Subject search in card catalog

This lesson encourages students to engage in independent research through providing them with experience in accessing the variety of library materials available to them. This lesson is good for those schools who do not have online catalogs.

A lesson plan for grade 2 Information Skills

By Jennisen Lucas

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Related topics

• Learn more about card catalog, cooperative learning, information literacy, library skills, and research skills.

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Learning outcomes

Students will successfully use keywords to perform subject searching in the library card catalog.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

2 days

Materials/resources

• KWL charts students are creating in their classroom.
• Library Card Catalog
• Worksheets of sample cards
• Index cards labeled with prompts for the information students need to locate an item on the shelf. (Subject: keyword they are using to look in the catalog; Author of book; Title of book; Call number).
• Pencils
• Easel with chart paper or chalkboard

Activities

Lesson One3

Introducing the Card Catalog: Subject Cards (whole class)

• What: “Today we will continue learning how to use the card catalog. We have been using the card catalog to help us locate books by title. Today we will learn how to look up books if we have a subject or topic we want to read a book about.”
• Why: “Sometimes we want to read a book about something, like a season, but we don’t know the title. We can use the card catalog to locate books by subject to help us find materials to read.”
• How: Show students a copy of a sample subject catalog card (enlarged for whole class viewing. Describe for students the parts of a subject card while modeling your search.
• Example One: “I know that in the summer we have thunderstorms. I want to know more about thunderstorms, so I want to look up the subject thunderstorm. Can someone tell me what drawer I would look in to find the word thunderstorm?” Review alphabetical order from previous card catalog lesson. Proceed to verbalize search process and how to read the cards.
  “Now, I will need to remember some of this information. How can I do that?” Model how to write down the information on an index card for easy searching.
• Example Two: Model another search by asking questions of the students to lead them through the search. “Let’s try another one. What if I want to know more about snow? Where would I look? (What drawer would I look in?) Why? What do I look for when I read the cards?”
• Example Three: Show a negative example. “I want to know about snowstorms in North Carolina. Can I find a book about that?” Discuss with students how to limit information to a single subject term for card catalog searching.

Lesson Two

Guided Practice (group practice)

• What: “Now let’s practice in small groups to look up subjects in the catalog.”
• Why: “When you practice using the catalog, you can learn about the types of books available at the library, and it will become easier to find books that you will like to read.”
• How: Give each group a drawer from the catalog to work with and a worksheet with subjects from that drawer to look up. A person in the group should look for the first subject. The group will help to record on the worksheet the information about a book in that subject. Remind students to take turns so that each person in their group has a chance to locate a subject card. Teacher and Media Specialist will monitor student group progress.

Lesson Three

Using the Catalog (independent practice)

• What: “Today we will use the keywords on the KWL chart you have created in your small groups to perform subject searches for your season projects.”
• Why: When each person in a group locates a different book to use for a project, you will learn more reliable information.”
• How: Give a short refresher to answer questions about previous day’s lesson. Hand each student an index card that is labeled to look like a catalog card. Have students decide in their groups who will look up each keyword. Students will write the keyword at the top of their index card in the space for the subject. Students will then look their subject up in the card catalog to obtain the information to fill out the rest of their index card. When students have written down the information, they will seek the Media Specialist’s assistance in locating the book on the shelf. When materials have been located, the remainder of the time will be allowed for students to read their books and work in their groups.

Assessment

Students will have met the goals of the lesson by locating a relevant book in the card catalog. Assessment will be by observation.