Take advantage of fun seasonal themes when you plan your October library lessons. I use the first two lessons with my kindergarten, first grade, and second grade classes especially. But you can definitely stretch any of these elementary library lessons to fit your older classes too. Just ask the older kids to become experts in order to model or teach the younger children! The last
4 Tips to Get Organized for Back-to-School in the Library
Although I always hate to see summer come to an end, I do find satisfaction and joy in the preparations I make in my school library each year. I love it when it’s time to get organized for back-to-school in the library, but I also want to have some time to squeeze a little more fun out of summer. Here are some organizational tricks to
How to Color Code Your Teaching Materials to Save Your Sanity
Picture this: You teach different grade level library classes back to back without a break in between. Although you are working on the same topic with each grade level (maybe library catalog practice), the lesson materials and practice pages are slightly different. After a couple of classes, your teaching area is a mass of white worksheets and you can’t find the materials your need for
Reimagine Your School Library in the New Year
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! 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 the new year? I’ve
Favorite Back to School Supplies for Librarians
Even though I might grumble about the back-to-school displays at stores in July, I can’t help myself… I love to shop for new school supplies at back to school time! I’ve already shared some strategies for getting ready for this school year in your library. Let me tell you about my favorite back to school supplies for librarians. This post contains some affiliate links for
Back to School in the Library During Covid-19
Educators across the country (and the world) are getting ready to go back to school. However, many of us still don’t know how to plan for a successful start to the school year. If we want to be successful in getting back to school in the library, it’s time to start planning. Even if your school or district has not yet released plans for the
TPT Tips for School Librarians
I’ve teamed up with 4 other School Librarians to give you some shopping tips for using the Teachers Pay Teachers website to your advantage! Many of us have tight budgets in our school libraries, so it’s important to save money whenever we can! Take a look at these tips for using TpT… It’s a Blog Hop! You can start at the top and hop on
TpT Tips for Teacher Librarians: Ratings, Comments, and Questions
I love to shop on Teachers Pay Teachers! It is so satisfying to find just the right resource at just the right time and to be able to purchase and download it instantly. More than once I’ve found the perfect activity for my students right when I need it. I’ve found that I can save some money while also helping out the sellers who create
7 Tips for a Successful Book Fair
The first time I hosted a Scholastic Book Fair, I eagerly watched the helpful online how-to videos for setting up the book fair. I scoured the book fair toolkit for helpful hints and tips and I was ready for my shipment. When my books arrived, I called my representative asking “Where are the cases?” You know… the cases that you roll to the exact place
Help Your Students Find Book Series They Will Love!
Do you have students who find a favorite book series and then want to read all of the books in order? On any given day in my library, students come in asking questions like: “What’s Magic Tree House number 17?” “Which book is after Rodrick Rules?” “What’s the first book in the Underland series?” Now, I know it is relatively easy to look up the