Freebie Archives - Staying Cool in the Library

Back to School Free Resources for School Librarians

Back to school season is right around the corner. This is always an exciting and exhausting time of year! Over the years, I’ve developed numerous free resources to ease this transition. These include first-day-of-school lesson plans, posters, bookmarks, and a few ideas for back-to-school night. You can download all of these resources for free from my store or my free resource library. Back to School Free Resources From My Store Library Orientation Game – This fun game to review library rules and vocabulary. Great as a beginning-of-the-year activity or as a review anytime during the year. I have played this game with second and third-graders. It is also editable so you can add whatever you would like to the cards. Library Icebreaker Game – I have used this activity with fifth graders and they loved it! Students need to walk around the library and find someone who matches each

10 Virtual Field Trips Your Students Will Love

Going on a field trip is a day that your students will always remember. As librarians, we usually do not get to participate in field trips. I always wanted to join in when second grade goes to Mt. Vernon or third grade visits Monticello. However, it just never worked out. There are many advantages of taking a virtual field trip. They are much easier to plan. You do not need to collect permission slips and money, book buses, arrange for lunch and organize the 600 parents to want to chaperone. Plus, you are not limited to visiting places within driving distance of your school. And there are numerous ways to connect a field trip to what you are teaching in the library. For example, you can easily tie almost any field trip into a research unit (if there is time left in the school year). There are so many

Re-establish Library Rules and Procedures

Everyone enjoys having a break from school, students and educators alike. And while taking that time off is essential and allows us time to re-charge, it can be difficult to get back on track after an extended break. I believe this can be especially tough in the library or other specials classes. Re-establishing library rules and procedures is always part of my after break plans. Below I am sharing some tips, tricks and ideas that I have found useful in helping to get my classes back on track after a holiday break. Re-teach rules and procedures This is a an absolute must in re-establishing routines, remind students of the library rules, expectations and procedures. Act like it’s the first day of school. What did you teach your classes as they came in the library for the first time? This is what you want to re-teach now. You will not

5 Free Downloadable Christmas Lesson Plans!

As we head into the busy holiday season, finding time to write lessons plans can be difficult. Look below for some free Christmas lesson plans and activities that you can use with your students right now! Santa’s Stuck This is a free set of literacy activities to go along with the book Santa’s Stuck by Rhonda Gowler Greene and Henry Cole. Activities included: comprehension questions to use in literacy centers or small groups, writing/drawing activity and a one page mini book. Christmas Traditions – Truth or Fib Scoot Game Your students will love learning about different Christmas traditions with this free Scoot game. This is a set of 16 task cards. On each card is a Christmas or New Year tradition from around the world. The student needs to decide whether the tradition is true or if it is a fib. Can be used as a literacy center or

Thank You Sarah! The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving Book Activities & FREEBIE

Thank You Sarah! The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Halse Anderson is a book that I read every year to my third graders. It is a biography about Sarah Hale, the woman many call the “mother of Thanksgiving.” She was a writer and editor who lived in the 1800’s. She began a campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. She wrote thousands of letters and did not give up until President Abraham Lincoln agreed to make Thanksgiving a holiday in 1863. One reason I enjoy this book so much is that the author turns what could be a rather dry subject into something humorous and entertaining. The illustrations provide extra details to the story and are guaranteed to make your students laugh out loud. The story also provides some historical context including talking about slavery and some of the other issues important during this time. Since I do

Simple Book Character Costumes

I have always loved book character costume day. In the past my school had this day on the Friday before Halloween. We were looking for a way for students to dress in costume while still focusing on education and not Halloween. A few times we also did it to celebrate Read Across America. These are my favorite ideas for character costumes for students! Most of the students really enjoy this day as well. But I quickly noticed that many students did not really understand what they were supposed to do. They did not understand that their costume had to also be the same as a character found in a book. And some parents did not take the time to discuss it with them either. The first year was a learning experience for me. I was constantly being asked by a student if there was a book with a vampire

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Back to School Free Resources for School Librarians

10 Virtual Field Trips Your Students Will Love

Re-establish Library Rules and Procedures

5 Free Downloadable Christmas Lesson Plans!

Thank You Sarah! The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving Book Activities & FREEBIE

Simple Book Character Costumes

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