Chicago Needs Elementary School Librarians

Reposted from WBEZ - Chicago
It’s no secret that when funding goes for a elementary school, one of the first affected areas is the school library. A school with a dedicated library could end up with only a shelf in a classroom. And then there are other cases, where the school supports the library and kids have an active role in reading, not to mention just more exposure to ideas, to topics, to the world.

Listen Here: Interview - Chicago Needs Elementary School Librarians 

Terri Grief, President of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA)

Megan Cusick, Chicago Public Schools Librarian and Chair of Chi School Librarians

Poetry Month - Chicago

#Repost from the MissDomino Blogspot

This winter was rough on Chicago and everyone is looking forward to the warm weather over the next couple of months.  I'm happy that the weather is turning for the better, but it also makes me very uneasy.  During this time of year, violence around the country heightens in many cities and young people are at risk.   I'm concerned for my cousins and my students safety.

I want to repost Jazmine McKinney's poem, 'Chi City Youth' to for many reasons.  This spoken word poet eloquently describes the violence that Chicago's youth must face daily.  McKinney's vivid description of the day-to-day struggle is not to be taken lightly and she does not hold back.  This video is a 'real' and provides the listener with a true account of life in Chicago's from the lens of a young person.  

This video is part of a projected funded in part by a City of Urbana Arts grant and produced by University of Illinois PhD student Raymond Morales.   I encourage you to listen 12 audio works and several videos by six Illinois artists.   The audio is available for download on Morales website at The Show 1045.  

Like my friend said, "Poetry is a way for young people to express themselves, allow them to use a pen, paper and their authentic voice as their instrument."

School Library Month in Chicago

#Repost - American School Library Association Website

School Library Month (SLM) is the American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) celebration of school librarians and their programs.  Every April school librarians are encouraged to create activities to help their school and local community celebrate the essential role that strong school library programs play in a student's educational career. 

Chicago Public Schools librarians are celebrating too!  A new Twitter page has been created by CPS Certified School Librarians this weekend to highlight the GREAT things Chicago school librarians are doing every day with students in their libraries.   Follow this Twitter page to view projects, pictures and read articles about school libraries.  Don't have a Twitter account?  You can view the tweets by logging onto:

FOLLOW US!

@ChiSLibrarians

https://twitter.com/ChiSLibrarians

Meeting a Chicago Legend

On Friday, some of the members of the Behind the Paws student news program met a Chicago legend:  Robin Robinson, FOX-32 News.  Robinson visited Phillips High School on Thursday and Friday to learn more about the Phillips Affinity Leadership Program.  Serving Chicago as a news reporter for over 30 years, Robinson states, "I am having a love affair that just gets better with time."  I think those of you who are Chicagoans will agree, we have had a love affair with Robinson.  She is a trusted and respected news reporter who highlights the positive things that are taking place in Chicago.  

Say cheese Jordan and Myiah

I can remember watching her on the news when I was a teenager.  I felt a sense of pride seeing a brown skinned woman like myself on television representing Chicago's African-American community.  She inspired me to study Television Broadcasting/Journalism in college and I'm certain she has inspired others.  #ClassAct  

Enjoy the pictures below!

Jacari, star athlete, honor student and member of the
Behind the Paws student news program is interviewed by Robinson

Shameless Plug:  My Affinity group,  The GOALDiggers, tied for first place this week!

Robin Robinson's picture and quote courtesy of WFLD-FOX 32 News

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/17121725/robin-robinson

National Library Week

#Reposted from American Library Association: National Library Week

Libraries and librarians have a powerful and positive impact on the lives of Americans on a daily basis. Their stories are key to communicating the value of libraries.   National Library Week is the perfect opportunity to encourage your community to tell the story of how the library has changed their life.

It's time to celebrate in Chicago and around the country!

Accused by Yasmin Shiraz

Author, Yasmin Shiraz

Yasmin Shiraz has written another winner!  I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of Accused and my students and I can't put it down.  I had read the prequel, Retaliation several years ago.  At that time I was a citywide coordinator for the Mayor Daley's Book Club for Middle School.   After reading Retaliation and observing the similarities between D.C. and Chicago teens, I knew that the students  would enjoy reading the book.  I was right.  Coordinators from across the city emailed commenting how much their clubs enjoyed the story.

I was really excited to hear from Shiraz and learn that she has cleverly continued the story of Ahmed and Tashera in Accused.   I don't want to give away key elements of the story so I have copied the synopsis from Shiraz's website for you to review.  This book is a recommended read for late middle school students through high school.  Stay tuned for an interview of Yasmin Shiraz in an upcoming blog post.

Synopsis:

An easier and more peaceful life seemed to be destined for Ahmed and Tashera when they left Washington, DC and entered Georgia Atlantic University.  But when Ahmed is accused of a crime that he didn’t commit and begins to be tried in the media, his popularity plummets, his self-esteem suffers, and his dreams of playing college basketball disappear.

Meanwhile, there is a serial rapist on campus who has been attacking freshman girls at record numbers and forcing them to keep silent. As Tashera learns about the girls, she begins to close in on the rapist. But is the attacker too crafty to be caught? Will the state prosecutor ignore key evidence to instead focus on the fame that comes with convicting a high profile basketball star?

Tashera is beyond stressed as she divides her time between trying to find enough evidence to clear Ahmed while at the same time stopping the rapist who roams the campus of Georgia Atlantic.  Ahmed and Tashera’s journey into a new life away from home is more challenging than they ever thought that it would be.

2014 Dr King Show and Educator Resources

   Inspired by Dr King's powerful words and fueled by the Chicago Public Schools chicken patty lunch meal.  My students are Bad! They researched recited and edited their Dr Martin Luther King quotes for the King Holiday tv show.  #AheadOfTheGame  #BossLibrarianChronicles #teens #highschool #library #ipaded

Here's a listing of some of my 

2014 MLK Resources for teachers

K.C.'s MLK Educator Resource Page

Here's my slideshow I created last year that devoted to the MLK Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Washington D.C.. from K.C. Boyd

Preparing for the King Show

The Behind the Paws students are preparing for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. show in 2014.  Here's a couple of pictures from today's class period.

Students wrote critiques of the current episode of Behind the Paws and researched possible quotes that will be read during the segment. 

I'm really proud of my students Myiah and Rossanli.  Both ladies are showing strong leadership and technology skills with using the iMovie app.  You will see in the picture how the girls are showing their peers how to pull images from Google and insert them into iMovie.

Enjoy!

Databases for Research

     This lesson was an introduction to using databases for my freshman and sophomore classes.  I engaged the students in a brief discussion about upcoming research based assignments for their classes.  I then introduced and encouraged the students to listen critically to a short video describing internet search engines vs. library databases.  Next, I led the students in a brief discussion about Google and Wikipedia as a respected primary source for research. 

     The lesson concluded with the students logging onto Gale Student Resources and conducting a simple search using the subject:  Chicago Violence.

Blown Away

     Recently I was blown away by a message on Twitter.  On October 1st, I posted a story describing a co-teaching lesson I did with the Leadership Department about Emmett Till.  I shared this post through my social media networks and was contacted by the The Mamie Till Mobley Foundation.   I really worked hard on this presentation and to receive this message from the foundation's @EmmettTillTalks Twitter page was an honor.

     Make sure you visit the website and Twitter page, I conveniently created direct links above highlighted in blue.

All I can do is say, WOW!

The foundation re-tweeted my post!

Bronzeville History

Students are viewing a clip from the award winning series, "Eyes On the Prize"

Wendell Phillips Academy High School is located in Chicago's historic Bronzeville south side neighborhood.   Bronzeville served as place of 'new opportunities' for millions of African-Americans when they left rural southern states to come 'north' for a new life.  Many stopped in Chicago, while other families continued on to Detroit, New York and California.

The Leadership Department at my school decided to create a unit for the entire student body about people in history who displayed admirable leadership/courage during trying times.  The topic they selected was The Murder of Emmett Till.  Through this lecture I've been giving this week, the students are learning about the leadership/courage of:
- Mamie Till Mobley (mother of Emmett Till),
- John H. Johnson (Publisher, Ebony/Jet Magazine),
- Ahmed Rayner (funeral home director)
- and Mose Wright (uncle of Emmett Till).

The goal of this lesson was to not only discuss their displays of leadership, but to also educate the students about the historical influence the key players had as it relates to their grassroots in Bronzeville.  So far, the students have really enjoyed the lecture/presentation.

I will like to add that I've taught this lesson off and on for over ten years.  Each time I teach this lesson, I learn something new.  The Keith Beauchamp documentary called, The Untold Story of Emmett Till, provides historians with a new and fresh perspective about the unsolved civil rights era murder.  I credit much of my lecture to the new research provided by Beauchamp's film.

The Emmett Till story is an important story that must be re-told to generations to come.  Below you will find the powerpoint presentation as well as a internet pathfinder.  The teachers that I am co-teaching with have plans to load this pathfinder into each classes Schoology pages for further discussion and study.

The Murder of Emmett Louis Till from K.C. Boyd

Emmett Till Internet Pathfinder

Compiled by KC Boyd, M.L.S., M.A., M.Ed.

Online Interactive Resources
PBS American Experience - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/till/index.html  
The Murder of Emmett Louis Till: The Spark that Started the Civil Rights
Movement - http://www.edwardmalone.com/Murder.htm Emmett Till Murder - http://www.emmetttillmurder.com/
Emmett Till – Biography Channel -
http://www.biography.com/people/emmett-till-507515

The Courage of Mamie Till Mobley and Jet Magazine Editor/Chief
Emmett’s Legacy: A Mother Keeps Her Son’s Name Alive
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-09- 05/features/9509050005_1_tallahatchie-river-mississippi-naacp-black-race
The Face of Emmett Till -
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/05/14/731205/-The-Face-of-Emmett- Till-UPDATED
Emmett Till – A Story With Lasting Power -
http://barrybradford.com/2013/08/29/guest-post-emmett-till-a-story-with- lasting-power/

Videos
Eyes On the Prize: Emmett Till -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxK8u58PqTE
The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvijYSJtkQk

Very short account of the Murder of Emmett Till -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7Dn5fw0cY
The Emmett Tlll Case Re-Opened: 60 Minutes (Ed Bradley) -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQC5WJMYaug

Books
Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America by Mamie Till-Mobley and Christopher Benson http://www.amazon.com/Death-Innocence-Story-Changed- America/dp/0812970470/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1380223151&sr=8- 3&keywords=emmett+till
Simeon’s Story: An Eyewitness Account of the Kidnapping of Emmett Till By Simeon Wright and Herb Boyd http://www.amazon.com/Simeons-Story-Eyewitness-Account- Kidnapping/dp/1569768196/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380223046&sr=8- 1&keywords=emmett+till
Getting Away With Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case By Chris Crowe
http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Away-Murder-Story- Emmett/dp/0803728042/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1380223151&sr=8- 2&keywords=emmett+till
A Wreath for Emmett Till
By Marilyn Nelson http://www.amazon.com/Wreath-Emmett-Till-Marilyn- Nelson/dp/0547076363/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1380223151&sr=8- 5&keywords=emmett+till

Emmett Till and Trayvon Martin Comparison
A Longer Look at the Emmett Till- Trayon Martin Comparison
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nicolaus-mills/emmett-till-trayvon- martin_b_3606636.html
NAACP Compares Trayvon Martin Death To Emmett Till Lynching
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/07/16/NAACP-Compares- Trayvon-Martin-Death-to-Emmett-Till-Lynching
Justice Denied: Is Trayvon Martin Post-Racial America’s Emmett Till?
http://www.nationofchange.org/justice-denied-trayvon-martin-post-racial- america-s-emmett-till-1374329793

Picture of Ahmed Rayner
Courtesy of Pamela Rayner, October 2013 

Conversations At The Circulation Desk

I've served numerous communities as school librarian for Chicago Public Schools for a number of years.  During this time I have heard stories that would make you cry, have had conversations that will raise an eyebrow and have heard stories that will just crack you up.   My students at my current school often times come in the Library Media Center and address me as 'Ma'.  (RANT - I blame my principal who started calling me 'Mama Boyd' in front of the children...LOL!)  I used to really trip out of this 'term of endearment',  but now I take this in stride.   In all of the years I have taught, I've learned one major thing about teens:  the will not share personal information with you if they do not like you.  #RealTalk

Conversations At The Circulation Desk is a new video series that I have created that celebrates the teen mind.  Videos shared through this series feature some of my students and the funny and prolific things that they say.  All students who appear in this video series have approved the use of their image and have had their parent sign a media release form for the school.   I'm a little late posting this video. I actually started taping this series in June and got sidetracked with other projects.  In this first episode, Junior student Rebeca talks about why teens enjoy reading Street Literature.   I hope you will enjoy what she says.

Meeting the Mayor of Chicago

Greeting students

The Behind the Paws crew recently attended a ground breaking ceremony at Mandrake Park, a Chicago Park District football field.  This field is part of a multi-million dollar project paid by the city of Chicago.  The field has a sophisticated drainage system and is constructed of astro turf.  Phillips High School is especially excited because we are one in several high schools in the area that will be permitted to schedule sports games/activities.  Finally, students, parents and supporters of Phillips can remain on 39th street and enjoy games in our school neighborhood.

Mayor Emanuel asked, "What are you doing with the iPads?"

Mayor Rahm Emanuel greeted students, took pictures and spoke at the ground breaking ceremony.  My students, Ariel, Orlanda and Savannah had the opportunity to speak and take pictures with the Mayor.  I'm so happy that they were able to experience meeting the Mayor.  Most importantly, they now have an interesting talking point on their resume.....  :-).   Please enjoy the pictures!

Nothing but smiles!

Chicago Violence

Have you ever thought about what it is like to be a teen living in Chicago?  My colleague Mrs. Henderson recently challenged her students to write poems/skits describing what is taking place in some neighborhoods in Chicago.  Like my previous post, "Breaking the Cycle" these students are dealing with a reality that is not kind and shows no mercy.

These spoken word videos are raw, unflinching and describe a reality that many don't want to deal with.  My students are brave and despite of the obstacles placed in their path are determined to succeed.  The concept for these videos were solely the students with guidance from their teacher.  After developing a concept, poem and presentation style, I worked with the students to edit and finalize the project using iMovie.   All video was shot on the Library Media Center's iPads and images that appear in these videos are from Google images.

I'm really going to miss this group of graduating seniors.  I hope you will enjoy just a small sample of these presentations as much as I have working with the students.  Please feel free to leave a comment in the comment section of this post.  All comments will shared with the students.


Henderson 1st period Keyon, Mike from WPAHS Video Page on Vimeo.

Henderson 8th period Kendrick, Briana from WPAHS Video Page on Vimeo.

Henderson 7th period Tatiana, Leon, Don from WPAHS Video Page on Vimeo.

Chi City Youth by Jazmine McKinney

I selected Jazmine McKinney's poem, 'Chi City Youth' to wrap up poetry month.   This spoken word poet eloquently describes the violence that Chicago's youth must face daily.  McKinney's vivid description of the day-to-day struggle is not to be taken lightly and she does not hold back.  This video is a 'real' and provides the listener with a true account of life in Chicago's from the lens of a young person.  

This video is part of a projected funded in part by a City of Urbana Arts grant and produced by University of Illinois PhD student Raymond Morales.   I encourage you to listen 12 audio works and several videos by six Illinois artists.   The audio is available for download on Morales website at The Show 1045.  

Like my friend said, "Poetry is a way for young people to express themselves, allow them to use a pen, paper and their authentic voice as their instrument."

A Special Interview: WGN TV's Gaynor Hall

     The 'Behind the Paws' crew recently interviewed WGN-TV assignment reporter Gaynor Hall.   During her visit to Phillips high school, the students were able to interview this Chicago Public Schools graduate on a number of topics.  

     Hall was gracious and discussed her positive experience while a student at Beasley Elementary and Whitney Young High Schools.   She also shared her rewarding work as a TV reporter and how young people can obtain the experience to prepare them in the field of broadcasting.  Ms Hall really inspired the students!  Her parting words of wisdom:  You can do anything and be anything if you just work hard at it.  

     The interview is featured in the latest episode of the 'Behind the Paws' television show along with several school wide news and announcements.  Please enjoy the video below along with pictures from that day.  

"Behind the Paws" S1 E7 from WPAHS Video Page on Vimeo.

Another iMovie...

Here's another iMovie made by one of my summer camp students, Jasmine. In this video, Jasmine wanted to discuss the senseless number of CPS students that lost their lives to gun violence.   I think you will all agree, the message conveyed by this teen speak volumes.

Enjoy!

  
Stop the Violence by Jasmine F. from WPAHS Video Page on Vimeo.