The students and staff at Clare Woods Academy enjoy the quiet calm of the school library.
There is a wide assortment of books and magazines to meet the various interest levels and reading abilities of all our students, and it continues to grow.
Among these is a collection of graphic novels. A graphic novel is a “comic book” format that offers interesting stories and engaging visuals that reach out to reluctant readers, visual learners, and others who may shy away from customary, print-heavy books. However, they also offer the same advantages of regular books: introducing young people to new vocabulary, “book language,” and stories and information to teach them about their world and inspire them. Fiction and nonfiction graphic novels bring another perspective to our older students, and they have been well received.
To add to the current collection of books with accompanying audiotapes for our younger students, we have acquired several other books in audio format including books on CD, books on tape, and playaways. A playaway is a preloaded digital audio book with an “MP3” player look. All of these new audio books have supplementary hard copies and they are aimed at our older students.
There is a collection of high/low books. These are written for youngsters who are reluctant readers because they read below grade level and can’t find books they can read that interest them. The books are at the reader's interest level (“high interest”) but written at a lower reading level (“low readability”) to promote reading. Kids and teens reading below grade level are more willing to read a book if it is not only at their reading level but also at their interest level. In addition, there is an expanded collection of leveled readers for the younger students. Several magazines are also on the shelves and our students find them appealing because of their high visual content.
In addition to our expanding book and media collection, the library provides enrichment opportunities for our students. Using a variety of resources, students receive small group instruction in areas that meet state goals for language arts, science, and social science. In hope of connecting students to community both locally and globally, study of current events, as well as relevant people, places, and things form the basis for many of these lessons. Library skills and genre are also stressed.
The Lexia reading skills software program is administered to Primary Department students. This leveled program helps develop phonemic awareness, sound-symbol correspondence, word-attack skills, and early comprehension skills, while introducing new vocabulary.
Our library is a work in progress striving to tempt our students with multiple resources. A wise person once said, “libraries are not made; they grow.”