The Monthly Library Challenge is a fun way for School Librarians to make their libraries even better! The Challenges started in 2019, and they have changed a lot over the past few years. It started as a monthly challenge in a guided Facebook group, but now, it is a self-paced challenge with support in the Facebook group.
A whole month of daily low-prep STEAM activities for kids. You are going to love all of the low-prep STEAM activities that we have in store!
I really believe in flannel boards during storytime. There’s almost nothing else like little felt shapes to capture the attention and awe of a roomful of toddlers or preschoolers, and that…
One of many photos shared by an elementary school library associate.
A monthly library book display is a great way to bring awareness to different topics, seasons, and celebrations. Check out these ideas!
Right before the break, my second graders finished making and writing about Picasso inspired portraits. I got this idea from my awesome coll...
Check out our collection of creative bulletin boards for fresh ideas to kickstart your preparations for Hispanic Heritage Month 2024!
FREE Elementary library curriculum map or scope and sequence for school librarians grades K-5. Download by clicking the link below!
So, I posted recently that my sixth graders were writing a mystery that was going to take place in the library. I took two of the best mysteries that were submitted and combined them! Here's how our mystery looked: The Problem: Mrs. Svarda got to school on Monday morning and saw the mess. At first she was just mad that all of the books were out, then she saw that all the books were missing their endings. She picked up a book and noticed that the barcode was missing, too. She looked around and found that several books were missing their endings and barcodes. The scanners were also missing so no one could check out books! Then Mrs. Svarda was scared and mad. Who could've done such a thing? What happened here? How could this happen? She needed help. Starbelly Sneetch Alibi: It was 5:00 and I heard a knock on my door. It was Fox in Socks. He came in and I turned off my music and put away my IPod. We played at my house until we got bored. We decided it would be fun to go to the movies. We texted Hop On Pop and Yertle the Turtle to see if they wanted to come, too. Everyone came to the movie except Hop on Pop. After the movie we couldn't think of what to do so we walked around. We thought we might stop by the library to visit Hop On Pop. It started to rain as we walked so we stopped at Fox in Sock's house to pick up some blankets to keep dry on our walk. Hop On Pop Alibi: It was 5:00 and I was looking at my clock when the doorbell rang. It was Yertle the Turtle. He had brought me some homemade bread. He asked if I wanted to go to the mall. My mom said, "No. I had to work on my homework at the library." Yertle the Turtle got a text right after that asking if we wanted to go and see the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie. Bummer. I really wanted to see a movie and hated that I had to go to the library instead. Yertle the Turtle left to meet everyone for the movie. I headed to the library with my homework. My animal report was due on Monday and mom said I couldn't do anything fun until I was finished with the report. The fun thing was that everyone came by the library after the movie and told me all about it. They had a great time. At 8:00, everyone had to head home. I had about thirty minutes left of homework, so I told them I'd have to stay around just a bit longer... Yertle the Turtle Alibi: It was 4:00 and I was cooking some homemade bread. When it was done I wanted to have some fun so I took some bread over to my friend Hop On Pop. I asked if he wanted to go to the mall, but then I got a text from Fox in Socks and Starbelly Sneetch asking if I wanted to go to the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie. My mom said I could go to the movie, but his mom said he had to do homework. He tried not to show it, but boy, was he mad. I had to leave Hop On Pop to make it to the movie on time. I told him if we had time, we'd stop by the library after the movie to hang out with him. Fox in Socks' Alibi: I was sitting in my room when my mom came in and said when I finished my chores I could play. I decided to go over to Starbelly Sneetch's house to play. We thought it would be fun to go to see a movie and texted our friends to see if they could come, too. When the movie was over we went by my house to get some blankets because it was raining and we didn't want to get wet. Then, we headed to the library to visit Hop On Pop because he was doing homework there. At the library, I looked for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. I really liked the movie so I thought I would like the book. What the students do: When the students entered the library, they each grabbed a clipboard with a pencil, ingredients of a mystery checklist, alibis, map of the crime scene, and suspect list attached to it. They also grabbed a highlighter. I had the problem and alibis typed up on my SMART board including pictures of the characters. I read the problem and each alibi to the students. We walked through the ingredients of a mystery and checked off all of the mystery elements that our mystery had on the list. Then, I separated the students into two groups. One team surveyed the crime scene and drew the map of the evidence in the crime scene first. The second team worked in teams to read through the alibis and highlight evidence they found in the text that made them believe a character or characters might be guilty. After ten minutes, the teams swapped stations. We returned together as a group to discuss all of the evidence the students had found in the crime scene as well as the alibis that led them to believe that specific characters could be guilty of the crime. We completed the suspect list together. Students work in teams to highlight evidence in the alibis. Students sketched the crime scene. We taped off the crime scene with caution tape. The crime scene included Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, barcodes with fur on them (from characters), endings ripped out of the end of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books (these were really just copies I ripped), a blanket, movie ticketes (3), and a book about bumblebees (this was the book Hop On Pop was using to do his research for homework). I found the copies for the ingredients of a mystery checklist and suspect list from Beth Newingham's Scholastic post about the mystery unit she teaches in her classroom. The Solution The students really thought like detectives in this lesson! I did catch a few of them off guard with my red herrings, though. The fuzz on the barcodes made some of them immediately suspect Fox in Socks and the Starbelly Sneetch. One of the kids said, "This is the best lesson we've had in the library all year!" So, you can make whoever you want responsible for the crime. I decided that Hop On Pop was guilty. He was mad that he did not get to go to the movie with his friends. He was working on his report about bumblebees (since bears love honey) and had to stay later than his friends in the library to finish up. All of the other characters visited the library to visit Hop On Pop and they did not say anything about something being wrong in the library. Hop On Pop tore the endings out of the books when his friends left. To excite the kids about checking out mysteries in our library, we created a mystery display. All of the books were sealed in brown paper bags with the barcodes on the outside so we could check the books out without opening the bags. Each bag had a different mystery inside. This was a fun way for our students to try reading something new in the library and practice their detective skills we learned in our lesson together! Mystery books in mystery bags!
Pokemon Go is taking over and kids are flocking to the library pokestop! Pokemon Go is the combination of so many things the library supports: gaming, imagining magical creatures, and getting to kn…
Growth Mindset: The Power of Yet Recently my 1st grade classroom has morphed into a K/1 combination classroom and then resulted in HUGE gaps (academically, socially, & emotionally) between my s…
Flowers Book Sweatshirt, Bookworm sweatshirt, bookish sweatshirt, book club sweatshirt, book sweatshirt, Book Lover, Book Crewneck, Reader A sturdy and warm sweatshirt bound to keep you warm in the colder months. A pre-shrunk, classic fit sweater that's made with air-jet spun yarn for a soft feel and reduced pilling. • 50% cotton, 50% polyester • Pre-shrunk • Classic fit • 1x1 athletic rib knit collar with spandex • Air-jet spun yarn with a soft feel and reduced pilling • Double-needle stitched collar, shoulders, armholes, cuffs, and hem
Exposing students to a wide variety of genres is so important to creating lifelong readers. It helps students begin to identify who they are as readers, including their likes and dislikes. By building genre background
Sometimes, library orienation can fell repetitive from year to year. Here, I list my favorite resources to use in your school libraries to start the year!
This comic strip template is a free printable that is perfect for kids. Kids of all ages, particularly preschoolers, elementary aged kids, even middle
Because there is no cure or outgrowing dyslexia, libraries must continue to be aware of dyslexia even after October ends.
Below you'll find an easy step-by-step tutorial for a Chagall Art Project and a Chagall Coloring Page. Stop by and download yours.
Dinosaurs Spot the Difference Printable. Help your kids practice their cognitive skills with spot the difference, hidden objects and much more
Get more from Sentate on Patreon
A monthly library book display is a great way to bring awareness to different topics, seasons, and celebrations. Check out these ideas!
I want to try all of these.
Teaching inferencing in third grade with an engaging crime scene activity! Students were thrilled when we transformed our classroom into 4 not-so-scary crime scenes to learn reading skills and make inferences.
Great Ideas And Tips For Teaching Poetry. Poetry reveals many aspects of life that they may not get to experience or witness first hand. Poetry may speak some ‘truth’ about how others live and that helps build empathy with our students. Read on for 6 ways you can set your students interest ablaze for poetry! Grades 4-12 | Middle School ELA | High School English
Happy Saturday Friends! Today is officially my first day of Spring Break! I wanted to share something I did with my students to motiv...
Check out all my favorite robots and robotics lessons for beginners and elementary students! Perfect for introducing kids to the basics of coding.
Learn About Eugenie Clark, The Shark Lady! Make learning fun with this Women's History Month Activity where students learn how to write a code and about the discoveries of Shark Lady. The Coding Process: In this coding activity, students use Directional Coding to help Eugenie Clark discover new ideas about sharks and other aquatic life. Perfect activity for a Women's History Month or for Hour of Code. NOTE: You do not need a degree in coding to teach this. The directions are designed to be so easy a sub could use them. Literacy Integration: This activity is the perfect companion to Shark Lady by Jess Keating. Aligns with CTSA and Common Core. Includes: Teacher and Student Instructions (With Photo) Student Coding Pages Student Reflection Pages Reading Passage Writing Worksheets CTSA and Common Core Standards TpT Digital Version for Distance Learning with Google Classroom Digital Activity: To use Easel for Distance Learning, select "Open in Easel" on this listing. Material List: Paper Scissors Binder Clip Shark Lady by Jess Keating(Recommended) Amazing resource for STEM club, STEM teachers, elementary librarians, parents who love hands-on learning, and elementary teachers who want to create a hands-on educational environment in their classroom! Follow us! TpT Store Facebook Instagram Twitter
14 Brilliant Ways to Quiet a Noisy Class! Check out these behavior management strategies for classroom management!
My monthly tween manga club is one of my favourite programs, largely because I am a life-long manga and anime nerd, and it thrills me to be able to share my passion with kids who love Japanese comi…
The Library Adventure uses affiliate links, see our policies for more information.Many children’s librarians are crafty. They happily pull out the glitter and never bat an eyelash at the thought of allowing the kids to paint. Children come marching out of their story times carrying gorgeously decorated projects, and afterward, those librarians set right to […]
I've been missing from blog world. Still working on making this a part of my routine. Our school theme this year was "We Walk by Fait...
