• Unlocking Student Success: Integrating Literacy Skills to Master Next-Gen Science Standards

    Are your students struggling to meet the Next Generation Science Standards? One of the biggest obstacles isn’t just content knowledge—it’s the ability to make inferences. This essential skill is often overlooked, yet it’s a game changer when it comes to understanding complex scientific concepts. By integrating literacy strategies, like inferencing, into your science instruction, you can help students connect their background knowledge with evidence and build the reasoning needed for deep comprehension. Ready to empower your students to think critically and ace those performance expectations? Dive into our latest post for practical tips and tools to make it happen!

  • Math Books That Inspire: My Current Reads and Future Picks

    As a passionate math educator, I find inspiration not only in the classroom but also within the pages of thought-provoking books. Whether it’s deepening my understanding of complex concepts or discovering new teaching strategies, math books have a special way of expanding both my knowledge and approach. In this post, I’m excited to share with you the math books currently on my nightstand, as well as a few that are next on my reading list. From insightful explorations of mathematical theory to practical guides for classroom instruction, these reads offer something for every math enthusiast or educator looking to spark…

  • Creative Library Displays: Adding a Dynamic Twist

    While scrolling through TikTok, I found a great video by @the.laser.libraria showcasing a fun Open House idea for libraries or classroom collections. Inspired by @thebookwrangler’s resources, I put my own spin on the concept, which I am excited to share with you! This display works for both nonfiction and fiction books, using dynamic shelving techniques to make collections engaging and easy to browse. The Canva template I created includes everything you need—signs, editable tags, and fun sneaker pages. I hope this inspires you to try new display ideas in your library and make your collection more inviting for readers!

  • Play to Learn: Guess Who

    Guess Who– one of the games we all grew up playing and that we probably have in our game closets, if we have kids. The classic game is a fun way to practice deduction, observation, and strategic questioning skills. Just a quick review of the simple rules of the game Each player randomly selects one character from a separate pile of cards. The goal is to guess the opponent’s chosen character by asking yes-or-no questions about their character’s features. Players take turns asking yes or no questions. Players eliminate characters on their board who don’t match the given features. The…

  • Play to Learn: Tenzi and More!

    Today in the Play to Learn series, we are deep diving into the TENZI family of games! We will begin with the original TENZI game, that began this collection of games. TENZI is an exciting and quick-paced dice game that promotes fast reactions and is very easy to learn. To play TENZI, you roll your 10 dice as quickly as possible. The game comes with instructions for eight additional variations, including SPLITZI, MEGA TENZI, and TENZI TOWER. Playing TENZI helps children develop rapid and confident number recognition while being highly enjoyable and straightforward to play. It’s ideal for early finishers…

  • Booktalking: Crowdsourcing Your Reading

    Discover the power of peer recommendations with "Crowdsourcing Your Reading," a pandemic-inspired booktalk activity. Using Goodreads and collaborative tools, students share their favorite books, creating a vibrant reading community. This engaging method not only introduces teens to valuable reading resources but also fosters a love for literature through authentic peer endorsements.

  • 📚 But Where is the Red Book? Introducing Talpa.ai Innovating Book Discovery!

    Discover Talpa.ai, the revolutionary AI-powered tool transforming library interactions. Utilizing advanced LLMs from Anthropic and OpenAI, it ensures accurate bibliographic searches validated by Bowker, Syndetics Unbound, and LibraryThing. Seamlessly navigate genres, character data, and even identify books by cover design. Explore the future of library innovation at Talpa.ai today.