Storybook Endings: Library

Showing posts with label Library. Show all posts

Five for Fraturday~ January 7

Long time, no post! This being a second year media specialist is time consuming let me tell you. I'm going to do a quick review of what has been going on lately by linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching. Warning: it will not all be from this week!

Last year I blogged about wanting to create a Seuss Christmas tree in the library. I found several pins on Pinterest for inspiration. Here is my Seuss tree. I love the way it turned out! I bought ornaments, ribbon, and the tree last year after Christmas at a deep discount. Then I used illustrations from a book that had to be taken out of circulation due to spine failure. All in all, the most expensive thing there is the licensed Dr. Seuss hat. We stacked Dr. Seuss books under the tree and put bows on top.The kiddos loved the tree! (And there was a run on Dr. Seuss books!!)

Our school system closed school two hours early in anticipation of the winter weather headed our way. We were all dreaming of a snow day! Something along the lines of this:

We actually got this.....

only less. There were some seriously disappointed children at my house!

I absolutely L.O.V.E. a good deal. I found this in blue at my local Marshall's store for less than $100. Yep, it came home with me for Christmas. :)

This is my latest creation in my TpT store.I just finished printing and laminating this for use in my own media center. I'll let you know how it goes!

The unit includes black and white and color options for labeling the nonfiction section of your library. Then you have 3 different options of skills sheets to choose from. Are you short on copies? No problem! Choose from one of the half sheet options, or make one class set, laminate, and use Expo markers. That makes your one set reusable! This set can be used as an introductory lesson, practice, or as an assessment; it's your choice! You could use the full sheet with third grade, one with fourth, and the last with fifth. Students would get the practice each year with the same format, but the questions would be different.

You get a closer look in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Happy planning!

My Tigers are headed back to the College Football National Championship game against Alabama. Here's hoping for another fantastic playoff game! #GoTigers #AllWin

Monday Made It~ July 4th

Another week has flown by! It's unbelievable that it's already the 4th of July!! I'm taking a minute out of today's festivities to link up with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics for her Monday Made It linky party. I thought I'd have more accomplished, but swimming with the boys got in the way this last week! #summerproblems :)

I often find myself in the situation of teaching with no paraproprofessional (aka teacher's assistant) or volunteer in sight. This system for reserving popular books will help cut down on interruptions from your older students once you teach them the procedure.

Basically, you create a station and set up the materials. When the book a student wants is checked out, he completes a “reservation” form. There are several options that include different lingo (homeroom teacher vs. teacher) and require varying levels of information from the student. Once the form is completed, the student places it in the completed stack. When you have a chance, you gather the slips and enter the holds into Destiny (or whatever system you use). Keep the slips.

The containers came from the Dollar Spot at Target and the frame came from the Dollar Tree.

Here is one of the book request forms. Another form says title and author, and another one says teacher's name instead of homeroom teacher's name. Essentially, I gave you multiple options; use the one that works best for your kiddos!

When the book comes in, you use the student slip to email the teacher, place the reservation slip in the book, and then place the book in the “Pick Up” box. The student then picks up the book and proceeds to check it out through your regular check out process. This puts the responsibility on the student and removes the “I need help right now!!” factor. I hope you find this a beneficial tool in helping your media center run smoothly!

You can use the frames or you can just attach the directions to the basket. You have lots of flexibility in how to use this product.

Hold It! A System for Reserving Library Books can be found in my TpT shop. Be sure to swing back over to 4th Grade Frolics to see what everyone else has been creating this past week. You won't be disappointed!

Monday Made It: June 22

Today's first Monday Made It was inspired by Abbey over at A Teacher Mom. Just click on her button to see her fabulosity!

Monday Made It #1 is a patriotic wreath that cost less than $6.50 total. My kind of wreath!! I bought the flip flops and "America" star at the Dollar Tree. Are you noticing a trend in my shopping habits? I'm afraid I would be easy bait for a stalker! Anywho, the ribbon was 70% off at Joann's and I had a 40% off coupon for the straw wreath.

The Supplies

As it turns out, I should have memorized Abbey's supply list a little better. If I had, I would have remembered that she used a block of wood and not a wreath. Those flip flops absolutely wanted no part in the roundness of that wreath. So, I traded the wreath for a block of wood. Abbey's was a square, but I improvised with a rectangular piece of wood that was in the shop floor. It worked just fine.

The Amended Supplies

You simply glue four flip flops down in a plus shape. Then you come back and glue the other four in an "X" configuration. My $1 star had a little rope hanger already attached at the top. I simply threaded by stars and stripes ribbon through that to create a long enough hanger for use on the front door.

The Centerpiece Being Attached

Tada! The final product hanging on our front door. It makes me super happy and was easy, peasy, lemon squeezy!

The Finished Wreath on the Door

My next MMI involves shopping at one of my other favorite school stores...Target! Do you ever stop by your media center to pick up "just a couple of books?" And then leave with a stack that towers so high you can barely see over the top? Yeah, me too. In order to make that trip back to the room a little easier to accomplish (and a lot safer for the little people that you can't see over the stack of books) I bought 4 large baskets in the outdoor section for $5 each at Target. I made a tag to attach to the basket reminding friends where the basket belongs.

The Finished Product

An Up-Close of the Tag

For some reason, the colors on the tag came out a little muted. It has a diagonal stripe in the background with rainbow colors like the basket. There's a super cute dragon on the bottom. Our mascot is the Knights, and we have a castle in the media center. I thought the cute little dragon fit right in. ;)

Love the colors!

Do you think the money spent on the baskets was worth it? I'm hoping they'll see lots of use!

The last thing on the agenda for the week is the newest addition to my American Heroes: Georgia Edition. James Oglethorpe is the topic of the latest lapbook. Second grade in Georgia is required to teach a series of heroes that impacted Georgia in some way or originated here. Some of those heroes like Martin Luther King, Jr. have scads of materials and resources to choose from on TpT. Then there is James Oglethorpe. If you search for him on TpT, there are a total of 5 products that pop up. These lapbooks help second graders continue to develop their fine motor skills within an academic purpose. My students have loved each and every one of these that they have created. They take ownership in the product, develop research skills, work cooperatively, and learn a ton about the person. I hope you will take a moment to check out the lapbook if this is a topic you teach.