Tag: School Library

Five Fun Fall Picture Books to Read Aloud

(Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links, and if you click through and make a purchase, I will receive compensation at no additional cost to you.)

Leaves are changing, temps are dropping, terrifying decorations are adorning my neighbors’ yards, and pumpkin spice everything has been in full force for two months – yup, we’re smack in the middle of fall! Autumn may not be my favorite season weatherwise, and I’m NOT into spooky stuff, but I do enjoy sharing some light fall read alouds with the students in my school library!

There are so many wonderful books set in autumn, but to keep this post short and sweet, I picked five favorites to highlight today.

Leif and the Fall
Leif and the Fall
Leif and the Fall

I love the book Leif and the Fall by Allison Sweet Grant and Adam Grant. It’s the story of Leif, a leaf who is afraid to fall to the ground. With the help of his friend Laurel, Leif designs numerous inventions to keep himself from falling or to brace his fall, but none of them works as he hopes they will, and he ends up discarding them all on the ground. When he can hold on no longer and the wind finally whisks him from the tree, he is surprised by what he discovers when he lands. This is a great story, and its wonderful lesson is especially appropriate if you incorporate STEAM into your library classes.

The Leaf Thief
The Leaf Thief: (The Perfect Fall Book for Children and Toddlers)
The Leaf Thief: (The Perfect Fall Book for Children and Toddlers)

The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming tells the story of a squirrel who is certain that there is a THIEF on the loose who is STEALING his leaves. With wonderful illustrations and captivating dialogue between the squirrel and his wise bird friend, this story is perfect for students in kindergarten and first grade! (Want some FREE learning resources to go with this book? Download a freebie from my TpT store that includes math and literacy printables that your students can use after reading this story!)

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Fall is Not Easy
Fall Is Not Easy
Fall Is Not Easy

This short read aloud by Marty Kelley always delights my students! It is the story of a tree whose leaves always turn colors in wacky patterns! Instead of turning all red or orange like the other trees, this tree’s leaves change colors to resemble a soccer ball, hamburger, smiley face, and more. After reading this story, I give students a chance to draw their own trees that have changed colors in unusual and fun patterns. I have used this book with kids from Preschool through third grade over the years, and it is always seems to be a hit! (Sadly, it is out of print, so if you happen to find an inexpensive copy available on Amazon, snatch it up! Otherwise, check your local public library or a used book store!)

The Pumpkin Patch Parable
The Pumpkin Patch Parable: Special Edition (Parable Series)
The Pumpkin Patch Parable: Special Edition (Parable Series)

I discovered The Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs last year and knew it would be a great fit for my preschool class in the Catholic school where I teach! The preschoolers have a farm-themed week in their classroom in early October, and The Pumpkin Patch Parable is a perfect story to end the week and tie in with their theme. The book explains the steps a farmer takes to grow and harvest his crops, how to carve a pumpkin, and at the end, the author brings the story to another level by encouraging listeners to let God’s light shine through them just as a jack o’ lantern lights up the dark night. I enjoy reading it to the preschool students in my library, and it would also be a great gift for Christian children at this time of year in families who may be looking for a “not scary” story to celebrate the fall season.

Little Acorn
Little Acorn
Little Acorn

Little Acorn by Melanie Joyce is another story that I added to my read aloud repertoire for preschool library class last year. It chronicles the story of an acorn who falls to the ground, is hidden underground by a squirrel, and grows into an oak tree. The book explains the life cycle of an oak tree in rhyming verse, and those little acorn illustrations by Gina Maldonado Ruiz are just so cute!

I hope you decide to share some of my fall favorites with your students in your classroom or library!

If you are looking for resources to teach library skills this autumn, feel free to visit some of my other fall-themed blog posts such as this post where I have a FREE skeleton-themed book care worksheet for you to download, or this one with links to some of the first fall library TpT products I designed!

Or, check out this apple-themed library resource in my TpT Store:

I hope your students enjoy reading and learning their way through fall!

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Back-to-School Read Alouds for the School Library

(Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links, and if you click through and make a purchase, I will receive compensation at no additional cost to you.)

Some of my first priorities when I begin the school year in my elementary library are helping to build my school’s culture of kindness and sharing my love of books with the students.

In keeping with these goals, the first few stories that I share with my elementary students are centered around social emotional learning, the wonder of libraries, and book care.

Here are a few of my favorite books that I have read aloud to students at the beginning of the school year!

Kindness is a Kite String
Kindness is a Kite String: The Uplifting Power of Empathy
Kindness is a Kite String: The Uplifting Power of Empathy

Kindness is a Kite String is a sweet book by Michelle Schaub about how kindness can change the world, one small kind act at a time. I like to read this one to the second graders.

The Day You Begin
The Day You Begin
The Day You Begin

I love this book by Jacqueline Woodson! This is one of the few books during the year that I actually do not read aloud to the kids myself, but instead I love to share the Youtube video of the author reading it. There is something so soothing and kind about her voice that sets a tone of peace and acceptance, and I love to get the kids thinking about the power authors have to share stories.

The Invisible Boy
The Invisible Boy
The Invisible Boy

This book by Trudy Ludwig shares the story of Brian, a quiet boy who feels invisible among the students in his noisy classroom. The book promotes inclusion, kindness, and celebrating our differences. From a library lesson perspective, it is also a great book for talking about the important role of an illustrator, since the unique illustrations by Patrice Barton tell us a lot about how Brian is feeling throughout the story.

The Good Egg
The Good Egg
The Good Egg

Kids love these books in “The Food Group” by Jory John, and I like reading The Good Egg at the beginning of the year because it addresses social-emotional learning in an accessible, fun way. This story speaks to students who struggle with stress and perfectionism and sends positive messages about kindness, self-care, and acceptance.

The Library Bus
The Library Bus
The Library Bus

I see the beginning of the year as an opportunity to give my students some perspective on the importance of books and the role libraries play around the world. The Library Bus by Bahram Ramham is a wonderful book that I love to share with upper elementary students as a reminder of how blessed my students are to have access to education and so many shelves of books.

Waiting for the Biblioburro
Waiting for the Biblioburro
Waiting for the Biblioburro

Set in a different part of the world, but with similar themes to The Library Bus, Waiting for the Biblioburro is another great story that shows that access to books is not universal or uniform around the world. I hope that sharing this story with my upper elementary students at the start of the school year inspires them to really dive into our school library and all it has to offer.

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The Book That Jake Borrowed
The Book That Jake Borrowed
The Book That Jake Borrowed

Switching gears, this silly story by Susan Kralovansky is perfect for your beginning of school book care lessons! Check out another post I wrote specifically about The Book that Jake Borrowed for more information and a printable freebie to go with the book!

Mr. Wiggle’s Book
Mr. Wiggle's Book
Mr. Wiggle’s Book

This book about a cute bookworm is an oldie-but-goodie by Paula M. Craig and Carol L. Thompson that my students look forward to each year! Reading it is a perfect way to start the year and remind students to develop good book care habits. It’s out of print, though, so if you happen to click the link and a used copy happens to be available, grab it, because they are hard to come by!

I also read its companion, Mr. Wiggle Loves to Read, to my students as well.

If you are looking for resources to go along with these back-to-school books, feel free to check out some that I use in my library at the beginning of the school year:

I hope this post has helped you find a couple of new titles to try in your school library! Feel free to keep the conversation going and share one of your favorite start-of-school read alouds in the comments!

(Disclosure: The following banner is an affiliate link, and if you click through and make a purchase, I will receive compensation at no additional cost to you.)

School Library Freebies on TpT!

(Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links, and if you click through and make a purchase, I will receive compensation at no additional cost to you.)

(There are also numerous links to free TpT products…which are free…so no one receives compensation for those…but if you click through on those YOU get a free resource! Hurray!).

It’s been awhile, librarian friends, but I’m finally back with another list of amazing FREE products for your school library / media center! If you’ve visited my blog before, you know that I love TpT (the amazing site formerly known as Teachers Pay Teachers…and still located at teacherspayteachers.com…but now officially just TpT…it’s a whole thing).

Anyway, I’m constantly buying and designing TpT resources – but really, my absolute FAVORITE thing to do on the site is to download FREE resources. It’s just like snacking on free samples at a wholesale club, but without the empty calories and sticky fingers!

Bon appetite!

Genres

Enhance your library lessons about book genres with these awesome freebies!

  • This colorful Book Genre List by Erica Daniels would look stylish on a bulletin board or make a great handout for your students!
  • Reinforce the concept of fiction vs. nonfiction with this freebie by SPO Resources! (Pssst! I also have a freebie available in one of my blog posts that you can add to your collection of resources for this topic! Might as well double up on the fiction/nonfiction freebie fun!)
  • Here are some task cards by Copeland’s Got Class that you can use with your genre lessons!
  • These posters by Karin Stephens explain basic information about popular genres of literature!
  • Or try this set of free genre posters by Sharp in Second!
  • And here we have a more complex genre categorizing activity by Teaching and Motivating Teens for middle school students!
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Text Features / Parts of a Book

When it’s time to teach your library students about text features and parts of a book, these FREE resources can help!

  • I’m excited to try this one with my students this year! It’s called the Nonfiction Text Features Linktivity® by The Classroom Nook, and at the time I’m writing this blog post, it has been downloaded over 39,000 times, so I’m guessing it’s pretty engaging!
  • Here is a popular text feature poster by Positively Primary!
  • Assess your students’ knowledge about text features with these free printables by Katelyn Shepard – Lip Gloss Learning and Lattes!
  • Julia Erin has designed this beautiful set of posters and printables for teaching about parts of a book!
  • Or try another set of printables by For the Teacher – Emilee Ray to help you with your parts of a book lessons!
This image is a derivative of a photo by
I. H Cho of Pixabay

Dictionary Skills & ABC Order

Students need plenty of practice with dictionary skills and alphabetical order!

  • Here is a dictionary skills printable by The Dinostore for your collection!
  • Your little library learners can practice their alphabetical order skills with this freebie by Resources by Rachel!
  • This resource (by me!) includes several literacy and math printables to go with the picture book The Leaf Thief, including one that gives your students a chance to practice ABC order!
  • This freebie by ACParker allows students to work on ABC order, and it’s a great resource to file away and use in the spring!

Dewey Stuff

Teach your students about how the library is organized and encourage them to sample books from different areas of the nonfiction section!

  • These classic, understated Dewey Decimal Signs from Boundless Teaching and Learning would be just perfect to display in your nonfiction section!
  • This free printable by The Middle School Librarian gives students practice identifying in which section they can find certain nonfiction subjects in the library!
  • Michael Zetterberg’s Do the Dewey reading challenge is a creative way to encourage your students to explore the nonfiction section when they are selecting books to read!

Coding & STEAM

Add to your bag of tricks for Coding / STEAM / STEM lessons with these free products!

  • This fall, you can begin educating your students about coding with this autumn-themed unplugged coding activity by Tonya Coffey – Shen Valley Teacher!
  • If your students utilize both code.org and Scratch, this comparison chart by Miss Martin on the Go will help your students keep track of the functionality of the different types of blocks they will use with each!
  • With over 100,000 downloads, there is no question that this Mystery Build STEM challenge by Teachers Are Terrific is an excellent resource for librarians!

Library Signage and Decor

Transform your library with informational, inspirational, or otherwise sensational printables!

  • Created by Mrs Millis has a free, gorgeous bunting in her shop that reads “Read, Grow, Inspire”!
  • Set up some new book displays in no time at all with these Book Display Signs by beckiegirlbooks!
  • Just in time for the Barbie movie, That Library Girl has designed a fabulous freebie to help you set up a Barbie-themed book display in your biography section!
  • Here are some posters by The Kinder Lab and another set by Ms E Teacher of Tiny Humans that feature book characters!
  • This set of posters by O Some Great Stuff for English Teachers displays the covers of many popular and classic books. What an excellent way to decorate your middle school or high school media center for FREE!
  • Stash this one away for February! How cute are these free library-themed conversation hearts by Lacey Librarian?! I can’t wait to print and display them in my school library around Valentine’s Day!
  • If your fiction section is organized by genre or you want to feature a certain genre in a display, you will love these free fiction genre signs by Janet Miller!
  • Remind your students of the proper way to take care of a book with this free poster by Good Times and Good Books!
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Clip Art

Decorate your library newsletters, posters, and more with cute and FREE clip art from TpT’s fantastic clip artists!

Bookmarks

Free bookmarks are awesome! Download and print some of these for your school library to encourage reading, creativity, and proper book care!

Free and Fantastic

These products don’t fit neatly into one the categories above, but they’re sure to be a perfect fit in your school library!

  • Share your class agenda with these stylish slides by The Sparkling Librarian!
  • This pack of library printables by Black Girl in the Library includes fun activities for your students!
  • These book series labels by Elementary Library Resources could be a spectacular addition to your library!
  • File these library-themed coloring activities by Brittany Henderson with your back-to-school materials! Students can work together to make an amazing collaborative “We Love Our Library” poster!
  • Add this free printable by The Adorable Librarian to book care lessons this year!
  • Use these book lists by The Hungry Teacher to get some ideas of books you may wish to purchase for your library or recommend to students!
  • Introduce the topic of citing sources with this free coloring page (by me!). I love how much big kids enjoy the opportunity to color!
  • Give the game “Would You Rather?” a library spin using this freebie from Jennifer Siderius!

That’s all the free snacks for today, folks! I hope you enjoyed downloading these fabulous freebies from so many wonderful TpT shops!

Still hungry for more freebies? I’ve written several other blog posts that will provide you with even more free products you can use in your school library!

Check them out:

If you enjoyed these TpT freebies, make sure to follow my blog so that you can be sure not to miss my next post!

**Thank you to the TpT teacher-authors who gave me permission to include their free resources in this post! Please feel free to support their small businesses by following their stores and leaving feedback on their freebies!**

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Free, Cheap, and Worth-the-Money STEAM Products for Your School Library or Classroom

(Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links, and if you click through and make a purchase, I will receive compensation at no additional cost to you.)

With summer vacation here at last, I’ve been able to step back from the chaos of every day, pause, and evaluate. We have finished up a “more normal” school year, so to speak, where my students actually got to visit the library and touch books and share materials. Having gone without a lot of my STEAM stuff during the 2020-2021 school year, I think my students were at their happiest this past year when they were finally designing, constructing, and building!

Here are some of their favorite hands-on things…that they can finally put their hands on again!

Free & Almost Free

If you are new to integrating STEAM into your school library or classroom, it is important to know that it does not have to be expensive. There are thousands of really cool STEAM challenges that students can complete with upcycled materials or items that can be purchased for less than $5.

My students’ favorite things to build with that are free or super cheap include:

STEAM Products That Deliver Bang for Your Buck

Although the free and super inexpensive stuff is a great place to start, there are tons of fantastic products out there that may be a great fit for your library or classroom if you are willing to make a just little bit more of an investment. With shrinking budgets, I know how important it can be to make sure your students are going to enjoy and benefit from the products you purchase. I have bought a number of STEAM related products for my library over the last few years, and I believe these to be some of my best purchases in terms of value (and at the time of this post, each of these are less than $50).

Code and Go Mouse

Learning Resources Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set, 83 Pieces, Ages 4+, Screen-Free Early Coding Toy for Kids, Interactive STEM Coding Pet
Learning Resources Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set, 83 Pieces, Ages 4+, Screen-Free Early Coding Toy for Kids, Interactive STEM Coding Pet

My students absolutely love this guy. The Code and Go Robot Mouse helps students to learn basic coding skills without adding screen time to their day. Children also benefit from designing and building tracks for the mouse. If I were to pick one STEAM product that I have purchased that has been most beneficial to my students, this would be it! (I use this with kindergarten and up.)

Straws and Connectors

Roylco Straws and Connectors Building Kit - Pack of 230 - Assorted Colors
Roylco Straws and Connectors Building Kit – Pack of 230 – Assorted Colors

These are just so versatile. Kids use their imaginations to build so many different structures with these straws. I purchased the Roylco brand and my students have enjoyed using them, but there are tons of options on the market – you just want slightly flexible straws and something to hold them together and you’ll get hours of creative building. (I use these with preschool and up.)

Plus Plus Blocks

PLUS PLUS - Baseplate Duo & 240 Piece Basic Tube Set - Construction Building STEM Toy, Interlocking Mini Puzzle Blocks for Kids
PLUS PLUS – Baseplate Duo & 240 Piece Basic Tube Set – Construction Building STEM Toy, Interlocking Mini Puzzle Blocks for Kids

These blocks were new to my library this year and such a great addition to our materials. Students can build small structures or intricate designs in 2D or 3D, and they are perfect for individual use or collaboration. My students asked for these over and over. (I use these with preschool and up.)

LASER MAZE

Think Fun Laser Maze (Class 1) Brain Game and STEM Toy for Boys and Girls Age 8 and Up – Award Winning and Mind Challenging Game for Kids (44001014)
Think Fun Laser Maze (Class 1) Brain Game and STEM Toy for Boys and Girls Age 8 and Up – Award Winning and Mind Challenging Game for Kids (44001014)

I have some huge fans of the Laser Maze in my library. The goal of this game is to set up a series of mirrors so that a laser beam bounces off of them in a certain pattern. Students can also experiment and set up the mirrors in their own design. One downside is that this is essentially a one-player activity, so I have purchased two of them and use them in a center for two children at a time. (I use them with 2nd Grade and up.)

GeoMag CONFETTI Set

GEOMAG Magnetic Sticks and Balls Building Set | 50 Piece | Magnet Toys for STEM | Creative, Educational Construction Play | Swiss-made Innovation | Confetti | Age 3+
GEOMAG Magnetic Sticks and Balls Building Set | 50 Piece | Magnet Toys for STEM | Creative, Educational Construction Play | Swiss-made Innovation | Confetti | Age 3+

This was another new product I tried for the first time this year, and it was definitely a winner! These magnetic rods and balls are wonderful for building shapes and exploring the properties of magnets. (I use these with preschool and up.)

BrainBuilder Blocks

MindWare KEVA Brain Builders Set of 2: Original KEVA Brain Builders and KEVA Brain Builders Junior – Great Addition to STEM Building Toys and Classroom Games – 40 Planks & 70 Puzzles Total
MindWare KEVA Brain Builders Set of 2: Original KEVA Brain Builders and KEVA Brain Builders Junior – Great Addition to STEM Building Toys and Classroom Games – 40 Planks & 70 Puzzles Total

This is a very simple product but one that makes it easy to see the wheels turning in my students’ minds. I have both the BrainBuilders and BrainBuilders Jr. and I usually just put both sets out at once. The pieces are simple wooden KEVA planks with cards that show different items you can build. The students have to figure out how to assemble the blocks to make them look like the picture. They are always so proud of themselves when they succeed! (I use these with preschool and up.)

ECOBEAMS

Miniland ECO Beams Building Set
Miniland ECO Beams Building Set

These no-frills beams are great for little kids who would like to build large structures. Connecting these together takes a little bit of getting used to, but is great for fine motor skills. I have a couple of sets of these that I use all together so that students can build towers as big as they are! (I use these with preschool and up.)

Ready? Full STEAM Ahead!

By gathering these free, low-cost, or value-priced STEAM materials over the summer, you can integrate STEAM into your library or classroom as you begin the upcoming school year!

What are your favorite free, low-cost, or “worth-the-money” STEAM products? Share your favorites in the comments!

Yes! EVEN MORE Freebies for Your School Library on Teachers Pay Teachers

It’s THAT time of year – that stretch of late February when spring seems so close but SO far.

Spring…you are out there somewhere…right? RIGHT??!! – This image is a derivative of a photo by freegr from Pixabay

So…to brighten your day…I think it’s a perfect time for some freebies!

If you’re new around here, I should let you know that I LOVE the free products on TpT. (That’s why I design so many for my store!)

I also LOVE compiling lists of cool freebies on TpT for school librarians. (If you’ve never seen one of my lists before, check out this one and this one and this one too!)

So without further ado, here’s my latest list of FREE products for teacher-librarians on Teachers Pay Teachers. Snuggle up and get downloading, friends!

STEAM / Makerspace

Let’s start off with these imagination-boosting STEM challenge cards by Teaching Dinos! Students will enjoy building their way through desert survival scenarios!

And check out this playground design freebie from EdTech classroom! Your students will have a ball as they design and build a prototype of a playground!

Which of your students can build the longest paper chain? Find out with this easy and fun stem challenge. (This was a perfect fit for my firsties right before Christmas! We used red paper, and after our class, the kids brought them home to use as decorations!) The free resource includes a versatile engineering and design planning sheet that would work for many different types of stem challenges!

Here’s a perfect stem challenge to wrap up a long winter – a “build an igloo” challenge by The Classroom Around the Corner!

Coding

Help your library learners get ready for coding with these unplugged coding activities! TpT has this super freebie by PixelPixiesPH and this one by EdTech Classroom! So fun!

Genres

When you teach your students about literary genres, TpT has plenty of free posters to help you out! Try this set by Teaching Literacy and this set by A First for Everything with Julie Pettersen!

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Library Signage & Posters

Bring some style to your library space and make things easy to find by labeling sections with these signs by Joyful Librarian!

And these signs by TaylorMade-1st Grade are great for teaching students about how to take care of books!

And now, it’s time for a freebie designed by me! I made this free poster set to spread positivity and remind students that libraries offer something for everyone!

Dictionary Skills / ABC Order

Give your students a chance to practice their dictionary skills with this great freebie by Little Red Writing House and another one by Free to Teach.

Now here’s a cute one for winter! Students can review ABC order and using guide words with this freebie by Wild in Second Grade!

From Mrs Humphries class, try this free activity to give your students an opportunity to practice alphabetical order!

Image by Stock Photo Stop

Setting the Standard has a double feature for us – ABC order printable task cards and Boom Cards™. Your little library friends can practice those ABCs whether you are teaching in person or virtually or a little of both!

In this freebie by More Than Math by Mo, students can enjoy an arctic animals theme as they practice their alphabetical order skills!

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Research

Here are some terrific resources you can use when you are teaching your students how to research.

For your littles, this animal-themed research freebie by ATBOT the Book Bug would be a fun way to learn beginning research skills!

And this freebie by Travis Terry would make a great research assignment for your older students (and their science teachers will love you!)

This image is a derivative of a photo by VIVIANE MONCONDUIT from Pixabay

For The Little Ones

Your preschool or kindergarten library students will love making these adorable library memory books by the Brave Little Librarian!

And this resource by ATBOT the Book Bug includes several activities your littlest library students will enjoy during your lessons about fiction and nonfiction!

Here’s a cute puzzle by Naomi Meredith for your little guys to complete when you introduce the topic of digital citizenship!

And let’s not forget these adorable library-themed songs by Vr2lTch!

Bookmarks

You can never have too many bookmarks! There are tons of cute, printable, and FREE options on TpT! Such as…

  • This kindness-themed set by White’s Workshop!
  • This gaming-themed set by ATBOT the Book Bug!
  • This hidden picture set by Inner Pieces Gallery!
  • This set designed for middle and high school students by My Lovely Middle!
  • This Valentine’s Day themed set by Hot Chocolate ESL Education!
  • This set from Michael Friermood – The Thinker Builder, which also comes with complimentary and adorable posters!

Especially for Library Life in a Pandemic

Now it’s time for a SHOUT OUT to my fellow sanitizer-scented librarians who have the pleasure of teaching in person this school year! Here are a couple of goodies especially for you.

Did you ever think that book quarantining would be a thing? Yeah, me neither. But since it is, here’s some signage so you can label those potentially germy books while they de-germify! We’ve got a free book quarantine sign by To the Classroom and Beyond. And if you want a poster that really gets into the nitty-gritty of book quarantining dos and don’ts, here’s one from Flip and Flutter Creations!

And here are some signs by Shirley Anderson to remind students about sanitizing their hands before and after they touch books.

And to encourage social distancing, here is a free printable sign I designed that you can print off as a reminder of the expectation to social distance in the library or media center.

Fantastic and Fun Finds

These freebies didn’t fit neatly into my other categories, but they are just too darn awesome to pass up!

Are you teaching virtually and need a banner to make your Google Classroom™ a little brighter? Byte Sized Resources has you covered with this free banner set! Or, try this one by The LibrariYan! Or download both and keep switching them up!

I made this free deck of Boom Cards™ to help students practice organizing fiction books in alphabetical order by call number! It’s great for in-person learning or digital learning (if I do say so myself!). 😁

And this free product from Hands on Reading includes a fun library scavenger hunt and a book spine poetry activity!

So Many Freebies!

This concludes our latest TpT-freebie-ganza! Please visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store (and the stores of any of these great TpT teacher-authors!) so you can discover other fantastic resources that will help you through that last L-O-N-G stretch of the school year!

**Thank you so much to the Teachers Pay Teachers teacher-authors who gave me permission to include links to their free resources in this post! Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my blog so you don’t miss my next post!**

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The 2018 Teacher-Librarian Stores Catalog is Here!

Since you all know I’m a book person, I guess it doesn’t come as a big surprise that I am also a catalog person. (Well, at least I was when I was a kid and didn’t notice all the clutter that goes along with being on mailing lists!)

I remember afternoons as a kid, sitting there and thumbing through the glossy pages of the JCPenney catalog, looking at all the pretty things set up on pretty pages. I don’t subscribe to many catalogs anymore to try to avoid unnecessary piles of paper in my house (as opposed to the necessary piles that already take up too much space!). But now that back to school is approaching, I do allow myself to flip through the occasional back-to-school circular…and I also spend some quality time with the digital (so, not glossy, but still pretty) Teacher-Librarian Stores Catalog by my TpT colleague Mrs. J in the Library!

TpT is awesome, but let’s face it – it can be overwhelming sometimes! If you go to the site without a specific resource in mind, but instead you just want to window shop to find inspiration and ideas, there is a ton of stuff to wade through. I just typed “library” into the search bar and got 42,236 results. What?!

Mrs. J in the Library has been compiling this catalog for several years now to help offer school librarians a simplified, streamlined process for shopping for Teachers Pay Teachers materials for their school libraries. This year, it features ten teacher-authors who specialize in resources for the library/media center, and each page is full of clickable links to fabulous products that will work well in the school library. The catalog also includes back-to-school tips and ideas so you can do a little PD while you are browsing.

I am excited that my store is part of the catalog this year! Feel free to download it and look at the beautiful displays of libraryliciousness…without cluttering your desk.

(I will be doing the same!) 🙂

A New Life for Used Books

I love working in a school library, but one of the parts of my job I have a tough time with is saying “thanks, but no thanks” to some of the donations that come in. I think most teachers and librarians LOVE books, and even when you’ve already got two copies of one particular Clifford book, it’s hard to say “no” to a third.  I mean, it’s a book! It needs a reader, and for a reader to find it, it needs to live in a library, right?

As a result, in my early years at my job, I collected quite a mountain of donations that I thought I would maybe, someday, possibly catalog…but obviously that extra time never presented itself and many of the donated books just sat there, waiting and lonely.

Then, one day, these books got a new chance at life when I heard about a fabulous organization that can turn used books into a library for people who may never have had one before. The African Library Project builds libraries in different African countries and fills them with books collected through book drives held around the United States. By working with this organization, my school was able to build a school library in Ghana.

 

Image courtesy of the African Library Project

Spreading Literacy, One Book Drive at a Time

According to their website, since Chris Bradshaw began the African Library Project in 2005, they have helped to build 2384 libraries in the countries of Kenya, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Malawi, Swaziland, Botswana, Nigeria, Lesotho, Cameroon, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Ghana (which is where the books from my school now live!). In order to help the African Library Project start an African library, a U.S. school (or organization, sports team, Scout troop, family, or awesome person) must collect at least 1000 books and $500 to ship the books. The U.S. groups and schools are paired with a site in Africa, which is neat because the U.S. groups will know exactly where their donations are going.

When I heard about the ALP and signed up to do a book drive at my school, the mountain of extra donations to my school library became our book drive’s very first donation. In a few weeks’ time, thanks to more book donations from students and volunteers, we had collected way more than the required 1000 books. It was then time to sort through the books to identify books that would be a good fit for our Ghanaian partner school, since the ALP has guidelines about what types of books are best to send. We found 1000 good ones and donated the others to other charities that collect books.

Since I work at a Catholic school where the students wear uniforms, a couple of “dress down days” was all it took to raise the $500 needed for shipping the books. The ALP has a pretty cool and cost-effective way of getting the books to Africa. Each book drive is packed up by the U.S. school or organization and mailed USPS to a warehouse in Louisiana. Then, a whole bunch of book drives from all over the nation are shipped by boat to Africa. It usually takes about $250 to mail 1000 books to Louisiana (when we did our book drive, we hit that figure almost on the nose), and then the ALP asks the folks behind each book drive to send another $250 check directly to the ALP, which, together with the money from other book drives, funds the boat trip to Africa.

Image courtesy of the African Library Project

Building Awareness and Library Skills While Building a Library

It obviously felt good to know that my lonely donations were going to be loved by children who may not have had an opportunity to love too many books before. But I wanted to make sure that my students benefited from this project, too, so I tried to help raise my students’ awareness and give them a chance to use their research skills during our book drive.

I had my seventh and eighth grade students use library resources to do some research about the country of Ghana, and then they wrote and illustrated picture books to share what they had learned with my younger students. I also spoke to all my classes about libraries around the world, explained that access to books is limited in some parts of the world, and tried to help my students realize how blessed they are that they are learning to read and that they have access to information. (I mean, really!?! How amazing is it that most Americans have access to THOUSANDS of books at their local public library, not to mention all the reading material online! What a blessing that we take for granted so often!)

Overall, my experience with the African Library Project was wonderful, and it was a great feeling to know that my school was a little part of this amazing project that is spreading literacy. Since we ran our book drive in 2013, other teachers in my school have held book drives to support other great organizations, so I haven’t been able to get a second ALP book drive together at school, but it is definitely something I would like to do again! There is something so special about the idea of one school helping another and one library getting another one started.

Image courtesy of the African Library Project

How awesome is it to think that somewhere in Ghana, that extra copy of a Clifford book that started out in a box in my library is helping to bring the joy of reading to a child?!

For more information or to start your own book drive, please visit the African Library Project’s website.

Copyright Resources for Teachers and Librarians

This image is a derivative of a CC0 image courtesy of StartupStockPhotos on pixabay

The internet is overflowing with information and media. There is just SO much content out there, and much of it is just a few clicks away! As someone who remembers looking at documents on those old microform machines for my own school assignments, I am, frankly, a little jealous of today’s students. (However, I did get to say the word “microfiche” from time to time, and our students don’t, and it’s a pretty fun word to say. So there.)

The downside to so much information that is easy to access and free? It’s easy to access and free, so kids can forget that it does not belong to them. Just because you CAN copy and paste and download words, pictures, songs, and videos from the internet in less than 5 seconds doesn’t mean you should. And if you do, it does not mean they are YOURS.

On the other hand, all those words, pictures, songs, and videos ARE there to be read, seen, heard, and accessed, and some of them, such as those in the public domain, are even available for almost any type of use. As teachers and librarians, we want our kids to find and use information, and although we don’t want them to misuse others’ creations, we certainly don’t want them to be afraid of finding and using media and information. We want to help our students learn to synthesize information and create new content, all while being respectful of others who have also created content.

With the complex nuances of copyright law and the ever-changing nature of technology, helping kids with all that can be a daunting task. But, I figured I’d take a stab at helping you help them!

This image is a derivative of a CC0 image courtesy of rawpixel on pixabay

Below, you’ll find links to some resources you can use to help your students get on the right track when it comes to copyright issues.

Disclaimer: I am NOT an attorney, so I cannot attest to the accuracy and validity of any information that can be found on any of the websites/resources I’ve linked to below! At the time this post was published, these websites and resources provided information that, based on my experience as an educator, may be useful to teachers, librarians, and students.

Copyright and Creative Commons Resources for Educators
  1. Common Sense Education – The Common Sense Education organization has created several fabulous videos and lesson plans that can help you teach your students about copyright, such as this Copyrights and Wrongs lesson – all available for free! That particular lesson was designed for high school students, but it could be adapted for middle schoolers, and there are other lessons for younger students on the site as well. (You do need to create an account to access these lessons, but it’s easy and free, and there is bunch of other cool digital citizenship stuff there too that you might be able to use!)
  2. Copyright Kids – Copyrightkids.org, created by the Copyright Society of the USA, is a kid-friendly site that kids can use to explore basic information about copyright law. In the past, I have asked students to visit the site to learn some background info on copyright and then take the Copyright Challenge. I would love to see the site make some updates, since I haven’t noticed any changes in the 5+ years I have been using it, but overall there seems to be a lot of useful information that kids are able to understand.
  3. Taking the Mystery Out of Copyright – This resource, available on the Library of Congress website, shares great info on copyright geared for children, including an interesting (well…interesting for geeks like me) timeline of the history of copyright.
  4. Copyright Term and Public Domain in the United States – Cornell University – When your students already have a basic understanding of what “public domain” is, this chart by Cornell University’s Copyright Information Center can be used to help students determine whether works are part of the public domain.

    CC0 image, courtesy of JaneMarySnyder on Pixabay
  5. Teaching Copyright – TeachingCopyright.org is a project of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and it provides teachers with five lesson plans and other resources that you can use to educate your students about copyright.
  6. Creative Commons – Hit up CreativeCommons.org to give your students the basics on Creative Commons right from the source. I enjoy this flow chart available there that breaks down the different types of Creative Commons licenses.
  7. Can I Use That? A Guide to Creative Commons – This resource by Gail Desler clarifies questions you and your students might have about use of images with Creative Commons licenses. It’s very thorough, and as you read it, you’ll find links to many other fantastic resources that will add to your understanding of copyright.
  8. Finding Copyright-Friendly Photos for the Google Images Generation – This article by Kathy Schrock can be found in eSchool News, and it’s an awesome introduction to helping kids find photos to use in their school projects. It has a great overview of Creative Commons and also provides links to some sites that have free images that students can use in their schoolwork. (If you are still looking for more lessons and resources related to Creative Commons and copyright, Kathy Schrock has compiled a monster list of these types of resources on her website, Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything.)

I hope all those links will help you get started in the tricky task of teaching kids about copyright!

This image is a derivative of a CC0 image courtesy of rawpixel on pixabay

(By the way, the photos used in this post are thanks to the generous photographers out there who upload their photos with a CC0 mark onto pixabay.com – a website that just so happens to be another great place to visit when discussing copyright and Creative Commons!)

Boo! A Book Care Freebie for You!

Just a short post today to say “hi!” – and “BOO!” – and give away a free library printable!

I don’t know about you, but I feel like I could never have too many resources for teaching about proper library book care! In kindergarten and first grade, I pepper my year with lots of reminders about how to take care of a library book, so it’s great to have resources that will work at different times of the year. With Halloween right around the corner, I put this worksheet together for my first graders:

Clip art by Chadelel’s Design

Click here to download it!

For an easy peasy library lesson, you could just read a spooky story, remind your students not to scare their librarian with bad book care choices, and put them to work on the worksheet during book checkout time. 🙂

Enjoy! 🙂

 

Fall is in Full Swing in the School Library!

Happy Fall to all you autumn enthusiasts out there! A lot of people seem to LOVE this season, but as for me, I’m typically not really into fall. I am the first to admit that I’m a wimp, so I can’t really handle any spooky, icky Halloween stuff, AND I’m not a fan of cooler weather paired with shorter days.

Of course, on the bright side, fall means I do occasionally get to eat apple crisp…AND I get to make jack-o’-lanterns out of library books.

(A shout out to all the creative librarians out there whose book display designs have brightened my day by showing up on my Pinterest feed, including Sunnyvale Public Library, iworkatapubliclibrary.com and Swiss Army Librarian. Thanks for sharing your ideas and inspiring me to make my own book pumpkin.) 🙂

And this year, I can add one more thing to autumn’s “YAY!” column: I get to make fall-themed products for my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

So far, I’ve created two autumn-themed products…

Fall-Themed Library Skills Worksheets for Grades K-2

Cover artwork for this product is by Krista Wallden and gradeonederful.com

My K-2 Library Skills pack includes printable worksheets to go along with your library lessons on ABC order, library behavior and etiquette, caring for library books, what is an illustrator?, and using a title page.

My personal favorite worksheet in the pack is this one, which asks students to color good book care choices yellow and bad book care choices orange, resulting in a jack-o’-lantern.

Fall-Themed Library Skills Resources for Grades 3-5

Cover artwork for this product is by gradeonederful.com

For your upper elementary students, I just completed this packet of resources that you can use with your lessons on parts of a book, arranging fiction books, and making a Works Cited page in MLA format.

(Update 04/07/18: If you are interested in both of those resources, they are now available at a reduced rate, along with my Veterans Day Activities, in my Library Skills Bundle for Fall.)

Feel free to snuggle up, enjoy a pumpkin-flavored treat, and check out my fall products and everything else at my TpT store! 🙂