Years 5 & 6 - Module 1

Review
• Years five and six are a critical time to move your students to a point of being able to operate in the
school library independently. The following modules are designed to strengthen and extend their
existing skills through a range of learning contexts.
• Before launching into the modules please read through the previous years modules to ensure all
necessary skills are in place. Any of the Years 1 – 4 modules can be reviewed with your students if
necessary.
• Establish your class library maintenance plan. Refer to the ‘Keeping Our Library Tidy’ chart on the
wall. Discuss and demonstrate the tidying process for the areas on the list. Please select
appropriate areas for students to take responsibility for and assist them in doing a quality job.
Students may take on these tasks individually or in pairs. You may wish to laminate your own copy
of the chart to use in your class as a reference list.
• Regularly review procedures and behavioural expectations with your class and set appropriate
goals.
• Introduce / refamiliarize your class with the Library staff. Have them explain their roles and how the
class can assist them in keeping our library looking good for everyone to use.
• Ask your students to have a brief discussion in small groups to see if they can come up with any
other bright ideas that would help keep our library tidy and organised. If valid suggestions are
made that the class agrees with, build them into your library chart.
 Years 5 & 6 - Module 2

The Dewey Decimal System Revisited

The following activities will lead on from Years 3/4 module 4. Please ensure the class has a sound
understanding of the aspects covered within this module.
• Review the Dewey Decimal system with your class. Either visit: Visit the following Kidcyber web
page to review the Dewey Decimal system with your class: http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/
deweyquest.htm or read the story of Mr Dewey to the class (Library Alive – p. 30). The students will
have heard the story before but should benefit from hearing it again.
• Discuss with the class the broad categories and remind them that all non-fiction books are
numbered and placed on shelves with books of the same number group.

Number Range Category Types of Subjects

000 - 099 General Subjects Computers, libraries, journalism

100 - 199 Philosophy Things people think about

200 - 299 Religion Bible, God, all religions

300 - 399 Social Sciences Law, education, politics

400 - 499 Language About languages

500 - 599 Pure Science Mathematics, astronomy, biology

600 - 699 Technology Medicine, engineering, manufacturing

700 - 799 The Arts Art, architecture, music

800 - 899 Literature Literature in all languages

900 - 999 History and Geography Earth and the Universe

Activity: Have the class work through the following activity with you or independently to decide
which broad category the specific subjects would belong in.
In which category would you find information on:
• Japanese language • Classical music
• Hieroglyphics • World War II
• Space travel • Festivals around the world
• Inventions

Test your knowledge: Try out the Dewey Decimal test at: http://thrall.org/dewey/levels.htm
 Years 5 & 6 - Module 3

Information Search
This module provides a range of activities to strengthen student use of catalogue based resources.

• Review Access It, if necessary, using modules provided for Years 3/4 to assist you.
• This activity requires computer access. The class may complete it individually using the library or
classroom computers or alternatively all at once using the computer suites. You may wish to
assign one landmark to a group or all of the listed landmarks to each student.

Activity: Famous landmarks in Hong Kong

• Use Access It to locate resources to assist you in identifying the features of the following landmarks in
Hong Kong:
- The Peak tram
- The Star Ferry
- Happy Valley Racecourse
- Tsing Ma Bridge
- Western Market

• Explore the different search functions including:

- subject search
- title search
- keyword search

• Present your findings on two pages including:

- a picture of each landmark (printed, photocopied or hand drawn)
- a brief list of points about each landmark
(note: reference to source will be addressed in a following module.)
 Years 5 & 6 - Module 4

Creating a Bibliography
Having completed the literature search to find information about landmarks in Hong Kong, your students
now need to create their bibliography.
Definition: A bibliography is an alphabetical list of the sources of information such as books, CD Roms,
the Internet, that you have referred to in your writing. When you use any information from other published
materials you must list them in a bibliography. This shows where you have looked for the information, and
allows the reader to look further into the subject. (Source: www.kidcyber.com.au/bibliog.html)

• Discuss the need to note your sources to acknowledge the work already done by others that has
supported your writing. Explain to the class that they need to make this standard practice as it is
otherwise considered to be ‘stealing’ other people’s ideas and work.

• Refer to www.kidcyber.com.au/bibliog.html for a full list of bibliography examples covering: books /

CD Roms / the Internet / magazines / newspapers / something from an encyclopaedia.

• Demonstrate forming an entry in a bibliography for your class:

Schreyer, K. (2006). Hong Kong Surprise! Hong Kong: SCMP Book Publishing Ltd
(Author / year of first publication / Title (underlined) / place of publication / Publisher ).

• Explain that there is a number of accepted ways in which to formulate your bibliography. This is
just one of them.

Activity: Build Your Bibliography

Work together as a class to form a bibliography for five of the books / resources used to support
your investigation into Hong Kong landmarks.
 Years 5 & 6 - Module 5

Resource Evaluation: A Focus on Books

Having spent time utilising search tools and a range of resources, this module allows for time to review the
resources for quality and appropriateness.
• Once the Hong Kong landmark information search projects are complete, have the class review
the appropriateness and quality of resources available to them in the school library.
• Demonstrate the process by evaluating a selection of books that may or may not have been used
by the class for their investigative work. Ensure the books selected provide a range of examples
for evaluation purposes.
• Have an A3 sized copy of the evaluation master on hand (available in library).
• Select the first book and introduce it to the class. Refer to the evaluation sheet categories and
visit each one in turn. Provide feedback and grade accordingly.
• Have the class assist you in evaluating a further selection of resources. When you feel they are
able to assess the value of a resource both quickly and accurately using the evaluation sheet as a
guide, set them the following task:

Activity: Resource Evaluation

- Complete a resource evaluation for each resource noted in your Hong Kong landmarks
bibliography.
- If more than one individual or group used the same resource compare evaluations and discuss.
 Years 5 & 6 - Module 6

Investigative Studies
Having worked through the previous modules your students should now be reasonably confident in using the
catalogues available to them, in locating information in resources and in developing a bibliography as they go. This
module looks to reinforce these skills. An example context is noted below, you may wish to select another context
to support your current topic study.

• Select several resources to share with the class that focus on The Great Wall of China. They may address
the past, the present or may even be about developments underway for the future.

• Share one or two aspects and allow the students time to explore the resources themselves.

• Explain to the class that collectively you may well have a very good knowledge base. Give them time to
discuss (as a class or in groups) and record the things they already know about The Great Wall of China
that others should be aware of by way of general knowledge.

• Review together to decide whether you know a lot about The Great Wall of China in the past, present and
possible future or whether you should investigate further to extend your own knowledge and perhaps share
your findings with other students and their families.

• Due to the limited time in the library suggest to the class that you work together to research The Great Wall
of China's significance in the past, present and then conject on the future.

• Formulate investigative questions together. Focus on forming questions that require more than just a ‘yes’
or ‘no’ answer. Work towards questions that will lead to extensive rather than minimal research. It may be
of value to give students some question starters such as:
- What do...?
- What will ...?
- How is ...?
- Why...?
- What might...?
- How did...?
- How do...?
- Why should...?
- What is...?
etc.

• Consider formulating one past, one present and one future question with your students. Your input here is
critical as it is essential they have question formulation modelled to them regularly to assist them in
strengthening their own question building skills.

• Work together as a class to formulate a research plan. This assists students in seeing what they are going
to do and how they are going to go about it.
 Years 5 & 6 - Module 6 cont.

Investigative Studies
• The plan may involve brainstorming the range of resources / sources available that need to be accessed in
order to gather information. Decide which students will access which resources to then report back to a
central information collection point. It may be easier to complete the investigative part of this module while
in the computer suite to allow for maximum access to all resources.

• Organise the students so that small groups of them each have responsibility for accessing specific
resources. You may need to call on the library staff to help out at this stage.

• Support your students as they access catalogues, form faxes or emails, script phone calls, search through
internet reference sites, books, magazines and articles etc.

• Each time a piece of useful information is found record it alongside the appropriate question and share the
findings with others so that they can focus on finding new information rather than that which has already
been collected by others.

• Discuss with the students the need to regularly cross reference ie: confirm or add to what they have found
out by noting another resource in our library, at our school or elsewhere to support their findings.

• Formulate a bibliography as you go. Consider having a central recording place for all sources so that the
bibliography develops as information is found.

• Review developments regularly with the class, look for ways to assist them in feeling successful about their
investigations.

• When you and the class believe you have enough information to answer your questions fully, discuss the
best way to put your findings to good use eg: large posters for the library for other classes to read, inserts
in the school newsletter, sharing via your class web page, information reports, a brief presentation at
assembly etc.

• To conclude the investigative study spend a little time as a class discussing each of the stages of the
process.
- Why was it important to discuss the things we already knew about The Great Wall of China?
- What types of questions led us to big research rather than just finding small easy answers?
- How much information is enough information?
- Which stage of the investigation was the hardest? Why?
- What things could I do in a smarter way during my next study? Etc.
 Years 5 & 6 - Module 7

Mapping and Atlas Skills

This module is designed to build on the introductory mapping and atlas skills addressed during the Year 3/4
modules. Each activity stands alone and can be covered quickly in a library session. You will require a set of
atlases or an electronic atlas for these activities.

Street Maps:
• Discuss the value of maps with your class. Ask them to come up with a list of different situations in which a
map would be of help. Eg: To locate an address in another suburb, to find another country, to find certain
places such as a school or hospital, to plan a holiday etc.

• Provide each student with a photocopy of a Central Hong Kong street map (master held on file in the
library). Discuss the layout, the grid locations and any key reference available. Ask your students what
they can locate at specific grid locations.

Points of the compass:

• Organise your students into groups and provide each group with a photocopy of a compass rose (Master
held on file in the library). Find out which of the compass points they already know. Teach them about any
they are unsure of and have them note the points on their worksheet. (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW.)

• Discuss the value of being able to indicate directions using the points on the compass. Provide each group
with atlases containing a map of the world. Ask the groups to locate Hong Kong on the map.

• Ask the students to locate a country in the world that lies in each of the directions of the compass from
Hong Kong. They may require a ruler to assist them in tracking each direction accurately.

• Ask the students to identify the directions they would travel in if travelling from Hong Kong to:
- London - New York
- Capetown - Sydney
- Singapore - Beijing

Legends and Keys:

• Explain / discuss with the class the use of a legend or key ie: it is used to represent objects on a map (eg:
a small symbol of a tree could represent a forest).

• Ask the students to use their atlas to identify the symbols used to represent these things (they could
draw each symbol if time allows):
- A city with a population over 1 000 000 people - A railway line
- A city with a population less than 1 000 000 people - A major road
- A boundary between two countries - A swamp
- A boundary within a country (eg: a state) - A mountain
- A river - An airport
- A lake
 Years 5 & 6 - Module 7 cont.

Mapping and Atlas Skills

Physical and political maps:
• Discuss: The two main types of maps found in an atlas are ‘physical’ and ‘political’ maps.

- A physical map includes all the natural objects and uses colour to show the varying height of the land
and / or depth of water.

- A political map includes the human elements, such as states, countries, cities and towns.

• Ask the class to look in an atlas and find a physical map. Have them consider when you would refer to a
physical map.

• Ask the class to look in an atlas and find a political map. Have them consider when you would refer to a
political map.

Latitude and longitude:

• Explain to your class that the grid used to divide the world is made up of lines of ‘latitude’ and ‘longitude’. A
grid coordinate of latitude combined with a grid coordinate of longitude can be used to identify any location
on Earth. (You may wish to use a smartboard and a large atlas to assist you with your explanations).

• Explain / discuss: a line of latitude is named after its distance north or south of the equator (0 degrees
latitude). Lines of latitude are parallel to each other. A line of longitude runs in a north / south direction
connecting to the North and South poles.

• Ask the students to locate lines of longitude and latitude on a map.

• Identify the equator and have your students locate countries in both the Northern and Southern
hemispheres (above or below the equator).

• Select a range of well known cities and work with the students to identify the latitude and longitude
coordinates:
- Tokyo
- New York
- London
- Shanghai
 Years 5 & 6 - Module 7 cont.

Mapping and Atlas Skills

World Geography

• Ask your students to use an atlas to locate the information on this page and place it on a blank physical
map of the world (copy master in library).

Continent Highest Points Lowest Points

Africa Mt Kilimanjaro Lake Assai

Antarctica Vinson Massif Sea level

Asia Mt Everest Dead Sea
Oceania Mt Kosciuszko Lake Eyre
Europe Mt Elbrus Caspian Sea
North America Mt McKinley Death Valley
South America Mt Aconcagua Valdes Peninsula

River Seas Oceans

Nile Arabian Sea Pacific
Amazon Mediterranean Sea Atlantic
Yangtze South China Sea Indian
Congo Carribean Sea Arctic
Amur Tasman Sea

Mississippi
Danube
 Years 5 & 6 - Module 8

Alphabetical Order: Review and Extension

This module is designed to provide a range of practise activities to strengthen students knowledge of alphabetical
order and shelving pratices in the library.

• In the fiction section of the library, the books are arranged alphabetically according to the author’s name.
ie: Surname, first name(s) or initial(s).

• Authors are arranged by surname or by other names if there is more than one author with the same
surname.

• Non - fiction books are arranged according to their Dewey number. Books with the same Dewey number
are arranged alphabetically according to their author. The first three letters of the author's surname are
placed on the spine label.

Eg: ‘Pottery for Beginners’ by K. Bryant would be shelved at:

738
BRY
Activity 1:
Arrange these authors of fiction books in alphabetical order:

- French, Anne
- Cormier, Robert
- Martin, Anne M.
- Kipling, Rudyard
- French, Simon
- Kerr, M.E.
- Rubenstein, Gillian
- Zindel, Paul
- Lowry, Lois
- Jennings, Paul
- Morpurgo, Michael
- Martin, Robert

Activity 2:
These books would all be found at 387.2 (books about ships). Complete a spine label for each book and
place them in the correct shelf order:

- Sailing Ships by Charles Brown

- Ocean Liners by P.D. Henry
- Container Ships by Mary Allen 387.2
- Hovercrafts and Ferries by David L. Zee BRO
 Years 5 & 6 - Module 9

General Knowledge and Fiction Finder Quiz

The following quizes give students the opportunity to apply their library search skills to find specific resources or
information in the library.

• Explain to the class that the activities are intended to be a fun and cooperative way to check their ability to
find books / resources / information in the library. You may wish to demonstrate a search for the first
couple of questions to model the process, or alternatively, administer the quiz as a test.

• Organise the class (individuals, pairs or small groups). Ensure students have access to the quiz questions
either by way of their own copy or via the electronic whiteboard.

Activity 1:
Fiction Finder Quiz: Find a fiction title for each of the following subjects. The title must contain a word
related to the clue. Write down the name of the author too.

- A boy's name
- A girl's name
- An animal
- A season or time of the year
- A member of the family
- The time of day
- Somewhere in space
- A city or country
- A vehicle
- An imaginary thing
- Food or drink
- A number
- A job or occupation
- A flower or plant
- An action
- A gadget or machine

Activity 2:
General knowledge quiz: Use your knowledge of the library to provide answers to these questions.

- What is jute?
- How long is the River Nile?
- What is the modern name for the country previously called Burma?
- How do peanuts grow?
- Who invented the saxophone?
- What is a fez?
- Which country has Tagalog as its official language?
 Years 5 & 6 - Module 9

General Knowledge Quiz

Activity 3:
More general knowledge: How many answers can you find in our library?

- What does Kosher mean?

- What was Lewis Carroll's real name?
- Where is the Sargasso Sea?
- Name two assassinated American presidents.
- Where does a pheasant lay her eggs?
- To what family of fish does the anchovy belong?
- Over what distance is a marathon run?
- What is the unit of currency in Thailand?
- What is a spring tide?
- What are the characteristics of mammals?
- Which country has the largest number of lakes?
- Name the two types of camel.
- How fast does light travel?
- Which nursery rhyme character was interrupted from eating her yoghurt by an arachnid?
- Where was General Custer's Last Stand?
 Years 5 & 6 - Module 10

Access It Extras - New Arrivals, Advanced Searches,

Composing Electronic Book Reviews
By this stage students should be able to navigate their way around the electronic catalogue, using the ‘fast find’ and
‘visual search’ functions with confidence. This module looks at a couple of additional features within the Access It
programme.

• Introduce the ‘New Arrivals’ section to your students. This section of the database records recent
purchases and their general information. It would be of value for students to regularly check the new
arrivals listings. To locate the new arrivals listings:

- Launch ‘Access It’

- Click on ‘New Arrivals’

• If teaching a Year six class, scan through the list with the class to see if there are any new resources in the
‘Year Six Only’ section of the library.

• Introduce the ‘Advanced Search’ function to the class. This search tool is usually only used if you are
searching for a specific edition or media release. The ‘Fast Find’ function will usually suffice.

• Discuss the value of these book reviews within an electronic catalogue with the students. They provide
you with a quick reference to specific books that may have been read by your peers. This is particularly
helpful when seeking further material written by a favourite author.

• Demonstrate the process of entering a book review onto Access It:

- Launch ‘Access It’
- Click on ‘Fast Find’
- Selct the book you would like to review by using the 'Fast Find' function
- Click on the title of the book once it appears in the search list. The information screen about the
book will appear.
- Click on the 'reviews' tab
- Click 'write review'
- Enter you name (first and last name) when prompted
- Rate you book with care and consideration
- Select the category the book falls into
- Enter your review noting: why you enjoyed or didn't enjoy the book, highlights, your thoughts on the
way it was written, use of illustrations etc.
- Complete the 'who would enjoy this' section noting: the age range you think would most enjoy
reading the book, interests the reader might have etc.
- Click 'save'
 Years 5 & 6 - Module 11

Author Study

This module gives the students opportunity to find out a little about some of the talented authors works available to
us in our library. For consistency it would be of value to apply the investigative process addressed in Module 6
when researching.

• Demonstrate the following process with the students before having them begin their own reports. Teachers
may choose to have a list of authors pre selected for this activity, alternatively they may prefer students
select an author themselves.

• Activity: select an author that you enjoy reading or that you would like to know more about. Prepare a one
page report on your chosen author including the following:

- Introduction: what you found enjoyable or interesting about the author’s writing
- Other titles written by the same author
- Listed reviews available about recent books
- Interesting facts about the author – life, motivation, challenges etc.

• Consider the best use of the resources available to you eg: Access It, The Internet etc.

• Useful web sites:

- http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/community-content-search/results?ie=UTF8&flatten=1&search-alias=rp-
listmania&query=books%20for%2010%20year%20olds

- http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/community-content-search/results?ie=UTF8&flatten=1&search-alias=rp-
istmania&query=books%20for%209%20year%20olds

- http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/jabberwocky/

• Decide on a way to publish your report so that it can be displayed in the school library to encourage others
to read works by the same author.