Collaboration is essential and is one of the most difficult tasks for Library Media Specialists to achieve. Integrating information literacy into the curriculum at times seems like an overwhelming task. However, this does not make it impossible to achieve. When collaboration is successful the students will let you know!
I recently attended a literature conference, where speaker, Kathleen Baxter children's literature consultant, recommended Hidden Letters, annotated by Deborah Slier and Ian Shine as a book to get students hooked on Non-Fiction. I later emailed Kathleen to ask for the author’s contact information. I was thrilled to get a response.
On Mar 3, 2010, at 8:07 AM, Eyer, Patty wrote:
Dear Ms. Slier,
My name is Patricia Eyer, I am a school library media specialist for the South Orangetown Central School District in Rockland County. We are located approximately 25 miles north of New York City.I recently attended a fabulous “Gotcha” presentation by Kathleen Baxter. She spoke about getting kids hooked with nonfiction books and highly recommended Hidden Letters as one such engaging book! A sixth grade teacher, Glen Speigelman, approached me a few weeks ago to collaborate on a project that would enhance the students' emotional response to Number Of the Stars by Louis Lowry. I immediately thought of your book, Hidden Letters, as a way to engage the students by generating conversations and responses to the discovery of your cousin's primary documents.
It would be great if you would be our genuine audience for this project and possibly consider visiting our middle school. For students, knowing the knowledge level of the audience will help determine how to write, how much information to include, how long to make text, how subjective or objective they should be, and how formal or informal the text should be.
Giving the students the opportunity to share letters written to you expressing, “How do the authors documentation and use of primary sources, enrich your understanding of war? How does literature, nonfiction and fiction, enhance your understanding of war?" will promote core knowledge and critical thinking sets to address authentic problems, develop meaningful questions and manage ambiguity.
Our goal is for the students to identify, evaluate, and reflect on their own learning in order to develop an empathetic understanding of others and other cultures in the school and global community.
Working with you would be an honor and a privilege!
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Patricia Eyer and Glen Spiegelman
From: Deborah Shine [mailto:dshine@starbrightbooks.com Sent: Fri 3/19/2010 7:36 AMTo: Eyer, Patty Subject: Fwd: Hidden Letters Dear Patricia and Glen,
We would be delighted to do what we can. Please let me know when you would like us to come. Is there anything that you would like at this stage? I'm pleased that you liked Kathy Baxter, she is pretty amazing.
Best wishes,
Deborah Shine
Dear Ms. Slier,
My name is Patricia Eyer, I am a school library media specialist for the South Orangetown Central School District in Rockland County. We are located approximately 25 miles north of New York City.I recently attended a fabulous “Gotcha” presentation by Kathleen Baxter. She spoke about getting kids hooked with nonfiction books and highly recommended Hidden Letters as one such engaging book! A sixth grade teacher, Glen Speigelman, approached me a few weeks ago to collaborate on a project that would enhance the students' emotional response to Number Of the Stars by Louis Lowry. I immediately thought of your book, Hidden Letters, as a way to engage the students by generating conversations and responses to the discovery of your cousin's primary documents.
It would be great if you would be our genuine audience for this project and possibly consider visiting our middle school. For students, knowing the knowledge level of the audience will help determine how to write, how much information to include, how long to make text, how subjective or objective they should be, and how formal or informal the text should be.
Giving the students the opportunity to share letters written to you expressing, “How do the authors documentation and use of primary sources, enrich your understanding of war? How does literature, nonfiction and fiction, enhance your understanding of war?" will promote core knowledge and critical thinking sets to address authentic problems, develop meaningful questions and manage ambiguity.
Our goal is for the students to identify, evaluate, and reflect on their own learning in order to develop an empathetic understanding of others and other cultures in the school and global community.
Working with you would be an honor and a privilege!
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Patricia Eyer and Glen Spiegelman
From: Deborah Shine [mailto:dshine@starbrightbooks.com Sent: Fri 3/19/2010 7:36 AMTo: Eyer, Patty Subject: Fwd: Hidden Letters Dear Patricia and Glen,
We would be delighted to do what we can. Please let me know when you would like us to come. Is there anything that you would like at this stage? I'm pleased that you liked Kathy Baxter, she is pretty amazing.
Best wishes,
Deborah Shine
Dear Mrs. Shine,
I am delighted to her from you! Glen and I recently hooked two sixth grade classes with the video interview you gave NECN, Good Morning Live! Currently, we are looking at five specific letters written by Flip. We have asked the students to work in groups and to discuss the letters in detail. We are hopeful the discussion will lead to a deeper understanding of the Holocaust as the students share and evaluate the Hidden Letters.
We are using Glen’s classroom blog to document the thoughts and reactions of the students to Flip’s letters. They will be posting their comments early this week. Again, it would be great if you would be our genuine audience for this project and possibly visit the blog, http://socsdteacher.org/gspiegelman/category/hidden-letters/, and respond to their thinking with a few comments. For students, knowing they have a global audience, including the author, will help them determine how to write, how much information to include and how formal or informal the text should be.The students are very excited at the prospect of visiting. Please let us know what the cost of your visit would be and what dates you are available.Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Patricia Eyer and Glen Spiegelman
I am delighted to her from you! Glen and I recently hooked two sixth grade classes with the video interview you gave NECN, Good Morning Live! Currently, we are looking at five specific letters written by Flip. We have asked the students to work in groups and to discuss the letters in detail. We are hopeful the discussion will lead to a deeper understanding of the Holocaust as the students share and evaluate the Hidden Letters.
We are using Glen’s classroom blog to document the thoughts and reactions of the students to Flip’s letters. They will be posting their comments early this week. Again, it would be great if you would be our genuine audience for this project and possibly visit the blog, http://socsdteacher.org/gspiegelman/category/hidden-letters/, and respond to their thinking with a few comments. For students, knowing they have a global audience, including the author, will help them determine how to write, how much information to include and how formal or informal the text should be.The students are very excited at the prospect of visiting. Please let us know what the cost of your visit would be and what dates you are available.Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Patricia Eyer and Glen Spiegelman
Arlene Sorensen, English Language Arts teachers has been life long friends with Simon Jerichum. He was a hidden child during the Holocaust. We had the privilege of his visit. Yuo can watch the video of Simon's presentation by clicking here: Down the Road with Ms. Sorensen.
From: "Simon Jeruchim" <scjeruchim@optonline.net
To: "peyer@socsd.org" <peyer@socsd.org
Subject:Holocaust
Hello Patty,
I just sent you some of my wartime drawings but for some unknown reason the delivery failed. Any way I will try again and hope for more success this time. A also wanted to let you know that it was a pleasure to meet you and that I appreciated your kind note and the photos you sent me.
From: "Simon Jeruchim" <scjeruchim@optonline.net
To: "peyer@socsd.org" <peyer@socsd.org
Subject:Holocaust
Hello Patty,
I just sent you some of my wartime drawings but for some unknown reason the delivery failed. Any way I will try again and hope for more success this time. A also wanted to let you know that it was a pleasure to meet you and that I appreciated your kind note and the photos you sent me.
To see More of Simon's War Time Drawings Click The PICTURE
Deborah and Ian,
Thank you for posting to Mr. Spiegelman’s blog. The students have been on vacation this past week. I am anxious to show them your comments, which will definitely spur some deeper thinking. I have shared your book with other middle school teachers who will be incorporating it into existing social studies and language arts lessons.
I cannot tell you how tickled I am to have you participate in giving middle school students an empathetic, up-close view of the Holocaust using “Hidden Letters.” Please let me know if there is a convenient time in the near future that you would be able to join us at the South Orangetown Middle School to meet with a small group of students.
Thank you again for our time and consideration.
Patricia and Glen
Thank you for posting to Mr. Spiegelman’s blog. The students have been on vacation this past week. I am anxious to show them your comments, which will definitely spur some deeper thinking. I have shared your book with other middle school teachers who will be incorporating it into existing social studies and language arts lessons.
I cannot tell you how tickled I am to have you participate in giving middle school students an empathetic, up-close view of the Holocaust using “Hidden Letters.” Please let me know if there is a convenient time in the near future that you would be able to join us at the South Orangetown Middle School to meet with a small group of students.
Thank you again for our time and consideration.
Patricia and Glen
Sixth grade teacher, Glen Speigelman, and English Language Arts teacher, Debra D'Turi have been working in collaboration with Patty Eyer and Kerri McBride to enhance the students' emotional response to Historical Fiction and understanding of the circumstances surrounding World War II. At a recent librarian's conference focusing on getting kids hooked with nonfiction books, the book Hidden Letters published by Deborah Slier and Ian Shine was highly recommended as one such engaging book! Hidden Letters reveals the engaging primary documents found in 1997, during the demolition of a small family house in Amsterdam, Manus deGroot, when a foreman noticed a small bundle of papers hidden in a ceiling. The papers consisted of 86 letters, postcards, and a telegram sent from an eighteen-year-old Dutch boy, Philip "Flip" Slier to his parents while he was imprisoned in a forced labor camp in Holland. Deborah and Ian Shine, first cousins to the primary documents author,Philip Slier or Flip, have been our genuine audience. The couple have engaged the students by generating conversations and responses for this project by posting to Mr. Spiegelman's Blog,http://socsdteacher.org/gspiegelman. For students, knowing the knowledge level of the audience help determine how to write, how much information to include, how long to make text, how subjective or objective they should be, and how formal or informal the text should be.Our goal is for the students to identify, evaluate, and reflect on their own learning in order to develop an empathetic understanding of others and other cultures in the school and global community.When asked what their fee would be for a possible to visit to the South Orangetown Middle School, their response was, "We do not charge any fee,though we hope to sell a book, which of course doesn't happen when we talk to school kids, but no matter, that is fine. It is our hope that after hearing us talk and learning about Flip, some kid(s) will step up to the plate when they see someone being bullied or ridiculed, and rather than thinking, "Thank goodness they're not picking on me," will speak up and say, "Quit it!" After all it usually only takes one brave person to speak up for others to follow."
immediate release:
Hidden Letters Authors Visit SOMS Students
As part of an ongoing goal to reinforce the importance for students to identify, evaluate, and reflect on their own learning in order to develop an empathetic understanding of other people and other cultures in the school and global community, SOMS Library Media Specialist, Patty Eyer recently arranged for a visit by authors Deborah Slier and her husband Ian Shine who researched & annotated the book, Hidden Letters. The book was made possible through letters found in 1997 during the demolition of a small family house in Amsterdam, when the foreman found two bundles of papers hidden in a ceiling. The papers consisted of 86 letters, postcards, and a telegram sent from an 18 1/2 year-old Dutch boy, Philip “Flip” Slier, to his parents while he was imprisoned in a forced labor camp in Holland during the Holocaust. The foreman, realizing the importance of the letters, took them to the Dutch National Institute of War Documentation under the condition that he be told what happened to the boy and his family, and whether there were any survivors. The letters found their way to Deborah (first cousin to "Flip") and Ian Shine in 1999. The Shines spent the better part of the next 7 years traveling back and forth to Europe in search of relatives, friends, stories and pictures in an effort to unravel the conditions, fears, and courage that underlined Flip's letters to his family, during his brief life in the work camp. Since Hidden Letters was published, the authors have graciously visited with students and different organizations to share with them the complex, multifaceted, difficult, sometimes delightful and sometimes heartbreaking discoveries that came of their research into Flip's short life. "It is our hope", commented Mr. Shine, "that after hearing us talk and learning about Flip, at least one child will step up to the plate when they see someone being bullied or ridiculed, and rather than thinking, "Thank goodness they're not picking on me," will speak up and say, "Quit it!" After all, it usually only takes one brave person to speak up for others to follow. " story and photos by BJ Greco [photo captions] 1. Deborah (Slier) Shine, co-author; Ms. Patty Eyer, SOMS Library Media Specialist; Ian Shine, co-author
2,3,&4. The Shines speaking with SOMS students
Hidden Letters Authors Visit SOMS Students
As part of an ongoing goal to reinforce the importance for students to identify, evaluate, and reflect on their own learning in order to develop an empathetic understanding of other people and other cultures in the school and global community, SOMS Library Media Specialist, Patty Eyer recently arranged for a visit by authors Deborah Slier and her husband Ian Shine who researched & annotated the book, Hidden Letters. The book was made possible through letters found in 1997 during the demolition of a small family house in Amsterdam, when the foreman found two bundles of papers hidden in a ceiling. The papers consisted of 86 letters, postcards, and a telegram sent from an 18 1/2 year-old Dutch boy, Philip “Flip” Slier, to his parents while he was imprisoned in a forced labor camp in Holland during the Holocaust. The foreman, realizing the importance of the letters, took them to the Dutch National Institute of War Documentation under the condition that he be told what happened to the boy and his family, and whether there were any survivors. The letters found their way to Deborah (first cousin to "Flip") and Ian Shine in 1999. The Shines spent the better part of the next 7 years traveling back and forth to Europe in search of relatives, friends, stories and pictures in an effort to unravel the conditions, fears, and courage that underlined Flip's letters to his family, during his brief life in the work camp. Since Hidden Letters was published, the authors have graciously visited with students and different organizations to share with them the complex, multifaceted, difficult, sometimes delightful and sometimes heartbreaking discoveries that came of their research into Flip's short life. "It is our hope", commented Mr. Shine, "that after hearing us talk and learning about Flip, at least one child will step up to the plate when they see someone being bullied or ridiculed, and rather than thinking, "Thank goodness they're not picking on me," will speak up and say, "Quit it!" After all, it usually only takes one brave person to speak up for others to follow. " story and photos by BJ Greco [photo captions] 1. Deborah (Slier) Shine, co-author; Ms. Patty Eyer, SOMS Library Media Specialist; Ian Shine, co-author
2,3,&4. The Shines speaking with SOMS students
Thank You
Dear Dr. Shine and Mrs. Slier, I would like to thank you both for coming in and talking to my class about Flip on Wednesday, April 14th. After you talked about Flip and showed us the slide show, I understood better what Flip had to live and suffer through. I understood how he had to hide in a hay stack for two days. It also made me realize that people all across Europe had to suffer through unfathomable conditions. I enjoyed your presentation and speech. Once again thank you for all your time and effort.Sincerely,Louis C.
