Teacher's Toolbox (Grades 6th-12th)

Please note: due to COVID-19, some of these services may not be available. Contact the Library for more information.

​​School Visits to the Library

Tour the Torrington Library with your class!  If you teach pre-school or elementary school and would like to take a tour of the Library with your class, please contact our Head of Teen Services and Outreach, Jill Veras, at 860-489-6684 or jillv@torringtonlibrary.org. 

Advance notice is required. 

Topics covered on the tour:

-How to use the automated card catalog to locate books in the Library;
-Fiction vs. Non-Fiction, Dewey Decimal System;
-Where to locate materials in the Children's Room/ Young Adult and Adult areas (when age appropriate);
-Use of reference materials, on-line databases, reQuest Statewide Catalog.

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Assignment Alert

Have you assigned a project for your class?  Please let us know!  The earlier we know you've assigned a project, the more time we have to provide your students with the best material possible. 

We will also be glad to reserve materials for your class to use in the Library.

Please fill out the form below and we will get back to you shortly!

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​Interactive Outreaches

"The Hero with a Thousand Faces": Based on the book
by Joseph Campbell. This outreach focuses on character building. Students will work independently and in small groups building a Superhero and a Villain using their imagination. *Now available digitally for Virtual Learning!*

Spy Ring: An interactive history lesson about George Washington's Spy Ring. They will walk throughout the school solving clues to make sure they can stop the British! *Now available digitally for Virtual Learning!*

Escape the Rumble: An interactive escape room that is based on the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton! *Now available digitally for Virtual Learning!*

Poetry Slam: This unit students will look into poetry and lyrics from authors and artists, share these poems and lyrics that connect with them. Use blackout poetry on their existing poems and songs to make the poem say something completely different. In the end they will write their own Poem and there will be a Poetry Slam at the end! *Now available digitally for Virtual Learning!*

Escape the Labyrinth: A look into Greek Mythology. Students will walk through the Labyrinth! Can they master all the twists and turns and defeat the Minotaur or will they get stuck in a never-ending cycle of madness? *Now available digitally for Virtual Learning!*

We are also open to discuss any topic we could turn into an outreach. Contact our Head of Teen Services and Outreach Jill Veras at 860-489-6684 or jillv@torringtonlibrary.org. 

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A Jefferson Cipher Wheel used by 5th Graders to help George Washington!

Book Bins for Teachers

Do you need some new titles to share with your students? Do you need more books to supplement a classroom project? We will be happy to put together a bin of books for you to use in your classroom. Advance notice is suggested to put together a Teacher's Book Bin. You will need a valid Torrington library card or your hometown library card to use this service.

Book Bins will contain a maximum of 15-25 titles and will have a loan period of one month.  Teachers are responsible for lost or damaged items.

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Doorway to Learning Initiative

​Each Spring, the Torrington Library visits every first grade classroom in the Torrington School District.  

During our visit, we read the class a story (they get to keep the book in their classroom as a gift from us!), we talk about the privilege and responsibility of having a library card, and we give each child a library card sign-up packet.  In the packet, there is a library card application, which parents can complete and return to the child's teacher if they would like their child to have a library card.  

After our visit to the classrooms, each first grade classroom visits the library for a tour! By the end of each visit, all students are familiar with the library and have the opportunity to obtain a library card.   We mail the library cards to the students and their life-long library partnership begins. 

Now in its fourth year, we are happy to say that we have issued over 800 library cards to first grade students.  

This Initiative would not be possible without the continued support of the Torrington Board of Education, the Superintendent's Office, and the amazing first grade teachers!

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