New Library Folders!!

So, we have always done library cards with a barcode for our checkout, but this year I stole some ideas.  Ideas from everywhere, but especially from the genius librarians in my district.  I combined these ideas and added some of my own.
Now, each student has a library folder.
The folder is color-coded for their grade and kept in a magazine file by class.










The folder has their checkout barcode on the front bottom.









Their AR/STAR login info is on the inside with their color-dots that represent their reading ZPD.








The pockets inside hold a tracker for a project and any unfinished work.












The back has their Plicker (I use their class number).  If you don't use Plickers, check it out at www.plickers.com.








Then the kids use the folder as their shelfmarker.









Then the students use the folder to checkout and are done!







We've dropped those darn paint stirrers and no longer have abandoned sticks poking out of every shelf.  Students return their folders to the file during independent checkout.

We LOVE it, hope it can help you, too.

Monsters in the Library

The theme of our library is MONSTERS!

I have monsters holding signage, kids create monsters for bookmarks, monsters leading the way to the bathroom (and back), and -coming soon- monsters holding our rules.

Our lovely and talented team member, Ms. Weems, can draw and paint like nothing you've ever seen.  We asked her to create a drop box monster from our library monster body poster (Parent-Teacher store).  Her mouth is the return and her hand points to the renewals basket.

The kids LOVE it and never forget where to return their books!  We tell them to 'Feed the Book Monster"!

Snow Characters

Time for SNOW, though we have gotten none.  I still like to keep the spirit with Snow Characters.  We discuss favorite story characters, their origins, and their 'character-istics'.  I also take this time to talk about 'it was a book first'.  

The students know about Olivia, Curious George, Cat in the Hat (knows a lot about that), and Clifford the Big Red Dog, but they are amazed at Shrek, Mr. Popper's Penguins, and Charlie and Lola all being books first.  I tell them that movie and TV creators cannot come up with ideas on their own, but are avid readers searching for the next wonderful thing.

We spend our library time creating snow characters to show the characteristics of their favorites.  Here are some of the creative results: