Library /Reading Bulletin boards for January!

  Here are some ideas that I have used in January for displays and bulletin boards

 
    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 box)  with titles around that align with popular books that have been made into movies.

   Snow's the time to read - Make large snowflakes, place  blue titles in the center- These can be put all around the shelves and walls in the library, by the computers, on the tables, ect.

  

Books For Snowy Days~

  I have some books I like to read during the winter months- Some our old favorites and some a little newer!

  1) The Snowy Day/ Keats. This is a classic . Peter goes out into the snowy day and explores his neighborhood. When he is cold and tired , he goes home and his Mama warms him up with dry clothes and hot chocolate.

                                                              

2) The Snow Man / Briggs. Thin is a wordless picture book that the young students love to study the pictures and tell the story

3) Bear can't Sleep/ Wilson. All of Wilson's books are excellent. This one , Bear is having trouble going to sleep for winter!

4.Katy and the Big Snow/ Burton- What can I say? Students love to hear the story about Katy. The illustrations can be explored over and over.

5. Christmas at Long Pond/ George. This is another of my favorites to read. The illustrations are rich and the story is a simple one about going to cut down a Christmas tree.

The Girl Who Lived in a Shoe- Book Review

 The Girl who Lived in a Shoe ( and other torn up Tales) is an independently publication written by a group of authors. ( L Smith,  B. Seward, M. Rietz, J. Quist  , & B. Warren) They are actually a writer's group who collaborated to produce this body of work.

   The book is written at a 2nd / 3 rd grade reading level. But it could be used with other grades also. The stories are updated and fractured for the 21st century. Students will love them!! 

   Each author  takes a fairy tale and makes it her own. The stories are geared for today's students  and beyond. Each story is catchy and invites student discussion and engagement.

 My personal favorite story is Rita Van Winkle ( Loreley Smith) and Tara and the Wolf ( Jesse Quist). They are fractured but still retain enough of the original story.  They have updated and unique items incorporated into the stories.

 The illustrations are also unique.. The authors used torn paper to build the illustrations which are extremely well done and very appropriate. On the verso, they also provide a link for free printable activities and information about creating  your own torn up tales, which is great in these times of virtual lessons/

 The book can be found on Amazon. This would be a great addition when you are introducing fairy tales and fractured fairy takes to students . It can be used for 2 and 3rd grades , which is when I introduce both, But I can also see it used in the upper grades!  It would work well  up to Middle school and could be a story starers  for student writers to produce their own , just to analyze differences and similarities , or just enjoy!

Librarians- 5 things to do in December

These are a few things I think are good to do during the month of December.

1) Thank/ show appreciation for your staff/ volunteers/ student helpers. You have made this far in then year with a little help from your "friends".  So give a small gift or card. When I had lots  of volunteers ( and a little paid staff) I held a volunteer "tea"  with cold drinks and homemade fruit breads. Do a little speech about how much you appreciate their help and then socialize!

2) Touch base with your administration, especially if  you do not get chances to update them on what is going on in the Library Media Center. I always did a monthly report ( more on that in The Organized Librarian) but I found that most of the time , the report was just filed and not really read.So catch up with them and maker them aware of all you are doing.

3) Check your supplies to see if something is needed.Do this especially if your budget funds must be spent before the end of the year. Order what you need or are low on,

4)  Many times ,this is a slow time of year, when students and staff are winding down for holidays and vacations, Send out some PR  and remind then of how you can help them with resources, activities and lessons.

5) Planning time- if your patrons/ students/ teachers  have few demands, use your time to prepare for January and the rest of the year, Check journals, online resources, and blogs for some new ideas that will draw interest in useing the library and all its resrouces.

Library bulletin boards for December

    December is almost around the corner so it is time to start thinking of new bulletin boards. I like to plan ahead so I start now to figure out what I will put up.  I usually keep my bulletin boards from year to year, So many times I can just pull on out  and put it up. I do not put the same one up each year- I alternate.

  December Bulletin Boards Slogans

Seasons Readings - Put a wreath in the middle with students favorites all around. I use scanned covers.

LOL- Place large letters in the center, Place names or covers of books jokes and riddles.

 Mittens-  make large mittens out of construction paper, Have students write their favorite books on the mitten. Slogan: Keep Warm With Great Books

Battle of the Books: Place  photos of teams on the board with Team names and date of competition.

Books Are Gifts You Give Yourselves. 

Books on explaining death to young children

 We had a rough week last week. Family friends of ours lost their young daughter at the age of 14 month. The young mother said that her youngest son who is about 3  years old didn't have a clue what was going on.

So I was trying to remember what books on death of a family member or pet would be good for that age group.

1. I miss you/ Pat Thomas. This book explains that  death is natural and that feeling  grief and loss are feelings that  you may have. As a counselor and psychotherapist, Thomas  brings a simple story line  for ages 3-6 that is easy to understand.

2. Ida Always/ Carson Levine. A story of two polar bears, Gus and Ida. Ida becomes sick with an illness.

She can't seem to get well, and she later dies. Again told in simple language that is easy to understand.

3. Badgers Parting Gifts/Varely .  This is another outstanding book that can be used for a death in the family, both human or animal. The woodland animals are all sad when their friend  Badger dies. They loved him, Then they talk about different memories they had with him and of him , and they all feel better.

        4. I'll always love you/ Wihelm. Elfie , a dachshund, has a special boy who loves him and spends a lot of time with him. But one morning  Elfie does not wake up. Again a simple story designed too help young ones understand death of someone you love.

National Literacy Month- September

 September is National Literacy Month. You can challenge your  students and  patrons , young and old,  to go to the library and pick a great book to read.

 Parents, teachers, and librarian  can encourage making  reading part of daily life. You can also tell stories, talk to students about their favorite books, take them to the library or book store to get books. Every ordering online will encourage students 

 Some other ideas:  Read to you children/ students. Volunteer to read to grand kids, school kids, or neighbors.

  You can donate books that you have already read.

   Here is a website that you might checkout. 

     https://www.theliteracybug.com/

Library Bulletin Boards for September

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!

Library ideas for back to school!

   How can we help students this fall in the library? What if the library is not accessible?  

First of all Encourgare reading and learning

1. If students can not come to the library for books that consider "curbside Pickup" or "Delivery".

     Do a video / zoom ( YouTube or something your school uses)  and explain to student how to do holds on your computer system. Then staff can handle materials  , get them delivered or have them picked up bu the students. 

    Develop a system also ( and explain it ) on how to do returns  to make sure the student knows what to do, 

  ( Make sure teachers and staff also know how to request materials) Do this even if you  open so that if students are really busy they can still get books and resources)

2. Do read alouds. Again if you cant do this in person, set up a video / zoom/ google meet or whatever works . Take time at the end of discuss the book  Set up a program where students can  answer questions or further discuss the book.

3, Promote digital books that you have in the library system. Promote Digital book sites  that have free online reading,   Promote digital resources that you have for classroom use.  Put it on your website, and promote with flyers or anyway you can. 

Getting your teachers to buy into this will help  and give you time to advance the library!

Free Library Lesson- Moe Willems

 Moe Willems gas been a delightful contributor to the world off children's books. He combines  simple drawings , engaging character,s and funny situations to pull children into  reading, We all know the Pigeon books, and they are unique.  series. Again  Moe  uses dialogue and interesting  yet familiar. situations to move the story  along.

  I happen to love The Piggie and Elephant series. Again, Moe uses dialogue and funny situations to move the story along.

Go to Moe's website and  you can find his Bio and some activities to go along with his books.
http://mowillems.com

Two of my Favorites and somethings to do with them.
We are in a Book

  1. Have students make a book with pictures .( drawn or cut out from old magazines). Have students identify each one with word bubbles.

 2. Make a book with two characters telling jokes . This could be a class activities with each student doing one page, illustrating it and writing word bubbles. Put the book together as as class book.

The Thank You Book
Students can make a class book or individual book of  what  they are thankful for. They can describe it in word bubbles.(Think November)

Making your teaching more student centered-2

  Here are a couple of more ideas for creating more student centered learning. This is not an easy task but it is so worth while to get the students engaged and involved their learning,

  1- Design more active practice  of skills and lessons that the students need .Provide more opportunities for students  to engage with materials and activities. This will ensure that students retain information  and be able to use then skill/ information a new context. If you use guided practice and provide feedback, this will also lead to student centered learning.

  2-Reveal your practices and processes  when discussing an assignment or project. Talk about your approach and share how you choose a topic. Acknowledge that are many possibilities for solving a problem.

Great read!

  Marie Benedict has done it again. In Lady Clementine,  we learn about Winston Churchill's wife, and right hand ad visor. Benedict brings Clementine to life with her extensive research. We learn about her younger years and the years she was a helpmate to Churchill.
   All the characters come alive , you feel like you belong to the Churchill family. The details about the fashion, food ,and wartime activities are skillfully interwoven to make a wonderful story!  The writing is absolutely fascinating.
  I have also read  The Other Einstein and  Carnegie's Maid which were  equally  entertaining and  interesting.

Making your teaching more student centered

As you thinking about back to school ( hopefully) , we can be strive to have our classes and lessons more student/learner centered. In my reading, I have come across some ideas that may help,
  1. Explain to students why you are doing things. Share with them why you are asking the students to learn a skill, perform a task,or complete an activity. Emphasize why it is important and worthwhile.

2. Eliminate should or ought. Appeal to the students/ learning. Appeal to the learners autonomy / or inner motivation. Appeal to their interests and passions instead of using controlling language.
Change your language to incorporate the student ideas. This will take time and effort but will result in better communication.

3. Do less in a lesson!  Students can only process a limited amount of information at once. So plan on fewer  learning outcomes. And then provide more active practice on the learning outcome. Give more time to each essential outcome.

Do you know The Fussy Librarian?

  I only just discovered this and I am thinking it will be a great source for eBooks. Best part of this - the eBooks are free ( or very low cost)!!
  If you go to the Fussy Librarian  (  https://www.thefussylibrarian.com/   )   and sign up ,  you can get a daily email with the latest  free eBooks for your Kindle, Nook, Apple or google play reader!
  There are listings for both adult, children/ middle grades and non-fiction categorizes.
Each listing shows the cover and also gives a short summary/ synopsis of the work.,
   You can get the full listing or you can customize it to the genres you like to read. If you don't want daily emails , you can tell it when  and how often you want to receive the listing of free eBooks.
Check this out if you like to do eBooks! The site also as articles for readers and authors that are informative and interesting.

Using Common Sense Media

Check out Common Sense  media for your remote  learning!  Or just to use for your informational /Digital literacy classes!   There is a lot of resources for librarians and tech teachers .

 First of all they have a new guide to Google  Classroom.

 There are Classroom Management   articles:
      How to find great resources.
     Guide to teaching  with Technology
     Classroom Management Tools
      Kick off the school year with interest driven projects

 Under ED Tech
      Using video for Project Based learning
       Using Video to collaborate on Project Based learning

Finally: Basic tools for Virtual and Distance learning

I  hope some of these will be helpful for you!

Brain Pop- site for remote learning/ Google Classroom

  Brain Pop is another tool I have used to add to my Google classroom. There are many activities lessons, videos, games, and quizzes that go along with my 7th grade Information Literacy Curriculum
  If you have this available in your district , I urge you to check it out and see what you can use for your remote learning.
  Some of the lessons I have used are the following:

Tech: Cyber bulling, digital animation, social media

Computer Sciences: 3d printing,computer history, Internet, hackers

Digital Citizenship: I have used most of these units which are excellent
.
English: Famous authors & books, Study & Reading Skills, Writing / Book reports ,Citing sources, copyright , fact & opinion

Each unit has a video,a quiz, related readings, and other activities.

Brain Pop is a very helpful source that will engage students and support teaching and leaning,
There is also a BrainPop Jr for students in grades k- 3.

NSteens.org- add to your Google Classroom for Remote learning

   https://www.nsteens.org/ is another site I use to teach Middle school  internet safety and digital  literacy.There are engaging videos that students will be able to watch and learn  about many facets of internet safety. Six Degrees of Information and Friend or Fake are ones I usually begin with. A few more to consider are cyber bullying and Meeting on line.

  There are games for students to 'play'. I like the Website Warrior one for a beginning lesson
Quizzes are also included-What type of Internet user are you? is always included on my Google Classroom.

  Students also like to look at the comics and the bios of the characters in the videos and games.

Typing.com/ Using Google Classroom for remote learning

  On my Google Classroom platform, I also have some typing lessons, games, and activities  that I assign to the student.  I want them to type correctly and this gives them practice.
  Typing.com is one site that I use. There are  videos, lessons, and typing tests. With three lessons, the students can advance quickly.
   There is keyboarding practice with reinforcement and stories for students to type. You can link this up to your google classroom which makes life really easy.
   There are some new additions that are also exciting.  There is a Tech readiness section  career prep. and Coding Essentials. This brings many great lessons to you already prepped and can be added to Google Classroom.

Common Sense Media/ Using Google Classroom for remote learning

   If you are using Google Classroom for your online learning platform, there are a lot of assignments, activities , and games that you can add for your students.

  For instance, thank about what you want student to do/learn, or what skills you want them to master.  I have used Common Sense Media for digital literacy for middle school because that is what I was asked to concentrate on media literacy and  information skills.

   When   you sign in as an educator you get access to free lessons with lots of options. I have used parts of this and added assignments to the google classroom.  There are videos, games, lesson slides, and work/ thinking sheets. You can them track student use and do grades if you need to.

  Another time I will discuss some other items that I have used in my Google Classroom,
What do you have on your Google classroom? How do  you use yours?

Virtual Library page-Links for your library page!

 Here are few more freebies that you can use on  your library page-


  Capstone interactive- free for students to use during school closures.  PebbleGo is  designed for K-3 students.  This site is packed with informational articles, ready-made activities, and literacy supports for all students


https://pebblego.com/free-pebblego-capstone-interactive-access-school-closu

Buncee -  You can get remote access during school closures to Buncee . And there is lots of activities and ideas  for lessons for your students. There are ideas for remote learning- check this out! There are webinars for teachers.



https://www.remotelearning.buncee.com/?utm_source=banner&utm_medium=buncee&utm_campaign=rl2020site

More links to put on your Library page for at home learning!

 Here are a few more  links to consider putting on  your library page for students. You may also want to let your teachers know about some of these also.

   Ranger Rick. org- lots of fun things to read about and things to do!

   https://rangerrick.org/


  Kids Scholastic-  Read, Make Comics, and play games

   https://kids.scholastic.com/kids/home/



 Virtual School Activities-   This has many links to live webcams, virtual tours, and many educational sites.  Check this out and select some great links for your students!

  https://virtualschoolactivities.com/

Library web page:Some sites to pass on/ Put on your web page

World Book :
for research and just fun!
https://www.worldbookonline.com/training/distance-learning/distance-learning.htm?fbclid=IwAR0dL5FMJFubVCswioggreNzrO6ymfaMxtoOZgsCRyBIZmvob6BijnTRL7k

   : Wonderpolis

A variety of exciting things to read and to do!
https://wonderopolis.org/

Story Online
Watch famous actors and actresses read picture books aloud.

https://www.storylineonline.net


Storytime with Ryan & Craig:
These guys read books and they are funny!

https://www.ryanandcraig.com/

Librarians! Ramp up your websites!/ coronavirus

    If your library has been closed  like the ones in my area ( NY/ PA/ CT, )  we need to  keep our  web pages  up to date and  full of resources they can use during this Coronavirus pandemic.  We  really need to ramp up our web sites so that we can continue  services  to out patrons .  I am going to look back at some past posts , library websites that I use, and will continue to search for ideas and sites that can be put on our  pages to help our patrons.
  This will be a good way to show all the resources that librarians and library's provide for students and patrons.  I am praying that this whole pandemic does not last to long , but we won't know til it over until it is over. Keep safe every one, and check back here for some sites and tools for your library pages.
  

All students Need Great School Libraries

All students Need Great School Libraries


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ3b2-9dbb4

  Watch this video!  It has some excellent talking points . And some ideas you can use in defense of school librarians and libraries.  Let me know what you think!

Abby the Librarian

   I keep finding different websites for librarians and just want to share  in case you have not  found then yourselves. Abbythelibraian  is a great site for librarians ( school & Public) who do preschool or Kindergarten lessons or sessions.
    There are routinely Picture book Roundups which I love! She gives us brief summaries and also shows the cover. So if you are looking for  recommendations for new books you will be pleased. Some of the titles are brand new or soon to be released.
   She also gives short reviews of new books for elementary / middle school students . Again a big help for your collection development. She also gives book recommendations for special days and seasons.
   There are several other advantages to this site. Abby gives ideas for programs for preschool/ kindergarten and family reading. So if you need ideas  for story times this is a good place to check out.n There is a link on her site that gives themes    and book lists to go with them.

Read Across America Day/ week

I read this on the Future Ready Librarians Facebook and thought it was a great idea,   I took the main idea and lent some titles that I thought would work. Use these ideas or come up with some of your favoites!

Day 1: Books about Families
         Three days oh a river in a red canoe/ Williams
          In our mother's house/ Polacco
          Tell me again about the night I was born/  Curb

Day 2: Books about taking action
         The Giving Tree/ Silverstein
          Boxes for Katje/ Flemming
           One Plastic bag/ Paul
           Stick & Stone/ Ferry

Day 3: Read a silly story
      Horton Hatches an egg/ Seuss
       Don't let the Pigeon drive the Bus/ Willems
      Any book by Jan Klassen

 Day 4:  Books about different cultures
     Brown Girl dreaming/ Woodson
     Boy who harnessed the wind/ Kamkwamba
     Goal/ Taylor
     House that Baba built/ Young

Day 5: Books about Famous People
      Abe Lincoln the boy who loved books/ Winters
     The story of Ruby Bridges/ Coles
    Let the Children march/ Clark- Robinson
    Inventors who changed the world/ Poelman



Day 5 : Books about famous people.

Library Bulletin Boards for March

March is almost here .  So is Spring!  I can't wait.  
So let's see what we can do to highlight during those days!

 Spring into Reading- Flowers, insects, book jackets with titles of spring like books,

 St. Patrick's Day-  Every Day is a lucky day for reading.
                               Reading is Golden
                               Books to Treasure


Fly high With Reading- kites with book titles blowing in the sky

 Catch the reading Bug!

March- Women's History Month

Dr. Seuss- Read Across America

Bike into Books! Bike scene with book titles around

Why students need a librarian- Pt 2

   Here are a few more reasons why students need you ( the librarian) to help them in their school careers These are good talking points if you need to defend your position in your school.

   1. Librarians teach students how to evaluate the information they find on the internet. Is is authoritative? Is it up to date? Students  are offered areas to look for in order for them to be sure the site is reliable.

   2. Librarians plan lessons to instruct students how to devise different questions so they can find answered  . There are fat and thin questions, they are open and closed questions. Then librarian can help students learn the difference and then how to construct them,

  3. Librarians can recommend books  to suit readers interests  and levels.  The librarian can provide students  book sites and blog where students can look for new and interesting titles

Why students need a librarian

   If you need to defend your position there are lots of resources that you will find. But much of why students need librarians is basic , so here a few to think about and add to your list.
   1) Librarians provide materials matched to student learning styles and abilities.  There are print, on line and audio resources. Many of the online and audio can be adapted to student levels. Some can provide sources that can be read aloud to students,

  2) The library website  ( provided & maintained by librarians) offers 24/7 access to the online catalog and electronic resources, databases and lists of curated sites  for specific projects.

 3) The Librarian and the library provides information that is carefully selected and  appropriate for students learning needs and projects.

  Use these as needed. In future posts , I 'll add a few more reasons why students need a library and a librarian.

Noodle tools / citation builder

      If you have an active library page and a citation program, make sure to put a link to it on your page. Then be sure the link works.
     Your next goal is to provide instruction the use of your citation program. Connect with your staff and students to show them where the link is. Offer to teach the students how to use the program. Every time you get in front of a group of students and staff, remind them of the link to the builder that is on the library page.
    We use Noodletools so I developed a mini lesson to instruct the students and staff . I also devised a cheat sheet to back up my instructions. This sheet is a hand out for students, which they can refer to for help after the lesson is over,
  

Library Bulletin Boards for February

Now it is time to think about February and what to do about the bulletin boards.   Here are some ideas :

We love to Read!- Give pink or red hearts  to students and have the write their favorite books. Students can write I Love...   and give the title and their name. Place on BB with letters of slogan on top in black letters - Can use a light background and heart /scallop edges.

Black History Month- Place pictures of famous African Americans . You can number them, Give some clues under each one. Students can use references or online sources to find out . Students can give guesses in to you- At the end of the month, place names under each one.

Tech tie in- Tweet a sweet Book! Give students an enlarged note. Place a cute bird on each side of the BB- Students can write their favorite titles on each note and then placed on the BB.

Presidents Day- You  can do this similar to Black History Month.( Use presidents that students do not know) Or you could place some presidents  and have students find little know facts on each person.

Fiction to Film: Scan covers of books that you have in your library that have been made into movies.  Place the slogan in the middle and the covers around. A slogan to add  would be: Have you read these?

Update your library web page!

  How often do you update your library page? What exactly should you update?

  1.If you do a lot of collaboration with teachers and student then you need to do quite a bit. Whenever you work with students, try to add/ edit a livebinder or a curated list of sites for them to use.

 2, Update links/ websites for students to use in projects - check links to be sure they are working and up to date.( eliminate old ones and look for new ones)

 3. Additional resources- add links for staff to use for their information , or teaching resources

 4. Add your newsletter if you do one.

 5. Add Book recommendations ( what the librarian is reading - or have kids do this with reviews

 6. Information about what is happening at the library

 7. Publicize new resources

 8. Add links for student recommendations   to books if you have a section on that.

Quotes about Libraries!

I love to search out quotes about books and libraries.  Here  are just a few of my favorites!

 "Books are the mirrors of the Soul." V Woof

 " A library doesn't need windows, a library is a window." Steward Brand

 "We may sit in our library and yet be in all the quarters of the earth." John Lubback

  " Libraries change lives for the better." Sidney Sheldon

   " When in doubt, go to the library." ( Ron) J.K.Rowling

  "A library could show you everything, if you know where to look" Pat Conroy

   'There's a magical place, called a library." Moria Fowley Doyle

   " All that is necessary for a student is access to a library." Thomas Jefferson


    So what do I do with these? I might add them to my signature line in my emails. ( I like to change mine a lot).  I make up posters with the sayings and fit them on the walls of the library  or in the stacks and in the halls at different spots.   Sometimes I put them on information sheets or work sheets for both students and teachers.  I might include them in my monthly newsletter.  And then I change them whenever I come with more library/ book quotes!

A Book and A hug- Great site

   This is a great site  ( A book and a hug) . If  you haven't seen this site yet , check it out. I think you will be impressed. I only just discovered it and I am loving it!
    First of all you can search for books to read  by author , title and  Everything! There is also an advanced search tab- like category, reading/ age level, and reader personality type and other additional options.
  Students can take a reader personality type to determine what type of reader they are. There are basic and advanced tests.
   Up at the top there are tabs: Books by category, read alouds, authors, lesson plans and a blog. Barbara Langridge  is the creator of the site. She is also a speakers about books and librarians. Barb was a former librarians and book store owner , so she has the experience of a book lover. Her goal is to create readers, and connect students with books.
  At the bottom of the site, there are more links. My favorite is the " If you liked, then you'll like" a great tool for students!