Alabama LM Update March 2025
Mark your calendars for Friday, March 7, for two exciting First Fridays sessions designed to support K-12 librarians!
đź“Ś 9:30 AM: Alabama Public Television (APTV) will provide an overview of the many resources available to support school libraries.
đź“Ś 1:30 PM: Katie Rainer will lead a session on the Alabama School Library Association (ASLA) and library advocacy.
Important Reminders:
âś… To receive PSPL credit, you must register in PSPL before attending.
âś… If joining with a group, enter your name in the chat.
âś… If your display name differs from your PSPL registration name, enter your name in the chat.
âś… Otherwise, do not enter your name in the chat to avoid duplicate entries.
🔗 Login Information: Use the link in your PSPL registration, or if the link doesn’t work, try a different browser and enter the session numbers manually:
đź“Ś Missed a session? All sessions are recorded and available on our First Fridays site, where you can also find upcoming topics, registration details, and archived sessions. Note: You will not receive PSPL credit for watching a recorded session.
đź’ˇ Have a session request or want to present? Submit your ideas for topics related to library management using this form.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Being the Library Media Specialist at a small, Title I, preK-12 school often encompasses a lot of activities. In managing all of these activities, I sometimes struggle to plan engaging lessons for library time with the students—shocking, I know. Luckily, there is a resource provided by the Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) that helps me tremendously. TeachingBooks for Schools brings together a multitude of books and resources about the books (381,704 to be exact as of February 24!). Not only am I able to find my littles’ Click, Clack, Moo, but I can also find resources to help our ELA teacher delve deeper into Hatchet (we are doing a digital escape room from TeachingBooks this week).
My third- through sixth-grade students have undertaken a big project for the second semester. We are doing a novel study of The Wild Robot during our thirty-ish minutes of library time. I have used TeachingBooks for Schools to supplement the materials I was already using for the novel study. Students—from the youngest to the oldest—have been engaged. They have been listening and retaining the information to complete the worksheets and classwork that accompany the novel. (It helps with their listening skills and comprehension for ACAP!)
TeachingBooks has a total of 45 resources for The Wild Robot. In addition to the lesson plan templates available for different levels, there are also links to the movie trailer, author interviews, recordings of the audiobook, and a list of 120 vocabulary words from the book. ALL of this is at your fingertips! I can assign different-level lessons for my third graders while giving my sixth graders a more complex assignment—all from TeachingBooks. You can customize the questions, and TeachingBooks will populate a graphic organizer. For instance, my third graders will complete an assignment at Level 1 of the story map (beginning, middle, and end of the story), while my sixth graders will have a more in-depth Level 3 version, where they’ll have to include characters, setting, conflict, climax, and resolution. All of this is customized and can be printed or downloaded directly from TeachingBooks.
In addition to using TeachingBooks for our novel study, I also enjoy the “Discover New Books” feature. If you have a student who loves a particular book, you can use this feature to find similar titles that may have slipped your mind. If you are in the process of genrefying, this feature could help you link books together. Another feature that I love is the Literary Text Complexity Measures. It’s a great resource for quickly viewing grade bands, Lexile levels, and ATOS, among others.
I know that as educators, we have a million new software programs and technologies thrown at us, so it’s easy to disregard something new. However, I HIGHLY recommend and encourage you to check out TeachingBooks if you have not already. The sheer amount of resources it contains easily makes it my go-to. I’m definitely no expert, but overall, I think this is one of the best resources for librarians and teachers. Please check it out!
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at annabedsole@marengo.k12.al.us.
Anna Bedsole-Lockett
Library Media Specialist
Amelia Love Johnson High School
Join this professional organization comprised of school library media specialists, administrators, curriculum specialists, teachers, students, and other educators who are passionate about bettering school libraries. Together, we will grow as school librarians and educators and help improve education in our great state of Alabama.
It is committee recruitment time! We are looking for willing librarians who want to get involved in our organization and help support school librarians across the state! Find out more about our committees and volunteer today! Click here for the volunteer form and a detailed list of committee responsibilities.
In January 2025, the Alabama State Department of Education launched Phase 1 of the redesigned ALEX Learning Object Repository (LOR). This comprehensive update is designed to enhance the teaching and learning experience for educators and students statewide. The updated ALEX website can be located at alabamalearningexchange.org.
Phase 1: What’s new with ALEX?
- Content Updates: Resources are being refined to ensure they remain engaging and fully aligned with Alabama standards.
- Refreshing Layouts: A redesigned interface will make it easier to quickly locate essential materials.
- Enhanced User Experience: Navigation is now faster, smoother, and more intuitive, providing a seamless experience for all users.
View this video to learn more about the newly redesigned ALEX site: https://bit.ly/ALEX2025video.
