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My 9 Favorite End of School Read Alouds

As the school year winds down I wanted to share with you some of my favorite end of the year read alouds. As we all know it can be extra challenging keeping our students’ engaged during the end of the year excitement. Summer break is calling and kids definitely have some ants in their pants! You are Ready! The World is Waiting by Eric Carle This book has easy-to-read text encourage children who are going out into the world to spread their wings, knowing they have everything they need inside them Do Not Bring Your Dragon to the Last Day of School by Julie Gassman A teacher points out many things that could go wrong if she were to grant permission for a student to bring a dragon to school on the last day. Summer Vacation, Here I Come by D. J. Steinberg It’s summer time, and what better
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10 Poetry Books for Kids!

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
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Must- Have Biography Series for Elementary Students

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 Biographies can be expensive and they are outdated as soon as they are printed.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
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Teaching Students to Choose Just Right Books

Finding just right books is something that a lot of our students struggle with, especially early in the year. Some grab a book that looks fun but is way too hard. Others pick something that’s super easy just to get it over with. Then, some feel completely overwhelmed and don’t even know where to begin. That’s why I make it a point to teach this skill in the library, not just leave it up to the classroom setting. Even though I revisit the concept of just right books throughout the year, I like to start the conversation with second graders. That’s when I introduce the Five Finger Rule and dive deeper into helping them understand what it really means to choose a book that fits them. One that’s not too hard or easy but just right. I’ve built this lesson out over the years to include read-alouds, modeling, interactive
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Teaching Book Care in the Elementary School Library

Teaching book care in the elementary school library
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
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10 Must-Read STEM Picture Books

10 Must-Read STEM Picture Books
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
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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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