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
By on February 5, 2013 Leave a Comment
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.
That Collaborative Spirit: Changing times demand more complex partnerships | Editorial
By on January 8, 2013 Leave a Comment
Who wouldn’t want to work with the two librarians on our cover? To me, their joyous, open faces welcome engagement. I want in on the action—in this case, the series of projects they pull off to bring more to the kids they each serve.
Partners in Success: When school and public librarians join forces, kids win
By on January 1, 2013 1 Comment
School library and public library collaborations are making a huge difference in kids’ lives.
Book Reviews from Young Adults
By on December 19, 2012 Leave a Comment
Bookmarked really rallied after the Thanksgiving hiatus! We have a fabulous combination of books reviewed this issue, from mystery to thrillers to fantasy, all with a dash or more of romance. The 2012 titles are ready for reading over the holiday break, so get your holds placed now.
Listen to a Life Essay Contest Now Open
By on December 5, 2012 1 Comment
What student isn’t intrigued by time travel? The annual Listen to a Life Essay Contest gives kids a chance to travel through time and learn about the past, while discovering a direction for their own future. The contest also helps build critical 21st-century skills. Now in its 13th year, this is a powerful learning experience that changes lives and communities.
NCTE Roundup, Two
By on December 3, 2012 Leave a Comment
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.
NCTE Round Up, One
By on November 21, 2012 Leave a Comment
Over the next few issues of SLJTeen, I’ll be posting brief summaries of many of the sessions I attended at the annual National Council of Teachers of English annual conference, held in Las Vegas, Nov.15-18, 2012. Hand-outs for many of the sessions are available from the NCTE 2012 website. This round up includes sessions on nonfiction resources for English teachers, literacy efforts for incarcerated youth and adults, and faeries in young adult literature.
Inspirational Programs at Your High School? Reap the Awards
By on October 16, 2012 Leave a Comment
If your secondary school is in the U.S., has a minimum of 40 percent of students qualifying for free or reduced lunches, and has at least five senior classes, you could be eligible to apply for the annual College Board Gaston Caperton Inspiration Award. This is no small prize—three winning schools each receive $25,000, and an additional five could receive $1,000 honorable mention awards.
Fresh Paint: The Trouble with Being the New Kid in Town
By on October 15, 2012 Leave a Comment
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.
Study: U.K. Kids Reading Less, But Digital Formats Pick Up
By on September 17, 2012 Leave a Comment
Although kids today say they enjoy reading just as much as their peers did in 2005, they’re actually reading far less each day because they’re busy doing other things, says a new study by the National Literacy Trust, a UK-based literacy charity.
How to Build a School: Floral Park Memorial High School Students Go to Nicaragua
By on September 5, 2012 1 Comment
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.
Chicago Kids Read a Record 1.5 Million Books as Part of Rahm’s Readers Summer Reading Program
By on August 22, 2012 Leave a Comment
Some 60,232 Chicago kids read more than 1.5 million books this summer, thanks to Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Rahm’s Readers, the Chicago Public Library’s summer reading program. Studies show that children who participate in summer reading programs maintain or improve their reading skills and start school ready to learn.
DC Public Libraries Serve Up Books—and Lunch, Too
By on August 14, 2012 2 Comments
Literacy isn’t the only thing Washington, DC, public libraries are offering kids this summer. They’re also serving up some lunch.
“We wanted to make sure they had a reason to come,” says Ginnie Cooper, chief librarian for the District of Columbia. “Sometimes the kids will come for the lunch, and sometimes they come for the program.”
Nick’s Picks | Losses and Legacies
By on August 7, 2012 1 Comment
Last spring the children’s book community lost several beloved authors and illustrators, including the hugely talented Leo Dillon, Jean Craighead George, Ellen Levine, and Maurice Sendak. In honor of their memory and their many accomplishments, TeachingBooks.net is offering video and audio recordings of these creative artists whose work enriched the lives of so many people.
Baltimore Schools Receive $5 Million Library Upgrades
By on August 7, 2012 Leave a Comment
Hundreds of K-8 students in Baltimore, MD, will return this fall to 12 new school libraries equipped with Nooks, computers, and even a reading spot for mom and dad, thanks to a $5 million, four-year grant from the Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation.
Michigan ACLU, Students File ‘Right to Read’ Lawsuit
By on July 23, 2012 Leave a Comment
Some kids in Michigan are literally fighting for their right to read. The state’s American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recently filed a class-action suit on behalf of eight students in the Highland Park School District who don’t read at grade level.
Oregon District Keeps School Libraries Open to Prevent Summer Slide
By on July 19, 2012 Leave a Comment
Seven Title I media centers throughout the district continue to keep their doors open two hours each week, and local kids are welcome to read, check out books, or attend read-alouds. Although it’s not a new concept, it’s the first time Salem-Keizer has kept summer hours—and so far, kids seem to be enjoying it, says Stephen Cox, the district’s library media program specialist.
CO Library Serves Kids “On the Fly” as Wildfires Rage
By on June 19, 2012 Leave a Comment
What do you do when disaster strikes? That’s the urgent question the staff at the Poudre River Public Library District in Fort Collins, CO, was forced to answer when the raging High Park wildfires—among the worst in the state’s history—ignited June 9 north and west of the city.
Good Reasons to Hope | Recent YA Fiction
By on June 5, 2012 Leave a Comment
War, terminal illness, grief, depression—the teen protagonists in these recent young adult titles face dire circumstances and difficult personal dilemmas with honest candor and courage, choosing to live with hope, seeing possibilities in the midst of despair. Never sentimental or maudlin, ever inventive and realistic, their stories reference historic touchstones and human vulnerability in strikingly voiced narratives sure to capture readers’ hearts and minds. They offer myriad themes to explore and writing opportunities in classrooms across the curriculum.
