Developing An Information Literacy Program K-12: A How-To-Do-It Manual and CD-Rom Package (How to Do It Manuals for Librarians)

The ability to make decisions by locating and using needed information may well be the key skill for success in the 21st Century. Here is all the information you need to implement this proven integrated curriculum in your school. Developed by the recipient of the 1997 National Library Media Program of the Year Award, this easy-to-follow manual provides a complete information literacy model with a matrix for recording which units cover which skills.

Included are a K-12 curriculum with details on when key basic information, research, and production skills should be introduced, expanded, and reviewed and over 100 pages of model lesson plans and units for specific curricular areas. This unique how-to provides planning and assessment forms, 100 possible student products (such as photo essays, I-Search papers, and hypermedia stacks), and all necessary documentation - assessment tools, sample forms, in-service and policy documents. The accompanying CD-ROM contains the forms, handouts, and transparencies needed to teach the lesson plans and units.

A thorough, logical approach to what was once considered "library skills," now more appropriately termed "information literacy." The first part outlines the shared goals of a school-based information literacy program, clearly delineating each role in the collaborative process, including the library media specialist, the classroom teacher, the school district, and the specific school. A five-stage information literacy model follows: "Define the Information Need," "Locate Information," "Process the Information," "Create and Communicate Results," and "Assess Process and Product." Appropriate tools to evaluate student learning are included. Parts II and III offer model lessons and samples for incorporating information-literacy skills into specific elementary and secondary school curricular areas. The final section gives adaptable templates for various resources such as bibliographic formats. A CD-ROM provides activity sheets that can be customized. Useful for administrators and media specialists at all levels.
Maria B. Salvadore, District of Columbia Public Library
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This manual was developed by the Iowa City Community School District to help school library media specialists meet the new Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning (ALA, 1998). Included is a CD-ROM containing all the forms, etc., presented in the book, allowing users to modify the documents to suit their needs. Directions for use appear at the end of each chapter. The program revolves around a model of collaborative planning, flexible scheduling, and curriculum integration. The first chapter contains a list of questions to help readers determine if the model on which the program is based can be used in their situation. Part one describes the model; presents key concepts and skills, by grade level; and offers rubrics to assess student learning. Other sections contain model lessons. Some of the instruction may be delivered without computer access, but most of the lessons and activities are integrally tied to technology. Intended to be used, not just read, this is an outstanding resource for those with the right technology and circumstances. Susan Rosenzweig