To guide school librarians in their work of inspiring future generations of explorers, AASL tasked a 2020 ALA Emerging Leaders team with developing a guide of activities, resources, and professional development based on the Explore Shared Foundation in the "National School Library Standards." As learners prepare for college, career, and…

Describes a lesson designed to involve students in grades 6 through 8 in learning how geography was affected the problem of world hunger. Emphasis is placed on using maps, globes, atlases, and geographic dictionaries, as well as books, magazines, and other resources. (MES)

Reviews the literature of the critical thinking/problem solving approach to learning and discusses how these concepts relate to teaching research skills. Two activities designed to teach critical thinking and research skills in the context of grades 5 and 6 social studies are summarized. (2 references) (MES)

This book provides practical advice and lessons based on outstanding children's literature, fostering a better understanding of creativity and helping educators and parents recognize and nurture creative thinking in young children in grades K-4. The book describes components of the creative process--fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration,…

This discussion of the need for learning activities which promote critical thinking skills, creativity, and affective growth in children uses Bloom's Taxonomy as a guide for designing such activities based on children's literature. Several examples of projects based on specific children's books are provided. (CLB)

Using this inquiry-based process allows the teacher and librarian to assign mystery topics to individual students so they can conduct independent research on high-interest subjects. The book provides the tools and strategies teachers and librarians need to help students think and rethink methods of gathering and organizing information to solve…

Examines the information problem-solving (Big Six Skills) approach to performance evaluation, which allows library media specialists to focus on student performance and how it benefits from specific activities. Describes the "Big Six Skills Approach": task definition, information seeking, location and access, use of information,…

This book provides activities for fourth, fifth, and sixth grade teachers and librarians to use in the spare moments that can be transformed into educational experiences. The activities range from individual paper-and-pencil games, to partner activities, to whole-class ideas, and combinations thereof. The activities are arranged by subject (i.e.,…

This article reports on two academic courses related to visual literacy: Videology and the Internet. The two projects are examples of how young learners can be educated and prepared for a visual world via courses in visual literacy. The article provides an overview of the impact of television on American society, describes each project, discusses…