LIBRARY MEDIA SKILLS COURSE OUTLINE

8th Grade

Mrs. Smith, Library Media Specialist

This course meets every other day (either on “A” days or “B” days) and goes for a period of 20 weeks, or one school Semester. During these 20 weeks, there are many different topics, lessons, activities, projects, etc. that will be examined, which are listed below. These are not in exact order and are subject to further additions and deletions at any time during this course.

Class Schedule

Course time consists of two class day types: Library Skills Instruction Days and i-Ready Days. In a given week, the first day the class meets will be a Library Skills Instruction Day (i.e. Mondays and Tuesdays) while the remaining days the class meets for the week will be i-Ready Days (i.e. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays), with adjustments made for short school weeks.

On Library Skills Instruction Days, students will study various concepts related to information literacy (the ability to effectively, efficiently, and responsibly seek, locate, access, evaluate, integrate, use, and disseminate information in a variety of formats, including print and digital, for academic and personal purposes) and technology literacy(the ability to effectively, efficiently, responsibly, and ethically utilize various forms of technology in order to meet academic, personal, and information needs).

On i-Ready Days, students will engage with the interactive online i-Ready program, which provides individualizeddiagnostic testing and instructional enrichment for reading and mathematics skills. Students’ performance and scores on i-Ready lessons and tests will be monitored by their English Language Arts and Math teachers and will not be factored into the Library Skills grade; however, focus on task and cooperation on i-Ready Days will be factored into the effort and participation grade for the course.

Required Class Materials

The following materials must be brought and ready to use at the start of each class:

laptop – EVERY DAY

pencil

Library Skills Instruction Topics of Study

The activities for Library Skills Instruction will focus on the following topics listed below,
with the possibility of removing/adding topics.

1. Introduction: Mrs. Smith, Library policy & rules, locating and researching and reviewing material/topics from previous years

2. Digital Literacy &Activities and discussions on the following topics:

Citizenship

  • Cyberbullying
  • Digital Security and Privacy
  • Digital Footprints
  • Digital Intellectual Property

3. Digital Compass:Use of Common Sense Media’s interactive online program, Digital Compass, to enhance digital literacy and citizenship

Absentee Policy

It is the students’ responsibility to find out what was missed during an absence from class for any reason (illness, trip, musical lesson, etc.) and to get the materials required to make-up what was missed, as deemed necessary. Students should give notice of an absence as soon as possible (preferably in advance so that materials can be prepared beforehand), though no later than the beginning of the next class in attendance. Depending on the topic/activity, students may need to make-up missed work outside of the regularly scheduled course time.

Grading Policy

Students’ grades for the course will be based on their effort and participation every week for the following five components: preparedness, participation in activities, staying on task, completion of work to the best of abilities, and appropriate behavior toward others and surroundings. Each component is worth 2 points, for a total of 10 points the students may receivein a week for demonstrating these factors. The average for the course is determined by dividing the number of points the student earned by the total number of possible points (depending on the number of weeks in the particular semester). The following assessment tool will be used to monitor their effort and participation and to calculate the students’ grades.

Name: ______

Library Media Skills Class Effort and Participation Grade
Components (each worth 2 points)
Prepared at start of class with day’s materials: folder, pencil, etc. / Participates in class activities and discussions. / Stays on task during class and follows directions. / Attempts to complete all parts of class work to best of abilities. / Demonstrates appropriate/ respectful behavior in class toward others and surroundings.
Week / - / - / - / - / - / Points Earned
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Total Points
Average for Class = Total Points Earned ______=
Total Possible Points