Create Your School Library Writing Center: Grades K–6 - Softcover

Horan, Timothy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 144083525X ISBN 13: 9781440835254

Publisher: Libraries Unlimited, 2017

Synopsis

The inventor of the School Library Writing Center makes it easy for librarians and teachers of kindergarten through sixth grade learners to provide highly effective writing instruction.

Students in the early years of their development have a tremendous capacity for learning. By focusing on providing authentic writing experiences for kindergarten through sixth grade students, librarians and teachers can help transform students into competent writers well before they reach middle school. Written by the inventor of the School Library Writing Center, this book is the only one of its kind. It gives you clear and easy-to-read instructions on how to create and structure engaging and productive lessons in writing as well as reproducible worksheets that are ready to implement in your library or classroom. Each worksheet relates directly to writing lessons discussed in the book and serves to guide students (and their teachers) as they explore the exciting world of writing.

Readers will learn why and how they can create and maintain a School Library Writing Center. The book moves sequentially through the grade levels, starting with kindergarten and concluding at grade six, with each chapter focusing on a specific grade level. The author explains best practices with regards to tutoring writing in each grade; discusses the developmental levels and skills expected in a particular grade with regards to writing and reading; addresses grade-specific Common Core learning standards; discusses grade-appropriate online resources and technology-enabled activities that will help students become better writers; and identifies practical tutoring methods that will help students develop as writers.

About this title

About the Author

Timothy Horan, MA, MSLIS, MSEd, AGC, DA, is library media specialist at Hauppauge High School, in Hauppauge, NY.

Reviews

Horan follows up Create Your School Library Writing Center: Grades 7–12 with a guide geared toward creating a dedicated writing space in elementary school libraries. The author skimps on the specifics, explaining that "every situation in every school is different." Consequently, the concept becomes somewhat muddy as he presents a series of writing assignments, anchored in Common Core writing standards, accompanied by rudimentary worksheets. The assignments build on one another and cover a variety of disciplines. In sections devoted to the intermediate grades especially, the activities often overlap with research skills, and for fifth and sixth graders, Horan provides particularly detailed outlines for several different types of essays. It's unclear how much time educators will need to complete the projects, although the author advises working with a classroom teacher and encourages the use of technology (notably Story Maker, Story Bird, and Google Drive). Horan is eager to empower students to become stronger writers. His own prose, however, leaves something to be desired. The text is rife with parenthetical remarks and the tone overly conversational—at times almost sentimental. The writing is oddly self-congratulatory, with frequent affirmations that both librarians and kids "will love" the suggested activities. VERDICT Not a first purchase, but perhaps useful for librarians looking to better familiarize themselves with Common Core writing standards. It may also be helpful to librarians or classroom teachers seeking to collaborate or expand on writing/research projects.—Lauren Strohecker, McKinley Elementary School, Elkins Park, PA

Edition details

• Publisher: Libraries Unlimited
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 144083525X
• ISBN 13: 9781440835254
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 190