Doss Library News
February 2021
Dragons, I hope this month's newsletter finds you settling in well in the new semester. I don't know about you, but I always feel like I'm on the struggle bus in February. The shiny newness of the semester has worn off and the bleak weather doesn't help. On top of that, you all are dealing with NTI! I hope that in this month's newsletter, you will find resources that will make your job easier, your classes exciting for your students and will help you to survive the February doldrums. In this month's newsletter, you'll find information about:
- Doss Reads Woke Challenge and Additions to E-Collection
- February Virtual Library
- Black History resources
- ALA Youth Media Awards winners
- January Library Trivia Winner and February Trivia Info
- Library Science Certification
- Teacher Resources: Gale for Educators, Library of Congress Lesson Plans, Flippity.net
With the vaccination process on the horizon, I am looking forward to seeing all of you and our students in person when it's safe to do so! As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to me and have a fantastic February!
--Ashley Freeman-Sewell, LMS
ashley.freeman@jefferson.kyschools.us
Doss Reads Woke Challenge and Additions to the E-Collection
#ReadWoke is a nationwide movement started by award winning librarian, Cicely Lewis, which encourages students to read more diverse books. Several JCPS librarians, including myself, are sponsoring their own Read Woke challenge. The Doss Reads Woke Challenge will run from January 2021 to May 15th, 2021 and is open to all current students, staff and friends of Doss (alumni, business partners and parents/guardians). I'll keep adding book suggestions to the list throughout the challenge. For complete information about the challenge, click
here or visit the
LibGuide. Please consider joining us!
We have also added a number of new titles to our ever expanding e-collection. Click here for the complete list of e-titles from the KY Shared Collection--new titles have been added at the bottom. Be sure to click on the 9-12 tab at the bottom of the list.
This month's virtual library themes are Black History Month and Valentine's Day. It includes info on:
- Black History Month (database, website, Rosa Parks exhibition, Ebook reading list)
- History of Valentine's Day
- Romantic Reads ebook suggestions
- PBS Learning Media Presidents Collection for Presidents' Day (Feb 15th)
- Curriculum for Random Acts of Kindness Day (Feb. 17th)
- Sparkle Day posters and quotes (Feb. 21st)
- History of Mardi Gras
- Info on the Doss Reads Woke Challenge
- February Library Trivia form
- And more!
I've also included a second slide in this month's library that features a key for the links on the virtual library slide...just in case you don't like the treasure hunt aspect of past virtual libraries. :) You can access the February Virtual Library by clicking here or visiting the LibGuide.
Black History Month Resources
There are many fantastic resources to help instructors integrate black history into their classrooms, not just this month, but all year long! Here is a list to get you started:
- ProQuest Black Freedom Struggle - Includes 2,000 primary resources curated around six crucial phases of the U.S. black freedom struggle.
- Black Lives Matter at School - Includes lesson plans, posters and classroom resources to affirm the lives of black students and black people in general.
- Burned Out of Homes and History: Unearthing the Silenced Voices of the Tulsa Race Riot - A lesson plan designed by Linda Christensen teaching about racist patterns of murder, theft, displacement, and wealth inequality through the 1921 Tulsa Massacre.
- Black History Month Resources for the Math Classroom - From the Los Angeles Unified School District, this site includes curriculum resources for sharing the movie, Hidden Figures, with classes as well as lesson plans on rate of pay and the March on Washington.
- Teach Rock - A list of lesson plans focused on black history, perfect for music, language arts and history teachers.
- COINTELPRO: Teaching the FBI's War on the Black Freedom Movement - A teaching activity created by Ursula Wolfe-Rocca, students examine FBI docs to learn about the FBI"s campaign to spy on and discredit the Black Freedom movement.
- Liberation Curriculum from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute - Lesson plans, primary resources and articles based on the Dr. King Archives at Stanford University.
- Ten Black Scientists that Science Teachers Should Know - Created by PBS Education, includes profiles and photos for ten scientists and links to lesson plans and the diversity collection.
- Edutopia Six Teaching Tools for Black History Month - Includes links to a wide variety of lesson plans including timelines, multimedia and study guides.
- Reading Resources in the Doss E-Collection - Includes 11 titles and book trailers that honor black history.
There are MANY, MANY more fantastic resources out there. Email me if you are looking for a particular topic: ashley.freeman@jefferson.kyschools.us.
American Library Association Youth Media Awards
Each year, the ALA honors books, videos and other outstanding materials created for children and teens. Several well-known book awards are presented including the Coretta Scott King Award which honors outstanding contributions to children's literature by African-American writers and illustrators as well as the Printz Award given annually to a book that "exemplifies excellence in young adult literature." Click this
link for more info on the awards and this year's winners. I'm pleased to say that we have many of the honorees in our e-collection including
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus and
Dig by A.S. King. I will work on adding more of these titles to our print and e-collections.
January Library Trivia Winner and February Trivia Info
A big shoutout to our January Library Trivia winner, Trinity Ziakis! Trinity is a student in Ms. Thompson's English class and successfully answered the question: "Visit the Doss LibGuide and find the Library Catalog link. Complete a "Subject" search (use the dropdown menu) for "Martin Luther King." How many total titles do we have about this subject in our collection?" The correct answer is 12. Way to go Trinity and your book is on the way! The February trivia form is now available on the
LibGuide and in this month's
virtual library. Good luck!
Library Media Specialist Certification
Have you ever considered becoming a Library Media Specialist? JCPS is always looking for qualified candidates. Western Kentucky University offers a completely online degree that you can complete while working full-time. Check out the info below:
This LITE Master of Science degree is 100% online and 30-hours (https://www.wku.edu/lite/).
A Master’s degree in LITE is a credential that opens doors; you will be a Library Media Specialist and Educational Technologist with an understanding of the information/data flow within your school. These skills will put you in a position to be an asset in the school library, traditional classroom, NTI and all environments in between.
There are several perks to this opportunity:
1. You can begin your coursework this summer -- getting a start to your journey in the LITE program to become certified as a Library Media Specialist and endorsed as an Educational Technologist and finish in as few as 15 months!
2. Because we value KY educators SO MUCH, WKU has a KY educator rate for courses! Go to this link for more information: https://www.wku.edu/cebs/educatordiscount/.
3. The rate would be: $350/credit hour until summer 2024!
If interested, apply to the graduate school at https://www.wku.edu/graduate/.
For additional financial support apply for our 2021/2022 scholarship opportunities (up to $1000.00). You will need to apply in TopScholar (https://www.wku.edu/topdollar/). This will allow you access to the LITE dedicated scholarships available, feel free to explore further on our website (https://www.wku.edu/lite/scholar.php). Our WKU scholarship applications are due on April 1st, 2021. If you have questions, contact Dr. Andrea Paganelli at andrea.paganelli@wku.edu.
