Keep Calm and Read On
Hello there dear blog readers and my Twitter / Instagram family and friends. Here’s a kind of mirrored post that I put out on my Daring School Library blog for my kids, parents, and community.
That post is pretty school and district specific but I thought I could post over here some resources from our national educational partners like PBS Learning Works, Capstone, PebbleGo, MackinVia, and Scholastic.
Since our schools closed down last Friday companies have been very generous and forthcoming to provide FREE resources for our out of school kiddos. Seems like more are coming out every day. Please note that I a Middle Grades (ages 10-14) and Young Adult specific educator and not Primary or Elementary. There are plenty of great people out there for those little squiggles. Bless their hearts.
Here’s what I said:
I’m not gonna lie, it’s kinda weird out there right now but I truly believe we’re going to be OK. Things will get back to normal. They always do. #History. I don’t know when, but they will. Practicing positivity is important and good for you! That, and washing your hands! In the meantime, HCPSS and our education partners have some cool and FREE resources for you!
Don’t forget we’re all in this together — even if we’re physically apart right now. I will try and update this post as I stay at home and help my community and to take care of my family. Starting with scrubbing all floors and not letting anyone inside with shoes on. It’s a slipper & sock zone only! I so heart fuzzy socks! /message
The students in my school district are really lucky because we’ve partnered with MackinVia and our kiddos have the ability to download FREE eBooks. Your local or state Library System probably also has this ability. The only tricky part is you will probably need to set up an account and a PIN number and that might not be possible right now but it’s worth giving it a try! Here’s a look at our HCPSS resources posted online. in many languages.
from a 2014 post: The Wattpad App – is a popular with teens FREE fan fiction open forum for writers and readers! OR read digital books for FREE!
Got Books?
The last day before we left for this unexpected
early spring break, I checked out a LOT OF BOOKS! There were no limits
on how many books our readers could check out. From one book to 10, I
encouraged our students to take as many home as they could hold! I even
offered string bags to carry them in. Did I check out enough books?
NEVER! lol But if you didn’t get a chance to come by the Library Media
Center and get some books, it’s OK….you have other resources! Keep
reading!
DISCLAIMER: I am sharing these resources in good faith that at the time I curated this list the offers, logins, and sites were active. However, the companies listed could change their permissions at any time. In other words, your mileage may vary. Access problems? Please contact the companies directly. I’m sorry, I can’t troubleshoot for you. Mostly because I’m lazy. I have not NOT been compensated (not even a cool T-shirt or swag!) for any inclusion on this list.
Here’s a audio book example from one of my favorite authors!
Don’t have eBooks, a Kindle device, or other Digital Reader? Hello YouTube!
You can listen to loads of books read aloud on YouTube! Search for audiobooks & your favorite author, title, or subject.
The 6 Best Audio Books You Can Listen to For Free on YouTube
The Island of Doctor Moreau by HG Wells. 1984 by George Orwell. (4 hours)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.
The Veldt by Ray Bradbury (read by the hilarious Stephen Colbert)
The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde (Read full & unabridged by the wonderful Stephen Frye)
The Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. (11 hours)
I will be adding to this, would love suggestions! – You know Harry Potter had to be #1!
by our friends at Common Sense Media – Including LIVE Virtual Storytimes!
Provide some structure and schedule to your family’s day (updated regularly).
FREE digital eBooks from MackinVia. There’s also some exciting resources through Capstone and PeppbleGo.
“You have been set up with free remote access to PebbleGo and Capstone Interactive eBooks. This access is valid through June 30, 2020 (The majority of you already subscribed to PebbleGo can of course continue to use your school’s login credentials). We hope these resources are helpful to your school and your students during this sensitive time.”
Student Access Instructions
PebbleGo:
Visit www.pebblego.com and click “Sign In”
Username: engaged
Password: learning
Capstone Interactive eBooks:
Visit www.mycapstonelibrary.com and click “Log In”
Username: continue
Password: reading
Additionally, the following resources may be helpful for community communication and usage:
Ideas for incorporating PG into remote learning plans
Letter to families sharing PG information with content specific to school closures
Free access to a curated list of CI titles related to viruses, germs and keeping healthy
Day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing.
“Even when schools are closed, you can keep the learning going with these special cross-curricular journeys. Every day includes four separate learning experiences, each built around a thrilling, meaningful story or video. Kids can do them on their own, with their families, or with their teachers. Just find your grade level and let the learning begin! -The Editors of Scholastic Classroom Magazines.”
“As teachers, students, and families deal with school closures, PBS LearningMedia producers and educators have come together to curate a special collection of resources organized by grade and subject area. Find videos, lesson plans, and activities that support learning at home. Create a free account to save and organize content.”
From our partners in learning Follett School Solutions (PreK-12)
“Follett has created a resource page outlining the array of eLearning solutions, including Collections by Destiny, Follett Destiny Discover, WebPath Express, and more. Video tutorials, forums and instructions for accessing these solutions also are available.
To help schools with eLearning during the closures, Follett announced March 11 it is waiving the cost for current Destiny customers through June 30 for its Classroom Ready Collections (CRC), which are standards-aligned, educator-curated Open Educational Resources (OER) that include lesson plans, activities, videos and worksheets. More than 2,300 free CRC licenses have been activated in less than a week.”
As I said above, I’ll be adding more as I come across good resources for you! Please See Below:
— M Marhefka (@M_Marhefka) March 19, 2020
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— Gwyneth Jones (@GwynethJones) March 23, 2020
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Your Turn!
Do you have a great resource to share? (and you’re not a SPAMMER!) Please leave a comment below & I may just add them to the blog post!
In these trying and uncertain times I fall back on a few things that help me. 1. Reading 2. The movies of Wes Anderson. 3. Fuzzy socks #WesAnderson That is all for now. Thank you.