It’s August, which means most school librarians are back to school or gearing up to be back to school! No one yet knows what this school year will bring. The past two years have looked very different from normal. Planning can re-energize you and your school library! Whether you use a checklist to stay on task with planning or prefer a less formal planning process, having a plan is always better than no plan at all. Whether you are re-opening your library or planning for something similar to last year, a new school year is always an exciting time.
Planning isn’t just preparing the physical school library for the new year. A new school year is a great time to think about your school library’s vision and mission. Come up with a catchy slogan or theme to guide your planning and keep the school library program visual in your school community. Prepare a welcome document to share with students, teachers, administration, and families. Personalize your signage and sites with Bitmojis! Plan your library displays and celebrations! Reach out to teachers early for collaboration opportunities. Finally, decide which new tools you will use to bring your library vision to life!
Plan to bring new life to your lessons! Read-alouds and orientation activities are always a great way to start the new year. Bring mindfulness and meditation into your school library and your own life, as we all need some peace of mind after the last two school years. Create engaging reading activities for a variety of books—plan interesting and fun library centers. Create/ reuse/ remix lessons that will engage your students and energize your teaching on everything from copyright to coding to project-based learning.
Planning for the new school year is an activity-filled with brand-new possibilities! As always, check out TeachersFirst resources and the TeachersFirst blog for planning ideas. Whatever and however you plan for the new school year, may it be the best one yet. Do you have a favorite back-to-school tip or lesson idea to share? Please post them in the comments below!