Info every parent should know: King's Media Center in the 21st Century.
While our library might look a lot like the school libraries we all grew up with, times have changed as schools work to prepare our students for the technology-rich, information-laden world they live in. Yes, we still read stories and check out books, two things of great value of fun. But read on to see samples of what our kids are doing during their library and/or lab time (together called ILT: Information Literacy and Technology).
Kindergartners are practicing alphabetical ordering skills--the necessary foundation for accessing library books, using indexes, etc.
1st graders are making classroom nonfiction animal books using facts gathered from books, the internet, and magazines. They'll learn how to use their own words when taking notes and to give citation credit.
2nd graders are studying biographies, both in the classroom and during Media Center time.
3rd graders have spent time working with the Dewey decimal system as they practice effective access skills on our online library catalog.
4th graders used a variety of resources, including our Grolier database and Kids InfoBits from the Michigan Electronic Library (MEL), to collect info about famous African Americans.
And 5th graders discussed internet safety with me using an FBI website.
Sprinkle in a dragon story, some booktalks, and perhaps a tent and some flashlights, and THAT'S the library of today!
Happy Reading Month! Mrs. Ann O'Keefe okeefea@aaps.k12.mi.us
Week 2 WILD Challenge: Return to "old-fashioned" fun: see if someone--or everyone--in your family can tell a story orally--no reading allowed! How's your imagination? Can you make a beginning, introduce a problem, and then end it with a solution? Got good names for your characters? A setting? Remind your kids that this is how stories were told around campfires, in the WILD, for all time.
