Lessons on Library Rules

In week 1, I tried to think of a fun vehicle for delivering the rules message, but in week 2, I wanted to actually make sure that the message had gotten across.

Regardless of which video students watched (Pigeon for K-1, Despicable Me for 2-5), we started off class reviewing some of the rules that had been featured. Students did a great job remembering what we had talked about, even a week later.

But how to really reinforce the message? I devised games for the older classes, and continued with read-alouds for the younger grades.

Kindergartners heard an adorable book, Read it, Don't Eat It, by Ian Schoenherr. It's a simple story, but offers lots of natural pauses for students to understand the rule and talk about why it is important in the library. Bonus: HarperCollins provided several reproducible extension activities. We worked on the matching worksheet together, using my document scanner.

1st Grade heard Shelf Elf, a library classic by Jackie Mims Hopkins. We practiced using shelf markers, and being good library helpers when we are browsing for books. 1st graders got their first chance to check out books, which they were very excited about.

2nd and 3rd Grades demonstrated their knowledge of library rules and book care with a game of library bingo (loved this site for helping me create customized bingo sheets for free!)

4th and 5th Grades played Library Jeopardy! Each class was grouped in 4 teams and they were able to work through all the clues to show that they had paid attention last week. Some students were a smidge more competitive than others, but everyone seemed to get into it. Was grateful to the folks over at Elementary Librarian (this has certainly been a useful subscription thus far) for the idea, which I was able to tweak to fit my library's needs.

Play at home and test your knowledge!

FALL into a good book

It's not feeling too much like fall yet in New England, but I still love looking at the display my 4th and 5th grade students helped create during their first week of library class this year. I supplied the tree, and they added leaves with their book recommendations on them. Students often head to this area after they've checked out their books, so hopefully some of the suggestions will inspire a new book check out!

A New School Year Begins...

It was a busy first week in the Loker Library!

Kindergartners visited with a familiar feathered friend and watched a funny spoof on a favorite story. The video helped open up discussions on how we should take care of our library books.

1st Grade read Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen. This story helped introduce some of our library rules (and let them have a ROARING good time).

2nd - 5th Grades had some despicable help remembering our library rules. We brainstormed what they liked about library class year and what they hope to do in library this year. Younger grades played Library Rules Bingo to reinforce what they saw in the video, and older grades visited a number of stations to get them back into the library state of mind. 

Drumroll, please...

It's been a while since my I updated my blog, but the big news is that I am now a certified school librarian! After finishing my practicum last fall, and then my LAST class in the spring, I began my search for jobs, and ended up landing an awesome role at the Loker School in Wayland.

As part of my new role, I wanted to create a blog to share what's happening in my library and wrestled with whether or not to resurrect this one, or start anew.

Ultimately, I think the blog title still holds. Being a school librarian (or any type of teacher, for that matter), is a constant work in progress. There is always some element of "becoming" as you hone your craft and find new ways to reach your students. Especially through my experience of being an older student, I hope that I'll always aspire to keep on learning and becoming the best LMS I can be.