SJSU Portfolio

Instructional Competency/Elementary

CTC Standard 13: Instructional Leader

“Each candidate demonstrates the knowledge and skill to provide leadership in the systematic design, implementation and assessment of curriculum, instruction and learning.”

The Philosophy Statement of the California Library Media Teacher Credentials Standards (1991) states clearly that among the many duties of the teacher librarian, the role of teacher is “of primary importance” (Commission, p. vii). The preeminence of this competency is shown clearly in the fact that the Teacher Librarian credential is issued as a second credential only, guaranteeing a higher level of pedagogical preparation and experience among candidates. It is very sad that the financial realities of the state have created a situation where instruction by a credentialed librarian is virtually nonexistent in elementary schools. Elementary schools in my placement district have no librarian contact or input. Ordering of materials, planning, scheduling, and supervising of students are all done by an unsupervised technician. Although some of these technicians do a good job with story time, readers’ advisory for book reports, and highlighting seasonal or thematic material, library use instruction or information literacy lessons are virtually non–existent. Some of the elementary libraries have surprisingly generous purchasing funds due to parent fundraising, but with scant knowledge of selection tools, current trends, and best practices, the various collections have no common goal or plan and widely disparate content. When I planned my time in two elementary schools, I was very anxious to practice grade–appropriate library skill and information instruction. This proved difficult as library access is tightly scheduled based on current staffing realities, but the experiences I did have reinforced my agreement with the CTC—a school librarian is a vital part of education for the 21st Century.

Evidence

    The pieces below are evidence of the lesson plan on book handling I created for Kindergarteners. The first photo shows the materials I created. The second photo shows Cristal, Emily, and Esteban using good book handling skills.

  • 1. Kindergarten Book Basics Lesson Plan
  • My Kinder Book Materials

    The next file and images show the plan and materials used for a lesson on Oral Books reports I gave to second grade classes.

  • 2. Second Grade Book Report Lesson Plan
  • Visual Aids Oral Bk Rpt