For one reason or another, the library will close and you will be expected to go to classrooms. This happens for a variety of reasons. A few that have happened to me

• The PTO holiday shop set up in the library
• Testing
• Kindergarten Registration
• Kindergarten Screening

When this happens, you will need to make some decisions. Will you attmept to check-out books? What kinds of lessons will you teach? How will you take your supplies to the classroom? Most of these decisions will vary depending on the situtaiton. How long will you be out of the library? What time of year is it? What resources are available in the classroom you are going into? In this lbog post I provide some ideas on ways you can make this situation work effectively.

Checking Out Library Books

This is always the hardest decision for me. I want students to have access to books, but it can be challenging trying to check out books in the classroom. This has never worked out for me, but I know many librarians manage to do this successfully.

There are two big questions you need to answer. How will students return their books from the previous week and will you have time to check them in before you go to their classroom? And how will you transport the books to the library?

The best solution to the first question is to collect them ahead of time. You can check them in and print your reports. This is possible if you can use the library before school starts. If you are not worried about them returning their books, you can allow students to just check out one book.

Next, how will you physically get the books to the classroom? It may seem like a simple answer, just take a book cart. And it is, ubt depending on the layout of your school, this may or may not work. You will also need a portable scanner and a laptop or Chromeobok. I purchase a cheap scanner from Amazon and it works well. I even use it at my circulation desk.

Lesson Ideas

Below are a list of suggestions of things you can do in the classroom. Most of these do not involve technonlogy.If you still have access to Chromebooks or devices of some kind during this time that is fantastic! You have many more options available to you. However, each school is different. And the availalbe technology can vary even from room to room.

Guest Speakers

This one will definitely take some planning. Invite speakers to come in and talk to the students. These could include a local author who doesn’t mind doing more shorter, informal presentations. You can tie it in to a book that you read with the students earlier in the year. Ask the teachers for ideas on who they would like to see come in to speak to their students. Work with the other specials teachers to do a grade-level activity. Or invite the public librarian to speak about their available programs.

Go Outside

Depending on the weather take the kids outside. Do a nature walk or story walk, join the P.E. classes or just relax in the shade and read. You can create a library beach day or camping day. 

Bingo Games

You can do a Dewey Decimal bingo game, a genre bingo game or any other type of bingo you have available. I have a few ELA bingo games that I like to use. This is the time when I will give out “nicer” prizes to the students. And by nicer I mean stickers with googly eyes, puzzle erasers or scented markers or gel pens. In my district giving out candy or food for any reason is strictly prohibited (with a couple exceptions) so any type of food incentive is out.

Author Studies

If you are going to e in the classroom for a while, you could do an author study. A few that I have done recently include Robert Munsch, Steve Jenkins, Mo Willems and Doreen Cronin. You can do these in the lirary of course, but I have found them to work well in the classroom too. I like to choose an author that has a website with a lot of features like games and videos.

Storytime

I don’t need to put this on here. However, this is a good time to do craft projects because you should have easier access to supplies.

Tongue Twister Contest

This is one of my favorites!! I review tongue twisters with the kids (also a great way to review figurative language). Then I have the kids write their own tongue twisters and practice them. To do the contest, I try to pair up with the music teacher and have the two classes “battle it out” to see who is the tongue twister champion. There are so many different ways you can do this. I have even had the principal come in and compete a couple of times.

Nonfiction Text Features

I have purchased some paperback nonfiction book sets from Scholastic that I can easily take in to the classroom. I like the Smart Words series or the National Geographic Readers. I will hand out a graphic organizer and we’ll practice using text features. I have several different graphic organizers that I hand out for the students to complete. And there are so many ways to expand on this if you want to do a more in-depth type of activity. In the resource library are two nonfiction graphic organizers you can download and use.

Just for Fun

Word searches, puzzles, coloring pages, hidden pictures. There is nothing wrong with having your kids color or do a hidden picture for a few minutes. The kids love it and it is a great stress reliever. Plus I sit down with the kids and join them. I always keep a stash of these on hand because you never know when you might need one.

Porduct Suggestions

Below are some products that work well when you are in the classroom.

• Breakouts and Escape Activities
• Task Cards
• Jokes and Riddles Bingo Game
• Color by Genre and Call Number
• Read Aloud Picture Book Activities

Also, don’t forget about the free resource library.  There are many different activities for grades K-5 including graphic organizers, task cards, bookmarks, reading response printables and book recommendation templates! You can access the library by clicking the link at the top of any of my blog pages.