For Teachers
Services We Provide
Resources to support you are just a click or step away. Pike librarians provide expert literature advice and nuanced partnership in curriculum guidance, especially in the realm of research and inquiry projects. Our teacher nook, known as the Hideaway, offers a quiet individual or small group workspace, an educator book collection, and a welcome cup of coffee or tea.
LITERATURE EXPERTISE
We co-plan with you to create meaningful literature connections and learning opportunities for you and your students, such as "book tastings" (pictured above), book talks, genre explorations, and more. We also provide individualized recommendations for read-alouds and classroom novel studies.
Lit Kits
Want to try out literature circles or book groups and need multiple copies? The library has a curated collection of award-winning titles that are relevant for grades 4 and up. Featured titles: It Wasn't Me by Dana Alison Levy, Before the Sword by Grace Lin, and Stamped by Jason Reynolds.
RESEARCH AND INQUIRY PROJECTS
Collaborative planning and co-teaching is at the heart of supporting student researchers. We create Resource Guides that include databases as well as curated web sites.
THE STRIPLING MODEL OF INQUIRY
This is our recommended research framework, which centers the role of questioning.
BIBLIOGRAPHIES
We believe in the importance of developing ethical creators and users of information. Our approach begins with encouraging teachers to model and describe source attribution for text and images in their own presentation materials. When engaged in individual research, students in grades 2 - 5 use customized print templates that increase in complexity. Starting in grade 6, students transition to the NoodleTools digital note-taking and citation platform.
Library Databases Overview
Students access databases from the library's databases page or their classroom iPad's Library folder.
CultureGrams
Extensive information, videos, interviews, and statistics about countries, Canadian provinces, and U.S. states. A password is needed for home access (available in the Library Information Shared Google Drive folder or on the passkey page).
Kids Discover
The online, interactive version of Kids Discover magazine provides information on many academic topics. Great for casual browsing and research - use the very cool Discover Map to explore topics like technology and space science. Content can be read in multiple languages. A password is needed for home access (available in the Library Information Shared Google Drive folder or on the passkey page).
State-Provided Databases
Through Pike's membership in the Massachusetts Library System, we provide a comprehensive suite of databases, many of which integrate with Google Classroom. Click here for access. Publishers and topics include:
- The Boston Globe article archives
- The New York Times article archives
- Encyclopedia Britannica (4 reading levels, Spanish)
- PebbleGo biography and animal modules
- U.S. and world history
- Global issues
- Biographies
- Interactive science
- Arts and literature
- Health and wellness issues
- Gender and diversity studies
VIDEO USE: Faculty and staff have access to the Swank video streaming platform via their Google credentials.
Pike’s Swank license covers:
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Teachers showing Swank library titles in face-to-face instruction.
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Teachers assigning segments of titles via Google Classroom.
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All employees showing titles in non-instructional settings e.g. recess, movie nights.
Under Section 110 of the Copyright Act, teachers may also show legally obtained copies of recorded material (e.g. purchased DVDs) in face-to-face instruction. Teachers may not duplicate or link these materials.
Showing content from a personal streaming service is a violation of the individual’s Terms of Use agreement with the service provider, and is not protected by Section 110 or by the Fair Use Exemption.
