A library visit

Procedure:

Most libraries are happy to receive classes and to introduce them to the library systems. Many libraries, most of all the larger ones, hold titles in various languages to lend.
The trip to the library should become a habit for all students. In the library they should find those reading choices that really are of interest to them. This could entail very different topics, such as cookbooks, magazines about football, love stories or comics. There are often computers available in the libraries, which can be used to search for texts in the native language.

Remarks:

For additional information about intercultural libraries and school libraries with expanded multilingual collections, see chapter 4d in the introduction. The multilingual expansion of a school’s internal library is an optimal project of cooperation between HLT instructors and regular classroom teachers; see also chapter 4c.
It would be best if the library visit could indeed take place in a multilingual or intercultural library, where students can also find books in their own language. Even if that is not possible, the library visit should not be waived, particulary since it may open doors to an entirely new world and wealth of information for students from educationally disadvantaged families. Moreover, the libraries always have reference works, etc., that are valuable for HLT as well.
Before the library visit, it is useful to check with the regular classroom instructors about the extent of the students’ introduction to and use of the libraries and what could perhaps be done to deepen their understanding.
Prior to the library visit, it is important to register and establish contact with the employees. It may be possible that a library prepares or even especially orders a selection of books in the native language of the students. It is equally important to clarify the circulation conditions prior to the visit. In many communities the borrowing of library resources is free for students
If possible, each and every student should borrow a book. In subsequent classes they should be given the opportunity to briefly present it to the other students in the class.

Checking out books at institutions like “Bibliomedia”

Book domino

Goal: Students visit a library (if possible a multilingual library) and thus experience there the extent and variety of the library collections. They learn about the holdings, titles and the library’s structure, and inform themselves about the circulation conditions. They should also perceive the library as a place of learning, i. e., as a focal point for obtaining information about specific themes.

Topic Information

45 - 90 minutes

1st – 3rd grade 4th – 6th grade 7th – 9th grade

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Explanations, abbreviations
First language	Also mother tongue or family language: the first language a child has learned and speaks at home. Some children have two first languages.
School language	The language that is spoken in the schools of the host country. In addition, the local dialect may count as an environment language.
Abbreviations	S: Student T: Teacher (instructor)

Legend for indications referencing organizational form, class, time requirements concerning teaching proposals:
	IW = Individual Work
	WP = Working with a partner
	SG = Small Groups
	WC = Whole Class
2nd – 4th grade	Suitable for... to... (e.g. 2nd – 4th grade). Keeping in mind that this designation may vary according to the requirements of the individual students.
20 minutes	Approximate time requirement, e.g. 20 minutes. (Estimated time varies, must be determined by the instructor according to the level and the requirements of the class).

4. A library visit

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