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 nine 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 was most recently a member of ALA's Ready to Code (RtC) Task Force.

• My Favorite Collaborative Lesson: Story Problems with Scratch Jr.

  By Kelly Hincks on 07/22/2021 • ( 0 )

  

  I find that collaboration between homeroom teachers and the school librarian can happen naturally in subjects like language arts and social studies, but other subjects like math can be a bit tricky to fit together. However, every once in a… Read More ›

• Are You Backable? 5 Ways to Advocate

  By Kelly Hincks on 06/09/2021 • ( 0 )

  

  What does it mean to be backable? You know the person who seems to convince others with ease. The person who can get up and share an idea and show others exactly what needs to be done. When becoming a… Read More ›

• My Favorite Collaborative Lesson: Flags in First Grade

  By Kelly Hincks on 05/19/2021 • ( 1 )

  

  Collaboration can take many forms. It does not always have to be a co-taught lesson or one with many parts. It just needs to be one where the school librarian and classroom teacher support each other’s curriculum to help extend… Read More ›

• My Favorite Collaborative Lesson: Stop Motion in Preschool

  By Kelly Hincks on 04/14/2021 • ( 0 )

  

  As school librarians, we know that collaboration is important. I am fortunate that many of my colleagues love to work together. They understand the shared vision and benefits that collaboration can offer. Below is a project that was developed alongside… Read More ›

• Making Connections and Practicing Digital Citizenship Skills with Flipgrid

  By Kelly Hincks on 03/10/2021 • ( 2 )

  

  This year has required us to do things a bit differently, to say the least. Planning for World Read Aloud Day was no exception. This event has always been about allowing my students to gain a larger view of the… Read More ›

• MISelf in Books: A Diverse Book List for All

  By Kelly Hincks on 02/10/2021 • ( 1 )

  

  Recently, the Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME) released the 2020 MISelf in Books List. MAME is an affiliate of AASL and works with librarians across the state of Michigan. The MISelf in Books List is an annual list… Read More ›

• My Favorite Collaborative Lesson: Mixing Figurative Language and Coding

  By Kelly Hincks on 01/11/2021 • ( 0 )

  

  As a school librarian collaborating with classroom teachers is a key component to our role in the school community. Collaboration can come in many forms, but the goal is to move past just the curation of resources. The focus is… Read More ›

• 4 Things Being a Mentor Taught Me

  By Kelly Hincks on 12/09/2020 • ( 0 )

  

  Recently, a local university was looking for mentors for Librarian and Information Science students. The e-mail went something like, “Help the next generation of school librarians…” My first thought was I am not sure I am qualified! I mean I… Read More ›

• The Original Plan vs. What It Really Looks Like

  By Kelly Hincks on 11/13/2020 • ( 1 )

  

  This year I have been teaching students who are face to face as well as those who are learning remotely. At the start of the school year, I had grand plans. I was going to do all the things and… Read More ›

• 8 Games to Play Virtually with Elementary Students

  By Kelly Hincks on 10/13/2020 • ( 1 )

  

  Like most educators I know I have been learning everything I can about how to best support students who are face-to-face being socially distant as well as those who are learning remotely. Recently, in one of the Facebook educator groups,… Read More ›