Author Archives

I am the librarian at Detroit Country Day Lower School in Bloomfield Hills, MI. I have worked as a librarian for the past five years. I was a classroom teacher for four years prior to that. I have worked in charter, public, and private schools. My favorite thing about being a librarian is the opportunities I have to work both with students and teachers. I love the co-teaching opportunities and connections I have been able to make! I have served on AASL committees as a member and chair.

• Order Up: A Monthly Menu for Collaboration

  By Kelly Hincks on 05/01/2018 • ( 2 )

  

  Two years ago, the library switched from a completely fixed schedule to a hybrid model. Students in preschool and kindergarten currently come at a scheduled time each week. First and second grade come for a fifteen-minute weekly check out. All… Read More ›

• Adding Student Voice with the Junior Library Council

  By Kelly Hincks on 04/03/2018 • ( 0 )

  

  One of my goals is to increase student voice in the library. This has always been a bit of a challenge, since my school serves preschool to second grade. This year, I started the Junior Library Council (JLC) to help… Read More ›

• Using Newsletters to Advocate

  By Kelly Hincks on 03/06/2018 • ( 2 )

  

  The concept of a newsletter is a simple one. It is not flashy or overly creative, but for the library program it has been transformative. Currently, I send a monthly newsletter, which allows for a quick, effective, and easy way… Read More ›

• Retelling with Ozobots in 5 Easy Steps

  By Kelly Hincks on 02/07/2018 • ( 0 )

  

  It is my belief that coding is another form of literacy. As a librarian, I work to teach all forms literacy, so coding has become a part of my curriculum. I teach coding across content areas. This allows connections to… Read More ›

• 3 Reasons to Celebrate World Read Aloud Day

  By Kelly Hincks on 01/03/2018 • ( 0 )

  

  World Read Aloud Day is an annual event where people all over the world read aloud as a way to advocate for literacy. This event is run by a nonprofit organization called LitWorld. Their mission is to provide reading and writing opportunities… Read More ›

• Mixing Reading with Coding in Early Childhood

  By Kelly Hincks on 12/06/2017 • ( 1 )

  

  As a librarian, my goal is to expose students to all forms of literacy. Coding, to me, is just another form.  Teaching coding allows me to integrate multiple disciplines together. Coding is a process just like the research process. That… Read More ›

• Character Education Meets Flipgrid

  By Kelly Hincks on 10/30/2017 • ( 1 )

  

  Most educators who have discovered Flipgrid can easily see its vast number of uses and the power it holds for students. For me, as a teacher librarian, Flipgrid is a great way to teach the research process even if we… Read More ›

• Old Office Turned Production Studio

  By Kelly Hincks on 10/03/2017 • ( 0 )

  

  There is a room connected to the library that has had many lives. It has been an over-crowded storage room. Then it turned into an office. From there, it became a classroom. Finally, it ended up empty. Rather than turn… Read More ›

• Keeping Data: What and How I Plan to Keep Track

  By Kelly Hincks on 09/06/2017 • ( 2 )

  

  Every year I enjoy looking at the year-end reports that people share. I always find it interesting what and how people represent their library. However, I often think, “Man, I wish I would have thought to keep track of that… Read More ›

• Animal Research Meets Reading, Writing, and Flipgrid

  By Kelly Hincks on 07/31/2017 • ( 0 )

  

    Animal research projects are common in the elementary world. The second-grade teachers came to me and said they were going to an animal research project. The question became how to allow their students to have ownership of their learning… Read More ›