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Staying Cool in the Library

A place for school librarians to learn and grow together

Teaching Genre in the Library

Who else loves to teach genre to your students? Teaching different types of genres help students become lifelong readers. This is also true when thinking about writing. It opens their minds to the outside of their world and not just a traditional narrative.  The Importance of Genre We want our students to fall in love with different types of books and not just all the Fly Guy or Mo Willems books. Our younger readers tend to fall into this trap where they only want to read specific ... Read the Post

The Best Picture Books for Teaching Character Traits

Teaching students about character traits in reading is important but can be difficult to do. Character traits are such an ABSTRACT idea that some children have a hard time understanding what character traits are. Students typically have to use inferencing skills to “read between the lines” of what information the author is giving you about the characters in the story, such as what the character is saying and doing.  How to Teach About Character Traits Start by defining exactly WHAT ... Read the Post

How to Manage Centers in the Library with Ease

Do you struggle to manage centers in the school library? Do you even attempt to use centers at all? Are you overwhelmed with how to incorporate this into your already busy day with barely any breaks? Well, I LOVE having centers in the library and I’m going to tell you some tricks to help manage centers in the school library with ease. (Note: This post contains affiliate links.) How to Organize Centers in the Library  There are two different ways that I organize and use centers in my ... Read the Post

8 Great Picture Books for Teaching the Main Idea

Are you constantly looking for picture books to teach about the main idea of a story? Some people confuse the theme with the main idea. The theme or central idea of a book is the lesson, moral or message the reader takes away after reading. The main idea is what the book is about and can usually be stated as a short summary. It’s important for students to start understanding the main idea (and supporting details) of a story after reading it. This means that they should be able to retell the ... Read the Post

5 Tips to Have the Best Time Management Skills in the Library

Some people may wonder if you are really THAT busy all day in the library... do you get those questions like I do? I have to smile and giggle a bit when I walk away! Librarians are just as busy as classroom teachers and honestly, sometimes our schedule is EVEN more hectic with very few breaks throughout the day and back-to-back classes!  Let’s discuss time management for a second. Time management can make or break you as a librarian (and a classroom teacher). Your days are BUSY! Your ... Read the Post

8 Awesome Fiction and Nonfiction Picture Books for Teaching Cause and Effect

Are you constantly looking for different fiction and nonfiction books for teaching cause and effect to your elementary students? Teaching about story elements such as cause and effect, main idea, character traits, problem and solution and comparing/ contrasting are very important. I’ve compiled a list of 8 awesome fiction and nonfiction picture books for teaching cause and effect to make your life simpler. TEACHING CAUSE & EFFECT Teaching children about cause and effect develops ... Read the Post