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Scarsdale Public Schools

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  1. Curriculum
  2. K-12 Libraries
  3. Overview

Overview

K-12 Library Curriculum

The goal of the Scarsdale librarians is to encourage every student to develop a lifelong love of literature and research. A collaborative approach between the librarian, computer teacher, and the classroom teacher allows for authentic teaching of literature and information fluency and digital media skills and strategies. Students need to use the skills of inquiry to learn essential content and to construct new meaning. Instruction, designed around an inquiry framework, generates active learning and the formation of new understandings.

 

The information fluency skills required for independent and lifelong learning follow a coherent, developmentally appropriate continuum of instruction and practice throughout grades K-12. This enables all of our children to succeed in our ever-expanding information-rich world.

Elementary School Library Curriculum

  • Kindergarten students are developing the following skills:

    • Respect for library and library materials
    • Requesting or choosing materials related to personal interests
    • Listen to stories and recall facts from the listening activity
    • Make predictions about what will happen next in the story
    • Ask questions related to the listening activity
    • Show respect for the ideas of others while participating in group discussions
    • Understand that library materials are organized in a consistent and predictable way
    • Make personal connections to literature
    • Distinguish between fiction and nonfiction books

  • Grade 1 students are developing the following skills:

    • Respect for library and library materials
    • Understand that the online catalog is used to locate materials within the library
    • Explore and choose materials based on personal interests
    • Select and use fiction and nonfiction sources
    • Make connections to prior knowledge
    • Extract information from illustrations and captions
    • Identify facts which can answer specific questions
    • Identify characters, setting problem and resolution in a story
    • Discuss characteristics of the work of favorite authors and illustrators
    • Participate in discussions and listen actively

  • Grade 2 students are developing the following skills:

    • Identify "just right" books on the student’s reading level
    • Choose a variety of fiction and nonfiction
    • Compare characters and main ideas from different stories
    • Show respect for the ideas of others when participating in group discussions
    • Generate questions during reading and research
    • Follow steps in the inquiry process modeled by teacher and librarian
    • Use a variety of online and print resources with guidance
    • Compare new information with prior knowledge
    • Recognize the purpose of nonfiction text features

  • Grade 3 students are developing the following skills:

    • Use both fiction and nonfiction material at an appropriate reading level
    • Identify and discuss the problems and solutions in stories
    • Reflect on text during reading or listening
    • Generate questions during reading and research
    • Understand the concept of 'keywords’ as a research tool  
    • Recognize the structure and purpose of the Dewey Decimal System
    • Use author, title, subject or keywords to search the online catalog
    • Use a variety of sources for research projects
    • Employ simple note-taking techniques
    • Understand the need to cite resources
    • Retrieve pertinent information in charts, captions, and sidebars
    • Use online and print resources with guidance

  • Grade 4 students are developing the following skills:

    • Identify the elements of various literary genres
    • Support interpretation of story (characters, setting, plot) with specific evidence
    • Choose a variety of fiction and nonfiction at an appropriate reading level
    • Create lists of keywords based on prior knowledge when beginning research
    • Formulate questions to advance research
    • Begin research by using the school library home page to access the online catalog, online encyclopedias, periodical and image databases  
    • Skim and scan text to determine if material is relevant
    • Use a variety of note-taking strategies as modeled by teacher and/or librarian (i.e. bullet points, keywords, facts, phrases)
    • Paraphrase to record information
    • Recognize that information on the same topic from two different sources can have discrepancies
    • Cite both print and online sources used during research
    • Participate in discussions, listening well, and respecting others' ideas
    • Understand the basic structure of a website

  • The information-fluent student in Grade 5 is developing the following skills:

    • Recognize features of different literary genres
    • Read a variety of fiction and nonfiction
    • Distinguish between questions which can be answered by simple fact finding, those which cannot be answered, and those which lend themselves to an interesting inquiry topic
    • Research using the school library homepage to access the online catalog, online encyclopedias, periodical and image databases  
    • Skim and scan to evaluate information for relevance
    • Evaluate facts for accuracy and recognizing that different sources can provide conflicting information
    • Identify relevant details
    • Use various note-taking strategies, including highlighting, underlining, lists, or graphic organizers
    • Use evidence from text to support opinions
    • Reformulate ideas as new information is gathered
    • Cite all sources properly, using model supplied by teacher and/or librarian
    • Participate in discussions, listening well, and respecting others' ideas
    • Understand the structure and navigation tools of a website

Middle School Library Curriculum

  • The information-fluent student in Grade 6 is developing the following skills:

    • Awareness of the variety of library resources
    • Uses library resources with assistance
    • Identifies and pursues interests in a variety of literary genres
    • Reads both fiction and nonfiction 
    • Perceives the distinctions between subscription databases and websites
    • Perseveres to explore more than one source when seeking information
    • Distinguishes between main ideas and supporting details
    • Recognizes the structure and purpose of the Dewey Decimal System
    • Generates keywords prior and during research
    • Takes notes in a systematic way
    • Cites print and online resources
    • Pursues information based on personal interest and curiosity

  • The information-fluent student in Grade 7 is developing the following skills:

    • Locates and uses print and non-print library resources
    • Identifies and pursues interests in a variety of literary genres
    • Reads both fiction and nonfiction
    • Employs advanced Google search strategies
    • Uses advanced search tool in online databases
    • Generates keywords prior and during research
    • Takes notes in a systematic way
    • Creates proper works cited pages and in-text citations
    • Pursues information based on personal interest and curiosity
    • Perseveres to explore more than one source when seeking information
    • Distinguishes between main ideas and supporting details
    • Paraphrases from notes/reading
    • Practices the rule of “putting things in your own words” with help from teacher or librarian

  • The information-fluent student in Grade 8 is developing the following skills:

    • Locates and uses print and non-print library resources
    • Identifies and pursues interests in a variety of literary genres
    • Reads both fiction and nonfiction
    • Employs advanced Google search strategies
    • Uses advanced search tools in online databases
    • Generates keywords prior to and during research
    • Takes notes in a systematic way
    • Creates proper works cited pages and in-text citations
    • Pursues information based on personal interest and curiosity
    • Perseveres to explore more than one source when seeking information
    • Distinguishes between main ideas and supporting details
    • Paraphrases from notes/reading
    • Practices the rule of “putting things in your own words” with help from teacher or librarian
    • Creates a personal learning network of go-to websites and subscription databases
    • Asks questions during research process and revises them along the way
    • Reads a daily newspaper

High School Library Curriculum

  • The information-fluent student in Grade 9 is developing the following skills:

    • Understands the relationship between the larger research topic and its supporting subtopics and details
    • Works collaboratively and cooperatively for successful group research projects
    • Conducts advanced online searches to broaden and narrow research focus using databases and search engines
    • Generates keywords and phrases for further research
    • Uses the Internet responsibly, efficiently and ethically:
      • Understands the difference between a website and a subscription database
      • Evaluates websites for reliability, validity and bias
    • Uses network and hardware responsibly, efficiently and ethically
    • Uses appropriate note-taking strategies
    • Cites sources:
      • Respects intellectual property rights and freedoms
      • Follows assigned format
    • Locates and uses maps and other graphics to support research questions
    • Locates and uses fiction and nonfiction materials to satisfy personal interests

  • The information-fluent student in Grade 10 is developing the following skills:

    • Develops and refines a research topic often with guidance from teacher and librarian
    • Refines questions to provide a framework for proceeding with research
    • Locates and uses journal articles using free and subscription databases
    • Considers various points of view and merits of resources
    • Selects a variety of high quality resources to be able to give an accurate picture of the research topic
    • Expresses own ideas creatively in a variety of formats
    • Uses a variety of tools to collaborate, publish and interact with peers, experts and other audiences
    • Creates proper works cited pages and in-text citations
    • Uses network, hardware and Internet and social media sites responsively, efficiently, and ethically
    • Locates and uses fiction and nonfiction materials to satisfy personal interests

  • The information-fluent student in Grade 11 is developing the following skills:

    • Plans inquiry to test hypotheses or validate thesis; develops own point of view and supports it with evidence
    • Pursues balanced perspective by evaluating information based on authority, accuracy, point of view, and reliability
    • Expresses own ideas through creative projects in a variety of formats
    • Demonstrates informed responses to literary works
    • Creates proper works cited pages and in-text citations
    • Uses network, hardware and Internet and social media sites responsively, efficiently, and ethically
    • Locates and uses fiction and nonfiction materials to satisfy personal interests

  • The information-fluent student in Grade 12 is developing the following skills:

    • Explores problems or questions for which there are multiple answers or no “best” answer
    • Anticipates the best resources based on previous research
    • Seeks resources for a particular need from a wide array of print, subscription databases, free web and media
    • Uses electronic resources effectively to answer questions by applying advanced search strategies
    • Builds a conceptual framework by synthesizing ideas gathered from multiple sources
    • Presents complex ideas and original conclusions effectively
    • Creates proper works cited pages and in-text citations
    • Uses network, hardware and Internet and social media sites responsively, efficiently, and ethically
    • Locates and uses fiction and nonfiction materials to satisfy personal interests