Check out this week’s News Bites for the latest information on library grants, writing contest for young adults, and more.
News Bites: Apply for Hurricane Sandy Recovery Grants
By on January 8, 2013 Leave a Comment
This week’s round up of news bites includes recovery grants for libraries in Hurricane Sandy’s aftermath, information on free audiobooks for schools, and more.
News Bites: Resources for Teaching About the Presidential Inauguration
By on January 2, 2013 Leave a Comment
For educators looking to make the upcoming U.S. presidential inauguration accessible to students, an online conference series launched by the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies offers the perfect solution.
Letters to SLJ | Technology Education | January 2013
By on January 1, 2013 Leave a Comment
News Bites: Five Children’s Music Albums Are Nominated for a Grammy
By on December 10, 2012 Leave a Comment
This week’s round up of news bites includes five children’s music albums being nominated for a Grammy Award and libraries and museums coming together to support early learning efforts.
News Bites: HarperCollins Debuts New Digital Imprint for Young Adult Short Stories & Novellas
By on December 4, 2012 Leave a Comment
This week’s round up of news bites includes: HarperCollins creates a digital-only imprint for YA Lit; Curious George gets an Ipad series; Enter and win $500 worth of books for your collection from The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance; and more.
SLJ’s Top 10 DVDs: 2012
By on December 4, 2012 1 Comment
Looking for a great way to keep kids’ attention from wandering in class? We’ve got a solution: show them a film that’s so engaging, they’ll forget it’s part of the lesson. During the past year, we’ve reviewed nearly 300 DVDs aimed at the K–12 crowd. So how could we possibly select the 10 best? Well, it wasn’t as difficult as we thought. As we looked over our reviews, a pattern emerged, especially in light of the new Common Core standards.
Letters to the editor | Self-published memoirs reflect the experiences of these young people in our society | December 2012
By on November 30, 2012 1 Comment
Hope for Troubled Teens
I just wanted to say how insightful I found Amy Cheney’s article, “Time After Time” (Oct. 2012, pp. 36–39). I learned a lot from the article, including tips on what’s hot in Street Lit right now and the names of the well-known authors of the genre. I also appreciated her call to action for finding and purchasing self-published memoirs. I am really excited and inspired by her article and will try to get [...]
News Bites: “YA for NJ” Auction for Sandy Relief
By on November 28, 2012 Leave a Comment
Check out News Bites for the latest information on what authors are doing to help out victims of Hurricane Sandy, the latest changes at Random House, a literacy campaign for kids in need, and more.
News Bites: Free Video Series from NBC Learn: “Writers Speak to Kids”
By on November 13, 2012 1 Comment
Watch a series of 17 interviews with children’s author’s for free, apply for book donation and literacy grants, get free writing rubrics, and much more—just check out this week’s News Bites for lots of great information for librarians, teachers, and everyone involved in education.
News Bites: Help Hurricane Sandy’s Victims
By on November 7, 2012 Leave a Comment
You can help provide books to schools and libraries devastated by Hurricane Sandy by making a donation to the organization First Book.
News Bites: Frank Cottrell Boyce Wins the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize for ‘The Unforgotten Coat’
By on November 5, 2012 1 Comment
Frank Cottrell Boyce has won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize of £1,500 for his novel, The Unforgotten Coat (Candlewick, 2011), published in the UK by Walker Books. Established in 1967, the prize is unique because it is judged by writers. This year’s panel included children’s authors Tony Bradman, Cressida Cowell, and Kevin Crossley-Holland, and was chaired by Guardian Children’s Books editor Julia Eccleshare. The novel is the story of refugee brothers from Mongolia who live in Liverpool and examines the hard-hitting effects that immigration has on children.
Now You’re Talking!: Your collection won’t be complete without these must-have new audiobooks for tweens and teens
By on November 1, 2012 4 Comments
Just how popular are audiobooks? Well, just check with your students. Along with the usual notebooks and textbooks in their backpacks, there’s bound to be tablets, ereaders, iPods, MP3 players, and, yes, audiobooks.
If the number of awards given to audiobooks—including the Audio Publishers Association’s Audie Award, the American Library Association’s (ALA) Odyssey Award, School Library Journal’s Best Audiobooks for Teens and Tweens, ALA’s Notable Audiobooks and Amazing Audiobooks, and a Grammy for the best spoken word album—is any [...]
News Bites: Win Big with Verizon’s App Challenge
By on October 24, 2012 Leave a Comment
Verizon’s App Challenge is designed to increase student interest in STEM while offering a project-based experience that develops teamwork among students. Groups of 5-10 students are encouraged to develop an app that addresses a need or problem in their school or community.
News Bites: Involve Your Students in the Election Process with ePals World Election Center
By on October 16, 2012 Leave a Comment
Get your students interested in the electoral process in the United States and globally with ePals World Election Center. The site includes projects and activities to reinforce K–12 students’ critical thinking skills and cultural awareness by having them learn about candidates, government, and more. Kids have the opportunity to voice their opinions about issues affecting them at home and learn about the elections abroad.
News Bites: Get Your Students Involved in the Presidential Election with OneVote 2012
By on October 10, 2012 1 Comment
OneVote 2012 is a student mock election held before the national presidential election. Launched by Channel One News, the program gives young people the opportunity to learn about the electoral process and the issues via interactive content as well as the chance to cast their vote for the next president of the United States from October 22–26. Prior to the election, Channel One News will offer news and other special segments to help teens make an informed decisions.
News Bites: Support Common Core with a New Nonfiction Program from Scholastic
By on October 3, 2012 1 Comment
XBOOKS is a nonfiction language arts program from Scholastic for middle school students that offers informational texts in both print and digital formats that cover science and social studies topics. XBOOKS is an interactive program that features print and online components to build student proficiency in reading, writing, and thinking critically about informational texts. The program, developed and written by master teachers Dr. Jeffrey Wilhelm and Laura Robb, aligns with Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
News Bites: Register Now For International Games Day and Get Freebies for Your Library
By on September 26, 2012 Leave a Comment
Libraries in the United States and across the world are coming together to celebrate the American Library Association’s (ALA) 5th Annual International Games Day @ Your Library on Saturday, November 3. Beginning this year, National Gaming Day has been renamed International Games Day to reflect the interest of libraries outside of the U.S. It’s up to individual libraries how they celebrate this special day, but there’s lots of freebies for your library if you fill out a registration form.
News Bites: Get Your Voice Heard During Banned Books Week!
By on September 19, 2012 1 Comment
From September 30 to October 6 libraries, schools, and bookstores will celebrate Banned Books Week, an annual event that focuses on First Amendment rights. “During Banned Books Week, we hope to remind Americans that the ability to read, speak, think and express ourselves freely is a right, not a privilege,” said Maureen Sullivan, American Library Association President. “As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week, it’s important to recognize that book banning does exist in this day and age. It’s up to all of us, community residents, librarians, teachers and journalists, to continue to stand up and speak out for the right to read.”
News Bites: Celebrate Librarian’s Day
By on September 12, 2012
AudioGO is inviting librarians to visit their offices in North Kingston, RI, on Friday, September 28 to celebrate their annual Librarian’s Day. Present at the festivities will be library advocate and supporter U.S. Senator Jack Reed and authors James R. Benn and Janet Taylor Lisle. Participants will tour the audiobook company’s recording studio, listen to narrators in action, and try their own hand at narrating. RSVP deadline is September 21 and everyone who fills out the form will be entered to win a selection of audiobooks worth $500.
