Services for Elementary School Teachers (K-5th)
The Library has many services and programs to support your curriculum. Youth Services staff can provide fiction and non-fiction books on topics or areas of study that can enhance your resource center's offerings. We can assist by pulling the books for you or stop by and select them yourself. The Library can also help you expand your classroom experience through field trips, visits by Library staff, or as a venue to display your students' work. Please browse this page for all of the partnership opportunities.
Bulletin Board Space
Reading Lists
How to schedule a Program
Literature Based Programs
Special Collections
Getting Books From the Library
Homework Alerts
Bulletin Board Space
Are you interested in displaying your students' work outside the classroom? An easy way to let all of Mount Prospect see your class’s artwork, visual aides from projects, Character Counts posters, etc., is to schedule the bulletin board in Youth Services. Teachers may exhibit items for 30 days. The Library reserves dates on a first come, first served basis. Please contact Julie DiGuiseppe for the bulletin board's measurements and to reserve a month.
Reading Lists
Whether creating your own or looking for resources, the Library can be your partner in getting you the materials you need.
Summer Reading Lists- If you plan to distribute a list to your students please remember to provide us with a copy to keep at the Youth Services desk. The enables the staff to provide better service to the students who come to the Library looking for titles.
Accelerated Reading Lists- Please make sure that we have the most updated copies of your school's A.R. lists. This allows us to better assist your students at finding the best title for them at their appropriate level. Please note, we are not set up to administer any A.R. test at the Library.
Literature Circles/Novel Studies-Perfect for your book discussion groups, each Kids Books to Go bag will include twenty copies of popular fiction titles as well as discussion questions and activities. The loan period for these bags is six weeks and you may only have one bag out at a time. The titles in the collection are:
- The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
- The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
- The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
- Seedfolks by Paul Fleishman
- Do Bananas Chew Gum? by Jamie Gilson
- Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki
- The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
- How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
- Homeless Bird by gloria Whelan
How to schedule a Program
The Library offers exciting educational programs for you and your students. Staff members will visit your classroom to present these special programs or you can arrange to visit the Library. The programs are designed to develop an enjoyment of different types of literature, introduce new authors and illustrators, and, most importantly, encourage children to become lifelong readers. Please call Jan Penner to schedule programs for kindergarten and Julie Diguiseppe to schedule first through fifth grade programs,. If you are interested in programs for sixth grade and up, please contact Rose Allen, Young Adult Librarian. Programs are 30 minutes in length unless otherwise noted.
Programs are available between September and April. During this period each grade level may schedule a maximum of two visits - at least one at the school. Please schedule a school visit at least 3 weeks in advance. At certain times of the year our schedule may allow for additional visits. Please contact us to make special arrangements.
Kindergarten
Storytime programs for kindergartners are available September until April and may be held at your school or the Library. Please contact Jan Penner at 847/253-5675 to schedule one of these programs.
- Family Fun
- Funny Bunnies & Fuzzy Feathers
- Puppy Love
- Library Life
- Mother Goose and Friends
- Transportation
- Make Room for Me
1st and 2nd Grades
Choose one author per visit from the following:
- Jan Brett
- Steven Kellogg
- Marc Brown
- William Steig
- Eric Carle
- Don and Audrey Wood
- Kevin Henkes
- Tomie dePaola
Programs, approximately 30 minutes in length, will include stories and related activities such as flannels, crafts, games, or a short video based on the authors or their books. VCR required. You may choose two of the authors offered, but at least one program would need to be presented at your school. For more information on a specific program and to schedule a visit, please contact Julie DiGuiseppe in Youth Services.
3rd Grade
Favorite Story Characters
A booktalk/fashion show will highlight popular series, both new and old, that third graders will enjoy.
4th Grade
Reference Orientation
Introduce your students to the public library and all it has to offer. The format of this program will include the video, “Library Skills.” The program includes a scavenger hunt and a crossword puzzle. Please allow 1½ hours for this program if visiting the Library. A one-hour abridged version of this program can be presented at your school
3rd through 5th Grades
Booktalks
Please call to schedule booktalks at least 4 weeks in advance
- Historical fiction / Nonfiction
- Mystery / Suspense
Special Collections
Parent Teacher Collections
Youth Services houses a Parent/Teacher Collection of over 2,000 titles. This collection contains many resources specifically chosen to help teachers and librarians plan curricula and programming for students and their families.
Early Reader Boxes
Early Reader Boxes feature a variety of titles from the Real Kids Readers series. This series is used to teach reading skills by blending phonics and whole language. Please request a box as you would a book bag; the loan period is three weeks.
Simple Machine Boxes
Each box includes four or five classroom activities with lesson plans and materials needed for each activity. Reproducibles with take-home activities for students are also included. Please request a box as you would a book bag; loan period is three weeks.
Science Discovery Boxes were developed through a grant partnership between Kohl Children’s Museum, Wilmette, Illinois, and the Illinois State Library.
Getting Books From the Library
Teachers have the opportunity to check out books on their school's library account. If you provide the topic, we can select books for you. this is called a Book Bag Request. If you would prefer to select your won materials, please stop by the Library and browse our collection. no need to remember a card, we have all of the information for your school card number at the Youth Service desk. This is called a Teacher Check Out.
How to Request a Book Bag:
- Please submit the request at least 72 hours before the bag is needed. You do so by phone, fax, or e-mailing your request at bookbag@mppl.org The last day to make requests is May 1, 2009.
- Bags should be returned to the Circulation Desk on or before the due date.
- Bags are loaned for three weeks, but this may be extended if the Library is notified in advance of the due date.
- Bags contain approximately 20 items, including books or audiovisual materials related to the requested subject.
- Each month there are certain topics that are in high demand. As a result, the number of materials sent in the bag may be limited to 5-10 books and 1 video or DVD.
- Holiday materials will not be included in bags.
- Teachers are limited to one book bag at a time.
- All outstanding materials should be returned to the library by May 22nd, 2009. The school is responsible for any lost or damaged materials. Schools will be notified about any overdue materials and billed if the materials are not returned by the end of the school year.
- Please be specific as possible with your requests. Do you want fiction and/or non-fiction books? Do you want materials other than books, such as videos, DVD's, kits, etc.? Do you want materials in another language?
Teacher Check Out:
- If a teacher prefers to select materials in person, a maximum of 20 items may be checked out on the school card.
- Holiday materials may not be checked out on the school's card.
- All materials should be returned to the Library by Friday, May 22, 2009.
Homework Alerts
To support your students' homework needs, please provide us with the parameters of your assignments so that we can guide the students to resources and materials which meet your requirements. Homework Alert services may be requested the following ways:
- Online (Click Here)
- Phone (847/253-5675)
- Fax (847/253-0642) attn: Julie DiGuiseppe
- E-mail (homework@mppl.org)
Please provide the following
- Teacher's name, or indicate if this is for an entire grade level
- Grade
- Nature of the assignment - please be as specific as possible
- When the assignment is due
