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.

• Librarian on a Cart: Bringing the Library to the Classroom

  By Kelly Hincks on 08/12/2020 • ( 0 )

  

  In September, the plan is to head back to in-person learning. Since I work with elementary students, the goal is to provide fewer transitions to different locations in the building. The homeroom class will be their cohort to help limit… Read More ›

• 4 Takeaways about Applied Digital Skills

  By Kelly Hincks on 07/09/2020 • ( 0 )

  

  You know when you learn about a resource and say to yourself, “Ah, I wish I had learned about this before!” That is how I feel about Applied Digital Skills by Google for Education. Recently, I was fortunate enough to… Read More ›

• Summer Reading Family Packs

  By Kelly Hincks on 06/09/2020 • ( 1 )

  

  As school librarians we often provide summer reading recommendations to our students. This year our libraries wanted to provide something to support the entire family regardless of age or level. We came up with six different family packs. Each pack… Read More ›

• 7 Ways to Keep Kids Reading Even at a Distance

  By Kelly Hincks on 05/13/2020 • ( 2 )

  

  Even in our remote learning model, I am still working to provide opportunities to support reading for enjoyment. This is a bit more difficult when you cannot see the children you teach regularly, but here are seven ways I, with… Read More ›

• Remote Learning Lessons PreK to 4th Grade

  By Kelly Hincks on 04/09/2020 • ( 6 )

  

  Let me start by saying I have never been a remote learning teacher before. This is not something that I have taken a class on or claim to be an expert in. Teaching elementary age students in this setting is… Read More ›

• Applications Are Open for the Sara Jaffarian Award

  By Kelly Hincks on 03/11/2020 • ( 0 )

  

  Are you a school librarian who has developed an outstanding humanities program? Do you work with kindergarten through eighth-grade students? Then you are encouraged to apply for the Sara Jaffarian Award. What Is It? The Sara Jaffarian Award is a… Read More ›

• 12 More (mostly cheap) Teacher Tricks that Work in an Elementary Library

  By Kelly Hincks on 02/11/2020 • ( 3 )

  

  In 2017, I wrote a blog post titled “12 (mostly cheap) Teacher Tricks that Work in an Elementary Library.” What I did not realize when I wrote that post was the positive response it would receive. The goal was to… Read More ›

• 3 Reasons to Love Self-Checkout in an Elementary Library

  By Kelly Hincks on 01/16/2020 • ( 10 )

  

  I know what you must be thinking: I am late to this party! If you complete a quick Internet search you find many, many posts from librarians who have been using self-checkout for years. I mean, years! So now I… Read More ›

• Four Times to Bail on a Lesson

  By Kelly Hincks on 12/17/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  We have all been there when a lesson falls flat. When your best-laid plans just do not work. Recently, I had a lesson crash and burn. As someone who has been teaching for over twelve years, I am always humbled… Read More ›

• Create Your Own Graph: A Math Collaboration in 5 Steps

  By Kelly Hincks on 11/19/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  Recently, a second-grade teacher and I had the opportunity to work together on a project in math. Her class was finishing a unit on graphing and I recommended the book The Great Graph Contest by Loreen Leedy. The book sparked… Read More ›