Make your library the center of your school
What to teach in your November library lessons? Since this month is usually the start of some crazy ever-changing schedules in my school, I like to use lessons that are engaging, flexible, and fun! Plan to use low-prep activities so you won’t feel so frustrated if (when!) classes are canceled, moved, or added. Your November library lessons can be fun and engaging, AND you CAN
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
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
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
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
There has been a renewed focus on social and emotional learning, and with good reason. Long term research shows that social-emotional learning has a positive impact on academic achievement, classroom management, overall health, and the prevention of problematic behaviors. After the toll the pandemic has taken on schools, we are wise to place on emphasis on social and emotional learning in the school library. The
Most students and educators have just completed the most challenging year in their educational lives. The Covid-19 pandemic has turned our regular school routines upside down, backwards, and on their heads! This has brought stress and anxiety to a myriad of students and the adults who care for them. So, now more than ever it is important to address SEL in the school library. What
Assessment in the school library can be tricky. In my opinion, it’s not strictly a paper-pencil thing. We see our students on a limited basis (for me it was once a week, now it’s once or twice per month). The skills we are teaching in our library classes support lifelong learning – they’re definitely important! Therefore it makes sense that we want to check that
Sometimes we have some time off and WISH we could travel, but it’s just not in the cards. If youโre 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 librariansโฆ Online
Teaching research skills in second and third grades is fun when you remember a few important guidelines. The key is looking at the big picture. What have your students learned up until this point? And what will your students need as they progress though school? Research skills for second and third grade students build upon an early foundation and lay the groundwork for future learning
