When you think of reading, charts and graphs probably aren’t the first things to come to mind. But when reading nonfiction texts, these elements play a role in understanding the text. Many times I’ve asked students to read a caption or refer to information from a chart, only to get a blank stare back. This just tells me how important it is to directly teach text features in nonfiction. What are nonfiction text features? Text features are the elements of an informational text not found ... Read the Post
How to Teach Text Features in NonFiction
Library Activities to Make Check-Out Time Run Smoothly
It’s library check-out time, and you’re wishing you had six more arms and three sets of eyes. Between checking out books, figuring out overdue books, and managing other students in the library - it can feel like a full-time job for at least three people. And yet, it’s just you. I wanted to share some library activities that can help check-out time run smoothly. These activities are meant to keep other students busy and on task, while you man the check-out counter. I’ll also give some ... Read the Post
The 10 Best Professional Development Books for Librarians
Well it’s ALMOST sweet summertime here in Virginia (school ends June 19 to be exact!) and that means a couple of things for me: It’s time for some serious self-care after being in education during a national pandemic.I'm headed to South Dakota for a mini getaway...I can't wait to see Mt. Rushmore!It’s time to polish up on my summer professional development reading. I think as librarians it’s really important to make sure that we are always at the “top” of our game. I like to use ... Read the Post
Poetry Unit Ideas for the Library
When you tell your students that you are going to write poetry, do you typically have a few that are excited, but the majority let out an audible sigh? Students often have the misconception that poetry is about following a lot of rules and using words that they don’t understand. They’re more open and excited when the focus shifts toward sharing their ideas and feelings with others in a creative format. Many students have a favorite type of poetry that they are drawn to. I have some different ... Read the Post
