Furthermore, Tomlinson & McTighe (2006) encourage teachers to differentiate instruction by content, forming product activities and learning environments which contribute to maximum learning opportunities, which are conducive to all learner characteristic types. The creation of cloth-bound books in the library is an ideal method to provide differentiation by product, and, since the library has remained a cherished learning atmosphere for children, as well as a venue abundant with resources and physical space to pursue educational interests and ideas, it a logical venue for constructing cloth-bound books.
As a collective team, we have made hundreds of books with young children. Pre-school children, for example, can make a book of musically-based nursery rhymes (Palmer, 1991; Derrydale, 1994; Sharon, Lois, & Bram, 1985), encouraging auditory learners and attaching yet another level of intelligence to the kinesthetic requirements. For autobiogra-phies, which have always been one of our favorites, we always include a picture of the child on the inside cover to encourage psychological and social well-being. The young child, with the help of an adult, produces a life story with pictures and text. The child can produce an autobiography each year and eventually have a collection spanning several years, an example of Cartwright’s (2009) cognitive flexibility. We have produced the cloth-bound books in classes from second grade through graduate school, as learners of all ages are highly engaged when performing activities which attend to multiple intelli-gences. The end result is the fact this pedagogical tool is enjoyed, created, understood, and meaningful within all human developmental levels.
The feedback from participants in our book-making activities has always been highly positive. Books produced by children fre-quently become cherished family treasures. One particular experience is worthy of sharing. In a graduate education class held in a nearby high school, we made the cloth-bound books with graduate students described in this article. A teacher of the third grade class, whom we will call Ms. Kelly, recalled making such a book when she was a sixth grader in an area middle school. Her middle school teacher had made a book as an undergraduate student in one of our classes and carried the concept into her teaching. Ms. Kelly wrote poems for her parents in her own cloth-bound book, and she was eager to share the book she had created so many years ago. She communicated that the book was a cherished family memento of her school years. It has been displayed on the mantel over the fireplace in her parents’ home since its creation. The next week in class, she showed us the book she made as a middle school student and had dedicated to her parents. Ms. Kelly said her parents were reluctant to allow her to take the book from their home. It had become such a family treasure that she had to promise her parents that she would take loving care of the book of poems and return it in excellent condition. Obviously, this family has interacted with this literary activity for years---recalling the power
Deborah Parrott is Program Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Library Media at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN. She is a veteran teacher and librarian with over 24 years of experience. Additionally, she is a member of the International Reading Association's Children's and Young Adult's Book Awards Committees.
Renee' C. Lyons is an Assistant Professor at East Tennessee State University in the School Library Media Program. She has over 23 years experience in sharing books with children of all ages.
Gina Podvin is the librarian at Rock Creek Elementary School in Erwin, TN. Gina directs the library in this K-4 school and serves as a teacher of reading for at-risk students.
Dr. Ed Dwyer is a professor at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN, teaching courses in literacy education. He previously taught 4th grade, middle school, college developmental reading courses, and worked for five years as a reading clinician. He can be reached at [email protected].
37