Library Lessons
Kindergarten
Kindergartners learned the difference between fiction and non-fiction books. I teach them that fiction means “fake” and non-fiction means “not” fake. This helps them remember that fiction means it’s make believe and not about real things. I read Pumpkins by Ann Burckhardt, The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons and The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams to illustrate the difference.
Students recalled facts from the non-fiction selection and noticed that there weren’t any facts in the fiction selection. I pointed out that even though the illustrations, or pictures, in the Gail Gibbons book were make believe it is still a learning book.
First Grade
First graders reviewed alphabetical order in the Everyone Section of the library. Each student was given an index card with a call number on it and was asked to locate that book. Students were able to find their letter in the library but alphabetizing to the second letter is tricky. We will be practicing those skills, especially during our dictionary unit.
Second Grade
Second graders were introduced to Destiny, our new web-based library catalog. Students were taught how to search for a book by author, title, subject, keyword, or series. They learned how to fill out the “CATS” form. C = call number, A = author, T = title.
Third Grade
Third graders were also introduced to our new library catalog and learned how to find a book using the Basic search as well as the Visual Search. Here is a student highlighting the summary of the book. She has decided that this book sounds interesting and worth looking for on the shelf!
Fourth Grade
For the next few weeks I will be co-teaching with Mrs. Haack, our computer teacher, to teach fourth graders how to become effective users of the Internet. Kids today like to “Google” everything and even though there is a world of information out there, a lot of it is junk and inappropriate. It is important for kids to know how to evaluate information and be able to effectively use the Internet. This funny video, inspired by American Idol, is from TeacherTube and it’s a great way to start our unit!
Download Video: Posted by Dr. Loopy at TeacherTube.com.
Fifth Grade
Fifth graders will be doing a research project on planets, to align with the curriculum. Each student will be working with a partner and will be doing research in the Virtual Reference Collection as well as the Internet. Students will be taught how to use a bibliography to give credit to their sources. Students can present their information in a Powerpoint, a Photostory, or a skit.
