[LM_NET] HIT: Help for a new librarian in a new library

[Angelica Jutte <ranaeanne@YAHOO.COM>]

Thanks again to everyone who responded.  I'm including the responses I received.  
Lots of wonderful ideas.  I know feel like I can better plan my first few weeks.  
Thanks again!!!!
  Angelica
   

Angelica,

I know $55.00 is a lot of money, but your best resource would be Judy

Freeman's new book "Books Kids Will Sit Still For 3." If you get this

book, you will NEVER run out of ideas for storytimes or ideas for

booktalks for older kids. She also has lots of great information at the

beginning of the book for running a great library and tips for new

librarians. The indices in the book are amazing, and you can find a book

to use for any subject. It qualifies for free shipping from Amazon, and I

don't think you will find it any cheaper anywhere else.

 

Good luck in your new career! I hope you love it as much as I do!

 

Nancy Dickinson

Hillsboro Elem.

Hillsboro, TN 37342
   
   

I have been teaching K-2 for several years and have some good beginning

plans for those ages. In general I take it slow for the first 3 weeks to be sure 
students are clear on your expectations for behavior and on library procedures.  If 
they get clear on those, the remainder of the year will be much smoother.

These ideas are based on 30 min. with K's: With K's the first 2 weeks were get to 
know the library and its expectations with no borrowing.  Great week one K book : 
Hello, Hello" by ??.  It shows how animals say hello and is perfect!  Then have the 
students say hello to you and say their names.  You get to say hello or hi or how 
are you or pleased to meet you, etc back at them.  The learning part was about how 
to come in and sit and how to listen.

I explained there is a listening look.  When I see the class doing it I 

Know they are ready. It is bottoms on the rug, legs "criss cross applesauce,eyes on 
me and lips not moving.  We practice it and have fun with it.

A great week 2 book is I Took My Frog to the Library.- the k's can join i a bit and 
think it is funny.  I then walk them around and show different things in the 
library, and of course we practice the "listening look".

By week 3 we are ready for borrowing.  for the first several weeks of

borrowing weeks I have selected books for them and placed them on tables forthem to 
pick from.  That gets them practice in the borrowing routine beforeyou introduce 
the idea of books having special places on shelves and how to keep books from 
getting "lost" by being put back in wrong places.  A great book is : Owl Babies.

 

When borrowing procedures are pretty smooth they will enjoy Cleversticks by Byron.  
After the story, have student go around and share ONE thing they are good at.

 

Mary Flanagan, Librarian

Chandler School

93 Chandler Street

Duxbury, MA 02332

mcflanagan@adelphia.net

781-934-7680
   
   
  In the beginning of every school year I always did book care and "rules". I was 
always easy on the rules part but the kids need some structure. I would also plan 
something fun that the kids could draw, write, etc in response to a book. You 
should also do some kind of getting to know you. You could write down things they 
need to know about you and ask them to do the same so that they get to know you. 
Also, it has been their library -they could clue you in on what you need to know 
about the library.
  Hope this helps,
    
  Amy Ipp
  (formerly Glenwood Elem.)
  Millburn Middle School in Sept.
  Short Hills NJ
   
   
  Before I started the school year I had some ideas - but when I started the year 
there were specific things the teachers wanted me to focus on - and I basically go 
with the flow.  Nope, we use Accelerated Reader.  My only responsibility is buying 
the tests and making sure books and tests are available.  What is interesting to me 
is every school library is different - different expectations, different 
responsibilities...
  Here are the Getting to Know You Ideas - 
  Also, try this website - 
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson019.shtml
  K - I read Walter's Magic Wand, 
  Play Fishy, Fishy in the Sea - Students sit in a circle and we pass a fish.  We 
say this chant - "Fishy, Fishy in the Sea, Won't you share your name with me."  and 
the students pass the fish.  Whoever is holding the fish says their name.  I give 
them a sticker to remember who has already gone.  
  Read Hello, Hello
  Give a Yell, Give a Cheer - Students stand in circle.  We say this chant - Stand 
up - clap, clap
                                                                                    
                        Be Proud! - clap, clap
                                                                                    
                        Say your name - clap, clap
                                                                                    
                        Out loud! - clap, clap
                                                                                    
                        My name is ____________________
  Read I Love Going Through this Book
   
  1st - Read I Like Me
          Have students sit in a circle and have each student say - My name is 
_____________________ and I can 
          ____________________________ .
          Read IQ Goes to the Library
   
  2nd - Read The Librarian from the Black Lagoon
          Have students fill out Who Am I? cards - I tell them to spell things the 
best they can
          Questions like - My favorite color is _________________________
                                  I have ___________________________ (fill in what 
pets they have - 2 cats, 1 fish)
                                  My favorite movie is 
_______________________________
                                  I like to __________________________
                                  My name is ______________________________
           I usually give them about 10 minutes to fill out cards.  Then I collect 
them and have all students stand in a 
           circle.  I say "This student's favorite color is blue."  All the 
students who didn't write down blue sit down. And 
           on until hopefully only one student is standing.
   
  3rd - Read Library Dragon
         Alphabet Dance - Students write first name on front, last name on back.  I 
ask write their names so they take up the whole sheet of paper.  Then they can 
illustrate with things they like or like to do.  Then I tell them that they are 
going to get themselves in ABC order by their first name and remind them that if 
they have the same beginning letter then they need to look at the next letter.  It 
is noisy but interesting to watch them work without any help from me.  Then I check 
them.  Then they do their last name.
   
  4th - Read Library Lil
          True or False - Students write 3 true things about themselves and on 
false thing.  They come to the front and read them and the students have to figure 
out which one is false.  The student who guesses correctly gets to go next.
   
  5th - TP Game - Without any other instructions but - sit on the floor in a circle 
and take as many pieces of TP that you think you will need but no more than 10.  I 
also tell them not to share this activity with any other class because then it 
won't be fun for them.  For each piece of TP they have to tell one thing about 
themselves.  It gets pretty silly - but fun.        
  Patricia H. Gray
  pgray@fcps1.org
  Librarian, Ritchie Elementary
  New Baltimore, VA
  These are just some ideas I have found effective and fun to use with any story 
for grades preK-3 to provide a little extra zip, and engage the kids’ attention.
  1. “story apron”: They LOVE the library apron with the big pockets. (I also have 
the story lady “hat”, which is some kind  of cute, crazy hat I wear with the 
apron).   I put something related to the story in the apron pockets.  As the 
children enter the library, they can feel each pocket and guess what might be in 
them. 
  2. choral poetry: Here’s a way I like to start each library class with my preK’s 
and K’s – 
The kids come in and stand in a half circle (for classes with “antsy” ones, I have 
the children each stand on their carpet squares).  Then we practice singing or 
reciting seasonal or holiday poem.  Sometimes these are interactive with kids 
taking turns adding parts or putting pieces on the poem’s poster.  Then we sit on 
our mats and get ready for the story.
  3. “peek folder”: use an accordion style folder and cover with bright contact 
paper.  Then cut a couple of holes in the front of the folder (maybe a circle and 
oval or square) at the top & bottom.  Then, before the children arrive, put the 
book inside the “peek folder”.  When the kids are seated for the story, they can 
look at the folder where they will see parts of the book cover through the holes.  
Then they can predict what the book is about.  All of the kids I’ve used this with 
really LOVE it!  It’s a good way to draw them into the story and engage their 
attention.
  4. “stop sign reading”: when I preview the story I’ve chosen, I note several 
places to stop reading where I want to let the kids make predictions about what 
might happen.  At each place, I clip a stop sign - which is made by cutting out a 
stop sign shape from red paper and taping it to a clothespin or paperclip (I like 
clothespins better).  The kids know that I’ll read along til I reach a stop sign.  
Then I ask them questions about what might happen next.  Sometimes the kids have 
paper and pencil to actually draw or write out their predictions.  I may give them 
paper divided into thirds or fourths (depending on the number of stops) on which to 
draw/write their predictions.  Once we’ve made some predictions, we continue 
reading to see if we were right.  This procedure is continued through each stop 
sign.  This has proven to be a fun and engaging activity for kids as well as a 
wonderful opportunity to teach kids how to make predictions.
  5. “Kodak Moments”:  This is similar to “stop sign reading” and more appropriate 
for older elem kids.  I have a large (3X5) rubber stamp of a camera.  I’ll stamp 
out a number of cameras on index cards and fasten them to paperclips.  Then at each 
stop in the book, I’ll fasten the paperclip camera picture to the page.  As we 
reach each of those pages during the read aloud, I’ll stop and ask the kids to make 
a mental picture in their heads, or “take a picture” of what might happen next, or 
how they think the character will respond, etc.  I’ll actually stop and say “Kodak 
moment!” and the kids know what I mean.  Sometimes I’ll have the kids draw their 
answers in photo form on worksheets that look like scrapbook pages. 
  6. post it notes: for younger beginning readers I like to use post-it notes to 
cover up various words during the reading of big books.  Cover up rhyming words at 
the ends of sentences or salient words that are predictable from the book’s 
illustrations, or parts of familiar repeatable phrases, or characters’ names. 
  Margaret Robison

I start out each year with procedures.  We practice how we walk into the library, 
how we use the shelf markers and how we line up to check out books at the 
circulation desk.  Every class hears my rules.

Sit on your pockets, criss cross legs quiet voices

Always use a marker

Walk never run

 

I do a quick intro into book care.  (some years  I use props) For grades 4 and 5 I 
ask what's the rule and hold up the prop

-clean hands--(bar of soap)

-turn by the corner (find an older book with rips)

-don't pull off any stickers or labels!!  (I wave 3 dollars, our fee for 
replacement)

- use a book mark (give one next week if your budget allows)

-cost for replacement of lost books ($20.00)  watch their eyes widen!

 

For grades Pre K-1 we discuss what a library is.  You bring the book back and your 
friends can take it home next time.

We learn where the book drop off is, my rules about the book cart (Please take 
them--so I don't have to shelve them all) grin

I assign tables, not seats.  I fill out a seating chart Not for Pre K

we then practice lining up for the computer lab and I assign stations.  I try to 
put kids alpha by first name.  I do ask teachers for names of kids who shouldn't be 
neighbors!

For the Pre K and K I let everyone touch the globes.  We touch the 

mountains, and the water, this is a picture of the world, not a toy!

 

I find it easiest to have my Pre K sit on a line close to the circ. desk when they 
have checked out.  I've had too many decide to trade books or put their book on the 
shelf--"I already looked at it!"

 

I read a short story, and do a quick intro into  me.  Picture of my 

family, pets, love for reading and technology.

Lori

Hastings Mi
   

I began two years ago, and I started by playing a game with the older 

studetns (4-6) to determine what they knew and didn't know. I t was a game I call 
the sponge game. I drew a Sponge Bob face on a sponge. I would ask a library 
related question to a group of four at a table. They could confer to come up with 
an answer, and if they were right, they stood back and through the damp sponge at 
the blackboard to try to hit points that I had drawn in chalk. I had strict rules 
about behavior and poor sportsmanship to maintain control. My kids love this! I 
have also modified it to play basketball with a beanbag and a basket to score 
points, but sponge is the favorite.

For the younger set that have already learned book care grade 1-3 I read the 
Library Dragon and discussed what would make me turn into the dragon, vs. what 
would keep me as Mrs. "Sweet" ( a benefit of my last name). For k we spent time 
discussing book care and library rules. 

I have a better understanding of my students now, but the former librarian left me 
nothing that she had done other than a copy of the curriculum, so I found that 
determining their knowledge helped me to plan future lessons. 

Good luck

 

--

Maria Sweet, MLS

West Rockhill Elementary 

Sellersville, PA

mpsweet@comcast.net
   
   

What I did was give each child a star template.  They drew something about 
themselves-the older ones wrote something as well as decorated their star.  

I got some colorful straws and stapled them to the star.  I got some 

styrofoam cups and inserted the straws on the bottom part of the cup. You can 
either decorate your cup or just add foil paper and decorate them around the 
library- that way students know that the library belongs to them.

It worked wonderfully and the kids loved it.

 

Laura Gonzalez

Washington Middle School

Laredo,TX
   


    
Angelica R. Jutte  
Library Media Specialist  
Franklin Elementary School  
Logansport, IN 46947  
ranaeanne@yahoo.com


                
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