MASL Message: December 2024
Join. Learn. Grow
MASL Spring Conference: April 13-14, 2025
Early Bird Pricing ends January 31, 2025!
Spring Conference t-shirt design REVEALED!
MO're Leaders
The MASL MO're Leaders program is designed to empower members and grow leaders who want to become involved in the organization by providing opportunities for committee work and leadership. This leadership cohort will create a MASL member toolkit to provide effective resources and support to colleagues.
Membership
Thank you for choosing MASL membership this year! Stay proactive and keep growing--consider joining the MASL Mentors Program, exploring the Lesson Plan Database, or submitting your great ideas to the Idea Marketplace. Remember to register early for Spring Conference! Celebrate the season with diverse holiday displays and share family reading recommendations. Happy Holidays from the MASL Membership Committee! Please click the image to go to the PDF version of the December MASL Membership newsletter!
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
The MASL Committee of DEI are hosting our 2nd MASL Diversity Book Club Thursday February 6th at 7pm. We will be reading the title: Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed. If anyone is interested in reading and discussing the title, to sign up! Looking forward to seeing everyone there!
Curriculum Committee
Analyzing & Writing Picture Book Biographies
Are you looking for a meaningful research project for your High School classes? Try this lesson. Students will begin by reading and analyzing picture book biographies about famous (and not-so-famous) Americans. Then, the students will research a historical figure of interest and write (and illustrate) a picture book biography about that individual that includes all of the elements discussed. Finished projects could be shared with younger students in the school district. This lesson could easily be adapted for Middle School classes.
Click here to view the lesson.
The Lesson Plan Database consists of lessons submitted by Missouri school librarians. If you are interested in looking at all of the lessons that are currently available in the database, please click on MASL Lesson Plan Database under the Members tab of the MASL website.
Rumor Guard
RumorGuard is a non-partisan fact checking website, and a service of the National News Literacy Project. The site is great for use with high school Civics and US History courses. It also provides Professional Learning, pre-made lessons, and a weekly email update current events, and "Daily Do-Now" activities.
School Library Journal
Reasons to Love Libraries: 23 Notable Authors and Public Figures Share Their Joy
School Library Promotional Events
"Promotional events sponsored by AASL, ALA, ALA units, and other organizations which provide an opportunity for school librarians to promote the critical role school libraries play in the education landscape." This calendar provides a list of events for each month and a variety of resources for each event including professional resources, classroom activities, promotional materials and more.
Dear Ivanna;
I want to attend Legislative Advocacy Day on February 4. But I don’t know much about it. Could you explain what’s involved?
Signed,
Advocate2B
Dear Advocate2B,
You are already a library advocate and you are needed! Advocacy Day is an amazing opportunity to meet with your state elected officials, and to tell them about how great school libraries and school librarians are. It’s also an opportunity for you to talk with them about the importance of supporting the Media Literacy Bill!
All you need to do is to sign up using the Google Form that will be available soon. MASL will handle making all of the appointments with your senators and representatives. Lunch will be provided for you that day as well. The day will begin with an information session combined with the Missouri Library Association. With that session, you will be well-prepared to meet with legislators.
After our information session and lunch, you will head back to the Capitol building and begin your scheduled meetings. You’ll be paired up with at least one other librarian, so you won’t have to go alone! You will also be provided with talking points and information to share.
During MASL Message Live in January, the Advocacy Committee will share more information about the day. Be sure to sign up to attend this event. I hope you are able to attend both events.
Signed,
Ivanna
If you have a question for Ivanna, please send it to info@maslonline.org.
