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Tips and Ideas for Using SeeSaw in the School Library

Have you heard of the latest app to take over the schools? Seesaw is an interactive app that allows students to post the things they work on in school. Next, their families can see their work! Because it’s based mostly on pictures and video, Seesaw also allows students to post links, text notes, drawings, and other media to share with their families. In addition, there are so many possibilities with Seesaw. Classroom teachers love Seesaw, but teacher librarians can get in on the act, too! Check out how to use Seesaw in the library! Journal posts First, the original intention of Seesaw was an online journal for students and families. As students post their entries to the journal, families get alerts. Next, parents and guardians see what students have been working on during the school day. In addition, you can also make use of this school-to-home connection! Have students

Why You Should Use Choice Boards in Your Library Classroom

The library should be all about differentiation and choice! In fact, elementary library classrooms are the place where students should be able to explore different genres, read series books, and even dive into nonfiction. Choice is key in library instruction, and choice boards are a way to give that freedom back to your students. Check out these reasons why you should use choice boards in your library classroom! K-2 Choice Boards in Your Library Classroom Using Choice Boards is not just an option with older students. For beginning readers, giving choice in library activities makes a huge difference in reading enjoyment and comprehension. Share some of your favorite picture books with your emerging readers. Then, give them a choice in how they demonstrate their learning. To use these activities, start by reading the book aloud to your students either in the Classroom or to your distance learners on Zoom,

Five Chapter Books about Anxiety and Mental Health

If you haven’t already, it’s time to add some chapter books about anxiety and mental health to your library. Readers will find allies in the young characters whose friends and family members (or themselves) struggle with some aspect of mental health. In addition, these titles will help students that do not struggle with mental health issues develop understanding and empathy both for themselves and for others. Check out these five chapter books about anxiety and mental health! Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt There are many ways to distract a teacher. Ally knows this, and she uses every trick in the book to keep her teacher from realizing she cannot read. In Mr. Daniels, however, she’s met her match. He’s determined to figure out the real Ally. In the process, Ally finds that she is actually very intelligent, and her dyslexia doesn’t have to define her. The

Getting Started with Flipgrid

Flipgrid’s catchphrase is “empower every voice”. Teachers and students around the globe use Flipgrid to allow all voices to be heard in the classroom. There are so many uses for Flipgrid in the library, and it’s really easy to get started with Flipgrid! Sign Up for Flipgrid Signing up for Flipgrid is simple. You can login with your G Suite or Microsoft account to create an educator account. Start Your Grid Once you sign up, dialogue boxes will walk you through the process, but your first step is creating a Grid. Your Grid is like your homebase for your classroom. I like to create a Grid for each grade level that I teach. First, you’ll title your Grid. Next, you’ll select a Grid type. School Email If your students have email addresses, you can easily control which domains have access to your Grid. This helps with security. Note that

All About Book Snaps

As a librarian, you are constantly finding creative resources to get your students to fall in love with books. Why not utilize the format of one of their favorite apps, “Snapchat”? No, you don’t have to have your students download the app. “Book Snaps” simply are digital images or photos where students can annotate or share their own ideas about a book. Learn all about Book Snaps and how to use them in your library classroom! Apps to Use for Book Snaps To begin, your students will take a photo or a screenshot of a page of text. It can be a digital or physical book. In order to annotate the text and add fun images and reactions, they can use any app that allows for editing. The native photo app on most phones PicCollage Canva Seesaw Google Slides Google Drawings. . .and more! How to Create a Book

Favorite October Picture Books

October is such a fun month for picture books! This time of year, everyone is getting excited for the upcoming holiday season and the weather changing. My October pictures favorites include a lot of fun Halloween stories, funny fall books, and plenty of giggles for your students! BONE SOUP BY CAMBRIA EVANS Known across the land for his infamous appetite, Finnigin is never seen without his eating stool, his eating spoon, and his gigantic eating mouth. But, when Finnigin finds himself in a new town on Halloween, he hopes to join a great feast with the creatures who live there. But not a body or soul will share any of their food with the ever-famished Finnigin. So what’s a hungry skeleton to do? Armed only with his wits and a special ingredient, will Finnigin be able to stir up a cauldron’s worth of Halloween magic? MISS SMITH AND THE

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Tips and Ideas for Using SeeSaw in the School Library

Why You Should Use Choice Boards in Your Library Classroom

Five Chapter Books about Anxiety and Mental Health

Getting Started with Flipgrid

All About Book Snaps

Favorite October Picture Books

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