The Bush School | Lower School Curriculum

Lower School Curriculum

Locate basic areas of the library facility
Locate materials appropriate to needs and abilities
Recognize and articulate information needs
Develop and demonstrate listening and responding skills
Develop a wider appreciation of children's literature
Develop and demonstrate appropriate general library behavior
- walking, talking quietly, lining up
- appropriate care and handling of materials
- understanding the concept of borrowing

Explore more of the library facility
Locate materials appropriate to needs and abilities
- beginning readers, fiction, non fiction, periodicals
Recognize and articulate information needs
Develop increased attention span and demonstrate maturing listening and responding skills
Demonstrate clear understanding of appropriate library behavior
Develop skill in care of library materials

Explore more of the library facility
Locate materials appropriate to needs and abilities
- using knowledge of facility and computer catalog
- utilizing a variety of material types
Recognize and articulate information needs
Develop increased attention span listening to longer read aloud sessions

Locate all public areas of library facility
Locate materials appropriate to needs and abilities
- using knowledge of facility and computer catalog
- utilizing a variety of material types
- utilizing computer and web resources
- developing ability to articulate preferences
Develop understanding of classification systems
Develop understanding of the structure of information sources
Explore basic reference tools
Recognize and articulate information and research needs

Develop a deeper understanding of classification
Develop a familiarity with a variety of print and electronic reference materials
Develop appreciation and response to literature genres
Recognize and articulate information seeking tasks and strategies
Demonstrate the ability to locate print and electronic materials in the library with minimal adult assistance
Demonstrate the ability to locate relevant information
Learn the basics of note taking, paraphrasing, and citation

Demonstrate the ability to independently locate print and electronic materials in the library
Develop effective information seeking strategies
Develop appropriate use, synthesis and evaluation of information
Develop understanding of a broad range of literature genres, functions and techniques

Prior to completion of Grade 5 students will:

Use keyboards efficiently and effectively. (1)
Discuss common uses of technology in daily life and the advantages and disadvantages those uses provide. (1,2)
Discuss basic issues related to responsible use of technology and information and describe personal consequences of inappropriate use. (2)
Use the general purpose software (including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Internet Explorer, Web Outlook) and hardware (including PC’s, printers, scanners, digital cameras) to support personal productivity, remediate skill deficits, and facilitate learning throughout the curriculum. (3)
Use technology tools listed in #4 above for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create “knowledge products”for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (3,4)
Use telecommunications efficiently and effectively to access remote information, communicate with others in support of direct and independent learning, and pursue personal interests. (4)
Use telecommunications and online resources (e.g., e-mail, Web environments) to participate in collaborative problem-solving activities for the purpose of developing solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (4,5)
Determine when technology is useful and select the appropriate tool(s) and technology resources to address a variety of tasks and problems. (5,6)
Evaluate the accuracy, relevance, appropriateness, comprehensiveness, and bias of electronic information sources. (6)