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The
Library at the Center of the UniverseThe AE II Library and Information
Skills Program is integrated in the expeditions of each
classroom. The teacher-librarian and the classroom teacher
collaborate to design information-based projects rooted in the
themes studied in the classroom. The teacher-librarian and the
classroom teacher also plan together to decide which materials
to acquire that will provide opportunities to read fiction and
nonfiction related to expeditions and to use technology to
collect information and create projects. At all levels of
information use and processing, students are coached to evaluate
materials for accuracy, bias, currency, opinion, and point of
view.
Projects are structured so that
students can explore and assess issues from multiple
perspectives. When relevant to the expedition, or pertaining to
current events or student interests, projects and activities are
designed to foster respect for human rights and social justice.
While all classes used the
library to develop their expeditions as described throughout this document, here are a few
examples:
- During the
2003-2004 school year, the students in Room 2 and Room 8, in
conjunction with
their “Salish Sea” expedition,
used the library to find information about a cetacean and to
create a PowerPoint presentation about this animal. Both
classes also researched tide pool animals to get background
information for creating legends (Room2) or riddles (Room 8)
about these creatures.
- This year Room 1 and Room 5 did expeditions about “Birds
at Green Lake.” Each of these kindergarten and first
grade students did a research project about a bird of their
choice in the library. When the library research was
finished, the students created posters about the bird. The
Room 5 kindergarten/first grade class also did an expedition
about the author Arnold Lobel, using the library resources
to answer questions about his life.
- The fourth and fifth grade
students in Room 17 researched information about immigration to
the United States. They then created a historical fiction story
related to a true immigration story. In a similarly historical
vein, Room 14 did an expedition about the Lewis and Clark
Expedition. These fourth and fifth grade students searched for
and evaluated websites that would be applicable to their
research. In the first quarter the students browsed the print
and electronic resources to get an overview of the topic.
During the second quarter, each student wrote a fictitious
journal from the point of view of a member of the corps.
Students used the materials in the library to research the
factual information that formed the backbone of the journal.
During the third quarter, following further library research,
each student wrote a letter to Congress from the point of view
of a leader of a Native American tribe that came in contact with
Lewis and Clark’s Party.
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