For Librarians

Trace the Origins of Aphorisms

December 5, 2012

Aesop’s Fables—also called “the Aesopica”—are a collection of stories intended to teach moral lessons. The stories are credited to Aesop, a Greek slave and storyteller thought to have lived between 620 and 560 BCE. The Aesop’s Fables interactive book, presented by the Library of Congress, was adapted fromThe Aesop for Children: with Pictures by Milo Winter, published by Rand, McNally & Co. in 1919. The interactive book contains more than 140 classic fables, accompanied by charming illustrations and interactive animations: a choosy heron eyes the fish swimming at his feet, a fox swishes his tail, a mouse chews a rope and frees a lion.…

Open a Book and Drive for 10

December 5, 2012

The Fast Break for Reading campaign is a joint initiative between the International Reading Association(IRA), the American Basketball Association (ABA) and classroom teachers nationwide to encourage students to read for 10 minutes a day, with a goal of a million minutes read nationwide by the conclusion of the program. After you sign up for the program, you can download the official Program Reading Log and Certificate of Participation. Photocopy and distribute the logs to your students, who will record their minutes. At the end of each month, collect the logs from your students, tally the total minutes for that month and submit your students’ reading “tally” for…

Get Students Excited About Reading

November 16, 2012

Tales2Go is an award-winning children’s audiobook service that works like Pandora, giving educators and students instant and unlimited access to thousands of name-brand titles from leading publishers to play on desktops, laptops and Apple mobile devices—in the classroom and beyond. Use the audiobooks with individual students or in groups, in conjunction with printed text or for some fun listening. Click Here to Start a Free 30-Day Trial

Celebrate Teen Read Week

October 17, 2012

During the third full week of October, teens will be reading for the fun of it, as hundreds of libraries, schools and bookstores celebrate Teen Read Week. This year’s theme—It Came from the Library!—encourages teens to take advantage of reading in all its forms—books and magazines, ebooks, audiobooks and more—and become regular library users. Libraries across the world celebrate Teen Read Week with a variety of special events and programs aimed at encouraging teens to read for pleasure and to visit their libraries for free reading materials. Click Here to Visit Teen Week Website Plus: A suggested application of this year’s…

Find High-Quality, Trustworthy Websites

December 13, 2011

SweetSearch is a search engine that seeks out only sites that have been reviewed and approved by a team of librarians, teachers and research experts. In all, 35,000 websites have been reviewed and approved by SweetSearch. In addition to the general search engine, SweetSearch offers five niche search areas: SweetSearch Web Research Tutorial teaches web research skills to educators and students; SweetSearch4Me is a search engine for emerging learners; SweetSearch2Day is where students can learn something new every day; SweetSearch Biographies offers profiles and outstanding search results for thousands of famous—or infamous—people from many walks of life, professions and countries, spanning many centuries; and SweetSearch Social Studies is an indispensable resource…

Inspire Middle School Literacy

March 11, 2011

Teachers’ Domain, an online repository of free media resources for teachers run by the Boston-based WGBH Educational Foundation, provides multimedia-rich science and social studies curricula infused with literacy lessons for struggling readers in grades 5–8. Each self-paced online lesson uses videos, interactive activities, note taking, reading andwriting to present students with an engaging science or history topic. The lessons address a range of literacy strategies: Categorizing Basic Facts and Ideas; Comparing and Contrasting Ideas; Constructing Summaries; Determining Important Information; Establishing Cause and Effect; Identifying and Using Text Features; Making Inferences; Sequencing Events; and Understanding Problem/Solution. So far, there are about 15 lessons, with plans to create 25 more in 2011. Click Here to Access Free…

Frame Use of Technology in Schools

March 11, 2011

The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) recently released Acceptable Use Policies in a Web 2.0 & Mobile Era: A Guide for School Districts aimed at assisting district leaders (superintendents, principals, chief technology/information officers and curriculum directors) in developing, rethinking or revising Internet policies to address the growing use of mobile devices and Web 2.0. The CoSN policy guide addresses the following questions: (1) How does policy differ from procedure, and does the difference matter? (2) What are the two major approaches used to develop district AUPs? (3) Is the district’s AUP a part of or the totality of the district’s technology policy? (4) What…

Update Your School Library Media Center Grant

March 11, 2011

The U.S. Department of Education’s Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program provides grants to local education agencies (LEAs) to improve student reading skills and academic achievement by providing students with increased access to up-to-date school library materials; well-equipped, technologically advanced school library media centers; and well-trained, professionally certified school library media specialists. Fifty LEAs will be awarded grants ranging from $100,000 to $600,000. Deadline: March 28, 2011 Click Here for More Information This information is provided as a courtesy for BISD teachers and inclusion here does not indicate an endorsement by the district. It is important to thoroughly evaluate a website before…

Educate Students About Software Piracy

March 10, 2011

First appearing in the 1992 video Don’t Copy That Floppy, Digital Protector (aka MC Double Def DP) rapped his way onto the computer screens of millions, sparking awareness of the growing problem of software piracy. His message, heard around the world, generated enormous buzz as innovative technology flourished. Almost two decades later, DP is back, bringing his message to a whole new generation. This time, he’s sparking heated exchanges all across cyberspace with his new song, Don’t Copy That 2. With driving beats and edgy lyrics, he once again hammers home his point: it’s not just a copy; it’s a crime. In an…

50 Blogs for Librarians

February 28, 2011

Here are some great reads for librarians and non-superheros alike! Ready Steady Book: The Ready Steady Book blog features lots of author interviews, book reviews, and more discussions about books. So Many Books: This blog features in-depth posts about book awards, libraries, and beyond. 3000 Books: If you’re afraid that you can’t read all the books on your list, read this blog instead. The blogger aims to read 50 books per year. 1morechapter: This former teacher writes book reviews and gives herself book challenges to keep reading. Biblio: Get ideas for reading and English lessons while you learn about the…