Computer & Library

Our computer lab is located in the library building. It has 11 networked workstations for student use. All students receive weekly computer instruction, and all grades and subject areas are welcome to use the lab for additional studies.

Pre-Kindergarten
The program is designed to help students see computers as familiar learning and working tools. The students become familiar with terms such as computer, mouse, mouse pad, keyboard, click, double click, and enter, and learn to open and navigate through programs on their own. The emphasis at this level is on graphic-oriented programs, allowing students to practice their motor skills while becoming comfortable using a mouse and keyboard.

Kindergarten
The program continues to provide students with opportunities to use computer hardware and software to enhance their learning. Students locate specific alphabet keys on the keyboard, and type their first names on their work. They continue to work on their mouse skills, selecting buttons and objects to change the appearance of their designs. Experimentation is encouraged as graphics programs are explored more fully.

1st Grade
Students become more familiar with navigation tools, sending their work to the printer, opening new pages, and exiting programs. They begin to type simple sentences in different programs, using the Shift key to capitalize letters and the space bar to properly space between words. The first graders work with a variety of programs that reinforce their language arts and math skills, and page design is emphasized as students work to make their computer-created designs match their intended results.

2nd Grade
Students continue to expand their knowledge of the keyboard, backspacing, deleting, and adding lines while typing. Students learn to save their work to a hard drive and re-open it in later classes. More use is made of programs that involve reading skills as well as computer skills, and students use encyclopedias on CD-ROM and the Internet to conduct research.

3rd Grade
The students continue to expand their knowledge of computer operations and software. They write and illustrate stories, create brochures for class presentations, work with two open programs simultaneously, and learn to save their work to both floppy disks and network drives for later editing. Text and images are copied and pasted between programs, and the Internet continues to be explored as a source for information and graphics.

4th Grade
Students navigate through a variety of programs independently, compare different Internet search engines, format and edit text, scan images, copy and paste images from other sources, and create simple PowerPoint presentations. Basic troubleshooting techniques are taught, as well as ways of modifying desktop appearances, mouse controls, and sounds. Keyboarding practice begins as students learn to use proper hand positions and to memorize keys’ positions on the keyboard.

5th Grade
Students continue to practice keyboarding and file management skills and now begin to work with spreadsheets as well. They regularly use non-print sources to locate information, copy, paste and multi-task on their own, and use their knowledge of software programs’ generic similarities to explore, navigate and use new and unfamiliar software packages.

The students also have the use of personal iPads throughout the year. The iPads are given to the students toward the end of their 4th grade year. They take them home to use over the summer, then use them as a normal part of their school day throughout their senior year. The school allows students to lease their iPads and return them at the end of the year, lease them to own by the end of their 5th grade year, or to bring their own iPad to use in class.

The students use the iPads as a normal part of their academic day, taking notes, writing reports, doing research, and creating presentations, as well as learning essential computer use and maintenance skills. They use the desktop pc's in the computer lab as well, thus becoming technologically savvy about both kinds of devices.

The Rogers-Wilbur Library was completed in 1992 and houses the school's library and computer lab. The library collection totals approximately 4000 items. Students have a regularly scheduled library class each week and are encouraged to visit the library at other times as well.

The library is proud to include the Bill Burton Chesapeake Bay Research Area. This area includes a collection of books donated to the school by Bill Burton, the grandfather of one of the school's students and a renowned outdoor columnist. Mr. Burton wrote for many publications including The Capital and The Bay Weekly, and was a frequent visitor to the school and a strong supporter of its environmental studies program. He donated his extensive library of nature books and materials to the school for our students and teachers to use. In his own words, "if opening just one page of one of my books causes one kid to get excited about the outdoors, I will have done something important." Thank you, Mr. Burton.

Pre-Kindergarten
The Library program for is designed to provide a rich, stimulating environment that promotes an appreciation for literature and a life-long love of reading. We stress exploration of traditional literature (folk and fairy tales, nursery rhymes) and award-winning books, awareness of parts of and care of books, the location of and difference between fiction and nonfiction.

Kindergarten
The program continues to promote each student’s love of reading and encourages an appreciation of the many resources that a library has to offer. Library skills for students include an awareness of subject grouping of nonfiction, familiarity with the terms author, title, and illustrator, and continued exposure to a variety of literature genres.

1st Grade
Students begin to understand that fiction books are shelved by author while non-fiction materials are shelved by subject. While encouraging a life-long love of reading, students learn to select books appropriate for their personal reading levels and to select books that meet personal interests. As a class, we examine a variety of illustration styles and continue to learn about a variety of authors and illustrators.

The students also participate in the Chessie Reading Program, a program designed to encourage them to read beginning chapter books.

2nd Grade
Students practice alphabetical order and use it to find library materials and information easily. We also investigate the location of fiction materials and biographies and practice dictionary skills. The students begin to use the catalog to search for materials by author, title, and subject and to then find the desired materials on the shelf. The Chessie Reading Program is again open to students, helping them to bridge the gap between picture books and the more difficult fiction materials they will read in the upper grades.

3rd Grade
Student use of the Library catalog is reinforced, as students search by author, title, and subject. The students begin to use encyclopedias, locate information using tables of contents and indices, and discuss folk tales, myths, and award winning books. The program continues to promote an appreciation for literature and a life-long love of reading.

4th Grade
There is a greater emphasis on reference sources, as students use encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, and the Internet to search for information. The students continue to practice using the catalog to locate materials, and the 10 main classes of the Dewey Decimal System are explored. Book talks are given regularly to introduce the students to adventure, mystery, fantasy, realistic, historic, and science fiction titles, and reading of all kinds is encouraged.

5th Grade
The students review and use multiple informational sources, recognize and communicate specific information needs, choose sources and locate information to meet those needs, skim for information, and are introduced to the arrangement of certain Dewey Decimal subclasses. The Internet is used to find information, and students learn to evaluate websites and their authority. Book talks continue to be used often to promote interest in books and a lifelong love of reading.

TOP