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If you have never done a library inventory before, it can be a daunting task. I was taught the importance of doing an inventory in school but nothing about the logistics and process of completing one. This blog post will hopefully answer some of the questions you have about library inventory. I also want to point out that I am only familiar with the Destiny catalog system. I believe that other systems are similar but I have not used them. 1. Why do I need to do library inventory? There are numerous benefits of having an accurate and up to date inventory. They include: 2. When do I start inventory? Does it have to be at the end of the school year? No, you can start your inventory any time throughout the school year. In fact rarely have I done my inventory at the end of the year. I
As we prepare to wrap up another school year we are faced with one of our biggest challenges: getting all those library books returned! I have tried many strategies over the years with varying results. In this post, I am going to share with you some different tricks and ideas that will (hopefully) help get those books turned in before the last day of school. Award Prizes Award some kind of class prize or award for the first class in each grade level that returns all their books. Suggestions: Get Teachers Involved A fun way to get library books returned is to give a prize not only to the classes that have returned all of their books but to the teacher as well. Offer to cover their recess or lunch duty, provide an extra planning time or a gift certificate to Starbucks or Target. You might be surprised how
For one reason or another, the library will close and you will be expected to go to classrooms. This happens for a variety of reasons. A few that have happened to me When this happens, you will need to make some decisions. Will you attmept to check-out books? What kinds of lessons will you teach? How will you take your supplies to the classroom? Most of these decisions will vary depending on the situtaiton. How long will you be out of the library? What time of year is it? What resources are available in the classroom you are going into? In this lbog post I provide some ideas on ways you can make this situation work effectively. Checking Out Library Books This is always the hardest decision for me. I want students to have access to books, but it can be challenging trying to check out books in the
April is national poetry month and if you are not already sharing poetry with your students now is a great time to start. Some educators shy away from reading poetry to their students. Many students think poetry is boring and unexciting. When you tell the kids they are going to listen to some poetry they moan and groan. So what can you do to change this reaction? Read them these 10 poetry books for kids that they will LOVE. There are so many wonderful poetry books that it can be overwhelming. I like to start with poems that will make kids laugh. And there are plenty of silly and wacky poetry books. Many of them are by two authors that I’m sure you know very well: Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky. You can’t go wrong by sharing poems from these two. So I am not including their books on my
One of my favorite nonfiction authors is Steve Jenkins. Students love reading his books and learning about all the different animal facts. The two I love best are Actual Size and What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? I have done several different activities after reading these books to my students including matching the animal to the part mentioned in the book to writing and art activities. Since I bought a set of Chromebooks a few years ago (thank you book fair profit), I have been doing an animal research project with my second and third graders. Students will select one of ten animals and use QR codes that I created to look up facts about the animal. They record their notes and create a simple research report. I chose ten different animals from the book What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? Since I
Ready to do some animal research? Finding trustworthy and appropriate animal websites for students to use can be a challenge. Below are my go-to websites that you can feel confident having your students go to. Most of these sites also have videos, games and other educational activities as well. National Geographic for Kids DK Find Out San Diego Zoo Kids These websites below do have some advertisements on them. Ducksters Animal Fact Guide Ready to research and use these animal websites for students? Retry later
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