Snake Library Center video

Hi friends!

Many of you have asked what my library centers look like. I’ve been working all week to create this Animoto video for you by combining still photos (with student faces blurred for privacy) with audio of our conversations.

You can see from this video that our library centers are very informal with lots of movement and discussion. For our snake center, we’ve got the snake in its cage, a poster board and markers for student questions, and snake books on display.

Students observe the snake, ask questions, we look in the snake books together to find answers to our questions, we think of more questions as we look through the books, and so on. Conversations are led by student interest, and the students who are nervous about snakes are in another area, reading a book or participating in a different center.

On the video, you’ll hear my voice and the voices of several second grade students. You’ll see students in different grades in the pictures. You’ll also see one of our fifth grade teachers who opened up the cage and was going to pick up the snake, but decided not to because the snake is in the process of shedding and might be a bit sensitive.

Just for the record, I was never tempted to pick up the snake. Putting fresh water in its cage was enough excitement for me!

You may also notice in the video that the snake center moved to different locations. We had a few parent and teacher events in our library (if you can imagine that), and I had to relocate our learning centers away from the refreshment tables.

If you’re waiting to start library centers, I hope this video encourages you to jump in! You don’t have to have live animals, just engaging activities to spark conversations with your students. I hope you can tell by my voice that I have lots of fun at my own library centers, and I’m learning right along with my students. Breaking eggs with a pointed backbone? Wow!

p.s.- Graphics on my title slides are from Ashley Hughes and LittleRed, in the TPT store.