Fixed scheduling is well-researched in the school library literature. We know from this research that information skills taught in isolation from curriculum content are not as relevant to students as skills taught in the context of what they already know (McGregor 2006). Constructivism is an approach to learning that posits individuals construct…

More than twenty years ago reading researchers sought to capture the behaviors good readers demonstrated to make meaning from their reading. By shifting the focus away from what was wrong, researchers were able to study and discuss what worked. A comprehensive list of reading strategies emerged from this research. This was an important discovery.…

School librarians have always been teachers, even before the term "teacher-librarian" was coined. They teach every time they help students select books, locate and evaluate resources for research projects, or troubleshoot a computer problem. When they assist students, they explain and model the steps they are taking. Teaching for school librarians…

In this article, the author talks about the school librarian as information specialist. She stresses that the school librarian's information specialist role is more important than ever. She offers her personal toolkit that consists of four strategies in helping and teaching students to use content responsibly.

Stepping into a school library today reveals the dramatic changes in educational games since the author's elementary school days. Many current school libraries now boast computer- and video-based games, as well as geocaching, big games, or large-scale scavenger hunts that pit teams against each other in timed races to find clues about a…

While there is no guarantee that competence in reading or writing results in competence in the other, the skills are related and research suggests that instruction in both reinforces the other. Recommendations strongly support the integration of teaching these skills. Indeed, the integration of all the language arts including speaking, listening,…

This is Part 2 of a three-part summary of selected articles from the journals of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) over a period of thirty-five years from 1972 to 2007. This three-part series in the April, May, and June (2009) issues of "School Library Media Activities Monthly" ("SLMAM") will illustrate the evolution in…

While many robust library programs engage students in problem-finding, inquiry-rich curricula, other programs might benefit from addition of a few key strategies. Discussion strategies might be used during read-alouds or as enhancements to an instructional strategy like jigsaw. Writing strategies might be integrated into research projects or might…

Examines motivational strategies used by library media specialists (LMSs) in library and information skills instruction, and the resulting on- and off-task behaviors of students. Results indicate that LMSs use mostly attention-focusing strategies, middle school LMSs utilize more strategies than elementary LMSs, and extrinsic motivators are more…

This curriculum guide is intended for any librarian in Pennsylvania committed to teaching online searching and looking for guidelines to integrate the skill into the full academic curriculum. The publication will enable school librarians to assist students in developing the skills that will enable them to search and retrieve information from…

This curriculum guide is intended to meet the needs of librarians in all schools in Pennsylvania, including those lacking access to online technologies. It is recommended that the online curriculum be integrated with the teaching of library media skills in other discipline areas at appropriate elementary and secondary grade levels, and that…

This handbook is designed to help classroom teachers, library media specialists, and others who wish to integrate information literacy into their curriculum. It provides models and strategies which encourage children and young adults to find, analyze, create, and use information as they become productive citizens. The following topics are…