A Book for Every Child

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to navigate the school's online library by:
Using filters to search for specific titles and authors
Using filters to search for specific genres
Using filters to search for specific online materials.

Materials needed:
-Access to eBook collection with appropriate reading material for grades 7-12.
-Computers for each student to use for their research
-A projector for demonstrating purposes (if remote lesson, Google Meet or Zoom would suffice)
-A working internet connection
-A learning management system to post the assignment (or a printed copy)
-A graphic organizer (digital if online) to record the students' research/books in which they are interested.

1.) Explain to students the importance of being able to use online library resources and how tax dollars fund libraries for our use. Explain that taxpayers can access these materials for free using library cards and that our school has its own online library. Direct students to the school's website: (school website still under construction pending funding for eBooks).
2.) Project the website for students to see what the website looks like as they go to the website on their computers.
3.) Instruct the students to think about reading material that they would be interested in looking at or reading. Introduce students to the search bar at the top of the page.
4.) Think aloud using a specific nonfiction or fiction author/topic. "If I am looking for a book by the author Stephen King, I should type Stephen King in the search engine, being sure to spell his name correctly, and then choose "author" from the drop down menu."
5.) Show students the sidebar where they can check boxes to modify their searches.
6.) Model reasons for modifying the search. "Say I want to find a new Stephen King novel. I can set the parameters to the years 2017-2021 by choosing the dates here. Then when I search, I should only see books that were published in that time period.
7.) Instruct the students to take the next 20 minutes to find 5 books that interest them. Ask them to record the search parameters they used to find each book. Then, write a short paragraph about each book, detailing why they were interested in that particular book.
8.) Circulate around the room to ensure each student is on track and finding the right information.
9.) Tell students to choose the book that most interests them and check it out.
10.) Remind students to read for 20 minutes each night for homework.