The LMC Program Fosters Guided Reading

Encourage teachers to extend a buddy reading center into the LMC, offering students the opportunity to use the facility independently yet holding them accountable for their time away from the classroom.

Develop an accountability sheet that incorporates multiple activities to be completed in the LMC as center options. (LMCenter Activity)

Have a listening center of storytelling tapes or CDs available for groups of students to listen to. Ask students to share the who, what, where, when, why of a favorite story with a friend.

Promote a school-wide publishing center and encourage all students to author books by providing a publishing jobsheet. Recognize published authors on a regular basis through weekly announcements or newsletters. Offer to barcode and circulate student published works. Provide an editing guide for parent volunteer editors so that their editing marks are consistent with those used in classrooms. This one is from Fountas and Pinnell's Guiding Readers and Writers Grades 3-6. Enlist parent volunteers to word process and bind manuscripts.

Promote independent book selection techniques and strategies with students. Learn the selection strategies that your teachers present to them. Be sure to work with your reading improvement teacher as well. Teach students the Five Finger Rule for self-selection if they don't already know it. Reinforce it if they do!

Display a Dewey Wall or other aide where students can quickly locate the Dewey number for the non-fiction subjects that interest them. Then assist with "just right" book location and selection.

Provide a forum for students to write book reviews for their peers. Their recommendations can be made available online, posted in the LMC or both.

Create a "Poetry" video during March, the month before National Poetry Month. Set up the video camera on a tripod for students to read a poem while a friend records. Students select, practice reading, and perform for themselves and their classmates. During the month of April, let the videotape run in a loop for LMC visitors to enjoy.

Design a "Poetry Wall" for students to display their original poems. Provide blank sheets of paper at an art table in the LMC for illustrated poems written during the month of April or any month.

Provide access to computers for students to create their own illustrated stories with Storybook Weaver by Riverdeep. This program enables students to author and illustrate a story with computer generated clipart and themes in a book format.

Schedule "Magazine Mondays" for students and teachers to come to the LMC and read magazines throughout the day. Be sure to include magazines such as Ranger Rick, Your Big Backyard, National Geographic Kids, Cricket, and Spider for elementary students.

Set up a display with simple machines or other science related realia such as magnetic sculptures. Display books about the theme for students to read and learn more about the concept. Include a fact basket where after writing down a new fact on a specially designed paper (perhaps with a gear designed border or inside a large horseshoe magnet graphic) students can drop it in to become a part of the display.

Set up a genre of the month book display. Share booktalks with the students on a monthly basis relating to the display. Encourage students to add additional books to the display as the month progresses and books are checked out.

Demonstrate a commercial to sell a book. Put out a "Book Commercial Form" for students to complete. Set up a video camera during that same month and allow students as they complete their form to tape their commercial with a friend for viewing the next month. (Hoyt, 1999)