School And Youth Librarians
News and opportunity updates from the Alaska State Library
News in Brief
While April is School Library month, it is also Poetry month. Here are some sources:
ALA’s Programming Librarian website has a full page of ideas and resources. While it is already April 5th, you may need some last minute ideas for programs or resources or to support teachers.
Poetry in Action provides a list of some new children’s’ poetry books with poems perfect for school visits, library programs or story time. For more poetry ideas see blogger Paige Bentley-Flannery’s pages on the ALSC blog.
A repeat from the last newsletter but always a good reminder to check out the advocacy and promotional resources for School Library month. This year you will find an activity idea page and free materials for website graphics, social media and posters.
Free Technology 4 Teachers also reviews “Poetry Comics from Make Beliefs Comix”
Here’s an opportunity to marry coding, music and history all in one activity. Try this Scratch project to hear a sample of putting this into practice. For more on learning/teaching Scratch, check out their Scratch for Educators page. – Daniel Cornwall, Internet and Technology Consultant, Alaska State Library, daniel.cornwall@alaska.gov
Overdrive’s most recent issue of Perspectives on Reading features articles;
“Finding a ‘good book” What a real reader’s advisor does
She Would Be King author Wayetu Moore on the Magic of Storytelling (Q&A)
Readership, sales of titles from diverse authors are on the rise
Up in the sky, why we need reading heroes
Featured in School Library Smartbrief:
Motivating Middle School Students to Read More
Librarian: Improve Reading Skills through Discussions or How a Fourth-Grader Turned Me into a Book Detective.
‘Lyrics as Literature’ program receives AASL Roald Dahl’s Miss Honey Social Justice Award
Using hip-hop to amplify student voice
SLED database reminder from Daniel Cornwall:
The password, if you don’t have the correct one, can be obtained by calling 1-800-440-2919 from a number with a 907 area code. If you have further problems, use the SLED Database Password Request form to request the password or report additional trouble.
Children’s Book Week April 29-May5th celebrating 100 years
Features a comic book activity kit. Each activity is a comic story, started but not finished. You complete the comics with your illustrations and your words. Each is followed with a blank panel so you can continue with their characters or make up your own. All activities are printable from the website.
International Fact Checking Day was April 2 but the need is real so check out FactCheckingDay.com. Take a look at the EduCheck Map, a database about critical thinking and media, data, and misinformation literacy, along with lesson plans and short articles.
10 tools and tricks to verify Instagram posts
How to spot fake images anywhere on the internet
How to debunk bogus health claims, quacks and cures
How to geolocate a video or image in five minutes
April 25th is opening day for SYNC Audiobooks for Teens 2019. This summer’s offerings include 28 titles, two paired audiobook downloads a week April 25th to August 1 check out their website for promo materials, list of titles and FAQ’s.
Don’t forget to check the AkASL Puffin News for short articles on member’s conference take home reflections and ideas, advocacy tips and tricks and more.
Applications Now Open for “AASL District Kits for the National School Library Standards”
AASL, with the support of Bound to Stay Bound Books, will create and distribute 100 “AASL District Kits for the National School Library Standards” to support nationwide implementation of the association’s National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. Fifty kits will be available in 2019 and fifty kits will be distributed in 2020 through an application process
New Standards Book on Lessons for Primary Grades
AASL has published a new book based on the AASL Standards for primary grade school librarians. Drawing on compelling picture books that can be used to directly support the new AASL National School Library Standards, Lessons Inspired by Picture Books for Primary Grades is a ready-to-go toolkit of lessons, worksheets, anchor charts, assessments, and rubrics specifically designed for school librarians and other educators.
Training and Continuing Ed Opportunities
Applications Now Open for Summer Computer Science Workshops for Grade 6-12 Teachers
Applications are now open for the 2019 Code.org Summer Workshops in Alaska. Middle and high school teachers can apply for scholarships to participate in the 5-day CS Discoveries (Grades 6-10) or CS Principles (Grades 9-12 and AP) summer workshops in Anchorage, Fairbanks, or Juneau. Contact Cheryl Bobo with questions. (EED Info Exchange)
Tues April 9, 9:00 Am AKT: How to Lead Conversation about Healthy, Responsible Media Use
Wed April 10 Noon-1:00pm AKT: How Early Literacy Impacts Reading to Learn: Research, Strategies and Digital Tools
Wed April 10 1:00-2:00pm AKT: Elevating Digital Citizenship through an SEL Lens
Mon April 15 11-:00-Noon AKT: Building Equity; Practices that Empower All Learners
Tues April 16 11:00-Noon AKT: Turn Struggling Readers into Leaders using Assistive Technology
April 24, 10 am AKT Middle Grade Mania Part 2,
Moderated by Booklist and featuring upcoming books from major publishers, Free hour long presentation Register here
Reminder Thursday April 25th, 3:00 PM
Addressing Alaska State Student Reading Scores through School and Community Library Collaboration
Janet Madsen and Julie Niederhauser (AK State Library) and Ann Morgester (Anchorage School District). This presentation was originally scheduled for the March 2019 AKLA Library Conference.
Reading scores got you down? Wondering how many more initiatives you can implement? Feeling like you won’t change the literacy tide? These presenters will help you reframe the dilemma and carry on. Stay tuned for more information.
As Seen on Alaska School Librarians Face Book Page
Job Opportunities
As seen on Alaska Teacher Placement April 5, 2019
- Librarian K-6 (2019-2020) Posted 4/2/19 North Star Elementary, Anchorage School District
- Librarian K-6 (2019-2020) posted 3/25/19 Ptarmigan Elementary Anchorage School District
- REPOSTED, Middle School Librarian North Pole Middle School, Fairbanks North Star Borough School District posted 3/3/19
Newberg, Oregon is about 22 miles southwest of Portland, Oregon in the heart of wine country. Newberg School District is seeking a District Library and Instructional Technology Teacher, and the position closes on April 19th at 5 pm Pacific.https://www.newberg.k12.or.us/district/district-library-instructional-technology-teacher If anyone has questions or would like to know more, please contact Dr. Luke Neff at neffl@newberg.k12.or.us or 503.554.5021.
SAYL Mail is published the second and fourth Fridays of the month from August through May. If you have any suggestions or find information errors please direct them to Janet Madsen Alaska School Library Coordinator at janet.madsen@alaska.gov or (907) 465-8187.