ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Needs Assessment/Rational

This is a very important unit for our Max students. We are now a non-automated library and our school goal is to become an automated library within the next two years. Students need to be able to learn, understand, and use basic library skills early in school to use all libraries successfully.

Many of our students are not familiar with an automated library beyond using the Mercer/McLean Bookmobile which only checks out books electronically or possibly checking books out from the Minot Public Library. Few students know how to use the State Public Library or the Electric Library as a resource for more information. We have added computers in our library to aid students in finding and using on-line resources. Students need to know that an automated library broadens the availability of materials when doing research. This will be a skill they will need to know when they attend higher levels of learning.

Our library collection is undergoing a major weeding process to eliminate old books that do not get used due to out-dated information. Our card catalog will also need attention to compensate for the weeding that will be ongoing. A library needs to be organized well to be easily and comfortably accessed by all students. A library also needs to be inviting to encourage continual use. Library skills learned and used by young students will be carried through their adult years in all areas of life.

The following information was taken from three different Reading/Language Arts tests taken by our current 9th graders (past 8th graders) to assess available information that would include showing change over time.
• In reviewing our Terra Nova 2004 Testing results from the 8th Grade from the past year I discovered that 36% of the students had achieved only partial proficiency in the area of reading and 59% of the students had achieved only partial proficiency in the area of language. Although these numbers are less than the national partial proficiency percentages, we still want to see more students in the proficient range within our school.
• ND State Assessment for the same testing period showed that 25% of the students were partially proficient or novice in transferring information from one format to another. The Reading/Language Arts standards that were affected are as follows:
„« ST1: Gather and organize information: #4: Using tools/technology to support learning (These include reading critically, analyzing information to draw conclusions, & distinguishing between different types of literature.)
„« ST2: Engage in the reading process: #1 Read a variety of materials
„« ST3: Comprehend literature: #4 Understand characteristics of various genres (These include rationalizing the effects of persuasive techniques, scanning to locate information, and identifying appropriate resources.)
• After examining the NWEA test results for 3 different testing periods (Fall 2003; Spring 2004; Fall 2004) 43% of the students were average to low in the Reading area which included specific items such as:
„« distinguishing/identifying fiction and nonfiction writing
„« identifying different genre and making inferences from them
„« using reference materials (determine best source of information or most qualified source of information: dictionary, encyclopedia, television program guide, almanac, field guide, atlas)
„« how a book is organized and using the different parts (table of contents, copyright information, glossary)
„« how to read for information and understanding the meaning of the information
„« forming a conclusion based on interpretation of information from a variety of sources
• And finally all students need to show ongoing and significant scholastic growth under the NCLB Act.

I thought the following study was of interest and importance to promoting good library skills. The study was done by the University of Illinois in 1986 involving 155 fifth graders who had the same superintendent, principal, teachers, and 900 hours in school. The study tracked the students and the amount of time they read out of school. Students tested in the 90th percentile if they were reading 37 minutes per day, 50th percentile if they read 11 minutes per day, and the lowest readers averaged 1 minute per day. This study shows me that the library is an important tool that can offer quality reading materials. To use the library correctly and make informative decisions students need the basic library skills.

This unit will strengthen student’s ability in the reading standards and in the use of the many resources available through the library.

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding:
I want my students to be able to understand, use, and appreciate the basic library skills that can grow throughout and beyond their years of education. I want students to recognize that an automated library can broaden the availability of material for enjoyment or when doing research to find relevant and reliable resources for all ages. Libraries are definitely “doors” to the “real world” that open wider as time and change allow.
Goal(s):
Students will be able to discuss how important basic library skills are to their continued learning. Students will determine how the school library will change when it is automated. >Students will demonstrate how to use library resources. </li><li>Students will reflect on how they will change the way they use the library.

Questions Answered

Essential questions:
How is our library arranged? Why is it arranged as it is?
What is the Dewey Decimal system? What does it tell me about how books are arranged?
What information could I use to find and locate the material I need?
How is using the card catalog similar/different from accessing materials on line?
What resources are available in the library? How can I choose reliable resources on the internet?
What are the purposes of ODIN and the Electric Library? How do I access resources available through ODIN or the Electric Library?
What is automation? Why do we want to automate our library? How will our library change with automation?
How will I change the way I use the library?
In what ways can we teach and encourage other people about the library and how to use it?
Objectives:By participating in a library scavenger hunt students will 90% of the time be able to locate information on library organization. After viewing a multimedia tour and practicing the Dewey Decimal System, students will 90% of the time be able to classify twenty topics into the 10 groups in which they belong. When using the card catalog students will be able to locate a book 100% of the time using three different methods (author, title, subject) of searching. Students will 100% of the time locate and obtain one item using ODIN or the Electric Library after discussing what each source is and how it is used. Students will use the Internet to locate and create a list of not less than five available reference sources. Through the use of PowerPoint and the SmartBoard, students will develop and present a slideshow that will inform younger students about five main areas of a library. Students will create and conduct a tool to help younger students review and practice what they have learned. After participating in a review of library skills students will discuss and reflect on at least five ways the library will change when it is automated and how they will change the way they use it.

Assessment

What quiz and test items (e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer) will provide evidence of understanding?
  Students will be given a final test of multiple choice and short answer based on vocabulary and content of material covered. Examples would include matching a topic to a Dewey Decimal group (Magic-700 Arts). Short answer would include describing how to locate a book three different ways (author, subject, title). Vocabulary terms to know would include: database (collection of information organized for search and retrieval) and ODIN (Online Dakota Information Network).

What academic prompts (e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding?
  How have libraries changed from when your parents were kids? How will automation of our library change the way you obtain materials needed for pleasure or research? What predictions would you make for the change of future libraries? What information would a younger student find helpful in using a library? How could this information be effectively presented to the students? Student responses such as these will be kept in a reflection document on a Microsoft Word Office document that will be emailed to me at the end of the project. A student/teacher rubric will be used to assess student reflections.

What performance tasks and projects (e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding?
  After learning about the library and taking part in activities such as a scavenger hunt the class will be divided into groups representing parts of the library. The students will be “Assistant Librarians” and create a PowerPoint slideshow for younger students. Students will need to decide what important details to add to the slideshow. Stude