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Workshops
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Promoting Children's Literature

Kidlitplus.com is devoted to the promotion of children's literature, here defined as books for children from birth up through eighth grade, and also to early literacy skills for children from birth through grade three.

The following are Sample Workshops that Sue has presented, though there may be other possibilities depending on your needs. Also, now being offered are webinars! For a description of each workshop/webinar and suggested audience, click on the title below:

Webinar: New "Book Look" Webinars
Webinar: "Children's Literature for the Rest of Us" Webinar Series
Children's Literature Update
Mixed-Age Library Programming
Picture Book Storytelling/Sharing
Picture Books Plus:
      Extending Picture Books with Art, Drama, Music, Math, and Science
Early Literacy Training To Assist Librarians with
      Every Child Ready to Read 2nd Edition
Raising Literate Children Begins at Birth:
      Books and Literacy Experiences for Infants and Toddlers
Preschoolers, Picture Books, and Pre-Literacy Experiences
Family Programming & Literacy Activities
"Mock" Caldecott Election/Picture Book Read-In
"Just the Facts":
      The Best in Children's Nonfiction Literature: Preschool – Eighth Grade
Once Upon A Time:
      Sharing Folk and Fairy Tales With Young Children
Movable and Toy Books:
      Encouraging Young Children to Read and Make Their Own Books

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Webinar: New "Book Look" Webinars
Offered three times a year — Spring, Fall and Winter. Highlighted are over 100 of the best new books from each season for children and teens. For teachers, this is a great update of new literature. For librarians, during tough economic times, these webinars help them make wise decisions in book selection. Each season's webinar lasts approximately 75 minutes.

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Webinar: "Children's Literature for the Rest of Us" Webinar Series
This workshop is intended for public service librarians who must "work the floor" and are asked to make book recommendations for youth readers when children's services librarians might not be available to help. Examples: "What are some funny books for my third grader to read?"; "Do you have books for babies?"; "What are some books that my son (reluctant reader) might enjoy?"; "My child read all the Captain Underpants books. What else do you recommend?" This workshop will be offered as three webinars, and will only cover fiction titles, for books for babies through tweens (i.e. babies through about sixth grade). Though the focus is to public service/adult librarians, those who are less experienced and work in a children's area of a library might find this useful. The three webinars are divided as follows: A.) Books for Babies, Toddlers, Preschoolers; B.)Learning to Read Books; First Chapter Books; Books for Early Elementary Grades; C.) Books for Grades Three to Six; Folktales; Series Books. Each webinar will last about 75 minutes.

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Children's Literature Update
This workshop is appropriate for teachers and public or school librarians. A review of the best literature published for babies and children up through grade 7 in the last year (or last two years). Includes some story sharing methods and extensions and a discussion of Notable Books.

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Mixed-Age Library Programming
In these tough economic times, librarians often need to make hard decisions regarding books they can purchase and the number and types of programs they can offer. Librarians often find the need to present programs for a wider age range of children. During this workshop, we will talk about mixed-age programming, and books, activities, and storytelling methods that will engage a wide-age range of children, but also keeping in mind the developmental characteristics of young children. There are two parts to this workshop: Mixed-Age Programming for ages 0–3, and Mixed-age Programming for children preschool age through second grade. Each workshop can be either a full-day workshop, OR, a shorter version of each can be presented in one day. The full-day version of each workshop involves more audience participation.

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Picture Book Storytelling/Sharing
This workshop is appropriate for early childhood educators (preschool teachers, day care, home care, Head Start) and public and school librarians who work with children ages three through eight. Discover ways to get children involved in picture books using various methods including: Participation; Props; Magnetic/Flannel Board Presentations; Clothesline Stories; Tell and Draw Stories; Puppetry; Creative Dramatics and Music Extensions.

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Picture Books Plus:
Extending Picture Books with Art, Drama, Music, Math, and Science

This workshop is appropriate for public or school librarians and teachers. Librarians across the country are recognizing the importance of conducting programs more developmentally appropriate for children by using techniques incorporated by early childhood educators and having more opportunities for hands-on learning experiences. Many librarians are now incorporating art, music, drama, math, or science activities after sharing literature with children. This workshop will help librarians select picture book titles that would be good to share and then give suggestions for hands-on activities that could be replicated for storytime programs, family programs, programs for parents, programs for homeschoolers, or for a workshop offered by the library to early childhood educators or family literacy coordinators.

Based on the book by: Nespeca, Sue McCleaf & Joan Reeve. Picture Books Plus: 100 Extension Activities in Art, Drama, Music, Math and Science. ALA, 2003.

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Early Literacy Training To Assist Librarians with
Every Child Ready to Read 2nd Edition

A new updated and expanded 2nd edition of the Every Child Ready to Read toolkit is now being released by the American Library Association. The complete kit contains new workshops and a CD with each presentation in PowerPoint, also ideas for training of staff, library outreach, and ways to promote and market the library's program. Though the materials are easily understood and intended to be used without the need of additional training, this workshop will help highlight changes from the previous project and ways the new materials can best be used. Also, additional information will be provided on topics such as: the latest news in brain research; developmental stages of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers and implications for sharing and choosing books; incorporating early literacy skills into programming; inexpensive ways to include early literacy experiences at your library; ideas for successful outreach; and ways to collaborate with early childhood educators including ideas for ECE workshops. Presented by Sue McCleaf Nespeca, formerly one of the six national trainers for the Every Child Ready to Read Project, who has a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education in addition to her M.L.S.

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Raising Literate Children Begins at Birth:
Books and Literacy Experiences for Infants and Toddlers

This workshop is appropriate for early childhood educators (preschool teachers, day care, home care, Head Start) and public librarians who work with children ages zero through three. Current information on brain research; developmental characteristics of infants and toddlers and implications for sharing books and music; good books for infants and toddlers and how to choose them; planning baby lapsit and toddler programs incorporating early literacy skills; and music and literacy activities for infants and toddlers.

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Preschoolers, Picture Books, and Pre-Literacy Experiences
This workshop is appropriate for early childhood educators (preschool teachers, day care, home care, Head Start) and public librarians who work with children ages three through five. Developmental characteristics of preschoolers; good books for preschoolers and how to choose them; planning preschool programs incorporating early literacy skills; and providing emergent literacy experiences for preschoolers.

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Family Programming & Literacy Activities
This workshop is appropriate for public or school librarians; teachers; and early childhood educators (preschool teachers, day care, home care, Head Start). Important role family members play in the emerging literacy skills of young children, understanding developmental characteristics of young children and how they relate to book sharing and activities, the importance or reading to young children daily, storytime programs for families, family history and intergenerational programs and other types of family literacy activities.

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"Mock" Caldecott Election/Picture Book Read-In
This workshop is appropriate for teachers and public or school librarians. Learn terms and criteria for the Caldecott Award given annually to the artist of the most distinguished picture book. Discuss the art in Children's picture books including ways to look at the book, artistic elements, and ways to express story through picture. Have an opportunity to personally read & evaluate new picture books. Hear guidelines for book discussions & participate in a group process. Participate in a "Mock" Caldecott Election. Presenter has served on the National Caldecott Committee twice — in 1993 and 2008.

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"Just the Facts":
The Best in Children's Nonfiction Literature: Preschool – Eighth Grade

This workshop is appropriate for teachers and public or school librarians. In this workshop, attendees will be introduced to quality nonfiction for children preschool age to eighth grade, published within the last few years. Criteria for evaluating nonfiction will be discussed along with current trends in nonfiction books. Resource books and web sites will be explored, and awards for informational books, such as the Sibert and Orbus Pictus Award will be mentioned. Ways to extend nonfiction books throughout the curriculum will be talked about, and how to program with nonfiction books, including booktalking and incorporating nonfiction titles within story programs, will be demonstrated.

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Once Upon A Time:
Sharing Folk and Fairy Tales With Young Children

This workshop is appropriate for teachers and public or school librarians. Hear the origin and history of folktales; different types of folktales; different versions/variants of folktales; folktales from around the world; American tall tales; fables; modern fairy tales; Caldecott-winning folk and fairy tales; ways to extend folk and fairy tales through story sharing methods; poetry; music; creative dramatics; reader's theatre; and puppetry.

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Movable and Toy Books:
Encouraging Young Children to Read and Make Their Own Books

This workshop is appropriate for teachers and public or school librarians. See slides of historical movable books & their relevance to present day books. Hear about present day movable books that are good to share with young children (pop-ups, transformation books, wheel books, and other types of movables). See resource books that are useful for making books with young children. Have hands-on experience making several types of movable books.

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©2010–2014 Kid Lit Plus Consulting and Sue McCleaf Nespeca. All Rights Reserved. Last Updated March 2014. • Website by Cutter Blue Design

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