Feedback from Literacy in the 21st Century - Annual PERC Workshop

We had another successful workshop in April. We appreciate the feedback from our participants and it helps determine our agenda for the next workshop.  Here is what the exit slips revealed.

Do you have any ideas for topics or presenters for future PERC workshops?

·         Indigenous perspectives

·         Keeping the connection between school and public libraries – reading buddies program, schools identifying and helping to connect this to public library programming especially through the summer

·         How can schools / school libraries and public libraries support each other?

·         ILL’s and FILL

·         PLS (Public Library Services)

·         Information literacy (internet searching)

·         How to organize your library (Dewey; genre; colour code?)

·         How to “genre-fy”

·         Making effective book displays

·         Would love to hear Sally Bender speak again!

·         More authors! He was very interesting – love learning about writing process

·         Publisher? How does a book get published?

·         Other resources available to us – MB Ed. Lib. was great!

·         Makerspace lady was very informative as well!

·         Follet

·         Publishers

·         More authors – Carol Matas (Wpg)

·         I really enjoyed the Makerspace presentation and would love to learn more

·         More information about picture books and how to give book talks

·         Writer’s Workshop for Middle Years

·         Presenter that PERC had about 7 years ago with an emphasis on writing – Syd Korsunsky (from Winnipeg)

·         aSuggested speaker- Brenda Mutcher - Making a priority to visit the public library twice a year and to do a scavenger hunt within the library, and how she encourages the kids to read and belong to the summer reading program

·         Teachers encouraging students to visit public libraries throughout the year and teach kids that a public library is a “safe” place you can go if needed

·         Literacy strategies

·         Library specific Makerspaces

Other Comments:

·         Love “Sal’s Addiction”!

·         Love it when you do the book recommendations

·         Very good day – thank you!

·         I like hearing about what you guys are up to but don’t have the time to join committees.  Please keep keeping our schools in the loop J

·         Thanks so much for all your work in planning today’s session.  It has been packed with great content! Thanks! 

·         Only consideration might be to have session at a location that has wifi access for devices other than cell phones so we can check into resource online in networking time.

The Young Adults' Choices List from ILA

What Is the Young Adults’ Choices List? The Young Adults’ Choices project began in 1986, funded by a special grant given to the International Literacy Association. Since 1987, the Young Adults' Choices project has developed an annual list of new books that will encourage adolescents to read. The books are selected by the readers themselves, so they are bound to be popular with middle and secondary school students. The reading list is a trusted source of book recommendations, used by adolescents, their parents, teachers, and librarians.

Find the book list here. 

What would you like to read? 

I am adding Canadian Teresa Toten's latest novel Beware That Girl to my To Be Read (TBR) list. The novel is compared to We Were Liars  and Gone Girl. The main character is considerd book smart, street-smart, and a masterful liar. 

One of my favourite books from this past several months is Ruta Sepetys' Salt to the Sea, an historical fiction novel set in WW II inspired by a true tragedy, the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustoff.

Told from three characters' points of view, it is a story of courage, trust, and strength. Sepetys' novel is a great read for teens and adults.

I recently gave the book to a friend who really likes historical fiction as a birthday gift, but I asked for it to be returned to passed on to more readers. I definitely recommend it to my student readers!

If you have not read her other novel Between Shades of Gray, be sure to do so. It is also historical fiction about a Lithuanian girl who is forced to leave her country with her family. See the comment from The Washington Post reviewer:

"Few books are beautifully written, fewer still are important; this novel is both."--The Washington Post

I bought Jeff Zentner`s The Serpent King this winter because I heard so much about it. I didn`t get a chance to read it before I offered it in the annual PERC book draw. 

This novel is also told from the point of view of three different characters. The small town setting appeals to me, and at least one of the characters can`t wait to escape, a not uncommon feeling for teens in rural areas.

Donalyn Miller reviewed it as, Òne of the best YA books I`ve read all year. Beautiful writing. Unforgettable characters.

Zentner has a new novel out in 2017, Goodbye Days, the story of one teen`s life after the death of his friends. Carver sent a text to his three friends and it was the last thing they saw before a horrible crash.

I predict Jeff Zentner will be a popular author to follow.

You will find many more great books on the Young Adults` Choices List. Check them out and leave a comment on ones you have read or may like to read.

You might also like to check out the Collaborating Teachers group on Goodreads. It is Manitoba teachers, librarians, and interested readers (like me!) who share the books we and our students are reading. Some may be on the ILA Choices Reading lists.

Choices Book Lists

I am finding many book lists in my emails, other blog posts, and on Twitter these days. I am always interested to see new lists and especially to see if I have read books on other people's lists! I will share some of these lists with you.

As the Provincial Co-ordinator for the International Literacy Association, I am very interested in the Choices lists they publish each year. There are three different lists. Check out this link and you will see that there are Children's Choices, Young Adults' Choices and Teachers' Choices. There are 30 books in the Young Adults' and Teachers' lists and 100 books in the Children's list. The lists are the suggestions of children, young adults and teachers, librarians and reading specialists!

I will highlight the Children's Choices in today's blog post. The lists provides details about the book including author, illustrator, publisher, and a quick synopsis of the book. A picture of the front cover of some of the titles is provided and a printable pdf file of all of the titles is also available. The book list is also divided into books for Beginning Readers, Young Readers, and Advanced Readers (categorized by age).

A few of the titles I have read included Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo and Booked by Kwame Alexander.

I want to read Kevin Henkes' When Spring Comes and The Thank You Book by Mo Willems.

What do you wnat to read?