Kindergarten and First Grade

The emphasis of the LMC program in kindergarten is on introducing the children to the school media center and helping them become more independent users of the library. In kindergarten the library program focuses on book care and library citizenship. In first grade the library program concentrates on listening and viewing skills, on literature appreciation and learning to locate Easy books and Nonfiction books in the LMC.  Children are introduced to parts of a book and arrangement of books in the LMC. The children listen to many stories, both told and read, and discuss them together. They hear fairy and folk tales from many cultures, and study favorite authors and illustrators. Students begin to learn about the range of materials available in a library and how to find them.

Second Grade

Second graders' story time continues to encourage the children's appreciation of literature and their interpretive skills. Students delve more deeply into the organization and location of library materials and the use of the electronic catalog in order to become independent users of the media center. Skills such as alphabetical order, use of the table of contents and index are introduced. Learning about the Caldecott Medal and the elements of fairy tales are two popular second grade units.

Third Grade

Beginning research skills, including the use of the LMC's reference materials, are emphasized in third grade. The children become more familiar with using the LMC's online electronic catalog. Location skills are also emphasized as the students become more familiar with the organization of materials in a library and how to retrieve them. Third grade students continue to enjoy book talks and stories. They are encouraged to read challenging and classic literature while being introduced to different genres and the Newbery Medal.

Fourth and Fifth Grade

The emphasis in fourth and fifth grades is on helping the students become more independent users of reference and research materials, including those available on the Internet. The children work with reference sources, both print and electronic, and learn how to locate, evaluate and use information that they need. Students complete curriculum-based research units using a wide variety of reference materials, both print and electronic. They are instructed in the use of the Big6 Research process, computer technology and the Internet to search for information. They are encouraged to use the many resources of the Searingtown website while mastering software applications in our hour long Research Program.  Students learn how to take notes, how to cite their sources and about plagiarism. Project-based learning is the keystone of our curriculum. The fourth and fifth grade library curriculum is based on a co-teaching model consisting of the librarian and the computer teacher. Students are welcome to stop by the library independently at any time for book exchange.