Identifying Sources Pt. 2

    A few weeks go I explored some of the resources I was already familiar with, so the next week I decided to hit the databases. I began with Education Resource Complete and initially performed a simple keyword search with the terms "literacy" and "gender differences". Applying some additional limiters, including articles from the past 34 years, academic peer-reviewed journals, and subject terms related to gender differences in education gave me 17 articles to sift through. I narrowed those down to 6 to save for further reading.

    Several of the suggestions added to my wiki post were helpful, especially the Ontario Education guide, "Me Read?". I've linked to it in the index of this site.

    My academic library also had a couple of books in the education section that seemed relevant. I checked them out, and cited them in the index as well.

Changing Platforms

I started this journal using Weebly, but I've decided to switch formats. Weebly is probably a great tool for creating websites, but its "blog" pages are really difficult to use, so I don't think it's the best place to keep this journal. I've moved it to Blogspot and I'm already having a much easier time writing and posting entries (plus, check out this awesome book background).

From now on, this is the inquiry project journal's home...unless I decide to move it again.

A Conversation and A Challenge

I had dinner with my best friend this evening. She got engaged in February and is now preparing to be a stepmother to three kids: two boys aged 8 and 11, and a 7-year old girl. Over fondue, she told me that Brayden, the middle child, is struggling with reading. Apparently he's below the reading level that he should be at in second grade and his parents and teacher are having trouble finding books for him to read that are at his level but not condescendingly so. I tried to suggest some books I'd heard of, but had the same trouble I always had with this question as a librarian.

This conversation renewed my determination to study this topic. Brayden is a cool kid - very hands-on, loves to fish and mow the lawn and help his grandfather fix things - and I'd like to meet the challenge of helping him do better in school. One of the added goals of this inquiry will be presenting my friend with a better list of book recommendations at the end of the semester.

Identifying Possible Sources

    

    The first step in the Alberta model of inquiry is "planning", which is illustrated in the model by five bullet points:

• Identify a topic area for inquiry 
• Identify possible information sources 
• Identify audience and presentation format 
• Establish evaluation criteria 
• Outline a plan for inquiry 

    As I have just begun my inquiry, I am still working on steps one and two. My topic area is mostly idenfitied: I want to research children's literature written specifically for boys. Currently, my focus is on gathering sources of information and reviewing them.

    I decided to begin by looking up Jon Scieszka, a popular author who not only writes books that appeal to boys, but is behind a project called Guys Read. His website provides a tab devoted to the project, and its page parrots almost exactly what I want to research, and why:

"Boys often have to read books they don't really like. They don't get to choose what they want to read. And what they do like to read, people often tell them is not really reading.

We can help boys read by:

• Letting them choose what they read.
• Expanding our definition of "reading" to include: graphic novels, comics, comic strips, nonfiction, humor, magazines, newspapers, online text
• Getting boys to recommend reading they do like to other boys.
• Providing boys with male role models for reading in school and at home.

The GUYS READ website is made to help with all of these things."

    My next step was obvious: head to the main page for Guys Read. I was pleased to find that their mission lined up exactly with my own:

"Our mission is to motivate boys to read by connecting them with materials they will want to read, in ways they like to read."

    The website provides resources not only for those who want to find books boys like - parents, teachers, and children themselves - but a page of resources for people, like myself, who want to research the gender-specific needs of boys. This will be my jumping-off point for further reading.