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Brag tags and a parent book club created better, more engaged readers at South Park Elementary School in Deerfield, IL.

Librarians’ news literacy lessons are vital to teaching students to identify AI and misinformation on social media.

School librarians from the United States attended the Sharjah School Librarian Conference in the United Arab Emirates. SLJ spoke with AASL president Becky Calzada and 2016 School Librarian of the Year Todd Burleson about the event.

The National Coalition Against Censorship is launching a new Teen Advocacy Institute over the summer; a read-in is scheduled during ALA Annual to support the push for librarians in Philly schools; the lawsuit against Lucy Calkins is dismissed; and more in this edition of News Bites.

Virginia librarian IdaMae Craddock is using her professional research skills to keep facts at the forefront for her students and fellow educators.

We Need Diverse Books will celebrate the first We Need Diverse Books Day on April 3; senators call on acting director of IMLS to continue funding programs as directed by Congress; Suzanne Collins talks philosophy and Sunrise on the Reaping; Eric Carle Honors honorees announced; and more.

The News Literacy Project offers resources and advice to educators teaching news literacy at a time when the rhetoric around news and contentious issues has been ratcheted up to a new level.

An author proposes a simple standard for representing climate reality in books for children and teens.

A class-action lawsuit alleges Lucy Calkins, Heinemann Publishing, and Fountas & Pinnell, among others, engaged in "deceptive and fraudulent marketing" that resulted in harm to students exposed to the whole language reading method and curricular products; registration is open for LibLearnx in January; auction offers rare items and experiences to benefit We Need Diverse Books; and more in News Bites.

Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, executive director of the National Association for Media Literacy Education, shares ways to teach vital media literacy skills without igniting controversy during a highly polarized election.

A college student finds connection through a love of reading while mentoring a New York City elementary school student with the Read Ahead literacy program.

Physical books that play narration can increase students' reading confidence. Parents also like the format as an alternative to digital devices.

As reading instruction swings toward phonics, librarians need to stay in the game with decodables. These suggestions, plus a sampling of publishers' offerings, will help.

Suggestions for curation, displays, word study activities, and more. 

Suggestions for teaching strategies, prompt-writing skills, and tools, plus an overview of those ethical questions. 

Readers had their say about "Dictionaries on the Chopping Block," the latest Scales on Censorship column, and more.

These books nurture literacy, empathy, and understanding.

Walnut Grove Elementary School librarian Holly Whitt and third grade classroom teacher Lori Alexander created their own professional development program to meet their students needs. The pair financed the program through a grant from Fund for Teachers.

We need more than ever inclusive ways to socialize with family, friends, and neighbors. In this list, two dozen books about kindness offer a recalibration or supplement to manners to account for the many ways our cultures, families, and differences manifest practices of getting along with one another.

Librarians share views on the best way to help kids get ready to read.

A survey from SLJ revealed the extent to which individual librarians have faced hostility from community members, organizations, and in some cases, their administration.

Esteemed editors, authors, and translators discuss their work behind the scenes to bring children's books from all over the world to the U.S. market. Foremost on their minds? Young readers. Join the live program December 14.

'Wimpy Kid' tour will highlight “extraordinary” local libraries, librarians at bookstore events around the country. Kinney donates $100,000 to distribute to libraries chosen by local users, along with diverse books to enhance collections, courtesy of multiple publishers.

Is ChatGPT the new Wikipedia, riddled with inaccuracies, used by students seeking a shortcut? It could be. But it doesn’t have to be. That points to our next venture as librarians: AI literacy instruction.

It's just not summer if teenagers aren't pocketing S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, with its iconic gang members, dusty American landscape, and exquisitely crafted life lessons; this year, SLJ and NCTE reveal the 2023 round of “Refreshing the Canon” selections, where multimedia suggestions enrich The Outsiders and so much more.

Librarians will be key players in executing NCTE's new policy statement on including more nonfiction across subjects K-12.

New Jersey school librarians spent years advocating for information literacy standards in the state's K–12 curricula. Their efforts paid off when the governor signed the bill into law this month.

These podcasts and librarian interviews give listeners something to think about to start the new year.

Schools respond to the dip in reading scores with more tutoring and summer school programs; new reading curriculum; additional co-teachers and reading specialists in the classroom.

With its range of text structures, innovative formatting, and rich language, expository literature is a great choice for modeling high-quality informational writing.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress released its fourth- and eighth-grade assessment on Monday, showing a three-point decline in reading scores from 2019 testing. 

The National Center for Education Statistics study of COVID's effect revealed a significant drop in reading and math scores for 9-year-olds. Lower-performing students saw the steepest decline.

Librarians call for more funny, fast-paced YA for teens who've outgrown the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" stage.

Effective bilingual programs strengthen students' literacy in students' home language while building their academic English skills. 

Boyd, librarian at Jefferson Middle School Academy in Washington, DC, earned the annual honor for her innovative programming, advocacy, and dedication to her students and community. 

Literacy development depends on many factors, including access to learning that helps students crack the alphabetic code, their community's ability to meet social-emotional needs, and engaging curriculum. 

Scheller and Ramirez engage students while addressing the word gap at Eiland Elementary School in Houston, TX, and are the first recipients of the LIbrarian/Teacher Collaboration Award, sponsored by TLC.

Pat Scales takes questions about Common Sense Media, who should select the novels taught in an English class, and more.

The author of The Extended Mind writes how bustling library atmospheres can foster focus, comprehension, and creativity.

Virtual maternal health sessions, books in clinics, and more ways for public libraries to reach families since the pandemic.

With misinformation posing "a threat to our democracy,” panelists lobbied for news literacy to be “embedded in the American education system” and suggested lessons. 

For the first time since the 1970s, the reading and mathematics scores of 13-year-old students fell.

The acquisition adds TeachingBooks' curated supplemental materials to OverDrive Education's Sora app and platform.

The after-school program, which is not affiliated with the 1619 Project, will begin in Hannah-Jones' hometown of Waterloo, IA. The curriculum will be available for free to anyone next year.

The #DisruptTexts cofounder shares how her childhood experiences shaped her identity as a reader and how she cultivates an enduring passion for reading among students.

The publishing world was shocked by the unexpected death of Scholastic's Dick Robinson; We Need Diverse Books will no longer use #OwnVoices; News Literacy Project announces Educator of the Year and more in this edition of News Bites. 

Using primary sources with literature can help students explore a story using a unique, real-world perspective.

Educators have used targeted intervention and innovative tech approaches and offered social-emotional support.

Educators are using audiobooks in new ways to teach material and help students build literacy skills. Plus: 15 classroom-ready podcasts.

Older students aren't the only ones who consume news. Elementary schoolers see and hear news too, and need age-appropriate lessons to understand the sources and information.

Faltering federal investment in after-school, coupled with the high cost of participation, puts millions of children at risk. Nonprofit partners offer advice to libraries looking to serve their communities.

With science more prominent in the news, librarians are playing a greater role in science literacy and helping students learn how to flag biased and racist scientific research.

Finding accurate information is more important than ever, and school librarians are here (as they always have been) to give students the "gift" of truth, according to AASL president Kathy Carroll.

As the terrorist attack on the Capitol unfolded yesterday, educators took to Twitter, considering how to talk to students about the event and the importance of news literacy and civics education.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez started a volunteer tutoring program for her district's families who needed help during remote learning. Her campaign office is now expanding on the program, as discussions continue about the possibility of a National Tutoring Corps to combat the academic and economic impact of the pandemic.

Use these tools to engage students of every age in Hour of Code, planned for the week of December 7-13.

Identifying students’ reading preferences (or lack of them) provides insight into their experiences and how best to help them grow and remain engaged.

The survey showed school librarians using creative approaches to deliver superior library services, leading on tech innovation, collaborating with colleagues, and strengthening relationships with students.

Literacy is the business of librarians. Supporting coding using the pedagogy of maker education is part of our work.

Parents, children, and relatives who read together, whether as part of a book club or on their own time, derive multiple benefits.

While considering research material, students need to talk about whose voices are not at the table and think critically about how sources came to be.

Help students approach critical reading and character inferences in a way that doesn't center the reader's experiences and interpretations.

Foster reading engagement, no matter the learning environment.

The award-winning author partnered with Adventure Academy, a subscription-based digital education platform, to inspire kids to write.

Disinformation is surging. So are novel ways to counter it.

The News Literacy Project senior vice president for education and SLJTeen Live! lunchtime speaker answers your queries.

In quarantine, read-alouds remain a powerful way to engage young readers and support their long-term reading growth.

As access to physical books has become difficult during the pandemic, digital libraries, Zoom story times, and other resources help young students stay connected to books and stories.

Broadcasting is increasingly filled with citizen-generated content. But being a media producer also brings responsibilities.

Learning to read is a constitutional right, but functional literacy has never been equitably attained by Americans, says Miller. Here she offers tools of empowerment that enhance information and civic literacy.

The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress results, showing that only 37 percent of fourth graders read proficiently, renewed debates over how to teach reading.

Follow this librarian's plan to get books into kids hands for the summer while ensuring safety for staff and families.

More schools are consider new ways to add news literacy and SEL to their teaching. There’s never been a better time to combine these efforts.

Experts shared advice on how to teach students to analyze information during an SLJ/ISTE webcast on critical thinking in the age of fake news, misinformation, and disinformation.

With students learning from home, Denver Public Schools' ebook and audio checkouts topped 51,000 in April. Here's how librarians are making that happen. 

“Imagine Your Story” is the focus of this year’s Collaborative Summer Library Program. These podcasts for elementary, middle, and high school students will keep their imaginations active. 

Four strategies to decode messaging and motive in meme design.

Tuscaloosa City Schools centered librarians in literacy efforts and has boosted reading engagement, raised test scores, and reinvigorated staff. The program's success can be a model for others, especially as schools and educators will need to come together to overcome the probable academic slide from school closures.

Teachers don't usually ask their students what they should teach. A middle school English teacher gained important insights when she spoke with her students about the kinds of books they want to read in class.

The award-winning author will post two videos a week to help inspire young people to write, along with a monthly newsletter for educators and parents.

April is National Financial Literacy Month. Libraries are doing their part to educate young people about concepts from budgeting to interest to help them be more economically resilient. 

The "Dog Man" and "Captain Underpants" author, country music icon, and Reading Rainbow legend start initiatives this week to help students, parents, and educators.

Noting a need for connection now more than ever, Pernille Ripp announced the Global Read Aloud choices today.

Librarians and ELA teachers can work together to strategize and develop a school-wide culture of independent reading.

The discussions in the spring set of free, one-hour professional development programs will tackle serving striving readers, information inequity, and news literacy.

Strategies to help students determine determine whether a video has been altered include analyzing what motivates people to create fakes in the first place. 

SLJ Editor-in-Chief Kathy Ishizuka on libraries and literacy.

The partnership benefits the New Jersey students, who are learning accessible design and to create with empathy and imagination, as well as the blind and visually-impaired kids, who not only get to play the games but have a voice in the process.

Hi-lo books, graphic novels, and relevant narratives connect striving readers with books that engage them and boost literacy. 

Increasing book access for young people boosts their chances for both personal and academic success. Donalyn Miller identifies common obstacles in schools and libraries, along with advice on how to reduce the negative impact on young readers.

It's more than just a day. Educators planned activities throughout the week, as teachers and school librarians changed schedules to prioritize and celebrate reading aloud.

News looks different depending on the device it's viewed on. Educators need to address that, say Jennifer LaGarde and Darren Hudgins in the first article in a series on news literacy.

Debates over leveling focus on how to best teach reading versus how to foster passionate readers who choose their own books. How did we get here?

Connect students with their favorite writers—and others they might not know yet—to create excitement around books.

To help the next generation learn the "fundamental life skill" of news literacy, the organizations will educate people of all ages on how to identify misinformation and the importance of a free press.

Librarians who add a little hip-hop, spoken word, and rap to their repertoire get students reading and writing. 

A bookmobile staffed by teen volunteers gives away high-demand YA titles to low-income students or those who are in foster care or experiencing homelessness.

Simple motor tasks and games boost young children's executive function and cognitive skills.

Students have traditionally accepted information in textbooks without question. But In high schools throughout the country, that's starting to change. 

Several panels at the 2019 Association of American Librarians National Conference focused on the urgent need for better information literacy and advocating on behalf of school libraries.