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We chat a lot about how we want our students to find the best book for them to ignite a passion for reading. We also gather ideas to add to our toolbox of engaging hands-on activities that help our students become excited to visit us in the library. Think about that toolbox for a minute. Are the activities accessible to all? Could your special education students learn alongside their peers or do a similar activity to access the skill or story being worked with? We want our school libraries to be an inclusive space for all students to explore and work on their reading skills. Today, we will explore some resources that can be brought into your library to help! Making School Libraries Inclusive for Special Education Students is Important Let’s take a minute to think about why our school libraries should be a welcoming space for everyone, including
Nursery rhymes – the beloved lyrical stories of childhood. But there is so much more to these rhyming stories and songs than just entertaining children. These timeless rhymes and melodies are instrumental in laying the groundwork for literacy by introducing young learners to language patterns, rhythms, and rhyming structures. But the fun with nursery rhymes doesn’t stop there! We can continue to use nursery rhymes as the starting place for a variety of reading, language, and creative activities with students of all ages. Today, I’m thrilled to share with you how you can infuse the magic of nursery rhymes into your library sessions! Benefits of Using Nursery Rhymes Including nursery rhymes in our school libraries gives us a wealth of educational benefits that span early childhood development. There are the obvious benefits connected to pre-writing skills like learning to rhyme and developing an understanding of language structures. But the
As a librarian, you likely spend many weeks and months a year celebrating the library, books, and reading in general. Therefore, April may not seem particularly special. However, April is School Library Month and also contains National Library Week, which gives you the chance to spread your passion for the library and invite others to join in the celebration. What is School Library Month and National Library Week? School Library Month was started by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) to celebrate school librarians and libraries across the country. The idea is to encourage the school and community to celebrate the role libraries play in learning and education. National Library Week is an annual celebration started by the American Library Association (ALA). This week promotes the valuable role of librarians, libraries, and library workers in transforming their communities. In 2023, National Library Week is from April 23-29, and
Applying for library grants is a great way to leverage your library. While school events and fundraisers can help, they require a lot of work. Grant money can help you create a more robust library with a lot of variety to offer your students. One common misconception when it comes to writing grants is that they take a lot of time. In reality, applying for library grants does not have to be too time-consuming, and the payoff can be really big. Check out the list of the ten library grants every librarian should apply for. Dollar General Youth Literacy Grant This grant can be used for schools, public libraries, and nonprofits who work with students that need help improving their literacy skills. You can use the grant funding to expand literacy programs, purchase equipment, and technology to support literacy, and also purchase books and materials for any literacy programs.
As librarians, we are always looking for new ways and opportunities to get students reading (and enjoying it!). Having a monthly book display is a great way to bring awareness to different topics, seasons, and celebrations for each month. Plus, you can get students interested in brand-new books that might have been hidden on the shelves and out of sight. I know that coming up with library book displays can take some time (especially when you start running out of creativity mid-year).I put together a list of library book display ideas for the entire year. You can use one of these ideas or use this list to get your creative juices flowing. January Not only is January the first month of the year, but it also includes New Year’s day, Martin Luther King Jr Day, and is a part of winter. Here are a few more creative library book
It’s likely you’ve found yourself wondering at some point how you can motivate students. Maybe you want to encourage positive behaviors or help struggling students meet a goal.  In these cases, offering extrinsic motivation may help! Before I share my different library reward ideas, I want to make it clear that rewarding students isn’t the only way to motivate them. I also advise against simply throwing around awards, especially for expected behavior. But for special goals or when a little extra motivation is needed extrinsic rewards work well. Here are some of my favorite library reward ideas that students love. When Should I Use Library Rewards? Library rewards can be used in various instances, but here are two I use most often in my library. First, there are class incentives. I may have a particular group that struggles to stay on task or clean up the library. If they