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Hi everyone, I can NOT believe how wonderful this list is! I feel such a weight lifted off of my shoulders because so many were willing to share their hard work and ideas. Some even sent me Word docs with complete lessons and worksheets. Truly an amazing group! I've excluded names because a few wanted me to and it looks like this is commonly done. Being new - I hope that's ok? Thank you all so much again! I'm so glad to have this listserv. Emily Here are the responses: With K's, I first spend a lot of time with procedures and book care in September and first day of school books. Then I focus on the Holidays each month and try to match my read-aloud to their curriculum, like apples, pumpkins, corn, I also do author studies, like Ezra Jack Keats and Leo Lionni for K's & 1st, which take several weeks. We talk about what illustrators do and I show them the techniques used. Each author study culminates with a video about the author or one of his books. Finally, the students get to be the illustrator and do a craft or picture using the illustrator's technique. They love it and both these author's are perfect for winter. With 1st, I still go over procedures and book care. I add the proper use of shelfmarkers. We do parts of a book and get into location, how to find a fiction book by the author, ABC order of picture books. That goes on for rest of year. I introduce fiction and non-fiction concepts-(Judy Freeman has some great lessons in Books Kids will Sit Still For) Now they can select non-fiction, intro location of non-fiction, lightly touch on Dewey, numbers on the spine in order . . . I throw in an author study or two, Robert Munsch or Kevin Henkes are good, or Tomie dePaola. (just find out what the classroom teachers do so you don't duplicate!) I usually have a related coloring sheet or some type of worksheet once they select their books, I do a craft maybe monthly if it ties in. For my K groups I read a story, do book sign out, then have a picture to color (or draw a flower, cookie - whatever relates to the story). Occasionally I give them 'free time' - they may draw, choose a picture from my 'extra' box, read quietly, or work on a puzzle. We also spend a few minutes talking about how books like to "come home to the library" or other related book care / book parts, favorite characters (story), other books they have read or heard, types of stories they would like to hear. Grade 1 & 2 students practice lining up in author order (by first name of each student), locate information on books (like title, author, illustrator & call letters), name parts of the book. Plus do things like word searches, color story pictures, make crafts to decorate the library (trace poinsettia leaves/petals on colored construction paper & glue together). A primary teacher once told me that the younger the students were - the shorter their attention span was; thus they needed 'shorter' activities to enable them to stay on-task! Mostly the younger ones seem to learn better by having hands-on activities. Plus they're too occupied to get into mischief. If they finish coloring the picture too quickly I have them turn the page over and draw something on the other side. There are numerous web sites with free printables that can be printed & copied for students to color (plus lots of ideas for activities). Check the skills (outcomes) they should be learning. There are a number of links to "Information Skills Curriculum" (some have lesson plans included) at: Virginia standards, & sample lessons plans are available at http:// hcps2.hanover.k12.va.us/instruction/media/default.htm - the links you want are on the right hand side under the picture. Michigan also has many links to standards (for different states) at http://www.mame.gen.mi.us/resourc/standardslib.html http://mte.anacortes.k12.wa.us/library/library.htm Click on "Library Standards" or "K-6 lessons" http://mte.anacortes.k12.wa.us/library/LC.htm there is a link to a pdf file on library standards Washington State Standards for Library Media Programs http://www.bham.wednet.edu/departments/libmedtech/Supervisors/ srbstandards.htm includes links to other state standards, goals etc You can also find a bunch of links to Information Skills Instruction at http://www.sldirectory.com/libsf/resf/libplans.html#top Ontario's curriculum is posted at http://www.accessola.com/action/ positions/info_studies/ Information Literacy (K-12)for BC is posted at http:// www.lled.educ.ubc.ca/programs/libe/lrngoutcom.htm Some of our K & 1 classes are very wiggly this year. I have started to stockpile extra stories, so that I end up reading to them longer, and minimizing the time after they have picked out their stories. Because they pick 'em out faster (more randomly...) than the older kids, and are less likely to actually read them afterward. If there is time to burn after choosing books, they tend to get goofy, and go up in volume, which doesn't work with the computer lab adjacent. One of my favorites, a do NOT miss with Kinders (and you could share it with older kids who have missed it) is Voyage to the Bunny Planet, by Rosemary Wells. It's a three volume set, about what to do on those inevitable days when everything goes wrong. The toughest part of sharing Bunny Planet is finding the set full-size, because it is out of print in that format. Post a want on www.abebooks.com and wait until it comes up (it will be worth the wait). Meanwhile, go to the bookstore and read it tiny (it's available in the small book size). I like to let kids know about this one early on, just to help them think (before they need to) about how to make the tough times easier to deal with. I also let the kids know that those particular volumes are always in the library, in case they need them. The other book I introduce to all of them (to help think about siblings, and friends) is Do You Know What I'll Do? by Charlotte Zolotow. Look for the original (now out of print also), with Garth Williams illustrations. It's magic, (simple but elegant magic), because so much love for another person is communicated, so simply. When I tracked this book down, I shared it with every class at my school, all the way up to 5th grades. Parents with more than one child get teary eyed listening to this one too (so do I). recently transferred from physical education to library, so I can understand your frustration. Some things I used: Mr. Wiggles by Paula Craig, The Shelf Elf by Jackie Mims Hopkins (comes with activity book). These are books about book care. I also do a letter of the week collaborating with the kindergarten teachers. I bring objects hidden in a box that begin with that letter. Take turns having students pull them out and talk about what letter it begins with, then I read stories that begin with that letter. Back when I worked with K-1s, I did a lot of reading, found they knew very few nursery rhymes, did a unit, included coloring a small picture of favorite rhyme, then made buttons from the pictures. Also, alphabet games to help them understand how books are shelved in E or F. Type simple words or own name in OPAC to see what came up. Read a fiction (like Millions of Cats) then a simple nonfiction book about cats or cat care. Storytelling - Tell Stone Soup, any fairy or folk tale, etc. with clear, simple props - a kettle with stones - each child can end up retelling and putting stone in pot. Be doctor book care - pick up a kid's doctor kit at toy store, find some damaged books, and do a routine. They'll love it! I always had such fun with this group. I have first, seconds and thirds for 40 minutes. I find it is easy to do author studies. For example, gather all your Arthur books. Fire up the website. Maybe print one or two of the coloring activities out and make enough copies for your students. When the class arrives, ask them if they know who Marc Brown is. Tell them he is the author of Arthur. Show them each of the books. Read Arthur's Nose - the first one. The story is about an aardvark who doesn't like his nose. Being an aardvark was an important part of the story. Later on Marc changed the shape of Arthur's face, so he would look more loveable. Maybe read another Arthur story. We love Arthur's Underwear (underwear is very funny) and Arthur's Baby. You can stop and ask what do you think will happen next, or what would you do if this happened to you. At the end of the book you can ask comprehension questions, or sequencing questions. If you have internet access in your teaching area, show off the website. Maybe do one of the games together. Send the kids to get their library books. As they finish (or if you have kids who can't get a book) point out the coloring sheets. Done! I do a similar lesson with Frog and Toad, Jan Brett, Mo Willems, Don Freeman, Kevin Henkes, Tomie DePaola, Eric Carle..... As the years progress and you have collected more and more things for these authors it becomes easier and easier. And it's amazing how the kids remember what you have shown them. You can do a similar lesson with Holidays. This is what I just did - read a story about Why We Celebrate Thanksgiving. Then read a fun one, like Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving. Then watch a short video - I have Arthur's Thanksgiving. Get library books, color a turkey - done! Or pick a theme, like Snow, or Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Right now I'm doing folktales around the world with 1st grade. I'm starting with a world map where they have to color the country our story is from. Then we read the book and do an activity related to the story. That always fills up my 40 minutes. Our activity is usually simple - coloring, word searches, etc. The kids always love "The Five Chinese Brothers." Some years I do a compare and contrast with other versions of the story - The Seven Chinese Brothers by Mahy and the Seven Chinese Sisters (can't remember the author) Use as many language experiences as possible: finger plays, poem recitation (8 lines max), participating storytelling and flannel boards. I use folk tales a lot. The Little Red Hen is fun for them because the choral part of "Not I, said the dog, cow, pig, duck, cat, etc" is a way to divide the group. You can spend 5 min or more just practicing the lines and watching for your cue to say the line. These things are all important to get students listening, speaking and understanding the structure of story. Look for stories that adapt themselves to group, choral response. I use www.vivisimo.com to search for ideas all the time. I am doing Polar Express with my Kindergarten classes for the next 2 lessons. These classes will attend both lessons with their Book Buddy classes (3rd grade.) Now, I only have them for 30 min, instead of 40, but we always use 10 min of our time together to look at, find and select books for them to check out. I will share info about VanAllsburg the write and artist. I will read the book while the students are seated in rows like riding the express train, and we will discuss wishes, dreams and asking Santa for gifts. The second visit is about letter writing. I searched vivisimo to find ideas for this lesson, and it was good. I will share 2 books that I have on this theme, and then the 3rd grade students will help the Kindergarten students write a letter to Santa. The classroom teachers have arranged for 3 adults in our building to answer the students letters a la Santa. It will be a fun time. Our last Friday together before Winter Break will be the fun of watching the movie in the library on the Big Screen TV!! I do 2 or 3 units like this each quarter of the year. In between I do storytime activiites, and we really spend a lot of time looking at the shelves learning how to find a good book. Good Luck, and don't forget to explore the teachers' required objectives for your library lessons as well. With the little ones, I usually do a picture book story that somehow segues into a very brief library lesson: care of books (Great website, but you have to hunt for it, it keeps moving - Animals Should Definitely Not Borrow Library Books) At the beginning of the year, I do a lot of ABC books - talking about the importance of the alphabet for the library - ABC order on the shelf. Mother Goose rhymes - kids don't know these. This leads to poetry. I talk about the OPAC and model using it, but I do not teach it until 2nd grade. I break down the time: 10 min story, 10 lesson, 20 min book selection and check-out. I also have curriculum teachers booking the library: Reading - easy reader book selection computer lab: Bembo's Zoo finding author info Math - counting and number books and all others - occasionally - for books related to the unit being studies. More often, the teacher just asks me to pull them, but I am making some headway. One of my favorite units with first grade is Cinderella. I read Cinderella stories from all over the world as well as some variants. We compare and contrast them. If your collection is not big, there are many resources on line. This can take 4-6 weeks depending on the interest. I do Beatrix Potter stories with K in the spring. We discuss all the characters. Also, I try to read a fiction and a companion non-fiction. So for first grade this week I am doing a Jan Brett (who has an incredible website for things to color) story, The Wild Reindeer and then I am reading parts of a non-fiction book about reindeer. We spend a lot of time trying to remember the difference. When all else fails- read folklore! You will love K and 1 because they love to hear any story! You could do an author study or two... for the K's I like Eric Carle, Lois Elhert, and Audrey Wood. You can read their many books, show them their websites or a video story and study the author for a few weeks. Later on I do ducks in the spring and read several duck/spring books and make a little project too. With the 1's for author study I like Mem Fox... she has a great deal of stories... and I have an author video of her world and then we talk about Australia and look at the strange and wonderful animals that live there. I like to study Lynne Cherry with the 1st graders around April with her books and Earth Day. With the Olympics coming up in Feb you have a wonderful opportunity to talk about the games and Italy. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book. 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