September 18, 2013

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Whodunit?: Mysteries Can Support the Common Core | Listen In

Milo and Jazz Mysteries: The Case of the Stinky Socks
© 2009 by Amy Wummer.

With their emphasis on clear observation, logical thinking, and well-drawn conclusions, mysteries support many Common Core State Standards and lend themselves to an array of interesting writing assignments. These audiobooks are sure to spark student interest.

(Mis)Guided Reading | Consider the Source

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Marc Aronson explores the fundamental clash between guided reading and Common Core.

Consider the Source: Why Do We Bother?

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In his latest Consider the Source column, Marc Aronson talks about whether grades really matter, or if classical music is the key to a fulfilling education.

Hank and John Green: Using Their Powers for Good

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Anyone who works with teens should know about and embrace Hank and John Green. You can get to know the siblings through the VlogBrothers, a YouTube channel where Hank and John trade video conversations back and forth on every topic under the sun. This vlog inspired a host of followers christened Nerdfighters, not because they fight nerds, but because they are nerds who endeavor to be awesome.

Old-time Gals with Gumption | The Picture Books of Shana Corey

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Shana Corey’s picture-book biographies feature little-known women with buckets of gumption.

On Common Core | Talking about Nonfiction

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“Talking takes time” note the authors, but allowing students time for conversations about the texts they are reading is essential.

Planning Common Core Lessons?: Free, Web-based applications can help align your plans with the new standards

Planning Common Core Lessons?: Free, Web-based applications can help align your plans with the new standards

Ready or not, here they come. At almost every school I visited this year, teachers asked me to address the Common Core (CC) standard in my workshops. Planning lessons with CC in mind presents a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. These sites are designed with the express purpose of helping plan lessons around Common Core.

On the Radar: Top Picks from the Editors at Junior Library Guild: New Releases for Your Nonfiction Shelves

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Good nonfiction titles rise to the top as librarians focus their content needs to meet the Common Core State Standards. New releases by our favorite authors and illustrators include an environmental bilingual poem, a picture-book biography, a fact-filled science title, and a narrative account of a bird’s 7,200 mile migration.

Consider the Source: Getting History Right

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History texts for young readers and young adults should invite them to participate in the process of thinking about, and thus re-imagining, who we are and how we got that way. Using annotated citations and other methods, our goal should be to let kids in on the process.

#ASCD13 Sham-rocks Chicago: The 2013 Tweet Up

ASCD Sham-rocks

What’s a tweet up? Your chance to meet face-to-face with fellow educators who use Twitter to strengthen professional learning and to connect. This is the second ASCD Sham-rocksannual ASCD Tweet Up, sponsored by Herff Jones Nystrom, a provider of classroom teaching resources. The free event kicks off at 5:30 p.m. CST on Saturday, March 16, during ASCD’s 2013 Annual Conference and Exhibit Show in Chicago.

Deconstructing Nonfiction | On Common Core

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If students are not familiar with nonfiction texts, they may assume that every nonfiction book serves the same function.

‘Pathways to the Common Core’ | Professional Shelf

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“Pathways to the Common Core” offers solutions and directions for teachers looking for a way to understand and implement the Common Core State Standards into their lesson plans.

Making the Text Connection | On Common Core: Part 3

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With nonfiction and informational text at the forefront of the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS), there are new demands and opportunities for reading, writing, speaking and listening for students.Hear directly from some of today’s leading children’s and young adult nonfiction authors as they speak about their work and the specific ways nonfiction and informational texts can be used by librarians and teachers to help their students become better readers. This panel will also explore the ways in which the following focus points connect to the Common Core State Standards for Reading and Writing. Archive now available!

A Call for ‘Blended Funding’: Schools must pool money to support Common Core

A Call for ‘Blended Funding’: Schools must pool money to support Common Core

How will schools pay for new CC resources, including digital? One approach is to look for existing funds within your school and district that can be redirected so that your library can purchase CC resources for the classroom. But that requires that libraries market their expertise in resource selection and collection development so that your value is obvious to others, says Christopher Harris.

NCTE Roundup, Two

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If your school or public library is looking for some ideas for teen programming, the following sessions from NCTE’s recent annual conference are bound to inspire you. While most of the presenters focused on older teens, their programs can also be adapted for middle schoolers. And there are many more sessions that can be explored on NCTE’s 2012 website, such as But I Hate Poetry, Using Signal Words in Graphic Novels for Sequence and Cause/Effect, or Ah Ha Allusions!—Pop Culture Allusions & Dystopian Literature, to name just a few.

Clustering and the Common Core

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Achieving the level of complex thinking in the classroom required by the Common Core standards can feel overwhelming, particularly when students will be reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing in this capacity throughout the day.

The Public Library Connection: The new standards require that public and school librarians pull together | On Common Core

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Now, more than ever before, collaboration between public and school librarians is critical. As we strive to be at the center of the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in our schools, strong relationships with our local public librarians can make all the difference in the world and provide us, our students, and our school colleagues with tremendous advantages.

While public and school libraries differ, our common patron base of children gives both groups fertile ground [...]

Stories for Winter Nights| Listen In

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Cold winter weather provides the perfect setting for putting on headphones to listen to a good book. For over 50 years, Search Institute, a nonprofit organization, has worked to improve the lives of young people by examining and offering ideas to combat risky behaviors and determining what kids need to succeed. They were early adopters of the adage “It takes a village to raise a child,” believing that the entire community must band together to help [...]

On the Radar: Top Teen Picks from the Editors at Junior Library Guild: Two Parts Make a Whole: Using Graphic Novels in Your Common Core Classroom

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If you’re looking for official justification for the purchase of graphic novels, look no further than the Common Core State Standards. In grades 6-12, students will be required to apply the Reading standards to a variety of text types, including graphic novels. For mature readers, this fall’s releases offer stories of war, madness, gangs, and failed dreams. Young adult patrons will have much to think and talk about after reading these selections.

NCTE’s 700-plus Sessions Deliver on Tech, Lit, and the Common Core

NYC in Las Vegas

Amid the sparkle of bling and sounds of cha-ching, visitors to Las Vegas, NV, last week caught sight of thousands of educators from around the country wending their way through Metro Golden Mayer Grand complex toward its conference center for the 102nd annual National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) convention November 15-18.