Let's Celebrate Literacy Today...Shannon's Favorite Finds

Today is the day!  I am kicking off Shannon's Favorite Finds with my friends at Follett. 

Every Friday, I will be sharing my favorite finds in a post, a Collection by Destiny and a whole lot more.  

I will share things that you can use in your library, classroom and share with your students, teachers and families.  You will be able to take the Favorite Finds and integrate them into your practice today.

You can follow #FavoriteFindsFriday to see my favorite finds and I will be asking you to participate in lots of ways too.  

In fact, just wait until you see a place I have for all of you to share below.  

This week for Shannon's Favorite Finds I will be celebrating and sharing literacy through reading, making, singing, cooking and more.  

I thought this would be the perfect first Shannon's Favorite Finds since I am heading to the School Library Journal Leadership Summit in Nashville, Tennessee today. This year the topic of the Summit is Confronting Our Literacy Crisis.  

As the SLJ Leadership Summit states, 

School librarians have always been in the center of combating literacy challenges.  That role is more important now than ever....as the crisis in information literacy calls for innovation in how we teach it to foster an ever more information savvy, literate generation. 

This is definitely the role as we face the future. Therefore, these resources are perfect for Future Ready Librarians to bring to their communities too.  

Now, I would love to share several places to take your students to celebrate literacy through reading and so much more.  

To start, I have created the Let's Celebrate Literacy Through Reading, Making, Singing, Cooking and More Collection that you will find here.

It is filled with so many fantastic places for you and the teachers, parents and especially students to go.  Let's take a peak inside....

First, I pulled together a few places to read!  

I included my new Library Skills Series from Cantata Learning.  You will find all four of my books inside of the Collection and can go here to learn more. 

I put in these favorites....Storyline Online from the Screen Actors Guild; 

Toon Books...Easy-to-Read Comics, which I am excited to discuss graphic novels at the SLJ Summit; 

and DK Find Out for awesome nonfiction reading, researching, watching and more. 

I love finding ways that music and art tie into literacy. 

I included several places for making, singing, dancing and listening through experiences in children's and YA literature.

A few of my favorites are Emily Arrow's Storytime Singalong YouTube Channel, 

Cantata Learning's Stories and Songs, which you will find the music online in these Symbaloo's (here is the Fall 2017 Symbaloo) that I have put together....

for each season, 

KidLit TV, 

and All the Wonders. 

There are tons of recipes that tie to children's literature too!  

I included two articles on the Symbaloo with lots of ideas....one that you will find here. 

I wanted to mention Kate Messner's site for Authors Who Skype With Classes and Book Clubs...for FREE!  There are dozens of authors and illustrators for students of all ages. 

By connecting your students to a global audience, you are opening their eyes and yours to so many things! 

If you haven't heard of Global Read Aloud, please check it out. It is one of the most amazing literacy celebrations each year.

And one of my most Favorite Finds that you will find in this Collection is this Symbaloo filled with even more literacy resources.

You will find the Let's Celebrate Literacy Symbaloo here. You just have to check it out and share with your students today.

It is your turn now. 

Last year, I started this Padlet collecting others Favorite Finds.  I would LOVE to have you add yours too.

All you have to do to add to the Padlet is go to this link and then click the hot pink circle with the + inside.  Please share any links, images or even a quick video of your Favorite Find.

This is a great place to pick up even more ideas on #FavoriteFindsFriday from others around the world.

I am excited about #FavoriteFindsFriday and I hope you are too!  

Please mark your calendars and get ready to follow Shannon's Favorite Finds at #FavoriteFindsFriday each Friday.  

And use that hashtag to share your Favorite Finds too!  

Remember to follow the School Library Summit this weekend using hashtag #sljsimmit to learn even more and champion for literacy within ourselves, our community and most of all....our students.