Information Literacy Lesson Plan

Pathfinder URL: Http://revolutionpathfinder.wikispaces.com

Jeff Miller FRIT 7136 Dr. Repman Fall 2012

GRADE: 4th TEACHER(S): Lauren Matthews CONTENT TOPIC: Revolutionary War STANDARDS FOR THE 21 -CENTURY LEARNER GOALS Standard: 1: Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge 3: Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society Skills Indicator(s): 1.1.4 Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions. 3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view, use, and assess. 3.1.6 Use information and technology ethically and responsibly. Benchmark(s): 1.1.2 Share what is known about a topic, problem, or question. 1.1.8 Use online encyclopedias and magazine databases with guidance. 3.1.6 Rephrase rather than copy whole sentences Credit sources by citing author and title. 4.1.7 Experiment with online catalog and Web resources to locate information. 4.1.8 Use technology tools to create and present ideas. Dispositions Indicator(s): 1.1.2 Demonstrate confidence and self-direction by making independent choices in the selection of resources and information 3.2.3 Demonstrate teamwork by working productively with others Responsibilities Indicator(s): 1.3.1 Respect copyright/intellectual property rights of creators and producers. 3.3.7 Respect the principles of intellectual freedom. Self-Assessment Strategies Indicator(s): 1.4.1 Monitor own information-seeking processes for effectiveness and progress, and adapt as necessary. 1.4.4 Seek appropriate help when it is needed. 2.4.1 Determine how to act on information (accept, reject, modify). 3.4.3 Assess own ability to work with others in a group setting by evaluating varied roles, leadership, and demonstration of respect for other viewpoints.
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CONNECTION TO LOCAL OR STATE STANDARDS: SS4H4 The student will explain the causes, events, and results of the American Revolution. c. Describe the major events of the American Revolution and explain the factors leading to American victory and British defeat; include the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Saratoga, and Yorktown. d. Describe key individuals in the American Revolution with emphasis on King George III, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Benedict Arnold, Patrick Henry, and John Adams.

OVERVIEW: The students will be partnered and choose a key figure or event from the American Revolution and give pertinent information to their classmates. They will be shown how to cite works and how to select key information to retell in their own words. The purpose of this project is to help the class learn a broad spectrum of information in a shorter period of time. Each partnership will be an expert in their chosen area. FINAL PRODUCT: The students will create a technology based presentation to give information to other students about a specific event or person that is related to the American Revolution. In addition to the presentation, the students will turn in a works cited page and a group self-assessment. LIBRARY LESSON(S): The students will be given mini-lessons on how to cite information and to select information germane to the project. They will also be shown how to use PowerPoint software to present information. (Students may also use Web 2.0 tools if applicable) ASSESSMENT Product The students will be graded using a rubric created by the media specialist and the homeroom teacher. They will be graded on: creativity, information relevance, grammar, works cited page. Process Teacher and media specialist will circulate and monitor during the information gathering process to make sure the students are on task and finding good information. We will also be available to assist with the process of creating the presentation. Student self-questioning Did I properly cite my work? Is my information relevant to the performance standards? Does my presentation display information that is easy to read and understand? Did I ask for guidance when needed? INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN Resources students will use: Online subscription database(s) Web sites Books Reference Nonprint Periodicals/newspapers Other (list):

 Instruction/activities o Direct instruction: The media specialist will use the SMARTboard to demonstrate how to use the pathfinder and help the students determine which pieces of information to use. The MS will also show the students how to rewrite the information in their own words. MS will give instruction on how to create a basic works cited page and discuss why it is necessary to cite information. In addition, the MS will demonstrate how to use PowerPoint and other technology based presentation tools/software. o Modeling and guided practice: The students will explore various websites on the pathfinder to see how to locate information. They will also explore and practice with their selected presentation platform in order to become more comfortable with putting together their presentations. o Independent practice: Students will use books, non-print, reference materials, and websites to gather information they feel is important to their particular subject. The students will use the pathfinder http://revolutionpathfinder.wikispaces.com as a springboard to find information. The students will use their presentation tool in order to create their presentation. They will also make a basic works cited page so that proper credit is given to intellectual property. o Sharing and reflecting: Upon completion, the students will present their information to the class using the Smartboard. The students will also complete a self-evaluation and a brief reflection of the information gathering process.

Reflections
Lesson: The students are always excited about doing things on the computer. Most activities that involve technology get the students attention more than any other type of lesson it seems. They always enjoy the initial idea of doing research on the internet and exploring things. Even when it is a required task, they are always willing to get on the computer and do what is told of them. This time was no different. The students were excited to do the research. I didnt get too in depth with them as far as citing work was concerned. They havent done much research, so I really just wanted to introduce the idea of citing to them. They seemed to understand that people arent to just copy down what is written and that doing so it wrong. I tried to keep it simple, just having them list the websites or books that they used. I

know that in future research projects, I will do my best to make sure that they are using proper citation of information. I felt that the students struggled more with paring down the information and not just copying chunks of information down. They had difficulty deciding what information was important to relay and what information may not be as important. I also found that to be one of the more challenging aspects of my lesson. Picking out pieces of pertinent information is easier for me because I have been doing it for so long. Its one of those things that can be challenging to do when you just know how to do it and that sometimes makes it hard to teach, kind of like riding a bike. The students had a good time putting together the information into presentation software. The students all used PowerPoint due to time constraints. Ive always noticed that the students spend more time playing with what PowerPoint can do as opposed to worrying about what information they use. I wasnt too terribly worried about that considering they typically dont use computers for much more than word processing and taking tests at school. I was concerned about it at first, but decided that they needed to explore more and that this project was a good spring board for them to do other research projects. All in all, I was pleased with the results of the research and projects. Collaboration: The collaboration between Ms. Matthews and I was perfectly fine. I co-teach Guided Reading with her daily, so we have a very good rapport and mutual professional respect. We get along well, so this collaboration was a bit of a no-brainer. The 4th grade at our school departmentalizes and she teaches reading and social studies so that is why we collaborated on this. She allowed me the freedom and time to show the students the information gathering strategies and the lessons on citing work and research. She also is a bit timid when it comes to using technology, so it was only fitting that I showed the students that side of the lesson. I look forward to continuing to work with Ms. Matthews and hope to get another opportunity to collaborate with her on this type of project.

Group Self-Evaluation
Directions: This is a self-evaluation of you and your group members. Read each statement and check the appropriate box. Be honest, this self-evaluation will NOT affect your grade.

Names: Did you find this project difficult? Did you cite your work properly? Was the presentation organized well? Did I do my best work? Did I do my fair share of work? Do you enjoy doing research and presenting information? Would you like to do another project like this using different subject matter?

YES

NO

Project Rubric

0 Points Creativity/ Presentation

No creativity. Presentation was bland and basic.

3 Points
Different colors and texts were used. Some organization was used. No animations were used in presentation. Only text information was present, no other visuals.

5 Points

Total

Information

Works Cited Page

Grammar and Spelling

Project was visually appealing. Information was well organized and easy to read. Project contained more than just text. Project flowed well. Animations were used and an understanding of the software is apparent. Information had Some variety of Great variety of no depth. Only information was information. dates and names used. Some of the Information are mentioned. information is showed depth. repeated. Not Obviously good much depth of research skills information. were used. Information presented was pertinent to the subject. The presentation Works cited page All works that did not contain a was present, but were used in the works cited page. incomplete. Some presentation were of the resources cited. Works cited were not cited, page was neat and but an attempt organized. was made. There were many Minor grammar There were no spelling and and/or spelling grammar or grammar mistakes. The spelling mistakes mistakes. The mistakes did not in the mistakes made hinder the presentation. the presentation presentation or hard to follow and cause an obvious were a distraction. distraction.

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