In Case You Missed It!

What's Happening in Gym Class?

Photo by Angel Valentin for The New York Times

Check out this article in The New York Times reporting on other subjects being incorporated into gym class, "Gym Class Isn’t Just Fun and Games Anymore" by Motoko Rich. Here is an excerpt:

Spurred by an intensifying focus on student test scores in math and English as well as a desire to incorporate more health and fitness information, more school districts are pushing physical education teachers to move beyond soccer, kickball and tennis to include reading, writing and arithmetic as well. New standards for English and math that have been adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia recommend that teachers in a wide variety of subjects incorporate literacy instruction and bring more “informational text” into the curriculum. Many states have interpreted these standards to include physical education and have developed recommendations and curriculum for districts and teachers to incorporate literacy skills and informational text into gym classes. 

To read the entire article, click here.

Advocacy Alert!

American Library Association Announces National Library Legislative Day

The NCBLA gathered library supporters for the
2010 National Library Legislative Day.

Registration is now open for the 39th annual National Library Legislative Day, the two-day advocacy event where hundreds of library supporters, leaders and patrons meet with their members of Congress to champion national library funding.

To register now, click here.

The event, which is hosted by the American Library Association, will be held May 7-8, 2013, in Washington, D.C. As part of the event, participants will receive training and briefings to prepare them for meetings with their members of Congress.

For more information, visit www.ala.org/nlld. Questions or concerns about National Library Legislative Day should be directed to Ted Wegner (Email: twegner@alawash.org), ALA grassroots coordinator.

Happy Birthday George!

Happy Presidents Day!

Teachers, Homeschoolers,
Librarians, and Parents!

Tell Us How You Are Celebrating
the Presidents Today and This Month
with the Young People in Your Life
to WIN BOOKS
for ALL Students in Your Class or Group in
the NCBLA's
Our White House Book Givewaway!

Illustration (c) Bagram Ibatoulline
"From the Foundation Up" in Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out

The Our White House Book Giveaway is an ideal and EASY opportunity for all adults who live and work with young people to win copies of the interdisciplinary anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out for every student in the winner’s class or group--up to 40 copies!

THREE WINNERS will be chosen at random from all entries received.

To be entered to win, share your most creative activity idea for engaging young people during Presidents Month. Your idea could be a field trip, a presidential rap, writing exercise, skit--any activity that gets kids excited about American History! 

 

Simply send a one- to three-paragraph summary or a lesson plan that describes your idea to the NCBLA by email (info@thencbla.org) or by Facebook message (facebook.com/TheNCBLA) before 11:00 PM EST Friday, March 1, 2013. Be sure to include complete contact information. 

 

For more contest information and rules, go to: thencbla.org/OWH_Book_Giveaway.html.

Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out is the interdisciplinary anthology created by over 100 of America’s most gifted storytellers and artists as a project of the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance. An incomparable collection of essays, personal accounts, historical fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and a stunning array of original art, Our White House offers a multifaceted look at America’s history through the prism of the White House. Our White House is available in both hardcover and paperback from Candlewick Press. Learn more on the companion website OurWhiteHouse.org.

This giveaway is made possible by the generous donation of all books by Candlewick Press. Thank you!

Deadline Extended for OUR WHITE HOUSE BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Send Us Your Best Activity Idea

for Celebrating Presidents Month with Kids
to WIN BOOKS for ALL Students
in Your Class or Group in the
NCBLA's Our White House Book Giveaway!

The Our White House Book Giveaway is an opportunity for all adults who live and work with young people to win copies of the interdisciplinary anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out for every student in the winner’s class or group--up to 40 copies! 

THREE WINNERS will be chosen at random from all entries received.

To be entered to win, share your most creative activity idea for engaging young people during Presidents Month. Your idea could be a field trip, a presidential rap, writing exercise, skit--any activity that gets kids excited about American History!

 

Simply send a one- to three-paragraph summary or a lesson plan that describes your idea to the NCBLA by email (info@thencbla.org) or by Facebook message (facebook.com/TheNCBLA) before 11:00 PM EST Friday, March 1, 2013. Be sure to include complete contact information. 

 

For more contest information and rules, go to: thencbla.org/OWH_Book_Giveaway.html. 

Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out is the interdisciplinary anthology created by over 100 of America’s most gifted storytellers and artists as a project of the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance. An incomparable collection of essays, personal accounts, historical fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and a stunning array of original art, Our White House offers a multifaceted look at America’s history through the prism of the White House. Our White House is available in both hardcover and paperback from Candlewick Press. Learn more on the companion website OurWhiteHouse.org. 

This giveaway is made possible by the generous donation of all books by Candlewick Press. Thank you!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Check Out These Fabulous Activity Ideas
for Valentine's Day!

It's Valentine's Day, and why not spend some sweet time with the young people in your life sharing a story, writing a poem, and of course--making Valentine's Day cards?! 

You won't want to miss these great activities from Reading Rockets:

• Watch author Laura Elliott (A String of Hearts) share the history of Valentine's Day and demonstrate how to make different kinds of Valentine's Day cards.
• Go to the library and check out a book or two to share. Read the NCBLA's "An Affordable Family Night Out: Visit Your Neighborhood Public Library" for inspiration. Be sure to review Reading Rockets' book lists themed for Valentine's Day for recommendations. Suggested themes include "Love Is in the Air," "Ten Books That Say I Love You," "Friends and Family," and "Best Friends."
• Write a poem! Perhaps one to share in a newly created Valentine's card! Encourage kids to try out different poetry forms: sijo, cinquain, haiku, and rhymes.

"Fostering Lifelong Learners" Event Scheduled for April 25

"Fostering Lifelong Learners"
to Focus on Early Literacy
During Children's Earliest Years

The Horn Book, Reach Out and Read, and the Cambridge Public Library have joined forces to present a big day focused on the littlest people.

Fostering Lifelong Learners will bring together early childhood education professionals – pediatricians, librarians, childcare providers and educators, publishers and children’s literature experts – to share their experiences and expertise on beginning literacy and promoting lifelong learning in future generations. These experts will bridge the gaps between learning experiences across the variety of settings where preschool learning occurs, from the living room to the library to the daycare center to the doctor’s office.

This event is schedule for Thursday, April 25 at the Cambridge Public Library from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

To learn more, visit the Horn Book website.

It's Presidents Month! Make it FUN! WIN BOOKS!

Check Out These Ideas for Celebrating Presidents Month with Kids!
AND Send Us YOUR Best Activity Idea
to WIN BOOKS for ALL Students
in Your Class or Group in the
NCBLA's Our White House Book Giveaway!

Although Americans celebrate Presidents Day on Monday, February 18, we also honor our presidents throughout the month! This focus on American presidents provides the perfect opportunity for engaging kids in presidents past and present and in learning about American history! Check out our ideas and resources and start engaging your kids today:

• Visit a Presidential Historic Site or Library
  The NCBLA's educational website OurWhiteHouse.org offers a comprehensive guide to finding presidential sites and libraries, listed by state in "Field Trip Guide! Presidential Birthplaces, Houses, and Libraries."
  
  Veteran educator Marcy Prager of the Brookline Public Schools enjoys taking her students on a field trip to the John F. Kennedy home in Brookline, Massachusetts, where Kennedy was born. Upon returning to school, Prager asks her students to each sketch a favorite room in the Kennedy house and write about the activities they learned used to be held there.
• Check Out Special Activities at Local Museums
  Many presidential libraries and museums are offering child-friendly and family-oriented activities to commemorate Presidents Month. At the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas, area residents can enjoy the storytelling program "George to George," a program about presidential leadership. Click here to learn more.
• Play a Game of Presidential Trivia!
  Do you know which president was the first to live in the White House? (Hint: It wasn’t George Washington!) Do you know which president served the shortest term? (Hint: He was president for 31 days in 1841.) Do you know which presidents have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?
  Make up your own presidential trivia game by digging into amazing Presidential Facts. Find the answers to these questions and make up even more questions using the essays about presidential job requirements, campaigns, and PETS—all on the NCBLA's educational website OurWhiteHouse.org!
• Host a Presidential Pet Parade!
  The Obama's dog Bo is not the only four-footed friend to live in the White House! Find out what other presidential pets once roamed the halls of the people's house in "The Presidential Pet" written and illustrated by Steven Kellogg in the interdisciplinary anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out! After researching presidential pets, invite kids to draw or create their own pet and have fun hosting a pet parade.
  
• Read, Research, Question, Learn!
  Delve deeper into America's past in the NCBLA's art and literature anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out! On the companion educational website OurWhiteHouse.org, check out children's literature expert Maria Salvadore’s extensive list of book and website recommendations online in "Presidents, the President’s House, and More: A Select List of Books (and a Few Web Sources) for Children and Young Adults."  Discover what you might have in common with American presidents and what unusual critters have resided in the White House with them in "Presidents Are People Too!" and "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My" both by Heather Lang.

WIN Copies of Our White House for  
EVERY Student in Your Class or Group!

Just Send Us Your Best Activity Idea for Celebrating Presidents Month with Kids!

 

The NCBLA is currently sponsoring the Our White House Book Giveaway, an opportunity for all other adults who live and work with young people to win copies of the interdisciplinary anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out for every student in the winner’s class or group--up to 40 copies!

To be entered to win, share your most creative activity idea for engaging young people during Presidents Month. Send a one- to three-paragraph summary or a lesson plan that describes your idea to the NCBLA by email (info@thencbla.org) or by Facebook message (facebook.com/TheNCBLA) before 11:00 PM EST Friday, February 22, 2013. Be sure to include complete contact information.

Up to three winners will be chosen at random from all entries received. For more contest information and rules, go to: thencbla.org/OWH_Book_Giveaway.html.

This giveaway is made possible by the generous donation of all books by Candlewick Press. Thank you!

State of the Union Address Scheduled for Tuesday Night

Use the President's Address to Help Young People Connect with Contemporary Events

Tuesday night President Obama will make his state of the union address to Congress. What policies and legislative goals will the president be promoting? Is the state of the union address important? Need we watch? Need our kids watch?

Key topics President Obama discussed in last year's speech were job creation and the need to change the tax code. You can watch the president's 2012 state of the union address on WhiteHouse.gov.
You can read the text of previous state of the union addresses (back to 1982) on the website of the government printing office.
 

What might President Obama be proposing for Americans in this year's speech?

 
Events such as the state of the union address provide a perfect opportunity to continue our dialog about American history and politics with our young people.

 

Encourage young people to watch the president's address. Watch it with them! When the speech is over, turn off the TV pundits and discuss the speech. What did they think about it? Do they agree with the president's proposals? Why or why not? Take the time to help young people make the connection to their own lives.

Learn more about the constitutional requirements for the state of the union address, plus additional information regarding guests and opposition responses, in the article "State of the Union Addresses and Messages" on the American Presidency Project website.

Help Young People Make Connections
with Our White House

An excellent resource to consult regarding the presidency, politics, and American history is the NCBLA’s art and literature anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out (Candlewick Press). Our White House seeks to build on the logical links between literacy, historical literacy, and civic engagement. Coordinating activities and discussion suggestions, as well as additional articles, are available on the book's supplemental website: OurWhiteHouse.org. On OurWhiteHouse.org, learn from a political speech writer how a state of the union address differs from an inaugural address in "Writing Political Speeches: An Interview with Thomas LaFauci." 

Also on OurWhiteHouse.org, discover research tips to help adults guide young people in their quest for knowledge, Presidential facts, tips on visiting the White House, and an extensive guide of additional history websites you can share with young people. 

WIN Copies of Our White House
for EVERY Student in Your Class or Group!

 

The NCBLA is currently sponsoring the Our White House Book Giveaway, an opportunity for all other adults who live and work with young people to win copies of the interdisciplinary anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out for every student in the winner’s class or group--up to 40 copies! 

To be entered to win, share your most creative activity idea for engaging young people during Presidents Month. Send a one- to three-paragraph summary or a lesson plan that describes your idea to the NCBLA by email (info@thencbla.org) or by Facebook message (facebook.com/TheNCBLA) before 11:00 PM EST Friday, February 22, 2013. Be sure to include complete contact information. 

Up to three winners will be chosen at random from all entries received. For more contest information and rules, go to: thencbla.org/OWH_Book_Giveaway.html. 

This giveaway is made possible by the generous donation of all books by Candlewick Press. Thank you!

In Celebration of Presidents Month!

The Our White House Book Giveaway!

Tell Us How You Celebrate Presidents Month with Young People To WIN Copies of
Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out!

How do you celebrate Presidents Month with the young people in your life?

Do your students dress up and role play as a particular presidential couple? Do you bake a cake and sing “Happy Birthday” to George and Abe? Do your kids create a presidential rap? Write a skit or play? Or dramatize a scene from a president’s life using puppets and word play? 

Send us your very best activity idea for using Presidents Month to get kids excited about American History and be entered into a drawing to win one copy of Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out for EVERY student in your class or group!

How to Enter!
Write a one- to three-paragraph summary or a lesson plan that describes your most creative and successful activity for engaging the young people in your classroom, home school, library, or community group during Presidents Month. Be sure to include a recommended age or grade level.

Your idea could be a writing exercise, an art activity, a research project—any idea you think would be helpful to other educators to get kids engaged in American History! And if you give us permission, we would love to share the best ideas with other educators by publishing them on our educational website OurWhiteHouse.org. Please submit your idea to be applied in one of the following categories:

• Social Studies
• Language Arts
• Visual Arts and Music
• Science

You are welcome to submit more than one idea.

THREE Chances to Win!
THREE WINNERS will be selected at random from all entries received to win up to 40 copies of Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out, one for each student in each winner’s classroom or group. 

Book Giveaway Details
The contest starts TODAY and ends Friday, February 22. Winners will be announced Wednesday, February 27, 2013.

Send your entries by email or Facebook:

• Email entries to info@thencbla.org. Be sure to type “Our White House Book Giveaway” in the Subject line.

• Post your entry as a message to our Facebook page: facebook.com/TheNCBLA

All entries must be received by 11:00 PM EST Friday, February 22, 2013. 

Be sure to include complete contact information with your entry. Complete contact information includes your name, title, email address, telephone number, and the name and complete address of your school, home school, library, or community group. All contact information will be kept confidential. Entries without complete contact information will not be accepted. For more details and complete contest rules, go to:
thencbla.org/OWH_Book_Giveaway.html
 
Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out is the interdisciplinary anthology created by over 100 of America’s most gifted storytellers and artists as a project of the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance. An incomparable collection of essays, personal accounts, historical fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and a stunning array of original art, Our White House offers a multifaceted look at America’s history through the prism of the White House. Our White House is available in both hardcover and paperback from Candlewick Press. Learn more on the companion website OurWhiteHouse.org.

Please share our book giveaway information with all the educators, home schoolers, parents, guardians, librarians, and community leaders you know! Thank you. 

For the latest updates on the Book Giveaway, be sure to check our Facebook page and this blog often.

The NCBLA would like to thank Candlewick Press for their very generous donation of Our White House books to our contest winners. 

THANK YOU!

Believe in Picture Books!

What Do YOU Believe
Is the Value of Picture Books?

Candlewick Press is in the midst of a year-long video celebration featuring authors, illustrators, staff, family, and friends--all explaining why they believe in picture books! You can check out all the current videos here.

You can even choose to create and upload your own video!

Be sure to look for videos by Kate DiCamillo, Peter H. Reynolds, Timothy Basil Ering, and MORE!

In Case You Missed It!

What Do Kids Learn from the Arts?

In the Washington Post article "Top 10 Skills Children Learn from the Arts," author and arts educator Lisa Phillips describes ten critical skills young people gain from studying the arts. 

What's on her list? Skills such as creativity, confidence, problem solving, and perseverance. To read the entire list--complete with descriptions of the benefits--click here. 

And to read an opinion piece that explores the disconnect between why we seemingly value our artists but do not want to fund arts education, check out "Why We Love Artists But Not Arts Education," also by Lisa Phillips in the Washington Post. 

Family Outing!

Discover the WORLD at
Your LIBRARY This Winter!

 

Libraries across the nation sponsor a treasure trove of events for patrons of all ages all year round, but the warmth and community of your local library beckon all particularly during the frigid winter months.  From history lectures to job hunting workshops, from pajama time storytelling hour to SAT prep classes, you are bound to discover a class or event--or even a book--to spark the imagination of all members of your family this winter!

Read below for a sample of library happenings across the country. For ideas about how to make the most out of a library visit with your family, check out the NCBLA's article, "An Affordable Family Night Out: Visit Your Neighborhood Public Library."

Boston

The Boston Public Library continues its Local and Family History Lecture series and will be featuring two lectures in February: "Boston's Chinatown: Beyond Stereotypes, Food, and Boundaries" by retired MIT professor Tunney Lee; and "They Came for the Gold and Stayed: An Introduction to Chinese-American Genealogy" by geneaologist and research Alice Kane.

Chicago

The Chicago Public Library welcomes U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor this Wednesday, January 30, at 6:00 PM, when she will be discussing her book My Beloved World. 

Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Public Library is sponsoring its ongoing lecture series "A Nation Emerges: The Mexican Revolution Revealed," a photography exhibition featuring works for thousands of pictures taken by Mexicans, Americans, and Europeans during the Mexican Revolution.

What's happening at
YOUR local library?!

In Case You Missed It!

Editorial in Washington Post
Urges Caution on
Common Core Implementation

In the Washington Post editorial "Caution urged on Common Core--from a supporter," journalist Valerie Strauss writes about a letter written by Paul Horton, a history teacher at the private University of Chicago Laboratory Schools (where President Obama’s daughters attended before moving to Washington D.C.), and state liaison to the Illinois Council for History Education. In the letter, Horton writes:

If we truly want to increase literacy, we need to take more time to train teachers to implement formative and summative assessments using standardized rubrics. We must also trust teachers to evaluate accurately. Most importantly, our teachers need smaller class sizes that will for allow frequent writing, speaking, and reading assignments.

To read the entire article and letter, click here.

Winter Story Time!

Check Out Episode 16 of
The Exquisite Corpse Adventure
on Read.Gov!

Written by Kate DiCamillo and
Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering

 

"If I Only Had a Leg" (c) Timothy Basil Ering

Looking for a rollicking adventure to read aloud with the young people in your life? 

Then pull up your laptop, tablet, or smart phone and visit READ.GOV, the Library of Congress website that is NOW FEATURING a new episode of THE EXQUISITE CORPSE ADVENTURE each week. Episodes 1 through 16 are now available. 

To visit THE EXQUISITE CORPSE ADVENTURE, click here.

What Is The Exquisite Corpse Adventure?

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure is a progressive story just like the one many families play on road trips, at camps, at parties, at home when there is a power outage. It is a game where one person begins a story, stops at a cliffhanging moment, and the next person picks it up, continuing on until everyone in the group has the opportunity to contribute. And just like in those games, in The Exquisite Corpse, characters spontaneously erupt out of our authors’ imaginations; plot lines tumble forth, some realized, some lost; and we are often poised at the edge of a cliff with no logical solution in sight! The Corpse is now being published for a second time on Read.Gov.

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure authors and illustrators are: M.T. Anderson, Natalie Babbitt, Calef Brown, Susan Cooper, Kate DiCamillo, Timothy Basil Ering, Jack Gantos, Nikki Grimes, Shannon Hale, Lemony Snicket, Steven Kellogg, Gregory Maguire, Megan McDonald, Patricia and Fredrick McKissack, Linda Sue Park, Katherine Paterson, James Ransome, Jon Scieszka, and Chris Van Dusen.

Companion Reading, Writing, and Art Activities
Are Available FREE!

Teachers, librarians, home schoolers, and parents interested in FREE educational materials should check out the NCBLA's The Exquisite Corpse Adventure Education Resource Center. Designed to support The Exquisite Corpse Adventure, these extensive materials provide a gold mine of literacy articles, web resources, classroom activities, games, reading lists, art activities, and discussion questions, many of which can be adopted for use with books, stories, and art beyond The Exquisite Corpse Adventure. Click here.


MORE Writing Activities Available from Reading Rockets!

To check out the coordinating writing activities created by Reading Rockets especially for The Exquisite Corpse Adventure, visit The Exquisite Prompt: Classroom Writing Resources on ReadingRockets.org here.


In addition to its online existence, THE EXQUISITE CORPSE ADVENTURE is available from Candlewick Press in both paperback and hardcover. It is also available on audio. 

Ask for it at your local library or bookstore!

It's Inauguration Day!

HOST YOUR OWN CELEBRATION
with the kids in your life today!

For fun ideas, games, and all kinds of historical information, check out the NCBLA's Our White House Inauguration Celebration Kit for Kids, a comprehensive and nonpartisan resource available free here.

Visit now so you can:

• Play "Inaugural I SPY" while watching the ceremonies today. Print our "I SPY" Scorecard here.
• Plan your own inaugural party using historic recipes and our idea for creating floats, writing poetry, and listening to the president's speech.
• Dig deeper into past inaugurations reading our exclusive articles outlining the history of Inauguration Day, how technology has improved access to festivities, and how Thomas Jefferson's first inauguration helped unite the country following a bitter election battle.

And don't forget to check out the NCBLA's anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out, a perfect resource for engaging kids in American history!

In Case You Missed It!

Reading Rockets Shares Ideas for Helping Kids Engage in the Presidential Inauguration

"Inaugural Morning" by A. G. Ford, an illustration in
Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out,
paperback edition, Candlewick Press.

Check out the latest blog entry titled "Fit for a President" by Reading Rockets' children's literature expert Maria Salvadore for information regarding how you can involve kids in Monday's inauguration. To read her article, click here. 

Here is an excerpt:
The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance has built on their 2010 book Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out (Candlewick) to create an online (downloadable) resource sure to not only inform but inspire adults with activities to actively engage children. 

The Our White House Inauguration Celebration Kit for Kids was created especially for parents, family members, teachers, librarians, and community leaders. Not only is it likely kids will get caught up in the fascinating material gathered here, they'll have a good time trying some of the suggested activities — from designing a parade float to hosting an inaugural poetry reading.

No matter where you live, you can join the festivities — in person or virtually. Children will find inaugural excitement positively contagious when guided by an informed adult and in doing so, become excited about a uniquely American tradition.

To check out the complete contents of the NCBLA's Our White House Inauguration Celebration Kit for Kids, click here. It's jam packed with games, articles, stories, stories, and discussion questions to engage young people in this year's inauguration and the political process!


For an easy-to-print version, find it here on the document-sharing website Scribd.

AND,  to download and print the "Inaugural I SPY Scorecard," click here. 

And don't forget to ask for the interdisciplinary anthology  Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out  (Candlewick) at your local library and bookstore, a perfect companion to helping you engage young people in American History and politics all year round!

Our White House is available in both hardcover and paperback. The  paperback edition features a moving poem written by Nikki Grimes reflecting on President Obama's 2009 inauguration, as well as an accompanying illustration by A. G. Ford!