The world's largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens
The smartest teachers in the world work in my school—they have brilliant lesson plans, amazing classroom management and solid assessment skills. It is really enjoyable to work with them on a project and just when we need it the most, I can say, “This looks like a job for Sound Cloud!” or “Storybird would be great for this fable unit.” I love pulling the perfect tool out of thin air. My teachers think I’m a genius!
One of the most common complaints about state or local curriculum standards is that they focus on covering a range of topics while sacrificing depth of understanding. Chances are you’ve heard your colleagues bemoan that these standards are “a mile long and an inch deep.” Are the Common Core State Standards any different?
Libraries along the East Coast are stepping up to the challenge, providing a range of services, as well as a place to converge and power up, in Sandy’s wake. New York City schools sustained damage, though the school library situation is still being assessed, according to Richard Hasenyager, director of library services for NYC’s Department of Education
Thousands of students are meeting the challenge to start and complete a novel over the course of a month this November for National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo). Librarians and teachers trying to get students interested in writing have a ton of resources from the Young Writers Program, including lesson plans that align to the Common Core.
November marks National Native American Heritage Month, and librarians aiming to help students become well-versed in the culture and history of Native people have plenty of options to engage kids of all ages, from ways to visually make the library a welcoming place to books and encyclopedias to use with students.
“I love the library, and I firmly believe in it,” says Mark Ray, a former teacher librarian and Washington’s 2011 Teacher of the Year. “But what I also think is that we can redefine perceptions on the part of administrators and decision makers by not necessarily wearing the library on our sleeves.”
Access to a full-time school librarian increases test scores, closes the achievement gap, and improves writing skills, according to a new study of Pennsylvania public schools announced at the start of SLJ’s Leadership Summit.
Parents in Washington, DC, are taking to the streets, advocating for more funding for their school libraries and librarians. The Capitol Hill Public Schools Parent Organization (CHPSPO) has spent the past seven months pushing for Washington, DC, to open its coffers to school libraries to replenish shelves, upgrade library spaces and hire more librarians for K–12 students.
Is the Dewey Decimal System making it too difficult for young users to find what they’re looking for? At a virtual Twitter gathering Thursday October 11, librarians from the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, who have re-organized their library with a new system that they call Metis, responded to questions about Dewey’s flaws, its relevance in today’s world, and the best ways to encourage library usage among patrons.
Part of the fun of opening a new library is getting to tell people about it, and seeing their reactions. Myself and some coworkers have recently attended farmer’s markets and back-to-school nights in the Gum Sping area, talking to residents about the new library and answering their questions about resources and programs. We have encountered excited citizens whose enthusiasm is palpable. But we have also met hesitant residents who have never experienced a public library who are unsure of its purpose, and fearful of its unfamiliarity. While we appreciate the former group, the latter group is what drives me to outreach events, in hopes of educating them on the benefits of the library so that when we open they are educated as to our mission and seek to learn more about us.
School librarians in New York State now have their own customized evaluation rubric, thanks to members of the New York Library Association (NYLA).
The inspiration for SLJ’s September cover may be obvious, but it was a bit of a process—an adventure, if you will—to arrive at the finished product.
After considering the lineup of feature articles, as we do each month for the print edition, the editors selected the cover story: a first-person account of a school ereader program by Travis Jonker.
An elementary school librarian, Jonker has been documenting his foray into bringing digital readers to his students in a series of posts on [...]
When it comes to advocacy, school librarian Mike McQueen plays it big—wrapping his RV with stickers and signs to encourage his community of Jefferson County, CO, to vote in favor of two bond measures and save school libraries.
Pushing between snack time and reading group, Zack, a third-grade boy, ducks into our school library while another class is beginning to check out books.
Lisa Von Drasek, a children’s librarian at the Bank Street College of Education and director of its Center for Children’s Literature, has taken a job as curator at the University of Minnesota’s Children’s Literature Research Collections.
Librarians now have another ally—psychic investigator Gilda Joyce has taken up their cause. The pint-sized protagonist in Jennifer Allison’s mystery novels was up in arms this week about the Chicago teacher’s strike, pointing out that, like educators, children need an advocate—and appointed herself Children’s Union Representative, while also stressing the importance of school librarians.
The Chicago Public Library is on hand this week to help absorb the influx of students who’ve been displaced as teachers continue their first strike in 25 years.
Public libraries in the UK have another strong supporter: Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson, who, on
Public libraries in the UK have another strong supporter: Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson, who, on the eve of a six-week library tour, sent an open letter to the newly appointed Culture Secretary Maria Miller, urging her to save Britain’s libraries.
You know how folks say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step? Well, that’s what happened when Swati Malik, one of our Floral Park (NY) Memorial High (FPMH) students, approached social studies teacher Christina Blanc about building a school for kids in Nicaragua in late 2011. Swati came up with the idea after hearing about buildOn, a nonprofit organization that offers extracurricular service-learning programs in our nation’s high schools and builds schools in developing countries, such as Mali, Nepal, and Nicaragua.
It’s here. Heavy Medal, SLJ’s mock Newbery blog, resumes September 4.
There, bloggers Nina Lindsay, supervising librarian for children’s services at Oakland (CA) Public Library, California and Jonathan Hunt, library media teacher for Modesto (CA) City Schools, return to discuss and debate potential titles in the running for this year’s Newbery Award. Bestowed annually by the American Library Association (ALA), the Award honors “the most distinguished American children’s book” of the year.
