Practicum Week 2

Sarah F
Practicum Analysis
Week 2
September 28- October 2, 2009

Day 3

Database instruction was the main objective on day 3. The Head Librarian taught the first session of freshman English students while I observed and took notes. The students seemed to be very receptive to the lesson and listened attentively while she instructed them. The second group of students was an advanced freshman English class. I began my instruction with a brief overview of the library catalog, and then proceeded into a discussion on various available databases including Novelist Plus. One of the main points of the lesson was demonstrating to the students that information they find on the internet is not always true. This was presented to the students by showing them fake web sites and comparing the information with reliable database articles. The final class that I taught was a basic freshman English class of 25-30 students. The class itinerary was the same as the advanced class but the students had a difficult time deciphering the fake web sites and finding their way around the databases. The experience provided me with an understanding of the library catalog, databases offered, and the students’ understanding of the library’s computer resources.

Day 4

Day 4 began by meeting with a teacher who teaches the Child Care Careers class at the high school. Her students are learning to choose and read books to preschoolers and grade school aged children. On Tuesday I will be going to her classroom to present a program and demonstration to teach the students how to plan a Books and Babies or Story Time session. An October birthday display was assembled and books were chosen to correspond with the poster hanging near the display area. Other assorted events happened including a fire drill, looking through new books that were purchased recently and meeting with an administrator to discuss what I was learning and teaching the students. The final event for day 4 was meeting with a Social Studies instructor to begin planning for the Veterans’ Day Project at the school. This year the theme for Veterans’ Day will be families. Books will be placed in the library display case to reflect this topic and other plans are being implemented.