LIBRARY
Preschool-Kindergarten
Syllabus
This syllabus was created to present students and parents with a statement of library information objectives at the preschool-kindergarten level as well as pacing and assessment components. Since students are regularly scheduled to the library information center in the preschool-kindergarten library program, except where flexible scheduling exists, the objectives are typically taught in an incremental and sequential manner. While the Pennsylvania Department of Education has not written state library information standards, this work was developed in recognition of the nine national information literacy standards as presented below:
INFORMATION LITERACY STANDARDS FOR STUDENT LEARNING
INFORMATION LITERACY
1. The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively.
2. The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently.
3. The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively.
INDEPENDENT LEARNING
4. The student who is an independent learner in information literate and pursues information related to personal interests.
5. The student who is an independent learner is information literate and appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.
6. The student who is an independent learner is information literate and strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
7. The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate
and recognizes the importance on information to a democratic society.
8. The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate
and practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information technology.
9. The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate
and participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information.
American Library Association. Information Power: Building Partnership for Learning. Chicago: ALA,
1998
student requirements
All Students engaging in library research will:
§ attend library periods in compliance with the District attendance policy.
§ arrive prepared with all necessary materials.
§ spend time on task during the period.
§ return materials to the proper places immediately before the end of the period.
§ ready any equipment for the next user.
nOTE: All other student requirements are embedded within the Content Performance Benchmarks.
Content Focus / Library Information Performance BenchmarksLibrary Fundamentals / The student will:
§ enter the library quietly: go directly to the assigned place; listen and follow directions; speak in a low voice.
§ demonstrate appropriate individual and group behavior.
§ pronounce the words “library” and “librarian” correctly.
§ identify the librarian by name.
§ practice left-to-right progression in opening a book and turning the pages.
§ turn the pages of a book from the top right corners using the thumb and index finger.
§ practice proper book care by having clean hands, turning the pages carefully, keeping food away from the book, placing the book gently on surfaces, avoiding the use of writing tools on the pages, storing the book at home away from younger siblings and pets, and protecting the book from inclement weather.
§ locate the following areas of the library: main seating area, story area, picture book collection, non-fiction area, computer area, circulation desk, and the OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog).
§ identify and define the following terms: books (hardback, paperback), plastic cover and dust cover, jacket, spine, spine label, title, author, illustrator, illustration, barcode, charge card, date due slip, book pocket, magazines, and newspapers.
§ recall that books are in specific order on the shelves in the library by letters or numbers and letters.
§ differentiate between fiction and non-fiction books.
§ identify and demonstrate the proper use of a shelf place marker.
§ place the book right side up with the spine at the outer edge of the shelf.
§ select the correct number of books to circulate.
§ demonstrate the correct library circulation procedures.
§ define and locate the date due of a book(s) circulated.
§ mark a place in a book with a bookmark.
§ return books in a well-maintained condition (i.e., not damaged in any way).
§ inform the librarian if damage has occurred to a circulated book.
§ return books on or before the date due.
§ identify the following media equipment: cassette, cassette recorder, videocassette, videocassette recorder, video projector, digital video disc, digital video disc player, overhead projector, speaker, headsets, white board, digital camera, model, and realia.
§ demonstrate knowledge of emergency safety precautions and evacuation procedures.
Literature Appreciation / § access the library’s print-rich environment regularly in order to develop a life-long desire to read.
§ select reading choices given a library information center environment that is well maintained, well organized, and promotes reading through dynamic bulletin boards, book displays, author visits, book week celebrations, ample directional and shelf-section signs, and recognition of student reading achievement.
§ listen quietly as the librarian reads a story.
§ participate in discussions, responses, recitations, retellings, and any other applicable speaking activities.
§ recall the events of a story in correct sequence.
§ express the main idea of a story.
§ distinguish between real and make believe.
§ identify various elements of book illustrations that add meaning to the text.
§ refer to prior knowledge to anticipate meaning and interpret text.
§ supply meaning to difficult words from hearing them spoken in context.
§ recall important facts and details.
§ recognize voice tone as a way to express feelings by characters in books.
§ listen to appreciate sound devices of repetition, rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, and onomatopoeia.
§ recognize rhyming words in nursery rhymes, poetry, and picture books.
§ recognize and identify the letters of the alphabet.
§ identify the letter that comes before or after any given letter in the alphabet.
§ locate information in a picture dictionary.
§ identify groups of objects from one to ten in counting books.
§ share book (s) with the class by telling the plot and how the book ends.
§ demonstrate an awareness of the Randolph Caldecott Medal.
§ define the work of the author and the illustrator.
§ imitate responses appropriate to the occasion or as in participative stories.
§ present poems chorally and on a regular basis.
§ dramatize limited action stories and poems using pantomime and puppetry.
§ recognize a variety of works both traditional and contemporary that are a part of our literary heritage for this intended audience.
§ demonstrate knowledge of other cultures through literature that celebrates special events, holidays, art works, and heritage.
Information and Technology
(with help) / § follow the rules and procedures for using technology in the library or the computer lab.
§ ask the librarian for assistance when technology problems arise.
§ recognize that when a person creates a work on the computer, it is that person's work and
that no one has the right to change it in any way.
§ Initiate practicing proper keyboarding posture at the computer by having eyes level with the screen; shoulders down with arms relaxed; elbows level with the keyboard; lower back and feet supported; fingers curved; and wrists slightly raised.
§ identify the computer monitor/screen.
§ identify the CPU (Central Processing Unit).
§ identify the keyboard.
§ identify the mouse pad.
§ identify the mouse
§ identify and distinguish the differences among a floppy disc, CD, and DVD.
§ move the mouse.
§ identify the cursor.
§ correctly operate the mouse with practice.
§ identify an icon.
§ double click with the mouse.
§ open a program.
§ identify the hour glass/busy symbol.
§ locate the maximize symbol and maximize the screen
§ close a program.
§ access librarian-selected Internet sites.
§ recognize the ability to access Internet sites from the home computer.
§ identify a folder.
Research and Presentation
(with help) / § follow the Super3™ process (the prelude to The Big Six™ research process model) to “plan, do, and review” a project.
§ ask questions based on information needs.
§ find print resources such as picture books, easy- to- read books, magazines, and reference
tools to help find answers to questions.
§ communicate with peers to share ideas about the topics.
§ examine electronic site(s) that the librarian has located on the topic.
§ develop a creative product to present the research such as puppetry, modeling, constructing, songs, finger plays, or dramatizations, etc.
§ present the final product.
§ evaluate the product when given a simple rubric by the teacher/librarian.
CONTENT PACING GUIDE
The Library Fundamentals are taught, practiced, and reinforced throughout the school year. The objectives found in Literature Appreciation are a weekly part of the library program all year as well. The Information and Technology component is taught sequentially or as needed based on integrated assignments generated with content-area teachers. The last component Research and Presentation represents the culmination of skills at the end of the research projects that may occur periodically throughout the Preschool-Kindergarten grades.
STUDENT ASSESSMENT
Library information specialists do not assign grades at the primary school level. They do provide content-area teachers with assessment information in terms of individual student progress and project quality in the research process as the teacher and library information specialists execute the integrated work.
Students may be evaluated by (but not limited to) the following forms of assessments:
Portfolios Dioramas
Rubrics and Criteria Book Talks
Library Specialist/Teacher Observation Prototypes
Journals Videos
Individual Presentations Performances
Group Presentations Student Self-Evaluations
Multimedia Presentations Interview and Conferencing
Brochures Teacher-Developed Tests
Displays Standardized Tests
Posters Exhibitions
LIBRARY INFORMATION SPECIALISTS RESOURCES
Duncan, Donna and Laura Lockhart. I-Search, You Search, We All Learn to Research. New York: Neal Schuman
Publishers, Inc., 2000.
Eisenberg, Michael B. and Robert E. Berkowitz. Teaching Information & Technology Skills: The Big6™ in Elementary
Schools. Worthington, Ohio: Linworth Publishing Company, 1999.
McKenzie, Jamie. Beyond Technology: Questioning, Research, and the Information Literate School. Bellingham,
Washington: FNO Press, 2000.
4