How Can Librarians Benefit from Teachers pay Teachers?
How can librarians benefit from Teachers pay Teachers? Have you heard of Teachers pay Teachers? If you are a school librarian, you can bet that your classroom colleagues have! Teachers pay Teachers (or TpT) is a website on which teachers can sell lesson plans, flash cards, worksheets, interactive instructional games, etc.
For Librarians Too?
But is Teachers pay Teachers for librarians too? If you are a school librarian, you can buy library lessons. Or, lessons on ELA, research, and other curriculum areas you teach. Even if you are a public librarian, there are many resources you might find helpful. You don’t have to be a teacher. You can sign up for a free Buyer’s Membership here:
Teachers pay Teachers Buyer’s Membership
Many resources are priced very affordably ($3.00, $4.00, $5.00). There are tons of free resources too, since every TpT seller must post a free product before any paid products. Some sellers post “bundles,” which are collections of related products, at a discount. Products are digital downloads.
My TpT store is called Little Library of Learning.
Here is a free set of library nonfiction section signs, suitable for primary grades.
You might want to give out bookmarks to your students. These are available in color, to give out, or in black and white. Students can color them during book checkout time.
Do You Dewey?
If like me, you still teach the Dewey Decimal System, you might want some lessons to review that. These printable task cards are “clip cards.” Students read a book title and clip a clothespin to the correct Dewey number. Too low-tech for you? They are also available as a BOOM™ Card or Google Slides deck. Kids tap on the correct Dewey number. A Dewey Decimal chart is included.
Have you used BOOM™ Cards yet? They are digital task cards hosted on the BOOM Learning website. They are self-correcting and give instant feedback. After purchase, you can use them for free on the BOOM website, using the “Fast Pin” option. Classroom teachers may wish to have a paid subscription in order to get progress reports. BOOM also has many free products.
For more about BOOM Cards, read here:
Getting Started with BOOM Cards
Secret Picture Tiles are another fun activity. They come in printable and digital formats. In the printable version, students cut and paste answers into place, revealing a secret picture. In the digital Google Slides version, they drag and drop the answers. I have four library related sets: Library Vocabulary, Fiction Call Numbers, Nonfiction Call Numbers, and Literary Genres.
Test Your Students’ Library Lingo
This is a fun PowerPoint game, available in two levels. The K-2 version has easier “lingo,” such as author, illustrator, fiction, nonfiction, bookmark, etc. The 3-5 version has slightly more challenging “lingo,” such as database, bibliography, Dewey Decimal System, graphic novel, etc. Set up as a game board, kids choose a question about library terminology and answer it.
Gamify Your Library Lessons
Another fun game. How about a quiz show about Newbery Medal books? Again, two versions are available, one with easier, more familiar Newbery Medal books and another with slightly more challenging titles. Click on captions for links.
Want to Become a Seller?
Maybe you would like to eventually sell products on TpT too. They have a Basic Seller’s membership for a one-time fee of $29.99. Sellers receive a 55% payout with an additional 30 cents fee per resource. You can always upgrade to The Premium Seller’s membership for $59.95 per year, with an 80% payout. TpT charges a 5 cents per resource fee if a buyer’s order is less than $3.00.
If interested, you should browse around the TpT site. A lot of helpful advice can be found in the Seller’s Forum. So in many ways, Teachers pay Teachers is beneficial for librarians too!
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