It’s important for a School Librarian to build a personal collaborative relationship with each teacher and create a teachable moment with students. Emailing lists of websites doesn’t do…
You’ve worked hard to build a great classroom library for your students, but it can be a struggle to keep up with and organize all those books! Here are several different options for classroom library management.
Being a brand new school librarian is both exciting and scary. All summer, you’ve planned for your new position, but today, you're feeling pretty lost.
Middle school students aren't too old to enjoy library activities, and some exercises can help students prepare for harder research projects and writing assignments that they'll encounter in high school and college. The purpose of a middle school library is to help preteens appreciate reading while they're ...
One of the toughest parts of teaching middle school English is choosing which books to recommend to each reader. In this age group, reading ability AND student maturity vary widely. Further, adults tend to disagree about which books are "appropriate" for middle school, so YA fiction with mature content can be risky. In this post, 17 teachers have each recommended at least one novel that is addictive and appropriate for middle school. Addictive: Not all of these will have constant explosions and a frenetic plot pace, but these novels are ones that a typical middle schooler won't abandon because it's "too slow". Appropriate: As much as we teachers want to resist censorship, sometimes in middle school we may have a reason to exert caution about the books we put in a student's hands. For example, maybe the parent is protective, the school's policy is conservative, or that student isn't emotionally in a good place to be reading that book. THUS, we teachers have to know some PG or PG-13 titles to recommend. NOTE: Some of the books below are more appropriate for 8th than 6th. Always use your judgment regarding what is best for your classroom. We hope you enjoy this list! To see the FULL book talk for each novel, click on the hyperlink of the teacher's username who recommended it. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. 1. Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu Recommended by @secondarysara View it on Amazon and Common Sense Media 2. Things That Surprise You by Jennifer Maschari Recommended by @secondarysara View it on Amazon 3. Walking Home by Eric Walters Recommended by @addiewilliams_tpt View it on Amazon 4. The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang Recommended by @nouvelle_ela View it on Amazon 5. Dear Martin by Nic Stone Recommended by @hansonhallway View it on Amazon and Common Sense Media 6. Ghost & Patina by Jason Reynolds Recommended by @2peasandadog View it on Amazon and Common Sense Media 7. Something in Between by Melissa De La Cruz Recommended by @toocoolformiddleschool View it on Amazon and Common Sense Media 8. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick Recommended by @mrsspanglerinthemiddle View it on Amazon and Common Sense Media 9. Smile by Raina Telgemeier Recommended by @studyallknight View it on Amazon and Common Sense Media 10. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds Recommended by @missbertels_ View it on Amazon and Common Sense Media 11. The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm Recommended by @prestoplans View it on Amazon and Common Sense Media 12. The Help by Kathryn Stockett Recommended by @thesuperheroteacher View it on Amazon and Common Sense Media 13. The Madman of Piney Woods and Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis Recommended by @helloteacherlady View it on Amazon and Common Sense Media 14. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli Recommended by @thedaringenglishteacher View it on Amazon and Common Sense Media 15. Escape from Aleppo by N.H. Senzai Recommended by @theliterarymaven View it on Amazon and Common Sense Media 16. Refugee by Alan Gratz Recommended by @readitwriteitlearnit View it on Amazon and Common Sense Media 17. Slider by Pete Hautman Recommended by @literarysherri View it on Amazon 18. Miles Morales: Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds Recommended by @kelseynhayesblog View it on Amazon and Common Sense Media What other books do you suggest? Tell us in the comments!
Being a brand new school librarian is both exciting and scary. All summer, you’ve planned for your new position, but today, you're feeling pretty lost.
Check out these brackets! Basketball not your thing? How about these brackets from On Our Minds @ Scholastic? Take a look at some of the pairings and stop by the library to fill out your own brackets. Completed brackets will be posted around the library so you can see how others would carry this through to just one winner.
School Librarians will find these 41 quality Websites very helpful to gather information & ideas on professional development, library advocacy, library lessons & activities, reading promo…
I've wanted to try out book speed dating for awhile now, and I finally went for it last week. Here's how I did it and why I'll do it again.
Students need and deserve short, simple School Library Lessons that support classroom learning. School Librarians need to focus on a single objective and offer a meaningful activity so students can…
Students need and deserve short, simple School Library Lessons that support classroom learning. School Librarians need to focus on a single objective and offer a meaningful activity so students can…
A School Librarian can make the School Library Website truly useful to students and teachers by embedding elements from other Web sources. Here are some examples of how to offer valuable informatio…
School library advocacy is more important now than ever. Get tips for how to effectively advocate for your school library.
The end of the school year is near, and that means one thing to every librarian: getting all the library books returned. This is the toughest part of my job, and it’s the one I dread every year: l…
This post may contain affiliate links. That means that if you click the links and make a purchase I may receive compensation at no additional cost to you. I do not recommend any companies that I do not persoanlly use and love. Please read our disclaimer for more info. I currently teach inclusion special education in the eighth grade. When I am picking books for my classroom library, I always want to make sure I’m picking books that suit the needs of my students. Many of my students have difficulties with reading. Because of that, when I am looking for books for my classroom I like to make sure that I have books that are high-interest and 5-6 grade reading level. I do also keep books that are on grade level because I do have students who are reading on grade level. These books I have listed are high interest, but lower than eighth-grade difficulty. Harry Potter Box Set by J.K. Rowling I couldn’t pick a specific Harry Potter book to recommend because that is like picking your favorite child. I just love them all! The Harry Potter books tend to be popular because most kids have seen the movies and most of my students claim to have liked the movies. So, when we are telling them that they have to read a book, they often pick Harry Potter because they already know that they like the story. Wonder by R.J. Palacio I am a huge fan of this book, it has a great message, and is about a student roughly the age of my students. Auggie, the main character of the book has a facial deformity that has prevented him up until this time from going to a mainstream school. In the novel, they decide that it is time for him to begin attending the local mainstream school. When he does, his classmates have a hard time seeing past his face. This novel is the story of his community’s journey to acceptance. The Giver by Lois Lowry This is a novel that used to be in the eighth-grade curriculum but I think recently it was moved down to a lower grade. I like this book because the students really enjoy the story, and I am a big fan of Lois Lowry’s writing style. There is very little that she has written that I have not loved. This novel takes place in the future in a dystopian society. And this novel was written long before The Hunger Games and Divergent. The main character is a young boy who is chosen to be the memory holder of his society and begins to receive the memories of what life was before his time. It is a great story with surprises and some action. Babysitter’s Club Graphic Novels by Ann M. Martin Some teachers do not like graphic novels because they are not real novels. I feel like they are a stepping stone to reading a real novel. My students have to read a certain number of books per year but they are limited to the amount that can be graphic novels. I feel as though graphic novels are great for students who really struggle with reading because they are still following a story and reading dialogue but the pictures make it easier for them to follow the plot. I like to use these as a starting point for a student who really hates to read. Nancy Drew Series by Carolyn Keene Part of why I include some of the Nancy Drew books in my library is selfish. Nancy Drew was one of my favorite things to read when I was a kid and I want to pass this love along to my students. I like them because, although they are a little outdated, they are high-interest mysteries and they are not a difficult reading level. What are some books that you think should be on this list? I am always looking for new, amazing books! Leave your ideas in the comments. Get your free IEP summary page! Subscribe to get our latest content by email. Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. First Name Email Address We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer. Get your download! We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit
In honor of Library Week, here are 13 awesome library displays.
Today, I am going to share what we did for the Lone Star Celebration, as well as some ideas I haven't tried yet. These ideas could be adapted to any reading list. This reading incentive plan is very generic and can be adapted to any state, district, or school reading list. It will work for any age of readers as well, provided you want to put together a "Celebration Day" at the end of the school year.
Students need and deserve short, simple School Library Lessons that support classroom learning. School Librarians need to focus on a single objective and offer a meaningful activity so students can…
Instagram tips for librarians--for school and public libraries. How to get the most out of your Instagram account within the library.
Yippee! Today is the first day of school. I spent the past two weeks preparing the library for this special day. I hope my students find th...
Engaging ideas for teaching literary genres with literature units in middle and high school ELA. Explore some activities you can try today!
However compelling the research is, it can be hard to make the case with a 30-page study, or even a executive summary. Sometimes you need the visually attractive, embeddable, tweetable version of the elevator speech. Over the past couple of months we’ve seen a research translated and chunked in the form of infographics. We’ve also […]
This detailed planning document provides an overview of the school project I undertook for LSC 530, Texts and E-Tools for Tots and Teens, at the University of Rhode Island. For this project I “genr…
By Presto Plans We have all been there. You bring your students down to the library to choose an independent novel and are met with a mix of reactions from unrestrained excitement to grumbles and groans. While your avid readers will scour the stacks looking for their favorite author or genre, there are also always those students who look at the mountain of books and don’t want to take a single step. If this sounds familiar, try one of the following ideas to get that perfect book in each of your students’ hands. 1. SEARCH THE STACKS ACTIVITY Let’s be honest; as English teachers, the library is our happy place. Unfortunately, this is not the case for many students. Bringing your class to the library and saying, “Choose a novel,” can lead to feelings of overwhelming stress for some of your students. Avoid this by sending your class on a library quest to help them explore the sections, discover new authors, and find books based on their interests. This activity allows students to search the stacks for titles that fall into particular categories while also familiarizing them with the library layout. During the process, they will hopefully run into a novel or two that they might be interested in trying out. Download your copy of this activity for free by clicking HERE or on the image below. 2. SEND THEM ON AN ONLINE DATE WITH A BOOK One way to hook your students into finding a novel is by sending them on an online date with a book. This is how the activity works: 1. Students get a random book (you can preselect high interest ones) and create an online dating profile based on the book cover, the title, and the blurb on the back of the book or inside the jacket cover. The profile will include a physical description, words to describe the book, a brief plot “about me” summary section, an ideal reader description, and an area to describe who should “check the book out.” 2. The teacher creates a class bulletin board to display all of the profiles (mine says "Fall In Love With A Book - see below). Students find one that interests them and take it down. They have found a match! 3. Students read some of the novel during silent reading, examine their first impressions, and decide if it is a love connection or if it will end in heartbreak. If you want more detail on how to implement the Online Date With A Book activities in your class, click HERE to read about how I set this up step-by-step. 3. USE A STUDENT INTEREST SURVEY I always seem to have a couple of students who cannot find one novel in the hundreds of titles available. When this happens (and it is always right before the bell rings), I find myself attempting to extract information from an unwilling student about their interests and hobbies in a desperate attempt to get them a book before we go back to class. I get frustrated. They get frustrated. It’s a mess. I have found that completing a student interest survey a few days before going to the library makes it much easier to help in that situation. By getting to know those who you know may have trouble finding something to read, you can prep a smaller pool of novel ideas in advance based on what they write in the survey. If you want to try out the student interest survey I use, you can download for free by clicking HERE or the image below. 4. ASK THE INTERNET Introduce your students to websites that help them choose novels based on other books they have read and enjoyed. Two sites that I use are: www.whatshouldIreadnext.com www.tastekid.com Students simply put in the name of a novel they enjoyed and a list of similar novels is generated with the click of a button. When I bring my students to the library, I leave one of these websites open on a computer as a first place for students to go if they need suggestions. If you want to check one of the sites out (whatshouldIreadnext.com), click the image below. 5. TRY A BOOK RECOMMENDATION ACTIVITY A student recommendation of a novel will go much further than one from a teacher. Instead of allowing students to choose their own novels, try this book recommedation activity instead: 1. Allow students to choose a partner (choosing for them doesn't work best with this activity). 2. Have them interview their partners for a few minutes to learn about their interests (or I would recommend giving them their partner’s student interest survey they have already completed from above. See here if you haven’t already downloaded ==> STUDENT SURVEY). 3. Have students choose three novels from the library they think their partner might like based on what they know/learn about them. 4. The student chooses one of the three novels to read in class. They don’t have to read it in its entirety, but they have to give it a try to see if it was a good recommendation! 6. ENLIST YOUR COLLEAGUES Show students that the love of reading is not confined to the English classroom by enlisting some of your colleagues (teachers, educational assistants, custodians, administrators, admin assistants etc.) to come into your classroom to give a 5-minute talk on their favorite book. Tell them it is very informal and that they just have to explain a little about what the book is about and why they like it so much. Students will love to see their other teachers in another class (kind of like a visiting alien) and will see that reading is something that expands far beyond the English classroom. Also, they may even get a good book recommendation out of it. I have seen many students pick a book recommended in one of these book talks. If your colleagues are reluctant, bribe them with coffee and cookies. Works every time. Find more ways to hook your students into reading with these ideas from The Secondary English Coffee Shop bloggers! Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover by The SuperHERO Teacher Independent Reading In High School by Nouvelle ELA Book Talks: Student Led Presentations by Secondary Sara Do you have any other suggestions for how to help students choose a novel that they can’t put down? Leave your ideas by clicking the "Comments" button at the very top of this post! SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave SaveSave
Printable School Library Genre Poster Templates! Fun Library Decor! A cute way to add personality and bright, stylish personalized decor to your school library! An awesome way to keep the library sections organized with these genre posters. Hang these posters around the library so students can easily locate what they're looking for! All text is editable so you can create as many genre posters as you need to decorate your school library! ________________________________________________ FULL EDITING OPTIONS WITH TEMPLETT! TRY THE DEMO NOW - Click here NO MORE WAITING FOR YOUR FILE - YOU HAVE ACCESS INSTANTLY! Note: THIS IS A DIGITAL PRODUCT. NO PHYSICAL ITEM WILL BE SENT TO YOU. • Watermark will not appear on your files FORMATTED TO PRINT IN THE FOLLOWING SIZES: 8X10" (use file id:2663732) 11x14" (use file id:4274984) ________________________________________________ Edit your file with Templett.com right after purchasing NO MORE WAITING! * No special software download needed!! * Simple, Easy, Fast and Fun to use! * Edit all text * Add or Remove as much text as you need and move text anywhere on your template * Text color, font and size can all be changed! * Add your own images - including photos!! * Save as a high quality JPG or PDF file for easy printing at home or at photo labs/office supply stores What you CANNOT Change: * all graphics and background are considered part of the design and cannot be edited, deleted, altered or changed in anyway. ________________________________________________ How Does It Work? It's such A SIMPLE PROCESS: • You are not able to edit this file on an iPad, iPhone, or any other handheld device. Within 5-15 minutes (sometimes longer during peak business times) after placing an order for a Templett.com file, you'll be sent an email (from Templett.com) with an access link. This email is sent to the email address used to make the purchase. If you do not receive the link please be sure to check your spam or junk folders - you can also search for “Templett” Templett.com recommends using Google Chrome for best results while editing. Clicking the access link will take you to a page where you will need to confirm your account details and set a password for your account. 1. Once in, go to templates at the top left and click on it. 2. A small thumbnail of your template will appear 3. Click on that and your file will appear in the editing area. 4. After you are done editing save, and download (upper right corner) it gives you an option to download directly as a jpeg or pdf file. 5. Simply print at home or send off to the printer of your choice 6. If you want to use as an evite you can, it is not required to print your file! Simply download as a jpeg and upload to your email or social media/online sites of your choosing. Visit the Templett.com help center by clicking here Already a Templett user? Since you already have an account, anytime you purchase any Templett product from any seller you won't get an email anymore. All you need to do now is go to www.templett.com a few minutes after placing your order and login with your username and password and you will see the new file(s) there for you. ________________________________________________ Need to get your new file(s) printed? TidyLady Printables has partnered with Prints Of Love which offers fast, high quality, affordable and eco-friendly printing. They also offer free 2-3 day U.S. shipping and free envelopes! Simply follow this link to check them out:https://printsoflove.com/ref/tidylady-printables/ Prints Of Love will handle the rest! For every order you place, Prints of Love plants a tree in your name. It is their way of creating a net positive environmental impact with each order! They are proud to be an official Reforestation Partner with their friends at One Tree Planted. ________________________________________________ All site content, including files, images, video, and written content is the property of TidyLady Printables, and are protected under DMCA. Files are for PERSONAL USE ONLY. You may not copy, forward, share, re-sell or distribute the files. Mass production, file sharing and commercial use of these files are strictly prohibited. Copyright 2020 TidyLady Printables - All rights reserved[id:2663732,4274984]
School Librarians can convince teachers that regularly scheduled library visits with Sustained Silent Reading will improve student reading achievement. Augment that success with these strategies …
A School Library Website is the virtual version of the School Library and the School Librarian. It’s also a powerful advocate for our services and materials. Follow these 6 steps to create a …
Middle school students are a challenge. When School Librarians understand this stage of physical and mental development, we can create scaffolded, grade-appropriate lessons that are engaging and co…
A book pass is the perfect activity to get students hooked on reading! Learn how with The Secret to a Great Book Pass (and 30 Middle School Titles to Use!)
Truly, library school doesn't teach you about 95% of what you need to know as a school librarian. So, I've decided to dedicate a section of this blog to all the new librarians out there. Please know that the struggle is real. It isn't you; it's all of us. We've all been there, and we're here to help.
Teacher attitude toward the school library determines student use of our facility. School Librarians can show teachers the benefits of collaboration & library visits by creating a customized l…
You can make the overdue book return process fun! Get ready for some simple tips for collecting library books at the end of the year!
The start of a new year at your school is a great time to change up your library program, generate new ideas and take risks.
These fun and flexible areas can help students develop creative and analytical thinking skills.
Welcome to Part Two of our three-part series about advertising your library programs. In Part One , we talked about posters: where to put ...
We know that school librarians increase student achievement. In fact, years of research show that librarians make a measurable difference for our students. This needs to be part of the important and essential conversations that we need to have as school librarians, teachers, administrators, parents and others interested and invested in the future of our children. In the Advocate's Toolbox from School Library Journal and Capstone, you can now find.... the amazing School Librarians Make a Difference infographic that our friends at Capstone have created for all of us to use as an advocacy and conversation piece. If you head to The Advocate's Toolbox, you can download the infographic here. I really love how they have laid the infographic out into 8 pages, because it will give us a chance to use pieces of this information in creative and helpful ways throughout the year. In fact, the Power of School Librarians infographic and this information can be used in so many ways. Here are a few mentioned on the page.... Include in discussions with your principal and other administrators. Post throughout your library on parents night Use to create a library fact-of-the-month display Share with your fellow teachers Add to your newsletters and website And don't forget to share this information with your students. Their voice and advocacy can be some of the best we have as librarians too. We want each and every one of our students, teachers, families and community members to definitely know the power of school librarians!
More reasons to hide out in a library all day!
As in many schools, my high school library is a hub of our building. Hundreds of students walk through our doors each day; administrators stop by; teachers are posted to duty at the circulation desk every period; custodians and security guards come to say hi; classes learn research--it is a space filled with energy. Because
As we approach Winter Break, I realized I haven't written many blog articles lately. I moved to a new city and started in a new-to-me library this year. I've been too busy to do much blog writing beyond my infamous New Releases posts and a couple of random book reviews. I'm about 10 book reviews behind, and they may never get written at this point. It's been an exhausting few months, but Winter Break looms large and lovely on the horizon...only one more week to go!
Truly, library school doesn't teach you about 95% of what you need to know as a school librarian. So, I've decided to dedicate a section of this blog to all the new librarians out there. Please know that the struggle is real. It isn't you; it's all of us. We've all been there, and we're here to help.
