Library Media Center
The Todd Library curriculum contains skills aimed at building, expanding, and reinforcing each child’s knowledge of library organization, and ability to use resources independently. The instructional program that begins in kindergarten is broadened each year as students apply learned skills in pursuit of new skills. The learning and practicing of skills is integrated with the regular classroom curriculum. Instruction is given to the students in all grades as needed for research purposes. By integrating skills with the classroom and promoting reading, the library program works toward its ultimate goal: helping children develop into enthusiastic readers and life-long users of information.
Students participate in the Author Visit Program that is coordinated through the library and PTA. Each grade level is exposed to two author or illustrator visits per year. Beforehand students are introduced to the books by that visiting author or illustrator. Preparatory lessons often incorporate media and technology skills, through activities such as reviews, reading promotion, writing contests, on line information searches and more.
Kindergarten
Library Information Skills:
- How to check out a book (hold barcode properly, putting in date due card)
- How to return a book (returning book to circulation desk, not to shelf)
- Book browsing: introduction of use of shelf marker and self-selection
- Research nonfiction topic and create group end product
- Introduction to the Online Public Access Catalog
Reading and Understanding Texts:
- Read-aloud story sessions: develops and demonstrates listening and responding skills
- Story structure: circular stories
- Author study: visiting author/illustrators, as well as lessons about Eric Carle
Learning Library Vocabulary:
- Book pocket
- Return, renew, checkout
- Shelf marker
- Author, Illustrator
- Circular story
First Grade
Library Information Skills:
- How picture books are shelved (alphabetically by author’s last names)
- How spine labels reflect organization and call numbers
- Continue lessons about using the Online Public Access Catalog
- Researches nonfiction topic and creates group end product
Reading and Understanding Texts:
- Develops increased attention span, and demonstrate more mature listening and responding skills
- Differentiates between fiction and nonfiction
- Uses nonfiction text to understand sequence and create small-group end products
- Parts of a book: table of contents, copyright
Learning Library Vocabulary:
- Title, title page
- Table of contents
- Book spine, spine label
- Copyright
Second Grade
Library Information Skills:
- Identification of the call number
- Identification and location of nonfiction, using the subject area map
- Continue lessons about OPAC, focusing on call numbers
Reading and Understanding Texts:
- Participates in discussions and listen well
- Learns about and utilizing databases
- Databases vs. websites: understands there are types of sources
- Learns about authors and illustrators: an author’s unique style of writing, identifiable characteristics of an illustrator’s art; is able to recognize the work of a particular author; develops preferences and being able to make discerning choices among books
Third Grade
Library Information Skills:
- Further exploration of the Online Public Access Catalog, including logging in and writing reviews
- Exploration through biographies of parts of a book: cover, title page, table of contents, index, chronology, index, captions (for illustrations, photos) -- internal organization of information
- Further understanding of the shelf arrangement of Fiction, Nonfiction and Biographies and the identifiable characteristics of spine labels for each
- Introduction to the Dewey Decimal System
- Researches nonfiction topics of interest using a database and vetted websites in OPAC
- Uses simple notetaking techniques to record while researching
- Credits sources from research
Building Literature Experiences:
- Participates in discussions and listens well
- Librarian shares a variety of chapter books, nonfiction books and biographies that encourage students to be comfortable in reading a variety of books, including audio books. The whole library is theirs to explore.
Fourth Grade
Library Information Skills:
- Further exploration of online databases
- Instruction in locating and using sources when doing research
- Initial exploration of strategies for website evaluation, recognizing that the Internet offers information that may be inaccurate
- In-depth instruction in specific use of the Online Public Access Catalog to locate books and information available in this system (e.g. call number, publisher, copyright date, page number, book summary
- Introduction to creating Works Cited with online databases and websites
- Practice in using learned skills to become independent library users
Building Literature Experiences:
- Participates in discussions, listens well, and respects others’ ideas
- Librarian shares a variety of chapter books, nonfiction books and biographies that encourage students to be comfortable in reading a variety of books, including audio books. The whole library is theirs to explore.
Fifth Grade
Library Information Skills:
- Instruction in strategies for web site evaluation: check for accuracy, currency, relevance, reliability of source (information creator)
- Review of plagiarism and the need to cite sources
- Instruction in organizing and creating a Works Cited list of resources to complement research projects
- Further exploration of databases
- Independent practice in using library skills to navigate the library media center
Building Literature Experiences:
- Participates in discussions, listens well, and respects others’ ideas
- Researches an author of personal interest, using multimedia tool, and shares with fellow students, which promotes reading
- Reading guidance presents a wide variety of fiction, nonfiction, and biographies to meet students’ interests, to complement classroom curriculum, and to aid in personal problem solving