Aaron Cleveland

Summer 2015

FRIT 7234
Georgia Southern University

Inquiry and Information Fluency Mini-Lessons and Curated Resources

Mini-Lesson #1: Creating Document Based Question (DBQ) using Web 2.0 Tools
Summary: The students in this mini-lesson will create an interactive DBQ using Web 2.0 tools.
The purpose of the assignment will be for the students to create an interactive DBQ that asked
the person viewing the online DBQ to theorize a position based on a question posed to the
individual at the beginning of the DBQ while using subsequent documents. It will be suggested
to students that they use a tool, such as Prezi, that allows them to work on this assignment
outside of class. This assignment could take multiple classes or be something assigned for
outside of class.
Intended audience: Students in Advanced Placement United States History classes.
Guiding Question: Are the events that affect the United States today relevant in that they are
similar or different from events in the past?
Content Area Standards*:

*Curriculum Requirements for AP U.S. History via College Board

1. Creativity and Innovation

a. This assignment demonstrates the creativity component because the students are
required to create a DBQ about a topic of interest using a Web 2.0 tool. Work is
original and is meant to be a personal expression about a topic or theme.
2. Communication and Collaboration
a. A variety of media formats are used to communicate the DBQ to a large audience.
Students are required to include primary and secondary sources as well as
audio/video. It is the discretion of the teacher as to whether or not the students
work as teams and collaborate inside or outside of class. If this is an assignment
that students are meant to work on outside of class, then significant amounts of
collaboration should exist.
3. Research and Information Fluency
a. In this interactive DBQ, students are required to locate, organize, synthesize, and
ethically use information.
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
a. Students use a wide range of critical thinking skills in order to complete this
assignment. Definition of authentic problems and significant questions for
investigation are also components of this assignment.
5. Technology Operations and Concepts
a. Students are to locate and effectively use a Web 2.0 tool in order to produce an
interactive DBQ.
Digital Information Fluency*

Locating
o Learners identify key concepts, words, terms, and tools for their research
question.
Using
o Students ethically use the information found by identifying the author and citing
the source from which the information was retrieved from.
Dispositions
o Students effectively can confidence in their research skills
o Despite the myriad of distractions, students are persistently engaged in
information fluency
o Students are engaged in metacognition throughout the entire process by
identifying learning tasks and goals as well as self-assessing through a class
created task-list and rubric created by the instructor.

* To further enhance digital information fluency, the instructor may consider giving bonus points
to students that identify other sources of primary documents that can be added to the curated list
accompanying this assignment.
Principles of Inquiry-Based Learning
1. Authenticity
a. Lesson encourages students to find a real-world issue and connect it to a past
event. Also, encourages people outside of the topic to answer the question posed
by the student.
2. Deep Understanding
a. Learning goals involve inquiry and effective use of technology to curate a
topic/theme into one central idea.
3. Assessment
a. Students are to self-assess during the task and are provided are rubric which
details the different expectations.
4. Appropriate uses of Technology
a. Students are encouraged to use technology that will allow them to work on the
assignment outside of the classroom and with other students.
5. Success for all Students
a. A variety of sources are given to the students as a tool for completing the
assignment. Students are encouraged to self-organize by generating a list of
achievable tasks in an order of completing that makes the most sense.
6. Ethical Citizenship
a. Students are required to identify and cite the appropriate authors of sources.
Mini-Lesson Implementation:

Lesson Preparation make a curated set of resources that help the student with two sets
of tasks. One set of curated resources need to help the student with determining what the
difference between a primary and secondary source is. The other set of curated resources
needs to be helpful sites for students to find primary sources. Both of these could be
included into the same set of curated sources, but an obvious distinction should be made
between the two. Two have been linked above the rubric as examples.
Have a computer lab or computer cart available for this lesson. Depending on whether
you want to complete this activity entirely in-class or out-of-class will depend on the
amount of time you sign out a lab/cart. This lesson does allow for students to work on it
outside of class suggest to students to use a Web 2.0 tool that works at home as well as
in school (Prezi, Google Docs, etc.)
Make copies of the rubric

1. Have written on the board or projected the following guiding question.

There are many different social, economic, and political issues facing the U.S. today. Examples
of topics include the rights of individuals, freedom of expression, immigration, and global
interventions to name a few.
Youre guiding question involves historical argumentation. That is, are the events that affect the
United States today relevant in that they are similar or different from events in the past?
(Examples) Is there a civil rights movement today and is it similar or different from the past? Are
there issues that involve immigration that are similar or different than the past?
Your task involves you creating an interactive DBQ using a Web 2.0 tool (such as Prezi or
Google Docs using your Barrow County Google issued ID). Your DBQ needs to include six
primary sources and two secondary sources. It is suggested that the Web 2.0 tool that you use
allows you to work on the assignment outside of class.
Remember that DBQs have a question posed to the reader and documents that help the reader
support a thesis.
Topic Ideas (Not Limited):
Immigration
Civil Rights
Foreign Policy (Intervention/Isolationist)
Environmental
Foreign Trade
Military
Economy
Freedom of Speech/ Censorship
Government Deadlock
Education
Unemployment/Jobs
2. Pass out the rubric. Make sure to discuss with students the need to review the curated
resources (suggestion link the resources to a classroom website for easier access).
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1743953 (Primary Sources and Secondary Sources)
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1743971 (Primary Sources in American History)
If possible, click on the websites and help show the students around and how to use them. A
really great resource for primary documents is the last tab of the Primary Sources in American
History binder.
3. As a class, have students discuss how to approach this task. Students need to identify
various components of the project that should be met then as a class discuss which
components should be completed in a suggested order.

a. From the list generated and ranked as a class, have the students copy down the
agreed order for how the task should be completed.
b. As the students are working through the assignment, have them check off what
part they have completed so as to self-assess their completeness. Also, encourage
them to refer to the rubric so that the students can self-assess their accuracy.
Example of class-created task list:
1. Identify topic/theme
2. Create question linking present day topic to similar past topic
3. Find Web 2.0 tool that would best complete assignment
4. Locate primary sources
5. Locate secondary sources
6. Link or share resources on Web 2.0 page.
7. Organize page in a way that is presentable to a reader
8. Cite sources
Rubric (Maximum of 24 points):
Criteria
DBQ Theme
(x2)

Primary Sources
(x2)
Secondary
sources

Web 2.0 Tool

Presentation

0
No theme or
topic idea
appeared to be
covered

1
Only 2-4
documents were
related and
covered past and
present
topic/theme.

2
Only 5-7
documents were
related and
covered past and
present
topic/theme.

3
All 8 documents
were related and
covered past and
present
topic/theme.

No primary
sources were
used
No secondary
sources were
used

1-3 Primary
Sources were
used
1 secondary
source was used

4-5 primary
sources were
used
2 secondary
sources were
used

Assignment was
not completed
using a Web 2.0
tool
The interactive
DBQ is not
submitted in a
presentable way

----------------

-------------------

6 or more
primary sources
were used
2 secondary
sources were
used and one of
them was a
video, which
was less than 5
minutes in
length
Assignment was
completed on a
Web 2.0 tool.

DBQ has limited

flow or some of
the links to
primary &
secondary

DBQ has only a

couple of
mistakes in
terms of flow or
some of the links

There is a flow
to the DBQ and
the reader is able
to search
through the

Citations

No
documentation
of cited sources
in APA style.

documents/
images/ video/
audio dont
work.

to primary &
secondary
documents/
images/ video/
audio dont work

3 or less of the
documents are
cited in APA
style.

6 or less of the
documents are
cited in APA
style.

primary and
secondary
source
documents
without
problems.
All documents
are cited in APA
style.

Mini-Lesson #2: Research Assignment Were the Conquistadors immoral?

Summary: Students are required to research as a class the question Were Conquistadors
immoral? The question is posed in a way that requires the students to answer using their beliefs
coinciding with research as to why conquistadors were immoral or not. First, as a class discuss
the different parts of the question the students need to know in order to answer it correctly. Then
the activity involves the students researching the topic as a class. This requires the teacher to set
up a Google Doc. The students must be able to ethically use the information they find and
summarize it in their own words. To do this, have the students complete an activity that requires
them to use a curated set of resources on plagiarism/ethical use of information after they have
completed the activity, they may conduct research. All research will be put into a Google Doc so
that everyone can use it. After the research period is over, the students will type or write their
essays. A rubric is provided to assist the students with how/what theyre being assessed on.
Intended audience: Students in Advanced Placement United States History classes.
Guiding Question: Were the conquistadors immoral?
Content Area Standards:

*Curriculum Requirements for AP U.S. History via College Board

1. Communication and Collaboration

a. Students engage with collaboration as a class to successfully accomplish the task.
Also, the students are contributing to research as a group to ultimately, solve a
problem presented.
2. Research & Information Fluency
a. Students are required to locate, organize, synthesize, and ethically use
information. Furthermore, they are to evaluate the information in order to decide
if it will help the class with the completion of the assignment.
3. Digital Citizenship
a. Students are to responsibly use the information they find. They must also exhibit a
positive attitude toward the use of technology that supports learning,
collaboration, and productivity about conquistadors.
Digital Information Fluency

Locating
o Learners identify key concepts in the research question by breaking down what
the question means and how to best research as a class before actively researching
it online.
o The strategies discussed as a class will help with effectively and efficiently
locating reliable digital information to achieve their academic learning goal,
which is to answer the question posed Were the Conquistadors immoral?
Evaluating
o The students will need to evaluate the quality of the research and results, as well
as the quality of the author(s). This is demonstrated by the students answering
those three points under their summarization of a source that they post to the
Google Doc.
Using
o Learners cite the sources using APA style formatting.
Universal Dispositions
o Confidence in finding a solution to the question posed while engaged in the
digital information fluency process will be demonstrated by the learners
evaluating the resources (discussed above).
o Students will demonstrate an open-mindedness because the research conducted
will be from the two viewpoints the prompt engages the learner in. Despite what

beliefs the leaner has, they will be shown research that may have a different
belief.
o Students are engaged in metacognition throughout the assignment because they
will engaging with the rubric presented in the beginning of the lesson. The rubric
will allow the learner to understand the expectations of the assignment and
effectively exhibit them.
Principles of Inquiry-Based Learning
1. Authenticity
a. In this assignment, the students are conducting themselves similar to the
way an expert in the discipline would. This assignment has the students
conducting research on a question that is relevant to this day and
certainly debatable. By researching the topic thoroughly, coming to a
conclusion, and expressing that conclusion in a thoughtful and formal way
is what many history researches do.
2. Deep Understanding
a. The inquiry leads to students to build a deep knowledge structured around
a clearly stated controversy.
3. Performance
a. Learners are engaged in a collective inquiry with their classmates and
come to a deeper understanding about the morality of decisions made in
American history. The questioning and dialogue of this assignment will
continue to be built upon for the duration of the course, because this is a
lesson that should be implemented in and around the beginning of the
course.
4. Assessment
a. Students will be assessed on a rubric provided in the beginning of the
assignment, but will also be assessing each other through dialogue about
the research they conducted as a class.
5. Technology
a. Effective technology integration allows for the students to research and
collaborate outside of the classroom. The document will be studentcreated and can be accessed at any time throughout the remainder of the
course.
6. Ethical Citizenship
a. Before conducting research, the students must engage in a
plagiarism/ethical use module.
Mini-Lesson Implementation:

Lesson Preparation make a curated set of resources that help the students with
understanding the different components of plagiarism and ethical use. A sheet has been
made to accompany this lesson, but one can be tailored to whatever learning goal an
instructor may have for learners in regards to ethical use.

Have a computer lab or computer cart available for this lesson. Depending on whether
you want to complete this activity entirely in-class or out-of-class will depend on the
amount of time you sign out a lab/cart. This lesson does allow for students to work on it
outside of class as long as they have access to the class-created Google Doc.
Make copies of the rubric
1. As the students enter the class, have them read the guided question the front board
Were the conquistadors immoral?
2. After the students have had time to give thought (maybe the first few minutes of
class), ask them what the question means:
a. Who are conquistadors?
b. What does it mean to be moral?
c. What evidence do you have about what morality means, other than your
own opinion?
d. What specific evidence do you have about the conquistadors do you have
that support your argument?

These questions posed are meant to be difficult to answer and will require research, explain to
the students that those questions werent meant to trick or frustrate you, but rather demonstrate
what a researcher in history is confronted with and that the lesson will involve you as a student
participating in what historical researchers do frequently.
Also explain that before someone conducts research, they must be able to know how to do so
ethically and responsibly. Introduce the assignment for the beginning of this lesson, which
requires the students to go through a module of curated resources pertaining to digital
citizenship. Pass out a sheet with the accompanying questions, which can be answered by having
the students going through the curated resources. Explain to them that students must be able to
accurately answer the questions on the sheet before they can conduct research because we dont
want to have irresponsible examination about the question posed.
QUESTIONS:
**
The following questions can be answered by going through the resources found at the following
location on the internet (http://bit.ly/1eK5NFi):
Step 1: View video created by Rutgers University library (Paul Robeson Library. Watch video #1
of 3 and answer the following questions:
What is plagiarism?
What are penalties at Rutgers University for plagiarism?
Are you guilty of plagiarism if you use a paper you wrote for another class?

Step 2: Visit plagiarism.org, click on Citing Sources and answer the following questions:
Define what a citation is and what are the components of a correct citation?
When do you need to cite a source?
Step 3: Watch the video found at the following address https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=wNg94ebLGzY
Can words and ideas be stolen? Explain.
The majority of your work should be what?
Step 4: Look over the resource 5 Common Plagiarism Myths that College Students Believe.
List the five myths presented in the article.
Step 5: Look over the study Internet Plagiarism Among College Students. Answer the
following questions:
Analyze the tables from the study. Give a brief summary of table 4-7 (discuss this with others if
necessary)
[Step 5 may be a topic that is discussed as a class]
**If possible, or if has not already been done, create a Google Doc to be shared with the students
in class. Collect e-mail addresses the students will use (many have school issued e-mail
addresses through Google) so that they can access the document.
3. When students have finished with the questions associated with ethical use and
plagiarism, they can move on to the research. Pass out the following sheet, which
is a detailed rubric outlining what the students need to do for this assessment.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Assignment (Rubric included):
The learning goals of this assignment are to conduct authentic historical research, collaborate,
and synthesize information into a meaningful historical argument. You are to write a short
research paper based on the following question Were the Conquistadors immoral? Before
writing the paper, research will be conducted as a class. All research will be put onto a Google
Doc, which individually you will use to write your paper. The components of the research aspect
of this assignment are located in the rubric below.

Rubric:
Criteria
Research (X2)

0
Student doesnt
complete any
research.

Citation

Student doesnt
cite sources in
APA

- Citations need
to be in APA
style
Quality of
source

No statement is
made under
research
summarization
about quality of
website, quality
of the research,
and quality of
the author.

1
Student included
research to the
Google Doc, but
it was limited to
1 primary or
secondary
source. The
resource is
summarize into
the students
own words.
Student cited 1
resource in APA

2
Student included
1 primary source
and 1 secondary
source into the
Google Doc.
The resource is
summarize into
the students
own words

3
Student included
1 primary source
and 2 secondary
sources into the
Google Doc.
The resource is
summarize into
the students
own words

Student cited 2
resources in
APA

Student cited 3
sources in APA

Statement is
made about the
quality of
website, quality
of the research,
and quality of
the author for
only 1 source.

Statement is
made about the
quality of
website, quality
of the research,
and quality of
the author for
only 2 sources.

Statement is
made about the
quality of
website, quality
of the research,
and quality of
the author for
only 3 sources.

The written section will be based off the rubric College Board has. The following criteria will be
graded in the written section. Max 6 pts (X2)

Rubric was taken for academic purposes from the following:

http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap-course-exam-descriptions/ap-us-historycourse-and-exam-description.pdf

Mini-Lesson #3: Historical Figure Blog about Current Issues

Summary: Students will create a blog for a historical figure that will discuss the current event
issues of the day. The students will need to research their historical figures perceptions and
beliefs and give a first-person narrative (from the historical figures point of view) about a list of
current events. Students will justify their figures response by supplying a brief summary after
the blog post with evidence and proper citations. The current events will be generated by the
students at the beginning of the lesson. Then, the students will conduct research and on their own
time, answer to the current events using a free blog or Google Doc service.
Intended audience: Students in Advanced Placement United States History classes.
Guiding Question: What would be the perception that certain historical figures would have about
contemporary issues?
Content Area Standards*:

*Curriculum Requirements for AP U.S. History via College Board

1. Creativity and Innovation

a. Students will create a blog using a curated list of Web 2.0 tools of their choice.
Students will use the blog of their historical figure to predict what that figure
would have believed about contemporary issues.
2. Research and Information Fluency

a. Students are required to locate, organize, synthesize, and ethically use

information. Also, they will need to evaluate the information to in order to make
logical inferences of current events.
b. Students will need to evaluate the digital tools for the purpose of blogging. They
will need to self-assess based on their level of skills.
3. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
a. Learners will identify and define authentic, contemporary issues, and investigate
what a historical figure would have perceived or thought about the issue.
4. Digital Citizenship
a. Students will need to responsibly use information they find on the internet (as
well as text) and properly cite the information in a brief summary after each blog
post.
5. Technology Operation and Concepts
a. Students will use programs and applications that will make the blog appear to be
one which reflects the historical figures beliefs and interests.
b. If necessary, students will troubleshoot the blog application they choose.
Digital Information Fluency:

Locating
o Students will locate tools for blogs as well as use search tools such as Galileo and
primary source document websites.
o Learners will identify key concepts in their research relevant to the current events
and perceptions of the historical figure.
Evaluating
o Students will need to self-assess and evaluate the resources for accuracy,
reliability, and relevance.
Using
o Students will need to cite sources used for description in blog.

Principles of Inquiry-Based Learning:

1. Authentic Tasks for Learning
a. Assignment makes past people relevant to real-world problems and issues of the
present. Since the current events.
b. Assignment engages the personal emotions of a student because they will blog
about a current event (among many) that interest them.
2. Deep Understanding
a. The nature of the guiding question implores the learner to have a deeper
understanding about the world they live in and various subject matter in history
that involved a historical figure.
3. Assessment
a. The learning goals and tasks will be evident to the students in the form of a rubric
that will be provided to them for the assignment.
4. Technology

a. Technology used allows the students to extend their learning beyond the
classroom walls in terms of both research and blog. The assignment will allow
students to share with others their historical figure blog.
5. Success for all Students
a. The students will be provided with a curated set of resources that will enable them
to understand how blogging works and what a blog should look and feel like.
6. Ethical Citizenship
a. Students will be required to justify and cite their use of sources for the blog. That
way, students cant simply state their opinions, but rather provide context.
Mini-Lesson Implementation:
1. Have students do a chalk talk by coming up to the board in the front of the room and
writing down a current event. Limit it to one current even per student so that many people
can participate.
2. Introduce the lesson by asking the guiding question What would be the perception that
certain historical figures would have about these contemporary issues?
3. Give the students time to think of a historical figure that has been studied at this point
that they would like to write a blog about. Have them write it down on an index card and
turn it in.
4. Pass out the assignment description and rubric, which is located below.
Assignment (Max 15 points): You are going to create a blog for a historical figure from U.S.
history that has been studied thus far. A blog is a regularly updated website or web page,
typically one run by an individual or small group that is written in an informal or conversational
style, (Google, 2015). To get a better understanding of what a blog is, what it looks like, and
services blog creation have been curated for you via the following link:
http://www.scoop.it/t/blogging-resources-and-info
You are to create your blog and use knowledge (that you can justify and cite) about a historical
figure to blog about the issues that we have written down on the board. Please see me if there are
other issues that are not listed on the board that you would like to have your historical figure
discuss.
Criteria
Blogging
website and
posts

0
Student did not
make a historical
figure blog or
posts about any
current events.

Blog Posts
No Blog posts
Historical Figure made

1
Student made
blogging website
but only posted
2 or less current
events.
Blog posts
werent written
from the pointof-view of the

2
Student made
blogging website
but only posted
3-4 current
events

3
Student made
blogging website
and made 5
posts about
current event
items.
Some, but not all All blog posts
of the blog posts were written
were written
from the
from the
historical

historical figure,
but rather the
student.

Summary after
each post (x2)

Creativity

historical
figures point-offigures point-of- view and written
view.
in prose that
would resemble
the figure in
their time
period. (No
racial slurs, foul
language, etc.)
Students lacked Summary
Summary had
Summary had
a summary for
justified the
historical
historical
any blog post
post, but lacked justification for
justification for
made that
evidence and
the post with
the post with
justified the
was simply too
specific
specific
point of view
general.
evidence, but
evidence that
made in the post.
lack proper
was cited
citation.
correctly.
Blog has no
Blog has images Blog has images Blog has images
images or
and
and
and
characteristics of characteristics of characteristics of characteristics of
the historical
historical
historical
historical
figures personal figures personal figures personal figures personal
interests.
interests, but
interests, but
interests and
none are
they are only
they are directly
connected
directly
connected to 4-5
directly to any of connected to 1-3 blog posts.
the blog posts.
blog posts