SLS 4/24/26 - O²CM Bookish Bytes

📰 In the News 📰
Article: Los Angeles becomes first major US school district to limit classroom screen time
Article: Comic Conventions as POWerful PD (Part 3): Embracing Pop Culture
Blog: AI’s ‘Delusional Spirals’ (and What to Do About Them)
Article: From Page to Practice: Join AASL’s New LinkedIn Book Club
Article: 11 Feminist Middle Grade and YA Novels About Gender, Period Stigma, and More
Article: ‘Sold’ Tops the List of 11 Most Challenged Books of 2025
Blog: 50+ engaging lessons you can use in class tomorrow
Blog: The Replacement Skills Approach: Teaching Behavior Instead Of Managing It
Article: 2026 Teacher of the Year Preps History Students for a Diverse and Divisive World
Article: Kindergartners Aren’t Talking Enough in Class. Why That Matters
Article: Schools Play Game of Media Literacy Catch-Up as AI Use Rises
Article: Have Books, Will Travel
Article: National Library Week: “For a Better-Read, Better-Informed America”
Blog: How to Help Students Develop a Personal Moral Compass for School
EdWeek is provided to every educator in O²CM
School Library Journal is provided to each O²CM School Librarian
Please Contact SLS if You Need Access with SLJ Access in the Subject Line
Impact of AI on Reading
Poetry Month
NotebookLM Updates
EDUGem Cards
💎 Use the Gem: Gem link
💾 Make your own copy: Gem link
✍️ Created by: Eric Curts
📄 Description: This Gem helps you create highly engaging, educational "trading cards" based on any subject to captivate your students. Acting as an expert instructional designer, digital artist, and tabletop game enthusiast, it transforms topics like historical figures, animals, or scientific elements into immersive resources complete with custom "stats" and "flavor text."
To use this Gem, you will have a collaborative conversation with the "Educational Trading Card Maker." You'll start by providing the grade level, subject, and topic of the card, along with any specific facts or details you want incorporated. Gemini will then generate the card's text for your review and, once approved, use image generation tools to create a visually striking, stylized trading card ready for your classroom.
Library Idea: Create them for books students have read and they can collect them like Pokemon cards!
Nonfiction/Verse Pairings
Transform Your Bookshelves
Check out the transformation Katie McGinnis, Super Librarian at Burton Street Elementary, made to her shelves. Using DEMCO’s shelf dividers, she turned traditional stacks into flippable, browseable displays that make books far more visible and inviting.
Have you ever considered shifting to more forward-facing shelves? This is a great example of how powerful that change can be. The project did require significant weeding, and she also reorganized picture books by genre. The results speak for themselves. Students and teachers love the new layout, and circulation has increased dramatically.
She also ordered signage from DEMCO, but when they did not have all the genres she needed, she figured out the font and created her own to fill the gaps. #rockstarlibrarian #canvaallstar
Sometimes less really is more. With fewer books and better visibility, everything becomes more accessible and easier to explore.
Recently Reviewed Titles
Graphic Novels on Digital Theatre+
Professional Learning Opportunities
In Person Professional Learning
Virtual/Asynch Professional Learning
Apr 28 - Empowering Multilingual Learners: Strategies for Success (Teacher Center)
Apr 28 - WEBINAR Middle School Literacy: A Schoolwide Strategy, Not Just a Subject (edWeb)
Apr 29 - VIRTUAL Language and Vocabulary Development (Teacher Center)
May 6 - VIRTUAL On Teaching Challenging or Sensitive Topics :
Strategies to create safe, inclusive, and thoughtful dialogue in ELA and Social Studies (Teacher Center)
May 15 - VIRTUAL Introducing Elementary Students to the World of Work
May 19 - VIRTUAL Designing Standards-Aligned Lessons with AI (Teacher Center)
Jun 9 - VIRTUAL Rekindling Hope: Healing-Centered Education for Empowered Teaching and Learning (Teacher Center)
OnDemand Professional Learning (2 CTLE)
Note: You can sign up for these trainings anytime between 4/1-6/1
📬Listservs
Elem Listserv: elemlibs@ocmboces.org
MS Listserv: mslibs@ocmboces.org
HS Listserv: hslibs@ocmboces.org
BOB Listserv: bob@ocmboces.org
OPALS Users Group: opalsusers@ocmboces.org
Follett Destiny Users Group: destinyusers@ocmboces.org