Students come to the library/media space during their ELA or social studies class times.  During the short ELA class visits, students will have an orientation regarding the library set up and access.  Access to the library includes the Destiny Discover catalog system (logging in, keyword searches, call numbers, placing book holds, and managing their personal account), FactCite and Gale in Context: Middle School (academic research databases), and the SORA database where students will have access to eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines (including a magazine Scavenger Hunt).  Students are also taught how to manage their SORA account.  Book circulation is always part of the ELA visits.  The PMS Library LibGuide is linked here.  

Once students have learned how to access the library/media space, students participate in different reading activities.  They include book talks, genre exploration, author highlights and a research project.  Students are also introduced to book promotions/programs.  The three that are prominently reviewed annually are the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award, the Rhode Island Festival of Children’s Books and Authors and the ALA Youth Media Award winners.  The RI Public Libraries Summer Reading Program is also promoted at the end of the year.

Other activities of interest are interactive book displays, March Madness with Books, the ISpy bulletin board, and a variety of jigsaw puzzles throughout the year.

When students come to the library/media space during social studies class, they will learn about Digital Citizenship using Common Sense Education.  The topics studied include:  Clickbait; What is Cyberbullying; Digital Friendships; Gender Stereotype.