Writing & Research Program
The Upper School Library serves as a vital link to the world of information, and supports the curricular and extracurricular information needs of students, educators and staff. Information literacy is the library’s ultimate goal and is promoted through collaboration between classroom instructors and librarians for the purpose of teaching information-seeking strategies and skills across disciplines and through the use of various informational formats. Library Science focuses on six areas that are presented to students at age and grade appropriate levels. These are:
- The characteristics of information and the information seeker
- How information is organized in a library
- How information is stored
- How libraries function
- How to search for information
- How to respect intellectual property ownership
Grades 9/10
Students are instructed in and demonstrate information skills through the use of multiple tools and formats to produce research projects in the sciences and humanities. Students brainstorm on subject and search plans, choose a subject that fits within a teacher’s specifications, formulate a research log and apply search strategies such as Boolean and natural language inquiries. Students are taught to distinguish and critique primary, secondary and other source materials.
Grades 11/12
Students refine their information skills for the purposes of preparing for collegiate level research. Students demonstrate independent research capabilities and search strategies to support, produce and defend research projects in the sciences and humanities. Instruction is provided in searching strategies, using indexes, abstracts and directories, employing Internet search engines, transmitting information via electronic protocol, interfacing with traditional and electronic databases, utilizing community resources, understanding intellectual property rights and adhering to scientific or humanities based style manuals.
