Fierce Reads Field Trip

On October 4, 2016, the Knight Readers had the incredible opportunity to take a field trip to the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. We took a fantastic tour of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, had dinner "dahn-tahn," and ended the evening with a YA author lecture at the Carnegie Lecture Hall attached to the museums. Multiple times I overheard students exclaim, "we need to do this every month!" In fact, I think the students would have been ecstatic just to tour the library, even if we didn't get a chance to geek out hearing from nationally known best-selling authors. Here's a little virtual scrapbook of our trip:

Walking toward the CLP - the Cathedral of Learning looming in the distance

The Knight Readers

CLP - all the knowledge "Free to the People"

Checking out some rare books - one was even from the mid-1400s

Excited for the authors to come on stage!

Caleb Roehrig, Emma Mills, Anna Banks, and Marissa Meyer 

The YA authors who participated in the Fierce Reads Tour were incredibly funny, thoughtful, and inspiring. Most of our students had never met an author before, let alone authors that they have read and admire. The authors graciously autographed tickets and books for us, answered all of our questions, and they even gave us a shout-out on Twitter! About a month later, I also Tweeted Caleb Roehrig to ask about #OwnVoices book suggestions for our Diversity Club, and I am so grateful that he provided so many wonderful authors and book titles to explore further. Finally, I am beyond thankful to RAD Works Here, a local organization that provides funding so that children and families can enjoy the arts for free. Without them, we could not have brought so many students to experience this incredible opportunity. Thank you!

PA School Librarian at the Young Adult Library Association Symposium

In November 2016, I had the opportunity to attend the YALSA Symposium in Pittsburgh, PA. The most fantastic part of the conference was meeting so many fabulously entertaining storytellers. I was introduced to the funny, smart, and lovely Meredith Russo, and I cannot wait to read her book If I was Your Girl. I was also especially geeked out to meet E.K. Johnston (pictured right), author of one of my favorite Westmoreland Interscholastic Reading Competition books from the 2017 list. The Book Blitz was fun but completely insane. Many of the participating authors from the symposium participated in the blitz, where each author had a table with a mesmerizing number of books primed and ready to be signed. If looking for a more low-key moment to hear from the authors, I actually preferred the author panels. No signed books during the panels, but we got to hear what events or moments may have inspired the stories we couldn't wait to share with our patrons. Perhaps my favorite session was the ending keynote starring a few Pittsburgh favorites: Jesse Andrews and Siobhan Vivian. Their hilarious anecdotes were the perfect way to end the conference.

One aspect of the symposium that I had not experienced at a conference before was the opportunity to  "Pitch a Program." This concept provided a thoughtful way to try to incorporate what we learned immediately and have the possibility of earning funds to put our ideas into place. I attended a number of sessions on programs about LGBTQIA+ issues and came up with the idea to do a book club reading of a contemporary YA book with characters or themes that would provide insight into the LGBTQIA+ community. My pitch inspired me to contact author Caleb Roehrig on Twitter to get his take on Own Voices authors that my students could read. I am humbled and thankful for his quick responses, with many wonderful suggestions of authors and books: some of which I am familiar with and others of which I am excited to get to know. Although I was not awarded with funds for my program idea, I am hoping to possibly put this program into place eventually.

Overall, the symposium was fantastically fun and I am so happy that YALSA came to Pittsburgh. As a school librarian, I knew the content would be geared toward the public librarian; however, I still found myself missing the ed tech sessions that I lean toward attending at school library conferences. Some of the very frank conversations on health and sex may not be possible in a school library, but I did walk away with some new concepts to try.

ESSA and School Libraries in Pennsylvania

On a beautiful Fall day, librarians from around the state of Pennsylvania convened at Toftrees Conference Center in State College Pennsylvania to discuss the provisions for librarians in the Every Student Succeeds Act. Lead by Laura Hicks, the Region 2 Director of the American Association of School Librarians board, we reviewed the definition of an effective school library program before exploring the specific federal guidelines and state interpretations of these guidelines. We ended the workshop by discussing ways in which we can apply what we have learned to our own school libraries.

The AASL definition of an effective school library program pulls from two important phrases present in the Every Student Succeeds Act language, including that libraries provide "personalized learning environments" to ensure a"well-rounded" education. Additionally, AASL outlines how the school library program is essential to "college, career and community readiness," including that the library is staffed with a certified school librarian, it has current digital and print resources, and it provides staff development and collaboration opportunities. Furthermore, AASL offers the qualifications that a school librarian should possess, including being "instructional leaders," supporters of multiple literacies (digital and information, among others), and elevators of reading initiatives. More information and precise verbiage can be found on the AASL Position Statements page: http://essa.aasl.org/aasl-position-statements.

Following the definition of an effective program, with the help of video messages from the American Library Association Executive Director of Washington Office Emily Sheketoff, we explored each part of ESSA that pertains to developing and maintaining effective school library programs.

Title I of ESSA ensures that state and local agencies improve basic programs. Ms. Hicks urged us to consider what we are already doing, as school librarians, to improve digital literacy for our students. What can we do to impact student learning? Schools need librarians and access to effective school library programs in order to impact student achievement.

In Title II, ESSA advocates for supporting effective instruction. School librarians often lead their own professional development workshops or in-service day sessions after attending conferences and workshops. Because entire districts benefit from school librarian attendance at conferences and workshops, Title II Part A funds can be used for the librarian to attend professional development opportunities. Additionally, Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation (or LEARN), specifies that school librarians can participate in required grant activities. According to Sheketoff, these grants can be used for teachers and school librarians to meet and collaborate on literacy initiatives. Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) specifically states that funds should be used for supporting effective school library programs. Ultimately, school librarians can aide in applying for grants, and they need to research and make sure that the district grant writer is aware of important school grants that can help in enhancing library programs.

Title IV, Part A discusses Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants, otherwise known as Block Grants. ESSA essentially authorizes school librarians to learn about technology, as librarians offer "access to personalized, rigorous learning experiences supported by technology." Therefore, librarians should be afforded the opportunities to update technology skills and provide technology for their students.

The session ended with discussion on how to apply all of these elements to our own libraries. We were encouraged to develop short speeches that could quickly and spontaneously help others see the importance of school libraries and librarians.

Allison Burrel, President of the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association, also directed us to take a look at the new ESSA recommendations developed for the state of Pennsylvania specifically: http://www.education.pa.gov/Documents/About%20PDE/ESSA/October%2018,%202016/AIR%20Report%20PA%20ESSA%2010%2014%2016.pdf. Further information about the Every Student Succeeds Act can be found on the PA Department of Education website: http://www.education.pa.gov/Pages/Every-Student-Succeeds-Act.aspx#tab-1.  A compilation of resources and advocacy tools can be found on the ESSA and School Libraries website: http://essa.aasl.org.

Ultimately, librarians must stay abreast of new legislation that provides effective school library provisions. We can remain hopeful that the federal government, state, and local agencies recognize the importance of school libraries to student achievement. But we must still continue to advocate for all that school libraries can do to support digital and print literacy, technology skills, teacher professional development, and overall school culture. Our students depend on it.

Work Cited
American Association of School Librarians. Connecting ESSA to School Librarians. 25 Oct. 2016.

Virtual Field Trips

In the summer of 2016, I was very fortunate to attend the Google Geo Teachers Institute in Mountain View California. I actually took a brief break from driving down the CA coast for my honeymoon (shout out to my new hubby for hanging out in Palo Alto while I was at Google!) in order to attend. And the side trip to Google headquarters was well worth it. I was especially excited to meet British educator, explorer and photographer, Jamie Buchanan-Dunlo of Digital Explorer. Among other impressive pursuits, his work is used by Google Expeditions to create meaningful virtual field trips for students. A long-time tech hero of mine, Jerome Berg, also spoke and presented a session on his project Google Lit. Trips. As a former English teacher, Berg's ideas influenced the way that I approached literature then, and continue to inspire my approach to literature now.

When I came back to school at the end of August, I was excited to share the things that I learned while at the Google headquarters. Through a series of fortunate events, a number of teachers and administrators came to visit the library early on in the year and had the opportunity to test out the Google Cardboard that I received while at Google. It probably helped that I lured them in with chocolate, caffeine, and the promise of a virtual beach vacation (if only for a few moments!). I was fortunate to receive 35 VR viewers through funds received as part of a STEM grant (thank you, Mr. Kotch!), and I was able to put them right to good use.

Through collaboration with several Spanish teachers, I have been taking our students on virtual field trips for a few years; however, our students had never been on a trip like this one before! In an informal poll, I discovered that none of our approximately 120 Spanish III students had ever used a VR viewer before, so this was a pretty unique and exciting experience for them.

We started our trip with what was formerly called the Google Cultural Institute, now labeled Google Arts and Culture. I like students to explore locations curated for their cultural significance. Then, students learned how to use the VR viewers with Google Street View and Google Cardboard apps. They were asked to download these free apps to their smartphones ahead of time, if permitted. Not every student could download the apps, which we had anticipated, so students were able to share or use the few iPhone/iPod devices that we brought with us. And this was the result:

Both the Spanish teacher and I received overwhelmingly positive feedback from students on their experiences with their virtual field trip. In the past, students seemed to learn something from the VFT activity, but we had never received such enthusiasm before use of the VR viewers.

One of my biggest goals as a school librarian is to provide cultural experiences whenever possible. Part of our district's mission statement requires that we grow students into "productive and responsible citizens of an ever-changing global society." I hope that the tiny taste of the world that I can provide for our students might inspire them to explore further in real life.

If you would like to modify my lesson materials for your classes, they are accessible here.

Virtual Spanish Trip by Katherine Kauffman Roth is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Update: Below is some student feedback from the lesson.

Knight Readers - WIRC 2016

Knight Readers Excel at the Westmoreland Interscholastic Reading Competition

Norwin High School students participated in the Westmoreland Interscholastic Reading Competition (WIRC) on February 29, 2016 at Seton Hill University. Two Norwin High School teams, A Midsummer Knight’s Read and Knights of the Round Table, competed against teams from around the region in the grades 9-12 division. In preparation for this annual event, our Knight Readers collectively read fiction and non-fiction texts off of a list of 30 total books. Students discussed these books during lunch meetings and created practice questions to quiz one another on the content of the stories. Students competed against other schools at the event to answer trivia-type questions about the plot and characters of the books they read throughout the year. Both teams faired very well, winning three out of four rounds of competition. A Midsummer Knight’s Read placed 9^th this year and Knights of the Round Table placed 5^th. This is the first year that both of our teams placed in the top ten and were recognized during the closing ceremony! We are so excited to celebrate the successes of our teams this year. Students in grades 9-12 for the 2016-2017 school year who are interested in joining the Knight Readers should contact Ms. Kauffman in the Norwin High School Library.

Knights of the Round Table Row 1: Cecilia Koncerak, Rachel Garcia, Sam Naponic (team captain), Natalie Naponic, Yuhan Lu, Hanna Rhoads, Row 2: Hannah Nestlerode, Catherine Balaban, Cole Dempsey, Marina Novotnak, Sebastian Pratt

A Midsummer Knight’s Read Row 1: Dom Orsino, Anna Swets, Emily Dahlstrom, Kelly Tran, Ashley Divins (team captain), Aimee McGillis, Row 2: Tynan Tinley, Erin Crust, Bella Reiter, Julia Szlis, Madalyn Durmis

The Library is a Good Place: Small Successes Keep Us Going

"The library is a good place," one of my students said this morning as she sat at the circulation desk and took in her surroundings. I tried to see the space as she saw it in that moment: a group of girls furiously finishing geometry homework tucked away in the fiction section...friends sitting in cushy blue chairs sharing a pair of headphones...a freshman boy flashing an appreciative smile as he takes a Hershey Kiss from the candy dish next to the sign-in sheet. "I cannot believe I didn't know about this place before last year, Ms. Kauffman. It's a good place," she concluded.

She put into words exactly how I want students to view this space: as a positive haven in their busy lives. In the same breath, she also expressed the biggest problem: many students are unaware that the library exists. All students attend a Freshman library orientation, but somewhere in-between their regimented Freshman year and their less-structured years after that, they seem to forget (or worse yet, not realize) what the library can offer them.

This year, we seem to be starting to hit our stride. I would still like to work on promoting the library to those that aren't aware of what it can offer, but we have at least experienced an increase in readership, which is encouraging. I always feel most fulfilled in my career when I get to support our students, especially those unlikely readers. I had a tall, slender senior walk in the other day with a sideways black cap (totally against dress code), saggy jeans, and a plaid flannel shirt. I recognized him as one of the students taking a remedial writing course because he spent a lot of time during class typing (or not typing) his paper in the library. He asked for some read-alike suggestions. I hadn't read the book he mentioned and, based on the cover, had the misconception that it was about overcoming addiction. After doing some research, I discovered that it was really more about coping with mental illness and depression. So, I suggested Ned Vizinni's It's Kind of a Funny Story and Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower - both favorites for addressing difficult topics with a touch of humor. He came back the next day specifically to tell me how much he loves Vizinni's story. After having a stressful day when nothing seemed to be going right, his comment made my whole week. This just goes to show that a kind gesture can be the fuel to keep someone doing what they are doing right.

This student taught me a lesson, and I will continue to more often let others know when they have made a difference in my day, my week, my life. Perhaps this is one small way that I can continue to make the library a "good place" for all who use it.

Highlights from AASL 2015

 Beautiful Columbus, OH! There could not have been a better city to host the conference. I had a lovely dinner in German Village after spending the first day learning at the Idea Lab.

 I met up with another Westmoreland County librarian! I was excited to see so many LMS's from Western PA.

"Beyond Issue" books panel really gave me the opportunity to think about the difference between books about mental illness and books with dynamic characters who happen to experience mental illness. Great book list!

 I attended another fantastic panel that featured "perspectives from the Middle East." The moderator was none other than Sabaa Tahir! So star-struck.

Brian Sleznick's keynote was so fantastic that it prompted me to unexpectedly purchase The Marvels and get it autographed! He is a born storyteller. I put his keynote right up there with the Neil Gaiman lecture I attended in Pittsburgh.