SLS Weekly Update
December 22, 2023
Congrats Jenna!
Jenna won one of the EMTA grants for this year!
Save the Dates
January 10: Council Meeting. NEW DATE
January 17- Statewide PD on AI. NEW DATE
Jan 29-Feb 2- Julie Smith Virtual Field Trip for MS
February 13: Council Meeting
March 18-22 Julie Smith HS Virtual Field Trip
April 3: Admin Breakfast
May 16-18: SSL Conference
June 5: Council Meeting
Dates also found at https://libguides.cayboces.org/Homepage/LibraryCalendar
Julie Smith Virtual Field Trip
Through our membership with EMTA we are able to host author and presenter Julie Smith for virtual assemblies for our middle and high school students on media literacy. This free opportunity is available for all students in NY State. Note- this is the same presenter we had last year and she has updated her presentation with new information, including AI.
What students SHOULD be doing online
- digital sleuthing
- entrepreneurship
- personal branding
- harnessing AI
- making tech work FOR you
- Q&A session for students to ask questions at the end of each assembly
To Register: Media Literacy Virtual Assembly Registration (2024) (libwizard.com). Please pick which time slot you would like to attend with students. If you are interested in the recording only please indicate that. Note- we have rights to retain the recording for only 30 days.
Please see attached for additional information. If you have any questions please let me know. Please feel free to share with anyone you think would be interested in attending.
Regards,
Jim Belair
Coordinator – School Library Systems
Monroe 2 Orleans BOCES
Desk: (585) 349-9099
Cell: (585) 465-9906
jbelair@monroe2boces.org
Jared Amato- Project LIT update
receive new posts and support my work.
First, as a reminder, here are our 2023-24 Project LIT Book Club selections! Thanks so much to Liz B. for putting together the beautiful book shelf graphics and this slideshow.
Rebecca A. also put together this fantastic slideshow featuring all of the YA titles (sorted by genre) to help students find their next read. Please continue to share any resources that you create over the next weeks and months, and I’m happy to share them with our community!
Second, here’s how ALL OF YOU can get involved with our public reveal this holiday season.
We will announce four MG and four YA titles per day from 12/23 through 12/30 (no announcements on 12/25). We will announce in alphabetical order (which means A First Time for Everything, A Rover's Story, A Work in Progress, and All Thirteen will be the MG titles revealed on 12/23 and Accountable, All My Rage, As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow, and Chaos Theory will be the YA titles.)
Be sure to follow @projectLITcomm on Instagram and Threads, and simply repost/reshare our daily announcements on any/all social media platforms! (We’ll also try to post daily on Facebook and X, but we’re hoping to spend the most time of the first two.)
Show extra love to the authors by tagging and mentioning them in your social media posts! (Why you and your students love their book, why you’re excited to read it, a few emojis, etc.) I know it means the world to them, especially in today’s climate.
Reach out to your student leaders to create/share brief video messages, take/post pictures of students holding a copy of the book(s), or create/share artwork, graphics, book trailers, digital (or actual) bulletin boards, etc.
For video messages, here are a few sample scripts:
Project LIT is ____________________ (name of book)!
Congratulations, _______________(author name)! TITLE is a Project LIT Book Club selection! We can’t wait for our community to read and discuss your book!
Hi, I’m ________, and I’m from Project LIT _________ (school/chapter name) in _______, __________ (city, state). I’m____________ to announce that TITLE by AUTHOR is a Project LIT Book Club selection! Congratulations!
If you’re not on social media (I completely understand — I’ve been offline for much of the past two years), there are still several ways to show your support during the reveal and contribute to Project LIT’s core mission — to increase book access and to promote a love of reading in our communities.
Request copies from your local school or public library. (I’ve enjoyed working my way through the list over the past few weeks.)
Share the list with students & colleagues as we set goals for 2024 and add books to our TBR (To Be Read) lists.
Work with students & colleagues to develop a “2024 Reading Challenge.” (Be sure to share anything you come up with!)
Create a classroom/library “wishlist” and share with friends/family.
See if your school has any room in the budget for a book order.
Meet wih your Project LIT chapter (or survey your students) to identify 3-4 titles to read as a club/class. (I’m working on a local grant application for our schoolwide book club as we speak…)
Create a beautiful bulletin board display (again, be sure to share and tag us!)
Third, here are a few independent reading thoughts as we close out 2023 and prepare for 2024.
In my book JUST READ IT: Unlocking the Magic of Independent Reading in Middle and High School Classrooms (which is now available for pre-order*), I make the case for daily independent reading in all middle and high school classrooms, and more specifically, a Read and WRAP routine. Daily time to read self-selected books. And daily time to WRAP about our reading. Write. Reflect. Analyze. Participate.
*Be sure to use the code CORWIN25 for a 25% discount + free shipping. Corwin also wanted me to remind everyone that “pre-ordering directly from Corwin means customers will receive the book about a month prior to when they'd receive it via Amazon (because of the way Amazon orders their inventory), and with the promo code the price will be lower.” Thanks to everyone who has already pre-ordered and shared with friends and colleagues in your school and district. It means the world to me!
After listening to this podcast episode, I am even more convinced that all of us — students and educators, readers young and old — benefit from 10 to 15 minutes (if not longer) of daily time to Read and WRAP. To get lost in books of our choosing (really good stuff happen in our brains when we stop scrolling) and to engage in meaningful writing, reflection, conversation, and community-building. January is the perfect time to establish (or re-establish) an independent reading (Read and WRAP) routine, and I’d be happy to answer any/all questions you may have as you get started!
For those who are looking to “celebrate” a great semester of reading with your students, here’s one idea from JUST READ IT that I wanted to spotlight:
During homeroom one December morning, students were discussing their “Spotify “Wrapped” with excitement, which got my teacher brain thinking . . . How could we apply this concept to reading? For those who are unfamiliar, Spotify tracks its users’ “listening behavior” (songs, artists, podcasts, total minutes, etc.) from January to October 31. By early December, users can access their personalized “Wrapped” in early December and share it with friends and followers on social media. Inspired by Spotify’s description of their viral marketing campaign, I created my reading-focused version, “Book Wrapped”:
“Book Wrapped” is a celebration of the school year gone by and an invitation to join in on the fun . . . We know that no two readers are alike, so Book Wrapped encourages you to gaze into your vibrant literary kaleidoscope and show it off to the world . . .
Spotify also developed a variety of “Listening Personalities,” such as “The Replayer,” “The Specialist,” and “The Adventurer.” How cool would it be if our students created their own “Reading Personalities”? The Rereader, The Adventurer, The Speed Reader, The Crier, The Mystery-Lover, The Picky Eater, The Fantasy Fan, The Thrill Seeker, The Emo-Reader, The Abandoner…what am I missing?! Additionally, as we close out a semester or school year, we can have students reflect on their favorite authors, books, and genres and estimate the number of pages or minutes read. We can also create a class or schoolwide graphic, inspired by Spotify’s “Most-Streamed Artists Globally” chart, that includes our Top Five “Most-Read Books” and Top Five “Most-Read Authors.”
Finally, here’s the Article of the Week I plan to read with students as we close out 2024. (I think they’re going to enjoy this one!)
And with that, it’s time to join Lizzie and Lucca as we make Christmas cookies and drink hot chocolate. Sending all of you lots of love this holiday season. Excited to “see” many of you online as we prepare to celebrate dozens of incredible books and authors.
Cheers,
Jarred
TeachingBooks January Ideas
Explore resources for jumping-off points that deepen discussions, inspire reading interest, and support connections to books and authors. Easily share and include in your instructional plans, newsletters, and social media.
Remember to explore our Monthly Lesson Ideas, and revisit previous ideas in our Timely Topics archive.
For more, see all of our Teaching Ideas.
Best wishes,
The TeachingBooks Implementation Team
Book Creator Newsletter
A quick look inside the last issue of the Book Nook Newsletter for 2023:
🚨 New Feature Spotlight - Assign books directly to students
📖 Books Of The Quarter - The 5 Pillars of Literacy templates
🌎 Where In The World - Highlights Q4 events with the team
⭐️ Tips from Administrators - Important updates to the admin console
👀 What's Coming - Events, announcements and webinars
The Teacher Success Team and the entire team at Book Creator, wish you a very healthy and restful holiday season and a Happy New Year!
If you have any feedback or questions, we'd be glad to help!
Yours,
The Book Creator Teacher Success Team
The whole ISS team wishes you Happy Holidays!
Cayuga Onondaga BOCES SLS
Email: psweeney@cayboces.org
Website: https://www.cayboces.org/domain/28
Location: 1879 West Genesee Street Road, Auburn, NY, USA
Phone: (315) 255-07609
Twitter: @plsweeney1