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 eight 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. I currently am a member of ALA's Ready to Code (RtC) Task Force.

• Early Literacy Skills and More Using Bear Books

  By Kelly Hincks on 01/08/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  The preschool program at my school focuses on using the students’ interests and the world around them to guide classroom themes. Being from Michigan, we see very distinct seasonal changes. What animals do during each season is often observed by… Read More ›

• 5 Ways to Spread Book Love

  By Kelly Hincks on 12/10/2018 • ( 4 )

  

  This year one of my professional goals was to reflect on how I was promoting a positive reading culture at my school and develop ways to improve it. Improvement implies there is something wrong with what is currently being done…. Read More ›

• The Glass Half Full: Focusing on the Positive

  By Kelly Hincks on 11/13/2018 • ( 0 )

  

  Recently, I was able to attend my state library conference, the MAME Conference, for the first time. While there we heard from speakers like Colby Sharp, John Shu, and author Jewels Rhodes Parker. Needless to say, it was two days… Read More ›

• Code to Move: Mixing Coding with Brain Breaks

  By Kelly Hincks on 10/10/2018 • ( 0 )

  

  To Start: Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the CS Fundamentals Introduction Workshop sponsored by Code.org. This workshop explored why computer science should be taught to all students. The presenter was Vinos Kassab (@kassabv). She shared how students’ computational… Read More ›

• Thinking about Space: Remembering Its Purpose

  By Kelly Hincks on 09/12/2018 • ( 0 )

  

  My school is currently in a transition period. We are in the process of building a new school so for this coming school year we have moved to a temporary location. Since I needed to redesign the space to work for my… Read More ›

• Feeling Inspired by The Creativity Project

  By Kelly Hincks on 08/09/2018 • ( 0 )

  

  If you have not read the book The Creativity Project, you are missing out! This book was edited by Colby Sharp and published in March 2018. The idea started as an experiment that turned into what most educators would consider… Read More ›

• Using Research to Find a New Chair for Baby Bear

  By Kelly Hincks on 06/04/2018 • ( 0 )

  

  If you have ever read Goldilocks and the Three Bears you know that Baby Bear’s chair ends up in pieces. The sad thing is his chair never gets fixed.  Below you will find how students in preschool use the research… Read More ›

• 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 ›