Page 56 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | Canadian and World Studies

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | Canadian and World Studies
THE ROLE OF THE SCHOOL LIBRARY IN THE CANADIAN AND WORLD STUDIES
PROGRAM
The school library program can help build and transform students’ knowledge in order to support lifelong learning in our information- and knowledge-based society. The school library program supports student success across the Canadian and world studies curriculum by encouraging students to read widely, teaching them to examine and read many forms of text for understanding and enjoyment, and helping them improve their research skills and effectively use information gathered through research.
The school library program enables students to:
• develop a love of reading for learning and for pleasure;
• acquire an understanding of the richness and diversity of texts produced in Canada and around the world;
• obtain access to programs, resources, and integrated technologies that support all curriculum areas;
• understand and value the role of public library systems as a resource for lifelong learning.
The school library program plays a key role in the development of information literacy and research skills. Teacher-librarians, where available, collaborate with classroom or content-area teachers to design, teach, and provide students with authentic information and research tasks that foster learning, including the ability to:
• access, select, gather, process, critically evaluate, create, and communicate information;
• use the information obtained to explore and investigate issues, solve problems, make decisions, build knowledge, create personal meaning, and enrich their lives;
• communicate their findings to different audiences, using a variety of formats and technologies;
• use information and research with understanding, responsibility, and imagination. In addition, teacher-librarians can work with teachers of Canadian and world studies to help students:
• develop literacy in using non-print forms, such as the Internet, CDs, DVDs, and videos, in order to access information, databases, and demonstrations relevant to Canadian and world studies;
• design questions for Canadian and world studies inquiries;
• create and produce single-medium or multimedia presentations.
Teachers of Canadian and world studies are also encouraged to collaborate with both local librarians and teacher-librarians on collecting digital, print, and visual resources
for projects (e.g., biographies and/or autobiographies of people who have contributed
to Canada; books with historical and geographic photographs and maps of Canada; culture-specific image collections; and informational videos). Librarians may also be able to assist in accessing a variety of online resources and collections (e.g., professional articles, image galleries, videos).
Teachers need to discuss with students the concept of ownership of work and the importance of copyright in all forms of media.
54