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"What do you do in the library?"
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Pre K and Kindergarten The Pre K and Kindergarten grades receive library instruction once a week in the primary library, also known as the West Library. The main goals for these children are to familiarize them with library procedures and proper book care. Making independent selections, recalling story content, developing listening skills and attention span are also encouraged. The children should demonstrate respect for our facility and responsibility by learning to use bookmarks, carrying books to and from school in a protective manner, and returning their books at the end of a one week period. I ask them to participate in poem memorization, finger plays, video presentations, recorded book presentations and sequencing activities.
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The Lower School The Lower School students receive library instruction once a week. Grades One and Two meet in the Primary (West) Library, and Grades Three, Four and Five meet in the Intermediate (a.k.a. East) Library. These students are reinforced in all areas mentioned above and are introduced to using call numbers (alphabetical and numerical skills), learning the location in the library for various types of books. They will be introduced to many types of literature from many cultures (tall tales, myths, folk tales, biographies, non-fiction, etc.). Younger students will be asked to participate in activities that showcase sequential order, identifying works of recognized authors and illustrators, recognize main ideas and details, identifying character motives and drawing conclusions to open ended story situations based on their own experiences or what they imagine the characters are like. They will be asked to elaborate on their own opinions of likes, dislikes, and preferences in literature. They begin to identify and learn how to use the parts of a book like the index, glossary, title page, table of contents, chapter or section headings, etc. Children in grades three, four and five will also receive a rudimentary introduction in writing a research paper with bibliography and learn when to cite a source and how. They will begin and continue to expand the skills needed to identify and locate basic reference materials (atlas, dictionary, thesaurus, etc.), and how to decide which materials are worthy. They will begin to use the computer lab to evaluate and explore websites, using appropriate search strategies to obtain needed information. They will independently locate and check out library materials and demonstrate a beginning knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System. They should be able to draw significance, meanings, and conclusions from stories or information read, heard or seen in various formats. These older children should be able to give a purpose to and for their reading and present or offer their conclusions afterwards. They should be beginning to understand and know genre and varied types of literature. They should be able to distill inferred meanings, pick out important and insignificant details, and recognize the main theme or main idea in a piece.
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Grade Six Grade Six is introduced to the Upper School Library and all its resources, in the first half of the academic year. Sixth graders will be receiving a concentrated course on study skills. Areas such as note taking, time and environment planning, what and how to choose pertinent information for the task at hand, how informational, recreational and textbook reading differ and how to get the most out of each will be covered. They will discover some insight on what kind of learner they are and how to make the most of their strong points, as well as how to diminish or shore up weak points. They will learn about primary sources and alternative ways to search the internet as well as other libraries for information they need. The Big 6 Skills for academic success will be introduced. Students will learn how to take a test and minimize the chances for failure while maximizing the chances for a good score on any type of test--multiple choice, essay, short answer, true/false. They will be expected to demonstrate organizational skills and an understanding of the importance of time good management. They will be introduced to ways to improve their memory and better ways to attack the information needed to be retained. We will be meeting for one hour, every other day for an entire marking period in the Upper School Library.
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Higher Middle School and Upper School These students are considered to be independent library users and are treated and respected as such. The librarian is always available for guidance, direction or help in any way possible and will be pleased to assist any student in their informational or recreational reading pursuits. |
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Library volunteers are invited to assist and appreciated at any of the three libraries. Want to volunteer?
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Contact me by e-mail at 
