What Every SLMS Should Know about Collaborating with Other Literacy Professionals Prepared by the SLMS Role in Reading Task Force July 2009 July 2009

Rationale for Collaboration By explicitly teaching and coteaching reading comprehension strategies, LMS can make a positive impact on students' reading development By explicitly teaching and coteaching reading comprehension strategies, LMS can make a positive impact on students' reading development These strategies are easily integrated into classroom- library lesson plans and storytime learning objectives. These strategies are easily integrated into classroom- library lesson plans and storytime learning objectives.Source: Collaborative Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension: Maximizing Your Impact by Judi Moreillon

Rationale for Collaboration We cannot teach to the new learning standards without collaboration because the standards target knowledge building and critical thinking specific to school curriculum subjects. We cannot teach to the new learning standards without collaboration because the standards target knowledge building and critical thinking specific to school curriculum subjects. Classroom teachers are the subject experts and we need their input to teach reading, literacy, and information skills in an integrated way. Classroom teachers are the subject experts and we need their input to teach reading, literacy, and information skills in an integrated way. Collaboration with subject area specialists will aid us in developing lessons that fulfill each subject's unique reading, information, and literacy needs. Collaboration with subject area specialists will aid us in developing lessons that fulfill each subject's unique reading, information, and literacy needs.

Who Are Our Literacy Partners? Who Are Our Literacy Partners? Classroom Teachers at all Grade Levels and in Every Subject Area Classroom Teachers at all Grade Levels and in Every Subject Area Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialists Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialists Special Education and Title 1 Faculty and Staff Special Education and Title 1 Faculty and Staff Technology Teachers Technology Teachers Every teacher at every grade level must contribute to each student's reading development. As a LMS, you are in the perfect position to collaborate with ALL faculty and staff to coteach reading literacy skills in all subjects and at all levels! Every teacher at every grade level must contribute to each student's reading development. As a LMS, you are in the perfect position to collaborate with ALL faculty and staff to coteach reading literacy skills in all subjects and at all levels!

Additional Collaborative Partnerships Become involved in building-level and district-wide curriculum committees. Let others see you as a leader and valuable teaching partner! Become involved in building-level and district-wide curriculum committees. Let others see you as a leader and valuable teaching partner! Become involved in local and national school, public, and academic library, technology, and reading associations. Network and learn from others in our field! Become involved in local and national school, public, and academic library, technology, and reading associations. Network and learn from others in our field! Collaborate for literacy initiatives. Write grants together. Present at their conferences; write for their journals. Collaborate for literacy initiatives. Write grants together. Present at their conferences; write for their journals.

How to Initiate Collaboration How to Initiate Collaboration Creating new partnerships with other educators will be your biggest challenge. You must initiate collaboration efforts and show teachers how you can help and make teaching content objectives easier for them. Creating new partnerships with other educators will be your biggest challenge. You must initiate collaboration efforts and show teachers how you can help and make teaching content objectives easier for them. Begin with new teachers, student teachers, and others willing to work with you Begin with new teachers, student teachers, and others willing to work with you Gain support from your administrators. Make lesson and unit plans student-centered by showing how your collaborative efforts benefit students with gains in reading achievement and test scores. Gain support from your administrators. Make lesson and unit plans student-centered by showing how your collaborative efforts benefit students with gains in reading achievement and test scores.

How to Initiate Collaboration How to Initiate Collaboration Develop "assured" experiences for each grade level. These experiences are lessons and/or activities that all students will complete at certain points throughout their education. (ex. 9th grade database orientation). The LMS and collaborating educators will know that students have a shared background and can scaffold future lessons and experiences using the assured experiences as a baseline. Develop "assured" experiences for each grade level. These experiences are lessons and/or activities that all students will complete at certain points throughout their education. (ex. 9th grade database orientation). The LMS and collaborating educators will know that students have a shared background and can scaffold future lessons and experiences using the assured experiences as a baseline. Create an inquiry center with handouts of collaboration tools both in the physical space of your library media center and online. Create an inquiry center with handouts of collaboration tools both in the physical space of your library media center and online.

Seven Reading Comprehension Strategies to Integrate into Lessons and Units: Seven Reading Comprehension Strategies to Integrate into Lessons and Units: Activating or building background knowledge Activating or building background knowledge Using sensory images Using sensory images Questioning Questioning Making predictions and inferences Making predictions and inferences Determining importance Determining importance Monitoring and recovering comprehension Monitoring and recovering comprehension Synthesizing Synthesizing See Reading Comprehension Strategies PowerPoint

How can you, the SLMS, integrate each of these seven reading comprehension strategies into your collaborative lessons and inquiry units? How can you, the SLMS, integrate each of these seven reading comprehension strategies into your collaborative lessons and inquiry units?

Coteaching Strategies One Teaching, One Supporting One educator is responsible for the lesson while the other observes, monitors individual or groups of students, or serves as an assistant during the lesson. One Teaching, One Supporting One educator is responsible for the lesson while the other observes, monitors individual or groups of students, or serves as an assistant during the lesson. Center Teaching Students rotate through learning stations. Two or more centers are facilitated by educators; other centers require students to work independently of adult support. Center Teaching Students rotate through learning stations. Two or more centers are facilitated by educators; other centers require students to work independently of adult support. Alternative Teaching While one educator works with the larger group on a lesson that isn’t essential for the entire class, the other works with a smaller group to prepare them for the lesson. This is useful in pre-teaching vocabulary or other lesson components for English language learners, students with special needs, or those who missed the previous day’s class. Alternative Teaching While one educator works with the larger group on a lesson that isn’t essential for the entire class, the other works with a smaller group to prepare them for the lesson. This is useful in pre-teaching vocabulary or other lesson components for English language learners, students with special needs, or those who missed the previous day’s class.

Coteaching Strategies Team Teaching Educators teach together in the same room. They jointly model strategies, alternate roles during instruction, and share responsibility for monitoring students’ guided practice. Team Teaching Educators teach together in the same room. They jointly model strategies, alternate roles during instruction, and share responsibility for monitoring students’ guided practice. All Coteaching Strategies All strategies require that educators jointly plan the learning event. All Coteaching Strategies All strategies require that educators jointly plan the learning event. This information is adapted from Marilyn Friend and Lynne Cook who first developed these strategies to support special education inclusion models for coteaching. This information is adapted from Marilyn Friend and Lynne Cook who first developed these strategies to support special education inclusion models for coteaching. Source: Interactions: Collaboration Skills for School Professionals by Marilyn Friend and Lynne Cook

For Further Study: Alfassi, M Reading to Learn: Effects of Combined Strategy Instruction on High School Students. Journal of Educational Research 97, Carr, J., and I. F. Rockman Information-literacy Collaboration: A Shared Responsibility: Academic Librarians Must Work with Their K-12 Colleagues in Enabling Students to Succeed in College. American Libraries 34, Carter, C Why Reciprocal Teaching? Educational Leadership 54, Friend, M., and L. Cook Interactions: Collaboration Skills for School Professionals. 6th ed. Boston: Pearson. Joyce, M A Niche for Library Media Specialists: Teaching Students How to Read Informational Text. Library Media Connection 24, no.7, Loertscher, D What Is the School Library's Role in Reading? Core Understandings from Reading Research and School Library Program Elements. Teacher Librarian 34, no.3, 36.

For Further Study: Long, D Increasing Literacy in the High School Library: Collaboration Makes It Happen. Teacher Librarian 35, no.1, Moreillon, J Collaborative Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension: Maximizing Your Impact. Chicago: ALA Editions. Porter, W., C. Lamb, and C. Lopez Three Heads Are Better than One: The Reading Coach, the Classroom Teacher, and the Teacher-Librarian. Teacher Librarian 36, no.1,