November is International Picture Book Month. It was founded by author and storyteller Dianne de Las Casas in 2011 to celebrate the print picture book. Besides teaching children how to read, the images in picture books also teach children difficult vocabulary, art, history, culture, and more. Picture books spark children's imagination. We all enjoyed reading and looking at picture books when we were young children, but did you know that picture books are also written for adults and have a lot of symbolism in them. Many picture books are written at an adult reading level with sophisticated text. Some have secret life messages that we can only understand once we are an adult. So if you have some time, re-read some picture books you read as a child and see if you can recognize those messages. Remember a picture can be worth a thousand words.
The Pilot and the Little Prince: The Life of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry by Peter Sis
The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers
Give Thanks for Each Day by Steve Metzger
The Arrival bu Shaun Tan
Ann Frank by Josephine Poole
Rosa by Nikki Giovanni
Truce: the day the soldiers stopped fighting by Jim Murphy
Welcome Back
The L. B. Clarke Online Catalog is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week from any internet connected device.To access it go to www.trschools.k12.wi.us/faculty/DCOLLINS/lbclarkelmc.cfm and click on the Online Catalog link. Destiny Discover ebooks and audiobooks can also be accessed by clicking on the Destiny Discover icon. Destiny Discover can also be accessed by going to https://wbb29093.follettshelf.com. MackinVia ebooks and audiobooks can also be accessed by clicking on the MackinVia icon. MackinVia can also be accessed by going to www.mackinvia.com. A student's username is his/her Student ID number and the password is his/her last name to log on to the Online Catalog, Destiny Discover, and MackinVia. Books, ebooks, audiobooks, and past issues of magazines may be checked out for three weeks.
The L. B. Clarke LMC subscribes to on-line databases. These databases can be accessed at school or at home. Contact the LMC for username and passwords
Badgerlink is provided by the state of Wisconsin and is free to any resident living in Wisconsin. No username or password is required for this site.
It includes the following databases: EbscoHost for journals and magazine articles, Encyclopædia Britannica, Novelist, Literary Reference Source Plus, History Reference Source, Science Reference Source, Explora for Middle and High School, and Teaching Books.
No username or password needed for Badgerlink. If the site asks for a username and password, then come to the Library Media Center for directions or students can log in using their student id number. Click on “Library Card Access” on the right side of the web page, scroll down to Two Rivers School District and type in “TRSD” and the student id number.
Every year the American Library Association gives a variety of awards for the best literature published in the previous year. Some of these awards include the John Newbery Award for most outstanding contribution to children's literature, the Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children, the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults, the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children, the Pura Belpré Awards honoring Latino authors and illustrators whose work best portrays, affirms and celebrates the Latino cultural experience, and the Coretta Scott King Book Awards which recognizing African American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults. On January 22, 2024, the ALA announced this year's winners. Congratulations to them all.
To find a complete list of winners and honor winners click here.
To find out more about the individual awards click here.
YALSA's Teen Book Finder
App to help you find Young Adult Literature
YALSA's Teen Book Finder is a free app to help teens, parents, and anyone who loves YA literature access to the past three years' of YALSA's awards and lists on their smartphone. It is currently available for Android phones, iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad. Go to www.ala.org/yalsa/products/teenbookfinder to download the app.
Social Media Safety
Many children have social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, etc. These sites allow them to stay connected to their friends and family via a computer or cell phone in a semi-private format. But, social media also comes with some risks. Children may share personal information which could leave them vulnerable to people who want to harm them. Universities and future employers are looking to the internet to find information on prospective students and employees. If a child shares inappropriate or illegal content, it could endanger the future his or her academic or employment opportunities. Just because a child deletes something he or she posted online does not mean that it is gone from the internet. Here are some tips about social media safety.
Discuss proper online chatting behavior with your children. Encourage them to block, ignore or de-friend if necessary. If you or your child sees any inappropriate or criminal behavior, then report it to the appropriate authorities.
Use the privacy settings. Change them from public to private, but remember that setting them to private does not guarantee complete privacy. Someone can always copy and paste what you post.
Check your child’s friends list. Look to see who has access to your child’s profile. Make sure your child knows all his or her friends in person.
Check the profiles of your child’s friends. Make sure his or her friends are not revealing information or photos about your child.
Make sure your child does not post any inappropriate content, photos, or personal information. Discuss with your child what is appropriate and not appropriate and then have your child remove it.
Reading can make you happier, healthier, and smarter whether it is reading a book in your hands, on your digital device, or listening to an audiobook. According to “Stress Management Strategies For Students: The Immediate Effects Of Yoga, Humor, And Reading On Stress” from the Journal of College Teaching and Learning, reading 30 minutes can reduces stress levels equal to doing yoga or watching a funny video. According to “Sleep Tips: 6 Steps to Better Sleep” from the Mayo Clinic, reading helps you get to sleep. Make sure the book is a print book and not a book on an electronic device. Blue light emitted from electronics can slow down the natural melatonin that your body produces. According to “A Chapter a Day: Association of Book Reading with Longevity” from the Yale University School of Public Health, reading can increase your live span by two years. Reading 30 minutes a day can add two years to your life. A 2009 University of Sussex study found that reading six minutes a day can decrease your heart rate and muscle tension. Reading makes you smarter. The more you read the more your vocabulary improves because the more you read the more words you will be exposed to. According to “What Reading Does for the Mind” by Anne Cunningham and Keith Stanovich, reading also stimulates your brain, increases your knowledge, and improves your memory.
Media and Digital Literacies: What Is the Difference?
Literacy is the ability to understand and use symbolic information to function in society. Media literacy is the practice of accessing, evaluating, and creating media in any form. It is the ability to understand the messages media is sending to you. Digital literacy is one form of media literacy. These same literacy skills apply to our interactions with media on the internet, through smartphones, video games, and other forms of technology. It also includes our ethical use of it.
Here are some important digital literacy skills to have.
Give give proper credit to the original source. Do not plagiarize.
Search effectively. Evaluate the quality, credibility, and validity of what you find on all types of digital media and technology (i.e. the internet, smartphone, social media).
Protect private information online.
Be aware of your digital footprint.
Respect other people's opinions, ideas, and beliefs.
Do not spreading false news stories.
Practice good net etiquette
Below are two videos that explain what media literacy and digital literacy encompass.
The Impact of Filter Bubbles in the Online World
What is an online "filter bubble" and why do you need to be aware of it?
The internet is being customized to each individual. Search engine (Google, Yahoo, etc.) results and news feeds are different for each user. If two people search for the same topic in the same search engine, their search results will be different. Search engines, news feeds, and websites track an individual's demographics, clicks, opinions, "friends", and interests. They then put this data into algorithms and only provide you with search results and information that they think you want to see. This "filter bubble" may distort your research because it limits the information you see. You may only see one side of an issue which may lead to confirmation bias. This filter bubble will only show you information you agree with instead of showing you information from all sides.
How can you avoid your filter bubble when you are researching using the internet? Be constantly aware of your filter bubble. Search for information from all sides of an issue or topic. Use the online databases provided by the LBC LMC instead. You can also use the search engine DuckDuckGo which does not track a user's searches.
Digital Etiquette a.k.a Netiquette
What is digital etiquette (a.k.a Netiquette)?
Digital etiquette is the basic rules of conduct users of technology should follow in order to be responsible citizens online. We should all use good manners which include using appropriate behavior and making good choices when we are in the digital world. These manners include:
Be respectful online
Think about who can see or read what you are sharing or posting. Do not bully or gossip.
Think twice before your post
Watch your language. Words, sarcasm, and humor can be easily taken out of context. Would you want your parents, grandparents, or boss to see or read what you are posting?
Never plagiarize
Use proper quotes. Do not quote out of context or only use part of a quote. Do not steal someone else's words or images.
Double check before you hit send
Do not share or repost fake news. Verify information and get the facts first.
Remember grammar rules
A message to your teacher or boss should reflect your best grammar and spelling.
Ask permission before you post someone else's personal information or images.
Do not respond to negative and nasty messages or comments
Beware of online trolls on message boards. All they want to do is start arguments.
Never type in all capital letters. That means you are shouting.
Put your device down when someone else is speaking to you.
Put your device on silent when in a theater, church, class, library, etc.
Before you post, remember the golden rule. Ask yourself if what you are posting or sharing is true, is it helpful, is it necessary, and is it kind.
Every time that you post something online, you leave a permanent digital footprint. You may think you have deleted a post or image, but someone may have already shared it, downloaded it, or copied it. What you say and do online today may negatively affect your future education or employment. Universities and businesses peruse the internet before accepting students or hiring employees.
Smartphones and Addiction
The topic of smartphones (social media) and addiction have been in the news recently. Here is just one of many articles. Technology can make our lives easier, but it can also have devastating consequences. Constant use of smartphones and social media can change a person's brain chemistry and cause addiction. Common Sense Media recently conducted a poll with 1,200 teenagers and parents about screen addiction. Fifty-nine percent of parents felt their teens were addicted to their smartphones and 50% of teenagers felt they were addicted to their smartphones. Seventy-eight percent of teens say they check their phones hourly. Click here to find more information on the poll. Some symptoms of smartphone and social media addiction include anxiety, depression, withdrawal from social activities, neck or back pain, dishonesty about technology usage, inability to keep a schedule, avoiding work, agitation, dry eyes and vision problems, carpal tunnel, headaches and problems sleeping.
Have your teen take this test to see if they have a smartphone addiction.
Here is a list of articles about how you can help your teens retrain their brains:
This video explains how technology designers influence our brains.
Digital Natives and the Open Web
Digital natives are not so native when using the Internet. In fact, digital natives find it difficult to analyzing content on the open web.
Stanford University recently published a study in which they assessed middle school, high school, and college students on their ability to analyze the open web. Researchers found that when it came to evaluating information found on social media channels like Facebook and Twitter, students “are easily duped” and find it difficult to decipher advertisements from news articles. Eighty percent of middle school students believed articles labeled "sponsored content" were real news stories.
Middle school students were asked to look at news on Twitter and determine which tweets were the most trustworthy. They were also asked to analyze a sponsored post and explain if it is reliable or not. Students examined a newspaper comment post and explain if they would use it in a research project. Students were also asked to distinguish the difference between a news article and an opinion piece. Finally, students were asked to identify advertisements on a news website.
High school students were asked to look at two posts from a newspaper's comment section and evaluate and compare them. Students were asked to identify how Facebook distinguishes a verified Facebook account from a fake one. Students looked at two users in a Facebook exchange and analyzed the strength of evidence used by the users in the exchange. Students had to evaluate the trustworthiness of a photograph posted on a photo-sharing website. Finally, students had to explain if a news story or a sponsored post is more reliable.
To find out more about this study you can read the article here.
Research Skills, Technology, Employability, and the Library Media Center
Is your child is good navigating how to use a computer? Does that mean he or she can conduct good research using a computer? Just because students know how to use a computer does not mean they know how to research effectively. Many people just use Google to conduct research and only look at the first few links. This is not effective researching. Good research requires more than cutting and pasting text from the internet to a paper.
How will research skills help your child in his or her future employment? Research skills prepare students for the workforce. Learning how to research effectively teaches students how to become effective problem solvers, and it gives them the capably of applying logical, and critical and creative thinking to problems. It teaches students how to evaluate what they are reading. Researching requires a person to think, evaluate, interpret, and question. When conducting research students must recognize a problem, gathering relevant information, use critical thinking skills like evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing information, and have good writing skills. Students must respond to a problem by apply strategies to identify the problem and devise a range of solutions.
Research skills include determining a need for knowledge and understanding, locating and generating information needed using appropriate resources, critically evaluating information and the process to generate new information, organizing information collected and generated, and communicating the new knowledge and the processes used to generate it.
Knowing how to locate, interpret, and use print and online information is a lifelong skill. Libraries and research skills empower people to become independent and productive citizens. Library Media Specialists are not only teaching about databases, how to search on the internet, or how to use Google effectively. Library Media Specialists teach students how to locate, think, evaluate, interpret, and question. They also teach students how to use the new technology effectively because technology has made research more complex due to the changing types of resources and research situations.
Learn About Online Safety with Google Safety Center
Unfortunately we are hearing about more online data breaches and personal information being stolen online.There are many places you can go to find out more information on how to protect your online information. One place you can go to learn more about online safety for yourself and your family members is Google Safety Center. This website has tips on how to get child friendly search engine results using SafeSearch, how to set up internet filters, how to control web content, and how to approve games and apps your children use. You will also find information on family online safety basics, keeping data secure, mobile device safety, and managing your online content. OnGuardOnline.gov is another website that offers tips on how to talk to your children about online safety. The website also has information on phishing, online scams, malware, cyberbullying, public wi-fi network safety, protecting your computer, and much more.
The Importance of Literacy
What is literacy?
Literacy is the ability to understand and use symbolic information to function in society.
Literacy is more than just reading and writing. In the book New Literacies: Everyday Practices and Classroom Learning, written by Colin Lankshear and Michele Knobel, the authors state that there are now many different types of literacy: basic, media, informational, network, global, and digital.
Literacy is about how a person effectively communicates with others so he or she can understand the world around him or her. With the overabundance of information available at our fingertips today, it is critical for students to be able to find, evaluate, analyze, integrate, and effectively convey information to others. Students are bombarded with print and online information. Simply type in a topic on any search engine and you can get five million web links about that topic and the majority of them will not help you with research. Students need to be literate so they know how to use information effectively and efficiently.
So how can you help your students become literate? Here are web links and articles on literacy and students.
For information on adolescent literacy go to www.adlit.org
Despite all of the research that points to the benefits of reading the amount of time teenagers spend reading has continued to decline over the years. A 2013 study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics found that there continues to be a drop off in reading when students reach their teenage years. “In 1984, 8% of 13-year-olds and 9% of 17-year-olds said they never or hardly ever read for fun. Today those rates are 22% and 27%. The percent who reported reading almost every day has dropped, from 35% to 27% among 13-year-olds and from 31 to 19% among 17-year-olds.” Unfortunately this should not be surprising. In 2013, the Bureau of Labor Statistics conducted a study on the amount of time people spend on leisure activities. The results showed that the time spent reading for personal interest has decreased while playing computer games or using a computer has increased. “Individuals ages 15 to 19 read an average of four minutes per weekend day and spent 52 minutes playing computer games or using a computer for leisure.”
So why is it so important that everyone reads?
Reading makes you smarter: A 1998 study by Cunningham and Stanovich found that “extensive reading was linked to superior performance on measures of general knowledge, vocabulary, spelling, verbal fluency, and reading comprehension.” From "Make Every Student Count: How Collaboration among Families, Schools, and Communities Ensures Student Success" presented by Lois Bridges, Ph.D).
It reduces stress: A 2014 article written by the Wall Street Journal found that reading for just 30 uninterrupted minutes reduces stress.
Greater peacefulness: Reading forces you to sit still, be quiet, and concentrate.
Improves analytical thinking: According to Dr. Anne E. Cunningham of the University of California Berkley reading improves a person’s “general knowledge and more importantly are able to spot patterns quicker.
Increases vocabulary: Reading improves a person’s spelling and increases vocabulary. See reason number one.
Improves memory: The same 2014 Wall Street Journal article states that “a study of 300 elderly people published by the journal Neurology showed that regular engagement in mental challenging activities, including reading, slowed rates of memory loss in participants’ later years.
Improved writing skills: See reason number one and number four. Reading improves your vocabulary, grammar, and analytical thinking. Reading exposes you to new ideas and different ways of thinking.
ConnectSafely.org
It seems that there is a new social networking website popping up on the web every day. Staying safe online with any social networking website is crucial. ConnectSafely.org provides safety tips and advice on how to keep you and your family safe online. The following parents’ guides can help:
A reluctant reader is someone who does not show an interest in reading. A person may be a reluctant reader for many reasons. One reason might be that he or she may have a learning disability or an undiagnosed vision problem. Another reason might be that he or she may not have found an interesting topic to read about. It might also be that he or she might lack reading skills. Because reading is a skill, it needs to be cultivated. A person has to continue reading in order to improve at it.
Try some of these tips to help your children become readers.
Let them read what they like.
Integrate reading into their everyday lives.
Match screen time with reading time.
Make reading relaxing and unobtrusive. Find a comfortable place to read or read before going to bed.
Read books based on movies they like.
Let them listen to audiobooks, magazines, and read graphic novels.
Do not force them to finish a book if they do not like it and let them try a different book.
Read with them.
Find "teachable moments" for reading. Words are everywhere so read everywhere.
Read out loud some funny or interesting parts of your favorite book.
Give your child a magazine subscription to something he or she loves and comment on interesting articles
Whether you read often or occasionally, or you have to select a book to read for English class, how do you choose a good book with so many books to choose from? Here are a few suggestions for picking out a good book:
Look, touch, and open the book. Examine the cover and consider the title. Does the topic sound interesting? Read the summary of the book. This can be found inside front cover, back cover, or inside back cover. Look through the pages. Is the print too small? Is there enough white space?
Use the five finger test:
Open the book to a page in the middle.
Hold up five fingers on one hand.
Start reading at the top of the page.
Put down a finger each time you hesitate over a word or come to a word you do not know or understand.
If you get to the bottom of the page and still have at least one finger up, the book has passed the five finger test.
Ask your friends, family members, teachers, librarians, and other people you know for recommendations. Friends usually share the same interests as you. Asking your friends for suggestions will almost certainly help your friendship, because your friends will feel flattered that you value their opinions.
Think of books that you have read and liked, and then look at other books written by those authors. Go to What Should I Read Nextwww.whatshouldireadnext.com. Type in an author’s name or a title of a book you like and the website will give you suggestions of other books you might like. NoveList, located on Badgerlink www.badgerlink.net, also gives you suggestions.
Look at bestseller lists. A lot of newspapers publish lists of current best-selling books. Bestseller lists can also be found on the internet. One good website is www.bookspot.com/lists/
Read book reviews online. Barnes and Noble and Amazon have customer book reviews and customer ratings for books on their websites. When you view a book, the websites will show similar books that you may like if you liked that book.
If you want to try a certain book but do not want to waste money, just borrowing the book from the library. If you do not like the book, you can simply stop reading it and return it.
Keeping Your Child Safe Online
Here are some helpful tips on keeping your children safe online.
Create an acceptable use policy for technology in your home. Your children are required to sign one for school, and they will be required to sign one at their future job. Talk with your children about what is appropriate to do online and appropriate use of technology in your home. Tell them that they waive any right to privacy online. If they don’t agree, then they do not get to use the technology or social media. Monitor their social media accounts. If they post something that is inappropriate, have them take it down and talk to them about why it is inappropriate. Make them apologize if necessary.
Use the parental controls on their devices and accounts. Set time limits on when they can use their devices and when they have access to the internet. Make sure your tech savvy children are not finding ways to bypass the controls.
Make sure your children “friend” you on their social media accounts. Remind them that what they post online lives on forever in cyberspace. Something they post online as a teenager may negatively affect them later when they apply for college or a job.
Require them to give you the passwords for all their accounts. Most social media providers do not allow anyone under the age of 13 to have an account. There are even some that do not allow anyone under the age of 18 to have an account.
Do not let your children have a computer, iPad, phone, tablet PC in their room at night. Instead of sleeping, many of them are up in the middle of the night texting or on the internet.
State clearly to your children what will happen if they violate your Acceptable Use Policy. If they need access to a phone, then give them a pre-paid phone that does not have internet access.
