Unit 2 Overview
Public Library: "Lots More Than Books"
CASAS Competency: 1. Community Resources
Time Frame: 2-3 days

Unit 2 Picture

Goals for this unit:

  1. Students will understand the importance of the community’s involvement in, and relationship to, the local library.
  2. Students will learn about the variety of resources located in the library, as well as those associated with the library’s services that are extended to the community.
  3. Students will practice using English and library sources to find information and understand the library in a spatial as well as written context.
  4. Students will go through the process of obtaining a library card and checking out a book, video, movie, CD, DVD, or other resource.

Suggested Activities:

Activity 1—Pre-test
Teacher-led discussion follows completion of the test.

Materials needed:
◆ Pre-test “Public Library: ‘Lots More Than Books’”

Activity 2—Learn the appropriate terms for, and definitions of, library resources.

Materials needed:
◆ Worksheet “Library Resources, Vocabulary, and Definitions”
(lists may vary, site specific)

Activity 3—Tour the library with a librarian. Discuss any library questions and/or services. Students take notes.

Activity 4—Play vocabulary game. In groups of three, ask students to match up vocabulary words related to the library with the appropriate picture or written definition. Game plays like Concentration where all the cards are face down on the table and turned over two at a time. If the cards match, the player picks them up; if they do not, they are turned face down and the next student takes a turn. (Use terms and vocabulary words from Activity 2 worksheet and Activity 3 library tour.)

Materials needed:
◆ Vocabulary cards, definitions and/or pictures. (teacher generates)

Activity 5—Use knowledge of library resources to find information. Students find appropriate sources that provide them with information about various topics (presented on the activity worksheet). To complete the worksheet, students make up their own questions for fellow students to answer using library resources.

Materials needed:
◆ Worksheet “Finding Sources”

Activity 6—Go on a library scavenger hunt. Pair up students in the class and give each pair a list of 10 tasks to accomplish using their knowledge of the library and its resources. A sample scavenger hunt is included, but it may need to be modified, as items should also reflect the tour and class discussion in the library. (The last item listed is a newspaper from which they will use an article to analyze in Activity 7)

Materials needed:
◆ Worksheet “Library Scavenger Hunt” (tasks may vary, site specific)

Activity 7—Students analyze a newspaper article by answering questions that require students to read, comprehend, summarize the main ideas, and form opinions on the information presented.

Materials needed:
◆ Newspaper article
◆ Worksheet “Analyze a Newspaper Article”

Activity 8— Obtain a library card and check out something from the library (book, movie, magazine, CD, etc).

Activity 9—Post-test

Materials needed:
◆ Post-test “Share What You’ve Learned”

Connected Activities:

GUEST SPEAKER
Librarian

FIELD TRIP
Public Library

Supplemental Resources:

Stand Out 4, Unit 4, pp. 68-69

Summary:

CASAS COMPETENCIES

2. Community Resources
2.5 Use community agencies and services
2.7 Understand aspects of society and culture

VOCABULARY

Library Resources: Words used to name items, services, and locations in the library, including personnel
Newspaper: Words and phrases in context of topics within news articles

SKILLS

Listening Tour guide explanation
Speaking Discussing services in the library; asking questions
Reading Vocabulary cards, Web site information, book jackets, other sources
Writing Notes about the services explained by the tour guide; creation of questions and answers to questions
Life Skills Using library resources to find information; understanding where to find what they need

GRAMMAR

Nouns Proper and common nouns naming places, sources, and items in the library
Question Structures The structure of phrasing questions: yes/no, who, what, where, when, how, and why?
Directives Understand commands (i.e., go to the, find the, put the...)

ENTERTAINMENT

Using local resources and information, students develop an awareness of social and cultural activities. Teacher and students work together to incorporate this in the course of study.

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

  1. Pre-test (needs assessment)
  2. Matching vocabulary words and terms with their correct definitions (in the context of a picture or written definition)
  3. Creating, asking, and answering questions
  4. Locating items/services/sources in the public library
  5. Analyzing a newspaper article
  6. Post-test

Activity Sheets: