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How to Plan the Perfect Interactive Read Aloud

Take your read alouds to the next level with these tips for planning an interactive read aloud.
I began my career many years ago and have worked with all grade levels at the elementary level now. I love what I do, especially my time reading aloud to students, no matter their age. Read alouds bring us together as a family and provide opportunities for all students to participate. It wasn’t always that way. When I first started I thought of read alouds as simply a time to read a book to kids. But over the years I have realized it is so much more! As I journeyed to find the perfect combination to make a quality read aloud I tried many different things. I must say that I made my share of mistakes along the way: too many questions, low-level questions, and covering too much in one book, just to name a few. Since then, I have reflected a lot and now have a much better
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Short, Teachable Strategies to Help Students Cope with Stress and Anxiety

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
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Engaging Upper Elementary Students

Use these tips and ideas for engaging upper elementary students in library lessons and activities.
Tackling lesson plans for upper elementary students has been an ongoing challenge in my role as a librarian. The task of keeping them engaged has gotten increasingly difficult. The struggle becomes even more real after the holiday break as the 5th graders return feeling more like middle school students than elementary students. So, I’ve put together a list of ideas and activities for engaging upper elementary students to spice things up and keep the excitement alive for learning in the library. Let’s dive into some ideas that can help you transform your upper elementary students from “too cool for school” to “bring on the books!” This post is collaborative in a sense. You see, over in the Staying Cool in the Library private Facebook group were discussing this very topic. If you are not already a member, come join us! Through this discussion, I quickly realized that this issue
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Exit Tickets in the School Library + a FREEBIE

Find out how exit tickets can be used in the school library.
As librarians, we might not give grades for our class, but we do teach valuable skills that help our students with their core subjects. After a class, it is always nice to have feedback to know whether our students understood the lesson, what questions they have, or how they can apply what they learned. Using exit tickets in the school library is a great way to do this and it has been a game-changer for me. Keep reading to find out how exit tickets can benefit you as a school librarian. Purposes of Exit Tickets in the School Library One of the easiest ways I have found to do informal assessments and checks for understanding is through exit tickets. These little slips of paper focus on just one skill or concept at a time. Quite often, it is one question that relates to our lesson. This makes them quick
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8 Ways to Use Google Forms in the School Library

This image says, "8 Ways to Use Google Forms in the School Library" and includes an example of a staff survey Form that librarians can use.
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
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10 Ideas for a Successful Open House in the School Library

10 ideas for a successful open house in the library
If you’ve ever spent weeks prepping your library space only to have a handful of families trickle in during open house, you’re not alone. It can feel discouraging when your library, so full of potential, is overlooked. Open house night is a golden opportunity to introduce your families to all the library has to offer beyond just checking out books. With a few strategic ideas in place, you can turn it into a meaningful and memorable experience for your students and caregivers alike. Today, I’m sharing 10 creative and practical ideas to help your library stand out and leave a lasting impression! Start With Take-Home Tools That Inform and Engage 1. Hand Out Informational Bookmarks Families get a flood of papers at an open house. Many of them don’t make it out of the backpack, purse, or folder. Instead, try handing out bookmarks packed with quick facts about checkout
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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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