February 16, 2013

What’s the Buzz? Nonfiction Books for Common Core

small

Tuesday, March 12, 2013, 3:00 – 4:00 PM ET What are the best nonfiction Common Core books to stock with your shelves with? DK Publishing, Teacher Created Materials, Lerner Publishing and ReferencePoint Press are here to help fill your library’s nonfiction section by presenting their upcoming titles that fit perfectly into the new standards. This is a must-see resource for Common Core, featuring forthcoming books, nonfiction trends, and answers to your questions! Register now!

Fusenews: Though wouldn’t you rather read “Bertie & Psmith”?

Before we begin I would like to have a few words with the publishers on behalf of catalogers nationwide. Ahem. Hi, guys.  How’s it going?  Heckuva weird weather we’ve had lately, right?  Yeah . . . so . . . here’s the thing.  You know how you’ve been rereleasing a couple classic children’s books recently [...]

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.

Exploring Common Core’s Informational Text… with Violent Video Games

I’ll hazard that many of us don’t immediately think “games” when we think of “transliteracy,” but why not?

Scholastic Plans ‘39 Clues’ Baldacci Webcast at Smithsonian American History Museum

DayofDoom

Scholastic will offer a free, behind-the-scenes video tour of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History with author David Baldacci as a guide. The “Decoding History” virtual field trip coincides with the release of Baldacci’s new book, “The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers: Day of Doom,” the latest in the bestselling series.

Britannica School | Digital Resources

SLJ1302w_Digital


Britannica Digital Learning
www.info.eb.com/school
Grade Level: PreK Up

Cost The list price is $525 for up to 700 students and 75 cents for each additional student. Discounts are available for school district and consortium purchases. In addition, some states pay for the subscription in public schools and libraries. The following federal funding is available: Title I, Title II, Title III, Title IV, Title X; Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); Investing in Innovation (i3); Race to the Top Funds; 21st Century [...]

Consider the Source: Getting History Right

bomb

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.

Part 3 On Common Core – Making the Text Connection

CommonCore_header_011713_small

Thursday, January 17, 2013, 3:00 – 4:00 PM ET 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. Register now!

Model Library Curriculum shared on our PA DOE portal

In times like these it’s even more meaningful when your state department of education endorses and validates your contribution to the learning culture of your school. This past fall, New York State recognized the specific contributions of  its school librarians by approving a new School Librarian Evaluation Rubric. (AASL lists a variety of others as [...]

Fusenews: Bets lists towards best book lists

The best books lists are abundant and here!  So very exciting, yes?  I do love this time of year, and so it makes sense to begin with the cream of the crop.  I refer, of course, to NYPL’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2012.  Split into seven different categories (Picture Books, Folk and Fairy [...]

Fusenews: Bets lists towards best book lists

The best books lists are abundant and here!  So very exciting, yes?  I do love this time of year, and so it makes sense to begin with the cream of the crop.  I refer, of course, to NYPL’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2012.  Split into seven different categories (Picture Books, Folk and Fairy [...]

Consider the Source: Two Is the Thorniest Number

masterofdeceit

In his latest Consider the Source column, Marc Aronson uses the recent presidential election as a jumping off point to discuss the different ways that American history is viewed.

Fusenews: Grumble fish

American Gypsy: A Memoir

“Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again.”
That would be an old line from a TV column in the Marin Independent Journal by one Rick Polito describing the film The Wizard of Oz.  My brother-in-law Steve brought it up [...]

Consider the Source: The Mandate

Downed tree on the way to New Canaan Library, CT.

In the wake of the destruction wrought by Sandy, Marc Aronson emphasizes the importance of the Common Core standards as students and teachers discuss the link between the recent hurricane and climate change.

News Bites: Free Video Series from NBC Learn: “Writers Speak to Kids”

writers speak to kids

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.

On Common Core | Content Over Coverage

CommonCore_states

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?

The LC does CCSS

Search by Standards

Earlier this week, the Teaching with the Library of Congress blog, announced that it has made its already fabulous  teaching resources–designed to inspire analysis, critical thinking, and the value of working with primary sources–more findable for teachers by aligning them to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
It’s all free and available through a new search [...]

SLJ’s Resources on the Common Core

understandingcommoncore

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have become the topic du jour in educational circles, and librarians are key participants in the conversation. School Library Journal’s Leadership Summit, “Advocacy and E-volution: Creating Stronger Schools Through Stronger Libraries,” taking place in Philadelphia October 26-27, will focus on how librarians and school media specialists can propel the dialogue and help teachers and administrators deliver on the full potential of the Common Core.

Part 2 On Common Core – Librarians, the Secret Weapon

CommonCoreheader11202012small

Tuesday, November 20, 2012, 3:00 – 4:00 PM ET The New York City Department of Education Office of Library Services is at the forefront of a movement to clarify the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for the profession. Olga Nesi, a regional coordinator at the NYC DOE Library Services, will lead a discussion on the challenges and opportunities the CCSS present for librarians, the role of the profession in supporting the goals of the initiative, and the workshops she and her colleagues have been conducting around the state. Archive is now available!

The Wild World of Steve Jenkins | An Author Study

Sisters and Brothers

The Common Core’s emphasis on nonfiction challenges educators to provide insightful and interesting materials to students. In order to best serve my population, I decided to create a series of nonfiction author study units similar to those we already did. Since most teachers at my school tend to assign animal research reports to introduce nonfiction, I chose Steve Jenkins for my first nonfiction author study—someone whose books are found in most classrooms and libraries.