APRIL IS… .
National Poetry Month
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR
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2010 ILLINOIS YOUNG READERS' BOOK AWARDS
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Hey, everyone! The Abe website has now been updated for the 2010 award year (2009-10 school year). Check it out at www.islma.org, under "Grants & Awards -- Abraham Lincoln Award". Among the new information is the final vote tally for the 2009 award, the list of 75 semifinalists from which the new 2010 Master List was selected, the annotated 2010 Master List with author websites, new 2010 bookmark copy masters, spine label masters, and Abe graphics, and more. The 2009-10 registration form is there -- send yours in any time!! The nominations form for the 2011 award is active -- start sending your titles any time (please first make sure they are eligible according to the criteria shown on the site, and that the bibliographic info you send is correct). And of course the volunteer forms are there, in case you or one of your students would like to serve on the Nominations Committee (adults only) or the Reader Panel (adults and students). New at the top of the site this year is a section of "Bonus Materials" sent to us by several of our Abe authors or their publishers or agents. Also at the top of the site is the link to the Battle of the Books wiki -- feel free to post your questions about the new Abe Master List titles for the 2010 award. The Abe Babes (Kathy, Jane, Carolyn & Gayl)
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ISLMA/LBSS GRANTS Apply now to the Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA) Library Book Selection Service (LBSS) Endowment Fund for an opportunity to purchase sets of the Illinois Children’s Choice books for your school or public library. Libraries may apply for a complete set of titles in one appropriate level, Monarch, Rebecca Caudill, or Abraham Lincoln Award. The library must be registered for the selected Children’s Choice Award by May 15, 2009 in order to be eligible for LBSS Grant Funds. Applications are now available and must be submitted by May 15, 2009.
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IT'S TIME FOR
SPRING CLEANING
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READ ON THE WILD SIDE Here’s an idea from Rebecca Mattingly, Family Liaison at Parsons School in Decatur that fits in perfectly with this summer’s reading program theme. Family Reading Night 2008 at Parsons School was an opportunity for “Camping In”. The school’s gym was transformed into a camp site speckled with tents, sleeping bags, and campfires. Smokey the Bear made a guest appearance and the Illinois Raptor Center brought birds and shared an attention-grabbing program. Of course, hot dogs were served as refreshments for campers and their families. Rebecca has shared her tips for creating the indoor campfires. She rolled up brown construction paper to create the logs and added crumpled tissue paper for the flames. The whole thing was put on light poster board to hold it together and give it some weight. Resources:
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THE GREAT SUNFLOWER
PROJECT While your summer patrons are reading on the wild side, invite them to participate in The Great Sunflower Project. Organizers send out Lemon Queen sunflower seeds for you to plant, then once the plants are grown you document the amount of time it takes for five bees to visit the sunflower. Organizers use the submitted data to study the bee population. Bees are an important part of growing food, yet it seems their numbers are declining and this study can help scientists understand what is happening. Take a look at the Great Sunflower Educational Gardens pages for more ideas about how your library or school can participate. Bees and other creatures may be small, but they are part of the WILD creatures around us.
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USPS KITS
Would you
like to receive education kits from the United States Postal Service? These
kits tie current stamp offerings to instructional activities and usually come
with posters and educator guides. To be added to the distribution list, send
your name, school name and address, grade level, number of students, phone
number, and email address (optional) to:
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K5 STARS K5 Stars is providing public libraries with free accounts. This on-line learning center includes learning activities and educational games for elementary age children. Find out more by reading the press release. Libraries can apply for these free accounts at the K5 Stars web page.
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LOOKYBOOK
Lookybook, a
website often recommended by RPLS librarians and staff, has been discontinued.
Read more about this disappointing news in this article by Lauren Barack posted
online
by School Library Journal. |
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ILLINOISANS INVITED TO READ A BOOK ABOUT LINCOLNAs part of the yearlong 200th birthday celebration of Abraham Lincoln and in an effort to promote reading, all Illinoisans are invited to read a book about President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln himself was an avid reader. Following popular community reads such as One Book, One Chicago, everyone in Illinois is invited to read Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power by Dr. Richard Carwardine. The first British author to win the Lincoln Prize awarded by Gettysburg College in 2004 for his book, Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power, Carwardine is the Rhodes Professor of American History, St. Catherine College at Oxford University in England. He is the incoming President of Corpus Christi College at Oxford University and he recently received the Order of Lincoln, the highest honor given by the State of Illinois, granted by the Lincoln Academy. The reading level of Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power is appropriate for adults and high school students, and perhaps some very ambitious younger readers. Carwardine's book is an extraordinary biography, not a dry rendition of people, places, events, and dates. Instead, Carwardine explores how and why events unfolded, such as: How did audiences react to the Lincoln-Douglas Debates? How did Lincoln develop the idea of "A house divided against itself cannot stand"? How did Lincoln make decisions to lead our country out of its darkest hours? How did Lincoln cope with people growing impatient as the war dragged on and became less popular? How and why did Lincoln free the slaves? Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power is available in various formats from Amazon.com for a variety of prices; check with local bookstores or public libraries. For a list of books about Lincoln for younger readers, please see here. As part of the Land of Lincoln Statewide Read: Connecting with Mr. Lincoln reading project, Dr. Carwardine will be traveling to places throughout in Illinois during the month of April. Stops include Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, the Champaign County Historical Archives in the Urbana Free Library, the McLean County Museum of History in Bloomington, the Galesburg Public Library, and the National Archives and Records Administration-Great Lakes Region in Chicago. A tentative schedule appears under Events. All are welcome to visit the Web site to participate in an online discussion. A generous grant by the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission is sponsoring Carwardine's visit, and the Illinois Library System Directors' Organization endorsed it. Kay Shelton, doctoral student at Northern Illinois University, and Kathryn M. Harris, Library Services Director at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library are the Co-Directors of the grant project. For more information, please contact Kay Shelton.
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Let’s Get It All Together is a
September - June monthly Youth Services Newsletter produced by |
ING
AHEAD
