Below is an outline of a library induction session for children in the Primary 6-7 age range. A full sample induction session and materials for activities which might be used with with this age group can be accessed from the Current Documents section on the right. Additional materials will be added as they are developed.
Children will work in groups set up by the teacher beforehand. Classes from schools which have been involved in the Highland Literacy Project will be used to working in trios, where each child has a different role (Reporter, Recorder, Checker). This arrangement will work well for library activities.
Outline of induction sesion for P6-7
- Welcome and introduction
- Work in trios to pool existing knowledge of the library
- Red, Amber, Green activity to familiarise the children with the library and the different kinds of resources they will find there
- Picture quiz
- Sorting activities to introduce the children to how the library is arranged
- Story, poem or an activity such as a wordsearch or crossword
- Children have an opportunity to borrow a book if they wish before leaving
Alternative or additional activities
Dewey overview: Hand out the Dewey Overview sheet and the questions and give them 3 minutes to work through the first part of the exercise. Then give them Where’s that book for the second part of the activity. If there is time get them to look for books on some of the subjects (to minimise chaos allocate different subjects to each trio)
Dewey Pairs: a fun activity to give practice in finding things in the library
Fiction activities: Mystery book - using book jackets to gather clues from an extract; Mystery title - using blurbs to guess at or create a title; Mystery creature - listening to an extract and gathering clues to identify the creature written about.
The Bookworm Badge is a personal reading scheme for confident readers. Children have to read 3 fiction and 3 non fiction titles and complete a range of related activities before being awarded a certificate. This is an activity children could be involved in at school or at their library if their class visits regularly.
Country Theme - a series of activites based on a country theme, has been developed by staff at Dingwall Library. It includes stories,poems, music and craft activities, plus a look at the language and script if different from English.