Keeping Current
School Library Media Activities Monthly/Volume 22, Number 1/September 2005/page 55
Using BDA Strategies in the Library Media Center
by Cynthia A. Keller
Cynthia A. Keller is the Library Supervisor for the Chambersburg Area School District, Chambersburg, PA, and is an adjunct instructor with the School Library and Information Technologies Program at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania.
What Exactly Are BDA Strategies?
BDA strategies are reading strategies that "good readers" use before, during, and after reading.
These strategies are in conjunction with free reading as well as direct reading instruction by reading specialists and/or teachers. Stephen Krashen, in his book The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research, presents a number of reading studies about free voluntary reading, in and out of school, that show that free reading impacts students' reading comprehension, writing style, vocabulary, spelling, and grammatical development. To encourage free reading, Krashen stresses the importance of free reading both in and out of school and the need for adequate access to a rich print environment in the classroom as well as the school library media center (Krashen 2004, 58). Direct instruction that is done by reading and classroom teachers focuses on skill building through repetition and practice.
Why the Emphasis on Reading?
The goal of the No Child Left Behind Act and the National Standards is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain high quality education. To date, the focus is on reading and math. Pressure continues to build for students, prekindergarten through twelfth grade, to succeed at more and more advanced reading levels as the national and state standards increase. Parents, as well as other community members, access information on state education websites and compare school districts by their test results. Although a community concern, the primary responsibility for students' educational success and increased test scores on state as well as local assessments seems to rest on the shoulders of educators.
Teach Reading Strategies?? Who, Me??
In the January 2004 issue of School Library Journal, Scott Knickelbine of Lownik Communications Services, a consulting firm, states: "If school library media specialists are not thought of as being essential to the mission of improving student test scores, then they risk being seen as irrelevant. School library media specialists need to carve out relevant tasks for themselves since the No Child Left Behind law does not spell them out" (Whelan 2004, 40). In addition, they must advocate for school library media centers and library media specialists by communicating the fact that fourteen nationwide studies show the close relationship between reading achievement and a strong school library program complete with a qualified library media specialist (School Libraries Work 2004).
School library media specialists have formal and informal opportunities to model and reinforce research-based reading strategies commonly used in the classroom. Christine Walker and Sarah Shaw, in their book Teaching Reading Strategies in the School Library, state that reading comprehension and thinking must extend and penetrate into every nook and cranny of a school's program so that students learn to wrestle meaning from the most stubborn and resistant of sources across content areas. Walker and Shaw highlight a number of reading strategies that can be done during storytime or read-aloud periods/classes while promoting independent reading, author studies, and genre exploration at the same time (Walker and Shaw 2004, 1).
Many of the same strategies presented by Walker and Shaw are BDA strategies that can be integrated easily into information literacy curriculums and presented by school library media specialists during book selection, read-aloud sessions, storytelling, booktalking presentations, and independent reading times. The BDA strategies may be done with individuals, small groups, or classrooms. In addition, the strategies may be introduced or modeled by the school library media specialist during a structured library period or may be presented to students whenever there is a "teachable moment" during the library day.
Before, During, and After (BDA) Strategies
The school library media specialist can use or model the Before Reading Strategies (see below) when students are selecting books that they need for both independent reading and curriculum-related reading assignments. In order to keep students reading, it is an important goal for the school library media specialist to put just the right book into the learner's hands. Booktalks also offer the school library media specialist opportunities to exhibit Before Reading Strategies.
The school library media specialist can encourage and promote During Reading Strategies by using a variety of techniques (see page 57). These strategies can be done while students are reading independently or when the school library media specialist is reading aloud or doing storytelling. Reading aloud has multiple effects on literacy development. Hearing stories appears to have a direct impact on literacy development (Krashen 2004, 78).
After a book/story presentation, there are numerous opportunities for the school library media specialist to teach or model After Reading Strategies (see page 58). The school library media specialist may briefly discuss a book/story after a readaloud or story presentation, ask recall and higher level thinking questions, establish book clubs or after-school discussion groups, form literature circles, or encourage students to retell a story with puppets by using creative dramatics or book props. Ties to different curriculum areas, authors, and titles should be made.
What Else Can Be Done?
Sharon Grimes, in the article "The Search for Meaning," identifies specific steps that the school library media specialist can do to integrate reading strategies into the library program:
- Create a reading environment in the library media center.
- Schedule time for reading.
- Provide a wide variety of books on diverse reading achievement levels.
- Communicate a passion for reading.
- Provide opportunities for students to interact with books (Grimes 2004, 49-52).
In addition, to ensure a successful integration of BDA strategies as well as other reading strategies into an information literacy curriculum, the reading specialists, classroom teacher, and the school library media specialist must collaborate. As an instructional team, they can plan learning activities, promote reading across the curriculum initiatives, and cooperatively teach integrated lessons that stress BDA strategies.
References
Grimes, Sharon. "The Search for Meaning: How You Can Boost Kids' Reading Comprehension." School Library Journal (May 2004): 48-52.
Krashen, Stephen D. The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2004.
School Libraries Work! Research Foundation Paper. Danbury, CT: Scholastic Library Publishing, 2004.
Walker, Christine, and Sarah Shaw. Teaching Reading Strategies in the School Library. Westport, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 2004.
Whelan, Debra Lau. "A Golden Opportunity: Why ‘No Child Left Behind' Is Your Chance to Become Indispensable." School Library Journal (January 2004): 40-42.