Make your library the center of your school
Is it possible to teach research skills in the primary grades? Of course the answer is a resounding “YES!” The key is looking at the big picture – what will your students need as they progress though school? Research skills for kindergarten and first grade students lay the groundwork for future learning and success. Think of these skills in the primary grades as building a
Strong characters inspire us! Andrea Beaty’s picture book series, The Questioneers, gives our students strong characters to study and to emulate. By diving deep into examining the character traits of Rosie Revere, Iggy Peck, Ada Twist, and Sofia Valdez, we can help our kids make connections to their own lives. This can lead to perseverance, following passions, taking risks (good ones!), and higher self-esteem. All
The Questioneers Books by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts, are inspirational picture books that can encourage growth mindset in your students. Each book centers on a different second grader from Miss Lila Greer’s class at Blue River Creek School. Each of the characters has a different passion: engineering, architecture, science experiments, and community activism. And because of this, each book can be an effective
I realize that many educators don’t see the importance of library catalog practice for our elementary students. Is it really that important for our students to know how to use this online version of the old-fashioned card catalog? I believe that mastery of these important library catalog skills contributes to strong lifelong learning and independent thinking. Consider the following scenario… How can we best help
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! 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
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
The month of December in elementary schools 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. How can we plan fun December school library activities while maintaining a healthy and safe space for our students? Hour of Code Computer Science in Education Week is the first full
