COLLECT + CONNECT

Here's a wonderful way to encourage reading AND support and recognize Indigenous authors, scientists, legislators, storytellers, and creators. ailanet.org The American Indian Library Association created the Read Native Challenge that encourages youth (and adults) to read books and articles by and about Native Americans. Throughout the year, find and read books and publications by and about Native Americans, visit tribal websites, search peer-reviewed scholarly journals, visit Native-owned bookstores, and check with Native librarians for all of the best sources for learning more about Native Americans and Indigenous people around the world. Booklists and author lists will be added to the AILA website throughout the year.  Read more about how the process works by visiting  Read Native Challenge . Also, be sure to check out the  American Indian Youth Literature Awards too! Every school library should be using this awards list to enrich and diversify its collection. Discla...

Looking to work in some more digital literacy and informational literacy into your library curriculum? We took a look at a few of the resources on AASL's  Best Digital Tools for Teaching & Learning  list and paired them with some of the South Dakota State Library databases , SDSL databases and digital resources are offered free to all South Dakotans with instant access (no login required!) to almost all of the databases if within the geographical boundaries of South Dakota. Access the complete list sorted by alphabetical order or access our student research lists for  elementary , middle , and high school . Let's get started! KidLit TV  is a PreK-3 library resource offering in-depth interviews with authors and illustrators, book trailers, how to draw videos, and other literacy-related activities. Get a backstage pass to all kinds of literacy goodies. KidLit pairs nicely with a variety of  SD State Library databases  including but not limited to  B...

Looking for children and young adult book titles with Native/Indigenous content?  The respected and renowned American Indians in Children's Literature blog has published its list of Best Books of 2020 . This list is a go-to when looking for book titles with quality content about Indigenous People and mostly from Native authors. This post allows you to systematically  explore the AICL blog further. You are also encouraged to check out previous years' best book lists . They are a gold mine for building the library or classroom collection or supplementing instruction.  Here are just a few titles from AICL's Best Books 2020 list... LINK LINK LINK LINK Link LINK Disclaimer: The South Dakota State Library does not endorse any service, product, or recommendation listed in this post.

Do you need to jazz up your book talks? Want your students to create their own talks - maybe using FlipGrid  or Loom or a classroom YouTube Channel ? Allow me to share just two resources about book talking: Bring the HEAT to Your Book Talks This excellent blog post from  The Reading Roundup  leans more toward student book talks and provides free templates to help students create better book talks. Rebellious Reading - Book Talks This curated Wakelet list triples as an instruction manual and an assignment. It's concise (we love that!) and also thorough. It outlines best practices and provides examples of both hot 👍 and not-so-hot 👎 book talks.   Disclaimer: The South Dakota State Library does not endorse any service, product, or recommendation listed in this blog.