LM_NET: Library Media Networking
Herer are some of the ideas I received. Thanks for all the great ideas. I
can't wait to try them.
I tell the class at the start of the unit, that if they listen and
co-operate, they will get to run in the library. This gets their attention.
I then explain to them we are going to do dictionary and guide words. I
tell them that after I am done explaining dictionaries and guide words, we
will divide into teams and they will practice searching in dictionaries
for their word. They form two teams and it ishool, and Encyclopedia Central
for
This is a bit off-topic, but might be useful some time when the class has a
few odd moments. It can be great fun to scan dictionary pages for pairs of
guide words, looking for combinations that can form the basis of a little
story or a flight of imagination. For example, in the dictionary I have at
hand, I find "Kioto kitten," "refringent reggae," "swizzle stick syllepsis,"
"conciliable condemner," "band-pass filter bank discount." Every dictionary
gives a whole new set of possibilities.
A colleague told me of a great idea, and when I tried
it with my 3rd graders they loved it. I did it as more
of a review of guide words, but you could change it a
little to make it an intro lesson I'm sure.
Collect as many yellow pages as you can. Tell the
students you are going to plan a party. Brainstorm
what you would need, and then have them look up
companies/stores that would have the supplies you need
for the party.
Not only does it show them that guide words are
everywhere and actually useful, but they have to think
of keywords for items/services that they are looking
for. (Example - you can't just look up Food Lion in the
book, you need to use grocery store, etc.)
I model it them give the students wod to look up, I use
encyclopedias. The teachers also do it in the classroom with
dictionaries.
Way back when I was in 4th grade........ha ha ha.........my teacher used to
put dictionaries on everyone's desks--we had enough for everyone (or you
could do pairs), and she would call out a word . We had to race to find the
word. Whoever won got to pick the next word to look up.....about 3-4 people
down, she would introduce the idea of guide words helping them find the
words.......yes, it was simple, yes it was loud and noisy, but it's one of
the FEW lessons I remember from elementary school!
I no longer teach at the elementary level, but when I did I started by giving
the kids a standard way to divide the alphabet into 3rds:
A to G
H to P
Q to Z
We would say this in rhythm together and call it beginning, middle, end, and
every time they had to look anything up that needed the alphabet, they had to
decide whether to start in the beginning, middle, or end section. I don't
know if this is as much use now because so much is computerized that wasn't
then, but I do know that most of them (1st graders is where I started this and
kept at it in 2nd) had no clue where in the alphabet a given letter was to
know where to start to look for it.
The alphabet is not divided exactly evenly with the above scheme, but the
reasons I used this were
it rhymed
there seem to be more things to look up in the earlier part of the alphabet so
there are fewer letters in the beginning than in the middle and fewer in the
middle than in the end
Not very scientific perhaps, but it worked.
The other thing I did was to teach them to say the letters surrounding the one
they were looking for to themselves during the process. For example, if they
were looking for M and got to J, I would model, saying aloud for them to hear:
JKLM. Or if they got to P, I would say LMNOP so they could figure out whether
to go forward or backward from where they were. I was always surprised at how
difficult this was for them.
This technique works best with 1st letter alphabetizing and lookup. It
certainly can be used with 2nd, 3rd, & so on, but I was teaching the younger
kids, so we didn't have to take it to guide words. I was aware that
alphabetizing to 3rd letters and beyond was very difficult if not impossible
for the ages I was working with.
You might like to find the book Building Reference Skills in the
Elementary School, c l986 through ILL. Though "old," the basic
approaches to search are quite valid and with adaptation to current titles
could provide you with ideas of attack in planning your activities.
Try using the telephone book.. the guide words are helpful and I loved
using out
of town telephone books I would get from the DEX guys.. I also used it to show
information to 4-6th graders about keyword search.. automobile vs. car etc..
I've found that elementary kids like to use the dictionary.
I teach skills with a vocabulary list from the science, social
studies or literature unit they're studying in the classroom. I put
the words on individual cards. I make up an answer web or sheet.
I usually put two to four word cards, four sheets and four
dictionaries on a table for four kids. We review skills like
beginning, middle and end of alphabet and use of guide words. Kids
then look up words, write down guide words, definitions and sentences
on the sheets. Definitions have to be the ones that fit what they
are studying and sentences have to show they know what the word
means. Then we read definitions and/or sentences out loud. Simple
but it works - exciting isn't always necessary. If kids are just
learning about guide words, I make large cards with entry words and
guide words on them and pass them out. Students have to physically
put themselves on the 'right page', within the 'correct guide words'
and they have to say whether they are a guide word and why or an
entry word and why. They use the dictionaries to determine their
answers.
I get the local phone company to donate a set of phone books (ours aren't
too big in our small community and students can work in pairs). Students
were more motivated to look up their own last name using the guide at the
top of the page.
And...once they realize that the same concept applies to encyclopedias, and
many other reference books, they are excited about gaining this new "power"
in unlocking information. I think that is the "key". Helping them to make
the connection that there is power in gaining skills for getting to
information.
I do a fun thing with
phone books. The kids love it! I usually do it with third--first
semester. If they haven't learned
guide words by phone book time, they are lost and they know it! I use
yellow pages and discuss the
difference between white and yellow and then I make up things they need
to look up like we want a pizza from Pizza Hut number 20 tonight.
What's the number?
~; Martha Mason
,/|\, Media Specialist
,/' |\ \, Midway Elementary
,/' | | \ 1892 Hwy. 1 North
,/' | | | Cassatt, SC 29032
,/' |/ | Phone - (803)432-6122
,/__________|-----' , FAX - (803)425-8929
___.....-----''-----/ masonm@mdw.kershaw.k12.sc.us
jgs \ /
~~-~^~^~`~^~`~^^~^~-^~^~^~-~^~^ "Sail Into Success...Get An Education"
~-^~^-`~^~-^~^`^~^-^~^`^~^-~^
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=
All postings to LM_NET are protected under copyright law.
To quit LM_NET (or set-reset NOMAIL or DIGEST), send email to:
listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER:
1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL or 3) SET LM_NET DIGEST
3) SET LM_NET MAIL * Please allow for confirmation from Listserv
For LM_NET Help & Archives see: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=
LM_NET
Archive Home