The Trapped Librarian

Make your library the center of your school

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Topics
    • Books for Kids
    • Bulletin Boards and Displays
    • FUN!
    • Helpful Hints
    • Library Advocacy
    • Life
    • Organize It!
    • School Library
    • Technology
    • TPT
  • Shop
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
You are here: Home / School Library / September Library Lessons

September 22, 2021 by: Laura

September Library Lessons

Last Updated on August 16, 2024 by Laura

September Library Lessons ideas for Elementary Librarians

The beginning of a new school year is always full of excitement! It’s important to start with engaging activities and lessons that will set the stage for a year full of active learning for all students. I choose September library lessons that are fun, foundational, and differentiated/scaffolded. I teach all 4 of these topics with all of my grade levels K-5, so that the concepts build upon prior learning each year.

Book Tasting Event

Book Tasting Event September Library Lessons


I absolutely love to start the year off with a Book Tasting Event! It builds excitement around our new books and the students love it!  It’s easy to transform your library into an Italian bistro with a few props from home.  Then, set the tables with books (you can use colorful construction paper for placemats), play some dinner music, and give students “menu” bookmarks to note books they’d like to read.  Now your library will be buzzing with excitement – what a great way to build a culture of reading!  To get more ideas, check out this blog post:  5 Tips for a Fun Book Tasting.

Library Expectations


Be sure to include library expectations in your September library lessons. Of course it’s good educational practice to ensure that guidelines for expected behavior are well understood and well known.  This means not only going over expectations at the beginning of the year, but having them visible at all times.  Since my library was in the middle of 10 classrooms, we really needed guidelines for voice levels.  We focussed on respect – one of my school’s universal principles – respect books, materials, and people.  Giving students an opportunity to discuss, role play, and give examples can really set the year off on the right track. (I’ve included my library expectations in this Library Organization Kit.)

Technology Use Agreement

Digital Citizenship Library Lessons


Even though your Technology Use Agreement may be included in the student handbook for families to discuss at home, it is essential to begin the year with a review of the main guidelines.  If your TUA is small print and full of long explanations, I recommend you condense it into “kid friendly” language.  Narrow these into “Dos” and “Don’ts” and give your older students an opportunity to discuss/give examples in small groups.  I put my kid friendly guidelines on cards for each group and had them sort them into “YES” and “NO” piles, while encouraging discussion.  With the younger grades, I chose the most basic concepts to sort, using large poster sized guidelines.  I also created a bright bulletin board to reinforce these important digital citizenship concepts. (See how I printed the small group cards in this article: Get More Mileage Out of Your Poster Sets.)

Library Catalog Practice

Library Catalog Practice September Lessons


It is no secret that I believe library catalog search and location skills set all of our students up for future independence in finding information and materials for personal use as well as for school.  Start in Kindergarten by demonstrating how you found the book you are using for story time. This sets the stage for independence from the beginning.  Like so many important information skills concepts, it’s crucial to scaffold learning so skills from previous years are reinforced. My September library lessons include how to log in, look at their library information, and place holds beginning in 2nd grade.  We learn about different types of searches (subject, keyword, title, author, series), adding on each year.

For more information:  

  • Why Your Students Need Library Catalog Practice 
  • Empower Your Students With Library Catalog Skills 
  • Spice Up Your Library Catalog Instruction.

September Library Lessons Complete!

By choosing engaging, foundational, and differentiated activities, your September library lessons are sure to be a hit in your elementary school library. If you want to save time (and money!), grab this September Library Bundle!

September Library Bundle

I’m wishing you and your students a fantastic year!

Your back-to-school library lessons will be fun and foundational with these September library ideas from the Trapped Librarian. Make sure your elementary library students want to come by for more by starting the year with book tasting, library catalog practice and more. Click through to the blog and start planning your September library lessons today!

Be the light!

  • 4 Tips to Get Organized for Back-to-School in the Library
    October Library Lessons

    Comments

    1. Christy says

      October 6, 2021 at 1:11 PM

      Hi Laura!

      I have been teaching elementary school for the past twelve years and I am currently in school myself taking Teacher Librarian courses. I wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed your blog “What to Teach in September”. I thought your idea of holding a “book tasting event” complete with props, music, and special bookmarks was such a fun and creative way to get students excited about new books. This is an idea that I will absolutely try at my own school! I think it would be great to do book tasting events at other times throughout the school year too. Wouldn’t it be such a fun way to preview books before a school book fair? Or perhaps it could be used to preview a bunch of books from the same author before an author visit to the school? I look forward to hearing about more great ideas from your blog!

      • Laura says

        October 25, 2021 at 11:08 AM

        Yes, Christy, I think Book Tasting lessons can happen at many different times throughout the year. I’ve had success before a book fair and in January after our long winter break. I like your idea about concentrating on an author before a visit. Have a great school year!

    2. Crystal says

      October 7, 2021 at 11:21 AM

      I love the idea of a book tasting in September. I do all the traditional back to school acitivites in the library but never thought to do a book tasting. Have you ever been surprised by the books that end up being most popular?

      • Laura says

        October 25, 2021 at 11:05 AM

        Yes, I am often surprised. That’s one reason why these kinds of lessons are so amazing!

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Past Posts

    Categories

    Find it Fast

    Books for Kids Bulletin Boards and Displays Collaboration Distance Learning Freebies FUN! Helpful Hints Inspiration Library Advocacy Library Decor Library Events Library Lessons Library Management Life Organize It! Professional Development Remote Learning Research School Library Seasonal Technology Tech Tips Test Prep TPT Uncategorized

    TPT Shop

    Facebook

    Pinterest

    Instagram

    thetrappedlibrarian

    ๐Ÿ“š Elementary School Librarian
    ๐ŸŒŸ NBCT 2011
    ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿซ Teacher Author
    Blog: trappedlibrarian.org

    โ˜€๏ธ This summer, Iโ€™m updating my professional โ˜€๏ธ This summer, Iโ€™m updating my professional development series just for school librarians. Whether youโ€™re ready to recharge, reflect, or get inspired for next year, these self-paced trainings are made with YOU in mindโ€”and theyโ€™re coming soon!

โœ… Starting June 1
โœ… Free updates if you already own the bundle
โœ… New modules released weekly

Visit the blog to learn more and join the list so you donโ€™t miss the launch (and the discounts!).
>>>>> https://trappedlibrarian.org/professional-development-school-librarians/
    ๐Ÿ˜Ž Add some fun to your end of the year library ๐Ÿ˜Ž Add some fun to your end of the year library lessons with these Summer Bookmarks! Your students will love the summer jokes, summer greetings, and cute characters. Encourage summer reading and spread some end of the year fun in your elementary library or classroom.

โœ… 12 Summer Jokes
โœ… 8 Summer Slogans
โญ๏ธ All in full color
โญ๏ธ All in black and white

๐Ÿ™Œ Use in a coloring center or print the colored versions for an end of the year gift! 
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Summer-Bookmarks-Summer-Reading-Bookmarks-9514093?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=TL%20Summer%20Bookmarks%20FB
    Still in school?? โ˜€๏ธ Grab these fun Summer Boo Still in school??
โ˜€๏ธ
Grab these fun Summer Bookmarks to send home with your students!

โญ๏ธ 12 jokes
โญ๏ธ 8 greetings

Full color and black & white options included - great for early finishers or a coloring center! OR print the color version for an end of the year gift!

https://bit.ly/3pvncvB
    National Scavenger Hunt Day is May 24.... It's tim National Scavenger Hunt Day is May 24.... It's time to add some adventure to your library or classroom! ๐Ÿ•ต๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ
My FREE School Supplies Scavenger Hunt gets little learners exploring with a purpose.
Perfect after book checkout or anytime you need a quick, meaningful activity!

โžก๏ธ Get it now at the SmartBio link! 

#ElementaryLibrary #LibraryLessons #LibraryActivities #SchoolLibrarian #KindergartenTeacher #FirstGradeTeacher #TeacherFreebies #ActiveLearning #MovementInTheClassroom #ScavengerHuntFun
    โ˜€๏ธ ๐—˜๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ โ˜€๏ธ ๐—˜๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฎ ๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜๐—ฒโ€”and keep kids reading all summer long! ๐Ÿ“– The latest ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ฏ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ก๐—ฒ๐˜„๐˜€๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ has tips, freebies, booklists, and resources to make it happen.

๐——๐—ผ๐—ปโ€™๐˜ ๐—บ๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜€: 
 โœ… Scavenger Hunt Day ideas
 โœ… LOTS of recommended books
 โœ… Summer-themed activities
 โœ… PD resources to grow your library game

๐ŸŒž ๐—ง๐—ฎ๐—ฝ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ธ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—ผ to read it all! 
 #libraryhelpersnewsletter #schoollibrarians #librariansofig #librariansofinstagram #librarymediaspecialist #schoollibrary #schoollibrarian #elementarylibrary #teacherlibrarian #elementarylibrarian
    ๐Ÿ“š Do your library books get lonely sitting on t ๐Ÿ“š Do your library books get lonely sitting on the shelves during the summer break?โฃโฃ

๐Ÿ˜ƒ Why not let your students check out a few to read while school's out?โฃโฃ

โœ… This Summer Book Checkout Contract is part of my Summer Reading Kit. โฃโฃ

โžก Grab it here >>>> https://bit.ly/3GKoK9x
    โญ๏ธ NEW PRODUCT!! โญ๏ธ Half price for 48 hour โญ๏ธ NEW PRODUCT!! โญ๏ธ Half price for 48 hours!
This new Summer Storytime Kit has fun activities for your K-2 classes. Perfect for end of the year library lessons or your summer library program!

โœ… Grab it at the lowest price today - link in SmartBio!

#summerreading #elementarylibrary #librarymediaspecialist #elementarylibrarian #schoollibrary #schoollibrarian #tpt #elementarylibraryfun #schoollibrarians #teacherspayteachers
    ๐—•๐—œ๐—ก๐—š๐—ข!! ๐ŸŒŸ This fun Summer BINGO ๐—•๐—œ๐—ก๐—š๐—ข!!

๐ŸŒŸ This fun Summer BINGO challenge is included in my Summer Reading Bulletin Board Activity Kit.

๐Ÿคฉ Grab it and promote summer reading in your classes next week!

โžก๏ธ https://bit.ly/3GKoK9x

 #summerreading #elementarylibrary #librariansofinstagram #teacherlibrarian #librarymediaspecialist #elementarylibrarian #schoollibrary #tpt #schoollibrarian #librariansofig #teacherspayteachers #schoollibrarians
    โ˜€๏ธ ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ฏ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ก๐—ฒ๐˜„๐˜€๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ is a double issue for May AND June, so we've added some ๐—ฒ๐˜…๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฎ ๐—ด๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ to see you through to the end, and give you a head start on summer!

๐Ÿ’› You'll find lots of ideas for summer reading, end of the year games, motivating ideas for book returns, and more. ๐—ฃ๐—Ÿ๐—จ๐—ฆ 20 โ€œ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†โ€ ideas and a yummy recipe for Lunch Lady Brownies! 

This month I'm sharing some of my best ideas for May and June:
โ˜€๏ธ A value-packed ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—บ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—•๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—น๐—ฒ
โ˜€๏ธ A fun ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ป-๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ Library Catalog Practice
โ˜€๏ธ My new ๐—™๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—˜ School Supplies Scavenger Hunt
โ˜€๏ธ 3 forthcoming books to add to your purchase list for next year
โ˜€๏ธ AND a sneak peak into my summer project (๐—•๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ถ๐—ณ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚'๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฃ๐—— ๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—บ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ!)

๐——๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ >>>>> click โ€œ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ฏ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ก๐—ฒ๐˜„๐˜€๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟโ€ at the link in bio.

 #schoollibrarians #librariansofig #schoollibrarian #schoollibrary #librariansofinstagram #libraryhelpersnewsletter #elementarylibrary #teacherlibrarian #librarymediaspecialist #elementarylibrarian
    Follow on Instagram
    • ABOUT
    • CONTACT
    • Privacy Policy

    © 2025 // Design by Laugh Eat Learn // Theme by Pretty Darn Cute Design