Swiftwater Intermediate School

Parents,

Listed below are some examples of what we do in library class.  This list is not comprehensive but should give you some idea of what your children are learning during their 45 minute library period each cycle.

Library Units of Study

4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grades

•       Location skills/orientation -2-3 class periods to review rules and routines, make their folders which will be kept in the library for the year and which will contain all their work, familiarize students with library layout and for direct instruction in how to use the library catalog to locate books and practice in finding books on the shelf after writing down the call number.
•       Research skill review 2-3 class periods will be spent reviewing previously learned skills.  Topics covered: Dictionary, Atlas, Almanac, Thesaurus and encyclopedia use.  Using online resources for research i.e. Encyclopedia Brittannica online and Power library data bases.
•       Independent student centered station work to reinforce previously learned skills. 5-10 class periods as needed.
•       Novel Studies-teaching a novel can take anywhere from 6 to 12 class periods depending on the length of the novel and the number of related projects and activities incorporated.  The 4^th and 5^th grade novels usually take the maximum and the 6^th grade novel the least.
•       Dewey Decimal competition-5^th grade.  Students will become familiar with the arrangement and classification of non fiction materials in the library and as a culminating activity the top teams in each homeroom will compete against each other.  2-3 class periods to learn the different Dewey classifications using the mnemonic rhyme and associated pictures to aid in identifying the correct category.  2-3 class periods to learn titles that would be classified in each category and 2 classes for the competition itself.
•        Genre, literary terms and figurative language 6^th grade.  Students will become familiar with various literary terms and conventions and literary genres through a power point presentation, notes, review and competitions. 4 class periods.
•        Online Research practice, Fact Monster-5^th and 6^th grades-students will use the Fact Monster electronic almanac to find as many answers to a 25 question trivia sheet as they can in one class period.
•        Recognizing Story Elements/reading for comprehension-4^th grade students will be introduced to the characteristics of a short story, class will read “Curses, Inc.” by Vivian Vande Velde together and then complete a story map and other graphic organizers