Digital Resource Library

How to use the school library to help your students excel

Teachers Resource Guide

The Teachers Resource Guide to the Library (Grades K–3), designed to reinforce and complement the principles of the Early Learners Programme, is here to help you, the primary school teacher! This resource gives you tools and strategies that connect the school library to your teaching of subjects across the curriculum to save you time and help your students excel. We encourage you to adopt the lesson ideas in this guide that work for you and to add your own expertise, best practices, and teaching materials to this guide. Please feel free to share everything with every teacher at your school!

2. Workshop Goals and the Benefits of Pleasure Reading

3. Overview of the Teachers Resource Guide

4. Overview of the TRG’s “Best Practices” Section

5. The Art and Craft of Reading Aloud

6. Build Lifelong Readers with Your School’s Book Collection

7. Reading Workshop Ideas for Your Students

8. “Speed Dating” Book Activity and Writing a Book Blurb

9. How to Adapt the TRG’s Lesson Plans

Best Practices

What is the best way to help your students excel in reading and all of its related skills of literacy? In this section top educators and librarians tell how to make the most of the resources in your school’s library. Their advice: Connect your classroom to the library and everyone benefits!

Click to view or download PDF

Library Time

The library is a multifaceted learning opportunity for your students, and you can use library books and resources to create lessons that will grow the literacy level of your students. This section will help you manage your class while allowing your students to engage with the lesson and improve their reading.

Click to view or download PDF

Book Blurbs

A book blurb is a snapshot of what a book is about and how it can be used for a lesson plan. In this section we offer a wide choice of book blurbs, suggested by grade level and aligned with the language arts curriculum, along with suggestions for other subject areas.

Click to view or download PDF

Lesson Plans

These lesson plans are designed for you to use with your teaching practices. The lessons revolve around a picture book to be read aloud and then used as an anchor text or for activities and assignments. It’s easy to adjust the lesson plans by selecting activities and discussion questions that are best for your class.

Click to view or download PDF

Library Resources

In this section you’ll find over 270 books to use for guided reading, shared reading, independent reading, anchor texts, reluctant readers, and cross-curriculum topics. Plus 42 library activities for Grades K to 3, from Word Splash! to Sight Word Hunt.

Click to view or download PDF

Get the whole thing!

Are you on a fast internet connection? If so you may want to download the entire Teachers Resource Guide (179 pages / 3.81 MB, PDF format) to your own or the school’s computer.

Click to view or download PDF

Sample Lesson Plans

Want to make your own lesson plans? Click here to download the Word document template

Click to download (docx)

Best Practices Videos

Tips & Techniques from Librarians and Educators

Librarian Training

Student Librarians Talk About Their Rewards and Responsibilities

How the Student Librarian Program Will Benefit Your School

Click to download the Library Manual for Primary Schools (pdf)

Click to download the Hands Student Librarian Handbook (pdf)

Stay Connected

Sign up for our newsletter

    Scroll to Top

    Donate to the

    Hurricane Beryl Disaster Relief

    Your donation will help bring hope after the devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl.

    Learn more