Miss Jean Darnell, known online as Awaken Librarian, is a careful thinker and diligent researcher. In this episode, she shares some lessons and thoughts about AI in education. 

Guest: Ms. Jean Darnell

Grade(s) Taught: 6, 7, 8

Resources: 

• Using AI for Literacy Lesson: https://www.awakenlibrarian.com/2023/04/using-ai-for-literacy-exciting-prompts.html 

• Add’l Links: https://ditchthattextbook.com/about/ 

Book Break: 

• Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine by Uché Blackstock

Where to find Ms. Jean Darnell: 

• Website: https://awakenlibrarian.com

• Handle: @AwakenLibrarian

Check in with us, and check us out!

• Have an idea, a question, or a lesson you want to share? Email [email protected]

• Check out the curated list of free online resources & events at www.SchoolLibrarianLearningNetwork.org

Kelly Hincks has been sharing wonderful lessons over on the Knowledge Quest blog for years - if you've been missing them, be sure to check them out! In this episode, she shares how she has students use hexagonal thinking to get to know each other in a fun and creative way. This lesson can be adapted in many ways to get students thinking creatively across the curriculum - and you can be the hero who brings this into collaborations with your staff! 

Guest: Kelly Hincks

Grade(s) Taught: K, 1, 2, 3, Preschool age 3 and age 4

Resources: 

• Learn About Each Other Using Hexagonal Thinking Lesson: https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/my-favorite-collaborative-lesson-learn-about-each-other-using-hexagonal-thinking/ 

• https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/hexagonal-thinking/

• https://engagetheirminds.com/2022/07/15/getting-to-know-you-hexagons-for-back-to-school/ 

Book Break: 

• Backable: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on You by Suneel Gupta

• The Very True Legend of the Mongolian Death Worms by Sandra Fay

• The Three Little Tardigrades by Sandra Fay 

Where to find Kelly Hincks: 

• Website: https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/author/khincks/ 

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/kellyhincks.bsky.social 

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/kelly.hincks 

• Twitter: https://kellyhincks1 

Check in with us, and check us out!

• Have an idea, a question, or a lesson you want to share? Email [email protected]

Check out the curated list of free online resources & events at www.SchoolLibrarianLearningNetwork.org

"Everything's bigger in Texas" is not just a saying, as school librarian Deb Zeman will prove in this episode! The lesson is big, the resources are big, the Book Break is big - and the implications for our students are big! 

Guest: Deb Zeman/MS Librarian

Grades taught: 6-8

Resources: 

• Wakelet Student Ambassador Program: https://wakelet.com/wake/z7FWzla_1fiAlwlJ7p-hG (this also includes the links to the Certified Student Course and the Portfolio Course.)

• Final Wakelet Student Ambassador Certificates: https://www.canva.com/design/DAF_nHaxmfM/79K5TssTbsxbNFSZKdx3zA/view?utm_content=DAF_nHaxmfM&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink&mode=preview

• Wakelet Raceboard: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFq9kRdcLI/7wqSxbzjzuB9tIm07Rmvxg/view?utm_content=DAFq9kRdcLI&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink&mode=preview

• Parent Letter and information graphic about the course, etc template: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFq9sLREGQ/Cb6UOjGkRk5TwYgzxG_OJg/view?utm_content=DAFq9sLREGQ&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink&mode=preview

Book Break: 

• Starfish by Lisa Fipps 

• Aniana del Mar Jumps In by Jasmine Mendez

• Hope Wins: A Collection of Inspiring Stories for Young Readers edited by Rose Brock

• Shine On, Luz Veliz by Rebecca Balcarcel

• Four Eyes and Pizza Face by Rex Ogle

• Plan A by Deb Caletti

• In the Orbit of You and Amelia Unabridged by Ashely Schumcher

• “Go look at my goodreads and ask me again at the end of the year! LOL”

Where to find Deb Zeman

• Website: bit.ly/DZLinkTree 

• Handle: @Z_Brarian for all social media platforms!

Check in with us, and check us out!

• Have an idea, a question, or a lesson you want to share? Email [email protected]

• Check out the curated list of free online resources & events at www.SchoolLibrarianLearningNetwork.org

Tennessee school librarian (and generally wonderful human) Laurie Stansbury shares the lesson she does with the book The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story by Aya Khalil and Anait Semirdzhyan  (Illustrator) - and both the book and the lesson are lovely! 

Guest: Laurie Stansbury

Grades: K-5

Resources: 

• "The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story" (same name as the book) Lesson: https://docs.google.com/document/d/188aT4KP9US_HfqLvl610PUWJ6TqAoaU_l9yO5JQvLJU/edit?usp=sharing 

• Add’l Links: Youtube link of book being recorded: https://youtu.be/JLxFioeUcjo?si=77BuDRmHZlFOMwT0 

Book Break: 

• The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi

Where to find Laurie Stansbury: 

• Facebook: CBES Library ; Laurie Stansbury

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lauriestansbury.bsky.social 

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriestansburylibrarian/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurieStansbury

Check in with us, and check us out!

• Have an idea, a question, or a lesson you want to share? Email [email protected]

• Check out the curated list of free online resources & events at www.SchoolLibrarianLearningNetwork.org

The ever-delightful Katie McNamara shares how she uses "Game of Quotes" as a lesson in collaboration with her teachers, and gets requests from both students and staff for more! 

Guest: Katie McNamara, High School Teacher Librarian & Fresno Pacific University Program Director, Teacher Librarian Program

Resources: 

• Game of Quotes Lesson: https://www.canva.com/design/DAF9EWHvGw0/6I1M71IhOI_Y4BCJdYcDyA/edit?utm_content=DAF9EWHvGw0&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton 

Book Break: 

• Your Lonely Nights are Over by Adam Sass
• You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron

• Your Plantation Prom is Not Okay by Kelly McWilliams 

Where to find Katie McNamara, High School Teacher Librarian & Fresno Pacific University Program Director, Teacher Librarian Program: 

• Website: https://linktr.ee/katiejmcnamara 

• Handle: @KatieJMcNamra

Check in with us, and check us out!

• Have an idea, a question, or a lesson you want to share? Email [email protected]

• Check out the curated list of free online resources & events at www.SchoolLibrarianLearningNetwork.org

New Jersey is in the house! 4-6 school librarian Gab Casieri shares how she gets research skills and critical thinking embedded in her "Curiosity Project" lesson!

Resources: 

• Curiosity Project Lesson: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1B8ePsu1vzo_4tdwUKO0sXG-j_GQO98s4tK-WhelOI6U/edit?usp=sharing 

• Add’l Links: https://www.noodletools.com/ 

Book Break: 

• I have been recommending Rupert Holmes's Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide. It's really terrific. The audio is fantastic with Neil Patrick Harris and Simon Vance narrating.

Where to find Gabrielle "Gab" Casieri: 

• Website: https://libguides.ltps.org/home/

• Handle: @mrscasieri

Check in with us, and check us out!

• Have an idea, a question, or a lesson you want to share? Email [email protected]

• Check out the curated list of free online resources & events at www.SchoolLibrarianLearningNetwork.org

Friends, if you haven't gotten to know school librarian Erika Long, what have you been doing with yourself? She is an amazing practitioner, and we're lucky to get to learn from her this week! She's bringing her middle grades "Renaissance Art Tour" to us, and I have no doubt you'll find the lesson - and Ericka - as engaging as I do! 

Resources: 

• Renaissance Art Tour Lesson: https://www.canva.com/design/DAF626h2v_I/9_2VXHyjaZhlM4V8KRcf4A/edit?utm_content=DAF626h2v_I&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

• Add’l Links: https://k12mnps-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/elong1_mnps_org/EdVMonRoc6VCpYxVYk5cPSsB4_VBThER_Y-B3TWJLDEUxw?e=x4jAz0 https://k12mnps-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/g/personal/elong1_mnps_org/EerhCFibq3hPqyeD-DbJSUEBl3OA-qmSFGpDXkUkmPPKGg?e=lKXTRz

Book Break: 

• Dear Black Girls: How to Be True to You by A'ja Wilson

• Libro.FM

Where to find Erika Long: 

• Website: notyomamaslibrarian.my.canva.site

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/erikaslong.bsky.social

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notyomamaslibrarian  

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/erikaslong

• Other Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikaslong/

Check in with us, and check us out!

• Have an idea, a question, or a lesson you want to share? Email [email protected]

• Check out the curated list of free online resources & events at www.SchoolLibrarianLearningNetwork.org

Ya'll, we've got Dustin Hensley in the house! This Tennessee high school librarian is all about experiential, authentic learning, as his "Community Improvement" lesson clearly demonstrates. (On a completely unrelated note, Dustin is also the KING of grant writing - if you're looking for tips, he's the man!) Learn along with me from this font of knowledge!

Resources: 

• Links: https://sdgs.un.org/goals https://dev-xqcompetencies.xqsuperschool.org/ 

Book Break: 

• House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

Where to find Dustin Hensley: 

• Handle: @dshensleyedu

Check in with us, and check us out!

• Have an idea, a question, or a lesson you want to share? Email [email protected]

• Check out the curated list of free online resources & events at www.SchoolLibrarianLearningNetwork.org

Tom's online handle is "Captain Library" because that's his school, but it's also a fitting title, because Tom is THE MAN when it comes to all things library - particularly primary sources! (If you haven't checked out The Primary Source Podcast, you are missing out.) He has collaborated with author Melissa Stewart in the past, and here he shares his lesson on how he presents Stewart's five kinds of nonfiction with students (and staff). It's helped me rethink my approach to nonfiction - maybe it'll spark something for you, too! 

Resources: 

• An Introduction to the Five Kinds of Nonfiction Lesson: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AChMn3SREMhcWCVX44-d4mspntVfCXIF/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107672689077137206868&rtpof=true&sd=true 

• Add’l Links: https://www.melissa-stewart.com/books/teachers/bk_5_kinds_nonfiction.html 

Book Break: 

• The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt

Where to find Tom Bober: 

• Handle: @CaptainLibrary

• Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/captainlibrary.bsky.social

• Instagram: instagram.com/CaptainLibrary 

• TikTok: tiktok.com/@CaptainLibrary

• Twitter: twitter.com/CaptainLibrary 

Check in with us, and check us out!

• Have an idea, a question, or a lesson you want to share? Email [email protected]

• Check out the curated list of free online resources & events at www.SchoolLibrarianLearningNetwork.org

Resources: 

• MISSION MARS Lesson: https://wakelet.com/wake/r571cioBoL8vU9KHLVAU-

Book Break: 

• We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly

• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library: The Graphic Novel by Chris Grabenstein

Where to find Ali Schilpp : 

• Website: https://linktr.ee/AliSchilpp

• Handle: @AliSchilpp

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/alischilpp.bsky.social

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alischilpp

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alischilpp

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AliSchilpp

Check in with us, and check us out!

• Have an idea, a question, or a lesson you want to share? Email [email protected]

• Check out the curated list of free online resources & events at www.SchoolLibrarianLearningNetwork.org