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Information Literacy Lesson Plan Lesley Metts

FRIT 7136 Dr. Judi Repman Fall 2010 Pathfinder URL http://mettsbookmakingbooks.pbworks.com/w/page/32545283/FrontPage

Metts 2 Is this reliable? Title of Lesson Curriculum Language Arts Area

Grade Level Time Frame

9th Grade 3 45 minute class periods

Overview of Reliable Source Unit

This unit is designed for a 9th grade Language Arts class. The students are working through the research paper process throughout the unit to write a three to five page paper about the different levels of education. The school is in a small, rural town, so the teacher wants to highlight the benefits of continuing education, while simultaneously teaching them how to write a research paper. Students will focus on the income and lifestyle of a high school dropout, high school graduate, person with an associates degree, and person with a bachelors degree. Before coming to the media center, the classroom teacher has worked with the students about choosing a topic that is not too broad, creating a works cited page according to MLA format, and addressed the issue of plagiarism with them. After talking with the teacher, the media specialists role in this process will be to teach students how to find reliable and unreliable sources and how to find relevant information for their papers. Finding reliable sources is a must when writing any research paper, and I will also bring attention to why it is important in their everyday livee. After some practice with finding relevant, reliable sources, students will actually begin finding resources for their research papers as part of this lesson.

Stage 1 Desired Results

Content Standards: Information Literacy Standards for Lesson:
1.1.4 Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions. 1.1.5 Evaluate information found in selected sources on the basis of accuracy, validity, appropriateness for needs, importance, and social and cultural context. 1.2.4 Maintain a critical stance by questioning the validity and accuracy of all information.

9th Grade GPS Standards for Unit:

ELA9W3 The student uses research and technology to support writing. The student 1 a. Formulates clear research questions and utilizes appropriate research venues (i.e., library, electronic media, personal interview, survey) to locate and incorporate evidence from primary and secondary sources. 2 b. Uses supporting evidence from multiple sources to develop the main ideas within the body of an essay, composition, or technical document. 3 c. Synthesizes information from multiple sources and identifies complexities and discrepancies in the information and the different perspectives found in each medium (i.e., almanacs, microfiche, news sources, in-depth field studies, speeches, journals, or technical documents). 4 d. Integrates quotations and citations into a written text while maintaining the flow of ideas. 5 e. Uses appropriate conventions for documentation in the text, notes, and bibliographies by adhering to an appropriate style manual such as the Modern Language Association Handbook, The Chicago Manual of Style, Turabian, American Psychological Association, etc.

f. Designs and publishes documents, using aids such as advanced publishing software and graphic programs.

ELA9LSV2 The student formulates reasoned judgments about written and oral communication in various media genres. The student delivers focused, coherent, and polished presentations that convey a clear and distinct perspective, demonstrate solid reasoning, and combine traditional rhetorical strategies of narration, exposition, persuasion, and description. When responding to written and oral texts and media (i.e., television, radio, film productions, and electronic media), the student: 1 a. Assesses the ways language and delivery affect the mood and tone of the oral communication and impact the

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2 3 4 audience. b. Analyzes the types of arguments used by the speaker, including argument by authority, emotion, and logic. c. Formulates judgments about ideas under discussion and supports those judgments with convincing evidence.

Big Idea from Lesson: Reliability of Sources Core Tasks from Lesson: Finding reliable sources on a given topic Researching a topic to find useful and relevant information

Lesson Understandings
Students will understand that: - evaluating sources to determine if they are reliable or unreliable involves looking at the author of the source, the date the source was updated, the purpose of the source, and whether the source uses facts or opinions. - evaluating sources for reliability is necessary and crucial in the research paper process. - differences in information needs lead to different means and sources for acquiring information. Related Misconceptions: - Everything on the Internet is reliable.

Lesson Essential Questions

Overarching Question: Why is it important that I am able to recognize reliable and unreliable resources on a daily basis? How can I find good answers to my questions? Topical Questions: How can I tell if a source is reliable? Why should I only use reliable sources in my research paper? As you begin your research, where would you begin to look for reliable articles and why? Where would you avoid looking for sources because they are more likely to be unreliable and why? How can I find information relevant to my research paper topic?

Lesson Knowledge and Skills Knowledge

Students will know: - The criteria for reliable and unreliable sources. - Where to find accurate and relevant information.

Skills
Students will be able to: - Label an article as reliable or unreliable. - Use Internet databases to find information on a topic. - Use the print sources in the library to find relevant information for their papers. - Ask appropriate research questions to begin the research process.

Lesson Materials and Equipment

Metts 4 LCD Projector Access to Galileo At least 16 computer stations for student use Index Cards Handouts Finding Reliable Sources Galileo Scavenger Hunt Access to Media Center Resources

Lesson Procedures/Activities
1. Activating Strategy The media specialist will begin by asking students to write a journal entry about a time that someone spread a rumor about them that was not true. They will write about how they felt because of the rumor, what happened to them and others as a result of the rumor, and if the truth ever came out. The media specialist will then let students share their journals with a partner. This is a situation that every ninth grade student can relate too, and its something theyre interested in. Therefore, the media specialist has hooked their attention. The media specialist will then explain that untrue statements and ideas can be found in various resources, also (the internet, magazines, etc.). Well relate how important it is to know the information in those resources is true to how important it was for them that their friends knew the truth when they were being gossiped about. 2. Activity One With the media specialist, the students will make a brainstormed list of the various ways they think resources can be evaluated. In this step the media specialist will simply record their responses and initial ideas. A class list of Ways to Evaluate Resources will be comprised and displayed in the front of the media center. 3. Activity Two Using an LCD projector, the media specialist will pull up the QUICK website to go over the basic ways of evaluating resources-particularly web resources. The URL to this site is: http://www.quick.org.uk/menu.htm The media specialist will quickly go over the eight main points on the homepage, and then allow students to work in pairs to explore the site. They will be asked to make an outline of the eight main points as they explore the site. The media specialist will go through the first point with them, creating the outline as a model. The students will then work with partners to finish the outline. 4. Activity Three After completing their outlines, students will take the quiz on the website, seeing if they are now Qualified Internet Explorers. 5. Activity Four The media specialist will answer any questions about analyzing resources to see if they are reliable or unreliable. She will then pass out a handout that summarizes the ways of analyzing sources into five criteria: Accuracy, Objectivity, Authority, Verifiability, and Relevancy. (The handout can be found on page 9 of this packet.) As a class, students will analyze one article according to these criteria to see if it is reliable or unreliable. Students will then break up into pairs and analyze a second article. After analyzing this article, the class will review as a whole whether it is reliable or unreliable and why. Both of the articles analyzed will be chosen by the teacher and given to students. 6. Summarizer As a Ticket out the Door, students will write a paragraph about how they can use the information they

Metts 5 learned in class about reliable and unreliable resources in their everyday lives. ---------------------------------------------------END OF DAY ONE----------------------------------------------------1. Activating Strategy Students will take two minutes to write a summary of what they learned the previous day about reliable and unreliable sources. They will share what they wrote with their partner, and then the entire class. The class will make a comprehensive list of what they learned the previous day and discuss how these skills are important in their everyday lives. 2. Activity One The media specialist will reiterate how important it is that resources are labeled as either reliable or unreliable, and that only reliable sources are used in their research papers. Shell then explain that before you can analyze a source, though, you have to find it. And thats what theyll focus on today. Shell ask the students where some places are that they can look for information on their research paper topic-The Correlation of Education and Lifestyle. 3. Activity Two The students have already been to the media center at the beginning of the school year for an orientation session. The media specialist will quickly go over the different sections of the media center (fiction, nonfiction, reference, periodicals, etc.), and demonstrate how to use the card catalog using the LCD projector. Students will then use the card catalog with a partner to find books on Education. They will share their results with classmates, and the media specialist will answer any questions students may have about finding information in the media center. (This step is a quick review-students have already been assessed on these skills earlier in the year by completing a media center scavenger hunt.) 4. Activity Three The media specialist will ask where else they can find relevant, current information on their topic, and they will undoubtedly answer the Internet. The media specialist will then introduce them to Galileo, using the LCD project. After she has introduced them to the basic features of Galileo, they will complete a scavenger hunt with a partner. (The scavenger hunt handout can be found on pages 10 and 11 of this packet). This scavenger hunt will familiarize them with Galileo and give them practice navigating through it. The teacher and media specialist will circulate as students work to answer any questions they may have. 5. Summarizer As their Ticket out the Door, students will ask any questions they still have about reliable or unreliable sources, finding information in the media center, or using Galileo. -------------------------------------------------END OF DAY TWO-----------------------------------------------------1. Activating Strategy The media specialist will discuss with students the questions that were turned in the previous day as Tickets out the Door. She will then answer any remaining questions. 2. Activity One The media specialist will explain to the students that they will begin doing research for their papers in class that day. However, there is one final thing they need to do before they begin to research. She calls their attention to number five on their reliable source handout-Relevancy. The handout asks students what they want to know about the topic they are researching, so she explains to students that they need to think about

Metts 6 exactly what they are looking for in their research. She gives them ten index cards and asks them to write a research question on the top of each one. They write two research questions together as a class: 1 What is the lifestyle of a high school dropout like? 2 What is the lifestyle of a person with a bachelors degree like? 3. Activity Two Students begin researching in the media center. They are given the following pathfinder to aid them in finding information about education and how it correlates to lifestyle and income. Pathfinder URL: http://wingateeducationcorrelation.pbwiki.com/FrontPage **Note Not many print resources from the media center are included on the pathfinder due to a lack of sources available on this topic, and a need to have the most current information. Websites and Galileo articles proved to have the most current statistics and information and are therefore better represented on the pathfinder.

Lesson Assessments
1. Finding Reliable Sources Handout This handout will evaluate a students ability to analyze a source and determine whether it is reliable or unreliable. It is included on page 9 of this packet. 2. Ticket out the Door How can I use this information about reliable and unreliable sources in my everyday life? This activity is a quick way to evaluate if students get the main ideas from the lesson and connect it to their own life, determining whether the information they are bombarded with daily is reliable or unreliable. 3. Galileo Scavenger Hunt Handout This handout evaluates a students ability to use Galileo effectively. It familiarizes students with Galileo while telling us, as the instructors, if he or she is able to use it effectively. It is included on pages 10 and 11 of this packet. 4. Ticket out the Door What questions do you still have about finding reliable sources, using Galileo, and finding information in your school library? This quick activity shows the media specialist what areas are still confusing for students and what he or she needs to cover in more detail. 5. Index Card Completion When students successfully complete their index cards, it shows the media specialist that the student can find information relevant to their topic and analyze it to ensure that it is reliable. This is a performance assessment that applies what students have learned, and prepares them for the next step in the research paper process. The classroom teacher also had students complete works cited information on the back of these note cards, so they are assessing information learned from both the media specialist and the classroom teacher.

Reflection
Wow! I truly learned a lot from this experience. My list of I should have done it that way continued to grow as each day passed, but I was also able to add a few Remember to do this again next time points to the list as well. I must say, I thought this would be an easy process when I started. After all, I was collaborating with a Language Arts teacher, and since I taught Language Arts the past two years, I was familiar with the content and GPS. Also, I thought it would be easy for me to meet the teacher I was working with because I

Metts 7 am not working right now, and my schedule is so flexible. However, hers is not. Not only that, but I had taught the research process several times, so I thought this would be a breeze. Well, it wasnt a breeze, but I think it was an overall success. First off, I learned how hard it is to truly collaborate with a colleague. Even though my schedule was pretty much free, she always had meetings, last minute changes in her plans, or something else come up that prevented us from meeting. I thought about how much more difficult this process would have been if my schedule would have been equally as hectic, which it will be when I am actually a media specialist. So I have a new respect for collaboration. It takes a lot of hard work and perseverance. Despite the last meeting meetings and schedule changes, we did manage to meet three times to collaborate on the unit. We also emailed back and forth several times to try to work out the kinks. Once we both had a clear understanding of what our role in the unit was, it was much easier. I think that the students truly did benefit from the collaboration in the unit, though, because they were able to get my best and their teachers best. Because I was only responsible for teaching three days worth of the unit, I was able to focus on those three days and make sure that I produced the best lesson plan and activities that I could. The same was the case for the classroom teacher. Because she didnt have to worry about the research portion of the lesson, she was able to focus more on the writing process with the students. However, the students did feel free to interact with both of us while they were in the library, and she was great in being there to answer questions and assist students. I think that is important because the students saw us both as their teacher. I do want to say that I was actually in charge of the portion of the unit that I always tried to avoid, so I was really branching out! When I did research in my own classroom, I usually provided the students with articles and they worked from them. We would spend a day in the computer lab going over Galileo, but they didnt have to actually find their own articles for their papers. Why? Honestly, because I was scared to death that I wouldnt be able to help them find what they needed. Though that was a fear of mine with these lessons, the pathfinder really did help me, and I know it helped the students, too. Several of them made comments about how useful it was. Even though I would call our unit an overall success, I would change some parts of the information literacy lesson plan the next time I teach this. First off, the Galileo scavenger hunt had several issues. Students on computers that were right next to each other in the media center were getting different results when they typed in certain topics. The majority of the students were able to find what I did when I made out the key, but a few of them had different results pop up. I didnt understand this, so Ill have to go back and analyze it closer to see if they typed in something wrong, or if it is possible for Galileo to give results in a different order. Next, I think it would be more beneficial in a collaboration unit if the media specialists time and the classroom teachers time could be intermingled. For example, the classroom teacher would teach one day, and then the media specialist would teach the next day, and so forth. With this particular unit I taught for three days in a row, and I think it would be more beneficial if it was integrated in more with the classroom teacher. It would even be great if we could both teach during a period, say she could teach the first half and me the second half. And finally, I think better communication between me and the classroom teacher would make the unit more successful. When I say better communication, I mean that we should make sure the other knows exactly what were teaching and what our expectations are. When we were doing the Galileo scavenger hunt, my fellow teacher had to call me over a few times to ask me a question a student had asked her about the assignment, or to show her how to do something on Galileo. If I would have been more conscientious about making sure she knew how to work everything in Galileo and had seen the scavenger hunt before the class did it, we could have avoided some of these situations. But in the end, I was proud of this unit. Overall it was a success, and I think the students benefited from the collaboration. And though collaborating is more work initially, in the long run its best for the students,

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Finding Reliable Sources Reliable Not Reliable

What to look for

1. Accuracy Look to see that the article/site is accurate and current. Is the information indisputable
and complete? Does the source state facts or opinions? Does the publisher use editors and fact checkers? When was the article produced? When was it last updated? A: B: C:

2. Objectivity Look to see that the article/site has minimum bias when interpreting or analyzing
facts. What is the purpose of the site? Does it achieve its purpose? Who sponsors or publishes the information, where does the information come from? What can you tell about the authors intentions? A: B: C:

3. Authority Look to see if the author/publisher/editor is a reliable source. Can you determine the
authors/editors name? Is the author a recognized expert on the topic? What is the publishers reputation? A: B: C:

4. Verifiability Look to confirm the information from the source with a second reliable source.
Does the material cite the sources where it acquired its information? Where does the information come from? Does the author provide evidence where applicable and detail? Can you check the information? A: B: C:

5.

Relevancy Look to see if the article or site meets your needs. What do I want to know as a result from this article? Does the article answer my questions? A: B: C:

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Now that you know all about Galileo, its time to go on a scavenger hunt. Follow the directions below and record the appropriate answers. Here we go
1. - Make sure High School is highlighted in red at the top of the screen. - In the Galileo Search Box type in 19th Century Womens Literature and hit Search Selected Databases. How many articles came up under SIRS Knowledge Source? ______________ 2. - Click on View for the 3rd article under SIRS Knowledge Source. When was the article written? ______________ - Return to the Galileo high school homepage. Click on Browse by Subject, click on Literature and then Literature and Literary Criticism. Type in Lord of the Flies, uncheck the full text option, and choose only one database Literary Reference Center. Hit search. How many articles come up? ______________ - Check Full Text and hit search. How many are full text? ______________ What does full text mean? ____________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ - Check Peer Reviewed and hit search. How many articles are full text and peer reviewed?_______________ What does peer reviewed mean? _______________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ Who wrote the 2nd article? ____________________ What is the name of the 1st article? _______________________________________________ 4. - Go back to the high school homepage. Click on Browse by Subject. If you were doing a research paper on possible cures for cancer: What subject might you use? _____________________ What topic words might you type in to search for?

3.

5.

- Go back to the high school homepage and select Databases A-Z. Type in Student Research Center (EBSCO Host). Choose the second option. Type in education and income correlation. Hit search. How many articles come up? ______________ Click on Refine Search and select Full Text, then hit search again.

Metts 11 How many articles come up? ______________ Find the article titled Upheaval in Education and Training. Read the abstract. What is this article about? Could this article be helpful for your research paper?

6.

- Click on New Search. Now type Academy for 9th graders eases way to high-school. Hit Search. Find that article and answer these questions When was this article written? ____________________ Who wrote the article? _____________________ Skim the article and tell me what it is about:

What might you need this article to write a paper on? Is it a reliable source? Why or why not?