stayingcoolinthelibrary, Author at Staying Cool in the Library

How to Plan the Perfect Interactive Read Aloud

I began my career many years ago and have worked with all grade levels at the elementary level now. I love what I do, especially my time reading aloud to students, no matter their age. Read alouds bring us together as a family and provide opportunities for all students to participate. It wasn’t always that way. When I first started I thought of read alouds as simply a time to read a book to kids. But over the years I have realized it is so much more! As I journeyed to find the perfect combination to make a quality read aloud I tried many different things. I must say that I made my share of mistakes along the way: too many questions, low-level questions, and covering too much in one book, just to name a few. Since then, I have reflected a lot and now have a much better

Why You Should Be Using the Picture Book Choice Boards for February

Have you tried using choice boards with your students yet when doing interactive read alouds? If you aren’t sure what an interactive read aloud is, I discuss it in great detail in this blog post. This Picture Book Digital and Print Choice Boards February BUNDLE are perfect to help accompany all of your February read alouds! The Picture Book Digital Choice Boards February BUNDLE is great for ages K-2 to accompany 4 different read aloud stories (Affiliate links below) Click, Clack, Moo I Love You! Love, Splat I Am Abraham Lincoln Whistle for Willie Due to copywriting issues, I could not read the stories aloud and include them in the product. So you can purchase the books yourself and read aloud in person or make a loom video or live stream version of your reading if you are teaching virtually. You could also check on Youtube or with your

The Best Read Alouds to Celebrate Black History Month

February is National Black History Month. There are some great books for read-alouds that I love to use in February and some fun activities to go with them to help celebrate Black History Month that I would love to share with you today. Here are the best read alouds to celebrate Black History Month. *This post contains affiliate links. It just means that if you purchase the products that I recommend, I receive a small commission. Thanks! HENRY’S FREEDOM BOX: A TRUE STORY FROM THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD By: Ellen Levin Book Description: A stirring, dramatic story of a slave who mailed himself to freedom. Henry Brown doesn’t know how old he is. Nobody keeps records of slaves’ birthdays. All the time he dreams about freedom, but that dream seems farther away than ever when he is torn from his family and put to work in a warehouse. Henry grows

Caldecott Medal 2021 Predictions

The 2021 Caldecott award ceremony is quickly approaching. Which means it’s time for me to give my prediction for who will win the coveted medal. The ALA awards will be given out sometime in mid-January. Members of the Caldecott committee have been working all year to choose the book they think is worthy of this prestigious award. Members of the committee read thousands of picture books throughout the year. Then they must narrow their choices down to 7 titles each. Once they have this much smaller list, they spend hours debating about which book should receive the top honor. Every year I always come up with my own list of titles that I believe will be contenders. This year I have come up with 15 books that I believe should be on the list (although I have not read nearly as many as the committee members do). Read my

Sora Tips for Students and Teachers

If you or your colleagues are on the fence about trying out Sora, these Sora Tips for Students and Teachers will give you some confidence!

Using Kahoot! in the Library

I admit it. There have been so many new tech tools in the last several years that it’s hard to keep up. Online learning platforms, Zooms and Meets, and even games are everywhere. It’s definitely a good time for edtech! However, one that has stood the test of time for me is Kahoot! This tool is an online quiz platform that allows students to compete, take independent individualized quizzes, or simply review for assessments. Teachers love using Kahoot! in the classroom for formative assessments and review, but Kahoot! also has a place in the library classroom. Using Kahoot! in the library is transformative for your elementary students’ learning experience. Here are a few ways you can start using Kahoot! in your library. Preview New Books Kahoot! is a great way to help students get a little bit of background on new titles in the library or featured titles. Creating

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How to Plan the Perfect Interactive Read Aloud

Why You Should Be Using the Picture Book Choice Boards for February

The Best Read Alouds to Celebrate Black History Month

Caldecott Medal 2021 Predictions

Sora Tips for Students and Teachers

Using Kahoot! in the Library

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