Adventures in the Libraryland- Veterans Day

Happy Veterans Day to all those that have served or are serving.

This weekend I worked on social media posts to highlight our Veterans on campus, but also finished up my lesson for our LIFE Students- Government Class.

Reminder about my school:
-9-12 Comprehensive High School
-Have various programs that include Culinary/Floral/Vet Tech/ROTC and more
-LIFE (Learning in a Functional Environment) 9-12

Anytime I can showcase our Premium Resources- I am doing it! It doesn't matter the content or ability- there are so many resources to make them accessible for all learners.

Lesson:
-Using Britannica to learn about Veterans Day (we will spend time navigating to the article)
-Completing a Matching Sheet
-Using Canva to create Thank You Cards for our Veterans on campus (this might be finished in the classroom depending on length of time for the other pieces)

Reasons I LOVE Britannica for ALL levels of learners:
-can change the reading level
-can change the font size (make that font size bigger!)
-can change the language
-can have it read to you

Ways I am making this lesson more accessible to all:
-anytime I need them to type something or search for something I have it spelled out so they don't have to look at the screen

-The presentation that I used as very little words and has one picture per slide (This is great for any type of scaffolding)

Veterans Day by ANDREA KELLER

Worksheet that I created- you can access HERE----->WORKSHEET

Adventures in the Library- Building a Resume

I looked back and I realized I haven't blogged since September. I have been sharing lots on my Instagram and TikTok account!  This last month I have been doing a TON of orientations! I apologize to all the teachers when they come in that my jokes never change, but feel free to laugh at my punch lines.

I am slowly but surely starting some more collaborations- I have to remind myself.. I have only been on this campus a little over 3 months.  

Demographics of my campus:
-9th-12th grade
-over 3000 students
-comprehensive High School so also has a floral program, vet program, culinary program and more

Some lessons I have done:
-working with the Spanish class to create Instagram posts over famous Hispanic People using our premium resources
-working with the floral department on library displays
-working withe English I over how to use our online catalog to find books they enjoy
-working with English 4 to work on research and search tools
-I taught my first parent class!

My hope is to share more of these lessons for you to take, borrow and steal!

I spent 13 years as a LIFE (learning in a functional environment) teacher before becoming an Instructional Technology Specialist and then a librarian.

I try to collaborate with all content areas- and of course this includes our LIFE students.  I had the chance to collaborate with Coach O our Work Based Learning Teacher we talked about creating a Resume. Now, resumes are important for jobs.. but what a great way for students to also advocate for themselves! They can give these resumes to a teacher or a friend.  

Here is the presentation that I had ready:

Building a resume by ANDREA KELLER

To make it more accessible for various learners:

-used pictures
-when search terms needed to be typed- had paper next to students
-when they needed to choose a template printed ones for students to choose from

This is also a project that we started today but the teacher will continue in the classroom.

Our big goals for today:

-Learning about a Resume
-Opening up Canva

-choosing a template

-renaming the template for their name

-adding their name

-adding their phone number

-adding their school and grade level

(also- what a great way to work on phone numbers/email addresses/regular addresses and more!)

The things they will work on when they go back to class:

-thinking of at least 3 things that they can put in the about me section

-thinking about what skills they have

For both of these items we talked about how some are bilingual,  some already have a job, some help babysit, some are hardworkers, some like to learn new things.  In other words- they all have something to bring to the table!  

For them to finish their resume the teacher they will finish up:

-The Skills section
-The address section

-The about me Section

With us using Canva this is also now a living document that they can go back and edit as needed (and also share like in Google)

If you are on TikTok this video is here too- but this is the breakdown of how I set up the lesson.

Next week I am working with another LIFE class over Veterans Day.

Other upcoming adventures:

-headed to an elementary school (my role as a flexible floater has me supporting all campuses)
-working with ELA 4 over science fiction

-THANKSGIVING BREAK!!

I also have some other programming projects up my sleeve- but will save those for another blog.

National Library Week, Texas Library Association Conference, and Eagle's Nest Oh My!

 It might be the middle of March, but I am already looking at my calendar and thinking about ALL the different things that are on my to-do list for the next two and a half months.

Like many of us, I have lots on that list!

First Up:

National Library Week

Working in a High School I am always looking for different ways to engage the students and staff. I am doing some repeats from the last couple of years, but I also have a few new things up my sleeve. You can find lots of ideas and information from the ALA Website I took some of their days and created my own.

You can find the CANVA TEMPLATE HERE--------->

Library Week 2024 by akbusybee

Since the 8th the theme is Right to Read and also Total Solar Eclipse- I am going to have an easy bookmark for students to make.  Our area is in the path of totality.

Materials Needed:

-Bookmark

-Glue

-Foil

-Yellow Paper

-I used Avery 5523 Labels for the sticker- you can see my template here

Tuesday- National Library Worker Day- The Cardwell Library is stuck on our staff and students so I will have free water bottle stickers for people that stop by.

Wednesday- Library Outreach- I will be passing out free books and bookmarks

Thursday- Take Action for Libraries- I am going to invite people to write something they are thankful for on Post it Notes

Friday- I am going to do a Bookface Friday

Now- I hope that people participate, but I also know it is a hit or miss.  Most importantly- I have discovered that the more consistent that I am the more participation there is. 

With the end of National Library Week I have a Destination ImagiNation team going to state.. and then I roll into the Texas Library Association Conference

Texas Library Association Conference

I have already planned out a tentative schedule ready to go, but there are SO many amazing sessions!

I am pretty excited that I also get to share on Tuesday morning for Beyond the Books: Community-Driven Secondary Library Programming.  I am also working on setting up a modified Book Basket Exchange.  I know when we go to conferences we get a ton of new books, but the idea behind the book exchange is each person brings their favorite read from the last year, a bookmark that goes with it along with a small trinket.  Are you going to TLA and interested in participating?  Fill out the form here---> https://bit.ly/txla24bookexchange

Are you attending TLA? What sessions are you looking forward to? One of my favorite part of any conference is learning from others, meeting people that you have connected with through social media, and recharging yourself.

Right after TLA is the North Texas Teen Book Festival.  Another favorite day of mine! If you have not heard of NTTBF- be sure to check out this free event.

The Eagle's Nest

One of the things I love about being a librarian is working with all different students.  As the years have gone by the students have changed along with their needs.  In my current role, I have a handful of students that are either parents or soon to be parents.  Reading is such an important skill and we all know that reading starts young and at home.  I have created The Eagle's Nest as a monthly story time for these new parents. 

During this time I have stuffed animals that we use as the children.  We talk about how to interact with your child, how to pick out books, and how to read to your child.  I also share the resources that our district has along with the resources that Irving Public Library has.  During this time we also do a practice story time.  The last one we had was all about spring.  During the story time we did a song, read a book, practiced reading a book and also a hand print craft.  I sent home with each student a kit for their own handprint craft, a book and also a print out of the song and how to choose books.

I held the first two during the school day, but plan to hold the next one after school so the students can bring their kiddos with them.  I am also so happy that I did the practice handprint craft, because I forget that we need to teach all the things.  The next week I had one of the students share a video of her doing the handprint craft with her 8 month old. 

I can't wait to see this program grow!

What are some of your favorite programs?  What are you most excited about this spring semester?

I know this blog was chock full of information, and my days are going to continue to stay long!  Did I mention that this is only April?

November in the Library

 So, I realized that I had not shared in my blog since last March! I have been sharing much more library land happenings over on TikTok (akbusybee) and Instagram (beeinthebookends)

First an update:
I moved schools!! I had the opportunity to move to a high school (same district) At this high school I am the librarian and the DLC (Digital Learning Coach) I miss my middle schoolers, but I sure am loving high school.  I also got my lifeguard certification so I could lifeguard for my Girl Scout troop.. but I don't know if you have kept up with the news this summer- pools were short staffed! So, I also now lifeguard and teach swim lessons- currently working on my water aerobics instructor courses.

Before I get into all that I am doing.. want to give a little background on my new school
-Our campus serves 9th-12th graders
-Our campus also has what we call grad lab
-Our campus also serves students in our Nigh Owl Academy

Let's get into November.  Here are the things that I have planned with templates, links and more! November for me is also going to be a little crazy.  I am in the process of moving houses, I am attending the TALL Texan Leadership Institute, I am traveling to New York with one of my Girl Scout troops, and I am traveling to my hometown to celebrate my parents 50th wedding anniversary.. so this Busy Bee is WAY busy this month!

Book Club

I have a confession to make- I have never hosted a book club.  Last month was my first one.  What I decided for my book club is that I would focus on a theme rather than an actual book.  October 31st was our first book club where we focused on Ghoulish reads.  Students that signed up in advance were able to come in share about their books and we made candy pumpkin catapults (another confession- this is my first year in the library here.. so I am working on building relationships.. I only had 2 students sign up) I had some extra students in the library during this time, so you know- start small and it will grow!

The month of November my focus is Nonfiction November.  Here is the template to the Canva that I created  On the flyer that I make for school it also has a QR that links to a form that students fill out.  The reason that I need that information is that my book club happens during the day.  It is also good data to have! I am not for sure of the activity that we are doing yet- but I will share once I do have it.

Stranger Things Day

If you are a fan of the show- you will probably already know this trivia.  Stranger Things Day happens on November 6th- the day that Will went missing.  I have written about Stranger Things Day here before

Here is the social media post I am creating to share- you can find the template here (also- I took these pictures at the Stranger Things store.

There are so many great Breakouts that have been created and so many ideas that are out there on the web.  I created my own Digital Breakouts last year through Google Slides.  Since I am at a new school- I am doing what any smart person would do.. and reusing them.  Last year I posted a new clue each day, this year I am going to have them posted around the library on November 7th (when we are celebrating Stranger Things Day.

My plan:
-this week I am promoting that we are celebrating Stranger Things Day on Monday November 7th.  I will promote through social media and on announcements.
-since I am doing during the day, students will need to sign up by Friday to participate during SWAG on Monday
-all students and staff will be invited to wear their best 80s outfits
-I am inviting students and staff to share their favorite 80s or Stranger Things music so I can make a Spotify playlist
-During our SWAG time (SWAG is just like a "homeroom" that we use during the day) the students that signed up will be able to come down to the library to participate in the digital breakouts
-I do have prizes and incentives- there are some great affordable stickers on Amazon (I would always recommend going through the stickers first before giving them out!) and also some fun off brand Stranger Things jibbitz that I found.
-I also went to the Stranger Things Store this summer and took some pictures- I think I might have students use these to create their own scene.

The Breakout
I will print these posters in color. You can find my template from Canva here  Also, on the posters that I am printing for school they will have a QR code on them that lead to the Google Digital Breakout that I made.  Don't worry- I have those too!!

These will force you to copy

Virtual Escape Room- The Letter
Virtual Escape Room- The Code
Virtual Escape Room- Morse Code
Virtual Escape Room- The Bike
Full Virtual Escape Room- This one will take a little bit more time

For The Letter, The Code, Morse Code and Bike- any one that is playing can get through it even with wrong answers.  For the full Virtual Escape Room you must have the right answers to proceed!  What are the answers you may ask...this is the document with them so you can help students (or yourself!) get through.

The Answers

Feel free to edit/change (or you might even find a mistake) and use yourself.  I would love for you to share and also tag me in any photos or other ideas!

Scavenger Hunt

If you don't already follow Melissa Corey on Twitter- go do it now!! She shares the best stuff- and also shares the templates to go with it! She shared a cute ghost hunt template during October and then came out with this cute Turkey Scavenger Hunt. My high schoolers loved it!

Here is the template to mine (but she shared two- both are SUPER cute!)

The end of the month (after Thanksgiving) I am also collaborating with my art teacher to work on holiday cards as part of a service project for Keep Irving Beautiful.  We will create cards to donate and then Keep Irving Beautiful will pass them out to Nursing Homes. My next blog I will share how I do some of my social media such as my #FirstLineFridays.

What programming are you doing in the library? What exciting things do you have coming up?

Hopefully I included everything that I am doing in November.  If I missed something or didn't change a sharing setting- let me know. It is going to be a wild month! 

You've Been Book'd Middle School Style

 Although I work in a middle school- I LOVE using picture books for lesson starters, mentor texts and more. November is Picture Book Month and I knew that I wanted to do something to share my love of a good picture book. Using picture books at the middle school and high school level is important to help with higher-order thinking skills. Check out this article from School Library Journal for more information.

If you don't follow Shannon McClintock Miller and her blog, take a moment to go do that now.  I have seen her talk several times about a You've Been Book'd program that she does, and I wanted to make it work for my middle school. 

I looked through my own collection and pulled some that had multiple copies of already.  These were mostly past Bluebonnet winners (Bluebonnet books are our Texas list for 3rd-6th graders)  After looking through my own books, I then reached out to other libraries.  My goal is to have one book per staff member.

When I first started this idea, my goal was to have a set of books per content team (about 10 books) that they could circulate through their team. This went along with Shannon's idea.  However, in middle school- you might have now understood my big flaw with that idea.  If a social studies teacher read a book to their class, they would also hear the same book from their math class and ELAR class, and electives class.  

Here is my current plan and how I organized it:
-I have 10-12 copies of 10 different titles
-I divided these titles into 5 content teams (ELAR, Science, Social Studies, Math, Electives) which each content team has 2 picture books that they can read
-On Monday I will put this flyer along with one of the books in their box (these were created in Canvas)

-The teachers will be invited to read their book to their class and exchange it with a member of their content team to get another one.
-If teachers want to do more than just read the book to their class, I have also created a Google Slide that has a starter along with a resource that they can do more with

-Once the teacher has read the book to their class or classes that day they will mark their name off on the list so I can see who participated.

If all teachers participate, that will make it so each student has heard 10 books.  When choosing books, I tried to be mindful of what the different content areas were and that these books would be beneficial to their current lessons.  I hope this will lead to more collaborations.

Have you done a You've Been Book'd? How did it turn out?

I am also super thankful to the other libraries in our district that let me borrow books for this project.  If it is successful, I will do it again during the spring for Read Across America. 

Today we are celebrating Stranger Things Day-I am pretty happy with how it has turned out this week. You can see my blog here Let's be real- anytime I have a chance to dress up.. I am all for it!

Stranger Things Day 2021

 If you haven't watched Stranger Things- you are missing out. Working in a Middle School, Stranger Things is all the rage (the number of posters, books, and other Stranger Things items I sold at the book fair last week remind me that it is still a popular show)  Netflix declared November 6th Stranger Things Day as it is the official day that Will Byers went missing.  You can find more here

There are LOTS of links embedded in this blog along with options for you to force copy what I have created. Feel free to use (but I do love credit) Look for the links that say Click Here

In 2019 our school hosted a Stranger Things night and it was AMAZING! Thanks to all the organization of Kara Noah (if you don't follow her on Twitter- go do it now!) there was an Escape room that was set up around the school.  There were so many students and staff that participated.  During the day students and staff were invited to wear their 80's or Stranger Things clothes- how could you pass that up?

Last year, due to Covid, we still invited students and staff to dress in their 80's clothes. There were LOTS more people dressed up, but coordinating pictures was a little harder. 

Can we just talk about how this is the same outfit though???

Last year I created a Stranger Things Digital Escape Room. I created one for school and one for the Public. Want to try your hand at it- I have opened it up again. 

Want to try to make one of your own but don't want to start from scratch-CLICK this link and it will force copy

This year Stranger Things Day is coming up and wanted to share what we are doing:

Friday- November 5th- we are inviting students to buy free dress passes to dress up in 80's clothes or Stranger Things attire.  After school on Friday, we are hosting a Movie Night with an 80's movie (we just had one this last Friday and over 100 students joined us)

Last Friday I hung up Have you seen this boy poster (I also let my principal know I was hanging these up.. as they were a missing kid poster. I hung these up in various places all over the school.

Every day this week I am going to have questions associated with Stranger Things for students to answer through a Google Form.  They will need to either solve clues, do a little bit of research, or answer trivia questions.  I am also going to reshare the Stranger Things Escape Room for students to complete as well.  The daily ones will let students answer whatever they think the code is, so the answers are not in here. I figure each day I will do a quick check. You can find the answers in my document here

Monday- Students will be solving the code from the letter. Click here for the questions and Click here to force copy

Tuesday- Students will be solving the code for the lockbox. Click here for the questions. Click here to force copy

Wednesday- Students will solve a Morse Code challenge. Click here for the questions. Click here to force copy

Thursday- Students will solve the bike number lock challenge. Click here for the questions. Click here to force copy.

Friday-I will be posting the Full Escape Room that was posted above. 

For students to access each one of these daily activities I will be posting in their Canvas course and I also created a daily poster for each day for students to scan the QR codes.

Prizes I have: Stranger Things Stickers, Stranger Things Posters, and Stranger Things Books. I have started doing participation drawings.  It also depends on how many participate.

I also found this Stranger Things Escape Room that gave me lots of good ideas.

I don't know how many students will participate, but I hope a few do.  I had about 5 participate in the October contest. I have a feeling I will have more that will be participating in the Cardboard Gingerbread Contest.  I am also knee-deep in planning Holiday activities for teachers- this year- the theme is Home Alone (although, I don't know if I can ever top Elf!)

November is Picture Book month and this week I am working on putting together an activity for my whole staff that will focus on this.  I haven't completely worked it out how I want it to look, but I will share when I do. 

Read Across America

Read Across America is coming up, and like many librarians, I am working on programming.

If you are new to my blog- a little background about my school.

I am a middle school librarian for a campus that is a hybrid model.  We have grades 6th-8th, about 900 students, one-to-one devices, and about 400 on-campus face to face.  

Next week is not only Read Across America- but it is also North Texas Teen Book Festival which is a FREE event that is virtual.  So, what better way to celebrate Read Across America than adding in North Texas Teen Book Festival.

Each day we have a different hashtag and prompt. I will be posting this on our Library Canvas page with a link for students to fill out a Google Form.  Do you want your own copy-click this link and this will force copy

Currently, on Mondays and Fridays, I already have time on Zoom from 8am-8:15am where I read.  Mondays-we are reading a book and Fridays I do #FirstChapterFridays My First Chapter Fridays are currently books that are on the North Texas Teen Book Festival Link.  This has been a plus of being hybrid and using Zoom.  Often times I would only see ELAR classes, but with Zoom- ALL classes are able to hop on.  I am working with my amazing DEAN April Richmond who always helps me with my ideas. 

Next week we will be sharing a book each morning via Zoom from 8:00am-8:15am.  I send calendar invites to teachers, but students also have the ability to login on their own (we have 2 people monitoring students as they come in)  The book and information also get posted into the Library Canvas classroom daily. Despite what middle schoolers think- they do love a picture book (and picture books are AMAZING!)

The thing I am MOST excited about sharing is- Read Across America-North Texas Teen Book Festival. Jillian Heise posted this AMAZING blog about actually Reading Across America.   Although this is amazing, I needed something more middle school.  With the help of Donald Cummings and Hope Krum we created a Read Across America with the stories from the places that happen in the books from authors with the North Texas Teen Book Festival. 

Each book that is shared is linked to information from Teachingbooks.net  We also linked to the panel that that author will be presenting.  This will be a changing document (thank goodness for Google!)

You can find the presentation here (know that we are still adding to it) Thank you Jillian for the GREAT idea!

What are you doing for Read Across America? Are you marking your calendar for North Texas Teen Book Festival? 

Want a copy of my March calendar- click this link and it will force a copy

Reading Habits

This blog has been milling around my head for awhile... as in several months.  I was not for sure how to put it into words. I love reading.. I am a librarian. But, I was always reading the same kinds of things by the same kind of authors.  This is also a little bit more vulnerable blog in that I didn't realize how much I was stuck in certain reading ways.. and didn't realize how much I needed to GROW (my word of the year!) to be a better person and librarian.

Now, there is nothing wrong with that.. at all.. I tell kids ALL the time that reading is reading (I tell teachers that too!) I also work REALLY hard to make sure that students, staff, and community know that they belong, the library is for everyone, and that I believe in them. 

When the pandemic hit back in March- I got SUPER hooked on Crime Junkies as I have now listened to every episode.. and hopefully will soon be able to become a member of the fan club.  Then the Black Lives Matter movement really started.. and this changed my WHOLE reading habits. I know that sounds super strange.. but it did.. and here is why.  

I grew up in a small town, my parents are still married, I have a bachelors and I have 2 masters.  In other words- my upbringing and life don't always mirror the students that I work with. I needed to read outside my comfort zone (which is really weird that I even had a comfort zone and didn't realize it) Thanks to April Richmond I finally read All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.  This book was an eye opener and an amazing read... and what I needed to read to become a better librarian and a better person.

My goal this year was to read 30 books... I know that sounds small because I am a librarian.. but.. I also run clubs, have 2 jobs, and do various programming.. and I do enjoy sleeping!  But thanks to SORA audiobooks, our amazing Irving Public Library, and having my friend April that would answer questions for me.. and also be my sounding board for different things.. I am now working on my 34th book for the year.  30 of those books were listened to or read since May 31st.

You can find my Goodreads account here

When I do any lesson, I try to be very transparent in my own reading styles- as in I LOVE having books read to me- reading magazines are great-a good graphic novel is AMAZING- and it is okay to read any type of book.  This year, my intro lessons also included the fact that I too was stuck in a reading rut, but because I read out of what I thought was a comfort zone I became a more avid reader.  I began to read more books that were windows rather than mirrors.  I also remind students that it is okay to put a book down.. now.. read more than 3 pages.. try 3-5 chapters.. but it happens. Sometimes a book just doesn't hit how we need it to at that moment. Just like any librarian- I also work really hard on finding those books for every type of reader.

Every lesson this year I end with this:
The more the read the more you know. The more you know and the better human being you become.  Guys we need as many good human beings as we can get! 

I am so thankful to have such a diverse reading community around me. I also appreciate that I can have conversations with people about different topics that I might not understand and not be judged because I am naïve or I don't have the same background knowledge.  

The world is a really hard place right now, for SO many reasons, but reading a good book can help transport you to a different location and time, help you better understand your surroundings, or just be a mirror into your own life.

Thank you April Richmond for helping me become a better librarian and inspiring me to read even more... and thank you for being such a great sounding board.

I can't always change the world, but what I can do is continue to try to "see" other people/customs/thoughts, continue to make sure that I have books for all types of readers and people, and continue to work on not judging a book by its cover.

Other things that helped me and my reading habits:
-Irving Public Library and their North Texas Teen Book Festival Present virtual panels- Go check out their website and their AMAZING virtual author panels- you won't be disappointed! 
-Recording Booktalks for my students- This year I began creating a TikTok a week for #booktalktuesday along with a Flipgrid for #booktalktuesday and #WAYRWednesday
-Having someone to talk to about what I was reading-at first it was mainly adults- but now I am able to chat even more with students!!
-Audiobooks (I also listen to my audiobooks a little faster)
-getting a better reading light for next to my bed
-following great people on Instagram/Twitter/TikTok and Facebook

Here's to new reading goals in 2021 and discovering even more amazing authors and illustrators.

My Top 5!

Friday (12/18/20) I finished my first official semester of being a librarian during a pandemic.  Wow what a semester it has been! There have been many downs, but also many ups. I have a reflection blog coming up, but I wanted to share my 5 Top Favorite Things of this first semester.

School background: We are a middle school hybrid model.  We have virtual and in-person students and our student enrollment is about 850.

Nearpod

Nearpod is my absolute FAVORITE app to use for lesson planning and creating!

Our school is a Nearpod school, but it is a platform I would be happy to pay for because of how amazing it is.  It is a platform that allows for interactive lessons, games, and ways to embed items. Students can access Nearpod through a web browser or an app on various devices.

How I use it:
-I create slides directly in Nearpod or use one of the many thousands of lessons already created and tailor it for myself
-I embed activities to keep students engaged such as Time To Climb, Matching, and videos
-Sometimes I just use it as slides while teaching
-I can give the teachers the embed code so they can embed into their Canvas course or give them the student link so the asynchronous learners can have access to the lesson as well

Canva
Being mostly virtual I love that I can use Canva for social media posts, flyers, and my monthly calendars. There is an option to embed and also share through links.  Back in October I created my first calendar, and have loved making them ever since. I also currently use the free version, but have put in an application for the educator account.

How I use it:
-social media posts (there is even animation available)
-the phone app is pretty good for ideas on the go
-monthly calendars that have hyperlinked ideas
-embed items into my Canvas course

January Calendar by akbusybee

Piktochart

I will be honest, there are not many things I pay for when it comes to apps (I do pay extra for Google storage), but I do pay for Piktochart- and it is the BEST money I spend a year.  Piktochart is fantastic for creating infographics, flyers, and other digital content.  There is an educator discount that I use. There are plenty of templates, but it is also easy to start from scratch.

How I use it:
-Each six weeks I create an infographic of all that happened in the library
-Each month I create an "Installment" which is a newsletter that goes in all the staff bathrooms
-I share the links to the different infographics through social media outlets along with downloading PDF (which has clickable links)
-I also love how interactive it is when looking at the PDF and website (and I can keep track of how many times it was viewed)
My second six weeks infographic for the library

Flipgrid
Flipgrid is a platform that offers video discussions. Once a topic is created students/staff can add videos to enrich the conversation, share their own information, or record a response

How I use it:
-I have a Book Talk Tuesday topic and a What are you Reading Wednesday Topic where I post weekly book talks (it is also open to students to respond)
-I have a Staff Recommendation Topic for teachers to share their reads
-I have topics for Try It Tuesdays where students can share what they have tried
I like that I can see how many views these have and how I can easily share it to Twitter.  I also like that I can control who posts and who sees videos

Sora

I want to get books in kids hands, but that has been a little tougher than usual lately.  Our district (and our public library) use Sora (which is under the Overdrive app) Because of Sora I have read and listened to SO many more books (but that too is for another blog on how my reading habits changed because of the pandemic)

How I use it:
-I use it personally- audiobooks for my walks and in the car and eBooks for my Kindle (I don't have the self control to read on my phone)
-promoting to our students- all of our students have iPads- although it works in the browser- the app is amazing!

I know that 2021 is probably not going to be much easier, but I am jumping for joy that I can check 2020 off my list!

What are your top 5? I know that there are several other items that I use on a regular basis, but these have gotten me through this semester.

Programming During a Pandemic

 Most of my blogs I share about the different programming I do in my school.  Programming is one of my most FAVORITE things about being a librarian (I mean.. I love to read..but the library is such a special space for so much more)

This blog is FULL of pictures, links, ideas that I did last month and will be doing next month.  Things of course will change, but if we don't have a starting point, plan and idea.. what do we have?

If programming fills my bucket.. and we are virtual.. I had to figure out how to still fill my bucket.
I want to preface this blog with:
-our school is a hybrid of about half kids on campus and half kids off
-I am in a middle school
-our library program in my district is amazing!!
-our school is also a VILS Campus (Verizon Innovative Learning School) where each student has an iPad along with data
-our school is using Canvas- I have my own library Canvas Page (also I LOVE the announcements feature.. and that I can see how long students are interacting with my page :)
-I Co-Teach lessons daily

October is #TeenTober and thanks to the AMAZING librarian Ms. Walton over at Sam Houston Middle School- I took her idea of the TeenTober Calendar. I took her idea and created one for Lamar. I used Canva to edit the calendar (and create the one for November as well)

I also tried to remember what I did before Covid! Because although we live in this crazy world doesn't mean that I can't still offer meaningful activities. Before Covid- the library was open for students for games and activities from 7:45ish-8:10ish.  I also had at least one after school activity each month (I also manage Destination ImagiNation teams.. and am a Girl Scout leader.. so my afternoons are busy!) So, I took that idea and made it somewhat virtual

These links lead to our resources and databases

October Activities
-Pumpkin Hunt (I also made it virtual for those that remote)
-Ghost Character Contest (this will force copy what I gave to students)- I got this idea from Library Bulletin Boards FB page from Megan Carroll Lawell! (would tag her in a tweet.. but can't find her)
-Weekly Try it Tuesdays after school
-Started First Chapter Friday

TeenTober2020-Lamar by akbusybee

On the library Canvas page I have one area for Events. This Events link went to a published Google Slide with links to all of the activities

It is important for me to look at data.
Ghost Character Contest- 9 entries
Try It Tuesday- usually have 2-3 Students
First Chapter Friday- about 9-10 students
Pumpkin Hunt- Over 40 entries

Although some of these are low numbers.. I continue on with them.. because those 2-3 students showed up because I feel like they needed it.  These things are also not taking anything away from what I am already doing.  I am already at school in the mornings.. and I usually stay after school until 5pm (I also work a second job on Tuesdays/Thursdays and Saturdays)

I loved the calendar idea, so I have started on the November calendar.

Lamar Calendar by akbusybee

November Activities:

-Thankful Photo Contest

-1 Try it Tuesday- I am having one official after school event where we will be making thankful pumpkins.  Students will need to fill out a form in order to get materials to do the activity (YouTube video idea)

-I also want to up my database and eBook usage, so I am working on a Trivia that students will need to use our resources to complete

-Literacy Lions- This will start Monday Mornings where the students chose a book for me to read

-First Chapter Fridays- in the morning

With so much being virtual a few other things I have done:

-Really worked on social media- right now it is really just me telling our story, but I am working on getting out there and having other people share

-I do a BookTalk Tuesday every Tuesday on TikTok- and also one on our library FlipGrid

-I do a What are you Reading Wednesday and add to the library FlipGrid

-We are offering for students to place books on hold- those that are in person learners get books delivered during ELAR time, and remote learners can sign up for a pick up time through Calendly (thanks to the Amazing Singley Librarian Ms. Basoco for sharing that resource!)

-I tried my Cub Club- when we were all virtual.. it worked.. but as soon as we went into hybrid.. it was a dud.  It is hard for me to put that one on the backburner.

-Promoted our Local Library!! Our Irving Public Library has had so many amazing virtual programs that they are offering.. between the author panels, free books, and activities.. there is always something to do! Check out their YouTube Page (we personally love the Kawaii coloring)

-Create a monthly Installment that has all sorts of information that I put in all the staff bathrooms

-Keep up with data!! I know times are tough right now.. and the data is not the greatest.  But even data that is not the greatest gives me a chance to grow.. and rethink what I am doing.

Every Six weeks we get data and I use Piktochart.com to share what happened in the library

-Realize that not everything I do is working, but it is important to try!!

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The world is a weird space right now.  I am trying to support educators and students as much as I can.  Every time I get in front of the class...  one of the first things I do is remind students that it is important to read, because when we read we grow our brains.. and when we grow our brains we become better human beings.  I don't know about you, but we need as many amazing human beings we can get!!  It is not easy right now.. there are lots of times I feel defeated.. but I have to keep reminding myself.. if I get to 2 or 3 students.. then someone is needing my programming as much as I am.

Bitmoji for the Library

With many of our homes becoming our office, there is a rise of Bitmoji use! I LOVE using Bitmoji's and I use them for so many items! I have loved seeing how educators of all type are now creating their own scenes for their digital classrooms and headers.

Being a librarian, my "classroom" looks a little different! I decided that I wanted to jump on the bandwagon and create my own Bitmoji scene, but do it for a Virtual Reader Advisory activity (Thanks Skye for the great idea!)  I watched several videos, and chose to do my first header in google draw (which is something that I am not as familiar with.)

I have added templates to all that I am sharing in this blog.  

*One thing I did realize- when choosing a background image, it seems to work better when you actually inert a background, and not just an image as the background)

I watched this YouTube video here (he uses Google Draw) and here (she uses Google Slides... and also offers templates!)

Once I created my header, I create a Google Form for students to fill out.  (REALLY.. I also realized I needed to do this, because I was in my own reader funk and the Irving Public Library now has one of these forms.. and recommended some books for me! You can find my whole TikTok about it here)

My Form- it will force you to make a copy

After creating the readers advisory form, I realized I needed to take a step back and figure out how I was going to get book recommendations to the students.  Although I would love to say that ALL my students know how to access our digital resources and eBooks, I have to also be realistic.  Using Google Slides I created both a template for a "Virtual" help desk.  This virtual setting has a video to share with students on how to access our resources, a link to our current virtual help desk that we have as virtual librarians and also the form from above.  I love that once I make it in Google Slides, I can publish it to the web or download it as a PDF.  Both of these versions allow for easy sharing to staff and through Google Classroom.  Both publish to the web and PDF also allow for the hyperlinks embedded into the document to still work.

I have created this template (without the links to the book form, help desk or video)

Once students had filled out the form, I then took their information and am creating a Virtual book shelf.  What I love about this virtual book shelf is that I can recommend so many different items from our digital resources and not just regular style books.  After I make the recommendations, I am emailing the student their link to the published individualized Google Slide and also the PDF of the links.

Sample email:

Thank you so much for filling out the form for some book recommendations.

Based on your survey it looks like you enjoy both non-fiction and fiction.  I found several books that I think you might like! I recommended 2 Capstone books and one book that you can find on Destiny. 

If you need any help with logging in or other information, please let me know!

If these books were not what you are expecting- please let me try again! You can fill out the form as often as you like.

Virtual Bookshelf for student:

Sample Virtual eBook Recommendation shelf that students/staff get as a link and a interactive PDF

I know that there is SO much more that you can do with the virtual classrooms and Bitmoji, but I am loving that I can connect with my students even more!

I did create a YouTube video for a full walk through

Cub Club October

I am deep into my second year as a middle school librarian and I LOVE every minute of it! One of my goals this year was to increase family involvement (and increase parent check out) When I was an elementary librarian, I had programming called Late Night in the Library. The concept of those was that parents and students would come after school for programming. During this programming students and parents would work together to complete tasks.  Middle schoolers are just a tad different (in that they don't always want to be seen with their parents). 
This year, I created a Cub Club.  The Cub Club is a toddler time for 2 year old to 5 year olds.  You can find out about my first Cub Club here.  Although I only had 4 children attend the first Cub Club, I was not ready to throw in the towel!  Because, 4 kids is still more than no kids.

This month, I changed the time to be right before lunch and I had 4 DIFFERENT kiddos show up! The theme this month was Pumpkins and Monsters. I even invited Cub Club Members to show up in their costume (we had a cute unicorn and a Hulk)

Flyer made in Library Aware

In planning Cub Club I realized I needed much shorter and active books.  I start planning at the beginning of the month and create a schedule for myself to do during the time.
My Cub Club has:
-Welcome activity (this has been a head band both times)
-Hello song
-Story
-Action song/finger play
-Story
-Action song/finger play
-Story
-Goodbye Song
-Kids are able to complete activities and check out books

You can find all my notes/files for October here

For the activities I do, I try to make them very easy (they are little fingers) and also super affordable (ie free or very cheap) Each station has a sample with all of the materials ready to go and at the moment I am plan for 15. I hope to grow this program, but I want it to be an organic growing. I already have people asking when the next one is in November! The Cub Club is geared towards children/parents in the immediate community but it is open to anyone in the area.

5 Little Pumpkins- children counted out 5 pumpkins and added them to the fence along with the rhyme

Of course I had to be in costume. Max from Where the Wild Things Are

Sun catcher  Jack-o-lantern. Used tissue paper and construction paper on contact paper.  Everything was already pre-cut

Bat Headbands

Children working at the stations after the stories

Child working on the pumpkin

Two of the kiddos (who I am sort of partial to their whole family!)

I am So excited about our next Cub Club! Picking out books this week to talk Turkey!! This Cub Club was also during Book Fair week, so parents and kids could go shopping as well. Do you do any programming for toddlers? What are your favorite things to do? How do you increase your family engagement?