Here is a hit for the replies that I received for how
to teach the Dewey. Thanks again for all the wonderful help
that was given. It is long.
I teach my students that while it seems strange that fairy
tales,drawing books etc.
are in non-fiction, the reason is that literature,music,
art, sports, cooking,
customs, holidays etc. are all part ofculture. Culture
is comprised of all these
various components that makea people who they are.It's
simple enough and seems to
satisfy them but then I do a great bitwith culture at the
beginning of the year.
will start by saying the books with numbers on the spine
do not make up the nonfiction section of the library. The
Dewey Decimal system includes all books of the library,
including the fiction, picture and biography books. The
drawing books are in the 700s, which includes music, art,
and sports.
I handle the fairy tales by saying that they are in the
300, which is the social sciences--this is where there are
books about people's governments, clothing of cultures,
holidays of different cultures and the stories of different
cultures.
I just never say the numbered section of the library is
the nonfiction section. Nonfiction books DO have numbers
on the spine, however. I also tell my students that
actually, biographies belong in the 900s and fiction
belongs in the 800s, they are just pulled because of the
huge amount of books!
There have been some past discussions of this -- you can
probably findthem with a search of the archives.I work with
grades 7-12, and they all come with the idea that "Dewey"
istrue. I try to instill the knowledge that will most are
fact based,some are not "true" (fairy tales, legends,
mythology, etc.) But thatDewey numbers are used to put like
books together to make for easierbrowsing. We also talk
about the fact that the entire fictioncollection could be
housed in the 800s, and that it makes it much easierto pull
the fiction out and put it in its own section.Hope this
helps a little.
explain to my students that Melvil Dewey set up the system
to include ALL books. Originally fiction books were placed
in the 800s. Eventually the 800 section got so large that
librarians decided to pull them out and make their own
section. In our library we call the numbered books the
"Dewey Section".
Give them the example of changes in information about
dinosaurs and more recently Pluto...there are a lot of
ideas and theories, but no one knows 'for sure' what
dinosaurs looked like. Also talk about the paranormal -
ghosts, big foot, etc...my kiddos seem to get it when I use
these examples.
Every book has a Dewey Decimal number--fiction is in the
800s. I tell my students that and also that we just don't
put the numbers on fiction because there are so many and
because they would have to be divided by the country of the
author. American fiction is 800s 813 to be precise.
British fiction is 820, German 830 and so on.
I don't call the books labeled with numbers the non-fiction
books--I call them the Dewey books--the ones we shelve by
number instead of author. I have used this explanation
with K-12 students and none of them have ever had a problem
with it.
try to get past the "true" part by telling my students
that the books
with Dewey numbers contain facts and information. That
covers everything but 398.2's,
which I connect to the 300's (living in a community) by
doing lessons that show that
they tell us how to live with each other, not to talk to
strangers (Red Riding Hood,
etc.), how to treat each other (Talking Eggs), etc. It
does take a while.
I usually deal with fairy tales by pointing out that kids
can learn
about a culture by comparing fairy tales and I'll
reinforce this by
using the different Cinderella versions. I also talk
about the oral
tradition to explain how fairy tales traveled around the
world. As for
art books, I explain that they are "how to" books.
When I taught elementary, I told my kids that graphic novels
were art AND story, sopeople usually put them with the art
books, it was an arbitrary decision (okay, so Ididn't use
the word "arbitrary" with 3rd graders!). Drawing books
teachyou how to make art, so they're near the other craft
teaching books (like how toknit, etc.). Fairy tales and
folk tales are usually old stories that were oftenhanded
down orally and/or used to teach something about a culture,
so they're in thesection that covers people in groups (i.e.
social sciences). I used to tell them,"Most people like to
tell stories to other people, not just keep them
tothemselves, so stories that were told for a long time
before they were written downgo in the 300's." That seemed
to satisfy them.
teach that the nonfiction books are books with facts. The
fairy tales I explain that it's a fact that people told
these stories orally until someone finally wrote them down.
I've never had to explain graphic novels, but I guess you
could say it's a fact that you can tell stories with
pictures.
We have got to get away from saying books with Dewey
numbers are
non-fiction. THEY ARE NOT. They are the main collection
and other
things like Fiction, biography, and maybe story collection
are pulled
out of the regular collection. That is what I teach my
kids. Dewey
numbers main they are in the main library collection
.
I explain to the kids that we keep those books together by
subject category. I do this lesson after we do Biographies
which we have by subject’s name. I also tell them fiction
could be put in this section, but since it is soooo big, we
put it in It’s own section. Seems to work for 3rd graders-
I would tell them that, indeed, the fiction would be part of
the Dewey system (800's)but then it would take up too much
shelf room. In the Library of congress system,fiction IS
part of it, not a separate set-aside area. Also,
the"non-fiction" books aren't always intended to be read
"cover tocover," as novels are. And, for the most part,
provide information rather thanentertainment (800's and
398's excepted). Tell them that, althought the 398's
and800's contain stories and other 'fictions,' they are
cataloged because they are oftenused for study and
assignments, rather than leisure reading.
Can't speak about the graphic novels but drawing is a
craft/how to book, and fairy tales and folklore are the
"true" (in the sense of being authentic) oral (now written
down) stories of peoples of various cultures. They often
reflect the cultural mores, stereotypes, wisdom, etc. of
their respective cultures.
I have always taught the students the main divisions of the
library arethe Fiction and the Dewey SectionsWhen the Dewey
Decimal System was created, the fiction and thebiographies
sections were not separated into distinct sections, but
allinclusive in the system. Fiction was primarily in the
800's(Literature), the Biographies in the 920's. Dewey
placed no regard as to fiction or not.....just where it
fell inthe scheme of the system. The Dewey Secion has both
fiction and and non-fiction in almost all ofthe sections
(depending on your individual religious, philosophical
andpolitical beliefs)....and I always tell the kiddos...read
both sides,make your own decision (lower levels encouraged
parents to be involved),and you decide if it is true
(non-fiction) or if you think it isfiction, Go for your own
opinion...we all have our own beliefs.I have had kids on the
fifth and sixth grade get into some really greatdiscussions
on some of the really controversial subjects......the
bestone was actually on the existence of dinosaurs. (There
are religionsthat question the existence) A fabulous debate
which made the childrenrealize that we are all are entitled
to our own opinions and beliefs. Some areas in the Dewey
that I personally consider to be fiction: 000 - UF0's,
Bigfoot and Lock Ness100 - Ghost200 - Greek Mythology300 -
Fairy Tales400 - Novels in Spanish700 - Cartoons800 -
Literature and Poetry900 - History - The Warren Commission
on the The Kennedy Assasination And of course my
favorite.....that " biography" many years ago aboutbeing
captured and spending three years aboard a spaceship. There
are others that question the validity of the following: 500
- Dinosaurs and Evolution600 - Global Warming and the Moon
Walk
The best answer I have for fairy tales and such is they fall
in the 300's or theSocial Science section of the library. I
consider these books Traditional Literaturewith the
definition of this as stories that were told orally and
handed down overtime. I explain to the students that books
have not always been available in printbut stories have
always been told. Fairy tales and Folk tales and such have
a lessonto be learned from them and these stories have been
passed down as part of ourculture. I use the two example of
Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella. They areeasily able
to pick out the social lessons from these stories. For
drawing books Ijust explain that anything in the 700's is
directed towards things we like to do inour spear time.
Drawing is something we like to do in our spear time. The
graphicnovels I have moved to the fiction section partly
because I am in a new school and weare still building our
collection and I could use more volume in the fiction.
Hopethis helps. I think I gained this insight from reading
something on LM-Net. Collaborating to Meet Standards:
Teacher/Librarian Partnerships for K-6 Second Edition
(Linworth 2007) BRAND NEW!
Collaborating to Meet Literacy Standards: Teacher/Librarian
Partnerships for K-2 (Linworth 2006)
Read! Perform! Learn! 10 Reader's Theater Projects for
Literacy Enhancement (Upstart 2006)
Toni Buzzeo and YOU (Libraries Unlimited 2005)
Collaborating to Meet Standards: Teacher/Librarian
Partnerships for 7-12 (Linworth 2002)
Terrific Connections with Authors, Illustrators, and
Storytellers (Libraries Unlimited 1999)
Read! Perform! Learn! Two: 10 More Reader's Theater
Projects for Literacy Enhancement (Upstart 2007) BRAND
NEW!
The Collaboration Handbook (Linworth 2008) FORTHCOMING
ABC Read to Me: Teaching Letter of the Week in the Library
(Upstart 2009) FORTHCOMING
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
R is for Research, illustrated by Nicole Wong (Upstart 2008)
BRAND NEW!
Fire Up with Reading: A Mrs. Skorupski Story, illustrated
by Sachiko Yoshikawa (Upstart 2007)
Our Librarian Won't Tell Us ANYTHING! A Mrs. Skorupski
Story, illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa (Upstart 2006)
Ready or Not, Dawdle Duckling, illustrated by Margaret
Spengler (Dial 2005)
Little Loon and Papa, illustrated by Margaret Spengler
(Dial 2004)
Dawdle Duckling, illustrated by Margaret Spengler (Dial
2003)
The Sea Chest, illustrated by Mary GrandPre (Dial 2002)
The Library Doors, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott
(Upstart 2008) FORTHCOMING
The Great Dewey Hunt: A Mrs. Skorupski Story, illustrated
by Sachiko Yoshikawa (Upstart 2009) FORTHCOMING
Adventure Annie Goes to Work , illustrated by Amy Wummer
(Dial 2009) FORTHCOMING
No T. Rex in the Library, illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa
(McElderry 2010) FORTHCOMING
Adventure Annie Goes to Kindergarten, illustrated by Amy
Wummer (Dial 2010) FORTHCOMING
A Lighthouse Christmas, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
(Dial 2010) FORTHCOMING
Elliot's Aquarium Secret (Dial) FORTHCOMING Vickie Cole
Library Media Specialist
Hoxie Elementary
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