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There Is a Shark in the Library – How to Use Shark Books in your Lessons!

Do your students love sharks and shark books as much as mine do? My students ask for books about sharks more than almost any other nonfiction topic. And it’s all grades from kindergarten to fifth grade. I’m not sure what it is about sharks that they all love so much. Maybe it’s the huge mouth full of sharp, razor-like teeth or the fear of getting eaten by a shark. Although I will admit, I have watched shark week on the Discovery Channel since the very first year they started it, so I understand their fascination. Because of their love of sharks, several years ago I decided to do some of my last lessons and storytimes of the year about sharks. Below I am going to share with you some of my ideas and activities. I bet your students will enjoy them as much as mine do. Shark Books List

5 Tips for a Smoother Book Check Out at Your School Library

Are you struggling to get all of your students’ books checked out in a timely fashion? Do you feel like you are running in a million different directions and not able to answer everyone’s question? Have you ever felt like pulling your hair out at the end of a class because of the check out process? I know I have! In this post, you will learn 5 tips, ideas, and tricks to help you and your school library have a smoother book check out. Thankfully I have been blessed with an amazing library assistant, so most of the time there are two of us to handle book checkout. However, the past couple of years she is constantly pulled to cover classrooms. So I am often by myself and have felt the frustration many times. Why We Need a Smoother Book Check Out Process There is so much to do

Host a Book Tasting in Your Classroom or Library!

What is a book tasting? A book tasting is one of the best reading motivation activities I have ever come across. If you’ve never done one before then start planning one now! You won’t regret it. Why are book tastings so wonderful? As librarians and teachers, one of the best feelings in the world is seeing a reluctant reader find that book that really grabs them. The one book that will begin to show them just how much fun reading can be. Hopefully this will lead to them being lifelong readers. Different ways to use book tastings You can use a book tasting to do more than just encourage a love of reading with your students. Genre studies: You can use a book tasting to review one specific genre or many genres. Have students do a book tasting with books from one genre. As they look through the books

10 Anti-Bullying Picture Books

Bullying is a problem that every school faces. It can affect any child at any time, and in many ways. Below is a curated list of picture books that you can use with your students to teach them how and why bullying is wrong. Frst look below fora few statistics from the National Bullying Prevention Center. Unfortunately there is no simple answer to this problem. However one way that librarians and teachers can help to combat this problem is by reading picture books about bullying and the importance of kindness. By doing this students can begin to learn the warning sings of bullying and understand how their actions have consequences. It will also get them thinking about the importance of kindness and being accepting of other people. My List for Anti-Bullying Picture Books There are so many wonderful books to read that it is difficult to know which ones

6 Book Fair Survival Tips

Book fair! The two words guaranteed to strike fear in the heart of any school librarian. That may be a little melodramatic but book fair week is definitely a very stressful and challenging time. If you have ever run a book fair before then you know what I mean. This post will go over my 6 best book fair survival tips! There are many factors that go into just how challenging your book fair will be. How big is your school? Will you have parent volunteers? Are you going to stop book checkout during this time? A librarian at a nearby school has less students and more volunteers than she could ever use. She love the book fair and can’t wait for it to arrive. I have a large school with very few volunteers, so my assistant and I pretty much do it all. For us book fair time

A Roundup of Dr. Seuss Activities for Read Across America Day

March 2nd is the much-anticipated Read Across America Day! It also happens to be the birthday of Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss. Now, I’ve got a little confession. I’m a total Dr. Seuss enthusiast. The crazy made-up words and wacky characters? Absolutely my jam! So, when I became a librarian, celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday became an annual thing for me and my students. Over the years, I’ve cooked up all sorts of fun. From poster contests and trivia games to roping in some awesome guest readers, I’ve done it all. Oh, I can’t forget about the spirit days. They’re a blast! I’m not keeping all these awesome ideas to myself. Nope! This blog post is a mix of my adventures and some genius suggestions from my Staying Cool in the Library Facebook group. If you’re not part of it yet, I would love for you to join me and

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There Is a Shark in the Library – How to Use Shark Books in your Lessons!

5 Tips for a Smoother Book Check Out at Your School Library

Host a Book Tasting in Your Classroom or Library!

10 Anti-Bullying Picture Books

6 Book Fair Survival Tips

A Roundup of Dr. Seuss Activities for Read Across America Day

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