Summer 2021 Community News

Summer 2021

welcome to SUMMER LEARNING

SECTION A:

We believe it's important for students to learn all summer long.

A2 Simple ways to build a reading routine

The LPS Summer Learning website gives you activities and resources to make learning fun throughout the summer, with activities to practice reading, math and science skills. New themed resources will be added every Monday and Wednesday.

A3 Keep reading this summer with Sora

LPS Library Services provides all kinds of cool databases, online encyclopedias, and ebook and audiobook collections for PreK-12 students. You can see everything offered by your school library by going to the Library Website and clicking on the HOME ACCESS link.

A7 Keep your math skills sharp with daily practice

A4 Read broadly with MOSAIC collection A6 Eary Childhood Summer Learning

Middle School Summer Learning A8 Looking for a book?

Here’s the link to our district digital resources: lps.org/summerlearning.

LEARNING THEMES May 31 June 3 June 7 June10 June 14 June 17 June 21 June 24 Jun 28 July 1 July 5 July 8 July 12 July 15 July 19 July 22 July 26 July 29 Aug 2 Aug 5 Aug 9 Aug 12

Pirates Sharks Camping fun Baseball Wild Weather Flower Power Bears Dinosaurs Simple machines Earth Day & Recycling Rainforests Creepy Crawlies Blastoff into Space DIY Science Superheroes Pets Board Games & Puzzles World of Colors Rocks & Minerals There is no place like Nebraska You be the Chef Back to School

Community events advertised in Community News are privatelysponsored events that are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Lincoln Public Schools. Lincoln Public Schools makes no representations about the absence of COVID-19 at these events.

Community News is a publication of Lincoln Public Schools. If you have any questions about this publication please contact Jason Keese, 436-1619; or Mindy Burbach, 436-1609; Lincoln Public Schools P.O. Box 82889 Lincoln, NE 68501-2889

Summer 2021 | Community News | Section A

A2

SIMPLE WAYS TO BUILD A READING ROUTINE

by Jane Nelsen, Ed.D., Kristina Bill, and Joy Marchese Are you busy juggling professional, personal, and family commitments? Do you struggle to find time to teach the valuable life skills you know your children need? Fostering a love of reading in your child at a young age can be extremely helpful as they grow and learn. You’ll treasure the joy your child finds in stories, and the time you put into helping your child read will be completely worth it.

If you’re wondering how you can possibly fit it into your overcrowded schedule, here are some quick and easy steps you can take to encourage yourself and your kids to make time for reading.

Begin before your child is born.

Do you take some time for yourself to enjoy a good book?

You can start a joyful reading routine during pregnancy, which will make it easier to continue once the baby is born. Perhaps read in the morning first thing or as a part of your bedtime routine. Reading out loud and even singing the book to your baby bump will help with bonding and fetal development. Get your partner and older children involved too!

Make storytime interactive.

Setting up early routines with your baby in a loving and nurturing environment will help her connect books with special time as a family. Read aloud while your little one is playing independently (as long as it’s appropriate language and content, of course!). The more words a baby hears during the first three years, the greater the chance that their language and vocabulary will develop.

Read anywhere — and everywhere.

When your child is around four to five years old, start playing reading games on the go. In the car, offer prompts like “Let’s see how many signs we can find that have a ‘K.’” Take conversation off the page.

Reading can also be a safe time to talk about feelings and cultivate empathy. Use curiosity questions like “What would you do if your friend didn’t want to play with you?”

As your baby grows, encourage her to turn the pages during reading time. Some books that you can begin to read with your baby from the time they are born are: high contrast books (i.e. black and white), as this helps to develop a baby’s vision; rhyming books, which may help develop a baby’s language skills (try singing them too!); and tactile books (for example, puppet books with cloth fingers) to help stimulate the baby’s interest and encourage interaction.

Create routine charts to encourage reading.

One of the best Positive Discipline tools for getting reluctant kids to read is to get them involved in creating their own routine charts. When the charts have one or two words (and a photo or drawing) of the task, they will start to recognize the word: Bath, Pajamas, Brush Teeth, Find clothes for tomorrow, Read book, Hugs and kisses, Sleep. Encourage your child to read their routine chart aloud. Completing the tasks that they’ve set for themselves will help them feel capable, and reading the chart will help the child feel confident around reading. Use “limited choices” where the child gets to choose between two books. It makes them feel empowered and more engaged in the activity. Encouraging your child to read the agenda during family meetings and items on the chore chart are more great ways to get kids reading before they know it.

Schedule family reading time.

Say, “Now is our reading time. We can read together or each read our own books.” Just be mindful of reading becoming the “boring” substitute to screens. It doesn’t have to be one or the other; make sure scheduled family time includes both activities.

Lead by example.

You can always start with attitude and energy. Children feel and understand energy more than words. Try to make sure that you’re communicating joy and enthusiasm when you read with your child, rather than stress or frustration. Are you excited for the bedtime story routine? Your kids will feel it.

Expand your reading material.

Family reading time doesn’t have to be just about books.

Reading newspapers and magazines together illustrates to kids that there are many sources of information (not just the Internet!) and it can be a great way to build on a personal interest. Engage your kids in cooking. Simple recipes can help them recognize ingredient words.

Children have a natural curiosity to learn and understand. Share stories of how amazing it feels to be completely absorbed in an exciting book, how you can find courage, inspiration and unexpected solutions to problems through the journeys of the heroes in the stories. Your enthusiasm will help your child discover the joy of reading.

Finally, remember not to expect perfection; some kids will be naturally prone to reading, others not. Undoubtedly, they will have other exciting skills to explore.

Summer 2021 | Community News | Section A

A3

STAY SMART THIS SUMMER AND KEEP READING! You’ll find tons of great reading options in Sora!

You can borrow any of the always available eBooks listed below all summer long through the Sora Summer Sweet Reads program. If these books don't appeal to you, remember Sora has tens of thousands of high-interest and popular eBooks and audiobooks for everyone. It’s a complete library at your fingertips! If the book you want is checked out, be sure to put it on hold and look for another book to read while you wait. Find Sora in the LPS Portal and log in with your LPS username and password.

Summer 2021 | Community News | Section A

A4

2020-21 MOSAIC Collection Lincoln Public Schools Library Services

T

he MOSAIC Committee selects, reviews, and promotes books that authentically and realistically portray the diversity of all students, from both historical and contemporary perspectives.

MOSAIC began as an initiative by the Lincoln Public Schools Library Services Department to meet the Nebraska Department of Education Rule 16 (later rolled into Rule 10) requiring libraries to provide current and unbiased multicultural resources.

In 1991, the first multicultural committee formed to review books for the first MOSAIC exhibit displayed at the district office. The MOSAIC has grown from a small in-house display to a regional exhibit visited by administrators, school staff and students, professors, college students, parents, grandparents and community members from around the southeast Nebraska area. For years, many LPS librarians hosted the display in their school libraries for a few weeks offering students and teachers the opportunity to review and read the books.

The MOSAIC has continued to evolve to meet the needs of our changing and digital society. In 2016, the display was reformatted to be more interactive for students and staff. Books were paired with QR codes leading students to further their learning through videos, audio clips, and book trailers. The display included interactive experiences such as access to popular music from around the world and virtual reality technology which allowed students to experience historical sites and major world cities.

In 2018, the committee created a digital MOSAIC display. Students and teachers now access book reviews, eBooks, audiobooks, and extension videos from this online display. The digital display also includes three promotional videos for teachers and librarians to show to students to encourage them to read a variety of books that reflect all kinds of lives. The physical display continues to be on display every fall at the LPS district office, and the books and materials are available to borrow from LPS Library Services.

MOSAIC Book Selection Each year, the LPS Library Services MOSAIC Committee comprised of literature-savvy teachers and librarians scour educational journals and review sources to select newly published multicultural materials to review for the MOSAIC. Resources are purchased from both major publishing houses and small independent publishers.

Every resource is reviewed by committee members for accuracy, authenticity, content and perspective, characterization, setting, and literary quality. Only the "best of the best" resources are included in the MOSAIC display.

The committee members' reviews are added to the LPS online catalog and included in the digital display. Our committee members also select high-quality extension resources to include in the digital display.

2019-2020 MOSAIC Committee Members LaVonne Hanlon Micki Fowler Joy Harvey Alysa Haack Alyx Knight Paula McClung Kristi Diehl Betsy McEntarffer Kathy Phillips Rae Hunter-Pirtle Sheri Christen

Peggy Dynek Denice Hein Tish Rezac Dr. Barbara Buttes Alexandra Ball Angela Christensen Fischer Jackie LaFollette Jami Spaulding J.K. Purtzer Jean Hellwege

See the full MOSAIC collection at lps.org/go/mosaic.

Read the LPS MOSAIC books on Sora.

Borrow the ebooks and audiobooks.

Summer 2021 | Community News | Section A

A5

ELEMENTARY COLLECTION Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story

By Kevin Noble Maillard, Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

2020 MOSAIC Review by B. Buttes This beautiful picture book, with delightful pastel drawings of children helping their mothers and grandmothers make Indian fry bread, brings to life a story that crisscrosses between simple text and charming pictures! Maillard explains that the fry bread ingredients are “all mixed together in a big bowl” and declares “fry bread is color”, while Martinez-Neal presents drawings of captivating children with complexions ranging in color from cream to “deep coffee”. This lovely book uses fry bread to portray American Indians as a thoroughly diverse group of people, who love all of creation, strengthen each other, help each other, and laugh together. Maillard includes back matter that explains his motivation for writing this book and even has “Kevin’s Fry Bread” recipe! Every elementary school library deserves to have this enjoyable book on its shelves.

MIDDLE SCHOOL COLLECTION Watch Us Rise

By Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan 2020 MOSAIC Review by R. Hunter-Pirtle The aptly titled Watch Us Rise chronicles the ascent of a diverse group of teens to becoming activists for rights for all women. The main characters are Jasmine, a plus-sized African American girl and her best friend, Chelsea, a white, Irish and Italian American girl; they are juniors in a supposedly socially progressive high school in New York City. Incidents at school cause the girls to begin a women’s rights group which earns both outspoken supporters and critics. The two protagonists are flawed and believable, and surrounded by a cast of family members and diverse friends as supporting characters. The story is told in the alternating voices of Jasmine and Chelsea, and includes poetry and blog posts. In the time of the #MeToo movement, the topic is timely.

HIGH SCHOOL COLLECTION Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me

By Mariko Tamaki, Illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell 2020 MOSAIC Review by J. Purtzer Moving graphic novel about relationships. Frederica (Freddy) is in a relationship with the beautiful, popular and unfaithful Laura Dean. Laura frequently breaks up with Frederica without much cause, which causes heartbreak and loneliness as she waits for Laura to come back. Freddy’s pals are very supportive without offering advice, so Freddy writes to an advice columnist. Laura is selfish about having Freddy at her beck and call without reciprocating or being reliable for her girlfriend. Freddy inadvertently is traumatizing another friend of hers (Doodle) as she prioritizes Laura’s demands on her time vs. Doodle’s. The art is black and white with a pink highlight that is used very effectively to call out portions of the panels. Style is sparse with lines but still very expressive and detailed. Relationships are portrayed as the messy, wonderful, heartbreaking things they can be. Both author and illustrator are members of culture portrayed, this is done very naturally and without a lot of fanfare in the story. The advice columnist does respond towards the end to help Freddie with her decision. Recommended for MOSAIC 10-12, this title will definitely speak to the older high school students finding their identity.

Summer 2021 | Community News | Section A

A6

EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING The LPS Early Childhood Summer Learning website provides activities for students to practice skills and continue learning all summer long, as well as resources for parents on establishing reading routines.

Visit lps.org/summerlearning and explore the “Early Childhood” tab.

You can also access Lincoln City Libraries’ weekly Virtual Storytimes through the summer learning stie.

2021 Summer Reading Challenge Tuesday, June 1 - Saturday, July 31 Beat the summer slide and win prizes!

Reading • Outdoor Activities • Coupons and Prizes for All Ages lincolnlibraries.org

Summer 2021 | Community News | Section A

A7

STAY SHARP WITH DAILY MATH PRACTICE

20 minutes of math practice each day will help you stay sharp for next school year!

Look for these apps in the LPS Portal and log in with your LPS username and password.

Zearn Math is for students in K-7, and Dreambox Learning is for students in K-8.

MIDDLE SCHOOL LEARNING Free audiobooks all summer!

Every summer SYNC offers two free audiobooks a week to teens, and they will be added to your Sora account where you can access them forever. Here’s how you add the books to your Sora account:

Never run out of something to read this summer...

• Ask your parents for permission to sign up for Sync at https://www. audiofilemagazine.com/sync/ • Click on Sora in the LPS Portal.

• Log in with your LPS username and password.

• In Sora, open the menu (in the topright corner) and select ‘add a library.’

• Search for audiobooksync and select the library from the results.

• Enter the email address you used to sign up for SYNC. • Look for new audiobooks in this library to download each week.

Check out Teen Book Cloud!

Teen Book Cloud is a collection of hundreds of always available novels, graphic novels, videos, and audiobooks that we just know you’ll love! Find Teen Book Cloud in the LPS Portal.

Fun science experiments to try at home Do you love science? Then you won’t want to miss trying out some of the cool at-home science experiments on the Steve Spangler Science website! You can write secret messages with lemon juice, create a burping bottle, or make a homemade geyser tube. If this sounds fun, click on the widget for “Steve Spangler’s Scinece” on the Middle School Learning tab.

Summer 2021 | Community News | Section A

A8

make someone’s day...

READ TO THEM!

Everyone loves a good story! Your siblings, your grandparents, or a neighbor would love to hear you read to them. So grab a book, magazine or newspaper or find one on Sora and read a story aloud to someone. You just might make their day!