Make your library the center of your school
Sometimes we have some time off and WISH we could travel, but it’s just not in the cards. If you’re like me, your travel plans may have been cancelled again this year. If you have some time on your hands with no place to go, why not get in some professional development? There are lots of reasons to love online PD for school librarians… Online
Have you heard about Boom Cards? They are no-prep, digital, interactive task cards that are super easy to use! They are just the ticket to add some fun to the learning in your virtual or in-person library classes! I’ve got some tips to help you get started using Boom Cards in the school library. What are Boom Cards? Boom Cards are self-grading exercises that are
You probably know that I LOVE to create special storytime sessions for my primary grade library lessons. Leprechaun Storytime is always a big hit! Engaging picture books, music, movement and fun lead to high levels of engagement. Since we’re coming up on the one year anniversary of school closures due to the pandemic, I’ve been reflecting on how I was unable to do my traditional
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
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
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
Every year I start out my library lessons with a review and some instruction on how my students can manage their library accounts. With all of the changes this year is bringing to our circulation routines, library catalog instruction is more important now than ever. Because of health and safety concerns from the Covid19 pandemic, some schools are not allowing students to browse for books,
Learn how to use Print to PDF for distance learning. Extract student pages from a longer document to share while teaching and learning remotely.
Educators are navigating a new normal as we deal with school closures worldwide during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. School librarians, along with all educators, are burning the midnight oil to create lessons for distance learning. As I mentioned in another post, the most important factor to consider at this time is connection with our students. So, how do we teach educational content while making that
As we get closer to the Super Bowl, more and more students are discussing football and their favorite teams. They come to school on Mondays talking about what happened at the latest playoff games. Excitement builds with each passing week. This is the perfect time to hook students with a great lesson focusing on media literacy skills. I’ve got a fun and engaging lesson using
