Enter at Your Own Risk!

When you walk into Meigs North Library you will see students sharing knowledge and learning with one another. You will also see them using trusted resources to find information & using technology to express themselves. I feel it is important to make the most of the time you have with your students. That's why I tried to create a warm, stimulating and safe learning environment so my students can be actively engaged when they visit the Library.

I would love to see some of your Library Centers in Action!

Library Centers for My "Lucky" Little Learners!

My students were Super Excited when they entered the Library this week. I wanted to share with everyone how easy it is to set up Centers in the Library.

This is one of three Research Centers.  All you need is a jar of pencils, the "I Can" sign & the trivia questions. I put the trivia questions on a clip board and placed the clip board in the green basket. This center is geared toward my older students. Check out the BIG HUGE monitor! I promise I am working on getting new monitors ;)




This is another Research Center. If you look closely you will see I added 2 St. Patrick's Day books, the "I Can" sign, a jar of pencils, copies of  "Three Interesting Facts I Learned" document & a pack of post it notes.  I like to use post it notes in place of worksheets to cut down on paper and copying. However, I like to display their findings so I have a large sheet of butcher paper titled "Look at the Cool Things We Learned about St. Patrick's Day". The students stick the post it note on the butcher paper for all to see. This center is geared toward my younger students.

This is the favorite of all three Research Centers. I have displayed the "Question of the Day". The blue bucket contains strips of paper where students answer the question and site their source. The students will fold their answers and place them in the small colorful container. I draw a paper each day from the container and if the question is answered correctly I will announce the student's name over the intercom. The student is asked to come to the Library to choose a small little prize. (I keep a prize cabinet stocked with freebies & lots of goodies from Scholastic)

This is my Listening Center. All you need is a listening device, headphones, the "I Can" sign, a jar of pencils, the Story Map documents, and post it notes. I will write a variety of Titles on chart paper. Students will place their post it notes under the Title of the Book they chose to listen to.

All you need for this center is the "I Can" sign, copies of the "Recording Sheets" inside plastic sleeves, Clip Boards, Dry Erase markers, Challenge sheets & a St. Patrick's Day book. Don't forget to Print, Laminate, Cut Out & Hide the words around the Library. My younger learners LOVE Write the Room!



I displayed the "I Can" sign & a St. Patrick's Day book. Cut apart copies of the bookmark & add a basket of crayons & TA DA! A Bookmark Center!

My Students & I LOVE our little Maker Space Center. The challenge is to build a "Leprechaun Trap". I have a large Art Cart with tons of supplies such as paperclips, tape, glue, paint, construction paper, recycled items, rubber bands, straws, etc..... Students can use anything from the cart to complete the challenge.  I display the completed traps on a table in the hallway.


On the right hand side of the picture you will notice a couple of bean bags and Reading spots. I always have a "I Can Read to Self" sign displayed in the windowsill along with Whisper Phones. Sometimes I will pull books and place in a bucket for them to choose from.

Library Centers have been a game changer for my Library Program!
I hope this post inspires you to give Library Centers a try! I would love to hear what's going on in your Library this month!

Getting Reading for St. Patrick's Day in the Library!

I am SUPER EXCITED about my centers this month! Grab this pack at my TPT store!

 I have included directions and suggestions with each activity.
This is the Write the Room activity. The students will be searching for action verbs.  After they find all six words they can complete one of the challenge activities.

     I am going to have a Lego Challenge Center. Students will try to create something related to St. Patrick's Day or recreate something I have created. There are three blank boxes on the "I can" sign so you can insert your own pictures.
     I cannot wait to see what my students create at the Maker Space center. Their challenge will be to create a Leprechaun Trap.
     I also included an iPad Choice board you can display at your iPad center.
     I always offer a Read to Self & Listening Center so I included some "I can" signs for those as well.

Research, Research, Research!!!!!

I included THREE research options.
1.  Students can look through books and find three interesting facts about St. Patrick's Day.
2.  Students can use the computer and answer 10 trivia questions.
3.  I can display a Question of the Day. My students love the Question of the Day/Week center because they have a chance to win a small prize.  I have included directions and everything you will need for this center.



Don't forget to display a few St. Patrick's Day books at each center. (Make sure you display only the nonfiction ones at your research center)  Hope this helps to bring some excitement to your Library!