About Ready for Research: PreK-5

This six-week course is designed to introduce elementary and preschool teachers and library media specialists to effectively use the wealth of information resources in Utah's Online School Library (UOSL) to enrich their teaching and students' learning. The course guides participants through using the many databases of newspapers, journals, and magazines as well as encyclopedias, videos, music collections, and more. Each week participants add on to an online library resource made just for their students, as well as explore learning activities and effective research strategies that ensure students benefit from the online library resources as well.

Credit: 1 USBE or 1 SUU Credit
Course Type: Online
Course Level: Beginner
Cost: Free to Utah Educators
Endorsement Category: UEN Essentials

 Expected Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this course participants should be able to:

• Learn about Utah’s Online School Library partner's online resources available to teachers and their students by finding unique databases available at the K-12, Public, and Academic Libraries.
• Learn about Preschool Paths in how this tool can benefit our earliest users.
• Identify a variety of databases that Utah’s Online School Library offers by finding different types of content such as educational games, articles, videos, facts, photos, recipes, and music. Understand citation tools built into databases for the purpose of developing digital citizenship in teaching and learning.
• Integrate Utah’s Online School Library resources into the classroom by developing a lesson plan that includes content from at least four databases from Utah’s Online School Library.
• Increase digital literacy by finding and evaluating information resources available through Utah’s Online School Library.
• Create a resource specifically for your class to teach about Utah’s Online School Library.  Communicate and collaborate with other educators on best use practices of Utah’s Online School Library.

 Final Assessment

In this course participants will compile various resources and make a final Utah’s Online School Library resource for their own class. Participants will be able to see how to utilize Utah’s Online School Library and have the opportunity to make changes to their resources. This resource can be a website, Canvas module, digital brochure, or take a different approach with instructor approval. In the end participants will have a final product where they can start teaching their own students, families, and administration how to leverage Utah’s Online School Library.