Jean Darnell: Awaken Librarian!

Here's my last post of the year...I think! Lol! It's been a rough year, but the good news is that I've inspiration for a wondrous 2018! With that being said, I bet it would surprise most of you to know that I wanted to be a park ranger when I was younger. It's was a "wildling wish" that I abandoned after thinking I was too chunky for a ballerina and had altitude sickness to prevent me from piloting a plane! I wanted to learn about the plants and surviving with the earth. I knew it would inspire my writing and creativity. Plus, I could connect with nature without the cages of the zoo. But then the thought of crossing paths with a cougar reminded me of the need for cages and pushed me away from that aspiration too! Fear is such the motivator! Where am I going with this? Though this city girl talked herself out of one of her dreams, doesn't mean you should. When you're looking for direction, don't let fear guide your compass. Self-doubt eats a...

GLEC-PVA Library has chosen Ashley Bryan , 2004 CSK Illustrator Award winner and brilliant artist, film-maker and storyteller for our "Author of the Month!" Without giving away, much of the plot, this wonderful read discusses the theme of being true to yourself, loving the unique features of you and how to handle the inevitable jealousy/envy that pops up in life. Though it's an adaptation of a Zambian folktale, this book has a universal theme of "wonderfully me." Additionally, this book would work well for those kiddos that don't feel like they fit in with the popular crowd: “Color on the outside is not what’s on the inside.” Beautiful Blackbird encompasses timeless themes for those young and old! What touched my heart were the reflections of my "lunch-bunch" Blerd Book Club . We made a little podcast of our debriefing discussion. Please enjoy my very first PODCAST!   For my younger kids (grades 2nd-4th), we kept the lesson simple w...

In the library, we're celebrating National Picture Book month by giving away 24 FREE PICTURE BOOKS to our staff members. There rules are quite simple: 1. Choose a book. 2. Choose a teacher. 3. Write a note of gratitude to your teacher. 4. Take the book (with librarian's permission of course). 5. Give book/note to the teacher. 6. Watch their joy and feel great! Once a student has selected the book and submitted their gift the teacher, I plan to leave the name of that teacher on a little placard. This is a wonderful opportunity to pay it forward, promote #growthmindset and get a jumpstart on Thanksgiving and the feeling of gratitude. Here are the links to the cute paper templates BOY  and GIRL . Here's a bonus treat from my #blerdbookclub! We're reading former President Barack Obama's Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters with illustrations by Loren Long. Barack Obama's Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters from AwakenLibrarian ...

4 young beauties came in this morning to check out library books.💓 I began to show them all the newly acquired library books...and they squealed with glee! 💗 Then, they did the unthinkable...the asked for a book club! 💜 What's even more AMAZING , they returned at their lunch w/a prepared greeting, to begin the book club. They persisted like the uncut diamonds they are! 💖  Here's to the 1st Blerd Book Club Meeting... ENJOY it as much as I did! Blerd Book Club from AwakenLibrarian on Vimeo . P.S.: May I just say that these group of girls are the "best friends" I needed when I was their age? Full circle moment, I tell you...this heals my inner child most definitely! I ❤ being their librarian!

Good Day to you all! I'm super excited about my upcoming book fair! This year, I'm having a BUCKAROOS & BOOKS! Fair, along with Scholastic Books! I'm UBER EXCITED to see my kiddos build their piggy banks, plan ahead by saving loose change, and coming to the fair with smiles and savings! Here's to a wonderful book fair! Check back for updates on the fundraising total and other surprises!

Today has been brought to you by Thor's hammer! You know when you have those impromptu discussions about pop-culture and it leads to brilliant debates and philosophical discussions by your students??? THAT happened to me today. In my Makerspace, I have a Thor and his hammer. I had it out as a coping mechanism for one of my autistic learners. Some of my male students saw it and began playing with it. Sadly, I didn't have my camera ready to go. I was in the "welcome to class" mode. Nevertheless, the arguement began on who can pick up Thor's hammer, all while they acted out trying to pick up the hammer. After watching them struggle on who could, I chimed in with Vision, as the current winner was Magneto. Being the best diplomat I could, I conceded that Magneto and Ultron could both pick up the hammer! I had to get started with class!!! While they worked, I did some  RESEARCH --after all, I AM A LIBRARIAN--as they walked out the door, I told them that...

So, you know that I'm SUPER excited about teaching my Digital Media Class ! via GIPHY I can't stop thinking of a variety of ways to add tech components to the class! I must remember to slow down...but trust me, my students will leave DIGITAL MASTERS! I must brag on one of my students, Andy! He finished his blog, following all the directions and being otherwise AMAZING! Check out my #DigitalJediBlogger Andy ! Now to the meat of this post. I LOVE Padlet and Quizlet ! They LET learning continue with techonology! You see what I did there with the word, "let?" Lol, yup-I'm that kind of nerdy!  :) Please check out this virtual word wall I created for my class. The Quizlet is embedded within! Enjoy! For my students, BEWARE! Embedded in the padlet below is a QUIZ Pay attention to the details and find the quiz. It will take you to Quizlet , where you have flashcards that will help you before you click the quiz link. Ask for more details in class and good...