Friday, October 29, 2021

Mackin presents -- Lifting Voices: Classroom Favorite Authors on Culturally Responsive Texts






Join Penguin Young Readers' culturally diverse and award-winning authors as they discuss their newest titles.

Listen to Padma Venkatraman speak about "Born Behind Bars," set in Chennai, India, featuring a boy who’s unexpectedly released into the world after spending his whole life in jail with his mom.

Veera Hiranandani will speak on her historical fiction novel about how middle schooler Ariel Goldberg's life changes when her big sister elopes following the 1967 Loving v. Virginia decision, forcing her to grapple with both her family's prejudice and the antisemitism she experiences.

Joseph Bruchac will tackle the tough subject of the Indigenous experience during the COVID pandemic, exploring what it is like living in quarantine on a Wabanaki reservation.

Torrey Maldonado, author of the highly acclaimed "Tight" and "What Lane?" will talk about his experience which led him to write a masterful story showing a young boy coming of age in a racially split world.

#TreeOfGratitude Challenge 2021

Original post from Peekapak, an ERS Portal Vendor:

We are excited to announce that our #TreeofGratitude Challenge is back for November 2021! This challenge is easy to get involved with, and is open to ALL, and includes two Grand Prizes of a $100 Amazon Gift Cards or a Peekapak character cutout!

What is the #TreeofGratitude Challenge?

The #TreeofGratitude Challenge is a yearly tradition Peekapak hosts for it’s educator community based on the tradition that happens in Peekaville, where upon the first snowfall, the residents of Peekaville gather around the tree to write messages of gratitude onto tags and hang them up on the tree. This tradition allows us to take a step back and look at all the things we have to be thankful for, whether it be the good times or the bad. Check out the book The Peekapak Pals and the Tree of Gratitude, to see where this tradition starts!

How to Enter: Gratitude Tags

In order to participate, have your students create gratitude tags. To do this, have students write down and/or draw any one person, place or thing they are grateful for. You are more than welcome to print and use this tag or create your own!

To submit your response and send us a photo of your classrooms response via twitter by tagging @Peekapak, giving us a follow on Twitter, and using the hashtag #TreeofGratitude. If you read the book, take a picture of you and/or your students reading for a bonus entry!

Then simply take a picture of your student’s tags, post your gratitude tags and tag us in your results!

Prizes!

The grand prizes will be two $100 Amazon gift cards or a character cut out of your favourite PeekapakCharacters!

On November 30th, 2021, when the challenge ends, we will be randomly picking 3 winners and will direct message or email you. (Please make sure that you are following us so we can message you for the prize).

We are so excited about this year’s Gratitude Challenge and are looking forward to hearing all your classroom’s great ideas on practicing gratitude this year!

With gratitude,

Ami & The Peekapak Team

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

New Documentary "Tell Me Another Story: Diversity in Children's Literature"

Tell Me Another Story, a 30-minute free access documentary, presents a compelling and lively portrait of the giants, past and present, who have advanced diversity in picture books, illuminating the reality that multicultural literature is critical to our children’s quality of life and the health of our society.



About the Film:

Produced by the EJK Foundation, in association with The Office Performing Arts + Film, the documentary was created in celebration and recognition of the movement toward social equity. It was directed by Damani Baker and edited by Jon Henry Fine, with original music by Meshell NdegeocelloFull list of Film Credits

Highlights:

20th century giants featured include W.E.B. Du Bois, Augusta Baker, Pura Belpré and Ezra Jack Keats.

Contemporary champions presented include Pat Cummings, Chris Myers, Meg Medina, Grace Lin, Andrea Davis Pinkney and Marley Dias.

Children’s book awards celebrating diversity illuminated include the Coretta Scott King, Pura Belpré and Ezra Jack Keats Awards.

Direct link to Ezra Jack Keats Foundation website:

https://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/tell-me-another-story/

Friday, October 15, 2021

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Free Webinar from HarperCollins Children's Books: Picture This!


Picture This!
Featuring Lian Cho, Kevin Henkes, Oge Mora,
and Dan Santat

October 20
9AM PST



Over the last year and a half, the words “home” and “community” have taken on new meaning. “Home” has become office, school, and safe haven. Home has become the place we’ve stayed to protect our community as we have learned how interconnected the health and well-being of communities truly are. Libraries, which are so central to the foundation of our communities, have also been drastically affected this past year. We are so glad that through creativity, perseverance, and technological innovation, the book world has been able to reach far and wide to those who may not be able to meet in person.

Four new picture books look at these concepts of what and who are home and community to young readers. Home can be a house through the seasons, home can be a beloved companion (stuffed or otherwise). Community can be those who share your red brick walls and those who share this planet. Hear from four of today’s best illustrators, Kevin Henkes, Dan Santat, Lian Cho, and Oge Mora, on how their art processes were informed by these themes and how creativity has given them a sense of home throughout their careers and particularly in the last year.

Monday, October 11, 2021

Virtual Conference: Best Results for Multilingual Learners -- Register now!

Wednesday, October 27, 2021
8:30 am - 4:00 pm


Breakout presenters and topics now available.
Register and build your itinerary.

Registration link:

About our keynote speaker:

Dr. José Medina is the founder and Chief Educational Advocate for Dr. José Medina: Educational Solutions. Prior to establishing the boutique consulting firm, Dr. Medina served as Research Scientist and Director of Dual Language and ESL Education at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) in Washington, DC. José provides technical assistance, professional development, and job-embedded support to schools and districts across the United States, and globally. He is a former school principal and district leader who has served as an administrator/educator/advocate at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Dr. Medina is a co-author of the third edition and widely-used Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education. He is also the author of three bilingual poetry books based on his testimonio. 


*Keynote and breakout sessions by Dr. José Medina will not be recorded. Remaining program breakout sessions will be recorded and made available to registered participants.



Registration closes Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. Registration Fee: $99.

Friday, October 8, 2021

Did You Know? - October 2021

We’re proud to introduce Learn360, our powerful, new streaming video resource for grades TK-12! Learn360 provides teachers, students, and parents access to more than 182,000+ digital resources, including educational tools, from any Internet-enabled device. Resources are curated from more than 560 top educational providers, including an exclusive partnership with PBS, delivering access to 2000+ PBS licensed K-12 educational videos.

At the top of the Learn360 page, you will see seven icons. Click on any of these to explore content within. You’ll see Audio content, including audiobooks, famous speeches, fun, and educational songs to learn with students, even music tracks and sound effects. The Games and Activities icon takes you to learning games for Language Arts, Mathematics, Sciences, and Social Studies, along with Math and Reading activities. Under the Printables tab, you’ll find over a thousand fact sheets covering such diverse topics as Health, Sports Rules, Women’s Studies, and History, the Multicultural Experience, U.S. Government, and more. Over a hundred Math activities in Algebra, Geometry, and Calculus are available, as well as thousands of fascinating science diagrams on all subjects, from Space and Astronomy to Animal Anatomy or Weather and Climate. Learn360 also features STEM Lessons and videos to support the curriculum.

There are also Printables from The Mailbox, which some teachers may remember using in print form, back when you photocopied worksheets and activities from the pages of a book! The Mailbox includes digital versions of reproducible teacher guides, easy to search for and print, covering all subjects, from Writing Prompts to Awards and Certificates or Holiday themed worksheets.

Such a wealth of information, and that’s barely scratching the surface! We’re excited about the streaming videos and digital resources provided through Learn360, and we hope you will be too!

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

FREE Event! Future Ready Librarians® Fall Summit

Future Ready Librarians® Fall Summit
Thinking Critically About Media and News Literacy
Saturday, October 16, 2021


Future Ready Librarians® summits are FREE, live, virtual, interactive, high-quality professional learning experiences for librarians interested in learning, growing, and expanding their professional practice through collaboration and networking with like-minded colleagues from across the country.

During this summit, we will reflect and collaborate around the following questions:
How has the conversation about information and media literacy evolved?
What are current and emerging best practices for teaching media literacy?

What roles can teacher librarians and school libraries play in leading media literacy?