Posted in Uncategorized

The Snowy Day Lesson Plan

Posted on by Rebekah Kreyling

Since I live in Georgia, my students have never seen snow. Reading something like The Snowy Day allows them to see the snow without the cold. This Snowy Day lesson plan will give you an easy routine and activity. The addition of a snowy video on the smartboard just helps the atmosphere.

Materials:

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Novel Effect
Crayons
Pattern for Snowglobe
CardStock
Plastic plates
Elmer’s Liquid Glue
Cotton Balls
Makeup pads
Hot Glue Gun/Glue (Be careful it gets HOT!)
Glitter (if desired)

Standards Framework:
I. INQUIRE Build new knowledge by inquiring, thinking critically, identifying problems, and developing strategies for solving problems.
V. EXPLORE Discover and innovate in a growth mindset developed through experience and reflection.

Procedure for Snowy Day Lesson Plan:

  1. Prior to class, copy the Pattern for Snowglobe onto the cardstock, one for each student.
  2. Normal welcome procedure (mine follows, but use your own):
    1. Hallway greeting
    2. Send to story rug
    3. 2 yoga poses
  3. Settle the class on the story rug
  4. Talk about snow (my students have never seen snow so we discussed what they thought it was like and then I gave some real world experience).
  5. Read The Snowy Day with Novel Effects
  6. During reading, make sure to stop, pause, question. I had my students identify things, count footprints, predict what would happen, etc.
  7. After reading, give each student a copy of Pattern for Snowglobe printed on cardstock. Have them write their name somewhere outside the globe.
  8. Have the students draw a “snowy” scene within the globe. I gave mine directions to draw an image or idea from the story. Use the Elmer’s glue to stick cotton balls and makeup pads to create “snow” within the globes. **Note, make sure that they don’t allow the cotton to puff up too much or the covers won’t fit.
  9. When they’ve finished their pictures, take the globes, spread a little glitter in the globe and then use the hot glue to glue the plate over it to form a dome.
  10. Once dry, hang them up or send them home with the students.
Posted in Uncategorized

Pens for Teaching Recommendations

Posted on by Rebekah Kreyling

As a teacher, pens were one of the most important purchases I could make. As a librarian, I still find that pens are high on my priority list and have continued to use some of the same ones that I found when I was teaching. Finding the right pen for teaching that wrote neatly and met all of my needs was an ongoing process. In addition, with grad school and creating my own planner (see here for planner pages I’ve created and found), I discovered even more reasons to find the perfect utensils.

Pens

Sharpie Pens: hands down my favorite pens. They write amazingly with a dark color that doesn’t bleed through even on the thinnest paper. I love these for just jotting notes and for writing on students’ papers. In the library, I use pens for teaching for almost everything and they write on just about everything. (About the only thing I found that they didn’t work on were Extreme Post-it Notes.)

Papermate Gel Pens: I love grading papers with these pens. They’re bright and cheerful which stands out amongst the plainer writing of the students. I don’t really use these as a librarian, but I still love the way they glide across the page. I rarely graded in red so having all the choices of color was fantastic.

Tactical Pen: This pen doesn’t write nearly as smoothly or nicely as the others. The advantage to this one is it’s a heavier pen. It also has a point on the end that is pretty sharp (why I don’t recommend taking it to work with you or keeping it out of the hands of littles). That point (supposedly) can break a car window with enough force. I haven’t used it that way yet and hope I don’t have to. The heaviness means it takes a little getting used to, but it does have a decent glide. (I’m not a huge fan of ballpoint pens so that’s some of my hesitation with this recommendation.)

Highlighters

Bic Highlighters: I hate highlighters with a passion which means I’m guessing you’re wondering why I have highlighters on my list. It’s because these highlighters are not like your mother’s highlighters. These are pastel and you can actually STILL READ what you highlight! I lived with these in my hand while doing reading for grad school. They are fantastic. Smooth glide and easy to use, they also have the chiseled tip which makes it easier to highlight just one line.

Markers

Journal Planner Pens: These are my best suggestion for planner pens. They have super thin points that are perfect for writing in small spaces in planners. You also do not have to worry about smearing or blurring as you write above or below where you’ve already written. There are plenty of colors, although some of them are rather close to the others. I find them useful for color coding my journals so I can tell at a glance what event is coming up. This coming year, I’ll use them to color code my lesson plans for my different grade levels.

Posted in librarian

Yay! You’re a Librarian! Now What?!

Posted on by Rebekah Kreyling

You’re landed your dream job and you are now a school librarian. But now what?

First off, don’t panic.

There are tons, almost too many, of resources available. Most likely you’ve completed a Master of Library Sciences and/or a school librarianship certification. (It varies from state to state what is needed to be a school librarian, but most require at least certification). This may leave you feeling very prepared or not prepared at all. I’ve found that a lot of my learning has come from on the job training. Yes, I learned things in my classes, but just like teaching (and I think a lot of other jobs), school can only prepare you for the real world.

Second of all, find your people.

You aren’t going to get along with everyone at your new job. I mean no one gets along with everyone. But start finding the people at your job that you can go to with questions or who will support your ideas. I’m very lucky in my job that I have a supportive principal. She’s very forward thinking and loves initiative. I’ve also got support from almost all of my grade levels, but I am in a unique position where although I’m not building a library from scratch, I am building a program. Our district made some changes just before the beginning of the year so I’ve been able to start building a new program

Third of all, find your resources.

No one is going to expect you to know everything. Find out who you go to with questions and keep a list if you can’t ask them as soon as you think of them. Join a Facebook group (or five) and find some more seasoned librarians who can help you plan or just give you ideas. There’s lessons and ideas in my TpT store that are there because I’ve found they work.

And finally, enjoy.

You’re bringing the joy of reading to children. Have fun with it. Every lesson is not always going to work, but when you see them having fun and enjoying visiting the library, you’ll know you’ve done your job. My biggest reward is the hugs I get and the students saying hi every time they see me. That tells me that I’m doing my job.

Welcome to the world of librarianship. We’re all pretty friendly and we love a good story. It’s the best place to be.