Great Lakes, Great Read Book Selections Announced

As part of today’s Earth Day commemorations, the Wisconsin Water Library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Wisconsin Library Association announced the books selected for a basin-wide shared-reading experience, Great Lakes, Great Read.

“The Water Walker” by Joanne Robertson is the children’s selection and the adult selection is “The Best Part of Us” by Sally Cole-Misch.

“The Water Walker” is the story of a determined Ojibwe grandmother, a “nokomis,” named Josephine Mandamin who walks to raise awareness of the need to protect “nibi” (water). Robertson wrote and illustrated the book, which was published in 2017.

Sally Cole-Misch published the novel “The Best Part of Us” in 2020. It explores a family’s ties to an island on an inland lake in northern Ontario, just north of Lake Huron—how those ties are tested both through natural processes and family dynamics.

“The Great Lakes have shaped Wisconsin as we know it. These inland seas provide drinking water and fuel our agriculture, shipping, manufacturing and recreation,” said WWL Senior Special Librarian Anne Moser. “These two books will bring the lakes alive in new and evocative ways. We hope readers will reflect on the lakes and be inspired, become passionate and feel more connected to them.”

WLA Executive Director Laura Sauser said, “All Wisconsinites are encouraged to read these titles, and we also hope to be a catalyst for libraries throughout the upper Midwestern states and Canadian provinces to engage patrons through a range of activities.”

Both selected authors will be featured in a free webinar series happening on Sept. 25 and Oct. 2 and 9. All events will start at 6 p.m., CT, and will be open to the public.

In November, the authors will be visiting Wisconsin for a variety of events. Please check the Wisconsin Great Lakes, Great Read webpage later this summer to learn more.

The Great Lakes, Great Read website offers further details on the authors, their books, book discussion questions, an email list signup option and other resources.

Please follow Great Lakes, Great Read on Facebook to get the latest updates, 

This initiative is made possible by an Ideas to Action grant from WiLS. Wisconsin Sea Grant and the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute support the Wisconsin Water Library.

 

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Established in 1964 by the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute (WRI), the Wisconsin Water Library (formerly known as the Water Resources Library) is unique among UW-Madison’s many libraries for its collection of 30,000 volumes about the waters of Wisconsin and the Great Lakes. The library’s mission is to collect, preserve and provide science-based resources in support of  WRI and the Sea Grant College Program.

 

The Wisconsin Library Association is a professional organization representing all types of libraries – school, public, academic and special. Its membership comprises more than 1,300 librarians and support staff, library trustees, friends of libraries and business vendors who advocate and work for the improvement of library services for all Wisconsin citizens. .

 

 Link to press release here. 

Great Lakes, Great Reads Program Announced

The Wisconsin Water Library at UW-Madison and Wisconsin Library Association to Partner on Great Lakes, Great Read

Program Aims to Connect Wisconsinites to the Great Lakes Watershed Through Reading

Calling all Wisconsin readers! The Wisconsin Water Library at UW-Madison and the Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) are pleased to announce plans for Great Lakes, Great Read, a basin-wide community read program scheduled to launch in 2024. Great Lakes, Great Read is designed to inspire passion and connection to the Great Lakes Watershed through reading. The Wisconsin program will serve as a pilot with the goal of being a catalyst for the development of similar programs in other states and provinces in the Upper Midwest and Canada.

There is a need for greater education about the Great Lakes as an important natural resource. While approximately 34 million people in the US and Canada live in the Great Lakes Watershed, recent surveys, such as the 2021 International Joint Commission Great Lakes Regional Poll, show a lack of understanding of the threats facing the greatest freshwater resource in the world. Greater education – greater environmental literacy - is critical to cultivating stewardship of the Great Lakes and of water resources more broadly.

Enter Great Lakes, Great Read. The program’s “one book, one community” model, already adopted by many libraries, is a natural fit for a basin-wide project, and Wisconsin is the perfect state to pilot the project. Wisconsinites have a deep connection to water through culture, economy, tourism and way of life. Wisconsinites also have access to a well-connected network of academic, public and special libraries that serve as the center of our communities.

Funded by a grant from WiLS, the Great Lakes, Great Read program will officially kick off on February 1, 2024. The selected titles will be announced on Earth Day (April 22) 2024. Two books, one for adults and one for children, with themes related to the Great Lakes watershed will be announced. All Wisconsinites will be encouraged to read these titles, and libraries around the state will be encouraged to engage their residents through book discussions and related activities. While program designs are still being finalized, the plan is to host public presentations by the selected authors and a website that includes book discussion questions and other ideas for engagement. 

Watch the WLA website and join the Great Lakes, Great Read 2024 email list for program updates:  Great Lakes, Great Read email list.

Kids Take Action Book Display and Resources

The Wisconsin Water Library is a great resource on STEM and environmental resources and activities. In a recent blog post they shared some of these resources focusing on kids and teens who take action for the environment. These activities and suggestions are perfect for any library to use in their youth work. And you can borrow books from their library!

They write: "Almost 25% of teenagers (ages 13-17) have participated in a school walk-out, participated in a protest, rally, or other event, or written a letter, emailed or phoned a government official in an effort to combat the climate crisis and make their voices heard. There has been an increase in participation worldwide in school climate strikes, with over 6 million students participating in September 2019."

Stop here to read their most recent blog post and access some great resources.

Image from the Wisconsin Water Library

Earth Day and other Environmental Partnership Opportunities

Victoria Rydberg of DPI's Environmental Learning and Service Learning shared these opportunities with Anne Moser, Senior Librarian at the WI Water Library. This is a great way to connect with your school media partners to make sure they know about these great WI resources and events for WI teachers and students...and to suggest supporting a collaborative project with your school colleagues to support one of these efforts!

Opportunities from DPI: 

• Calling social studies educators! This year’s Wisconsin Council for Social Studies is themed around the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day and Gaylord Nelson's daughter, Tia Nelson, is the keynote. I would love to work with some social studies educators to put together a few sessions connecting social studies and environmental literacy and sustainability standards at K-2, 3-5, and 9-12 levels. Proposals are due November 1! Let me know if you are interested and we will investigate logistics to make it happen. Or, you can always submit a session on your own.

• Looking for teachers who plan to reflect on 50 years of Earth Day with their students! We have funding to develop a series of resources about Earth Day from a variety of perspectives and for K-2, 3-5, and 9-12 levels to share through WISELearn. If you have interest in this project, let me know! 

• WATER: A Statewide Inquiry Experience. Do your students engage in water-related community inquiry projects? Perhaps they are investigating water quality or discovering where their water comes from. Or maybe they are trying to take action to address global clean water access issues. Add your project to our growing statewide map of water projects. As we connect with educators, we will grow a list of resources and ideas to share! Learn more: https://dpi.wi.gov/inquiry

Opportunities from Partners: 

• Early Childhood Educators can learn about nature-based early childhood at a workshop in Baraboo on 10/26. Learn more

• 4th Grade Teachers: Did you know you get free seedlings for each of your students? You can place your orders with DNR after October 7: https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/TreePlanting/arborForm.asp

• 6-12 Grade Educators: DNR is offering free groundwater sand tank models for educator teams who attend one of their free workshops on January 29 in Tomahawak or February 19 in Mount Horeb. Learn more

• The Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education has many workshops to get you and your students outside—from understanding how outdoor education can support health and wellness to mapping trees in your school and community to water to renewable energy.

• Scholarship are available to attend "Power of Place" with Green Schools National Network and Prairie Crossing Charter School (northern IL) on October 17-18. Apply for scholarship by 10/8.

• Does your school have an outdoor garden, aquaponics, or containers in the classroom? Add your school to the state-wide map of garden-based education programs. Wisconsin School Garden Network provides free curricular materials, technical assistance, and workshops to help educators take learning into the garden to increase student engagement, social and emotional health and well-being, and learning outcomes. Wondering how gardens grow learning? Watch this 4 minute video. 

• "Connect, Explore, Engage!" Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education Annual Conference will be November 15-16 in Madison. Early bird registration closes 10/1. DPI’s American Indian Studies consultant, David O’Connor is a featured speaker! Learn how to integrate environmental literacy and Act 31 at your school.

Funding Opportunities: 

• The Go Outside Fund provides grants up to $500 (supplies, subs, transportation, etc.) for projects that connect children with outdoor, nature-based learning experiences. Applications are reviewed quarterly and due September 30, December 30, March 30, and June 30. 

• Check out more grants on EEinWI. 

Mark Your Calendars: 

• Wisconsin Youth Summit (gr. 7-12) will be held April 16 at UW—Stevens Point. 

Guest Post: Once a Pond a Time

Author: Sigrid Peterson, Wisconsin Water Library

Here hunts the heron, queen of the pond,

that spears the fish

that swallows the frog

that gulps the bug

that nabs the nymph

that drinks the flea

that eats the algae, green and small,

                in the depths of the summer pond.

— from Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems (2005) by Joyce Sidman illustrated by Beckie Prange

At UW-Madison’s Wisconsin Water Library http://waterlibrary.aqua.wisc.edu, we have been taking an interdisciplinary approach to water literacy for children pre-K to second grade for a number of years. We define “interdisciplinary,” to include the simultaneous acquisition of STEM/STEAM (Science, Technology, Education, Arts, and Math) literacy and reading/language arts literacy.

Years ago, we began outreach to libraries across the state offering water-themed storytimes. This later evolved into the creation of formal STEM kits and lesson plans (http://waterlibrary.aqua.wisc.edu/for-parents-and-teachers-and-librarians/our-stem-kits/) dedicated to a physical, biological, and/or ecological property of water. Our STEM kits circulate to interested schools and libraries across Wisconsin and enhance the traditional library story time with a water science topic, along with an introduction to the essentials of the scientific method: observation, hypothesis formation, testing, more observation, recording and conclusion building. Included in each kit are a full story time guide with a topical “science chat,” read-aloud books, a science experiment or game, songs, and craft ideas. The 13 lesson plans have the same content and are available as a download on our website.

With Spring approaching (okay. . .- ish), we’re already thinking about one of our favorite STEM kits, Once a Pond a Time (the “Ponds” kit for shorthand) http://waterlibrary.aqua.wisc.edu/for-parents-and-teachers-and-librarians/our-stem-kits/once-a-pond-a-time/. With this kit we situate ponds as a special body of water—smaller than an ocean or a lake, but bigger than a puddle—with a unique ecosystem teaming with life most grown-ups don’t even think about. Our science chat challenges children to “think like a scientist” and hypothesize about what lives in and around a pond: Mallard Duck, American Toad, Tree Swallow, Largemouth Bass, Cattails, River Otters, etc. This is followed up with game that includes a simulated pond in the form of a large, blue rounded tablecloth set on the floor, around which children gather. One by one, kids announce a possible habitat creature or aquatic plant discussed earlier in the story time. With a correct response, a child receives a laminated illustration of the creature/plant—designed by artist, Kristen Rost—and moves inside the pond until it is overflowing with kids. . . and ecosystem knowledge!

Because the pond appears repeatedly as a natural setting throughout classic and contemporary children’s literature, Once a Pond a Time, includes a curated selection of four pond-themed picture books that are staff favorites, as well as an extensive reading list in the STEM kit guide.

If you need a taste of Spring in advance and want Once a Pond a Time delivered to your library, please Borrow a Stem Kit using our online submission form: http://waterlibrary.aqua.wisc.edu/for-parents-and-teachers-and-librarians/our-stem-kits/borrow-a-stem-kit/

And please contact us with any questions you might have at askwater@aqua.wisc.edu

Happy STEM-ing!