On teens, their phones & shifting communications landscapes

How teens manage their lives online

http://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2015/04/10/on-teens-their-phones-shifting-communications-landscapes-new-from-pew/

"This week Pew Research Center released Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015, a report that should have relevance to all of us who work with young people.  Unlike Pew's previous surveys, which involved representative samples of teens interview by phone, this one was conducted online. These data are useful for us in deciding how we reach the young people we love and in understanding how they themselves manage their lives online."

Read Joyce Valenza's complete post for a good summary of this document.

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Fun National Poetry Month Apps and Resources for Teens

Poetry is all around us!

http://www.slj.com/2015/04/technology/applications/fun-national-poetry-month-apps-and-resources-for-teens-tech-tidbits/

"April is in full swing, which means National Poetry Month is upon us. Teachers are already planning units and themed studies surrounding verse. We librarians are the ones that they come to for new ideas. "Do you have any suggestions?" they ask. This is when you smugly smile and say, "As a matter of fact, I do!"...."

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YouTube for the Tween Crowd

Educational content for Middle School

http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2015/04/middle-grade-monday-youtube-for-the-tween-crowd/

"Several years ago, the school district where I work finally unblocked YouTube, and a whole world of opportunity was opened. There is so much educational content available on YouTube, and much of it is useful to the tween crowd. I'd like to start by highlighting several channels that have incredibly useful educational content (with the caveat that, like all useful content, you need to view it through the lens of your community.)"

Read the article to explore some great links.

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Audio Books & eBook Downloads

Listen to some classic titles, read aloud.

http://www.loyalbooks.com/

"Loyal Books" has inventoried public domain audio books available for online listening and/or downloading. Many titles can also be downloaded in epub and mobi formats. Materials drawn from Librivox, Gutenburg and other sources. (some ads appear on the site.)

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Printable Comic Strip Templates

A great selection of storyboards

http://www.donnayoung.org/art/comics.htm

"On this page you'll find free printable comic strip templates in various panel layouts. The files are provided by donnayoung.org, home to thousands of high quality free printables. (Typically the cartoonist will draw his own panels as needed, but for the budding cartoonist, some pre-drawn cartoon templates might be just the thing s/he needs to get started.)"

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Cool Text: Titles and signage made easy

Need a genre sign or promo text?

http://cooltext.com/

"Cool Text is a FREE graphics generator for web pages and anywhere else you need an impressive logo without a lot of design work.  Simply choose what kind of image you would like. Then fill out a form and you'll have your own custom image created on the fly."

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Create and Share Custom Reading Lists in NoveList

Share your lists

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9qoQaDN9LI

Are you using NoveList to create a title list to share with a teacher or other TL? It's easy to use NoveList folders to create custom book lists to share with anyone. View this Youtube tutorial for a quick overview.

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New Ways to Find "LibraryReads" in NoveList

The monthly top ten books that librarians love

https://www.ebscohost.com/novelist-blog/novelist-article/new-ways-to-find-libraryreads-in-novelist

These are primarily adult titles, but there is the occasional YA title. Good for your personal reading lists!

"[...] LibraryReads is a feature that highlights the "top ten books published this month that librarians across the country love". Back when LibraryReads first started, the NoveList team decided to make these monthly lists a priority, and provide read-alikes for every LibraryReads book suggested. [....]  It is now easier to find LibraryReads books in NoveList. Each book (going back to the first one in 2013) has been tagged as a "LibraryReads Favorite."

You'll find NoveList under the Visual Tab in your Destiny catalog.

Here is a link to all the 2015 Favourites so far: LINK

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L'écriture de la M à la 3e année

Guide d'enseignement efficace de l'écriture:

(de la maternelle à la 3e année) http://www.atelier.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/GEE_Ecriture_M_3.pdf

"Le Guide d'enseignement efficace de l'écriture, de la maternelle à la 3e année, 2005, propose des situations, des stratégies et des ressources pratiques qui permettront aux enseignants de la maternelle à la 3e année d'offrir un programme d'écriture équilibré et efficace."

Writing strategies and practical resources for K-3 teachers.

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Star Wars - Epic Yarns - Felt books

Needle felted versions of the 3 original Star Wars movies

http://www.mycozyclassics.com/star-wars/

"We've taken our felting talents to a galaxy far, far away! On April 14, 2015, Chronicle Books, in conjunction with Disney/Lucasfilm, will be releasing three volumes in a new series called Star War Epic Yarns, featuring 12-word, needle felted versions of each of the three original Star Wars movies. Take advantage of Chronicle Books' pre-order offer here."

Scroll down the page to see a "making of" video. In a bit of local colour, some of the scenes featured in the books where taken in Vancouver BC.

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25 Adult Books For Fans Of YA

Check out these titles

http://www.epicreads.com/blog/25-adult-books-for-fans-of-ya/

If you love YA, then these adult titles might just appeal to your reader sensibilities. While some of the themes might not work for every high school setting, there are some gems here.

Row 1:

1. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

2. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

3. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

4. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

5. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

 

Row 2:

6. Feed by Mira Grant

7. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

8. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

9. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

10. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

 

Row 3:

11. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

12. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

13. Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link

14. The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

15. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

 

Row 4:

16. The Magicians by Lev Grossman

17. The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell

18. The Stand by Stephen King

19. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

20. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

 

Row 5:

21. Golden Boy by Abigale Tarttelin

22. Dare Me by Megan Abbott

23. The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

24. Goliath by Tom Gauld

25. Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith

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Battleship Template

"You sunk my battleship!"

http://justsomethingimade.com/wp-content/uploads/JSIMAhoyBattleshipGame.pdf

Use the A-J, 1-10 coordinates to practice math, French vocab or chemical equations. Students play Battleship and rehearse concepts learned in class.

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Learn360 tip - this date in history

Tip of the Month "This Day in History" and "Daily Almanac"

http://www.learn360.com/index.aspx

Here's a fun way to incorporate Learn360 in your class and improve usage! Simply type today's date (without the year - ie April 9) into the search bar, and the search results will show short video clips (roughly a minute or so in length) detailing the historical events from that day in history. (Play these clips as students enter the classroom in the morning to increase their focus and get them ready to learn!) Events are often American, but are relevant to North American culture.

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Brick Books - Canadian Poetry Resources and Readings

Brick Books' students and educators resource page

http://www.brickbooks.ca/students/

Since 1975, Brick Books has been publishing new and established voices in Canadian poetry.

"We have created this new section for students and educators to showcase all the information about our authors in one place. Including author biographies, books published, reviews, interviews, audio recordings and more, we hope that this material can enhance learning experiences and both personal and professional development."

Poets read from their works

https://www.youtube.com/user/brickbooks/videos

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Spring 2015 Young Adults and Children's Services Magazine

New YAACING mag is ready to read!

http://issuu.com/yaacing/docs/yaacingspring2015

The Spring 2015 issue of YAACING is now available. (Click on the first link to read it on issuu, or the second to download the PDF.)

Highlights include details for the Red Cedar Gala, putting on your own Harry Potter Book Night, and STEAM resources from Jbrary.

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"Use, Understand & Create": A Digital Literacy Framework for Canadian Schools

A road map for teaching digital literacy skills.

http://mediasmarts.ca/teacher-resources/use-understand-create-digital-literacy-framework-canadian-schools

"Young Canadians need to be able to make good choices about privacy, ethics, safety and verifying information when they're using digital media, and they need to be prepared to be active and engaged digital citizens.

"The 'Use, Understand & Create' framework includes over 50 lessons and interactive games, organized by grade level from K to Gr 8, that are aligned with these six key aspects of digital literacy: Finding and Verifying, Ethics and Empathy, Privacy and Security, Digital Health, Consumer Awareness, Community Engagement.

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"Close Reading" and What It Means for Media Literacy

Devlop the habit of questioning media texts

http://www.middleweb.com/15929/close-reading-and-media-literacy/

"Getting students in the habit of questioning media texts helps them begin to become critical thinkers and viewers. Oftentimes one question leads to another and another. Unanswered questions often lead to research which can also be revealing (and skill-building)."

See also:

Part 2: Close Reading: Visual Literacy through Photography

Part 3: Close Reading of Advertising Promotes Critical Thinking

Part 4: How to Close-Read the Language of Film

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Reading Comprehension Worksheets

Reading samples for English practice

http://www.englishforeveryone.org/Topics/Reading-Comprehension.htm

You'll find a number of reading samples on this site which you can access by scrolling halfway down the page. (This page also links to ReadTheoryWorkbooks, a site for downloading paid grade-level reading passages.) Worksheets include answers and explanations.

• Short Story Reading Comprehension: Readers are tested on their ability to perform interpretations, make deductions, and infer the meaning of vocabulary words.
  
• Informational Passages Reading Comprehension: Each passage reads similar to a newspaper of journal article, and provides interesting information about some aspect of history, nature, mechanics, science, art, and more.
  
• Technical Reading Comprehension: Each passage reads like an encyclopedic or technical journal article.
  
• Role Play Reading Comprehension: Students increase their understanding of colloquial and idiomatic expressions and get a feel for conversational English.
  

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Sites éducatifs pour le préscolaire

French games and activities for the lab

http://www.lasouris-web.org/prescolaire/prescolaire-2.html

Some fun French animations and games. (Explore first before turning your students loose on them!)

"Sur cette page du site lasouris-web, nous vous suggérons des sites proposant des jeux ludo-éducatifs (jeux de mémoire, casse-têtes, etc.), des activités d'éveil variées (éveil à l'écrit, à la lecture, etc.) et plus... pour les enfants du préscolaire (maternelle)."

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Digital Bytes - from Common Sense Media

Teaching teens digital citizenship

http://digitalbytes.commonsensemedia.org/

"Digital Bytes teaches teens digital citizenship through student-directed, media-rich activities that tackle real-world dilemmas. Teens learn from the experiences of their peers then create collaborative projects that voice their ideas for making smart, safe choices online.

• Read the Facilitator's Guide, (PDF) and then try the Bytes yourself.
• Point your teens to Digital Bytes, and let them do the rest!
  

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