Book Lists!

Book Lists!

What an exciting time of the year!  On January 23, 2017, the American Llibrary Association (ALA) Mid-Winter Conference will hold the announcement of the 2017 Youth Media Awards.  This includes the noted and much anticipated Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Pura Belpre, Schneider Family, Sibert, Seuss, Stonewall, and other book awards. I posted several mock Newbery Nominees that I have read.  Adding to that list is The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill.  A story of a young girl, Luna, raised by Xan, a kind and gentle witch; Glerk, a swamp monster; and Fyrian, a perfectly tiny dragon. This coming-of-age fairy tale/fantasy destined to become a modern classic.

Below the lists suggest the best books of 2016, the most recent releases for December 2016, and fantastic book lists by age groups to share with parents for building a home library or great gift ideas.

Read Brightly: The Children’s Books We’ll Remember Most from 2016

Read Brightly: 24 Fantastic Picture Books to Read This Fall

Literacy World Wide: 2016 Children's Choices

Children's Book Council: Hot Off the Press - December 2016

Children's Book Council: Building a Home Library for Children Ages 0-3

Children's Book Council: Building a Home Library for Children Ages 4-7

Children's Book Council: Building a Home Library for Children Ages 8-11

Children's Book Council: Building a Home Library for Children Ages 12-14

  

Mean Girls and Cyberbullying

Mean Girls and Cyberbullying

Last week Betsy and I attended a seminar titled Mean Girls: What Educators Can do to Address and Prevent Female Bullying, Cyberbullying and Relational Aggression(RA).  I will reflect on this seminar with highlights that ask questions and provide information, as well as videos that are thought provoking and provide excellent discussion platforms.

The presenter, Steph Jensen, LPC, asked, "Have kids changed?" Through conversation and analysis of kids today, we realize that "kids haven't changed, but the tools and messages have changed."  She pointed out that Nellie in Little House on the Prairie and Blaire from Facts of Life were characters with RA, but no one wanted to be like them.  When Hannah Montana came on TV she was the hero, but she also used manipulation to promote herself and much of her behavior on the show illustrating RA was reinforced just like more recent TV shows today such as the Khardasians and Gossip Girls.

As a Library Media Specialist, the part of this seminar focusing on The Impact of Social Networking & Technology on RA in terms of cyberbully and recognizing that the "tools and messages" impact students today.  Steph Jensen reminds us that:

-Human contact is necessary for human development.

-Verbal affirmation is necessary; Online likes, retweets, friends, and other trends are negative.

-There is a direct correlation between screen time and depression and anxiety.

-What people post is what they want us to see.  It isn't the reality of lives where good, bad, frustration, conflict occur.

-The internet creates a false sense of belonging.

How has the social construct of gender changed since 1963?  It hasn't, but this video, Always #LikeAGirl, provides a different perspective.

If you haven't see the video, Can We Auto-Correct Humanity? by Rapper Prince Ea, I encourage you to view it and then use as a discussion platform with your students. 

After watching this spoken word poem titled Why I Bully You consider the stages the girls go through such as: name calling, bullying gives me power, bullying is no big deal, I'm scared, I am wrestling with some big issues.

Information and Media Literacy

Information and Media Literacy

Early in my career as a Library Media Specialist, I would ask students when given a list showing a historical timeline of the U.S. Presidential terms, one from a website and the other from a book source, which source would have the most accurate information.  The majority of the time students selected the list from the website source, even if it was incorrect.  Often times students are reminded that "everything on the internet is not accurate." Clearly students are not the only users of the internet that need to know that it is important to be a critical user of the internet.  As a Media Specialist and a proponent of Future Ready Librarians, teaching students to use reliable resources (such as PebbleGo, Gale Resources: KidsInfoBits, Research in Context, Global Issues in Context and ProQuest CultureGrams) builds a solid foundation in researching.

Were frustrated with the media throughout the U.S. Presidential Elections?  Below are several hot topic articles from a variety of sources that I have read. These illustrate how information today is presented, how readers (of all ages) do not consider the impact of embellished or fake information in real world situations (such as the recent U.S. Presidential Election). I feel the following two articles provide and empower learners with significant ideas in becoming a critical user of the internet and curating reliable digital resources. Laura Garner's article, Teaching Information Literacy Now  (focusing on the section titled, Rethinking How We Teach Evaluation) is important to teach evaluating websites and more. She highlights literacy skills such as, Reading laterally, Keeping it non-political, and Talk about social media news. In Joyce Valenza's article Truth, truthiness, triangulation: A news literacy toolkit for a “post-truth” world, several lessons can be derived. One important lesson may focus on news literacy terminology in understanding and discussing credibility.

For more information about Information and Media Literacy, consider collaborating with your media specialist and reading the articles below that prompted this post.

Most Students Don’t Know When News Is Fake, Stanford Study Finds

Stanford researchers find students have trouble judging the credibility of information online

5 Questions Students Should Ask About Media Help kids think critically about the media they consume and create

These Superintendents Are Sold on Libraries | Editorial

Teaching Teens Media Literacy 101

Five Questions for Kids’ Media Literacy Expert Frank W. Baker

Mock Newbery Nominees

Mock Newbery Nominees

The 2017 Newbery Nominees displays are in the libraries to promote new books to read!  Each display has 26 books, but know that lists like this change and evolve.  I selected the titles for the display from the 2017 Mock Newbery from Goodreads.  When considering a Newbery contender, readers, like the Newbery Committee contemplate the following:

Distinguished is defined as:

• Marked by eminence and distinction; noted for significant achievement.
• Marked by excellence in quality.
• Marked by conspicuous excellence or eminence.
• Individually distinct.

And in identifying “distinguished contribution to American literature,” defined as text, in a book for children, committee members need to consider the following:

• Interpretation of the theme or concept
• Presentation of information including accuracy, clarity, and organization
• Development of a plot
• Delineation of characters
• Delineation of a setting
• Appropriateness of style.

Also, committee members must consider excellence of presentation for a child audience.

I have read, enjoyed, and recommend several of the books from this display. Below are audiobook excerpts as well as other information to help you know more about some of these books from the Newbery display to help promote books with your students.  Happy reading!

Audiobook excerpt of Ms. Bixby's Last Day by John David Anderson 

Audiobook excerpt of Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

Pax with backstory information by the author, Sara Pennypacker

Audiobook excerpt of Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

Audiobook excerpt of The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

Audiobook excerpt of Booked by Kwame Alexander

NPR article titled, "How To Get Kids Hooked On Books? 'Use Poetry. It Is A Surefire Way'"

Feast on Books!

Feast on Books!

As we all enjoy a long holiday weekend celebrating thanks for our families, our health and delicious food, let's remember to "feast on books! " This article shares some great books to read along with some fun activities: Feast on Fun! Great Thanksgiving Books and Activities for Kids. 

In classrooms I have seen ways to encourage students to keep a conversation "going and growing," but how do we and parents model open ended questions with students?  As students "feast on books," Scholastic has a few articles  to share with parents to help with promoting deeper and richer conversations about books. 

PamAllyn 20 Questions to Get Kids Talking About Books

Tips for Talking About Books With Your Child

5 New Questions to Ask Kids About Books

Post Election Resources and Ideas and International Games Day

Post Election Resources and Ideas

Our country continues to make history in the democratic process of our elections.  The information from Common Sense Media shares important information regarding What Should We Tell our Kids? Be Tomorrows Leaders, Today.  In this article there are tips at age appropriate levels to read books about brave leaders, use age appropriate news media sources, teaching students to be upstanders, use accountable talk to express opinions or participate in conversations, and emphasize the importance of digital citizenship.  Teaching Tolerance continues to be an excellent resource to help address What to Say to Kids on November 10 and the Days After. The following website Teacher Vision: 2016 Presidential Election Resources & Teaching Tips (Grades K-12) helps to provide resources to help students better understand the election process in our country. 

International Games Day

As written in International Games Day, this day originated in 2007 where libraries across the country attempted to set a world record for the number of people playing the same game at the same time at libraries around the world.  In 2012, it became International Games Day to raise awareness of games and gaming in libraries.  Our awareness of gaming escalated this summer with PokemonGo, but remember International Games Day does not just focus on video games, but also board/tabletop games.  Contact your local library to find out how they are celebrating International Games Day.

Discovery Education and November is Picture Book Month

Discovery Education Open House

Come to the Discovery Education Open House.  More details with a date, time and location will be sent out as soon as they are finalized.

Learn how Discovery Education is more than streaming videos.  It has:

• Content collections
• Lesson starters
• Virtual field trips - such as the Election Day Virtual Viewing Party (registration required)
• Instructional strategies - that tie in with many of the literacy strategies through Spotlight on Strategies
• Connects with Google Classroom

November is Picture Book Month

As noted in the website, Picture Book Month, November is a month long celebration to celebrate the print picture book.  This is an international literacy initiative where each day Picture Book Champions share why he/she feels picture books are important. On November 1st, Carmen Oliver Shares Why Picture Books Are Important.  You can read more on the Picture Book Month website including other fantastic authors, illustrators, Kidlit Bloggers, Picture Book Resources and much more!