We are passionate supporters of public libraries here at Pages Unbound. But there are still awesome services and programs I would love to see libraries provide! Here are ten cool ideas that would g…
Library bulletin boards can be a great way to show off your current programs, books, and ideas. We’ve gathered ideas to give you inspiration for your next bulletin board display!
If you use Facebook, #22 will make you laugh.
Next week marks the start of National Library Week!
Welcome them in and they'll never want to leave.
Over the last several years, I've done at lot of change up our library space at Stewart. Here's some of my tips to help you rethink your library.
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.
A monthly library book display is a great way to bring awareness to different topics, seasons, and celebrations. Check out these ideas!
I love the library I work in. I love my giant circulation desk with all of its counter space, the huge windows that let me see the sun shining through the trees, the birds chirping outside (except the one time a bird came in the library, but that's a story for another day), and all the space my students have to work or play games or read. The one thing I don't particularly love, though, is the giant support beam that sits right in front of my desk. It's pretty clear that the space my library's in was intended to be two separate classrooms at one point, and that this beam would normally be hidden in the wall, but when I sit at my desk, if I don't focus on the trees outside the windows or the shelves of books, I see a post. One of the first things I did this year as I was cleaning and organizing the library and working on making it welcoming and inviting for my students was to consider this post. It was just so ugly, and it's right in the middle of my space, so it's ugly and obvious. I tried to figure out what I could do with it to make it both useful and more pleasing to look at, when it hit me: I could use this post for student book reviews. The students could write short reviews of books they've read, and I could post them on the post (see what I did there?). I created a short review form. I wanted it to be short so the students wouldn't view it as an assignment and so that the students who are not strong in writing skills or who are learning English as their second language could also complete the form. Also, I wanted there to be room for lots of reviews on the post, so the paper needed to be small. I created a form that fits four-to-a-page and looks like this: I then printed this form on brightly colored paper, cut each paper into fourths, and made use of some leftover office supplies to display it like this: The first day these sat out on my desk, I had four students ask what they were. When they found out that they could write reviews for a book - any book - and that I would post the review, even if they didn't like the book, they were sold. They all took one sheet of each color, sat down, and wrote reviews for me. Pretty soon other students were curious, too, because the pole was becoming colorful and eye-catching instead of being an eyesore. Some teachers requested copies of the review form to use as an extra credit assignment in their classes. Some students took review papers and used them as bookmarks, then filled them out when they were finished reading their books. The students really enjoyed reading each other's reviews, looking for their own reviews on the post, and choosing books based on their classmates' recommendations. I think they also appreciated that there was no pressure with these review papers. I didn't check them for grammar or spelling, and I didn't mind if multiple reviews were written for one book. I have had to reprint the review forms on several occasions because they are so popular. Now, when students tell me they don't know what to read, in addition to traditional reader's advisory (which I truly enjoy doing), I can also point them to the review post and suggest that they look for a good book there. The review post is very full, to the point where I have had to overlap review forms because there simply isn't room. The students have asked when I plan to pull down all the reviews so we can start over. For now, I'm planning on leaving all the reviews up until the end of the school year, and in the fall we can start redecorating the post. Now when I sit at my desk, I don't mind if the post blocks my view of the sun-dappled trees outside; it's giving me a chance to see what my students are reading. As always, if you wish for a copy of my review form, I am more than willing to share! You can download an editable copy of this form here.
Next week marks the start of National Library Week!
Time to inspire and motivate your students with these 4 fun bulletin board ideas that are perfect for schools, classrooms, or libraries!
Haven't tried a book tasting with your students yet? This fun reading activity is an awesome way to introduce genres in your elementary classroom or library!
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.
Don't let a short schedule keep you from providing engaging library programming. These 30-minute library lessons are perfect for librarians!
Librarians: They're smarter than all of us.
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This outstanding visual is a timeless – and complete – list of reasons we should support libraries and librarians.
Libraries can be some of the most visually stunning meccas of architecture, but even if you aren't fortunate enough to live near one of the most beautiful libraries in the world - your local libraries can still contain some pretty creative designs. The following list is a collection of photos from everyday libraries that have been spiced up with hilarious and creative twists from the funny librarians who run them.
The countdown to spring has begun, and we wanted to usher in the flowers with this awesome bouquet project! With outdoor festivals in the future, this is a great little project to host at your lib…
Pokemon Go was all the rage in 2016. Fortnite in 2017. You get where we are going with this! Getting back into the swing of things of a new school year can be tricky, but we can help! An easy way to connect with your students is to make your back-to-school lessons relevant and relatable. How can you do this? We have compiled a list of several ways that you can easily incorporate teen trends into your back-to-school lessons for the first few weeks (or anytime!) of the year. Most teens love music and connect with it on a personal level. You can bridge that connection by incorporating music into your daily routines. For example, play an upbeat song between bell work and discussion time to motivate your students. If you struggle to know what's popular with your students, just ask them! The beginning of the year is the perfect time to find out more about them and their music preferences. You can give them a writing prompt asking what their favorite songs are or be even more specific; ask them: Which song makes you want to get up and dance? Which song could you listen to over and over again and never grow tired of? Once you have compiled a list of their favorite songs, search the lyrics of a few. You can often find the best examples of figurative language in song lyrics. If the lyrics are appropriate, print them off and play the song in class and ask students to find examples of figurative devices. This activity can be done anytime, but it's for great back-to-school to review figurative language and to gauge your students' learning levels. Another way to incorporate music directly into learning is to compare popular music artists with writers or subjects you are reading. During poetry and Shakespeare units, I love challenging students to see if they can guess whether the line or phrase is from a song or a poem. I created an entire series with various poets and musicians that you can download here. I'll start out with a presentation and a student handout so the as whole can engage in the activity. It's so much fun to see their reactions when they swear there's no way the line came from an old poet, but it actually did! The next day, I'll display the bulletin board (below) so students can continue to interact with the lines of poetry and songs. One way to grab the attention of your students is to explore books that may have been released since school has been out and/or sharing some titles of books that will be released in the coming months! Talk about anticipation! :) Here are a few YA books that came out recently: Girl Gone Viral by Arvin Ahmadi The Haunted by Danielle Vega We Walked the Sky by Lisa Fiedler Here are a few YA books that will be coming out soon: Frankly in Love by David Yoon The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh You can also see what your students are interested in by displaying these Genre Reading Cards around a few tables in your classroom (or in the library). Simply, set out the different genre cards, select a few books that fit within each genre, set a timer for 2-3 minutes and let your students explore the various titles. Follow-up with a brief discussion on their favorite books they may have already read (or discovered) through the stations. This is a quick and easy way to see what genres they are interested in or may be interested in exploring this school year. Whether it's the World Cup or the Super Bowl, chances are many of your students are fans of sports or are familiar with at least one sport. Using this FREE survey at the beginning of the year, ask your students which sports or teams are their favorite. (Click HERE to get an editable digital copy of the survey ready for distance learning!) Once you have an idea about their favorites, you can incorporate them into your lessons. For example, if you are writing a sample sentence for a grammar lesson, name-drop a player from one of their favorite teams. My students are usually divided between being either a Chicago Cubs or a St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan, so a sample sentence may be: "Anthony Rizzo and Dexter Fowler sat down together to have pizza after the Cubs defeated the Cardinals last night." Every two years, you can integrate the Olympics into your lessons. Re-word the titles of your activities or assignments by using Olympic-themed names. Instead of calling it a class discussion or a "think-pair-share," call it the "Opening Ceremony" or "Passing the torch of knowledge." A quiz can be called a bobsled competition or a vault competition for gymnastics. Award the top three scores with gold, silver and bronze medals. If you teach multiple sections of the same class, have your classes compete for the overall winner. Awards points for the class with the fewest tardies, the highest scores on quizzes or assignments, and/or the liveliest discussions. Better yet, have your students create the areas for competitions and what they'd like to call them. They can even pick which country they would like to represent (or create their own country). Some students may not like traditional sports, but love video and online gaming. The popularity of videos such as Minecraft and Fortnite paired with the rise of schools adopting eSports as official extracurricular activities indicate that our students still love gaming. Instead of fighting it, try to embrace it by giving students opportunities to utilize both the skills they learn through games with academic skills. For example, I asked my students to recreate a scene from Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. One group built Rome in Minecraft and reenacted one of the scenes live as the class watched. My head was swimming a bit, but it was pretty amazing to see what they created together and how they adapted it to the text. They learned more about the play from that one assignment and had so much fun doing it. This particular assignment may not work with other games, but if you allow your students the possibility of incorporating their favorite game into a project, you may be amazed at the ideas that they come up with. I don't know about you, but one of my favorite things as a student was when we were able to follow-up a book with a movie. As a visual person, I always appreciated when I saw a book come to life after reading it (even though most people prefer the book over the movie). Watching the movie after reading the book can lead to a lot of fun class discussions. Here are a few fun prompts that you can use to follow-up after your are done reading and watching! What did you like better, the book or the movie? Why was the book better than the movie? Why was the movie better than the book? What did the book have that the movie didn't? What did the movie have that the book didn't? A great way to grab the attention of your students would be to plan a unit around an upcoming movie release based on a book. This might be an older book or perhaps, a newer one. Regardless, your students will think it's pretty cool that they are going to be able to watch a movie. I realize it's not possible for all classes to be able to watch a movie in a theatre, but it's a fun and quick field trip if you can make it work! Movie theatres usually give a discount on larger groups and I usually try to work in a price that includes popcorn and a drink for everyone, too. If you think money may be an issue for some students, it does not hurt to ask your administraton for some assistance. They will, almost always, find a way to make sure everyone in your class is able to participate. You can also plan a unit around a particular theme of a movie coming out (or already in stores), if you're looking to take a break from reading for a few weeks. Once students gain a better understanding or appreciation about a particular theme, you can show them a movie where they can explore that theme even more. This way, if taking your students to a movie theatre isn't an option, then show a movie in your classroom instead! Note: You can ask your students which movies they may be interested in watching at the start of the year, then surprise them with the themed unit based around that film! One of the easiest ways to incorporate both social media and pop culture all at once is incorporating current events into your classroom. You can do this on a local, national or international level. You can simply ask your students to start talking about what's happening in your town, in the world, or even more specifically, with their favorite movie actors, singers, bands, etc. What's the gossip with their favorite celebrities? Once your ideas have been shared and topics have been listed, you can use this list as a means for an impromptu writing activity, as an essay topic, etc. The possibilities are endless. If you're interested in checking out more ways on how you can incorporate pop culture into the classroom, click HERE. You might also be interested in: Soundtrack of my Life/Playlist of my Summer
There are resources for kids' book tastings, but what about the grown people? Here's a how-to for hosting a book tasting for adults at a public library.
What principals know and think about school libraries we have learned largely from our own past experiences and school librarians. I have had the distinct honor and privilege to work with and learn from some amazing librarians over the course of my career. These innovative educators have shaped my belief in the indispensable value of robust school libraries. They also have transformed how I think about learning and how I make decisions as an instructional leader. Connecting School to the World Outside the Classroom The new National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries were released by
This article discusses behavior management in the elementary library.
In honor of Library Week, here are 13 awesome library displays.
Publicity is a wonderful thing, but blatant self-promotion is seen as a negative trait. What’s a library to do? One of the easiest ways t...
In 2017, I wrote a blog post titled "12 (mostly cheap) Teacher Tricks that Work in an Elementary Library." What I did not realize when I wrote that post was the positive response it would receive. The goal was to share simple, but effective strategies that I have found helpful when working with students in
Get your kids excited about exploring the library with these ten quiet books game that require very little preparation.
Hi friends!
As a child, my friends and I would talk about the books that we were reading while we ate our PB&J at the lunch table and on the bumpy bus rides home. Something tells me I wasn't your typical kid though. So, how do we get our students to discuss books? To share their favorites?
Recently, I've been looking back through photos of my media center at Stewart Middle Magnet from the past five years. I'm working on a conference presentation for the Florida Association for Media in Education about transforming library spaces. As I look back over these photos, I'm struck by how the space slowly evolved over this
This week kicked off a brand new school year at Van Meter as we learned with our administrators, teachers and friends. On Wednesday, we were given some time to connect with the teachers to share information about the library program. As we prepared for this time together, I started thinking about all of the amazing ways that librarians on the Future Ready Librarian Facebook Page have shared. I especially love.... the menus Charles Scardina, Kelsey Erin and... James Allen created. Not only were they filled with wonderful information, they were all so cool too! Jessica and I started brainstorming and decided to put a little twist on ours. We made it like a movie or production by starting it out with... The Van Meter School Library Presents A Special New Feature During The 2018-19 School Year! We then split it into categories tying into thetheme.... Starring, Setting, Acts and Special Features. And of course included all of us as Friendmoji's too. It was such a good exercise to sit down and put all of these skills and thoughts onto paper. And of course, while I did this, I had the Future Ready Librarian framework sitting right next to me so I could reference and tie it into the work we will do with our school community. Then I thought.... After we give them this program, we should create something to get them even more engaged in these ideas. How could we get them thinking about how they will use the information and put it into action to help them in their classroom and throughout their work too? We got it! A ticket! What a perfect tie in to the theme! As you can see on the ticket, we tied in the same theme and lots of the same verbiage as the program. They will even find a little ticket at the bottom of their flyer to encourage them to look for a ticket that.... ..,,will encourage them to think about how we can help and write down their needs to give to us in our library...one more way to get them into the library too. To go along with the movie theme, we attached microwave popcorn... and the big boxes of movie popcorn with red and white yarn. It was so much fun to put these together with the tickets. We put all 70 of these little gifts into a big basket to bring with us. So, Wednesday was the day! The day that Jessica and I were going to kick off this awesome new partnership between us and with all of the teachers, students, administrators and families within our school community. The first impression we made on that day, will have a lasting impact all year long...and into the future. As we finished up meeting and talking with all of the secondary teachers, we made our way down to the elementary library where we had set up a special place for them to come in the afternoon. We put the little ticket packages and the What Your Teacher Librarian Can Do For You posters on each table where the teachers would be sitting. As they arrived at the library, we spoke about all of the special things we can do as their teacher librarian and how we can work together all year long. At the end of our time together, I was so happy to see our friend Amy give us this note. It worked! It was successful in bringing together communities in useful and special ways that will impact our students every single day.
Which one is your favorite?
Think you can’t take the librarian out of the library? You’d be wrong! Read on for eight kinds of opportunities for online librarian jobs!
These professional development books for librarians are a great way to refresh and reset before the new school year!
Presenting information, data, or library instruction content, in appealing and innovative formats offers librarians opportunities to engage students and library users in services, resources, and in…
Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) signs mean a template for librarians to classify and arrange schemes used in libraries for books and other items. One of the most popular library categorization methods in use today was created by Melvil Dewey in the late 19th century: the Dewey Decimal categorization system..
Even though libraries are citadels of silence, guarding humanity's best thoughts, it doesn't mean that humor is forbidden there. To prove that a giggle can easily accompany a pleasant read, Bored Panda has collected a list of some of the funniest examples of librarian humor.
Some school libraries are reinventing themselves as makerspaces, but this Ohio library took a slightly different approach and has seen incredible results.
If you were to pick up one of my classroom library books, you would probably see 3 different labels on them. I have tried SO many different organization and labeling systems over the years. My current system has worked well for my third graders, but before I dive into that, let's run through the disasters
We did it 😍 @netflix #bookflix @Ks1Mrs
Libraries can be some of the most visually stunning meccas of architecture, but even if you aren't fortunate enough to live near one of the most beautiful libraries in the world - your local libraries can still contain some pretty creative designs. The following list is a collection of photos from everyday libraries that have been spiced up with hilarious and creative twists from the funny librarians who run them.
Haven't tried a book tasting with your students yet? This fun reading activity is an awesome way to introduce genres in your elementary classroom or library!
