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As school librarians, we have so much to keep track of! Students and entire classes come to us all day long, which we absolutely love! But before we know it, we’re buried under stacks of books, juggling eight post-it notes of reminders, and our email notifications are going off like crazy. To top it all off, we can’t even find that one important email we need. What if I told you there’s a way to turn this mess into organized chaos? Today, I’m going to share how I use Google Forms in the school library to streamline everything with this must-have Google Forms resource! Why use Google Forms in the School Library? If you haven’t started using Google Forms in your library yet, you’re missing out! Google Forms can be a game-changer when it comes to your school library’s systems. It offers endless ways to gather valuable information that
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
My students love reading biographies. Usually, they ask for a biography on a sports star or music performer. They might ask for a biography of someone they learned about in class. And for some reason, they all want to read biographies on Michael Jackson! It can be tough keeping current biographies on the library shelves. Biographies can be expensive and they are outdated as soon as they are printed. Also when it comes to current biographies it’s very possible that students won’t want to read about the person two years from now. So it can be hard to justify the purchase, especially a biography series for elementary students. When choosing biographies I like to stay with the same series for several reasons. I have already determined that the series meets my needs. I know the format of the books in the series. For example, I know what kinds of text
One of the most important lessons you can teach in the elementary school library is book care. It’s not just about keeping books neat. It’s about helping our kiddos understand respect, responsibility, and the shared joy of reading. When our students know how to care for books, they’re learning life skills that will serve them well everywhere. When I first became a librarian, I assumed older students already knew how to handle books responsibly. I quickly realized that many kids didn’t have books at home or hadn’t been to a public library before. For them, the elementary school library was the first place they encountered books they were trusted to borrow. That’s why book care became a central lesson, not just for kindergarten and first grade, but for every grade level. Why Book Care Matters in the Elementary School Library Teaching book care in the elementary school library is
As librarians, the whole world, through books, is available to us. We have the power to expose our students to so many different themes and topics. We don’t have to limit our lessons to the world of reading and the Dewey Decimal System. Instead, we can truly take them on an adventure into anything and everything through books. Today, I’m sharing my favorite STEM picture books for kids that have helped me open the door to the world of science, technology, engineering, and math in the library. STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math STEM is more than just the current education buzzword. It teaches our students critical skills that they will use for the rest of their lives. Being the school librarian, I love using STEM picture books to facilitate these skills in the library. A few of the benefits of a STEM curriculum include: Of course, one way that
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

Staying Cool in the Library is my blog, where I share my passion for fostering a love of reading with children. As a librarian, I believe reading should be fun and accessible to all students. That’s why I share engaging and interactive lesson plans, creative ways to build exciting library collections, and resources to inspire even the most reluctant readers in any classroom or library. Check out my blog posts and products in my store, and join my email list below.

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