Collaboration with classroom teachers is one of the many components of a school librarian’s job. Some might even say that it connects all elements of our profession. Working closely with teachers allows for library skills to be taught throughout classroom… Read More ›
curriculum alignment
Popcorn and the Power of a Great Book Trailer
There’s nothing like seeing a great movie in a theater. First of all, there’s the popcorn. Movie-theater popcorn is unlike anything you can microwave or cook on the stove. There’s the anticipation of a great film and spending 2 hours… Read More ›
Stuck on Standards? The School Librarian’s Role
In last month’s post “Stuck on Standards?” I highlighted two examples of how to implement the AASL Standard Framework for Learners. In both examples, I utilized the same lesson and standard frameworks, scaffolding each for different grade levels. Scaffolding is… Read More ›
Stuck on Standards?
The AASL National School Library Standards were published a little over one year ago. Many school librarians have been implementing the standards in practice since, and many school librarians are just getting started in their implementation process. However, some librarians… Read More ›
Early Literacy Skills and More Using Bear Books
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 ›
What should our students know?
At the 2018 School Library Journal Summit in Brooklyn, I had the privilege of hearing George Takei talk about his childhood experiences in Japanese-American Internment Camps during World War II. The talk was timed for his forthcoming graphic novel for… Read More ›
Surviving the Wild of Middle School by Making It FUN
Supporting Curriculum and Adding FUN Each year seventh-grade students in my school read two class novels that focus on survival skills and wild terrain. Students read Call of the Wild by Jack London and Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen… Read More ›
Order Up: A Monthly Menu for Collaboration
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 ›
Seniors and Deep Dive Research
Go Big or Go … Have you ever started an ambitious project that would either be a smashing success or an embarrassing failure? This week I am embarking on a project that will be a true challenge in logistics, energy,… Read More ›
Mixing Reading with Coding in Early Childhood
As a librarian, my goal is to expose students to all forms of literacy. Coding, to me, is just another form. Teaching coding allows me to integrate multiple disciplines together. Coding is a process just like the research process. That… Read More ›