Make your library the center of your school
We’ve been celebrating “Screen Free Week” (formerly known as “TV Turnoff Week”) at my school for over 10 years. Screen Free Week activities challenge the students to try to go the whole week without using a screen for entertainment. Successful students fill out a contract and recording sheet, have it signed by an adult, and get 10 tickets to enter into raffles for fun screen-free
Wonder is still a wildly popular book at my school! The themes of friendship, respect, and kindness are timeless. The following project is a great way to reinforce some technology skills with your students while spreading kindness and inspiration throughout your school community! If you give it a try, be sure to comment and let us know! A friend shared a great idea with me
I started a Keyboarding Club for 4th and 5th grade students in my library because keyboarding wasn’t being taught at my school in those grades and I wanted to give students the option of sharpening their skills on the keys before they began the Smarter Balanced Tests in the Spring. I used free websites, and didn’t have my students create the free accounts offered,
Either I”m getting old or “youngsters these days have a harder time sitting still!” I really think it’s a combination of both, but regardless of that, what are we going to do about it? I’ve found yoga to be a great outlet for me in my personal life as far as my concentration, mindfulness, and overall health, so it makes sense that yoga could be
I didn’t notice when I stopped by Harper Collins’ booth at the AASL conference that all of the galleys they gave me to review for them were full of GIRL POWER! What a pleasant and fun situation I found myself in when I came home and read these four picture books. I was excited to write a brief review of each for Kid Lit
February is full of fun holidays and events. You can celebrate I Love to Read Month, Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day and Black History Month! I’ve found some great read-alouds for you to have on hand during this busy month (I checked out these books from my school library) and paired them with some fabulous FREE resources you can find on Teachers Pay
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
When I first moved into my current library, a colleague visited and suggested I utilize the wall space in the hallways leading in by putting up some large bulletin boards. She could see the possibilities for displaying student work and library concepts in this high-traffic area. I followed her advice and have had a love/hate relationship with those boards ever since! On the one hand,
I was just getting ready to print my library day bookmarks for the upcoming school year when a conversation (started by the wise Jen Jones of Hello Literacy and continued by the inspiring Jessica Martin of The Whimsical Teacher) erupted on Instagram about the fact that some schools are so strict with “library days” that they won’t allow students to check out books or visit
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
