Classroom Visits and Tours
Classroom visits and tours connect students with Library resources through guided experiences led by Library staff. Visits can include PPLD Library location tours, short instructional lessons, research support, and introductions to services that support classroom learning. All the experiences we offer align with Colorado state standards and are tailored to your students' needs. Please complete the Educator Support form and select the visit you would like to schedule under Request Type. We will do our best to accommodate each request and support class needs.
Visit Guidelines:
- Please allow two weeks to schedule a PPLD visit to your school.
- Please communicate with your team to avoid duplicate requests.
- If demand is high, we may need to limit the number of visits to a school with multiple requests.
- Topic per visit, please.
- Visits work best with 30 or fewer students (unless otherwise stated), but PPLD may do multiple sessions of the one lesson if the schedule allows.
- Teachers must be present.
Quick Links
PPLD brings Storytime to your classroom! Students engage in a full storytime with stories, songs, rhymes, and more from the comfort of the classroom. For Preschools and PreK classrooms designed for groups of 30 or fewer children, ages 3-5. Storytimes are typically 30 minutes long per class.
Bring PPLD to your elementary classroom with a Lightning Lesson! No cost, all supplies provided. PPLD staff will present a lesson to your class that also includes a very brief introduction to PPLD. Lightning Lessons are based on STEM, art, literacy, and PPLD resources we bring to your classroom. Please allow 30 to 60 minutes for student engagement. Please read the guidelines. Please complete the Educator Support form and select "Lightning Lesson" under the Request Type section to book a visit.
Colorado History
Visit History Take-Out or History Colorado for more info. Choose one:
- Moving Day — Six culture groups in early CO
- Western Work — Six industries in early CO
- Ute Knowledge — How the Ute people solved problems using STEM
For Grades 4-5 | 60 - 80 min. Students work in groups. CCSS Social Studies 4: History, Geography, Civics, and Economics.
Engineering Science: Keva Planks
Students will participate in group-building challenges. For Grades K- 5 | 45-60 min. NGSS 3 - 5: Engineering Design.
Physical Science: Solar Science (Offered during the Fall term only)
A simple discussion of the Sun warming the Earth and an experiment to keep ice cool in the Sun. Outside program. Scheduling is subject to weather changes. For Grades - 5 | 45-60 min. CSS Standards: Physical Science; 3-5-ETS1 Engineering Design
Life Science: Owl Pellet Dissection (Offered during the Spring term only)
Students dissect an owl pellet. For Grades 4-5 | 45 min. CCSS Science 4,5: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science
Physical Science: Squishy Circuits
Overview of parallel circuits with hands-on circuit activities. For Grades K-5 | 30-60 min. NGSS 4: PS3 Energy; 3-5-ETS1 Engineering Design.
Robotics Science: Cubelets
A simple discussion of robotics and the group's experience with Cubelets' challenges. For Grades 3-5 | 45 min. CSTA1B-AP-10: Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals.
Robotics Science: Ozobots
Simple discussion of robotics and the creation of color-coding paths. For Grades 3-5 | 45-60 min. CSTA1B-AP-10: Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals.
Resource Classes
An overview of PPLD's top digital tools for elementary students and how to use PPLD resources for research. Tailored for your class, whether you have a research project or a book report due, we show students how to access educational resources. Our Research Classes are designed to introduce the research process, how to use PPLD Library databases to find information, and how to evaluate information relevant to their academic work. Students need access to personal devices, such as laptops, or to computers in a computer lab. For Grades K-5 | 40-60 min. CAS 4-5 Reading, Writing, and Communicating: Research, Inquiry, and Design.
Stories and Activity
One or more fun stories read aloud to Kindergartners with a related art or STEM activity. Choose one:
- Dot stories and Dot Art
- Magnetic story with magnet activities
- Ice stories with Ice activity
- Robotic story and Cubelets activity
- For Kindergarten | 35-45 min. CCSS Reading, Literature: K
PPLD staff will visit your classroom and talk about books to help foster the joy of reading! We give just enough information about a book to get students excited and wanting to know more!
If you would like to schedule a booktalk, please fill out the Educator Support form and select "Booktalks" from the Request Type section.
An overview of PPLD's top digital tools for students and how to use PPLD resources for research. Tailored for your class, whether you have a research project or a book report due, we show students how to access educational resources. Our Research Classes are designed to teach your students about the research process, how to use PPLD Library databases to find and evaluate information, and how to assess its relevance to their academic work. Students need access to personal devices, such as laptops, or to computers in a computer lab. We can talk to multiple classes at once (about 40 students). Sessions are typically 45-60 minutes long.
If you would like to schedule a Resource Class, please fill out the Educator Support form and select "Resource Class" under the Request Type section.
College Prep and Career Readiness Resource Class:
A walkthrough of Pikes Peak Library District's College and Career Resources. Including standardized test prep, Financial Aid resources, pre-Collegiate program information, education pathways, and career pathways. Students need access to personal devices, such as laptops, or to computers in a computer lab. We can talk to multiple classes at once (about 40 students). Sessions are typically 45-60 minutes long.
If you would like to schedule a College Prep and Career Readiness Resource Class, please fill out the Educator Support form and select "Resource Class" under the Request Type section.
Navigating Digital Literacy is our newest offering. In this course, students will learn the differences between media literacy, information literacy, and News literacy, why they are important, and how these concepts apply to their lives. Students will also learn the SIFT* method for investigating information and how to apply this method to their research projects both in and outside of the classroom.
Navigating Digital Literacy lessons typically take 45-60 minutes for PPLD staff to run in the classroom. There is a practice element involved in the course, so students will need personal devices (laptops or tablets). We can also present these classes in a computer lab, if one is available at your school.
If you would like to schedule a Navigating Digital Literacy class, please fill out the Educator Support form and select "Navigating Digital Literacy Class" in the Request Type section.
*The SIFT method was created by Mike Caulfield. If you would like to learn more about SIFT (The Four Moves), please read this article.
Are you hosting a Back-to-School Night, Community Picnic, Registration Day, or another type of event?
PPLD can support your school's community by hosting a table filled with resources, library card sign-up, or an activity.
If you would like to schedule PPLD for an event, please complete the Educator Support form and select "Event" from the Request Type section.
Library Tours are designed for your students’ needs.
Before scheduling a tour, please make sure your students have a Library card. PowerPass accounts are Library cards. Library card signups can be coordinated with Library staff. Just let them know in the Additional Details for Tour section of the Educator Support form. Tour groups must are subject to our Library Policies when visiting any of our locations.
Tours can include:
- Resource Class for your students.
- Booktalks for grades 6 and up.
- Browsing desired collections, including Regional History and Special Collections (tour groups must follow the Regional History and Genealogy Policy).
- Storytime for Preschools, and grades PreK through 2nd.
- Introduction to Library spaces.
- Makerspace and Studio demonstrations (tour groups must follow the Makerspace and Studio Use Policy).
To schedule a Library Location tour, please complete the Educator Support form and select "Tour of a PPLD Library" under the Request Type section.
PPLD offers all the above programs for homeschooling. Homeschooling visits and tours have the same guidelines as classroom visits and tours. We also have resources for homeschooling, including how to get started and direct information on available offerings. Homeschool teachers and educators can complete the Educator Support form and select the type of visit under Request Type to schedule a visit. Want more information about our homeschool resources? Select "Homeschool Inquiry" under Request Type.