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El día de los niños/El día de los libros is now eleven years old, but the importance of advocating literacy for every child, regardless of linguistic and cultural background, has never been more important. This year, Children’s Day/Book Day is just around the corner: April 30th. So check out www.ala.org/dia for many ideas for this celebration.
P.S. Texans! We’re visiting your country this week…so if you are at the Texas Library Association, stop by booth 1329 and say hello. And don’t forget our Aisle-by-Aisle Exhibitor Guide and Coupon Book.
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| Interview |
| SLJ Talks to Award-Winning Songwriter Tom Chapin about his Children's Music |
 For those still recuperating from this winter's state-mandated tests, singer-songwriter Tom Chapin has the perfect remedy: a song. Make that a funny, satirical song called "Not on the Test." (For the lyrics, visit www.tomchapin.com.) It was written by Chapin and John Forster and is performed by Chapin.
SLJ caught up with the Grammy Award-winning musician, entertainer, and songwriter to find out what inspired him to write about the stress of standardized test taking.
What made you write this song?
John Forster, who is my wonderful collaborator, and my other friend Michael Mark and I have written over the years for National Public Radio; so I got together with John Forster one day and said, "Let's come up with some ideas." We bounced around things; and one of them, we felt, was a hot item—both of us being parents and having had kids in public school: how testing has become this huge thing. read more... |
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Do you serve Spanish speaking patrons? If so, look below for Críticas Connection, the newsletter of CriticasMagazine.com: an English Speaker's Guide to the Latest Spanish-Language Titles.
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| TechTrends |
Teaching or Tools?
Prominent educational technology groups are fighting against a recent U.S. Department of Education study that showed that reading and mathematics software products have no discernable effect on student learning.
Their concern? That the software products may not have been tested fairly.
"This study misestimates the value of information and communication technologies by focusing exclusively on older approaches that do not take advantage of current technologies and leading educational methods," said Dr. Chris Dede, Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies at Harvard University. His comments appeared in a news release from the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), and the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA).
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BOOKS
Animal Poems
From SLJ April 2007 (Starred Review)
Gr 3-8–This posthumously published collection of 23 poems is masterfully illustrated with colorful cut-paper collages....
VIDEO/DVD
Math'scool
Gr 4-7–This series provides students with a solid foundation in math concepts.... |
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AUDIO
The Night Kitchen Radio Theater, Vol. 1: The Emperor's New Clothes and Pinocchio
K-Gr 3–These contemporary adaptations of classic children's tales were recorded live at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, to be aired nationwide on XM Satellite Radio as well as on Nickelodeon's Nick.com.... |
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| News and Views |
| Last Chance to Sign up for National Library Legislative Day |
| If you're still interested in attending National Library Legislative Day, it's not too late to sign up.
Join hundreds of librarians who plan to descend on Washington, DC, on May 1 and 2 to walk the halls of Capitol Hill. The purpose? To attend advocacy and training sessions and convince lawmakers to pass legislation that supports libraries. read more... |
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| Study: Kids' Crucial Learning Period Extends beyond Year Three |
| Parents of newborns don't need to waste their dollars on Mozart CDs or the latest Baby Einstein toys. A new study says that although the first three years of an infant's life are important, they're not as crucial in a child's mental development as was previously thought.
"Million Dollar Babies: Why Infants Can't Be Hardwired for Success" by the Washington, DC, think tank Education Sector says that companies such as Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby have generated handsome profits by taking advantage of the incorrect conventional wisdom that sufficient stimulation in the first three years of life "can go a long way toward hardwiring the brain for success." read more... |
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| Elementary Schools Fail to Provide High-Quality Instruction |
| Given everyone's obsession with No Child Left Behind and student achievement, you'd think that today's kids are getting a better education. Not so, says a new study, which calls the quality of elementary education mediocre at best. "Any given child has less than a 20 percent chance of having a rich classroom experience consistently through elementary school," and for low income children, the percentage is even lower, says Robert Pianta, the lead researcher in "Opportunities to Learn in America's Elementary Classrooms." The report was published in the March 30 issue of Science magazine.
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| Greenwood Offers Free Databases for National Library Week |
| Don't miss out on this great promotion. For National Library Week, April 15-21, Greenwood Publishing is offering one week of unlimited access to nine databases ranging from history and music to world cultures and terrorism.
The free databases include: The Latino American Experience; The African American Experience; Praeger Security International Online (a source for information on terrorism and security); Daily Life Through History; World Cultures Today; World Folklore and Folklife; Greenwood Digital Collection (comprised of reference, academic, and general interest e-books); The Reader's Advisor Online (a tool for librarians working with readers who are looking for something new to read); and ARBA Online (more than 4,000 reviews of reference works). read more... |
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| Remarkable Reads |
| Save the Planet! |
From saving condors to keeping techno-lust from overtaking humanity, the teen heroes in these titles work in both big and small ways to make a difference. Use this list in conjunction with Earth Day 2007, coming up on April 22.
GAUTHIER, Gail. Saving the Planet & Stuff. Putnam. 2003. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-399-23761-4.
Gr 6-10–Sixteen-year-old Michael takes the first summer job offer that comes along working as an intern for an environmental magazine. While adjusting to the green lifestyle is a bit challenging, he discovers that he has a talent for the job. He gets drawn into the office politics, has a love interest, and helps prevent a hostile takeover. Great fun, best explained as an eco-comedy!
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| Librarian's Internet |
| Shakespeare for Kids |
| www.folger.edu/template.cfm?cid=588 |
| Here's a fun and interesting way for middle schoolers to learn more about the Bard's life and works. "Fun Facts" contains information about Shakespeare and the time in which he lived. "Words, Words, Words" has word jumbles, Shakespearean insults, and PDF scripts for six Shakespeare plays designed to be performed by kids—very nice!
Both the "Shakespeare Challenges" and "Who Am I?" sections contain creative and challenging online quizzes that you should show to an English teacher, who will certainly love them. Finally, be sure to check out "Coloring & Puzzles" for lots of nifty class printables—coloring pages, picture puzzles, crosswords, and word searches. This site proves that learning about Shakespeare doesn't have to be boring! For information and activities suitable for highschoolers, visit "In Search of Shakespeare" at www.pbs.org/shakespeare.—Gail Junion-Metz
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| Virtual Branch Manager |
Maricopa County Library District
Phoenix, AZ
MLS and 3 years public library experience to include 2 years of supervisory experience & skilled at using current technologies such as Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, etc.
read more...
To see all positions available through the SLJ Career Center, click here...
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