How to Build a High Quality, Standards-Based School Library Lesson

How to Build a High Quality, Standards-Based School Library Lesson - At first glance, the complexity of my FREE Library Lesson Planner can be daunting compared to other lesson plan templates. Let me take you step-by-step through each section so you'll understand what it does and why this process is important. #NoSweatLibraryA school librarian may see young children every week, but the older students become, the less we see them, maybe only a few times a year. Fortunately, we have most of these students over a 3-5 year period, depending on whether we are an elementary, middle, or high school librarian.

We can scaffold short lessons throughout the school year, so by the time students leave us, they’ve mastered what they need for their next stage of library use. The question is, how best to do that? How can we build high quality, standards-based library lessons? I’m here to tell you: DON’T start with library curriculum—start with everyone else’s curriculum!

CREATE A CURRICULUM MATRIX

School Librarians are masters at integrating Library Information Literacy Skills into any subject. To do that, we don’t need to know the depth of a subject as teachers do, but rather, we need to look at the breadth of subject curricula and determine when students are likely to benefit from a library lesson.

My Library Lesson Curriculum Matrix - Composite example of an older version for the 1st grading period.

I’ve written about my Library Lesson Matrix and how I use that visual organizer to plan when each subject area needs a Library Lesson and what Info-Lit skills students are likely to need. The next step is to develop the actual lesson plan.

You’re thinking, “Wait, shouldn’t we collaborate with the teacher first?” Uh, NO. In my experience, teachers who are unfamiliar with librarian collaboration can’t envision how we might help them. But, they will consider a library visit if we show them how we’ll enhance their classroom learning. Thus, we need to bring them something concrete, a printed example of how we’re using their content to teach library skills. So before approaching them, we need to build the Library Lesson Plan.

MAKE LESSONS SHORT AND USEFUL

Think back to your college courses: 60 minutes, 2 or 3 a day, maybe 2-4 times per week—intervals of learning and study. Now think of your last education PD: two 3-hour sessions with a few 10-15 minute breaks and a lengthy lunchtime, and when the day is over we’re exhausted.

These two contrasting incidents are within our own discipline with which we’re familiar, yet we expect kids aged 5-18 to spend 7 hours a day, 5 days in a row, learning new information in 6 or 7 or 8 subjects with a 3-5 minute break and 30 minutes for lunch…and we wonder why they can’t pay attention and don’t remember all that wonderful stuff we tell them!

This is an even more important consideration for a Library Lesson, because we rarely see students on a daily basis. If we want students to learn and remember, we need to make each lesson memorable.

  • First, teach only the information or skill they need for the task at hand.
  • Second, kids remember something they DO, so give them an activity that allows them to practice what they learn.

MY LIBRARY LESSON PLANNER

Through my 25 years in classroom and library I’ve used many different lesson plan forms, depending on what the district specified, the principal wanted, the teachers used, or the library director liked. I tried all the “best” models for lesson planning, but they all had flaws when planning library lessons.

The AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action has a lesson template (p.116) that inspired me to combine the best of other planners and create my own. I’ve written about my Library Lesson Planner but its complexity can be daunting compared to other lesson plan templates. Let me take you step-by-step through it so you’ll understand what each section does and why it’s important to follow this process.

NoSweat Library Lesson Planner Template - page 1

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NoSweat Library Lesson Planner - page 2

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LIBRARY LESSON PLANNER – OPENING SUMMARY

The top section of the Library Lesson Planner gives a summary of the classroom topic, why students will benefit from a library visit, and what the Library Lesson is about. We use our curriculum matrix to fill out this section, because we’ve already compacted into that the information from the subject area scope and sequence document.

Image of my Library Lesson Planner - Summary section

By starting with a clear purpose for the library visit we can keep it clearly in mind throughout our planning process. Showing just this part to an open-minded teacher could persuade them to schedule a library visit, but for most we’ll need more. It is, however, an ideal quick-planner to fill in when a teacher approaches us about a library visit. I print 2/sheet and cut in half to keep handy at the circulation desk when teachers walk in. (You can also find this on my FREE Librarian Resources page.)

LIBRARY LESSON PLANNER – SECTION 1: DESIRED RESULTS

We know it’s important to start with the end in mind, answering the question, “What do we want students to understand and be able to do by the end of the lesson?” Begin with Subject Standards for the classroom lessons with which we’ll correlate our library lesson. (We can also add Technology Standards that apply to the lesson and/or the final product.) When we use Subject Standards as the foundation of the library lesson, we show the teacher that we are enhancing their subject material…plus it keeps us focused on integrating library skills into classroom learning.

Image of NoSweat Library Lesson Planner Template Section 1: Desired Results (Standards, Understandings, Key Questions, Objectives, Vocabulary)

Next enter any National School Library Standards that are pertinent to the Subject and to our preliminary ideas for the lesson. Enter more than can be completed during the actual lesson, and as you work through this section, decide which are imperative and delete those that aren’t.

Start With Subject Standards When Planning School Library Lessons - School Library Lessons integrate perfectly with classroom learning when we begin our planning with Subject Standards. Use my FREE Library Lesson Planner Template to do it the right way: backward planning from Standards to Assessment to Instruction. #NoSweatLibrary #schoollibrary #librarylesson #standardsFrom Subject and NSLS Standards, we derive the entries for each following field, incorporating at least one entry that addresses the Subject Standards, to connect what students are learning between library and classroom. Since each field builds upon the previous one, we refine the Library Lesson to those essentials of both Subject and Information Literacy that fulfill the purpose of the visit.

From chosen Standards, construct 2 or 3 Long-Term Understandings; these are the “big ideas” we want students to remember and apply to future learning. From the understandings create 2 or 3 Key Questions that focus on the content needed to attain those understandings.

From the questions generate the ‘answers’ that “Students will know” by the end of the lesson, that is, the specific Content Objectives for both Subject and Info-Lit. Finally, from Objectives choose the Critical Concepts and Vocabulary to emphasize during the lesson. These last two fields—objectives and concepts/vocabulary—help us build the teaching and learning activities in Section 3, but going through this process first—Standards to Vocabulary—ensures that the lesson is truly worthwhile.

LIBRARY LESSON PLANNER – SECTION 2: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

How will we know the Desired Results listed in Section 1 have been achieved unless we have some evidence? More specifically, we must give the teacher something on which to base a daily grade that demonstrates student learning. This section, more than any other part of the lesson plan, will convince a teacher to collaborate with us because they now have documented accountability for “deviating” from their own lesson plan.

Image of NoSweat Library Lesson Planner Section 2: Assessment

Performance Tasks—what “Students will be able to do”—must be specific and measurable. For this entry I still use Benchmarks from Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action that relate to the Library Standards chosen in Section 1. I may also include Behaviors from the Dispositions or Responsibilities Indicators.

The Final Product and Product criteria may already be specified by subject curriculum or the teacher’s lesson plan. That student product may indeed be a good one; however, it’s typically conceived by teachers who don’t have the background in Information Literacy (planning, problem-solving, research, resources, media and technology) that school librarians have. Therefore, we must conscientiously fill in this section to be sure the final product and its criteria are both authentic and possible with our library resources.

We can translate Technology Standards from Section 1 into Technology Integration criteria, then add that and our Info-Lit criteria to Product criteria—teachers appreciate seeing these written down to include in their rubrics and checklists.

If it’s difficult to coordinate entries in this section, we need to reconsider what the teacher is expecting students to accomplish and suggest an alternative product. Because we use their Subject Standards as the foundation for building our lesson, new product and performance task suggestions are more readily accepted by the teacher.

LIBRARY LESSON PLANNER – SECTION 3: INSTRUCTION & LEARNING PLAN

While working through the preceding sections, we’ve begun to accumulate ideas for this section, and possibly written some down. The top areas that list student resources and teaching aids, such as handouts, online sites, equipment, and examples, means we can quickly glance here the day before the visit to be sure we have everything ready when students arrive.

Image of NoSweat Library Lesson Planner - Section 3a (Student resources, Instructor resources)

Now we’re ready for Instructional Activities—exactly what we teach and what students do. I like to have a Theme for each library visit, related to a Key Question. Learning Targets and Differentiation Strategies are typical requirements in most schools/districts nowadays. A learning target is simply a student-friendly version of an objective from Section 1.

Image of NoSweat Library Lesson Planner - Section 3b,c (Instructional Activities, Differentiation strategies)

Library visits are rarely contiguous, often days—or even weeks—apart, so each Library Lesson visit must cover a complete lesson cycle. The AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action template (p.116) is perfect for a library visit: Direct instruction, Modeling & guided practice, Independent practice, Sharing & reflecting.

The prompts from other lesson planning tools such as UbD, UDL, and 4MAT help me formulate my lesson activities, and I delete the prompts after I’ve completed each part. If I have a slide presentation, I use the Notes feature to write my speaking script so I only have to write the Slide# on the lesson planner with follow-up actions for the slide.
(I use PrimoPDF to convert the Notes to a PDF and print it out to use during the presentation.)

Because this lesson planner lends itself to single lesson or whole unit planning, we can use the Instructional Activities section for one or for multiple library visits. If I have multiple visits, I copy & paste a new Visit Theme-through-lesson cycle below the first, then add a number to each: Visit #1 Theme…, Visit #2 Theme….

LIBRARY LESSON PLANNER – SECTION 4: REFLECTIONS & EVALUATION

After presenting a lesson we always think of ways to make it better, so a section to record problems encountered or suggestions for improvement means we won’t forget them when we prepare the lesson the following school year.

Image of NoSweat Library Lesson Planner - Section 4 (Reflections and evaluation)

BACKWARD PLANNING IS WORTH IT

Use Backward Planning with my FREE School Library Lesson Planner Template - By starting with Subject Standards and progressing through each hierarchical step, we enrich our School Library Lessons with more meaningful and authentic elements. My Library Lesson Planner is available from my FREE Librarian Resources page as an editable MS docx or as a printable PDF. #NoSweatLibraryThis may seem like a lot of work for a single 40-50 minute lesson, but taking time for detailed planning—even more time than the actual lesson takes—makes a better lesson and makes us a better teacher-librarian. By starting with Subject Standards and going through each hierarchical step to the specific actions students will take, we enrich our original idea with more meaningful and authentic elements.

A teacher will surely be impressed with our efforts, and once we’ve completed and refined the lesson, it’s useful for many years. Using the Library Lesson Planner, alongside the Library Lesson Matrix, for all our lessons can positively influence our entire school library program.

My Library Lesson Planner is available as a digital editable MS docx from my Free Librarian Resources page. If you have questions about my Library Lesson Planner or how to use it, feel free to put them in the Comments below!

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Strategic Planning for a School Library Program

Strategic Planning for a School Library Program - Strategic planning is an effective model for a School Library Program if it includes: defined beliefs, a broad vision, and a clear mission; significant concepts and goals; and an action plan with specific action steps to organize time, materials, and personnel. #NoSweatLibraryIf we don’t know where we’re going, we won’t know how to get there. In the case of School Librarians, we need to develop an overall concept of what we want our School Library Program to be in order to make decisions for a day, a week, a month, a semester, or a school year. So, how can we conceptualize our School Library Program?

Any organization or program is only effective if it has 3 elements: defined beliefs, a broad vision, and a clear mission; if any of these are missing, the program suffers from indifference, mistrust, and confusion. Yet, I struggled with beliefs, vision, and mission—and my library program suffered—until I began using Strategic Planning. With strategic planning we envision a desired future and, working backwards, define goals to achieve the end-result over an extended period of time. Since “backward planning” is how we create our Library Lessons, it makes sense to apply it to a whole school library program!

While Vision/ Mission Statements and a Strategic Plan are very important, they aren’t useful as a day-to-day working tool. Only after I’d created my Library Lesson Matrix and my Personal Management strategy could I develop my Vision/Mission/Strategic Plan and produce a reporting document to tell others what I’m doing in the library.

HOW TO START A STRATEGIC PLAN

Strategic planning professionals recommend we develop a 3-5 year period of time. For my Strategic Plan I choose a 3-year period because, as a middle school librarian, I want a a learning program customized to the 3 grade-levels in my building. I tweak my plan periodically, but I strive for a picture of what I can accomplish with incoming 6th graders by the time they leave at the end of 8th grade.

I find it desirable to align my strategic plan with current national, state, or local initiatives, so over the years I’ve used Information PowerAASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner, my State’s school library standards and guidelines, and my district’s strategic plans. With the release of the new AASL National School Library Standards, I begin my current Strategic Plan with the new Common Beliefs and then translate them into Significant Concepts for planning my program.

AASL Common Beliefs

My Significant Concepts

The school library is a unique and essential part of a learning community.

Library Lessons are the foundation of a valued school library program.

Qualified school librarians lead effective school libraries.

The primary purpose for a School Librarian is educating our youth.

Learners should be prepared for college, career, and life.

Information literacy skills prepare learners for the critical thinking and problem-solving needed to succeed in our global digital society.

Reading is the core of personal and academic competency.

Reading is a window to the world.

Intellectual freedom is every learner’s right.

A democracy needs intellectual freedom and intellectual freedom supports democracy.

Information technologies must be appropriately integrated and equitably available.

Cloud computing provides equitable physical and intellectual access to visual, aural, and textual resources and technological tools.

I also record my Significant Concepts onto my Library Lesson Matrix, so I can keep them in mind when planning Library Lessons.

CREATE VISION, MISSION, AND GOALS

Make School Library Vision, Mission & Goals Work Using Strategic Planning - What do we want? What is our purpose? How do we achieve it? Here's how Strategic Planning worked for me & my School Library Program. #NoSweatLibraryThe next step in strategic planning is creating a vision, a mission, and goals; I think of them as “what we want,” “what we do(purpose), and “how we do it.” As a School Librarian and Teacher, my desired ideal is focused on students, not the library, so I ask, “What do I want to instill in my students?” Here is an example of my response for the Vision and Mission Statements of my Strategic Plan:

Vision Statement: Our students will enjoy a meaningful 3-year library learning program of information literacy and enriched reading that builds a global awareness of the cultural, economic, and environmental aspects of our planet Earth.

Mission Statement: Our school library provides a service-oriented center with print, audio, video, and digital resources for reading, research, and production that enables students and teachers to communicate effectively with text, images, sound, and video.

For our Goals Framework we are encouraged to use the guiding objectives of our district’s strategic plan: High achievement for all students by continuously improving instructional practices, the learning environment, operational effectiveness, and community support. I add my own school library objective under each of the district’s 4 objectives:

  1. Continuously improve instructional practice.
    Library Objective: Emphasize library program over library facility—program and access are more important than place.
  2. Continuously improve the learning environment.
    Library Objective: Expand library services throughout school and remotely—resource access online is as important as the in-house collection.
  3. Continuously improve operational effectiveness.
    Library Objective: Get rid of tasks that don’t make a difference in student learning, information access, or program efficiency.
  4. Continuously improve community support.
    Library Objective: Make purposeful and frequent communication through various media—videos help tell stories.

DEVELOP THE ACTION PLAN

An Action Plan is the short-term part of strategic planning and details how to reach the Goals. It prioritizes tasks needed to reach each objective, and identifies who will do what by a certain deadline—in other words, it organizes time, materials, and personnel. My Action Plan lists my 4 School Library goals and objectives and under each objective lists the Action Steps that I’ll take during the current school year. I limit myself to just 1 or 2 Action Steps for each Goal/Objective, otherwise I can’t complete them all, which frustrates me and affects my year-end evaluation. To stay on track all year, I enter Action Step Task Details on my Library TO DO list, and when I complete something I open up the Action Plan and record the date.

Here is an example of a recent Strategic Plan:Sample 3-Year Strategic Plan: Action Plan for Current Year.

Each year I change Action Steps (and sometimes an Objective) to add new tasks, and at the end of the 3rd year of the plan, I spend more time developing the next 3-year plan. I give a print version of my Action Plan to my principal at the beginning of the school year and submit an updated print version—with accomplishments—just before my evaluation at the end of the school year.

REGULAR REPORTING TO STAY ON TRACK

Get These No Sweat Library Admin Tools: Strategic Planner & Report to Principal - Develop your own School Library Strategic Plan and keep your principal updated with these tools from my Teachers Pay Teachers store. #NoSweatLibraryAt the end of every grading period I submit a “Report to the Principal” that shows what’s happening in the school library—and what I’ve been doing when no one’s around! I use the same 4 Goals as my Strategic Plan to organize and report library and librarian activities:

  1. Instructional practice
    • circulation statistics and carts of books distributed to classrooms
    • teacher collaborations and Library Lessons taught
  2. Learning environment
    • class visits & scheduled use
    • incidental walk-ins (I keep a tally sheet), and other uses
  3. Operational effectiveness
    • books and other materials purchased
    • various administrative and management tasks I’ve completed
    • professional development (my own and presented to others)
  4. Community support
    • newsletters, website, bulletin boards
    • non-library school-related activities I’ve performed or participated in

To create my Report to the Principal, I use the grading period’s Library Lesson Planners and information from my Library TO DO List. For years I made a text-based report, but eventually created a stylish new graphical report to make information clearer and more appealing. My principal liked the new infographic so much he taped it to his office door so other staff members could see what was happening in the library!

Sample Report to Principal-Text & Graphic - Submit a Library Report to the Principal every grading period, either a text-based report or create a stylish graphical report to make information clearer and more appealing. #NoSweatLibrary

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