IS573 Curriculum Mapping

A Public Library Collection on Sharks for Young Students

By Rachel Kirkland

Purpose of Resources

• From a public library perspective, using the collection from Central Community Library in Manassas, Virginia

• Supporting a unit on sharks for an ECSE class and the Pre-K class they are mainstreamed into.

• Available to teachers and parents to reinforce unit as it is being taught in the classroom.

Special Challenges

• Selecting a variety of material for children on the autism spectrum that appropriate for not only age level, but diverse abilities.

• Because of the predatory nature of sharks, finding materials with images appropriate for younger children, especially with videos and websites.

What’s in the collection

A mix of 12 fiction and non-fiction titles

• Sharkabet by Ray Troll• Surprising Sharks by

Nicola Davies, ill. by James Croft

• Hungry, Hungry Sharks by Joanna Cole, ill. By Megan Halsey

What could be added

• Sharks and Other Dangers of the Deep by Roger Priddy

• The Shark Dictionary by Sarah Gustafson

• Into the A, B, Sea: an Ocean Alphabet by Deborah Lee Rose, ill. by Steven Jenkins

Videos

• No videos in the collection that are relevant or appropriate to this unit.

• Many videos are too intense.

• One found: Captain Jon’s Shark Safari (35 minutes, DVD, $19.95)

Web Resources

A few appropriate sites for age with parent or teacher assistance…

• Discovery.com’s Be A Shark Gamehttp://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/sharkweek/games/beashark/beashark.html• National Geographic Kids’ Creature Feature on the

Great White Sharkhttp://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/creature_feature/0206/sharks.html• Ocean of Knowhttp://www.oceanofk.org/sharks/sharks.html

The Field Trip – The National Aquarium

• www.aqua.org• Located in Baltimore’s Inner

Harbor• Teacher resources available

on website for a variety of levels

• “You can come nose-to-nose with large sharks - if you dare! Sand tiger and nurse sharks encircle visitors in this darkened 225,000 gallon exhibit.”

• A spectacular aquarium!

Images from National Aquarium website at www.aqua.org

Others Thoughts

• Because of the young age and different needs of these students, appropriate materials can be considered in different terms.

• Appropriate toys are excellent reinforcers.

Image from http://www.puffins.com/manhattoypg12.html

Thanks and Inspiration

Questions???