Last week I sat with two teachers and a full video crew, patiently waiting and filming the moment a "barometer child" stopped reading during independent reading time. "Barometer child" is a term coined by Joan Moser and Gail Boushey in The Daily 5 to describe those children who not only are first to begin fidgeting or abandoning independent work, but are likely to cause others to get off task quickly. By keeping track of a barometer child, teachers know when a transition is needed, or can gauge if stamina for independent tasks is increasing or waning. Sure enough, within minutes of beginning our watch, a child rolled up off the floor and began moving, and within seconds, others followed his lead.

Literacy leaders naturally and unconsciously look for "barometer colleagues" in their professional development workshops, or when launching an initiative. When we imagine a group response to something we're planning, there is always an individual or two who pops into our heads. We consider some colleague responses more than the others when imagining whether or not our plans will succeed. The individual may be prickly or enthusiastic, young or old, but we know intuitively the group is likely to follow the lead of that barometer colleague.

Beyond the barometers in your midst, you also have bellwethers on staff. These are the people you ask for advice or reactions before pitching new ideas to the whole staff. The problem for literacy leaders is that you may be most comfortable with colleagues who are near to you in age and experience when looking for bellwethers. As any of us age, there can be a generational gap, especially when it comes to new technologies and new media.

Who is your bellwether? Is there a younger teacher who might be a better bellwether for any program that involves new technology? A bellwether for technology or new media trends isn't necessarily the first person to have the new snazzy cellphone or music player. Instead, they are the staff members most likely to influence whether others will pick up on that trend or technology.

This week we're featuring materials that can help bridge those generational gaps on school staffs, including a primer on graphic novels and literacy resources for Earth Day. Plus more as always. Enjoy!

Brenda Power

Editor, Choice Literacy

www.choiceliteracy.com

Free for All

In "Compehending Graphic Novels" from the Choice Literacy Archives, Mary Lee Hahn provides a quick primer for teachers new to graphic novels, as well as suggestions for using these novels to teach comprehension:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/242.cfm

Is your school going green? The upcoming worldwide Earth Day celebrations on April 22nd offer many opportunities for infusing literacy learning into content areas. The Environmental Literacy Council has links to many current resources for designing thoughtful lessons and activities:

http://www.enviroliteracy.org/subcategory.php/255.html

It's spring cleaning season in many homes and schools, in the midst of a tight budget cycle for many. The Freecycle nonprofit organization is a terrific resource for schools looking to recycle materials or pick up some free used books, materials, or furniture in their areas. You simply type in your location, and you're linked with free goods available from local recyclers:

http://www.freecycle.org/

A hearty welcome to our newest site license members from Harrison, New York; Marion, Akron, and Tallmadge, Ohio; Moore, Oklahoma; Avon Park, Florida; Chesterfield, Missouri; and Deerfield, New Hampshire, as well as our renewing site licensees in the Guam/Pan Pacific Department of Defense Schools. If your school or district is interested in a Choice Literacy Site License, you can get more information about rates and download the application form here:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/department63.cfm

There might be more lovely places to be than on the Maine coast in October as the leaves change...but we don't know of many. The Fall Choice Literacy Workshops in Rockland, Maine at the Samoset Resort are now open for registration. Topics include the Literacy Principal, Literacy Coaching, Leading Meetings and Study Groups, CAFE/Daily 5 Combo, Mentor Texts, and Helping Struggling Readers. You can view descriptions and download a registration form at this link:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/579.cfm

For Members Only

R U SITD about text messaging? Jennifer Allen finds she and many of her colleagues are also "still in the dark" about this phenomenon among students, so their study group takes on the challenge of learning more and testing out uses of text messages in reading and writing workshops. She chronicles the healthy debate in her school in this week's article:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/575.cfm

We've posted the final video in our series from The Sisters on redesigning a middle school library. This week they tackle the stacks, and debrief with students about the changes. We've included a catch-up link if you missed the first two videos in the series:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/581.cfm

From the Mailbag: A member from Akron, Ohio writes in, "How about more resources geared to middle school literacy?" We are working to address this need, with more middle school contributors and videos on tap for the coming months. In the meantime, we've prepared a Middle School Resource Round-Up of fifteen features middle school coaches, specialists, and teachers might enjoy:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/580.cfm

Finally, just for fun - if you're discouraged by the growing number of insipid decodable texts in elementary classrooms or a fan of Edgar Allan Poe, the parody "The Telltale Text" by Tonia Boyer may give you a chuckle. It's also a humorous read-aloud for a staff meeting:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/569.cfm

That's all for this week!