1. Christmas Books as Movies
In the last few weeks before Christmas break I like to play Christmas movies during our lunch break. Of course I only pick movies that were books first to encourage student reading. My top two are ‘The Grinch who Stole Christmas’ by Dr Seuss and ‘The Polar Express’ by Chris Van Allsburg.

2. Christmas Themed Activities
I love to add a little Christmas spirit to my library lessons with my Christmas themed activities. My top 5 Christmas resources from my store are:

1. Library No Prep Printables- Christmas Themed
2. Library Scavenger Hunt Christmas Themed
3. Library Color by Call Number- Christmas Themed
4. Library Activity Task Cards- Christmas Themed
5. Library Research Activity- Christmas Around the World

You can grab each of those activities by clicking on the link, or save some money by purchasing the MEGA BUNDLE.

3. Christmas Bookmarks
A fun lunch time or fast finisher activity is to color in these cute and festive Christmas bookmarks. They are the perfect activity that encourages reading and don’t use up a lot of printing!
These ones come from my Christmas Themed Library Skills No Prep Printables

4. Christmas Reading  List

What better way to encourage reading over the Christmas break that to give students this cute Christmas Reading List. Students are encouraged to read from a variety of Christmas themed topics. You can grab this FREE printable from the Little Library Learners Resource Library HERE.

5. Christmas Book Display
We love to celebrate Christmas in our library, and what better way than to immerse students in engaging picture books that evoke Christmas spirit. Here are my top ten Christmas read alouds.

There’s a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Christmas Cake- Hazel Edwards
Another book in the ‘Hippopotamus on my Roof’ series, which first came out in the 80’s. This story, written in first person centres on fun Christmas traditions the protagonist enjoys, of course with the much loved hippopotamus.

There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Star- P.Crumble & Louis Shea
A fun book in the same vein as There was an old lady who swallowed a fly. Each object she swallows is Christmas themed and includes a reindeer, Christmas tree, stocking and even Santa Claus. Children love the familiar repetition and rhythm of this book. A definite favorite to read aloud!

Pout Pout Fish Christmas Spirit- Deborah Diesen and Dan Hanna
The Pout Pout fish is feeling glum because he cannot find his Christmas spirit. A simple and short story about how showing selflessness and helping others leads to the true meaning of Christmas.

There’s an Elf in your Book- Tom Fletcher
This book is a perfect student participation read aloud. There’s a cheeky Christmas elf in your book and he’s asking your students to pass the naughty or nice test to see which of Santa’s lists they make it onto. There are lots of fun little tests like ‘blow a Christmas kiss’ and ‘name Santa’s most famous reindeer’ and maybe even a trick question involving a silly joke. Will your students get awarded their place on the ‘nice list’ by the end of the book?

Macca’s Christmas Crackers- Matt Cosgrove
Another book that chronicles the adventures of everyone’s favourite Alpaca, Macca. It’s Christmas time, and as much as Macca loves celebrating all things festive, he realises he has no money to buy gifts for his loved ones. An important book about making do with what you have,adorned with Matt Causgrove’s amazingly vibrant and detailed illustrations

Pig the Elf- Aaron Blabey
One of my absolute favourite read aloud Christmas books. Pig the Pug is always a hit with my students. The fun rhyming story about greedy Pig sends the message that Christmas isn’t about just getting more, more, more. I particularly love reading Pig’s outrageous Christmas wish list on the endpapers of the book.

Christmas Wonder- Vicki Conley & Cheryl Orsini
I absolutely adore the illustrations by Cheryl Orsini which add to the magic of this simple, yet whimsical book.

I Love Christmas- Anna Walker
A simply written Christmas book, detailing all the festive pleasures of Christmas. An easy, rhyming story- perfect for the lower years.

Emily Brown & Father Christmas- Cressida Cowell and Neal Layton
Emily Brown comes to the rescue when Father Christmas tries to modernise his Christmas delivery system with fancy climbing equipment, up-to-date sleighs and confusing GPS’s.
An adventurous story with a message of kindness and a reminder that sometimes the tried and true methods are the best.

Santa’s High-Tech Christmas- Mike Dumbleton and Angela Perrini
Santa attempts to be more efficient on Christmas eve with the use of his techno pad, rocket pack and weatherproof sleigh. There’s just one little problem, he breaks his techno pad and can’t remember who to deliver his presents to. An unexpected visitor shows kindness to Santa and helps to get Christmas back on track.

Don’t forget to grab your FREE Christmas Reading List from my resource library HERE.
I’d love to hear any other fun and creative ideas you have for making Christmas come alive in your library!

The post Christmas in the Library appeared first on Little Library Learners.

Is it time for you to gear up for a new school year in the library? I thought I’d compile some of my must-do library tips for the start of the year.

BACK TO SCHOOL BOOKS
I love to welcome students to the library at the start of the school year by setting up a book display near the entrance with a range of back to school themed books. I attach my ‘back to school’ display poster (which you can grab from my FREE Resource Library)to attract interested readers.
Some of my favourites books are:

Pete the Cat- Rocking in my School Shoes by Eric Litwin
This book is really helpful as an introduction to school, especially for your Kindergarten/Prep students. Students are familiarized with the different places in the school and reassured that school isn’t so scary. I know a lot of teachers at my school like to do the Pete the Cat Scavenger Hunt where you take a tour around the school after reading the book. There are quite a few free ones out there on the Internet if it’s something you’re interested in recreating.

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
The Kissing Hand is a classic picture book that has the power to help ease the fears of children at the beginning of the school year. Chester Racoon is our protagonist, who is worried about starting school (at night, may I add! A nice touch for a nocturnal animal.) To help remind Chester of her love any time he feels scared Mrs Raccoon teaches Chester a special secret called ‘the kissing hand’.
This is a great read to help reassure children who may have separation anxiety about starting school.

First Day by Andrew DaddoAn adorable book about getting excited about the lead up to first day of school. Special breakfasts, new shoes, fancy hair and being brave.

You can read my full list of Back to School Themed Books HERE.

BACK TO SCHOOL LIBRARY ACTIVITIES

A fun way to start the school year is with a range of back to school themed activities.

• My Back to School Library Bingo is an interactive way to help students get to know one another, while also getting an insight into what your students like to read.  This free resource is available HERE
• One of my newest resources is my Back to School in the Library Flip Book. This is such a fun way to learn about your students while also introducing library rules, expectations and procedures.

• My Back to School Themed Library Skills No Prep Printables are an easy, no fuss way to provide your students with fun back to school lessons with minimal prep. It includes handouts relating to library rules and procedures, getting to know you activities as well as bookmarks.

• Library Skills- Orientation and Routines– this pack is a fun one whether you want hands on matching cards, hand outs or posters to teach your rules and procedures. I particularly love the library do’s and don’t matching cards. Students love to work with these hands on materials.

DECORATING THE LIBRARY
It’s always important to start with a welcoming and inspiring environment for students to come back to. There are a number of fun and creative ways that you can motivate students to visit the library while creating a positive learning atmosphere.

Bulletin Boards
Decorating and creating bulletin boards to welcome students back are a simple and effective way to create a little interest in your library. I have compiled some of my very favourite back to school displays, below:

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Posters and Displays
I love to make my library as inviting as possible by having a range of fun book displays with corresponding signage. I like to print & laminate corresponding signs with my book displays as well as clearly sign areas of the library. This way students can easily find what they are looking for.  My Library Decor Bundle may help you to get started!

I’d love to hear any library related activities that you have found work for you.
Don’t forget if you haven’t already signed up to be a Library Library Learners VIP you can do so here.
I have a range of fun FREE library related activities that you can instantly download to help get you started this school year.

The post Back to School in the Library appeared first on Little Library Learners.

Are you winding down for the end of the school year and gearing up for summer? These super summer reads are sure to invite conversations about summer plans and excite students for the fun months that lay ahead.
If you’re worried about the summer slide and want to encourage students to read over their summer break, you can grab my FREE summer bingo printable HERE from my resource library.

Ok, now on to some much loved read alouds…

Last Day Blues by Julie Danneberg
By the same author as ‘First Day Jitters’, Mrs Hartwell’s students are concerned that their teacher will miss them while they’re gone for the summer. The class makes a plan to ensure she doesn’t miss them, but the teachers have a plan of their own!

Magic Beach by Alison Lester
This beautifully illustrated picture book by Australian author and illustrator Alison Lester is one of my favourites. Share this book with students so they can imagine a picturesque summer by the beach, making memories with family.

The Pocket Dogs go on Holiday  by Margaret Wild and Stephen Michael King
An adorable book in the much loved Pocket Dog series. The pocket dogs go on a summer holiday to the beach and help their owner find a treasured item. Illustrated by the incredibly talented Stephen Michael King.

Little Dog and the Summer Holiday by Corinne Fenton and Robin Cowcher
A charming story about the summer holidays set in the 1950’s. Little dog and his family go on a road trip to Sydney. Picturesque descriptions of the open road, camping and summer in Australia lend this book to be a nostalgic favourite.

Why I love Summer by Michael Wagner
A delightful book about the many reasons to love summer. Swimming at the beach, playing backyard cricket, eating ice cream and spending time with family all feature on the list. This book will make you wish the sun was shining while reminding us it’s the little things that matter.

Summer by June Factor and Alison Lester
A short rhyming book about the delight of summer. Beautifully illustrated in Alison Lester’s signature style.

Road Trip by Danny Parker and Nathaniel Eckstrom
Father and son are off on a road trip. Dad is enjoying the scenic drive, where as his son chants
“But when will we get there? It’s just a disaster… couldn’t we go just a little bit faster?”
A great conversation starter around road trips, holidays and upcoming vacations.

I hope this list has inspired some summer dreaming of your own. I’d love to hear which read alouds feature on your list this time of year. Feel free to leave a comment, below.

Don’t forget to grab my FREE Summer Reading Bingo  from my resource library.

If you’re looking for some summer themed resources to end the school year off, you can grab my summer themed activities below:

The post Super Summer Themed Reads appeared first on Little Library Learners.

• Create an Easter book display (keep reading for some of my favourites!).
  The sign I use with my book display is from here.
• Set out a lunch time station with Easter bookmarks for students to decorate. The ones I use are from my Library No Prep Printables- Easter themed pack.
• I print and laminate bunny feet, which I stick to the floor in a pathway to our book display. This grabs student’s attention and the younger ones often declare ‘Look, The Easter Bunny has been.’ Adorable!
• As a fun lunchtime or class activity I get students to complete my Easter Library Bingo activity (you can grab this for FREE from my resource library)

These Easter themed books which make it to my book display year after year are some of my favourites:

How to Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace
Finding eggs is easy, but can YOU catch the Easter Bunny in action this year? He has a basket full of treats and tricks for staying hidden—plus that bunny hippity hops with lightning speed!

Bluey Easter by John Brumm
Who doesn’t love Bluey? I’m not usually a fan of tv show themed picture books, but Bluey is that exception. In this Easter themed Bluey adventure, Bluey and Bingo fear the Easter Bunny has forgotten clean about them – until they find themselves on an action-packed egg hunt.

Easter Eggstravaganza by Roald Dahl
This fun rhyming book is inspired by the delumptious world of Roald Dahl.
Easter Eggs are scrumptious!
Every chiddler knows that’s true.
But have you ever heard
That you can eat them all year through
Another fun Roald Dahl favourite to add to the collection!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Easter Surprise by Eric Carle
Help The Very Hungry Caterpillar hunt for Easter eggs in this new story with cute cut out pages throughout.
With its simple rhyming text this interactive Easter adventure is sure to become a favourite read aloud.

Happy Easter from the Crayons by Drew Daywalt & Oliver Jeffers
Another fun instalment from everyone’s favourite crayons. Easter is the perfect holiday for crayons! They get to learn new shapes and decorate one giant egg together … but where will they hide it?! Blue Crayon has some ideas…

When the Easter Bunny Went on Holiday by Colin Buchanan and Simon Williams
A story about the Easter Bunny needing a break and leaving his job to his Aussie animal friends. A book that is sung to the tune of ‘Waltzing Matilda’- includes a bonus CD of the song!

Pete the Cat : Big Easter Adventure by James Dean
Another lovable Pete the Cat favourite. This time Pete is the Easter Bunny’s sidekick when he discovers his basket empty on Easter morning. Can he paint and hide all the eggs in time?

There was an Old Lady who Swallowed an Egg by P. Crumble
My students just adore the ‘There was an old lady who swallowed a *insert random object here* books. This one is no exception. A fun read aloud with an surprising ending.

Peter Rabbit- Easter Surprise by Beatrix Potter
I couldn’t resist including this one. The popularity of Peter Rabbit has increased with the TV show and of course the most recent movie. Peter Rabbit is an absolute classic, and this one has an adorable Easter theme.

Grug and his First Easter– Ted Prior
This series is perfect for younger readers. In this Easter themed edition, Grug is visited by a mysterious creature who leaves him a special Easter treat. Will he ever discover who the mysterious creature is?

We’re Going on an Egg Hunt by Laura Hughes
We’re going on an egg hunt.
We’re going to find them all.
We’re REALLY excited.
Hooray for Easter Day!
Based on the classic tune of ‘We’re going on a Bear Hunt’ this one is sure to please students as they join the rabbit siblings on an Easter egg hunt.

Where’s the Easter Bunny
Where’s the Golden Easter Egg
These two ‘finding’ books are SO popular in our library, they basically never make it to our Easter display because they are constantly loaned out. In the same vain as “Where’s Wally/Waldo’, student’s have to fund various Easter themed objects on each page. A fun set of books for students to share.

If you’re looking for more Easter themed library activities, including bookmarks and printables you can grab my No Prep Printables HERE.

Feel free to share with me any of your favourite Easter read alouds, I’d love to hear what your students are loving!

The post Books to Celebrate Easter appeared first on Little Library Learners.

• I create a Harmony Day bookmark colouring station at lunch time
• I have students enter a Harmony Day colouring in and short answer competition. I display all the entries with the winning students getting book prizes
• Harmony Day Book Scavenger Hunt- I’ve had this as a lunch time activity and also as a class activity
• Harmony Day Book Display (of course!) The poster I use for my Harmony Day book display can be found here 

These are some of my favourite books that promote inclusivity and are just perfect for Harmony Day:

• Happy in Our Skin by Fran Manushkin & illustrated by Lauren Tobia
  A simple rhyming book with a positive message about skin colour- a book that recognises and values diversity.
• Hello! By Tony Flowers
  A colourful and inviting book about countries and cultures. 12 Australian friends who share with us their traditional language, food, dress, culture and hobbies. A fantastic way to introduce students to the diversity that may be within their class or school.
• Wide Big World- Maxine Beneba Clarke & illustrated by Isobel Knowles
  A book that celebrates differences. Perfect for the lower years, with simple language and bright and inviting pictures.
• I’m Australian Too- Mem Fox & illustrated by Ronojoy Ghosh
  One of my absolute favourites- from the detail on the end papers (go ahead- compare the front and the back!), the rhyming text and simple message. A stunning book about diversity and inclusion.
• Whoever You Are- By Mem Fox & illustrated by Leslie Staub
  A book that celebrates the differences in our lives that unite all of us. “and there may be difference wherever you are, wherever they are, in this big wide world. But remember this: joys are the same, and love is the same. Pain is the same, and blood is the same. Smiles are the same, and hearts are the same.”
  The message is simple, but fundamentally important.
• Under the Love Umbrella by Davina Bell & illustrated by Alison Colpoys
  Beautiful and inviting illustrations. Depicts people from all backgrounds with a strong message around love.
• Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai & illustrated by KeraScoet
  The true story of Malala Yousafzai in simple picture book form- perfect for all school aged students. A story of hope and change with a focus on inclusivity. “together we make a chorus, standing up for what we believe. We raise our voices for those in need, help people in danger, even if they are an ocean away, think of the world as a family.”

I currently have a FREE Harmony Day pack in my resource library- this includes both ‘Harmony Day’ and ‘Harmony Week’ wording. It includes bookmarks, a printable and a scavenger hunt. This is exclusive to Little Library Learners newsletter subscribers. If you’re not a member, you can sign up HERE.

Happy reading!

The post Celebrating Harmony Day & Books About Inclusivity appeared first on Little Library Learners.

Helping students to find a book that they can confidently read and are interested in can be a challenge. To help students achieve this goal, I like to teach them the ‘I Pick a Just Right Book’ method.

What is it? Each of the letters in the words ‘I PICK’ stands for a different strategy students can use in order to successfully locate a book to suit their needs.

I- I choose a just right book- this means a book that is just right for the individual student. I like to highlight here how a book that is just right for one person may not be just right for another (e.g just because you’re best friends does not mean you will have the same reading interests and skill level).

Purpose- What is my purpose for reading? Am I looking to be entertained, am I reading for enjoyment,  or am I reading to be informed? I then talk about fiction and non-fiction books and how non-fiction books are more likely to inform us. I tell students that enjoyment can come from both fiction and non-fiction books depending on their interests.

Interest- Does this book interest me? I usually examine a book with the class here. We look at the cover, read the title, examine the author’s name- maybe it’s an author we know and love! Read the blurb ( a great opportunity to introduce this word if student’s aren’t familiar with it), flick through the book and look at the pictures. Does this book look interesting? Yes- then move on. No- then put it back and choose another.

Comprehend- Can I comprehend the text? I like to explain to my lower students that this just means ‘Can I understand what the words are saying? Can I make a picture in my head of what I am reading?’. If the answer is no, then the book is too hard. Try again and choose another book.

Know- Do I know the words? If I know most of the words then I have found my just right book. If not, then this one is simply too hard. When discussing this I like to refer to the ‘Five Finger Rule’, which I will discuss next.

The Five Finger Rule

This is another topic that I spend a lesson on when I am teaching my ‘Just Right Book’ unit. I break down the poster (above) to my class, telling them it is a good guideline to use when the are searching for their just right book.

They need to choose a book, open to any page. For each word they don’t know, put up a finger. If they get to 5 or more words then the book is too hard. We are ideally looking for 1-2 words that they don’t know so the book challenges them somewhat.

It’s the cutest thing when I see them searching for a book with their fist up, a little finger popping up for each word they are unfamiliar with.

Before I let them loose on the library I model this skill. I love to get a book and demonstrate to my students what it looks like when a book is ‘too hard’, ‘too easy’ and ‘just right’. I typically do this by reading a page from the same book aloud three times- once rushing through it as it is ‘too easy’, once stumbling and tripping over the text, getting many words wrong as it is ‘too hard’, and once getting 1-2 words wrong but generally doing a good job as it is ‘just right’.

Now it’s the students turn! For my lower grades (K-1) I pair them up and have them do a ‘scavenger hunt’ for a just right book. We come back to the carpet after 5 minutes or so and share our ‘just right’ books with the class.

Resources for Teaching a ‘Just Right Book’ Unit

When teaching this unit I like to use the following resources:

• The book ‘We’re Going on a Book Hunt’ by Pat Miller is a favorite of mine to introduce this unit. I always love beginning a unit with a book to engage students and get them thinking.
• ‘Five Finger Rule’ and ‘I PICK’ Posters. I print these in a large size, laminate them and put them on my bulletin board so I can constantly refer to these during my lessons.
• No Prep Printables that relate to the ‘Just Right Book’ unit.
• Bookmarks- I print out bookmarks on the ‘I Pick’ strategies and the ‘Five Finger Rule’ so students can keep and refer to these during their borrowing timeThe handouts, posters and printables can be found in my ‘Just Right Book Pack‘ unit.
  You can also grab this unit as part of a bundle HERE.

I hope these tips have helped you. Feel free to leave me any ideas  you use when teaching this unit, I would love to hear them.

The post Teaching Students how to PICK a Just Right Book appeared first on Little Library Learners.