Library

The importance and value of literacy as an integral part of our daily lives cannot be underestimated. The Resource Center encourages and supports literacy by providing opportunities for literature appreciation, research, and enrichment. Books and reading promote higher levels of learning, thinking, and writing. Through books, students can enter complex and multidimensional worlds. The Resource Center encourages students to become lifelong readers and lovers of books.

During early childhood classes, students learn the rules and procedures of the Resource Center, as well as the proper care of books. Focus is placed on literature appreciation and literature extensions using art, dramatic play, and puppetry. Students are introduced to picture books, poetry, and other non-fiction books relative to classroom themes, as well as “I Can Read” books. Students are also introduced to authors through in-depth studies of their works.

In the primary grades, students learn the arrangement of the library and the use of the automation system. They learn how to make appropriate book choices based on each student’s individual reading level. Students complete in-depth author studies by reading works, visiting internet sites, and reading biographies about select authors. The students also participate annually in the Missouri children’s choice book award – The Show Me Reader Award – by reading books nominated for the award and voting on their choice for the award. First- through third-grade students have regular book check-out from the Resource Center available to them throughout the year.

Intermediate students in Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Grade focus on how to conduct research, select and identify primary and secondary sources, evaluate and determine significant information for taking notes, cite sources from books and online resources, and apply this knowledge through the completion of reports, projects, or presentations. Reference materials used include non-fiction books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, periodicals, and newspapers, as well as online versions of these sources and other online reference resources. Students gain skills necessary to orient themselves in other library settings, and regular book check-out is available.