Family Time during Winter Break

As Terrence E. Young says in the article Family Literacy (Book Links, October 2009), "parents have a big influence when they spend time reading with their children". Winter break is a great time to do this.

AIS library promotes family reading and lets each family member check out up to four books for three weeks. It's very convenient when we go on vacation. You can have quite a number of books and encourage your kids to read during the break.

Should your kids prefer reading from the Internet, you can read together digital books. Several collections are gathered on the Library Page. .


If you are looking for book lists, browse Chasing Ray blog by Collen Mondor for young adult readers and Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast by Eisha Prather and Jules Danielson for children. These blogs testify that technology indeed helps book reviewers make their books highlights very attractive and up-to-date.

Library Week and Win!

Library Week 2009-2010

The first NESA Library Technology Week, November 16-20, 2009, is over and we would like to thank everyone who helped planning the event, teachers who contributed digital projects they work with their students in class and students who participated in the Library Week discussions and activities.

This year students from other NESA schools as well participated in this project – students from Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Israel.

Coffee Shop, DEAR time, Scavenger Hunt, discussions in the Library Week wiki, Where the Wild Things Are, and Storybird telling created special atmosphere during the week.

One of four topics suggested for discussion touched the widely discussed question about the library of the future. This theme became a center of other librarians' attention. You can read some interesting articles on the subject linked to the topic in their responses.

We also wanted to hear what students like most in the library, and share their opinions on the one-to-one laptop program at WBAIS. Parents also added their judgment. "What is special in being a student of the International School" was discussed with six and nine grade students in the beginning of the school year. It would be interesting to hear from students of other overseas International schools how they evaluate their unique experience.

A collection of digital projects displayed in the Library Week wiki demonstrates librarians' and teachers' talents in making use of the Internet, implementing the 21st century tools into their curriculum, and working on collaborative units. Sharing is a necessary element in the learning process, and displaying works facilitates professional growth and helps building communication.

You are welcome to view the collection of digital projects and participate in Scavenger Hunt and discussions in the Library Week wiki. Add two cents of yours!

Your feedback, thoughts, ideas, wishes, and hopes for the Library Technology Week would be very helpful. When we plan activities for next year, we shall take into consideration what you think about Coffee shop, DEAR time, discussion topics, and activities we ran this year during the Library Week.

Thanksgiving.

Family Education network invites you to try Thanksgiving activities for your family and creative ways to decorate Turkey Day table.

The ways parents can help with reading at home

There are several activities that the library organizes to promote reading among Elelmentary School students. One of them is Story Lunches.

With pizza and a fairy tale read by Clare Sagiv, our first story lunch opened the season last Thursday.


Another project that the library works on is "Adopt a Young Student". For a High School students who choose to use their free time and read to students from Elementary School we arrange time and a grade level to come and do so. By particiating in this activity HS students help their young friends overcome fears to read outloud. If you know that your child wants to take part in this program please send him or her to the library to talk to Marina.

Parents are always viewed as teachers' partners who help their chilrent in many ways.

Are you using your library privilages? As you know, the Library provides free memberships to parents who can use their accounts both for their personal enjoyment and for helping their kids with reading. Read a book to your child that they study in class, listen to his or her reading, read yourself to encourage discussions and even "competitions" between you and your daughter or son. If they know that you're reading the same book, they always want to be the first who knows what happens next or remembers more details.

Check Pam's blog (PBS Parents) to learn about her easy techniques she used with her preschooler to teach her reading and many other tips on how to read with your child.

We welcome your feedback here.

Reading books: to challenge or not? and other

As school days are coming closer, the Internet is getting flooded with new materials for everyone - teachers, parents, and students - on how to start the new school year and how to make the most successful.

We all had many good days during the break and gained new vigor and strength for new opportunities.

Reading through many articles and blog posts I found some links that I think worth for you to look at:

Study Skills for Middle School and Beyond by GreatSchoolsStaff provides tips on how to help your child organize his and her time, place, and efforts.
Many articles are written about the value of kids' reading. Parents understand the importance of their children being exposed to books. However, often they are unhappy with texts that teachers offer in class. They debate that these texts are easy. The article suggested by Brenda Power explains why teachers don't give their students difficult and thick books. After having learned the reasons, you too may agree with this strategy:Talking with parents about Text Difficulty by Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan.

When choosing books for your kids, don't forget the rule to suggest texts in which students know at least 90% of the words and comprehend at least 75% of the information. In 1946 researcher Emmett Betts wrote that these texts enhance the best both learning and attitude (Betts, 1946, in Allington, 2001).
For struggling readers the library comprises a broad variety of books that can "hook" them: non-fiction, mystery novels, information books, graphic novels, comics and magazines, - all these are reading materials that they want and will read. Check our library catalog for the titles. Tip: to find comic books or graphic novels in the collection, specify what genre you are looking for(for instance, write "graphic novels" or "comic books" to get the lists)in the Search bar and click on Subject.

BookTV

News about nonfiction books - history, biography, politics, current events, the media, and more - are featured in BookTV. Visit the collection to watch author interviews, readings, and book TV series / topics (including Summer Reading 2009).

Summer Reading

Ideas on how to connect summer reading with family activites read at ReadWriteThink