Book Gravy

  Beginning of the Year Checklist It's that time of year again.  Time to get the space ready for the patrons' return. There are a hundred things to think about and to plan for before the first patron walks through the doors.  It is always helpful to me to have a list of things I need to check off in preparation for the first day.  Here's a list that I found helpful when working at a school site.  Initially I began with a print copy, then migrated to a digital one.  Feel free to make a copy and edit as needed for your own site.  As we know, no two sites are the same, which is as it should be.  Each library should fit the needs of its community.   How do you keep track of your tasks?  Feel free to share in the comments.

Library Welcome Folder/File It's a new school year, and everyone has just enjoyed a long summer break, so it's natural if everyone (I'm included) has forgot library policy and procedures.  There will also be new teachers and staff who will need to know the library schedules, and what the library has to offer.  This is why I create a Welcome to the Library File to share with the staff.  Here are the basics for the welcome file. The Library Schedule M-F Schedule I include a PDF copy of the library schedule.  It lists every class or open session during library hours.  I also include the times for book clubs, library crafts, and other library activities. Library Fee Schedule Damaged book It's important to make the district library fee schedule as transparent as possible.  I include a PDF copy of it for the staff, and post one up in the library. Textbook and Library Policy Textbook and library policy. I wrote up the d...

Planning for the New School Year:   Library Themes Every year, I pick a theme for the entire library, and all the decorating, activities, and library events center around the theme.  I do this for several reasons.   A theme for the year helps me structure the activities so that they feel cohesive.  I decorate once, and don't have to change the majority of the decor for the rest of the year  I switch out only one bulletin board on a monthly basis.   The students really enjoy having a library theme, and get into the spirit of the theme throughout the year. It is a fun way to engage student interests and create opportunities for dialogue. It is a fun way to keep me on my toes, and keep me engaged as well. Creating a Library Theme for the Year Research First, I do research on current trends, movies, and fads.  This is important, because we want to engage students, and want them to seek out the library.  The first goal ...

Planning the Year Using Spreadsheets It's the end of June, and I still have a month of vacation.  While on vacation, I'll be sharing a few tools and strategies for taking a proactive approach to school library management and activities. My first share is the template I use for planning out the year. Using Spreadsheets for the Year at a Glance I use Google spreadsheets to create the Year at a Glance sheet.  The first column includes a rowfor each week in the year, and the rows are divided by month.  For each month, I also include a row for School Curriculum.  On this row, I write what unit/s of study the teachers are working on for each month.  As you can see from the image, I label each week simply with "week 1, week 2, etc." and not with specific dates.  The reason for this is to allow for flexibility in the schedule.  In my case, I need to work my activities around district testing, state testing, CELDT testing, school-wide events,...

Using School-opoly to Cover Book Genres This year the library's theme was "Board Games/Phone Apps."  All the bulletins in the library were centered around this theme.  I had a "Be a winner at the game of LIFE" bulletin to showcase the six pillars of character, and a "Check It Out!" bulletin (checkerboard) for the display case.  For my main wall, I created a "School-opoly" board, with all the pieces necessary to play the game.  As I was creating the wall, and creating "properties,"  I saw the potential in using each of the different colors on the board to showcase different book genres, and so I decided to use this game to introduce students to the different genres and sub-genres. The Set Up First, I created the "property" pieces for the game board.  The "properties" were the different school site locations:  The classrooms, the offices, the playground, etc.  I then grouped the properties by genres...

April is...National Poetry Month Links for April, 2017 - Poetry for Elementary From Handy Handouts:   Types of Poetry by Becky L. Spivey, M.Ed. Homework, Oh Homework ! Video by J.J.Rafferty.  Poem by Jack Prelutsky Houghton Mifflin Harcourt:    Poetry Kit, 2009  Shape/Animal Poem handou ts Poetry Definitions:   Poetry, by Jenny Eather  [shockwave flash] ReadWriteThink:   Acrostic Poem interactive ReadWriteThink:   Acrostic Poem handout ReadWriteThink:   Alliteration Brainstorm handou t RhymeZone:   Rhyming dictionary. Shel Silverstein website:   A lot of great activities in the learning resources page. Scholastic:   Poetry Idea Engine [shockwave flash] Slideshare:  Intro to Poetry, Claire McKinnon  [ppt], great for 5th grade and up. WriteAHaiku:   Write A Haiku interactive  

For our school site, we held Read Across America Week during the week of March 6th.  I thought I'd share some of the highlights. For Monday, the Library Helpers Club and the 5th grade ASB hosted Dr. Seuss games during the recess periods. Students participating in the Read while Hoola-Hooping game Students participating in the Dr. Seuss ring toss game. On Tuesday, we had the mayor of Fontana visit the school and  be the first to sign our school banner.  Those who signed the banner pledged to read every day. For Wednesday, our site hosted a "Reading Under the Stars" community event.  We invited our students and their families to bring their blankets, lawn chairs, and snacks and join us for story time under the stars.  We were able to project the picture book pages on a blank wall, and used a microphone to read the stories aloud.  My school district's Library Director was able to attend, and not only did she share a fabulous retelling o...

 Last year, I found a copy of Thinking Skills for grades 3-4 , from Evan-Moor Publishers, in a stack of obsolete items in an unused classroom.  As I was looking through the book, I thought, "Wouldn't it be fun to share these with students and see how they respond?"  The only issue was how to share these puzzles/sheets with the students in a library setting.  So my solution was to create a Think Board. The purpose of the Think Board is to get students to think beyond right or wrong answers.  The questions and puzzles in this book challenge the reader to use logic, think creatively, and problem solve.  I felt that it would be a great way to have students practice critical thinking skills, if only for five minutes during students' library visits. The Think Board isn't a board.  Its butcher paper I've pinned to a section of our story corner.  Perhaps next year it will upgrade to a more formal platform.  There's a "Think" title, and instruction...

March is just around the corner and I'm putting the finishing touches on our plans for Read Across America week.  Here's what the week looks like: Day Dr. Seuss Book School Activity for the Day What to Wear Monday, March 6th Daisy-head Mayzie Dr. Seuss Games (during recess) Crazy Hair Day! Tuesday March 7th The Sneeches Sign the Pledge to Read THE MAYOR OF FONTANA WILL BE HERE TO TAKE THE PLEDGE! Twin Day! Wednesday, March 8 th I am NOT Going to Get Up Today! *Reading Under the Stars, Special Event at 5:30pm Pajama Day! Thursday, March 9 th I can read with my eyes shut! Reading Buddies Bring Your Favorite Book Day! Friday, March 10 th   Cat in the Hat Door Decorating Contest Dress Like a Book Character Day! I am so thankful for our school organizations that are participating by sponsoring events, and taking the lead on some of the activities.  ASB and PTA have both answered the call to help, organize, and purchase items need...

A big thank you to the donors who contributed to my library project for this year. Thanks to DonorsChoose.org, we were able to purchase a color printer for the library. Now, students without home computers can work on and print out their homework and school projects at the library. We've only had the printer for a few months, yet students have responded quickly to this new technology available to them. Here are a few photos of their work: If you have a school projects, and lack the tools and materials, you may want to give DonorsChoose.org a chance. Their mission is to give every child the tools and experience they need for a great education.

Read Alouds for an "I Like Me" Theme, Pre-K - 1st Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood.   Children enjoy comparing themselves to the variety of animals in this picture book.  A great book for discussion on character traits, and how a variety of feelings and attributes make a whole person. The illustrations are vibrant and vivid. Published by Child's Play (International), Ltd. I Like Me! by Nancy Carlson The illustrations and simple text work together to showcase the character's best friend:  herself!  The main character, a cute, curly-tailed pig, tells us how she cares for her body with good hygiene, a good diet, and a good attitude.  A book about loving yourself, caring for yourself, and being your own best friend.   Puffin Books My Friends , by Taro Gomi What is a friend? This small but thoughtful story shows us how friends help us shape the world around us.  With the subdued waterc...

All Things Green Frog Song by Brenda Z. Guiberson, illustrated by Gennady Spirin A non-fiction picture book that shares information about frogs from around the world.  The illustrations are vibrant and have a beautiful photographic quality, and the onomatopoetic text makes it fun to read. Grades K-4.  Henry Holt and Company St. Patrick's Day by Gail Gibbons Gail Gibbons illustrations and simple text make this a great information book about the story of St. Patrick, and the many ways people celebrate St. Patrick's Day today.   Grades K-2.  Holiday House Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger There are so many shades of green, and in this Caldecott Honor picture book, Laura Vaccaro Seeger helps us explore the many greens that surround us with beautiful illustrations and die-cut pages.  Grades K-1.  Roaring Brook Press. The Earth is Painted Green , Edited by Barbara Brenner, Illustrated by S.D. Schindler Poem...

Read Alouds for February, 2016 Chinese New Year Cleversticks by Bernard Ashley, Illustrated by Derek Brazell. Ling Sung can't seem to get anything right.  He doesn't know how to do the things his friends can do well.  However, he soon learns that he too is good at something, and with this discovery, he learns to share his knowledge, and learn from others.  Grades K-2.  Crown Publishers. Lion Dancer:  Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year by Kate Waters and Madeline Slovenz-Low  Photographs by Martha Cooper This picture book describes how a boy who lives in Chinatown, New York City celebrates the Chinese New Year.  It includes great photographs that show the preparations before performing the lion dance at the Chinese New Year parade.  Grades 2- 4.  Scholastic, Inc. Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright &  Ying-Hwa Hu Sam receives four dollars in a shiny red envelope for Chinese New Year.  Now he ha...