8 Back to School Must-Haves for the Library to Start Off the Year

As summer winds down and we start to get ready for the new school year, it’s that time of year when we begin leisurely searching for back-to-school activities for the library to kick off the year. Let’s make your life easier by setting things up now, so you can stress less and relax more during the back to school madness. Today, I’m sharing some of those must-haves for the library to start the year off right and make your life so much easier!

Why Do School Librarians Need to be Ready for Back to School Season?

As we know, back to school time in the library is crucial. It’s the perfect moment to set the rules and procedures that will guide the rest of the school year. We start to build relationships with our students, and we figure out schedules. It can get a bit chaotic and crazy, but it’s mostly fun!

Being prepared for the back to school season is essential for our own sanity. When we have everything in place, we can focus on the exciting parts of our job. More time to introduce new books, engage our students with fun activities, and create a welcoming space for everyone. By setting up early, we can establish a smooth routine that helps our students and staff feel comfortable and ready to learn.

Preparation also means we’re ready to handle any surprises that come our way. Whether it’s a last-minute schedule change or an unexpected technology hiccup, having a plan helps us stay calm and keep things running smoothly. Plus, when we’re organized, we can spend more time getting to know our students and less stressing over logistics.

Must Have Back to School Library Resources

Now that we’ve covered why being prepared for the back to school season is so important, let’s dive into the fun part. Gathering all the must-have resources for school librarians! Trust me, these essentials will make your life so much easier and set you up for a fantastic year ahead. So, let’s explore the top back to school resources that every school librarian needs to start the year off right!

1. Back to School Library Orientation 

Welcome your upper elementary students back to school with this fun and interactive escape room or breakout activity! Using this pack, your students will review library rules and procedures while they work to solve three challenges. It’s a fantastic activity to kick off the school year and engage them in library procedures & expectations without the need for traditional lectures.

The topics covered include basic library rules and procedures, book care rules, and library vocabulary. The information is designed to be generic enough for use in any library setting. Typically, this back to school library orientation activity takes about half an hour to complete. You can choose to spread it over multiple class periods or complete it as a whole-group activity to save time.

To get started, have your students read the challenge scenario. You can pass out printed copies or project it for the entire class to see. Explain that students will work in teams or pairs to complete three challenges, aiming to find the correct lock codes. I recommend giving students one challenge at a time to manage the activity easily, so you can break it up over two or three class periods if needed. Don’t forget to have students write their names and teacher’s name on their answer sheets.

Once students have completed all the challenges, you can reward them with a coloring page, certificate, and bookmarks. You can also add a small prize like a bookmark or pencil if you’d like. This breakout activity is a great way to make the beginning of the school year exciting and informative. You will definitely set a positive tone for the months ahead.

2. School Library Curriculum Maps

These editable school library curriculum map templates will help take the stress out of lesson planning, especially at the beginning of the year. As we know, librarians often don’t receive a set curriculum like classroom teachers do. While this gives us the freedom to teach the skills our students need and to foster a love of reading, it also means we have to put in more time and effort to plan our lessons. Our time is precious. With so many duties that pull us away from teaching and working with students, having a clear plan is crucial.

Mapping out your curriculum allows you to be intentional with the lessons you teach and saves you time throughout the school year by providing a ready-to-refer plan. I created this resource to include blank curriculum maps, vertical and horizontal, that you can fully edit in both PowerPoint and Google Slides. This gives you the flexibility to choose the format that works best for you. I’ve also included a sample map that outlines the skills I typically teach throughout the year to give you a head start.

By having a curriculum map in place, you can ensure that your lessons are well-organized. You won’t have to worry about whether or not you’re covering all the necessary skills. This preparation will make your teaching more effective and help you manage your time better.

3. Choosing Just Right Books & 5 Finger Rule

Teach your elementary students how to choose a “just right book” and how to use the five-finger rule with these engaging posters and bookmarks. These resources are perfect for creating bulletin boards or posting around the library as a reminder after your lesson. Whether you’re in the school library or launching a reader’s workshop in the classroom, this activity pack is a great fit for Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades!

I created five posters covering essential topics like Just Right Books, the Five Finger Rule, Too Easy Rule, Too Hard Rule, and Just Right Rule. There are also two sets of bookmarks highlighting the Five Finger Rule and Just Right Books. To make the learning experience even more fun, there’s a coloring page that reviews the Five Finger Rule.

I display these posters on bulletin boards or at stations to serve as visual reminders for my students about how to select books that are just right for their reading level. The bookmarks are great to hand out to students so they can carry a quick reference guide with them. They are handy tools for reinforcing the Five Finger Rule every time they choose a book. The coloring page is perfect for reinforcing the Five Finger Rule in a creative way allowing them to color while reviewing the steps.

You can also use these resources with the Choosing Just Right Books Escape Room Breakout Activity to create a comprehensive and interactive lesson on this skill. By using these tools, you’ll help your students develop skills in selecting appropriate books. This leads to making reading both enjoyable and effective.

4. Library Rules Mini Books | Print and Digital Google Slides

Introduce the library to your primary students with my print and digital mini-books or emergent readers. These resources are perfect for the first week of school to review what a library is, the kinds of books in a library, and what to expect when visiting the library.

The 10-page print mini-book reviews library rules and how to be a good library citizen. The rules covered include listening to the librarian, sharing, being kind, taking care of books, raising your hand, using inside voices, and choosing just-right books.

Another mini-book is 7 pages long and provides very basic information about what a library is. There are two different versions. One version where your students cut out and staple the book together. The other has your students cut and paste pictures onto some of the pages. This flexibility is especially helpful for your Kindergarten students who may need more straightforward activities at the start.

I also created a cut-and-paste worksheet for your students to sort things they would and would not see in a library. There are also two Google Slides mini-books that are almost identical to the print versions. I made sure to include a digital option to help make it fit your school’s needs!

By introducing these mini-books, you’ll help your students understand library rules and what is expected of them. They will learn how to take care of books from day one. Plus, they’ll get excited about all the wonderful things the library has to offer. It’s a perfect way to start the year on a positive and educational note! And. . . don’t be afraid to use the reader a few times at the beginning of the year to help the concepts stick.

5. Book Care Activities

Let’s teach our elementary students how to take care of their library or classroom books with this book care activity pack. This resource uses visuals to show them all the ways to care for their library books! Through different activities, your students will learn about how they can take care of each library book.

When using these resources, I like to start by reviewing some key book care rules with my students. For example, we talk about keeping books away from food and drinks, using a bookmark instead of folding pages, and keeping books out of the rain. Then, I put up the “Yes we do” and “No we don’t” cards on a bulletin board or pocket chart. The students then sort the picture or sentence cards under the correct column. This makes it interactive and reinforces the concepts.

Another fun way to sort through these cards is by having your students hold the cards. They then line up into two groups based on what their card shows. One group has cards showing things you should do with books. The other group has cards showing things you shouldn’t. It’s a great way to get everyone involved!

I also included an 8-page mini-book. I have my students cut out the pages and color them. The mini-book does a great job reviewing the different book care rules. The mini book can even be taken out later on in the year in case a review is needed! Just print out the pages, have your students cut them apart, color them, and staple them together.

Even by going over the rules, accidents happen! I also included editable book care cards and letters to send home to parents. These letters state that their child has overdue or damaged books.

6. Back to School Orientation Template

Kick off back to school season with your students with this fun and colorful Back to School Orientation Slides template! It’s perfect for any classroom or school library setting. The best part? All of the text is editable, so you can customize it to fit your specific needs.

Inside, you’ll find 18 questions that are great for a library orientation. To edit the questions, just click inside the text box, delete my text, and add your own. I’ve embedded the font in the PowerPoint to make editing super easy. The Google Slides template is identical to the PowerPoint version, so you can choose whichever format you prefer.

To get started, simply open the template and begin customizing the text to suit your classroom or library. You can edit the heading on the first slide, as well as all the questions and answers. This flexibility allows you to tailor the content to the specific rules and procedures you want to highlight during your orientation.

To use the PowerPoint version, put it into presentation mode and guide your students through the questions. You can keep track of which questions have been answered by jotting down the question numbers on a piece of paper. For the Google Slides version, save a copy to your Google Drive, make your edits, and then put it into presentation mode to use with your students.

7. BUNDLE School Library Orientation Google Slides Game

I love using these editable self-checking School Library Orientation Google Slides games to introduce basic library information, rules, and procedures to my elementary students. This resource is perfect because it’s both fun and interactive. This makes it easy to engage my students right from the start.

First, I decide if we’ll play as a whole group or if students will complete the game independently. If we’re doing it as a group, I project the game onto the screen and guide them through each question. This method is great for encouraging discussion. I can also ensure everyone understands the material. If students are working independently, they can access the game through Google Classroom. One of the best features is that students don’t need a Google account to participate. For independent play, I just share the game link set to “preview” mode so students can play without editing the slides.

The questions are a mix of true or false and multiple-choice, covering essential topics like library rules, how to find books, and book care. The bundle includes two different games tailored for grades 2-3 and grades 4-5. Each has questions appropriate for those grade levels. This flexibility ensures that all my students, regardless of their age, can benefit from the activity.

These games are a fantastic way to make sure my students start the school year with a good understanding of library rules and procedures, all while having a great time. Plus, the self-checking feature means they get immediate feedback!

8. Back to School Picture Choice Boards

Another resource I love using is these digital Choice Board activities in Google Slides or SeeSaw to engage my students. This bundle has three picture book digital choice boards with the theme of back to school. Each one has six different engaging and interactive activities that your students will love!

First, I choose which book and corresponding choice board I want to start with. Each choice board includes a preloaded SeeSaw link, making it super easy to get started. I then share the link with my students via Google Classroom or SeeSaw. If I’m using SeeSaw, I just click the link to open the activity directly into my SeeSaw account, save it to my activity library, and it’s ready to go.

These digital choice boards are fantastic because they are fully editable. This means you can tailor the activities to better fit your classroom needs or specific learning objectives. For example, each choice board comes with activities like vocabulary matching, sequencing story events, sorting activities, and more.

One of the biggest advantages of using these digital resources is that they engage our students while helping build 21st-century skills. They’re compatible with Chromebooks, laptops, computers, tablets, iPads, or other mobile devices, making them versatile and easy to use in any learning environment.

Whether we’re in the classroom or at home, these activities are flexible enough to adapt. I simply record myself reading the book or find a suitable read-aloud online to share with the students. After they listen to the story, they can choose which activities to complete in any order, working independently or with a guardian.

Set Yourself Up for Success with These Back to School Must Haves

As we gear up back to school, having these engaging and interactive resources at our fingertips makes all the difference. From setting up our libraries with essential tools to using digital choice boards that captivate our students’ interest, we’ve got everything we need to create a welcoming and productive environment. Remember, preparation is key. With these resources, we’re not just ready. We’re excited to kick off a fantastic year. Here’s to a year filled with learning, growth, and lots of fun in the library!

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