Collaboration is Key!  An Integrated Library and Classroom Approach.

By Morah Carrie Silberman, Director of Library Studies

Research shows that students learn more when teachers and their school librarian collaborate.  At NSHA our library program is fully integrated into our educational program so that I partner with students and teachers across all the Cherry Lane grades.  When library skills are fully integrated with our school’s curriculum, we increase meaning and productivity in our learning and teaching.

So how does collaboration work? It starts with the librarian and the teacher meeting to discuss the classroom curriculum and ways to support and extend learning in the library. Recently, I met with Mrs. Cesiro when her fifth grade students were studying Native American regions. First, we  discussed the scope and goals for the unit and who would implement each step. After reading and discussing the Native American regions with her students, Mrs. Cesiro assigned groups to research specific regions. As classroom instruction was occuring, I began reviewing age-appropriate research sites and linked them to an online Google Classroom we created for the class. After navigating research sites in the library, students spent more time in the classroom creating posters highlighting different aspects of the Native American cultures. The unit culminated in the library where the students became “teachers” and shared their knowledge with each other.

Other recent examples of teacher/librarian collaboration include a fourth and fifth grade Google Map project which tied into an European explorers unit in the classroom; a second grade animal research project; and a third grade biography unit.

Here at NSHA, collaboration is key and our library studies program is proud to partner with our classroom teachers to achieve an exceptional interdisciplinary approach for our students and faculty.