational Leadership, 70(4), 10-16.



Debunking myths about the common core state standards.

In his article, The Common Core at My Baby, Timothy Shananhan tackles some common fearful myths surrounding the common core state standards.

#1     New standards prohibit teachers from setting purposes for reading or discussing prior
 knowledge.

Shananhan tells us that "preparation should be brief and should focus on providing students with the tools they need t make sense of the text on their own."

#2     Teachers are no longer required to teach phonological awareness, phonics, or fluency.

"...the new standards require as much early emphasis on decoding and fluency as in the recent past, and claims to the contrary are no more than myths, not breaking from NCLB. 

#3     English teachers can no longer teach literature in literature classes.

"Clearly, the new standards involve more than just reading novels, stories, poems, and plays and interpreting literary devices."  Students will need to do more reading in informational texts such as science or history.
  
#4     Teachers must teach students at frustration levels.

The CCSS "indicate specific levels of text difficulty that students must be able to handle by the end of each school year.  These levels are considerably higher than current levels."

#5     Most schools are already teaching to the new standards.

"Writing instruction will need to focus more on writing about the ideas in texts and less on just putting personal thoughts into words.  At the same time, reading will involve more critical analysis and synthesis of information from multiple texts."

Shananhan explains that we can either shift our practices now or we can wait to our communities find out how 'well' we're really doing. (2013)