Literacy
The session listing provided below may differ from content presented at the AASL National Conference as presenters, sessions, etc., may have changed or cancelled since their original acceptance. AASL provides this listing as an example of the professional development school librarians can expect at the event.
Conference attendees should use the AASL21 Mobile App and/or its online component for an up-to-date and comprehensive listing of all conference events.
Concurrent Sessions
15 Ways to Spark Reading Love!
Presenter(s): Shannon Anderson
Inspire your students to enjoy reading with these 15 creative ideas you can use for years to come in your classroom, library, or school!
Inspire your students to enjoy reading with these 15 creative ideas you can use for years to come in your classroom, library, or school! Reading for pleasure leads to improved reading comprehension, writing skills, vocabulary, spelling, and grammatical development. Most importantly, reading for pleasure is crucial for developing life-long, avid readers.
Tools and Strategies to teach Media Literacy
Presenter(s): Cornelia Thoma
Structured as a teaching unit of approximately six classes at the high school level, this presentation will analyze different aspects of Information Literacy...
Structured as a teaching unit of approximately six classes at the high school level, this presentation will analyze different aspects of Information Literacy and provides examples and tools for teaching Media Literacy. Each part is aligned with AASL Standards and some state standards will be discussed. Different types of misinformation will be explained and teaching strategies given.
Transforming School Libraries: Children’s Access to Reading Materials
Presenter(s): Rita Soulen, Lara Tedrow
Recent events have transformed school libraries and the ways children access reading materials.
Recent events have transformed school libraries and the ways children access reading materials. In this session, participants will explore research, then informally collect and examine data to define recent pivots to varied reading platforms. Participants will actively engage in discussion of innovative practices which have served as solutions to providing the best opportunities for our students. By reflecting on exchanged experience, participants will discover innovative solutions for access.
Poverty and Privilege: Intersectionality of Race and Class in Young People's Literature
Presenter(s): Christina Dorr, Brendan Kiely
How do our shared or differing cultural backgrounds affect the relationships and influence we have with our students?
How do our shared or differing cultural backgrounds affect the relationships and influence we have with our students? Two white, award-winning authors and former educators discuss how unpacking the racial and class biases of our identities better enable us to foster more positive and authentic relationships with the young people in our lives.
Promoting Reading during COVID and Beyond…
Presenter(s): Arlene Laverde, Marie Southwell
2020 was a year of change across the world. In-person learning was cancelled. Remote learning was born.
2020 was a year of change across the world. In-person learning was cancelled. Remote learning was born. With this new development librarians were besieged with questions. One question that plagued many was how do you promote and engage students in literacy during a pandemic? Come find out how librarians in NYC tackled this question and learn the ways they used technology to create digital displays, booktalks, and vlogs to promote, encourage, and interact with students to get them to read!
Let's Get (Media) Lit(erate)!
Presenter(s): Katie McNamara
This session will explore easy engaging ways to help students navigate the constant social media stream of information.
This session will explore easy engaging ways to help students navigate the constant social media stream of information. We will tackle the infodemic, truthiness, fake images, and strengthen research skills to help end information poverty. We will explore quick activities to empower researchers you can use tomorrow!
#LitFix, Monument Makers & other collaboration projects
Presenter(s): Amanda Hurley
Out of the pandemic came several new initiatives. Come learn about #LitFix, a digital book recommendation service with practical tips and resources...
Out of the pandemic came several new initiatives. Come learn about #LitFix, a digital book recommendation service with practical tips and resources to design & sustain your unique program back home. Learn how a teacher’s questions about GoogleSlides turned into a year long collaboration in Physics, First Line Fridays led to weekly contact with ELA teachers, and moving a signature math project all online was accomplished. You can equip your teachers with these tools and activities too.
Evolving Practices in Creating a Reading Culture
Presenter(s): Melissa Thom, Erika Long, Leslie Preddy, Tom Bober
We’ve all heard there’s no “going back to normal” and that includes our schools’ reading cultures.
We’ve all heard there’s no “going back to normal” and that includes our schools’ reading cultures. Four panelists spanning the PreK-12 spectrum share best practices to nurture a culture of reading, whether in school or at home, its evolution during a pandemic in a variety of learning environments, and how it continues to evolve. Join the discussion of newly emerging best practices to nurture a culture of reading both in the school building and virtually.
Empowering English Language Learners for Self-Sufficiency in the School Library
Presenter(s): Staci Kottkamp
Do you want to connect with your limited English proficiency students but don't know how? Are they hesitant to come to the school library?
Do you want to connect with your limited English proficiency students but don't know how? Are they hesitant to come to the school library? Are you at a loss for how to help them find the books and information they want and need? This session will provide proven tips and tools on how to make your library a welcoming place and an information hub for Newcomer students. Bonus: These strategies and collection suggestions are great for reluctant readers of all ages!
Critical Conversations Through Read-Alouds of Paired Picturebooks
Presenter(s): Paul Ricks, Terrell Young
Participants will be introduced to the art of interactive read-alouds and 12 picturebook pairings they can use in order to create critical conversations with young readers during read-alouds.
In this session, participants will be introduced to the art of interactive read-alouds and 12 picturebook pairings they can use in order to create critical conversations with young readers during read-alouds. Participants will also engage in an interactive discussion to thoughtfully consider the ways single stories (i.e., stereotypes) can be productively dismantled or unproductively reified when sharing paired texts in elementary settings.
Tips & Tools for Nonfiction Read Alouds
Presenter(s): Melissa Stewart
Research indicates that reading aloud has a powerful effect on student engagement, thinking, and reading achievement.
Research indicates that reading aloud has a powerful effect on student engagement, thinking, and reading achievement. It also shows that 40 percent of K-5 students prefer nonfiction, and yet, many teachers and librarians are hesitant to read nonfiction aloud. To change that, nonfiction author Melissa Stewart provides tips and tools for (1) identifying appropriate nonfiction titles, (2) reading nonfiction in a way that engages students, and (3) facilitating student responses to nonfiction texts.
Cultivating Expertise in Multiple Literacies
Presenter(s): Melanie Lewis
"Multiple literacies" is essentially the content area in which school librarians are expected to provide instructional leadership to their students and faculty.
"Multiple literacies" is essentially the content area in which school librarians are expected to provide instructional leadership to their students and faculty. In this session, participants will define “multiple literacies,” discuss effective strategies for integrating them into the curriculum, and explore the best resources for cultivating ongoing expertise in these literacies.