January Library Bulletin Boards

 So here are some ideas that I have used in January.
 
    Let's read til we get snowed under-  snowflakes with book titles in the center. Blue sky in background. Bottom can be a silhouette of the town or school building.

   Sink into winter reading-  student/ teacher in a cozy chair reading, book jackets surrounded the chair.

   Hibernate with a good book- bears reading ( in a cave or in the snow)

  "READBOX"-  a redbox( movie rental)  with titles around that align with popular

The Button War- Book Review

 Set during WWI , in a Polish village,is where the boys Button War starts. Seven boys who hang out together agree that the guy with the best button will be the Button King.
  The competition is fierce. Jurek  decides He will be the king, just because he thinks he is the best. Patryk and the others don't want him to win. Most of the them don't like the idea , but they don't want Jurek  to be the king, he is a bit of a bully.
  So they steal buttons form the soldiers wash line, and then begin  cutting them off dead bodies of the soldiers as the fight between the Germans and the Russians escalates.
  Jurek will do anything to be the Button King. The game becomes more and more dangerous. Patryk keeps on with the challenge  because he doesn't want Jurek to win, the others agree. The war torn village loses families to death and those so scared they leave. And still Jurek will not give up.

Book Review- The Organized Librarian

  Kirkus just posted the review of my book on their site!  So excited to share this book with those who need a little extra help with their library work day!

Keyboarding Program

  Typing.com is the online program I am using to teach my middle school students  keyboarding.. It is free and it actually pretty good so far I looked at another program  that  my principal wanted me to look at  but I don't think she was convinced it was worth the price/ ( Not quite sure what is cost- that was never made clear  to me.)
   Typing.com has a great dashboard. For each class , a code was created  so I can view and check on each class ,and their activity on each lesson.This will make it easier for me to do grades.I have not figured out how to import the grades to our School Tool but I am hoping it will work.  Each lesson comes up grades with an accuracy and a percentage.
 
    There are basic exercises,more advanced, typing tests, games and passages to type.

    Does anyone else have a keyboarding program that they like?  Does any other librarian have to teach keyboarding? ( I have 10 sections!!)  Please tell me what you use with your students! 

Fixed schedule for Middle school?

The beginning of this school year has been crazy! I found out two weeks before school started that I was teaching 10 sections of Keyboarding!!! What a mess! And the administration does not believe that this will ruin my Library program!
 So I have 5 sections of keyboarding each day. We are on an A /B schedule - so I see ALL of the 7th graders.( and a few 8th graders who are not able to take a language)  I did find a program that I can use- more about that later!

  My book  "The Organized Librarian " ( sold here and on Amazon) will really come into play this year as I will be scrambling to get library work done , and also plan activities for Keyboarding.( which is not a full year course - but I will have students all year.
  Does ANYONE else have keyboarding? What do you use? How do you set it up?? As you can tell I am not happy! Please let me know what you do for keyboarding if you have to do it also.

Library September Bulletin Boards for Your Library

  Yes I know many of  you are back in school already and probably have your "Welcome back" bulletin boards already up. We go  back  the first week in September!
 I will put up  one of the following. When I make a bulletin board I always take a photo and keep the pieces in a homemade  folder.

Fall in Love with Reading

Leaf though a Good Book

Fall in love with  your library

Rake in a good read

Welcome Back - The books missed you!

All of these can be done with a simple background,  a tree, and some leaves!

Don't forget to leave a comment to one of my posts in order to be included in The Organized Book giveaway!

New Circulation Desk!

     At the middle school library, we finally have a real circulation desk! We have been trying to get one for  9 years!  My Dept chair had asked for one for 6 years and  I asked for one for two years.. She had it all priced out , and it would have only been $2,500.00 the first year. But it never happened.
    BUT since the elementary school libraries were getting all redone and NEW furniture we got the "old" circulation desk,( which is probably maybe 10 years old).
    So here it is!  I am so excited!! Keep in mind , these are  just put in - need to fix up and put posters up , so I will show a really after picture soon!

Special sale on The Organized Librarian!

  The book is here !! Check  out the order page  for details!!  If you follow me on this blog , you will be in the drawing for one of my proof books! So  follow me on the one of my posts to be in.
  Check out the page for other ordering details!!  It came out very well I thought.

littlebits- demo

      Yesterday the librarians in my district were invited to an administrators meeting , as they were presenting littlebits.   Littlebits is a company that provides kits with colored coded  electronic building blocks for students to use in classes and in maker spaces,  The emphasis is on the STEAM areas for school use but they say it can be used in all areas.
      I had seen them before- I am thinking it was last year at our SSL conference in August. The presenters did a good job of showing how they could be used.
     There was a group of students who tried out the littlebits, and built cars that they controlled. I wish I would have taken photos-They had a grand time, and at the end they competed in a race. It was fun. 
        Our new assistant superintendent talked about implementing  them in out schools. they also discussed going to several schools to see how they used the littlebits.  It should be interesting!\
       Do any of you have littlebits in your school or library? How are they used ? Are they used in  your maker-spaces? Please comment below- our administration wants input from us regarding ideas.

littlebits.com/

Exciting News- The Organized Librarian !!

  I am very happy to announce that within a few  days I will have  "The Organized Librarian "  in my hands!! At that time , I will be giving away my proof copies ,so stayed tuned and come back.  Anyone of my followers will be  included in the random drawing.  so follow me at the The Organized Librarian  here , and you will be included!    The book came out nicely- and it has a lot of tips and ideas to keep you on track and organized!

AASL Standards- Using them

 How can the new standards be used and implemented?  Yes , I am still excited about the AASL  new standards.  They are not a curriculum, but they will help as you redo or develop lessons to meet your students information needs.
   As you work on your lessons, you can use the standards to guide your ideas about activities that will help students develop the competencies they  need. Also you can use these as part of your own professional  learning. These will also help you as you determine the success of your lessons and programs.
   I can also see using the 4 domains for students to use as a guide as they progress through research projects, For each learning domain m there are 3 o 4 competencies that go along with the completeion of each one.
   The book has so much to offer and I have only reached the first couple of chapters , so I will continue reading and learning, and sharing  items of interest,

AASL Standards for School Librarians

    I just attended a great conference at the Syracuse ( NY) Sheraton. It was the School librarians  transform Learning : Teaching with the new AASL Standards.It was hosted by the NYLA/AASL for New York State school librarians
   Each participant was required to bring or buy the Book - AASL National Library Standards for learners, school Librarians, and School Libraries,.
  After an overview of the framework, we jumped into learning about the shared foundations and the 4 competencies ( think, create, share, and grow).  The best part was working as a large group- we were about 117 in number. And then  as smaller groups, we divided our selves into grade levels.I got to meet, socialize, and discuss with other NY state middle school librarians.
  Yes , it was overwhelming at times, as all conferences usually are. But I learned a lot and have some really good  ideas for the fall.
  The Book it  self is a great combination of information, charts,  and explanations . We worked on a lesson plan and I even got to discuss our lessons!!
   You will be hearing more about these standards and how they bring connections between students , teachers, and school librarians.

Organizing your day at the library- Your Desk

     One way to keep yourself organized and help maintain your focus at your desk is a wire step file. Label several folders  like this: Do, Announcements, staff list, read , file , hold, and monthly report.These are what I have and am planning for the new school year. These are folders I refer to on a daily basis.  Customize what you put on your folders depending on your needs throughout the year.
   
    Other files are kept in one of my other filing areas ( more on that later) . These are items I do not need on a daily/ weekly basis. At the end of the day, each piece of paper ( or printed email if I deem necessary) are placed in one of these folders if I think it is necessary. Otherwise , I 'file' anything I don't need in the wastebasket.

    Each day I take my Do File to work on items  that need action. I usually only have two tasks in there at a time,with notes to myself as needed. Any other pending tasks next on list I put in "hold" file.

    This helps keep me organized  and focused. It keeps my desk neat and I can accomplish what I need to without clutter.

Making things Easier- Technology logging off

  When I am working on a project that requires a lot of computer time , I take frequent log off breaks. If I am working on a large project ( whether  I am  on the computer or using a computer print out) , I work in several eye and exercise breaks.
  When I am doing reports , inventory, searching for websites and activities for teachers ( Just to name a few) I plan on several breaks.   This is important especially if I am about to have long stretches of time on one project.
  I log off ( or just close down)  and gt up out of my seat. Then I do something to rest my eyes and stretch my lets. I grab a drink, do some easy stretches or walks around the library to shelve or straighten some books.
  I do a 5 or 10 minute break. This gives me some time to re energize and be more  focused for accomplishing  the task at hand.
  See "The Organize Librarian" for some more  tips on organizing your day. Follow me for details on  when the print book comes out.

Stay on target- make your day easier!

Stay on Target- 
    When you are working on an activity or task, stay focused and keep your mind on the goal of finishing your task. You could use an app on your phone to track your time  if you are a big techie . ( these you start a timer when you begin and it tells you how long the task took).
    I don't use theses- I just try to stay focused and keep working .When I start a task, I try to keep working until I get to the stopping point.( either the end of the project or the end of my allotted time for the task.
   I also plan on doing something totally different or taking a bathroom break or grabbing a coffee or tea when I complete the task. I also can just take a few moments to stretch my legs, move around , or just do something to signal I am done.
  Since I am at school , most times I work on a bell to bell schedule. I try to beat the bell . Sometines I batch my tasks and get many small tasks done in one time period. ( See The Organized Librarian- very soon it will be out in print edition- watch for the announcement)  That's how I stay on target and get things done!

Promotion Playaways/ Audio Books

    In my library , we have a small collection of audio book playaways. ( Books are read on tape and students  can put in ear plugs to listen). I am trying to figure out how to promote the use of them for the upcoming school year.  In the past years, these have seen a lot of use.  It is one area that I think Middle school students might really get excited about.

   We have a parent letter to be sent home before the student is allowed to check out the playaway for the first time, In the form,it details why the parent signature is required. ( Playaways are not cheap to replace).

     I am also thinking of having a recess playaway club where once a week ,students could come to the library to listen to a specific book. By the end of the month, students would have listened to a complete boo and maybe get the reading bug ( or want to listen to another type of story)

     Does anyone have playaway in their libraries. How to you promote and encourage your students to use them? Please leave your answers or any other comments below. Thanks!
    

Save time on your email

    Reading and replying to email messages can waste tons of time each day.  There are several tips that I have found work well for me.  I have specific times each day that I check  and respond to emails ( even on Slummer Vacation!!) 

    Once I have looked at an email I figure our first-should I read it? If is is important enough to be read  then  I figure out  the next 6 items.

1) Do- I reply if I can do so in 3 minutes or less.

2) Delay- move to a folder on my email to follow up later.

3) Delegate- I forward it to someone who can  act on it or who really needs to see it.( I do this for staff when I find info that staff might use)

4)Place in folder- this is for items that I need to keep to refer to- something from the District Office , or administration , or my Dept Chair.

5&6) My favorite s: delete it right away, or unsubscribe from the email . This gets rid of the stuff you do not want or need.

  As I have slowly adopted these  strategies, I am not a slave to my emails and not overwhelmed by having to many in my mailbox.

Flipgrid is now free for educators!!!

Already planning for the fall??? Note that Flipgrid (which I know many of you used the limited free version of this year) is now offering their “paid” version COMPLETELY FREE for all to use.

Put it on your “to do list” of a cool way to engage your kids next year and see me if you have questions!
 See my earlier post about using Flipgrid- I will probably be doing several more posts as I want to encourage my staff to use it!

Read about it here:

https://blog.flipgrid.com/news/bettertogether

Benefits of Breakout Boxes

  The Breakoutboxes edu have many benefits. Firstly, the games /puzzles are highly adaptive  and can be customized to grade  levels and students  capabilities . At teachers / librarians we can develop games to git in with a novel, unit of study, or standard skills.. We can also use the breakout boxes to introduce , review, or reinforce skills that the students need.

  The games are collaborative so students work in groups They can read the clues or search out the clues hidden in texts, illustrations, poems, ect. There is a group dynamic between the members of each group.This helps build class relationships between classmate they may not be familiar with.  The group work builds confidence, skills,  and the ability to try out new ideas.

   Some students will emerge as leaders, others will be working on clues, some will be  timekeepers or some may be taking notes. All will be encouraged to contribute ideas for solutions. Each will fall into their talents that they may not know they have.  There will be sharing of ideas and talking out of possible ways to open the boxes to gain access to further clues.
   Breakout boxes help students build the skills to tackle problems and work together as a unit.

Padlet

   Padlet is a computer based program that looks like a whiteboard with bubbles and shapes in which to put facts and information.  Padlet can be used to share information  such as websites, sheets and pdf's, videos, photos. and comments and observations.
  
   Students can complete a research project and put it in Padlet form. Teachers can have a class exhibition of student work. Padlet can be used as a storyboard or for idea mapping.
   
   Students can add information and discuss ideas, or create  fact sheets about topics. Examples on the site  provide endless ideas.Check it out!

Padlet.com

Flipgrid

    Flipgrid is an online tool that helps students share ideas and learn together. Flipgrid has students make short authentic videos to add their voices to a discussion or question.

   Teachers create a grid for their classroom or school community. They add a topic or question. Student share a short video response to join in the discussion

   Students can view the videos and engage with each other. The teacher moderates the video, provides feedback, and set privacy rules.

    What can you use Fligrid for? Reflect on experiences, share a book talk, discuss projects  , and events, or collaborate with a classmate are just a few ideas,

Flipgrid.com

Digital Citizenship

     Digital citizenship teaches students how to navigate online spaces in critical, healthy, and ethical ways. The lessons should be done in context with subject area teachers throughout the year.  It should not be done in isolation as the students will have no connection to the learning.

     Learning Digital Citizenship this way will be mostly incorporated, learned and remembered, and applied to the topic at hand.  This avoids disconnect of how students behave at school and then at home  do something differently.

      Librarians can work with teachers to help pose the right questions and teach skills to using social media, , the internet,( including video sharing, blogs, podcasts, & related media). Students can learn to use these products in creative and ethical ways.

Multi-tasking- not always the best choice

     Many teachers and workers boast about doing two or more things at once. But sometimes multi-tasking is really inefficient. It destroys the focus needed to complete tasks quickly and completely. Multi- tasking may cause us to not the task as well as we could. (or ask quickly)

     When your focus is on one job, then you can zero in on the task and get it done in an effective time period. The job/ task will be done with more competence. Then you can move on to the next task at hand.

      So it is good to know what types of tasks should not be done with others. Most important tasks require concentration, and focus.  Routine items are okay to be multi-tasked.  Determine for yourself what jobs  are to be single focus items.

Graphic Organizer for Primary Sources      Name  __________________________________________

1.       What kind of document it is ( letter, photograph, newspaper)	2.       Read through document. Make a list of unusual words or phrases.
3.       Is there a date on it? If so, write it down.	4.        If there is not a date, what clues might indicate when it was written?
5.       Is there a location indicted?	6.       Who wrote or created the source?
7.        What is the purpose of the document?	8.        What did you observe?
9.        What did you observe?	10.    What did you observe?
11.   Reflections?	12.   Questions?

Teaching with Primary Sources

     Primary sources offer direct insight to show case history as it was happening. Original photographs, newspaper articles, journals, diaries, speeches and artifacts give details to the time and place of the event.,

      Lesson: 1. Selecta primary source to share with the class (check out The Library of congress American Memory.

  2. Make copies of the document and also a graphic organizer and distribute them to students

 3.  Provide the historical context of the primary source document. Help student fill in the Organizer. Students can work on their own or in groups of 2 to 3 to do this.

4. Students study the document to help them describe what they observe. They can record observations on their organizer. Have students ask questions about elements of the source that seem important. See if students can determine the purpose f the document.

Other questions to ask: 1) how dependable do you think this source is?

2) Would you recommend this source for others to use.

5. Have students rank the document from 1 to 10. 10 being the most dependable. Have them support reasons for their ranking.

Breakout boxes

Breakout boxes – in libraries

     Breakout boxes are an active and immersive problem solving experience where groups of students work together to solve problems and get answers.

   The problem / task can be customized and coordinated to ane content / lesson area. The activity can have students practicing a skill, introduces new concepts, or review material at the end of the unit.

  The breakout boxes come with a large box, a small box, several locks, an invisible ink pen and a UV flashlight.  You can also use a timer if you want to limit time of activity.  

    Breakout edu has many educational activities on their site, created by the company or by educators who put their units on the site. Envelopes hidden in books, under tables, puzzles purchased cheaply, games made on the computer are other ways to create engaging activities. You can also use scavenger hunts. Virtual reality headsets, and other digital resources to create clues and activities for students.

   Creating different kinds of clues require students to work together to figure out answers.

Coming soon- benefits of breakout boxes.

Historical Fiction- Graphic organizer

Name _________________________________________________     Date _________________________________________

 Analyzing Historical Fiction

Chapter/ Pages __ to __	Historical Characters: Events:	Fictional Characters: Events:
Chapter/ Pages __ to __	Historical Characters: Events:	Fictional Characters: Events:
Chapter/ Pages __ to __	Historical Characters: Events:	Fictional Characters: Events:
Chapter/ Pages __ to __	Historical Characters: Events:	Fictional Characters: Events:
Chapter/ Pages __ to __	Historical Characters: Events:	Fictional Characters: Events:
Chapter/ Pages __ to __	Historical Characters: Events:	Fictional Characters: Events:
Chapter/ Pages __ to __	Historical Characters: Events:	Fictional Characters: Events:
Chapter/ Pages __ to __	Historical Characters: Events:	Fictional Characters: Events:

Historical Fiction Lesson

   When reading Historical fiction many students have trouble sorting fact from fiction. A graphic organizer can give students a way to organize the elements of a historical fiction book. Students can also analyze how the book presented the true elements of a given time period.

    The process: Describe the elements of a historical fiction book. Remind students that historical fiction is based on a historical event or person and may include fictional events and people to complete the story.  Fictional characters may also drive the plot and give perspective to the event.

     Have students read a historical fiction book that is related to your unit of study. While reading, students can work on completing the organizer. For each chapter, students can note character, events, and compare fact and fiction.  Have students focus on only a few elements, key events and character or plot. Students can keep track of historical accuracy by sorting events and characters into the historical and fictional section.

 They may also use author’s notes, textbooks, online search or other sources to check for accuracy.

EduBreakout Boxes

     The other day, the Science teacher and I did the first try out with the breakout boxes. These boxes have online links to puzzles/ activities/lessons  that require small groups of students to work together to solve problems and unlock the boxes . Each clue reveals more clues to further the result and to get the boxes open to get the solution and the prize!
     The online activities are extremely detailed and also give the teacher step by step instructions to seeing up the boxes. Most have a video that accompanies it to show the process.
     The students really enjoyed the activity. One student told the Science teacher " This is better than gym class!" Students read directions, looked around the room for more clues and worked together to solve the hints and clues, The only trouble we really encountered was resetting the lock at the end of   each period.

Lesson-: 1-2-3 Summary

 Many times we ask students to read and summarize an article or a passage . We want them to be able to present an overview of the article. We need them to tell us what new information they acquired.

   An organizer can help them show what they understanding about the information given. Give then the article and a graphic organizer to the students. In the first section( it can be a bubble, rectangle, or square)  , they will fill in prior knowledge ( what they already know about the subject before reading) .

  While students read have them highlight or underline the important ideas  in the paragraphs Then in the second section ,they can write in 3 or 4 main or most important facts they have discovered.

  In the third space, students can write down a fact or idea that was interesting to them , or a question they had about the topic. Students can then use this to write a short summary if you wish.

  The first time you do this , you may want to model what to do in each section. This can be adapted to almost any grade level.  You could have students do this in pairs.
  

Library Jobs for students

   Our Professional Development person and our principals tell us that we as teachers are working to hard. They want the students to become more involved in the education and more invested in their learning.

  So during class time and instruction time, students should have responsibilities in the learning process. So I am incorporating this into my information literacy lessons. I have made a poster describing the jobs briefly.  So , there is a tech person who sits at the computer to deliver the power point. Also there are paper people who pass out paper, readers to read the slides. Recorders – which is most of the student taking notes.  The rest of the students are student repeaters who need to be able to repeat /explain the lesson or task to their table mates/ classmates.

Mrs.Yingling Reads.blogspot.com

  Mrs, YinglingReads bog is a great find! She is a middle school librarian who shares book reviews.
She has read all of the books in her library! What an accomplishment!!
   Her blog is so neat. I can't wait to read as many of her reviews as I can and get some good ideas for books for my library!  This will be a great resources for me and other librarians looking for ideas for books for their libraries.
   I like her reviews. They are detailed . She also gives the book strengths and weaknesses, and the verdict- what she really thinks  about the book.
  She is really organized with her reviews- there are also tabs with suggestions  for books similar to famous titles that are the same genre.( there are suggestions for Adventure, fantasy, historical, humorous, and sports books.
http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/

Getting More Done

   There are several rules of organizing your day to get more accomplished. I read everything I can on organizing in hopes of reducing the stress of having much to do in a short amount of time. Organizing my time seems to help the most. Through my reading, I have found some things that work for me and may also work for you.

   Step 1:   Keep a running record/ master list of items you need to do. Put anything you can think of that needs doing on your master list. That way it is written down and you don’t have to worry about forgetting something.  I am sure there is an app or an online way to this but I still like to use pencil and paper. If you find a good way to do this online, go for it, if that works for you.

  Step 2: Build your daily to do list. Take items from the master list and put them on your daily list. But only write those tasks that you can realistically do in one day. So don’t overload yourself. Give yourself some leeway if you have scheduled items, or if you find that some tasks might take longer than expected.

    Then at the end of each day (or at the very beginning) take 15 minutes to map out your priorities to see what your daily schedule will look like.

Newseumed.org-great site for education!

     Newseumed. org is a partner site of the Newseum Museum in Washington, DC. They offer to teachers and student s free educational programs, primary sources, and resources based on history, information literacy (media literacy) and social studies topics. Also there is online access to front pages, videos, and artifacts in their museum collection. 

   They are committed to offering educational tools that helps develop skills that learners can be knowledge about our countries past and present. 

    The sites provide online resources, and tools that include primary resources and online classes and training. Also they have specially curated collections with primary sources on many educational topics.

   This site can be useful to social studies, ELA, Librarians, and tech teachers.

  https://newseumed.org/

Description of my library

   My library is an old (100+ years) building so it is not an up to date place. We do want we can to make it inviting and inviting but we really do not have much to work with.   But I love my job – our staff is wonderful, and the kids are great to work with!

   We have a bank of 6 computers that can be used my students and staff. Our Refere4nce collection is old and not really used all that much.   The collection is OLD- but I am trying to bring g up the age of the books. My budget is not really able to keep up. I try to order a lot of books from Junior Library guild, especially the sales because that really increases the age of our collection. I also order from Perma bound because they have free replacement of books damaged by use.

  

  We do have nice but old wooden tables and chairs that have held up really well. Our circulation desk is just – a teacher desk with a milk crate for a book drop!

  We do have a smart board for my presentations and the presentations of any staff developers that come in for professional learning.