Every person has a story to tell. That’s as true for children as it is for established writers. Most high school teachers are familiar with the college essay crunch that starts at the end of junior year, heats up in… Read More ›
collaboration
4 Levels of Collaboration for Teachers and Librarians
As school librarians, we know that collaboration is a large part of our role. In the AASL National School Library Standards to collaborate is to “work effectively with others to broaden perspectives and work toward common goals.” We also understand… Read More ›
Creating Book Award Buy In
Book award season is upon us! I love to see what books will be chosen from the gigantic amount of titles published each year. I love seeing what the national and state committees pick, but I especially get excited for… Read More ›
Collaboration Definition 1 or 2
When a word means something very different Some words in the English language have two very different meanings—for instance, the word compromise. One person may use the word by its first definition to reach an agreement or meeting in the… Read More ›
Literacy Through Graphic Novels and Comic Books
As 2021 came to a close, we all needed some brightness in our lives. Free Comic Book Day, a national initiative that takes place each May, inspired a colleague and I to start one of our own a few years… Read More ›
My Favorite Collaborative Lesson: Birds in Preschool
Our preschool is all based on play and authentic learning opportunities. The objectives in preschool can be taught through a variety of themes. So the teachers choose the themes to teach these objectives from what the children are talking about… Read More ›
Reaching Beyond English: Collaboration with Teachers in All Content Areas
This November, when an art class walked into the library with their teacher, the students didn’t seem incredulous that they were there. Rather, there was curiosity brewing on their faces: how in the world would the library connect with what… Read More ›
Speed Dating with Books: The Power of Creative Nonfiction
This year I was thrilled to be back in person for our yearly 11th-grade Speed Dating with Books event. Though last year’s digital version was successful, it could not compare to the energy of a live activity. Amid the chaos… Read More ›
Librarians, Let’s Confer about Who We Are
This short volume of a post stands between bookends: #AASL21, which just occurred last week, and the upcoming #VAASL conference, which takes place next week. The word “confer” has been around for over five hundred years; its first known use… Read More ›
How to Diversify Literary Analysis Research
As I was teaching a research lesson to an AP literature class the other day, a student raised her hand and asked, “Why is this list mostly dead white males?” She had been looking over the chart of author choices… Read More ›