By: Emily Teck  | Posted on:  December 28 2018

Announcement and Call for Entries:

JewishLearningMatters.com’s Resource Roundup Blog is launching a new series of monthly articles in 2019 that feature guest bloggers who serve as librarians working in Jewish educational environments. This project is an opportunity for children’s librarians to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for books as students learn, love, and live Jewish values.

With over 20,000 monthly users, JewishLearningMatters.com can amplify the impact of the work of these librarians by expanding their reach--- Jewish educators and parents from around the globe will be able to benefit from their knowledge and experience.

We are inviting submissions of articles by librarians, highlighting a Jewish value selected from this list of JLM’s featured values. Librarians will share their reflections on the importance of the value to their students and their communities, with recommendations of exceptional examples of Jewish and/or secular children’s literature that reflect or reinforce the chosen value.

Upon publication of their article, each librarian will receive a $100 honorarium as a token of appreciation. Entries will be collected on a rolling basis from January-May 2019 and selections will be determined by a team of readers based upon the extent to which the articles reflect the criteria below.

Each published article will feature a bio and picture of the librarian and a link to their personal and/or institutional website/s.

Criteria:

1. Articles must highlight a Jewish value selected from the list of JLM’s featured values. We are seeking articles that personalize the Jewish value both in terms of the librarian and the students with whom he/she works. We are looking for articles that go far beyond a list of books, to shine a light on how the books have affected perceptions, inspired change, and encouraged understanding and reflection. 
2. Articles should recommend a total of at least 6 favorite books, (Jewish, secular, or a mix of both), based on the chosen value, appropriate for any two of the following age groups: Early Childhood (Baby/Toddler), Early Childhood (ages 3-5). Early Elementary (K-2), Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle School, High School. Please cluster the titles by age groupings. 

For each book suggestion, provide:

• Book title and author (we will get the book cover photo and summary from publisher) 
• A short explanation of what makes the book special or unique and how or why each resonates with your students and community. The explanation can include documentation of children’s reactions to the stories or comments about the characters in the book suggested. 
• Suggested ways to engage students in learning more about the values, included, but not limited to the following:
  
  • Provide suggested questions to encourage students to make connections to their own life experiences, their community or the world. 
  • Provide suggested questions that connect the value to Jewish holidays and/or current events. 
  • Provide an activity (art, music, craft) to extend and enhance understanding of the value --Optional- share a photograph of students’ related artwork/projects 

Guidelines for Submission:

1. Article Length: 500-1500 words
2. Submit to [email protected].

Note: JewishLearningMatters.com will add links to the articles, about the book itself or to related content. JewishLearningMatters.com reserves the right to edit and format content submitted, but the writer of the article will retain full ownership of their material.

If you have questions about this project, please email [email protected].