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Regardless of our position within education or school location, these past few months have more than likely  increased our own stress and anxiety. The same can be said for our students’ stress and anxiety.  I know I felt a sense of loss as being physically separated from my students. This sudden absence of the support system both students and parents had grown used to only highlights the need for students to develop healthy methods for dealing with unexpected changes.   Elementary students can also struggle to cope with stress and anxiety because it’s hard for them to put a name to what they’re feeling.  They often have overwhelming feelings that manifest themselves in unwanted classroom behavior. These behaviors include being disruptive, inattention or restlessness, struggles to answer questions in class, and frequent trips to the nurse.  Providing students with healthy ways to identify and cope with their stress and anxiety
Wakelet is the perfect tool for saving, sharing, and organizing links in a visual way that makes it easier for all users (students and teachers) to access. If you haven’t set up your Wakelet collections yet, be sure to read the blog post “Getting Started with Wakelet.” It is part of the September membership content. Once you set up Wakelet, now you can start using Wakelet in the library! Here are some perfect collections to start in your library Wakelet.  Digital Storytelling A library is a great place to read and create! I love how students can take their love of storytelling and create their own story. With Wakelet, students can add so many features as well. Begin by clicking on the green plus sign and then your list of options comes up. For your story, you can add text, an image, and/or a YouTube recording. There are so
As educators we all know the importance of laying a solid foundation in the early weeks of a new school year. Having clear routines and procedures are key to having good classroom management and a smooth year. By taking the time to explicitly and thoroughly teach students your expectations, you are setting yourself and your students up for a successful school year. That’s where library orientation comes into play! Library orientation is a very very busy time of the year. As the librarian, you are solely responsible for ensuring every single student in your school is respecting library time and following the correct procedures. After all, we only have them in the media center for a short time each week! This time at the beginning of the school year is so important to a seamless year! One engaging and fun way I like to teach expectations to my students is
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
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
We are teaching in unprecedented times when it comes to technology and internet safety. Never before have we seen a generation using technology at such young ages. A few years ago I only taught internet safety lessons to my fifth graders. I was shocked to hear how many of them had Facebook accounts and used YouTube without supervision. Then it was Snapchat and my third graders getting into trouble for posting inappropriate photos on Instagram. Now I have kindergarten students with smartphones who text during recess. This made me realize just how important it is to teach ALL students! I’ve also realized the importance of teaching not only how to stay safe online but also how to be responsible digital citizens. I wanted to teach these skills in a meaningful way that my youngest students would understand. After doing some searching I put together a variety of resources that

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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