Differentiated Learning
Centers in the Elementary
Library
Kathy Whitinger/Lisa Luse
Putnam City Schools
Intro
• Why and what of centers
• Lisa’s experience in setting up centers at Central
Elementary
• Ideas for centers K-5
Why Centers
 Cope with variable scheduling
 Promote 21st Century mode of teaching
 Ensure all students developed a necessary skill set
What
 Looked at AASL standards, Oklahoma PASS, ISTE
standards and Common Core
 Asked what skills do my students need to develop
to be effective lifelong users of the library, how can I
help them develop information and technological
literacy, and how can I support what the teachers
are doing in the classroom
Central’s First Centers
 Started with 6 centers:
 Online catalog
 Website Evaluation
 Nonfiction books/bibliography
 Summarization
 Book look
 Reference
Online Catalog
Website Evaluation
Science News For Kids
Nonfiction
books/bibliography
Summarization
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities
/scholasticnews/index.html
• Highlighters for
note taking
• 1-2 sentence
summary
Book Look
Reference
Administration
Reflection and Evaluation
Lessons Learned
•
Set up a good filing system
• Create color cards to quickly assign students to
centers
• Have additional activities for your roadrunner
students
• Create a permanent set of instructions for each
center
Moving Forward
 Book look – figurative language
 Reference – paper vs. online races, functional vocabulary sort
 Summary – picture book biographies, social studies content, current
events
 Big 6 – developing questions, brainstorming resources
 Online catalog – library mapping, signage creation, using IPads to
create instructional videos on various library procedures
 Website eval – compare 2 websites
 Lego – expository writing, stop action videos (storyboards, script
writing, sequencing)
Kathy’s Turn
Kathy's World
Resources

Websites

:http://kathy5597.blogspot.com/

http://elementarylibraryroutines.wikispaces.com/ -link in here to

http://monarchcenters.wikispaces.com/home

http://www.sldirectory.com/index.htm

http://hcps2.hanover.k12.va.us/instruction/media/LessonPlanBook.ht
m

http://onteora.schoolwires.com/4370_70127184121/blank/browse.asp?A
=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&C=49421

http://nb.wsd.wednet.edu/big6/big6_resources.htm
More Resources
Library Centers: Teaching Information Literacy, Skills, and Processes: K-6 by Judith A.
Sykes
Complete Library Skills Activities Program: Ready-To-USe Lessons for Grades K-6 by
Ardenn Druce (available used on amazon.com
)Library Games Activities Kit: Ready-To-Use Activities for Teaching Library Skills in 20
Minutes a Week by Patti Hulet
Library Lightning: A Functional Approach to Library Skills by Sherry Crow
Stretchy Library Lessons: Research Skills by Pat MillerBlooms and Beyond: Higher
Level Questions and Activities for the Creative Classroom by Kay Davidson and
Tressa Becker
CUES: Choose, Use, Enjoy, Share - A Model for Educational Enrichment Through the
School Library Media Center by Phyllis A. Leonard
Media Center Discovery: 180 Ready-to-Use Activities for Language Arts, Grades 5-8 by
Barbara R. Hamm
Complete Library Skills Set publishled by McGraw Hill (books for K-5)