One of the most fundamental skills in both the classroom and the school library is alphabetical order. With my kinder and first graders we read ABC ZooBorns! and Firefighters AtoZ as a lead in to the lesson. I explained that books in the library are often in ABC order so it is important to know… More Week by Week Series – Week 5
Most of my elementary classes fall on Tuesday this year. I am in a K-12 school so this helps the secondary students and teachers know which day the library is “closed” to them. This year, September 11 fell on Tuesday. Our students and faculty were encouraged to wear red, white, and blue in honor of… More Week by Week Series – Week 4
One of our activity days this past summer was an Iggy Peck, Architect Day – a 2 1/2 hour STEM class. The activities we did could easily be done as part of an after school activity. It was one of my summer fundraisers – I charged $15 per child. We started our morning by reading the story… More Iggy Peck, Architect Day
Week 3 in the school library is history. Here’s what library time looked like for me this past week. My third through fifth graders started with the first lesson of the Digital Citizenship curriculum from Common Sense Media. With the third grade we talked about responsibility to self, family and friends, and the larger community when… More Week by Week Series – Week 3
Well, we’ve finished the second week of library times, and the second full week of school. It was a good week for me. How was it for your? With my kinder-second graders we continued working on book care and library rules. I read Mr. Wiggle’s Book to this age group. I like the rhyming format authors Paula… More Week by Week Series – Week 2
Whew! Have you had your first week with the kiddos yet? Last week was my first week. The first week is all about student training. For the littles (K-2) I have to teach them: -how to come in to the library -where to sit -how to behave -how and where to look for books -how… More First Week!
In this age when you hear a lot about genrefication in school libraries, I have contemplated whether or not it is a good idea for my school. In explaining my position I hope I do not upset those who have chosen a different path. If you have your library organized by genres, I hope that… More Why I Still Dewey
Our Syd Hoff story time used the following books: Danny and the Dinosaur Duncan the Dancing Duck Julius Sammy, the Seal I planned the activities for this story time during the school year so that I could have my student aides do the cutting for me ahead of time. I planned at least one activity… More Story time: Syd Hoff
In the months leading up to our Young Authors Day, I do trainings to help our faculty, especially the newer ones, as they work with their students to prepare their books. I do these about once a month which gives the teachers a chance to practice what we’ve discussed before the next session. In the… More Teacher Talks – Young Authors Day
I have been asked if teaching Guide Word strategies is still relevant. I believe that it is. While most people now use online dictionaries and encyclopedias, they do still use books which have and index or glossary in the back. It is important for students to have the skills necessary to find the information they… More Guide Word Sort Game