Table Of Content

All materials in this journal subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be used for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. Address FEATURE usage requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions. Booktalking Avoiding Summer Drift Jeff Whittingham Wendy A. Rickman [email protected] [email protected] 18 Knowledge Quest | Summer Learning All materials in this journal subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be used for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. Address usage requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions. Why Booktalk? summer reading programs. The booktalks, vocabulary development, study further indicated that students reading ladders, book groups, and Summer drift, otherwise known as who did participate in summer anything else providing support loss of reading comprehension skills reading programs demonstrated for students’ independent reading. or reading achievement, has been a higher reading achievement scores Specifically, the most successful well-known and well-documented both at the beginning of the school slowdown of summer drift happens phenomenon of public education year and in the following spring, as with the combination of matching for decades. Before the 1980s well as increased confidence in the student interests and providing researchers focused on the loss of classroom (2010). continuous scaffolding. According reading achievement occurring to research by James S. Kim and during the academic school year. Studies from the late twentieth Thomas G. White the missing Since the 1980s, multiple studies century to the present have ingredient for effective summer have shown that literacy scores for demonstrated a slowdown in programming is student interest economically advantaged students summer drift attributed to specific matching and teacher/parent remain the same or show minimal summer reading programs scaffolding (2011). Further, Sherri increases during the summer addressing motivation through L. Horner and Craig S. Shwery months while students in low student choice, student ownership, have noted that through various socioeconomic areas demonstrate and teacher/parent scaffolding. methods of coaching and scaffolding a decline (Alexander, Entwisle, Scaffolding, or support given teachers can help students develop and Olson 2007; Allington and to students during the learning self-regulated reading skills; this McGill-Franzen 2003; Allington process, includes activities such as improvement, in turn, helps et al. 2010; Cooper et al. 1996; Entwisle, Alexander, and Olson 1997; Hayes and Grether 1983). Summer drift has been identified as the culprit for lowering reading achievement levels. Attrition of literacy levels for low socioeconomic and Since the 1980s, multiple studies low-achieving students mostly occurs during the have shown that literacy scores for summer break. Research has shown a loss of up to economically advantaged students 1.5 grade levels attributed to summer drift from first remain the same or show minimal grade through fifth grade (Alexander, Entwisle, increases during the summer months and Olson 2007). A three-year study by Susan while students in low socioeconomic Roman and Carol D. Fiore demonstrated that areas demonstrate a decline. when left to voluntary participation, fewer students who received free and reduced-price lunches participated in Volume 43, No. 5 | May/June 2015 19 All materials in this journal subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be used for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. Address usage requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions. students become motivated in What to Include highlight new additions to the their reading (2002). One very library collection, booktalks can Deb Aronson has told us that “in useful tool to address student also motivate audiences to read good booktalking, a teacher or librarian interest and provide scaffolding is books that might be overlooked provides an oral introduction, the use of booktalks. in a well-developed collection or sales pitch for a handful of (Schall 2005). School librarians’ books. Each pitch lasts just one Independent reading is important booktalks are frequently aimed at or two minutes, but long enough during the summer months reluctant readers and focused on to make students want to pick up when students are not being easily accessible text that fosters the book and try it out” (2012). It extrinsically motivated by grades independent reading on a very is important to keep booktalks or guided toward reading by narrow band of ability and interest. short so that students do not teachers or school librarians. In School librarians should remember experience fatigue that might the summer, reading requires that enthusiasm expressed in a cause their interest to wane. Joni intrinsic motivation. Successful booktalk can develop interest and Bodart believes the first and last booktalking by school librarians motivate students to read material sentences of a booktalk are the can help provide the intrinsic more advanced than the learners’ most important. She has suggested motivation students need to read nominal reading levels (Rochman that, to avoid losing the audience, independently during the months 1987). booktalkers get to the most they are out of school. Pamela K. Dahl reported that students being presented with booktalks increased the number of pages read independently (1988). Her study indicated that the Successful booktalking by school absence of booktalks led to decreased librarians can help provide the intrinsic numbers of pages read independently. School motivation students need to read librarians wishing to motivate students to independently during the months they read during the summer should consider using are out of school. booktalking as a tool. In today’s society filled with the Internet, social media, and instant gratification, it is important to remember that students of all ages are constantly bombarded with important part of the story by the information (Diamant-Cohen How to Booktalk second sentence. She also believes and Levi 2009). Because of this the last sentence should grab the Once audience-appropriate books constant barrage of information— audience’s attention by implying have been selected, following a and distraction—school librarians something important is going to few simple guidelines can make must work to get the attention of happen and they will miss it unless booktalks successful: their patrons. Well-planned and they read the book (1980). executed booktalks are one way in • Always read the books you plan which school librarians can get Selecting appropriate books for to booktalk. Your audience will this attention. a booktalk requires attention to recognize an imposter. detail. While booktalks often 20 Knowledge Quest | Summer Learning All materials in this journal subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be used for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. Address usage requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions. • Do not oversell the books. Give When to Present Jeff Whittingham the audience just enough and leave School librarians must think about is an associate professor the rest to them. when and how students will access at the University of • Make connections. If you connect summer booktalks. To build a Central Arkansas. He to the book, then chances are the foundation for summer reading, coauthored “Developing audience will too. booktalks can be presented near the end of the school year. Alternatively, Independent Readers with Audiobooks” in • Never give away the ending! Leave the talks can be part of a summer the October 2014 issue of Association of the audience wanting more. reading program. Additionally, Middle Level Education Magazine and • A booktalk is not a review. Give school librarians might create the audience the facts and let authored “Reading Motivation: A Study of booktalks using free web-based readers form their own opinions. screen-recorder sites such as Literature Circles” in the Summer 2014 issue • A booktalk is not a plot summary. Screencast-o-matic.com or Screenr. of Academic Exchange Quarterly. Give just enough detail to hook com. Recorded booktalks can then the reader. be posted to the library’s website throughout the summer. • Keep it short. Give the facts and Wendy Rickman is move on. No matter the format, delivered an assistant professor • Practice the booktalks. You will personally or electronically, at the University of feel more relaxed and enthusiastic, booktalks used for scaffolding can Central Arkansas. increasing listeners’ engagement. motivate independent reading and She was awarded the • Have fun! Your audience will not foster interest in books beyond what be motivated unless they enjoy the students ordinarily read during 2014 Pat McDonald Outstanding Individual presentation. the summer. This motivation and Achievement Award from the Arkansas interest can, in turn, help avoid the Following these guidelines will help Association of Instructional Media. A member summer drift experienced by many you conduct successful booktalks. of AASL, she is also the immediate past- students. chair of the Arkansas Association of School Librarians. Works Cited: Diamant-Cohen, Betsy, and Selma K. Levi. 2009. Booktalking Bonanza: Ten Ready-to-Use Multimedia Sessions for Alexander, Karl L., Doris R. Entwisle, and Linda Steffel the Busy Librarian. Chicago: ALA. Olson. 2007. “Lasting Consequences of the Summer Learning Gap.” American Sociological Review 72 (2): 167–80. Entwisle, Doris R., Karl L. Alexander, and Linda Steffel Olson. 1997. Children, Schools, and Inequality. Boulder, CO: Allington, Richard. L., and Anne McGill-Franzen. Westview. 2003. “The Impact of Summer Setback on the Reading Achievement Gap.” Phi Delta Kappan 85 (1): 68–75. Hayes, Donald P., and Judith Grether. 1983. “The School Year and Vacations: When Do Students Learn?” Cornell Allington, Richard L., et al. 2010. “Addressing Summer Journal of Social Relations 17 (1): 56–71. Reading Setback among Economically Disadvantaged Elementary Students.” Reading Psychology 31 (5): 411–27. Horner, Sherri L., and Craig S. Shwery. 2002. “Becoming an Engaged, Self-Regulated Reader.” Theory into Practice 41 Aronson, Deb. 2012. “Right Book, Right Reader, Right (2): 102–109. Time: Teri Lesesne: The Woman Who Loves Young Adult Literature.” Council Chronicle 21 (3): 23–25. Kim, James S., and Thomas G. White. 2011. “Solving the Problem of Summer Reading Loss.” Phi Delta Kappan 92 Bodart, Joni. 1980. Booktalk! Booktalking and School Visiting for (7): 64–67. Young Adult Audiences. New York: H. W. Wilson. Rochman, Hazel. 1987. Tales of Love and Terror: Booktalking the Cooper, Harris, et al. 1996. “The Effects of Summer Classics, Old and New. Chicago: ALA. Vacation on Achievement Test Scores: A Narrative and Meta-Analytic Review.” Review of Educational Research 66 Roman, Susan, and Carole D. Fiore. 2010. “Do (3): 227–68. Public Library Summer Reading Programs Close the Achievement Gap?” Children and Libraries 8 (Winter): Dahl, Pamela K. 1988. “The Effects of Booktalks on 27–31. Self-Selected Reading.” Master’s thesis, Morehead State University. Schall, Lucy. 2005. Teen Genre Connections: From Booktalking to Booklearning. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.v Volume 43, No. 5 | May/June 2015 21