One of the best ways to introduce young students to research is through story. It creates a context for what they are about to do, allowing you to easily set the scene, and can also be the opening for discussing what they already know about the subject. Three new books are excellent for a project on nature.

In the Garden

Begin with Whose Garden Is It? by Mary Ann Hoberman (ill by Jane Dyer, Gulliver Books, Harcourt, 2004, unp. 0-15-202631-2). When Mrs. McGee, captivated by the beauty of a garden, asks the title question, the gardener explains why it is his. In turn, a rabbit, woodchuck, bird, worm, wasp, honeybee, butterfly, squash bug, flea, beetle, snake, mole, vole, toad, turtle, squirrel, hare, chipmunk, cricket, plants, weeds, soil, tree, sun, rain, and seed claim ownership.

Talk about how many creatures live in a garden, but save the discussion on which one is right until the conclusion of the activity. Explain that they will be researching to find out more about these animals. Select topics based on what is in your collection.

For the Birds

Before sending students off to begin their research, introduce them to additional information on birds. First read selections from Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems by Kristine O?Connell George (ill. By Barry Moser, Harcourt, 2004, unp.0-15-202325-9) in which the author chronicles the arrival of a hummingbird, nest building, egg laying and hatching, feeding chicks, early flight, and empty nest. Based on observations in her backyard, O?Connell concludes with an Author's Note explaining how the book came to be and More About Hummingbirds.

Thrushes are the subject of Welcome Brown Bird by Mary Lyn Ray (ill. by Peter Sylvada, Harcourt, 2004, unp. 0-15-292863-4). A boy on a northern farm waits at the end of each April for the song of a newly arrived thrush, keeping his father from cutting down the tree in which it lives during the summer. With the fall the bird leaves, and in a southern rain forest another boy awaits its arrival. He, too, stops his father from cutting the bird's tree as he listens to its song until spring arrives and the bird flies away. Although neither boy is aware of the other, the bird knows they are brothers. A Note from the Author talks about bird migration.

The Seed of an Idea

After reading the two books, have students list what they have learned about hummingbirds and thrushes. Review the topics they will be researching and use some random method of assigning them to groups of two. Discuss what should be included in the reports, recording students' suggestions. Add your own as necessary. Be sure to require pictures with explanatory captions.

Next have the class talk about where they will find the needed information. Show them books you have pulled in advance and have them tell you about indexes and tables of contents. In the process you can identify how much they have learned.

A Research Garden

When students have completed their research, have each pair talk about what they found. Display their captioned pictures to make a research garden. As a closing, reread Whose Garden Is It? and have students consider how many animals and other elements make up a garden. Finally, see what they think is the answer to the story?s question.

As the nation pauses to remember Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, work with middle and high school history teachers on a unit that sets the historic unanimous Supreme Court decision in context. The outcome was far from inevitable when the several connected cases made their way up through the courts. When the court ruled, many thought that segregation had ended. While the nation is far different than it was then, and many subsequent laws have extended its impact, most minority students attend schools that are heavily racially imbalanced.

Using Information Sheets 1, 2, and 3, modifying them as needed, have students explore the different faces of the United States before Brown, as the nation reacted to the decision and its aftermath over time. As they research what it was like to live in those eras, students will have a better understanding of how we reached the place we are now and where we still need to go.

Three to Set the Tone

While this unit is meant for older students, three recent books intended for a somewhat younger audience can help set the scene and provide useful information. Jackie Robinson's daughter Sharon Robinson chronicles her father's life in Promises to Keep (Scholastic, 2004, 64 p. 0-439-42592-1). In addition to the biographical information, she briefly discusses sharecropping and Jim Crow laws. The photographs bring the facts home vividly.

Joyce Carol Thomas presents Linda Brown, You Are Not Alone: The Brown v. Board of Education Decision(ill. by Curtis James, Jump at the Sun, Hyperion, 2003, 114 p. 0-7868-0821-7), a collection of poems, stories, and "reflections" from noted white and African Americans revealing what America was like in 1954. Ellington Was Not a Street (ill. by Kadir Nelson, Simon & Schuster, 2004, unp. 0-689-82884-5) is Ntozake Shange's poem "Mood Indigo" gorgeously illustrated. The words and pictures recall a day when streets were not named for African Americans, but many were already fighting for civil rights. Brief biographies of those "who changed the world" are at the end.

Research and Presentation

Divide the class into three groups and review the Information Sheets. Let students determine how to portion out the work, and encourage them to go beyond the topics included but stay within their time frame. Encyclopedias, the web sites below, and materials on American decades as well as the Civil Rights movement should provide all the needed information. Suggest they begin with print resources or recommended online sites as most of the first hits listed by search engines are of marginal use.

Have groups create either a video or PowerPoint presentation designed to capture what it felt like to live in the time period they researched. Complete the unit with a discussion on the changes wrought by Brown v. Board of Education as well as what has remained the same.

Web Sites

Ida B. Wells, "Lynch Law in America"

NEA: 50th Anniversary, Brown v. Board of Education

NPR: Looking Back: Brown v. Board of Education

Remembering Jim Crow: Presented by American Radio Works

African American History

The History of Jim Crow

How much is known about the first and greatest library with estimated holdings of half a million books built in Alexandria, Egypt, a city conceived by Alexander the Great who died at 33 in 323 B.C.? The only information available can be gleaned from the remains of surviving letters and books. Just in time to celebrate School Library Media Month, here is a wonderful new title for you and your students.

Creating the Library

Kelly Trumble has compiled a fascinating history of The Library of Alexandria, with full page illustrations in watercolor and gouache by Robina MacIntyre Marshall (Clarion, 2003, 72 p. 0-395-75832-7) of interest to anyone in grades 4 to 9. After Alexander's death, his general, Ptolemy, the new King of Egypt, planned a research center called Mouseion in this new city as well as the library which became the grandest in the world because the king, its owner, encouraged its use by scholars. Unscrupulous tricks were used to acquire some books, seized from ships docking in port and copied by hand, with the originals placed in the library's collection while copies (often flawed by mistakes) were returned to their owners. Most books were either in Greek or translated into that language.

Books had originally been written on papyrus rolls which needed rewinding before the next reader could use them. When another library was built in Pergamum in the second century B.C., competing with Alexandria for scholars, the Egyptian king refused to ship them any papyrus. However, the Pergamum library found parchment from animal skins, although more costly, worked better, and its sheets could be folded and sewn into pages called a "codex" which looked a lot more like regular books.

Triumph and Tragedy

The scientists who used the Alexandria library over the years are remembered for great discoveries. Aristarchus presumed that the earth traveled around the sun. Eratosthenes, who was also its librarian, measured the circumference of the earth almost perfectly without today's technological aids. Claudius Ptolemy mapped the world, making a huge error saying things were closer to each other than they actually were, but his map, used by Columbus and others, caused explorations by ships that would otherwise never have been made. Euclid's book Elements, on how to teach geometry, was used as a textbook until the 20th century. Archimedes figured out how to weigh an object by measuring the amount of water it displaced. Herophilus, a doctor, dissected bodies to learn what their parts were like.

The library's destruction by fire may have been inadvertently caused when Julius Caesar, trapped by Ptolemy's men who controlled the harbor, set fire to the fleet and the wind spread flames there. No one is certain just what happened, but looking through this history which includes two-page color maps of Alexander the Great's Empire and the Roman Empire, definitions of names and terms, a bibliography, suggested readings and an index will give readers a feeling for the influence spread by this remarkable library.

Whether you work in an elementary, middle, or high school, finding quality, grade-appropriate material on the Web is a challenge. As you teach your classes, the government sites are the most credible - and they now have wonderful pages ideally suited to students that should be part of your lesson planning.

Two Top Sites

Many of you have already discovered www.firstgov.gov, the official portal of the U.S. government, but you may not know about www.kids.gov which offers similar interagency links for elementary students. A kite tail-like set of six stars trails your cursor as you select areas from Arts to Transportation with Fun Stuff, Geography, and Science and Math along the way. Clicking on any of the icons leads to a long list of government links, followed by organizations, education, and commercial sites.

The U.S. Government Printing Office offers the outstanding bensguide.gpo.gov. The opening page has a cartoon Ben Franklin (very appropriate for the GPO) flying a kite divided into grade ranges in each of its four segments. Clicking on any of the levels brings you to Ben at a blackboard with subheadings. Every time you go to pages not part of this site (including those of other governmental agencies), Ben lets you know by saying good-bye. The tool box at Ben's feet labeled Parents & Teachers include curriculum links that your faculty will love.

Teacher Resources

The Census in Schools site, www.census.gov/dmd/www/teachers.html, has lesson plans and teaching kits for K-4, 5-8, 9-12, and Adult ESL Literacy as well as maps, all using Census data and available for free. Each level has several lessons under map literacy, community involvement, managing data and maps.

FREE is not only free, but the Federal Resources for Educational Excellence www.ed.gov/free/index.html is also the first stop source for curriculum writing as well as offering individual lessons and activities. Subject areas covered are: Arts, Educational Technology, Foreign Languages, Health and Safety, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Vocational Education.

Most governmental agencies have pages for educators such as the Environmental Protection Agency's site www.epa.gov/epahome/educational.htm with links for Kids (pre-K -4), Students (5-8), High School (9-12) and Teachers. Look for them when you are expecting a class to research a topic that can fall under the auspices of one of these agencies.

More Sites

Some states have kid sites with information on symbols, history, and travel as well as coloring pages and games. Although few are as well designed as the federal government nor are they as comprehensive, check to see whether your home state has such a page. You can go to www.firstgov.gov for a link if you don't have the URL.

College, military, and careers are hot items for the high school crowd. Direct students to www.students.gov. The site has numerous links to Plan your education, Pay for your education, Career development, Military Service, and more.

Explore these websites and share them with teachers and students. Although it is impossible to search all the layers and links, you will regularly turn up treasures.

Among the many heroes of the Civil Rights movement is the lesser known figure of Josephine Carroll Smith. In a picture book for grades two to four, Sandra Belton brings to life the impact this one woman had on her many "almost" sons.

Belton, Sandra. Pictures for Miss Josie. Ill. by Benny Andrews. Greenwillow, Amistad, HarperCollins, 2003, 40 p. 0-688-17480-9

Meeting Miss Josie for the first time, a young boy thinks she is a giant. It has been a day of firsts for him, riding on the train with his dad and learning that he had once worked on it. Dad explains that as a poor, young student, Miss Josie took him in and with her help he made it through school. Now, the boy will spend a day and night with Miss Josie in her picture-crowded house. She discovers his gift and encourages him to draw the entire time and also takes him on a walk, showing him Washington, D.C. Several years pass. She has become a principal, whom he, taking the train to camp, is supposed to see on his way, but he is too scared to catch her eye. The next time they meet, Miss Josie is leading the D.C. schools, and he is in college. Although his father tells him Miss Josie wants him to visit, he avoids her. She calls and invites him to join her at church. Unwillingly, he goes to do his duty and make his father happy. At the church door, she no longer seems like a giant and introduces him as the son of one of her boys. As his father said he would, he finds a home away from home. When he tells her his father doesn't want him wasting time painting, she says despite that, he has a gift he must put to good use. Miss Josie is at his graduation and his wedding. Years later he tells his own son stories about her, explaining she is responsible for him becoming an artist. He brings the boy to meet her. Since her hearing is gone, the man who was once an intimidated boy slowly says, "I love you" to the giant of a woman.

Activities

1. Civil Rights Movement
   
   • What does "Civil Rights" mean?
   • Make posters showing some of the people who fought for Civil Rights in the 1960s.
   • Read stories such as The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles to find out what it was like when African-American children tried to go to white schools.
2. Miss Josie
   
   • Read the brief biography of Josephine Carroll Smith on the last page of the book.
   • Mrs. Smith lived to be 103. Create a timeline showing how the world changed from 1894 to 1997.
   • Write a letter to her telling what you think is the most important thing she did in her life.
3. Pride
   
   • What is meant by "It was the beginning of the proud times?"
   • "Proud times" is mentioned several times in the story. What do you think it means each time?
     
   • Draw a picture of something that makes you proud.
4. Washington, D.C.
   
   • Identify the two Washington, D.C., monuments pictured in the story.
   • Make copies of others that are in the capital.
   • Look at maps and create a walking tour that you might take with Miss Josie to see the sights in Washington. D.C.
5. Into the story
   
   • The boy in the story sees Miss Josie as a giant. What kind of a giant is she? How do you become one?
   • How does the illustrator make her seem to be a giant?
   • Why do you think the boy avoids Miss Josie at the train station and then when he starts college?
   • The story doesn't tell you, but what gifts does the boy give Miss Josie at the end?

It is that time of year again. January 12th brings the announcement of the 2004 Caldecott Medal and Honor books by the Association for Library Service to Children at the American Library Association Midwinter Conference, making this month the perfect time for a unit on these winners.

Use the many Caldecott Award titles in your collection to have your students become more familiar with them as they also learn to look for commonalities. Begin by pulling all Medal and Honor books you own. Reacquaint yourself with them and try to view them through your students' eyes to prepare for their questions and come up with your own ideas of where this lesson can go.

What's the Same?

Divide the books you have assembled, piling them on the tables students will use. Read Eric Rohmann's 2003 Medal-winning My Friend Rabbit (Roaring Brook, 2002) and follow it with David Wiesner's The Three Pigs (Clarion, 2001). Ask the class, "What's the same?" Students will easily recognize that the two are about animals. With some guidance from you, they will discover the illustrations in both go outside the frame, and friendship is an important part of the story.

Now have students work with books on their tables to create categories. As they come up with them, write their ideas on easel paper. Include the titles under each heading.

Taking a Closer Look

Once you have lists from every table, encourage students to go beyond the general (i.e. animals, nonfiction) and determine subcategories such as dogs or biographies. They now can re-group their books.

Again, list their categories and the titles within it. When a table has a book that doesn't fit anywhere, have students move it to another. The random pile you made to begin the class will soon take on a more organized look.

It's the Illustrations

Remind students that the Caldecott award is given for illustrations. Have them look for what seems the same among the books. This is the time to discuss various techniques such as cut paper or woodcuts.

Find titles by the same illustrator such as The Three Pigs and Sector 7 by David Wiesner or Simms Taback's Joseph Had a Little Overcoat and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Have the class look for similarities - and differences

Final Thoughts

Let students know which of their categories can be found in the OPAC (or card catalog) making it easy for them to locate books on that topic. Would you like other subjects? You can always add them as a local heading.

Before the class ends, take a few minutes for one more way to group titles. Ask students to name their favorites and give them time to check these out.

The Louisiana Purchase is one of the greatest occurrences in United States history, and yet it is difficult to fix a single date to begin its bicentennial. Since the U.S. took possession of the lower portion on December 20, 1803 (the remainder was transferred three months later), and Lewis and Clark made their first winter camp near St. Louis in the same month, this is an appropriate time to launch a research project on the purchase. In May the SCHOOL LIBRARIAN'S WORKSHOP will mark the start of the expedition itself, as they broke camp to begin their westward journey on May 14, 1804.

Designing the Unit

Work with high school U.S. History I and middle school Social Studies teachers to create a two-part unit, one now and the other in May, which will develop students' understanding of the magnitude of the purchase as well as the results of the expedition undertaken by the Corps of Discovery (or save this, and plan a larger project in the spring.) In this initial study, they will find out how America was affected by European affairs, what the times were like on both continents, and the preparation needed to embark on such a monumental journey.

Review the Information Sheets together (there are four, one on The World in 1803, one on France, one on Spain and one on the Louisiana Purchase). Make additions and deletions appropriate to the curriculum and grade level. Determine whether to have eight small groups, with two for each sheet, or four big ones. The former option works better in middle school where you may want to reduce the number of items to be researched. High students are more able to manage a larger team and can sort out who will look for what.

Research and Report

Begin by going over what is on the Information Sheets. Have the class think through a search strategy. In addition to print and online resources on the countries involved (remind them to be careful to validate websites), students in all groups but "The World in 1803" will also need to research the Louisiana Purchase, Louisiana history, and Thomas Jefferson. Books on the era in question will be helpful to everyone.

Several culminating projects will bring the unit to a temporary close, awaiting further exploration in May. Have each group prepare a PowerPoint presentation or an oral report with posters and other graphics. Afterwards they should combine their information to create a single timeline. Lead a final discussion on the impact of Europe on the U.S, a topic normally only touched on in history books. In talking about the enormity of what a very young nation did, recognizing that Madison authorized the purchase without being able to consult with Jefferson students will develop an appreciation for the importance of the Louisiana Purchase and ready themselves for discovering what added greatness was brought to the event by Lewis and Clark.

Thanks to television, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has become a national event, as much a part of the day as turkey and football. In a story for primary students who will find it quite different from what they see today, Shana Corey, taking some artistic liberties, recreates what it first looked like nearly eighty years ago.

Corey, Shana. Milly and the Macy's Parade. Ill. by Brett Helquist. Scholastic, unp. 0-439-29734-0

Newly arrived in America in 1924, Milly loves the great Macy's department store where her father works, visiting it after school every day. She enjoys "swooshing" around the revolving doors, sailing up the escalators, or going down on the elevators. Thousands come into the store each day. Others look at the windows and sigh, feeling it's not like home. Milly understands immigrants' homesickness, recalling how her own family missed Poland. In time, her mother found where to buy familiar food and started trying American dishes while Papa learned English. But as the holidays draw near, her father and other immigrants miss the celebrations back home. Seeing their unhappiness, Milly gets an idea and races to Mr. Macy's office, finding him upset because his staff is frowning when they should be in a festive mood. When she presents her plan, he likes it very much and signs soon announce a parade. On the big day, Milly and Papa dress in costumes while Mama watches from the sidewalk. At the meeting place in Harlem, all are ready when Mr. Macy tells them to begin. Milly rides an elephant from the zoo, and Papa and his friends feel the parade is a wonderful American celebration. Mr. Macy is so pleased with its success he quickly agrees to Milly's suggestion to make it an annual event. An Author's Note gives the history of the parade, explaining that while Mr. Macy died in 1877, it was convenient to make him a character in the book and also offer other facts related to the holiday.

Activities

1. 1. Thanksgiving Day
   • Describe what Thanksgiving Day is like for you? Do you celebrate at your house or go elsewhere?
   • Make a Thanksgiving Day menu. Star your favorite foods.
   • Compare Thanksgiving Day dinners with everyone in the class. What foods are the same? How many different ones are there?
2. Parades
   • When and where have you seen a parade? What did you like about it?
   • Have you ever been in one? If so, what were you doing?
   • Today, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is known for its helium balloons. Write a letter suggesting a newly designed balloon for next year, explaining why you think it should be added.
3. Immigrants
   • Find where Poland is on a map or globe?
   • Check cook books to find what Polish food is like?
   • Create a skit explaining your favorite American food to an immigrant.
   • Read a book about immigrants and locate the country they came from on a map or globe.
   • Why is America called a "nation of immigrants"?
4. 1920s
   • Look at the illustrations in Milly and the Macy's Parade and describe what is different about the way men and women dressed in the 1920s.
   • Locate pictures showing life in the 1920s and make a collage.
   • Would you have liked to live then? Why or why not?
5. Zoos
   • Animals from the Central Park Zoo were in the first Macy's Parade. Have you ever gone to a zoo? What did you do there?
   • Draw a picture of your favorite animal.
6. Shana Corey
   • Shana Corey also wrote Players in Pigtails, which takes place in the 1940s. Which story do you like better? Why?
   • Players in Pigtails is about baseball. Find out about baseball in the 1920s and write a letter to Ms. Corey suggesting who would be a good baseball player from that time to put into a book.
   • Look for other books by Ms. Corey and discuss what you like best about them.

Of the myriad tasks you face daily, one of the most important is getting your students interested in books and reading. In the primary grades, introducing them to favorite titles which have been enjoyed over the years (and which you take pleasure in reading or just presenting to classes) is one way to create this awareness. Here are some titles that have been around for a while which continue to amuse and engage them. If they are not already on your shelves in hardcover, you can purchase them in paperback editions.

Laughs and Giggles

Wells, Rosemary. Bunny Cakes. Dial, 1997, unp., ill, also in paperback Rosemary Wells, a master at storytelling, uses few words and excellent pictures. Her Max and Ruby stories are gems, and almost any one of the series will appeal to students. In Bunny Cakes it's Grandma's birthday and each rabbit sibling envisions the perfect cake to bake - bossy Ruby plans a regular one with "raspberry-fluff icing" while tenacious younger brother Max, who generally gets his way in the end, wants to make an "earthworm cake with red-hot marshmallow squirters" on top. As he tries to help with the baking but keeps dropping and spilling ingredients, Ruby sends him to the grocery store for replacements. Max, desperately wanting those squirters, has trouble figuring out how to ask for them but finally finds a way. Now Grandma, with two cakes to choose from, has a hard time deciding which she will eat first. Follow up with Bunny Money.

Munsch, Robert. Mortimer. Ill. by Michael Martchenko. Annick Press, 1983, 1985, 2002, unp. paperback. Another author whose work attracts children is one-time Canadian kindergarten teacher Robert Munsch. His works are often outrageous but always funny, and your students will ask for them over and over again. Mortimer is a young boy who doesn't want to go to sleep and many people (his mother, father, 17 sisters and brothers, two policemen) come up the stairs and into his room to try to persuade him. As each one goes up and down, have listeners say the "thumps" as you point to them. Then have them say or sing Mortimer's repetitive lines ("Clang, clang, rattle-bing-bang/ Gonna make my noise all day") after each visitor has gone, and, long after you have finished reading, students will still remember them. Follow up with Mud Puddle, 50 Below Zero and Purple, Green and Yellow.

Journeys

Brenner, Barbara. Wagon Wheels. Ill. by Don Bolognese. HarperCollins, 1993, 64 p., also in paperback. Ordinarily, books with limited vocabulary are written for young readers to decipher on their own. Rarely does such a book make a great "read-aloud." However, one exception is Wagon Wheels by Barbara Brenner which takes place after the Civil War when the three Muldie boys and their father come to Kansas looking for free land. They spend the winter in Nicodemus, a tiny black community, living underground in a dugout as do several other families, but in the Spring, Mr. Muldie goes off to find a place to build a house near "hills and trees", leaving the boys, aged 11, 8 and 3, alone for three months. He sends them a letter with a map showing the 150 miles along the river they must walk to reach him, and 22 days later, after many adventures, they do. First graders will be fascinated by this tale which also introduces Indians, a prairie fire, and a poisonous snake along the way. Compare the amount of miles the boys walked to a comparable distance in your area to which your students are driven, and show on a calendar how long the boys are on their way. The book is based on a true story.

Edwards, Pamela Duncan. Livingstone Mouse. Ill. by Henry Cole. HarperCollins, 1996, unp., paperback. Geography and the different meaning of words are discussed in Pamela Duncan Edwards' Livingstone Mouse, another title that first or second graders will enjoy. When Livingstone's mother tells her litter of mice that it's time to go off on their own, he asks her, "Where is the greatest place in the world?" and when she says she has heard that China is nice, he decides to make his home there. His adventures while looking for China, asking other creatures for directions, are funny, and he learns a lot. Finally, after many false starts, he finds the perfect place and is amazed to learn that it is indeed called china - the other kind. Ask your listeners if they know the reason the author named him Livingstone and why he is called "an explorer," have them find China on a map or globe, and try to figure out how far the country is from the state in which your school is located.

Krull, Kathleen. Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman. Ill. by David Diaz. Voyager Books, Harcourt, 1996, 2000, unp., paperback Not many biographies lend themselves to reading aloud, but Wilma Unlimited by Kathleen Krull is as interesting and exciting as its main character's life. Born in Tennessee in 1940 with 19 older brothers and sisters, having already caught every childhood illness, Wilma contracted polio at age five with a prognosis that she would never walk again. Her mother took her on the bus, 50 miles weekly, to Nashville the only hospital that would accept blacks for treatment. Her determination not to be an invalid helped her walk again, playing basketball in high school, getting a scholarship to college to run track and field, and finally, against great odds, winning three gold medals at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. Second and third graders will sit on the edge of their seats as they cheer for Wilma to come in first. Be sure to tell them that she became a second grade teacher after she retired as a runner (see Author's Note). Ask if students have heard of polio previously and explain what a terrible disease it was until vaccinations became available years later. Have interested students try to find information on other young people who became famous by winning medals at various Olympic Games.

There are certainly other "oldies but goodies" in your collection for you to entice students, introducing them into the world of reading. Look through your shelves for more possibilities. (If you have some special favorites, send us a letter or e-mail and if we get enough responses, we will compile an additional list for you.)

A new school year is an opportunity to ensure that the first impression you make is a positive one to serve your interests and your program. You may be starting a job or have been transferred to a different school. Perhaps a new administrator has been hired, or there are additions to the faculty. Always, there are students just starting out or returning. How are you going to present yourself to all these people?

If you throw yourself into the myriad tasks awaiting you when school begins, you may be overlooking the importance of creating the proper first impression. Changing someone's miond will take far more effort than getting it right the first time.

New Job / New School

Opening day when you don't know anyone can be very stressful, yet you want the teachers to feel your warmth and interest in being their partner. Be sure to introduce yourself and use whatever mnemonic device you can to try and remember names. (However, don't fake it if you forget. Just ask again.) Invite staff members to come to the media center. If you have coffee and cake the first week, you are bound to get a number of drop-ins.

When your guests show up, engage them in casual converstaion. As you find out about them, it will be easier to recall their names. If you have difficulty in this area, keep a brief log to jog your memory. Ask them about their previous use of the media center. Most will tell you what they liked; a few will share some discontent. Offer to continue or make changes as necessary -- without compromising your own philosophy.

Once you know their interests of teachers and other staff members, bring new acquisitions to their attention, In many cases this well lead to collaborative units. After a while, check the school route sheet or department list to identify those you have not yet met. Extending a personal invitation to them may attract some.

New Administrators and Teachers

As an old hand, you can prove helpful to administrators and teachers. Despite the fact that the best time to begin your relationship with principals or superintendents is in the summer, arrange for an after-school meeting now. Neither criticize the past nor present your current concerns. Instead, offer your support. Try to learn this administrator's vision or major thrust and show how the library media program can help bring it to fruition. Don't stay too long, but leave a fact sheet highlighting your program's successes.

New teachers can be hard to reach. They are so overwhelmed by faces, paperwork, and just coping that they may not find you for a year unless you make the first move. Send a note offering to show them resources they will find helpful. Encourage them to schedule a period with you to review special technology applications or explain how the two of you can work together.

Welcoming Students and Others

Whether you are greeting students new to the school or those returning, remember that a smile goes a long way to put them at ease. Do your best to learn their names. Ask about their summer and, if they read something they enjoyed, suggest related titles. Your goal is for them to find you a source of non-judgmental help.

Throughout the year you will have many occasions to make a first impression. Whether it is a parent stopping in or guests visiting your school, take the time to present your program as an integral part of the educational process. Your welcoming manner will invariably make them more aware of the importance of media centers and library media specialists.