Category: Literacy

Why SSR?

bookthiefWhy SSR?  (Reason #8 of 3,487,659) Reading allows you to visit other times.  You can experience life in other eras, whether it is historical fiction that takes you to the past, or speculative fiction that imagines the future. You can go back to your own past of the the last few years, or you can go back deep into history.  You are physically stuck in this time and place but reading allows you to visit other times and places with your mind.

Of course, even better:  (Reason #1) Reading for fun is fun.

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Colm Cille

irishsavedIf you haven’t yet read How the Irish Saved Civilization, put it on your reading list! Author Thomas Cahill tells some remarkable stories from the era that he calls one of the “hinges of history.”  Cahill makes the case that ideas that came from the Greeks, the Romans and the Jews, ideas that are among the foundational ideas of our civilization, were on the edge of an abyss, possibly to be lost forever. If not for the Irish, our civilization, at least civilization as we know it today, may have slipped away forever.  Read it for yourself and see what you think.

One of the remarkable figures that jumps off the pages is Colm Cille.  Known also as Saint Columba in the Roman Catholic Church, Colm Cille was one of those Irishman who inspired the notion that Ireland is the land of “Saints and Scholars.”  In a world of darkness, Colm Cille helped to bring light.

Fifteen hundred years ago, in the wake of a terrible battle, full of remorse, St. Colmcille left Ireland for Scotland. On the remote island of Iona he began a new life and helped create a new world. The beautiful manuscripts he and his followers produced helped spread not only Christianity but ideas about literacy, peace-making and nation-building, not to mention punctuation! His followers became missionaries, builders, teachers. It’s no exaggeration to say that these men from the North of Ireland rebuilt Europe. (source: The Return of Colmcille)

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Read more about Colm Cille:

Drop Everything and Read

DEAR2014The annual DEAR Challenge is coming up: Monday, October 27, 2014.  The BCTLA and the BCTF challenge all British Columbians to Drop Everything and Read for 20 Minutes. Most of Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary already does this every day, so this should not be a problem!

The DEAR Challenge is just one aspect of National School Library Day, Canadian Library Month and International School Library Month.

 

Why SSR?

Why SSR?  (Reason #6 of 3,487,659) The more you read, the better you get at it. When you get better at something you want to do it more. The more you do it, the better you get at it. And so on. SSR helps you read better and SSR helps you want to read more! You will get to the point where you sometimes have a book you just can’t put down.

Of course, even better:  (Reason #1) Reading for fun is fun.

Into the Wild
source: “Into the Wild”

 

Why SSR?

writingWhy SSR?  (Reason #4 of 3,487,659) Reading for fun improves your writing.  The more you read, the more you see what good writing looks like (and bad writing too!) You can read about writing, but more importantly, whatever you read, non-fiction or fiction, you see examples of writing. You learn from the examples to make you a better writer. The more you read, the more you are exposed to a wide variety of writing genres, styles and methods.  The more you read, the more ideas you get for your own writing.

Of course, even better:  (Reason #1) Reading for fun is fun.

World Teachers Day

Happy World Teachers’ Day!  In 1994, the United Nations (UNESCO) established October 5th as World Teachers’ Day, a day to recognize and celebrate the vital role that teachers play in the lives of all people, especially children and youth.

“There is no stronger foundation for lasting peace and sustainable development than a quality education provided by well trained, valued, supported and motivated teachers.” (UNESCO)

Teaching in Uganda
source: Unesco Photobank

Why SSR?

buckheavyssrWhy SSR?  (Reason #14 of 3,487,659) Reading for fun increases your concentration. There are so many things that distract us all day long, requiring divided attention for shallow thinking. Reading longer texts for sustained periods requires greater levels of concentration for deeper thinking. The more you read for fun, the more you will be able to concentrate on other things for longer periods of time.

Of course, even better:  (Reason #1) Reading for fun is fun.

Reading Buddies

The Reading Buddies program at the Surrey Public Library is looking for volunteer reading buddies. Reading Buddies is a great volunteer opportunity where you can develop your mentorship skills. Being a “big buddy” is a rewarding experience, and counts towards CAPP hours. For more information, check out surreylibraries.ca.  You can download an application form there. You can also contact the Youth Services Librarian at the Cloverdale Library to ask questions, and to apply.

The Orientation and Training Session at the Cloverdale Library takes place on October 15.

October is ISLM: International School Library Month!

October is International School Library Month.  All over the world, people are recognizing and celebrating the powerful role that school libraries play in education. Come on in to the School Library at LTS, and continue to check back online, for more on our local celebration of International School Library Month!

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Banned Books Week

September 21-27 is Banned Books Week in the United States, as established by the American Library Association. We can observe it in Canada too.  We live in a society where we believe everyone should learn to read, that reading is important, and that people should have the right to read what they want to read.  So many of our fundamental rights and freedoms are represented in the fight for educated, literate citizens to have control over what they read.  Sadly, our society also has powerful forces that work against those freedoms.  Sometimes those countering forces are well-meaning, hoping to protect us from lies, hate, propaganda and such. Sometimes these countering forces are even necessary, as we seek to protect children from pornography and other age-inappropriate material.  Yet a free and vital democracy requires that individuals, not the state, determine what is acceptable reading material and what is not acceptable. Parents must be able to protect their children from the mistakes of society, yet the state must also protect children from the mistakes of their parents. There are no easy answers in all this, yet that is not a reason to shy away from this vital issue.