April is… School Library Month (SLM). “Every April school librarians are encouraged to host activities to help their school and local community celebrate the essential role that strong school library programs play in transforming learning.”
This year the American Association of School Librarian (AASL) chose this theme: “Making Connections at Your School Library.” The official hashtag is #AASLslm.
AASL’s SLM Committee curated an outstanding selection of resources organized into four buckets—one for each week of the month of April.
• Making Learner Connections
• Making Educator Connections
• Making Community Connections
• Making Global Connections
Congratulations Jillian Ehlers (Chair), Cynthia Alaniz, Michelle Cooper, Shannon DeSantis, Hattie Garrow, Cathy Pope, and Denise Tabscott for your fine work.
While all four of these subthemes are essential aspects of future-ready school librarianship, I want to share a new resource and an additional idea for the “making global connections” subtheme.
Worlds of Words: Globalizing the Common Core Reading Lists
The Worlds of Words (WOW) has created global book lists that pair classic children’s and young adult literature with global books that reflect the cultural diversity of our students and our world. These fiction and informational books, organized by grade level, can support librarians’ global collection development as well as provide critically reviewed texts that can be integrated into the curriculum.
I will be spotlighting this resource in my “Intercultural Understanding through Global Literature” session at the Texas Library Association Conference on Wednesday, April 4th. During the session we will discuss the importance of critical book reviews for competent collection development and integrating global literature into our coteaching in order to help students broaden their perspectives, develop empathy, and prepare to learn, work, and live in a global society.
Antonio S. Pedreira Elementary School Library in Puerto Rico
Immersing students in another culture through global literature is one way to increase their intercultural understanding. This example connects with students who may be studying weather or natural disasters as well as those learning more about life in Puerto Rico. When Hurricane María hit landfall in September, 2017, all of the books and other resources were stored in the Antonio S. Pedreira Elementary School Library. They lost everything.
My colleague and fellow WOW Board member Carmen Martínez-Roldán, an associate professor of bilingual/bicultural education, is supporting the rebuilding efforts of the Antonio S. Pedreira Elementary School Library in San Juan, Puerto Rico. These students, educators, and families must rebuild their school library from the ground up. Carmen recently launched a GoFundMe.com campaign to support students, educators, and families in recreating their vital resources for learning.
One way to launch an inquiry and engage students in making global connections is to read books about Puerto Rico. (See the list of books in the comment section below.) If yours is a school library of plenty, reaching out to help rebuild a school library for the benefit of global classmates is a way to make global connections and a most worthwhile way to celebrate School Library Month 2018.
Wishing you the best for #AASLslm 2018!
Image Credit: Original Photograph by Judi Moreillon
Books for Learning about Puerto Rican Culture and History
¡A bailar! Let’s Dance! by Judith Ortiz Cófer
An Island Like You by Judith Ortiz Cófer
Arroró, mi niño: Latino Lullabies and Gentle Games by Lulú Delacré
Call Me María: A Novel in Letters, Poems, and Prose by Judith Ortiz Cófer
De la A a la Z Puerto Rico by Georgina Lazaro, illustrated by Mrinali Alvarez
El flamboyán Amarillo by Georgina Lazaro, illustrated by Lulú Delacré
Ernesto, el domador de sueños by Mayra Santos Febres
Felita by Nicolasa Mohr
Going Home: The Sequel to Felita by Nicholasa Mohr
Grandma’s Gifts by Eric Velásquez
Grandma’s Records by Eric Velásquez
Pérez and Martina by Pura Belpré
Shomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Eric Velásquez
The Song of El Coquí by Nicolasa Mohr, illustrated by Antonio Martorell
The Storyteller’s Candle/La velita de los cuentos by Lucía González, illustrated by Lulú Delacré
Tulipán: The Puerto Rican Giraffe by Ada Haiman, illustrated by Atabey Sánchez-Haiman
¡Ya llegan los Reyes Magos! The three Kings are Here! by Georgina Lazaro, illustrated by Morella Fuenmayor