Hi friends! Have you tried the Question of the Week Library Center? I bought it on TPT from Mrs. Lodge’s Library, and we love it! This center includes 44 questions (as quarter page slips and as full page signs), answer forms to copy, and instructions. Jessica Lodge is one of my library center collaborators, and…
Hi friends! Here we are at the last week of our Smore Tech Summer Camp! The time has flown by, hasn’t it? I hope you’ve learned a few things to help you with your library teaching! This week, let’s talk about digital reading. You have probably seen articles arguing about which is better for our…
Hi friends! This week we’ll focus on using technology in large group instruction. Our camp session will be especially helpful to those of you who only have one iPad, or one laptop and projector. You don’t need mountains of tech tools to make a difference for your students! Plickers This one tech tool (free app for…
Hi friends! I know you’ve been hearing a lot of buzz in the education world about maker spaces. Before we talk about including technology in your maker space, let’s talk about “what IS a maker space?” I like LOVE a tweet I saw from ISTE, from @JenLLavalle, quoting @smartinez (author of Invent to Learn): “Making is…
Hi friends! Are you ready for s’more tech? Let’s talk about iPads in the library this week! Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the thousands of amazing apps out there. And when I get overwhelmed, I get paralyzed. I’ve given up on trying every new app. Instead, I like to get to know a few fantastic…
Hi friends! Thanks for stopping by S’More Tech Summer Camp! For our first day of camp, we’ll talk about how you can incorporate technology in your library learning centers. Here’s how our summer camp sessions will work. I’ll share some ideas here. After you read the blog post, I’d like for you to go to…
Hi friends! Here’s what’s happening in our library this week, continuing our Reading is Sweet theme for December. We’ll have the Gingerbread Man at our listening center. Our students love this classic story, and ask to check it out all the time! This week they’ll be able to listen to him run, run as fast…
Hi friends! This week, I’m starting research projects with our fifth graders. After being introduced to the flipped classroom, I’ve made it a practice to create or find videos that review the concepts I teach. I post those videos on our LibGuide. That way, teachers and students can watch the videos later if they need…
Where can school librarians get free bookmarks? This question was asked recently in our Learning Librarians Facebook group, and our helpful group shared many resources for free bookmarks to share with your students. I believe that it is important for us as school librarians to provide bookmarks to our school community, both to add colorful…
Thanks to Brenna Greer for writing this guest post about StoryWalks!® According to PJ Hamel of King Arthur Baking Company, banana bread is the most searched for bread recipe in the United States. If you’re anything like me, you have a favorite basic recipe for banana bread, but change it up a bit depending on…
I saw Kristin Brynsvold’s Instagram post about reading a WHOLE chapter book aloud to her students in the school library, and she kindly agreed to expand on it here. I’ve seen firsthand how reading aloud chapter books from beginning to end can make a difference in the lives of our young readers. Here are the…
Hi, friends! What do you know about Kindergarten Library Lessons? Does the endless energy of your kindergarten students delight you or terrify you? Kindergarten Students If you’ve been in the elementary school library for more than a minute, you’ve learned about these developmental characteristics of your five and six-year-old students: Their conversational skills are…