Right Click here to download podcast episode.
In today's podcast, I discuss why I use and love library centers or library stations, some frequently asked questions about my library lesson plans, and how to win an iPad Mini! You won't want to miss this podcast.
Show Notes
Super Teacher Tools - Random name generators, random group generators, and more!
How I Use Library Stations blog post
FAQ about Library Lesson Plans
Contact me here or you can email info (at) elementarylibrarian (dot) com
Caitlin says
I started using library centers last year after stumbling upon librarycenters.blogspot.com. The kids really loved it (as did I!) but I'm always looking for ways to improve. I have my classes for 30 minutes and that includes checkout. Last year I tried to squeeze in two center rotations each week (I usually did 4 centers total - two the first week and two the second). Now that I've heard your podcast I think I'll try just doing one center a week for a full month - I think that will cut down on the rush to get done with things and will allow us to get deeper into the material.
A note on doing check out the same class time as the centers: I only see my kids once a week so I have to do lessons/centers and check out. What I found worked for me was to allow one center at a time come check out. I.e. the red group would come check out and then go back to their center, then the blue group would come, and so on. That worked really well, especially because only 5 or 6 students would be checking out at a time, rather than having all 25 or so running around like crazy trying to find books. It was fairly orderly and allowed me to give them a little more personal help if they needed help finding books rather than spending all my time managing behavior. My kids do self check out, but still need quite a bit of supervision to make sure they do it correctly (I have no assistant).
One last thing that made me think of...I have far less behavior problems when I use centers! That's a huge plus! I was afraid it would be too hard to manage all the kids being in different places at once, but it actually became easier.
Shelly Smith says
I am so glad that I have found your website & podcasts. I have purchased the yearly lesson plans, back to school mini lesson, and the book resources too.I have been a school librarian for 7 years but this is my first year on a totally fixed schedule and serving over 780 students. Elementary Librarian has been a blessing! Thanks for your hard work and dedication.
Shelly
Margaret Adams says
Jocelyn,
Thank you for the podcasts. They are a great addition to your lesson plans. Looking forward to using your resources again this year in my school library.
Margaret
Vicky says
I was afraid to incorporate centers in the media center because each class is only 40 minutes long. I might start with 3 stations: check out, computer, and a skill. They will last 15 minutes each. I will have someone assisting with check out. Thank you for your help.
Vicky says
Thank you for this podcast. I wanted to incorporate centers in the media center but I was afraid to because each class is only 40 minutes long. I like the idea of giving the students an overview first and having them rotate them each week.