Star Gazing One recent night when the temperature in New York hovered around 15 degrees, my dog needed to go outside. I had been sitting on the couch reading (ironically!) A Year in Jamaica, Diana Lewes’s memoir from 1889. While… Read More ›
Technology Integration
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 ›
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 ›
Data Literacy in the Library
Data Driven Data has always been around us, but recently it’s taken center stage in all areas of society. Earlier this month I attended the virtual Empire State Library Network Pillars Symposium. During the conference, I gathered valuable resources and… Read More ›
My Favorite Collaborative Lesson: Story Problems with Scratch Jr.
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 ›
My Favorite Collaborative Lesson: Flags in First Grade
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 ›
Making Poetry Exciting for Teens
Selling the Language of Poetry It’s hard to persuade teenagers to read novels in their spare time but when it comes to poetry, it’s an even tougher sell. Each year I teach poetry research lessons to English classes. Though I… Read More ›
My Favorite Collaborative Lesson: Stop Motion in Preschool
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 ›
March Book Madness 2021: The Digital Version
The Fun Begins It’s that time of year again! When our school closed on Friday, March 13, 2020, I had just finished preparing all of the March Book Madness materials and was excited to come into the library on Monday… Read More ›
Making Connections and Practicing Digital Citizenship Skills with Flipgrid
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 ›