Make your library the center of your school
A student comes in and asks you for a book. Do you go to the shelf and grab it for them? Or do you take the time to guide them in some library catalog practice? Do you encourage them to search the catalog themselves? And then do you take the time to give a little mini lesson on locating the book? Of course it is
My son begged me to buy an Oreck XL vacuum when he was in first grade. Let me stop you before you assume that Nick was one of those kids who loved to clean. Nope. He was the kid who would drag his feet on chore day, complaining that it took soooooo long. So he was NOT dying to push a new vacuum around the
How many times have you found yourself sitting in the middle of a school professional development aimed at classroom teachers? I know I’ve been there. We doodle in our notebooks and daydream of school librarian professional development just for us. We need PD that addresses the many facets of our roles within our schools. Our professional development must prepare us to meet the needs of
I don’t know if there’s ever been a time in my life that I’ve seen so many people ready to kick the current year out the door and welcome a new beginning! 2021, please be awesome!! The new year brings new goals in our professional lives as well as our personal lives. Are you as eager as I am to reimagine your school library in
December is not the time for a full-blown research project. But if you want to teach or review research skills with your students, a mini-unit for holiday research is just what you need. Students will still get practice on important research skills. But if a lesson is missed, it isn’t a problem (unlike when you’re doing those long, multi-week research projects). Stay Flexible in December
December is a challenging time to keep our students actively learning. I’ve shared several ways to keep the fun in our libraries this month. There is so much excitement about upcoming holidays in the air that it’s difficult to maintain a focus on academics. Time to pull out your tricks! I’ve found that my lessons are always more engaging if I make a game out
In a normal school year, December brings changing schedules and lots of fun activities for our students. School librarians are always working at being flexible and maintaining that happy place in our libraries. But December 2020 is bringing unique challenges to schools as we face a holiday season unlike any other we’ve seen. It seems like the fun has been taken out of so many
Plan engaging library lessons for your K-2 classes by creating a routine, adding variety, including music and movement, and have fun!
National Fire Prevention Week is usually the first full week in October. I’ve been teaching about fire safety and fire prevention since my early days as a first grade teacher. My husband, a retired fire marshal, would help and encourage me as I planned my lessons. I continued the fire safety lessons in my school library because I believe it is important for us to
Seasonal book displays are a great way to brighten up your school library. Eye-catching book arrangements will draw the interest of your students and might just hook your readers on a new book. I’ve got some school library book display ideas for you! Create Monthly Displays The easiest way to get started with book displays in your school library is to start with a monthly
