Take a (Nonfiction) Walk

Introducing students to research is one of the best parts of being a school librarian.  They get to learn how to navigate the information universe and teach themselves about the things that interest them.  But where to start?  Building a strong research foundation is crucial for students, especially in a world where you can find information (real or not) anywhere.  And just because a student has the right book or database doesn't mean they know how to use it for fact-finding.

Research is best introduced in stages.  The first stage to the research process isn't reading or note-taking--it's finding information.  Knowing how to locate the right resources is one of the most important skills you can teach.  It empowers students to be independent learners. 

I start with teaching students how to use the library.  This is something I do with 2nd grade; 2nd graders know the basics of how the library is set up, but they haven't yet discovered its full potential.  Teaching them to use online sources and databases is also important, but I think nothing beats an exploration of the actual library, or as I call it, a nonfiction walk.  A nonfiction walk is hands-on, where the kids get to move around and discover some really cool books.  It's a sort of scavenger hunt, but instead of giving students topics to find, let them find their own interests.  It's much more exciting and allows them to find the sections they'll return to.

Want to do your own nonfiction walk?  Here's how.

1. Plan!  Before you start, LABEL the nonfiction section.  Make sure you have signs for each Dewey section, and for lots of the subsections as well.  You don't need to label every single subtopic, but this is crucial to making the library friendly and navigable to kids (and teachers).  I use word labels and picture labels for friends who aren't as strong of readers.  There are lots of freebies online (check out TPT) for this if you don't want to make your own!

Make kid-friendly Dewey guides to hang up.  Kids don't need to memorize the system, but they'll love knowing how it works and how to use it.  Post them throughout the nonfiction section.  This is mine, based off this design:

2. If your library is set up for it, sit your class down in the nonfiction section.  I like to remind them that the fiction section is alphabetical by author, and then let them guess how the nonfiction is organized.  Once we've made a few guesses, I explain that nonfiction books are organized by subject, under a cool system called the Dewey Decimal System.  The whole section goes in order, 000-999, and every section has a number!  I point out a few sections to the kids and make sure they know about spine labels. 

3. Point out all of your signage.  Kids like knowing that they don't have to memorize everything and that the nonfiction section is very user-friendly.  Indicate the different kinds of signage you have and what students should look for.

4. Give each student a Nonfiction Walk worksheet, a pencil, and a clipboard (kids love clipboards).  They'll write down 5 nonfiction subjects they're interested in.

 

5. Once they've written down their subjects, let them explore!  When they find a book in the category they're looking for, they'll write down the call number on their worksheet.

That's it!

A few watches/tips:

• Encourage students to think broadly when they're writing down topics.  If someone writes down five different marine animals, they're not going to be exploring much.
• Kids will inevitably need help, but guide them back to the signage to find what they're looking for.  Once it clicks, they'll feel empowered.
• When modeling the activity, I explain that they don't have to pull the entire book off the shelf to write down the call number.  They can just look at the spine, or slide it out partway if needed.  Otherwise you might end up with a lot of books dropped in random places (I learned this one the hard way). 
• Some of my students wrote down really specific subjects.  One was upset because he couldn't find a book on piranhas--turns out, we didn't have one.  But he had found all the books on fish!  It's okay not to have books on every single subject.  Encourage students to find something similar, and provide suggestions when needed.
• I'm fortunate that my teachers stay with their classes during their library time.  Having another adult is so helpful when you have 20+ 7-year-olds all looking for something different, but don't panic if it's just you and there's a little chaos.  If not everyone grasps it right away, there will be plenty more opportunity to practice.
• If your teachers don't stay, let them know what skills you're working on in the library.  They'll be glad you're building research skills that they can connect to in class.
• I do this lesson in conjunction with when the classes are starting their research projects.  Starting it a week or two earlier than the classroom teacher gives students a boost and saves the teacher some of the work of explaining research basics.

Nonfiction walks are simple to do and highly effective for students.  Nothing beats watching that magic moment when something clicks, and they realize they be independent library users.