Library Activities

Presentation: Interactive Read Alouds, plus 100 Easy No-or-Low-Prep Ideas for Interactive Read Alouds

March 2021Josh Whiting

[This post was also shared at Granitemedia.org, our sister site for the school and district library programs in Granite School District: https://www.granitemedia.org/2021/03/presentation-interactive-read-alouds-plus-100-easy-no-or-low-prep-ideas-for-interactive-read-alouds/]

Marci Bishop, our District Elementary Library Specialist in Granite School District, recently shared this presentation on interactive read alouds at the UELMA 2021 conference for school librarians in Utah. Check out the slides, filled with resources and links, and watch a recording of the presentation below.

Presentation: Interactive Read Alouds

Interactive Read Alouds – Presentation by Marci Bishop – Slides

Interactive Read Alouds Presentation – Marci Bishop – Video

From the presentation description:

Kate DiCamillo calls the shared space and experience of a read aloud a “third place” and “a safe room” where participants make connections and build community. In addition to the “magic” of the moment, a read aloud is a great opportunity to teach. As a bonus, a well-planned or directed read aloud improves student focus and behavior too. In this session, we’ll explore:
-Simple, everyday ways to encourage interaction
-How to ask the “right” questions–one book can work for all grade levels!
-How to plan an interactive read aloud (examining the writer’s craft, making personal connections, etc.)
-Effective reading comprehension strategies and how to embed them into a read aloud

100 Easy No/Low-Prep Ideas for Interactive Read-Alouds

To go along with the presentation, Marci Bishop also created and shared this list of one hundred no-prep or low-prep ideas for interactive read alouds. Get them in this shared document, or read on below.

[Read more…]

Granite Best Books Challenge Elementary Reading Lists | Summer Reading and Learning 2020

July 2020Josh Whiting

Elementary students and staff can get a head start this summer reading books for next year’s Best Books Challenge!

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Introducing the Best Books Challenge for 2020-2021

May 2020Josh Whiting

We’re excited to announce the Granite Elementary Libraries Best Books Challenge for the 2020-2021 school year!

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Library Spotlight: Student-led Maker Space at Jefferson Jr. High

May 2019Josh Whiting

Michelle Reed, Library Media Educational Technology Specialist, and students at Jefferson Jr. High were featured in the most recent episode of UEN’s PDTV video series. Watch below to find out how the library makerspace at Jefferson Jr. High works and see the students in action.

Highlights from the 2019 Granite Battle of the Books District Competition

March 2019Josh Whiting

#GSDEdTech and #GSDLibraries Social Media Round Up: January 2019

February 2019Josh Whiting

Exciting things are happening every day in classrooms, libraries, labs, and makerspaces throughout Granite School District, and a few of these learning activities are shared on social media. We’re going to highlight activities from January involving the Educational Technology Department by rounding up social media posts shared by those who participated.

Leadership in Blended and Digital Learning Site Visit, Upland Terrace Elementary
Granite Elementary Beehive Reading Challenge
Mock Caldecott with Elementary Media Clerks
Classroom Snapshots

Upcoming Event: 2019 District Battle of the Books Competition

January 2019Josh Whiting

Post Author: Nikki Gregerson, District Elementary Library Specialist. Originally shared on Granite Media, our library media program website.

As we begin to prepare for our school scrimmages and competitions, here is a look at some of the progress we have made with our Battle of the Books program this school year.

Students who want to participate in team competitions need to have read and passed off at least five books on their list by January 31, 2019. Students who have read five books are also eligible for special prizes and rewards. The district’s big annual prize drawing is done right before Winter Break and prizes are delivered to students and staff members at participating elementary schools. Check out some of the winners for this school year below!

Our District Battle of the Books competition will take place on Thursday, March 14 from 5:00 PM-7:30 PM at Jim Bridger Elementary. 5^th and 6^th graders will compete as teams in a family feud style competition that will test their knowledge of the 15 books on our list. If your school is interested in participating in the program for next year, but not exactly sure how it works, watching battles at our district competition is a really good way to get a sense of how it all works. Here is a quick breakdown of the sequence of events for that evening:

If you have questions about our Battle of the Books program, please contact Nikki Gregerson. Also, check out our highlights from the 2018 Granite Battle of the Books Competition.

Highlights from Granite’s Battle of the Books 2018 Competition

April 2018Josh Whiting

26 teams of 5th and 6th grade students from across Granite School District converged on Rosecrest Elementary last Thursday, April 19, for the 2018 Battle of the Books District Competition.

School Author Visits, March 2018

March 2018Josh Whiting

We’ve been pleased to assist in hosting several author visits in our schools this month. We capture a few highlights from these visits in this post. [Read more…] about School Author Visits, March 2018

OverDrive Presentation for AASL 2017: Getting the Word Out about Your eBooks & Audiobooks

November 2017Josh Whiting

Cindy Moyle, our district’s library media specialist for secondary schools, recently shared a presentation at the American Association of School Librarians 2017 Conference about OverDrive Digital Library entitled “Getting the Word Out about Your eBooks & Audiobooks.” The presentation features ideas and resources from Cindy Moyle, as well as other school librarians in Granite School District, for promoting the district’s OverDrive ebook and audiobook collection and encouraging reading.

Click here to download a copy of the presentation.

Click here for downloadable OverDrive bookmark templates, stickers, etc.

Click here to view past resources and activities for promoting OverDrive that we’ve shared on this blog.

(Granite’s OverDrive provides free access to ebooks and digital audiobooks for all students and staff in Granite School District. Granite’s OverDrive can be accessed on the web at http://granite.lib.overdrive.com or via OverDrive apps designed for various mobile devices. For more information or help getting started with OverDrive, visit https://www.graniteschools.org/edtech/overdrive.)