December Library Bulletin Boards

   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.

Friday!- Straighten Your Desk

  Its Friday . ( or it could be any day for that matter)  What does your desk look like?   Is it totally out of control?  Take  15 minutes and straighten it up. 
     First , take a stack of  empty file folders and your favorite  pencil. ( I'll tell you why a pencil in a moment)  Begin with picking up the first pile of materials. If there is anything that is essential to your library or your classes, decide what to do with it.
     If there are several items that belong together, take a file folder and label what it  you are placing in it.  Move these folders to a spot where they can be organized and filed.  Anything you  do not need , throw out or place in recycling.

   Keep going until your desk is cleared. You should end up with file folders to file and  items to recycle.  This afternoon or when you have another 15  minute slot, file the  folders in the proper place in your file cabinet.  
    If you already have a file that is marked for that item, place the items in the file in your cabinet. Then you can erase the tab and use if for something else. Permanent files should be marked with a . Now you have a clean desk and will be able to figure out what to do with the rest of your day.
  My book The Organized Librarian has a chapter on how I organize my files , and how I avoid duplicate files. Watch for the ebook to be coming  out soon!

Technology tools- Wired Wednesday

      Since talking about promoting reading on Monday, I was looking for  some other sites that could help students get excited about reading. They love to use the computers!
       One way  for students to use the computers and be reading is Magic Keys.  This site has free children's books  ( from pre-school  age  to young adult).   Some of the books have an audio component so the story can be read to them. This is nice for students who are struggling readers,   Also included on this site are games, riddles, quizzes,  and coloring pages.

     Another  great site is  Reading Rockets.  A good way to promote reading is to  do Author Studies. When doing the, have students watch author interviews. One place to do that is Reading Rockets. Here you will find 100 video interviews with top children's  book authors and illustrators.

Promoting Reading- Reading Displays!

     What are the ways that you promote reading?  Do you have reading contests and challenges? Holding Battle of the Books, and Caldecott Challenge are two ways , but there are lots of other ways.  Book displays,  posters are simple ways.
      Have student create displays  and posters for their favorite books. They can work individually or in small groups. I usually like to put two or three friends together and ask them to create a book display. They also make a small poster to tell what their display is about .  I find that when friends work together they can agree on what are their favorites and come up with great displays..
       I also hold this display as a contest and at the end of the specified time  have students vote on their favorite display. Winners are awarded prizes.

Announcing October Giveaway!

   Drum roll please!!!  The October Giveaway is the  book Library Life Savers by Pamela & Tamora Bacon.
And the winner is Natalie!  Natalie please email me with  the address where you would like me to send the book! Congrats and Enjoy!

Technology Tools- Wired Wednesday

     Another great tool for teachers and librarians is Biblionasium.  This is a great site for students, teachers, parents, and librarians to use to help students fall in love with reading.  It is a safe social network for kids.
    Biblionasium allows students to build an independent reading porgram tailored to individual interests and reading levels. 
    
    Lists and recommendations can be built by class or individual.  The site uses mostly lexlie levels, The program tracks the progress of the students reading.

   Kids are encouragte to share books and recommend books to their peers.
 
   A grownup is needed for the student to be signed up. After that the student can run with it and enjoy the site.


  There are tools for teachers to monitor and assess reading progress.





Biblionasium

Library Signage / Library Vocabulary

      The Storm is over- we did not get that much rain  but it was very windy! The wind knocked down a large pine tree right next to our house. Thankfully it fell away from the house , other wise we would have a tree throught the rooof of our living room.

   We did lose  electric, phone, heat, and internet  . We just got it back last night around dinner time on Sunday night..  I hope everyone is safe and has their electric .

      Now that you have your library vocabulary started- keep it going.  Do you have your signs up with definitions? Have you 'played ' some vocab games? What else can  you do with the signs and the vocabulary?    Make some games using the same words once you have  most of your vocabulary done.

     Try this: For the youngest set , you could make flash cards or make a concentration game. For intermediate and a little older ( middle  school) make several bingo boards with the words on the cards in several location and then  make cards to call  out with definitions.

    Try this: Take down the definitions  ( have them laminated). Have Students match  the definitions with the words.  Or swap and put up definitions and have students match up the vocabulary.



  .

Bulletin Boards November Tips/Sandy on Monday?

           We are expecting Sandy , I guess some time today with winds and rain. I am hoping that we do not loose electricity but it looks like we may. So if you do not hear from me the rest of the week , you will know  why. No school today in our county.

  
           November  Bulletin Board Ideas:

   Elect to read! 
   Children's Book Week,
   Don't be a turkey, Read!
   Be Thankful for great books.
   What are you Thankful for?
   Gobble up these  great books - turkey with book covers of book chosen by you or students
   Pick a winner- football theme

School Library Signage & Library Vocabulary

           At the school level, especially the elementary , signage is important.   If you have library vocabulary  for each grade level ( I do- and they are overlapping) then it is a good idea after introducing each term to make the word into some kind of signage.  
     
           After I introduce a term  by the following week, I like to make a sign for it. Depending on the word I may also place it where the items are ( example- Fiction and its defination  by the fiction section)
I make a sign for the word and a separate sign for the definition. This way I will occasionally take the definition down and see if the students knows what the word means.
 
          Other times I will move them around  to different spots in each section, or put them completely in a wrong section. Then we play a game - " What library words/ vocabulary are in the right place?"  This  helps student be more observant of the signs  and gets them to read them.
 
          How does this help? For starters, students see the term and the definition each time they are in the library.  If there is question about the word they can quickly look and see the definition.   I can review  with students by having them notice how many  library vocabulary we have learned each  month and year.

          This also helps to make the library a bright and colorful place to be. I use bright construction paper or colors on black. Sometimes I save the signs from year to year.  Sometimes I make new ones.  The signs also show the staff and administration that in our  learning library  there is always something new to learn and remember.

         I will continue this thread with more ideas on signage and vocabulary.  What do you do about library signs and library vocabulary?

Technology Tools- Glogster!

                  Another  cool tool to use with co- workers and students is Glogster.  There is a special glogster just for educational use .  Glogster is an online learning tool where students and teachers can make interactive posters .  What can be placed on a Glogster?  So many different items: videos, audio, text,  graphics.drawings,  and other data.

                Sign up is free. You will see on the gloster site some great examples of glogs done by students and teachers.   Drag and drop items to create the interactive poster.  Once completed , teacher and students can share the work by embedding it in a  blog,  a wiki, or webpage.

                There are many uses for Glogster: book reports, research projects, announcements, newsletters, class projects, presentations, lesson presentation,  assignments, tours,
  

Glogster



Don't forget to sign up for the October Giveaway! ( Library Lifesavers) Leave a comment or join THE ORGANIZED LIBRARIAN!

Book Processing

        During October  you still may be processing all of your new books. And you may be getting tired of doing it and wish it were done. How can you get it done and still do something / anything else to have your library in good shape ?    In "The Organized Librarian" I give some ideas   on getting everything done or at least not feeling so very overwhelmed at all there is to do.
        But I still get the feeling that the books will Never  get all done and then a new shipment comes in with more books. Now I love love new books but I want them to be all ready for the staff and students , and not have them staring me in the face.   So what I do is this , depending on the number of classes I have , I set a daily goal of the number of books  to do each day.  
         The rest I 'hide"- no I really do not hide them , I just place them on a cart facing toward the wall or in a closet  so I do not see them 24/7.  Then I get the book goal done as soon as I can - coming in early, staying late, making sure that the other activities I need to have completed  are finished. If I am having a good day- I sneak out the next days goal and do them. 
        If there is a great day of only a few classes or a meeting that I do not have to attend then I sometimes do a marathon day of stamping, date due slips,  and  putting on genre stickers.  Then I really feel great about getting all the books ready.

      Most of the time when I place orders I get them mostly pre-processed- For many years I did not do this, but I find that the time I save by doing this, I can be making a difference by working with students and teachers. 

Technology tools and October Giveaway

         Another fun technology tool for students is Blabberize. Students can actually make a picture or photo talk. It could be an original picture that the student creates, or a  photo of a person, an animal, a place , or an an object.   When a public domain photo is chosen , don't forget to cite the source of the photo. ( this is a great place to teach about  citing  source of photos.)

        The account set up is free, quick , and easy. Teachers and librarians can create account for their class. Multiple students can be logged in under on account.   A blabber photo must be completed before saving. You can embedd the blabber on your web page - go to Share it.
  
         Monitor students as they work. When you are done  you may want to change the passwords.
How can you use this?  In many ways- but the most obvious are  having students tell digital stories from original art work. Also they could do reports on animals  or famous people.  When you check out the website  you may get even more ideas.

     Don't forget my October Giveaway-  Library Life Savers- Leave a comment or join the Organized librarian to be edible to win!!


blabberize.com

Battle of the Books-2012-2013

        The students have started reading for this years Battle of the Books. If you have never done one , this might be the year you decide to do one. They are fun and they students love them!  You can find the book list for this year at the Americans Battle of the Books ( see link below) . 
        Depending on the number of students and number of teams will determine how many copies of each title you will need.  We have about 300 4-6 graders ( not all participate) and we usually have about 4-5 copies of each title. 
         You can order books at the site , but I usually just get copies from Follett  (Titlewave) or Perma Bound.    I hope you try a Battle - let me know if you are doing it  this year!

 
Battle of the Books

Title Wave
  
 Perma Bound