Classroom visits at your school
Did you know that our librarians visit children in their classrooms? These classroom visits promote the joy of reading and inform students of the various services the library has to offer. We have three different types of visits to meet the needs of specific age groups.
Kindergarten Outreach
This program began in 2002 and offers classroom visits across the city by a library staff member who will leave the children eager to visit their local branch with their families. The visit highlights what library staff do and kids receive an information package.
These packages welcome paren'ts to the library, encourage them to get a library card for their child, provide suggestions for reading with their child, and stress the importance of family literacy.
Since 2006 all materials and programming for Kindergarten Outreach contain early literacy messages under the Ready for Reading brand. Since 2006, library staff have visited over 40,000 kindergarten children each year. Kindergarten Outreach gets library cards into the hands of children and their families while helping to encourage an enjoyment of reading.
Grade 4 Outreach
Research shows that children begin reading for pleasure less in Grade 4. This is a key stage in a child’s reading development and it is important for the library to reconnect with children to emphasize the joy of reading.
Every year all branches offer Grade 4 Outreach for schools in their neighbourhood. The Grade 4 Outreach campaign was initiated in 2009 to encourage Grade 4 students to become excited about reading and obtain a library card. During this campaign, staff visit approximately 23,000 Grade 4 students either at the library or at schools, each year. New in 2014, packages called Operation Super Sleuth were created to help encourage children to visit the library and have fun. Kids receive a package and are asked to complete a series of “missions” printed on collector cards. The missions can only be solved by going into a library branch, where they receive rewards and learn more about the library’s resources and services.
High School Outreach
Our Outreach Librarians meet with classes in school computer labs, or local libraries, for sessions that offer an introduction to Toronto Public Library’s electronic resources. Sessions include
- Finding online information, beyond Google and Wikipedia
- A discussion on peer-reviewed journals and academic integrity
- Live demos on downloading e-books, e music, e-movies and e magazines using the latest Apps: Overdrive, Hoopla & Zinio
- Information about community service hours & jobs at the library
Library staff create customized presentations for students in grades 8-12.
To inquire further about any of our classroom visits please speak to staff at your local branch.
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