Part B – Assessment Item 1 ETL 503
Teacher librarians
are responsible for selecting resources to support the learning needs of
students, support the learning curriculum and to enhance the collection of
quality resources in the library. In
order to develop a learner centred collection of resources, a resource
selection criteria is required.
Hughes-Hassell and Mancall (2005) recommend
that the resources match learner characteristics and that the teacher-learner
context is addressed; the appropriateness, the level of detail and purpose, and
the presentation of the resource become more important than its literary
value. The selection criteria used to
select resources for the Year 2 Science Unit employed a combination of
Hughes-Hassell and Mancall’s Decision Making Model (Hughes-Hassell & Mancall, 2005, p. 34) and the Learner
Centred Selection Criteria (Hughes-Hassell &
Mancall, 2005, p. 46), with a greater focus on appropriateness and
treatment, see Table 1. All resources
chosen meet the Broad Selection Criteria as outlined by the South Australian
Department of Education and Children’s Services (2004) . The specific
curriculum guideline of an Indigenous perspective of the unit is included and
the chosen websites meet Schrock’s (2001-2009) 5 W’s of
Website Evaluation.
There is a myriad
of selection aids available to assist with the selection of excellent
resources. The selection aids I have
chosen to use include SCiS (SCiS Catalogue, 2014) , teacher and
colleague recommendation, our school library collection, the Brisbane City
Council libraries, Google (Google, 2014) and Scootle (Scootle,
2014)
– the Australian online resource-sharing network. Each resource was located for borrowing,
purchasing or viewing purposes. Most of
the resources chosen were freely available online or were inexpensive to
purchase using an online retailer.
Table 1
SELECTION
CRITERIA
|
|
General
Criteria
|
|
Addresses
Information Needs
|
Does the resource provide the information
students are looking for? Is the
content appropriate? Will the learners
be interested?
|
Matches
Learner Characteristics
|
Is the resource suitable for Year 2
students? Does the resource match
students’ learning styles, ethnic and cultural backgrounds?
Does it match the developmental learning
level of students?
|
Treatment
|
Is the style of presentation appropriate
for the subject matter and will it appeal to my learners? Will the appearance
of the resource encourage students to engage with it?
Does the resource meet
|
Accurate
|
Does the resource clearly detail its
purpose? Is the information/material
up to date and accurate? Does the
creator cite credible sources, specialists or experts?
|
Fits
Teaching Learning Context
|
Does the resource meet the educational
philosophy of the school community and support the learning curriculum? Does the resource meet the cultural needs
of the school? Does the resource
provide alternate perspectives on relevant issues?
|
Consistent
with Current Knowledge Base
|
Does the resource provide information
that is consistent with current learning?
|
Comparison
with other works
|
How might this resource be used? How does this resource compare with others
in the same genre and format on the same subject?
|
Budget
|
The school library has a considerable
number of resources available for this unit.
The Year 2 Science budget is $150:00 for the year.
|
Specific
Criteria
|
|
Website
|
Does the website meet Schrock’s 5W’s for
website evaluation?
|
Indigenous
Perspective
|
Does the resource respectfully include
the perspective of Australia’s Indigenous communities?
|
(Hughes-Hassell
and Mancall, 2005) (Schrock, 2001-2009)
Hewitt, S. (2011) Using Water. London, UK: Franklin Watts.
“Using Water” by
Sally Hewitt (2011) , is a
juvenile picture book, designed to show students how important clean water is
to humans. “Using Water” was chosen as a
“read aloud” resource whereby the teacher could show pictures and share facts
about water as one of Earth’s most valued resources.
In accordance with
the selection criteria chosen, “Using Water” matches the learning needs of Year
2 students and matches the learner characteristics of visual learning (Hughes-Hassell & Mancall, 2005). The picture book format is appropriate and in
line with the Decision–Making Model
(Hughes-Hassell & Mancall, 2005) of resource collection where the
treatment of the resource plays an important role. The picture book format provides an
opportunity for students to read independently or be read to with a high level
of interest.
The information is
current, with the publishing date of the book 2011.
Besides the
colourful, relevant photographs in the book, the global perspective of the
importance of water provides the teacher with an opportunity to introduce
global water issues as well as those issues closer to home.
Sally Hewitt is a
qualified teacher with experience in Primary Science. She is a well-known science resource
author.
“Using Water” was
located in our school library catalogue.
It is a well-used resource, as it supports the outcomes of the Australian
Curriculum Science unit selected.
Crocombe, A. (2008). Water Supply. Port Melbourne,
Victoria, Australia: Echidna.
“Water Supply” by
Angela Crocombe (2008) is an
Australian juvenile non-fiction picture book that directly addresses water
supply issues in Australia. The book
investigates ways that we can conserve water and ways of not wasting water in
our homes and in our schools. This
resource addresses the information needs of Year 2 students with appropriate
and interesting content, matching their visual learning style. Bright pictures and clearly organised, easily
understood information, engage students as they are either read to or they read
the book themselves.
“Water Supply”
provides information that is consistent with current learning and while it is
similar to other resources already in our school library, its Australian based
information makes it a more relevant resource.
This resource was
chosen through a topic search on the SCiS Catalogue (SCiS
Catalogue, 2014) . The book was then located on Google Books (Google Books, 2014) and I was
able to see a sample of the pages and the information included. At this time, the book is not available for
purchase, but can be borrowed from one of the Brisbane City Council Libraries.
NeoK12. (2009-2014). Water Cycle. Retrieved March 21st, 2014, from
NeoK12 Educational Videos, Lessons and Games for K-12 Kids:
NeoK12.com (2009-2014) is a US based
Educational video, lesson and games website for school students that guarantees
being a “kid safe” website. It is very
similar to Scootle, except it is used more as a resource rather than a
selection aid. The people at Neok12.com believe that kids learn best when they
see how things work.
This website was
chosen as a teacher resource and, with teacher demonstration, it meets the
information needs of the Year 2 students.
Neok12.com has water-cycle animations and water cycle songs that the students
in Year 2 will enjoy watching and singing along to. You are able to use some of the links on the
website for free or you can purchase an annual subscription, for $34.95, which
allows the class teacher access to a wide range of appropriate games and
puzzles. Much like Scootle (2014) , you can add
these to your own dashboard for ease of access.
As a guest, you have limited access to the resources. The water cycle
songs are catchy and the animation clearly explains the water cycle for
students in a clear, learning centred way.
This website was
recommended by a colleague, who has used animations from the site for an older
grade. The website is easy to navigate,
and passes Schrock's 5 W’s Website Evaluation (2001-2009) .
This is a resource
for the teacher to use with the students to complement their learning. This is
not a website for students to go searching for information by themselves.
Education Services Australia. (2014, January 28). Water as
a Resource. Retrieved March 21st, 2014, from www.scootle.edu.au: www.scootle.edu.au/ed/pin/BGBEEE?userid=85763
“Water as a
Resource” (Education
Services Australia, 2014) is a learning path created using
Scootle (Scootle, 2014) .
Scootle is a
national professional learning network that connects teachers throughout
Australia. Scootle contains more than
7000 items of digital curriculum from the Le@rning Federation, a Federal
Government education initiative.
“Water as a
Resource” combines a series of water management activities from around the home
for students to complete and an animation for students to view.
The activities
selected in the learning path address the learning needs of Year 2. The students are interested in water usage
around the home, around their school and enjoy learning information that is
directly related to them. Web-based
activities match the learner characteristics of students in Year 2 and the
premise of each of the included games matches the current knowledge base of the
Year 2 students. The appearance of the resource and the style in which the
games are presented, appeal to Year 2 students.
The games have audio instructions; allowing for some differentiation and
for students to work independently.
Scootle is an
excellent selection aid where teachers can locate suitable resources for their chosen
curriculum unit. It is user friendly and
allows the teacher to share their ideas and learning paths with students as
well as other Scootle users. One of the
downsides to using Scootle is that it takes time to go through the resources
and evaluate and choose appropriate, accurate and relevant resources. One of the big upsides is, that once students
are given their learning path pin number, they can complete learning activities
independently.
Cole, J. (2000). The Magic School Bus - Wet All Over.
(Scholastic, Producer) Retrieved March 21st, 2014, from You Tube:
The Magic School
Bus (Cole, 2000) is an award
winning book and animated children’s science-based television series. “Wet All Over” (Cole, 2000) meets the information
needs of Year 2 through a visual learning experience and it is presented in a
way that will appeal to young learners.
Students are invited to “hop aboard with Ms. Friz” (Cole, 2000; YouTube,
2014)
and her class to go on an excursion to a seemingly impossible location. The beginning of this episode sees everyone aboard
the magic school bus jump into a water droplet to begin his or her journey.
The Magic School Bus matches the developmental
and learner characteristics of Year 2 where students are curious about the
world around them and how things work.
The animated presentation of the series is engaging and
informative. As the series is science
based, there is a certain level of accuracy and creativity combined to keep
students interested. Presenting
scientific facts to students in this form stimulates their learning and
students are highly likely to be able to recall the information presented at a
later date. The Magic School Bus is
supported by a picture book and there are activity sheets that can be accessed
online. This resource was located using
SCiS (2014) with water
conservation and video recordings as the search terms and search filter. SCiS (2014) is user
friendly, but there is not enough information on the website about the resources,
particularly older ones although there are links to the side of the page where
further information can be found. “Wet
All Over” was located on YouTube (YouTube, 2014) for viewing and is held at the
Brisbane City Council for borrowing.
Resource 6
Department of Natural Resources and Mines. (2013, March). Water:
Learn it for Life! Retrieved March 23, 2014, from Queensland Government: www.nrm.qld.gov.au/waterwise/education
The Queensland
Government Department of Natural Resources and Mines (2013) , has
developed a water conservation teaching resource for primary schools.
The Year 2 Unit is
called “Water: Learn it For Life - The Wonder of Water” (Department of
Natural Resources and Mines, 2013) . This particular resource is a whole unit of
work that is directly aligned with the Australian Curriculum. It can be
followed lesson by lesson over a term or, parts of the unit can be used to
complement an already existing unit of work.
“Water: Learn it for Life” (2013) is a teaching
resource that provides hands on activities and experiments for students to actively
participate in and discover the information they are looking for. Year 2 students enthusiastically participate
in hands on activities, matching their developmental hands on learning
style. “Water: Learn it for Life” is
clearly organised and will appeal to teachers looking for practical
activities. This resource also fits the
teaching – learning context and is consistent with the current knowledge base.
Compared to other similar resources, “Water: Learn it for Life” is exceptional
because it incorporates an Indigenous perspective and investigates the water
issues affecting Australian, and particularly Queensland, farmers. Because I was searching for Queensland
specific resources, Google (Google, 2014) was chosen as the selection
aid. The search the term used was “water conservation for kids
Queensland”. It was easy to find
location specific resources using Google and including ‘kids’ in the search
terms assisted in locating appropriate and relevant results.
Resource 7
Oxfam. (n.d.). Oxfam Education Water For All.
Retrieved March 22, 2014, from Oxfam Education: www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources/water_for_all
“Water For All” (Oxfam, 2014) is a website
that provides users with a global perspective of water in the world and the
value of water around the globe. This
website is a teacher resource that the classroom teacher can use to show
students what is happening around the world in regard to water. The content of
the website is too old for Year 2 students to use independently, however, with
the guidance of the classroom teacher, there are some excellent concepts that
Year 2 can explore and fantastic thought provoking photographs to view. The website meets the learner characteristics
of Year 2 students who are open to new ideas and technology. The information is accurate, and the website
is updated regularly by Oxfam. The
website has too much information on its Home Page, therefore requiring an adult
to help Year 2 navigate. “Water for All”
meets Schrock’s (2001-2009) 5 W’s of
Website Evaluation, satisfying the who, what, when, where and why. See Table 2.
The website was
found using SCiS (SCiS
Catalogue, 2014) . The SCiS catalogue worked well for this
resource. One of the positives of the
SCiS catalogue is the use of the icons on the left side of the catalogued
resources, which highlights the variety of resources available on the
catalogue.
Table 2 (Schrock, 2001-2009
5 W’s of Website Evaluation
| |
Who
| Who wrote the pages and are they an expert? Is a biography of the author included? How can I find out more about the author? |
What
| What does the author say is the purpose of the site? What else might the author have in mind for the site? What makes the site easy to use? What information is included and does this information differ from other sites? |
When
| When was the site created? When was the site last updated? |
Where
| Where does the information come from? Where can I look to find out more about the sponsor of the site? |
Why
| Why is this information useful for my purpose? Why should I use this information? Why is this page better than another? |
Resource 8
Australian Academy of Science. (2012). Water Works.
Canberra, ACT, Australia: Australian Academy of Science.
Primary
Connections (Australian Academy of Science,
2013)
is a program developed by the Australian Academy of Science, linking the
teaching of science to the teaching of literacy in primary schools. The program provides teaching units with
exemplary teaching resources that are linked to the Australian Curriculum (ACARA, 2010) .
“Water Works” (Australian Academy of Science,
2012)
is the name of the Primary Connections Year 2 Science unit. This unit of work addresses the learning
needs of the Year 2 students, providing stimulating activities and excellent
supporting resources to teach students about water usage in our world. It fits the teacher learner context, is
consistent with the current knowledge base of Year 2 students and with its
availability on Scootle (Scootle, 2014) , falls well
within the Year 2 science resource budget.
The advantage of using this unit as a resource is that it presents an
Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander perspective of water and its uses in
Indigenous cultures, fulfilling the requirements of the Australian Curriculum.
The Primary
Connections program is usually a whole-school approach to teaching science and
literacy. There are professional
development opportunities for teachers to participate in to build teacher
confidence and to improve student-learning outcomes (Australian
Academy of Science, 2013) .
“Water Works” (2012) is an
outstanding teacher resource with excellent activities for students to
participate in. The activities and
experiments will engage and excite Year 2 learners, encouraging them to become
critical thinkers and confident participants.
The program as a
whole is available for purchase, as are individual units. Individual units are also available in their
entirety on Scootle (2014) , which is
free.
Resource 9
Roennfeldt, R. (1980). Tiddalick The Frog Who Caused A
Flood. Ringwood, Victoria, Australia: Picture Puffin.
“Tiddalick, the
big green frog, spends all day, sitting on a log…” (Maddern,
1982)
“Tiddalick” (Roennfeldt, 1980) has been a
staple in Australian school libraries for many years and for more than 30
years, Australian school children have been singing about “Tiddalick” as well.
“Tiddalick” is an
Aboriginal legend that explores the Indigenous explanation of drought and flood
and how important water is for our survival through a Dreamtime story. Tiddalick is highly appropriate for students
in Year 2. It is a juvenile picture book
providing opportunities for the teacher to read aloud to the students, matching
the visual learning characteristics of the students in Year 2. Reading “Tiddalick” will also promote
discussion about drought and its effects on our land and, provide an
opportunity for students to look at the book during independent reading times
throughout the school day. “Tiddalick” (1980) fulfills the
inclusive educational philosophy of our school, providing an Indigenous
perspective and encouraging students to engage in a story telling
experience. “Tiddalick” was found using
our school library catalogue and it includes a large format picture book as
well. There are also animated versions
of the story to view on YouTube (YouTube, 2014) .
Resource 10
Strauss, R.
(2007). One Well. Sydney, NSW,
Australia: ABC Books
“One Well” (Strauss, 2007) is the story
of water on earth. The author provides
an outstanding description of the water cycle, explaining that there has always
been the same amount of water on earth and that the water we use today has been
recycled over millions of years. Through
captivating illustrations and engaging information, this resource addresses the
learning needs of Year 2, informing them that the world needs water if we are
going to survive. As the population on
earth increases, water will become an increasingly important global issue and
the information included in the book is accurate and it continues
highlighting the message of water saving and water conservation. “One Well” supports the Australian Curriculum (ACARA, 2010) through its
content and by encouraging students to become critical and creative thinkers.
The Librarian at
our City Council Library recommended “One Well” as an exceptional resource. She has an excellent working knowledge of the
resources available in the library and their popularity with borrowers. She is an excellent selection aid, as in this
case; she has a thorough knowledge of the resources available in the
library. “One Well” is available for borrowing
through the library and for easy purchase through a variety of online
bookstores as well as through educational catalogues.
References
· ACARA.
(2010). The Australian Curriculum. Retrieved March 20, 2014,
from The
Australian Curriculum: www.australiancurriculum.edu.au
· Australian
Academy of Science. (2013). Primary Connections/about.
Retrieved
March 23rd, 2014, from Primary Connections: www.primaryconnections.org
· Australian
Academy of Science. (2012). Water Works. Canberra, ACT,
Australia:
Australian Academy of Science.
· Cole,
J. (2000). The Magic School Bus - Wet All Over. (Scholastic, Producer)
Retrieved
March 21st, 2014, from You Tube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqzC6PIz6FQ
· Crocombe,
A. (2008). Water Supply. Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia:
Echidna.
· Department
of Education and Children's Services. Government of South
Australia.
(2004). Choosing and using teaching and learning materials. Guidelines for
preschools and schools. Retrieved March 30, 2014, from Government of South
Australia: www.decd.sa.gov.au/policy/files/links/choose_use_booklet_FA.pdf
· Department
of Natural Resources and Mines. (2013, March). Water: Learn
it
for Life! Retrieved March 23, 2014, from Queensland Government: www.nrm.qld.gov.au/waterwise/education
· Education
Services Australia. (2014, January 28). Water as a Resource.
Retrieved
March 21st, 2014, from www.scootle.edu.au: www.scootle.edu.au/ed/pin/BGBEEE?userid=85763
· Google
Books. (2014). Google Books. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from
· Google.
(2014). Google. Retrieved 2014, from www.google.com.au
· Hewitt,
S. (2011). Using Water. London, UK: Franklin Watts.
· Hughes-Hassell,
S. and Mancall, J. (2005). Collection Managementfor
Youth:
Responding to the Needs of Learners. ALA Editions.
· Maddern,
E. (1982). Tiddalick. Adnyamathanha Song Book . Port Augusta,
SA,
Australia.
· NeoK12.
(2009-2014). Water Cycle. Retrieved March 21st, 2014, from
NeoK12
Educational Videos, Lessons and Games for K-12 Kids: www.NeoK12.com
· Oxfam.
(2014). Oxfam Education Water For All. Retrieved March 22, 2014,
from Oxfam
Education: www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources/water_for_all
· Roennfeldt,
R. (1980). Tiddalick The Frog Who Caused A Flood. Ringwood,
Victoria,
Australia: Picture Puffin.
· Schrock,
K. (2001-2009, October 7). Information Literacy Resources.
Retrieved
March 23, 2014, from Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything: www.schrockguide.net/information-literacy.html
· SCiS
Catalogue. (2014). SCiSWeb. Retrieved March 21, 2014, from Schools
Catalogue
Information Service: www.scis.curriculum.edu.au/scisweb/orders/php
· Scootle.
(2014). Scootle. Retrieved from www.scootle.edu.au
· Strauss,
R. (2007). One Well. Sydney, NSW, Australia: ABC Books.
· YouTube.
(2014). Retrieved March 25, 2014, from YouTube:
· YouTube.
(2014). Tiddalik. Retrieved March 26, 2014, from YouTube:
· YouTube.
(2014). What Made Tiddalik Laugh. Retrieved March 26, 2014,
from
YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3TkE0Ke15M
