The Headlines This year, I partnered with the English Department Chair at my school, Kevin Finn, to launch a schoolwide reading initiative. Kevin and I noticed headlines everywhere we looked: “Why Aren’t We Reading Anymore? Americans are Losing Interest in… Read More ›
Community/Teacher Collaboration
4 Ways to Use the 4 Levels of Collaboration
Recently, I had the opportunity to present a roundtable session at the Michigan Association of School Librarians (MASL) conference. During this session, I shared information about the 4 Levels of Collaboration for Teachers and Librarians. Then participants played a game… Read More ›
Building Relationships is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
One piece of advice that I give to my school library graduate students and anyone who is taking on a new school librarian role is that in our profession, we need to remember that it is a marathon, not a… Read More ›
The Impact of Student Art and Writing Showcases in Your High School Library on Creativity and Talent
First and foremost, why should we consider allocating space and time in our school libraries to student art and writing exhibits? There are several compelling reasons, including the desire to recognize student brilliance, develop a creative environment, and increase library… Read More ›
Using A Book Talk Checklist
Keeping track of what books I talked about to which classes all throughout the semester or year can be a big task. How many times has a student come back to ask, “what was that book you told me about… Read More ›
Back-to-School Library Tour for Teachers
Last spring, I had a conversation with a classroom teacher and it went like this: Teacher: “I feel bad asking, but do we have the book I Wish You More by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.” Me: “We do! I am happy… Read More ›
The Collaboratorium: Media Literacy in Science
Being a Life-Long Learner I consider information literacy, and by extension media literacy, to be one of the most important areas of instruction for today’s students. So I was pleasantly surprised to learn I was ignorant about a particular avenue… Read More ›
Library Shelves to Attract the Modern Teen
See and Be Seen Teenagers don’t always notice what’s right in front of them. In my high school library few students take the time to look through the shelves when they need a book. I’m always happy to guide individuals… Read More ›
My Favorite Collaborative Lesson: Celebrating Children’s Week
It can be challenging at the end of the school year for a teacher to keep students engaged and learning while matching their level of anticipation for summer break. This past school year a third-grade teacher came to discuss an… Read More ›
5 Tips and Tricks for Teaching Research in Elementary
Research in early elementary? Yep! You bet! Teaching research skills to students at any age can be a large task, but with elementary students, it takes a unique approach. Here are five tips and tricks I have learned for teaching… Read More ›