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The mission of the Library program at Central Elementary School is
- to help our students develop a love of reading,
- to support the school curriculum by providing resources for students and staff, and
- to give our students the skills necessary to find appropriate information amidst the vast array of information available in today’s world, to evaluate that information, and then to use it in ethical and effective ways to demonstrate the students’ new learning.
To accomplish this mission, the librarian not only meets weekly with each class, but she also works in collaboration with teachers throughout the building to enhance and extend classroom curricular experiences. In addition, the librarian is a media specialist, which means that she leads the teaching staff in embedding technological components into their teaching and into the students’ construction of their knowledge. This collaborative and technological work allows Central Elementary School to provide authentic learning experiences for students to construct their learning and to develop into skilled, curious, resourceful, and habitual learners.
The Library program includes instruction in the following areas:
K-2
Library Skills
- Learn appropriate care of books
- Choose and borrow library books
- Find books of personal interest and for individual enjoyment
Literary Response & Analysis
- Listen to and respond to text, including Red Clover Books
- Make connections between stories and personal experiences
- Draw, write, or talk about main characters or key ideas
- Retell or dramatize some key information from a story
Collaborative Activities
- The librarian provides interactive resources and tools to supplement and support K-2 classroom curriculum, including a culture study of Mexico (2nd grade), moon and sun studies (1st grade), and plant research (Kindergarten).
- Student work, created as part of a 2nd grade classroom study of Mexico, is posted at www.voicethread.com for interactive presentation and feedback by family and friends worldwide.
- During a 1st grade classroom author study, the librarian facilitates an opportunity for the students to speak with the author via Skype.
3-4
Library Skills
- Choose appropriate books for independent reading
- Use of library catalog to access library materials
- Understand the Dewey Decimal system for organizing the library
Literary Response & Analysis
- Show understanding of text in written responses
- Connect what is read to broader world of ideas
- Discuss theme, comparing plots
- Participate as reader and voter in Dorothy Canfield Fisher book program (grade 4)
Research & Study Skills
- Record and create information in an organized way
- Use oral and written language to present ideas clearly
- Use Web 2.0 tools to present information
- Practice research process: finding information, evaluating information, taking notes, summarizing and organizing information, presenting new learning
Potential Collaborative Activities
- Librarian creates interactive online resources for learning, including wiki on Vermont for 4th grade students to use for research, resources, and student/teacher feedback. After the librarian provides the initial introduction, students take over the completion of the wiki, creating a publicly available website with their content learning as well as practicing the technological skills needed for creating web documents.
- Librarian guides 3rd grade students in presenting their creative writing online using Web 2.0 tools, including www.animoto.com, www.toondoo.com, and www.goanimate.com.
- Librarian teaches 3rd and 4th graders about ethical use of information and guidelines for citing sources when writing reports or creating presentations.
Meet the Librarian
Kate Kane grew up in Cambridgeport, Vermont, and attended local schools. She graduated from BFUHS in 1984 and Tufts University in 1988 with degrees in English and Classics. She taught for several years at the elementary level before taking time off to raise her two boys, William (15) and Daniel (12). After obtaining her Library Media Specialist credentials through the University of Vermont, she returned to teaching part-time in 2008 as the school librarian at the Grafton Elementary School. In 2010 Mrs. Kane became the librarian at both the Central Elementary School and the Saxtons River Elementary School.
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