Here are four of the CLEL 12 actions. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!
Have you completed any of the activities on this page? Let us know what you are working on! Leave us a comment below and let us know about your challenges and successes.
Action 13: Attend a continuing education training or workshop.
Whether you have years of experience or are just starting out, you can be proactive about your professional development and continuing education! You could attend a youth services training, a storytime swap, a webinar, a CAL Conference presentation, the CLEL Annual Meeting, or any other local, state, or national education opportunity.
- Look for a training opportunity in your region. Some resources to consult are:
- Bonus step: Send CLEL an email to let us know about your training. What did you learn? What will you apply at your library?
Action 14: Share an early literacy tip or best practice on a listserv.
We learn constantly from our colleagues. Share a little of your expertise with an online community.
Did you play a learning game in storytime that went well? Do you have a tip about how you share early literacy information with the caregivers in your community? How does your library provide early literacy information to underserved populations?
- Write a paragraph or two and post it to a listserv you subscribe to. You can respond to a related topic on a colleague's thread, or you can begin a new thread.
- Bonus step: In your post, you can mention that you are a member of CLEL, or include a line about your membership in your signature.
- Are you new to listservs? A listserv is an email discussion group and can be a valuable way to stay current in your field. Here are two you might find interesting. Instructions for subscribing are on each page.
Action 15: Learn a new rhyme or song from the Storyblocks website and use it in storytime.
Stay out of a storytime rut by adding something new to your session! You'll learn a few more literacy tips for parents and caregivers along the way.
- Go to http://storyblocks.org and watch some of the videos.
- Choose a song or rhyme you don't know, memorize it, and add it to your next session.
- If you have parents and caregivers present at storytime, let them know about Storyblocks, and encourage them to visit the site themselves.
- Bonus step: Make a comment on the video's Storyblocks page about how it worked in your storytime.
- Under the video, see "Add a comment." Enter your name, email address, and your comment.
- Click "save."
- Your comment will appear after moderation.
Action 16: Create an early literacy activity idea for parents to share with their children.
Help your colleagues by sharing ideas with parents and caregivers for making the most of their everyday moments with children.
- Think of a quick, easy activity that grown-ups can do with children.
- Connect it with one of the Every Child Ready to Read five practices: reading, writing, singing, talking, or playing. You can begin with a book and create an extension activity (such as cutting out pictures of animals from magazines after you read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?), or the activity can stand on its own. (For examples, see the Arapahoe Library District's literacy activities.)
- Send CLEL an email with your idea, and we will highlight it on the blog.
Did you enjoy these activities? Would you like to keep going? Ask about getting involved with the Staff Support Committee!
Are you all done with your CLEL 12? Let us know about it!
Go back to the main CLEL 12 page, or keep reading about the other actions: Set 1, Set 2, and Set 3.