We’re Moving to the School Library Journal Blog Network!

We are thrilled to announce that The Classroom Bookshelf is joining the School Library Journal Blog Network. SLJ is the world’s largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens. The SLJ blogs have long been some of our favorite sources of information on children’s and young adult literature, apps, technology, and informational literacy.

Our transition to the SLJ Blog Network is made with the intention of broadening our audience and getting the quality literature we write about into the hands of more students and teachers. The format, tone, and style you are used to when you open a new post from our team will remain the same. You will continue to read our book reviews, teaching invitations, and suggestions for further explorations through print and digital media.

What drew us to SLJ is the shared belief that all children should have access to compelling literature that inspires learning and thinking. We want all teachers to feel empowered and invigorated to try new things through the teaching invitations we craft. We want teachers, librarians, and families to partner together to bridge home-school literacies and to share their love of books together.  We want reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, composing, and making to be joyful, purposeful, and meaningful for all students.

We will officially launch our first post with the SLJ Blog Network in late August. For now, our original site is being redirected to https://www.theclassroombookshelf.com/. Within the next few weeks, that web address will redirect you to the SLJ Blog Network. All of our previous posts will migrate to the SLJ Blog Network. Moving forward, all new posts will be on the SLJ Blog Network.

You can continue to follow us on Facebook at The Classroom Bookshelf and on Twitter @clssrmbkshlf. As always, please email one or all four of us (see our emails below) to share the ways The Classroom Bookshelf inspired your teaching or post a comment directly to the blog. We love hearing about how you used the teaching ideas from our blog in your classroom. What worked? What didn’t? Most importantly, how did your students respond?

Thank you for being a part of our readership and for spreading the word about this exciting new development for our team. We are filled with joy for the work we are privileged to do and for the possibilities that lay ahead.

In keeping with our annual tradition, we wanted to close this school year with a summer send-off of a collections of links designed to keep you and the children and young adults in your life happily reading over the next several months. We wish you a restful, peaceful, and productive summer filled with opportunities to sit back and read.

Katie, Mary Ann, Erika, and Grace
kegancunningham@gmail.com, genrique@lesley.edu,
ethulind@lesley.edu, mcappiel@lesley.edu

2016 Summer Readings Lists

• Reading Rockets: Get Ready For Summer!
  http://www.readingrockets.org/article/23428
• Collaborative Summer Library Program
  http://www.cslpreads.org
• ALA: Library Summer Reading Programs
  http://www.ala.org/alsc/2016-summer-reading-list
• ALA: 2016 Notable Children’s Books
  http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb
• The Horn Book – 2016 Summer Reading Recommendations
  http://www.hbook.com/2016/05/choosing-books/recommended-books/2016-summer-reading-recommendations/
• Children’s Choices 2016 (International Reading Association)
  https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/reading-lists/childrens-choices/2016_cc_final.pdf?sfvrsn=10
• Teachers’ Choices 2016 (International Reading Association)
  https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/reading-lists/teachers-choices/2016_tc_final.pdf?sfvrsn=8
• Lee and Low Books Diverse Summer Reading Book List, K-8
  http://blog.leeandlow.com/2015/06/08/2015-diverse-summer-reading-book-lists-k-8/#more-10911
• We Need Diverse Books Summer Reading Series
  http://weneeddiversebooks.org/summer-reading-series/
• Children’s Book Council: Building a Home Library
  http://www.cbcbooks.org/building-a-home-library/?utm_source=Building+a+Home+Library&utm_campaign=Home+Library+Lists&utm_medium=email
• Booklist Top 10 Biographies for Youth of 2016
  http://booklistonline.com/Top-10-Biographies-for-Youth/pid=8229110
• Note Classroom Bookshelf entry for Funny Bones:
  https://www.theclassroombookshelf.com/2016/03/2016-sibert-medal-winner-pura-belpre.html
• Great Kid Books: Berkeley School Libraries K-5 Summer Reading Suggestions Based on Fountas and Pinnell Levels
  http://greatkidbooks.blogspot.com/p/summer-reading-suggestions.html
• Enhancing Summer Reading White Paper
  http://summerreading.pla.org/paper/#focus
• PBS Parents: Fun Summer Science Projects for Kids
  http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/science/tips/summer-science-projects/

Audiobooks for Families

• The Audies Awards 2016 (Audio Book Awards)
  http://www.booklistreader.com/2016/02/09/audiobooks/the-years-best-audiobooks-2016-audie-award-finalists/
• 2016 Notable Children’s Recordings (American Library Association)
  http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncr
• 2016 Notable Young Adult Recordings (American Library Association)
  http://www.ala.org/yalsa/2016-amazing-audiobooks-young-adults

Resources for Teachers/Parents

• Literacy Tips for Parents (Reading Rockets)
  http://www.readingrockets.org/audience/parents
• Summer Reading Loss (Reading Rockets)
  http://www.readingrockets.org/article/15218/#literacy
• Summer Reading Loss: School Library Journal Interview with Dick Allington
  http://www.slj.com/2013/06/curriculum-connections/summer-reading-and-the-richpoor-achievement-gap-an-educator-responds-to-questions/
• American Library Association Great Websites for Kids
  http://gws.ala.org
• The Cooperative Center for Books for Children Bibliographies
  http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/bibBio.asp
• 50 Bilingual Spanish/English Integrated Books (CCBC)
  http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/detailListBooks.asp?idBookLists=102
• International Children’s Digital Library
  http://en.childrenslibrary.org
• Free digital PDFs of children’s picture books from around the globe in their original language. There is an iPad app that allows for easy viewing on your iPad.Start With a Book
  http://www.startwithabook.org
• School Library Journal article on Range, an app that locates free summer meals and libraries as safe havens
  http://www.slj.com/2015/05/technology/applications/indiegogo-campaign-for-an-app-to-help-kids-find-safe-havens-during-summer/

Filed under: Announcements, Summer Reading