Explorer Information Literacy Lesson Plan

8/4/2019 Explorer Information Literacy Lesson Plan

1/15

Information Literacy Lesson Plan

Mary Frances Van Houten

FRIT 7136

Dr. Stephanie Jones

Fall 2010

Pathfinder URL

http://maryfranvanhouten.pbworks.com/w/page/27603033/FrontPage#
http://maryfranvanhouten.pbworks.com/w/page/27603033/FrontPagehttp://maryfranvanhouten.pbworks.com/w/page/27603033/FrontPagehttp://maryfranvanhouten.pbworks.com/w/page/27603033/FrontPage


2/15

GRADE: 4th TEACHER(S): Mary Frances Van Houten

Tammy Mitchell

Sandy Adams

CONTENT TOPIC: Explorers and Exploration of North America

STANDARDS FOR THE 21ST

-CENTURY LEARNERGOALS

Standard:

Standard 1 Inquire, think critically and gain knowledge

Skills Indicator(s):

1.1.8 Demonstrate mastery of technology tools for accessing information andpursuing inquiry.

1.1.9-Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding.

Benchmark(s):

Search an online catalog to locate materials. Use selected websites and periodical databases to find appropriate

information.

Use selected search engines to find appropriate information. Use software or online tools to record and organize information. Work in teams to produce original works or solve problems. Respect others opinions through active listening and questioning.

Dispositions Indicator(s):

3.2.2 Show social responsibility by participating actively with others in learning

situations and by contributing questions and ideas during group discussions.

3.2.3-Demonstrate teamwork by working productively with others.

Responsibilities Indicator(s):

1.3.5 Use information technology responsibly.

Self-Assessment Strategies Indicator(s):

1.4.2 Use interaction with and feedback from teachers and peers to guide own

inquiry process.1.4.4 Seek appropriate help when it is needed.


3/15

Scenario:

The fourth grade students are studying about exploration in North America. The

media specialist and the teachers collaborate on an assignment in which students

will be taught how to use the internet and media resources to research this topic.

Students will evaluate websites based on their credibility. Students will use a website evaluation guide. The media specialist will plan a sixty minute period of time to

allow students to complete research on a particular explorer with guidance as

needed. A pathfinder will be made available for the students to use. Afterwards,

the class will combine information collected into a wordle to describe the differentexplorers. Students will also complete an interactive timeline for each exploration

with the aid from the media specialist. Students will be given a sheet to guide

their research and a rubric to assess the completed project.

CONNECTION TO LOCAL OR STATE STANDARDS

SS4H2 The student will describe European exploration in North America.

a. Describe the reasons for, obstacles to, and accomplishments of the Spanish,French, and English explorations of John Cabot, Vasco Nez de Balboa, Juan

Ponce de Len, Christopher Columbus, Henry Hudson, and Jacques Cartier.

b. Describe examples of cooperation and conflict between Europeans and Native

Americans.

ELA4W3 The student uses research and technology to support writing. The

student

a. Acknowledges information from sources.

b. Locates information in reference texts by using organizational features (i.e.,

prefaces, appendices, indices, glossaries, and tables of contents).

c. Uses various reference materials (i.e., dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia,

electronic information, almanac, atlas, magazines, newspapers, and key words).

OVERVIEW:

Students are given the task of researching a North American explorer. Students

will use a variety of tools to locate information on their explorer. Students will

complete a wordle for their explorer after writing their reports and complete aninteractive timeline together as a group.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

How did trade affect the routes chosen by explorers? What contributions were made by the explorers?


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What effects did exploration have on Europe and the New World?FINAL PRODUCT:

Students as a group will produce a wordle using key terms describing their chosen

explorer and create an interactive timeline for their explorer.

LIBRARY LESSON(S):

Students will learn to use the internet and understand what it means to be a

credible website. An evaluation guide will be given to each student. A pathfinderwill be made available to assist students in their search. Once the reports are

written, the media specialists will conduct another lesson teaching the students

how to use wordle and the interactive timeline.

ASSESSMENT Product

Students will work in groups to locate information for that groups explorer and

write a report. Students will work in groups to create a wordle and an interactive

timeline for their explorer. A rubric will be used to assess the product produced.

Process

The media specialist and teachers will monitor students as they search for

information. The students will use exit passes at the end of the research session

to briefly describe successes and concerns.

Student self-questioning

How will I find out about this idea or topic? What is my plan of research? How will I locate these sources? How do I evaluate the information that I find? How have I contributed to the learning of others? How have I shown responsibility in finding and using information in an ethical

way?

INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN

Resources students will use:

Online subscription database(s)

http://www.galileo.usg.edu/kids/links/
http://www.galileo.usg.edu/kids/links/http://www.galileo.usg.edu/kids/links/http://www.galileo.usg.edu/kids/links/


5/15

Web sites

http://kathyschrock.net/abceval/primary/index.htm

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/indexc.shtml

http://www.factmonster.com/

http://www.academickids.com/

http://cybersleuth-kids.com/sleuth/History/Explorers/

http://library.thinkquest.org/4034/nominations.html

http://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Explorers.html

http://www.ibiblio.org/expo/1492.exhibit/Intro.html

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/dsxphome.html

http://www.gisnet.com/notebook/comprose.php

http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~feegi/rose.html?s=8&q=1http://wordle.net

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/timeline/index.html

Books

Reference

Nonprint

Periodicals/newspapers

Other (list):

Instruction/activities

DAY ONE

o Direct instruction:

The media specialist will show the students how to search for

information on the internet using Google, GALILEO KIDS, etc. The

pathfinder for this lesson will be introduced. Students will see its

usefulness when searching for information about explorers. The media

specialist will introduce the 5 Ws of Web Site Evaluation handout.The media specialist will demonstrate who to evaluate a web site using

GOOGLE. The media specialist will also show the students how to use

Destiny (our schools search interface) to search for resources in themedia center.
http://kathyschrock.net/abceval/primary/index.htmhttp://kathyschrock.net/abceval/primary/index.htmhttp://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/indexc.shtmlhttp://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/indexc.shtmlhttp://www.factmonster.com/http://www.factmonster.com/http://www.academickids.com/http://www.academickids.com/http://cybersleuth-kids.com/sleuth/History/Explorers/http://cybersleuth-kids.com/sleuth/History/Explorers/http://library.thinkquest.org/4034/nominations.htmlhttp://library.thinkquest.org/4034/nominations.htmlhttp://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Explorers.htmlhttp://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Explorers.htmlhttp://www.ibiblio.org/expo/1492.exhibit/Intro.htmlhttp://www.ibiblio.org/expo/1492.exhibit/Intro.htmlhttp://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/dsxphome.htmlhttp://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/dsxphome.htmlhttp://www.gisnet.com/notebook/comprose.phphttp://www.gisnet.com/notebook/comprose.phphttp://www.ruf.rice.edu/~feegi/rose.html?s=8&q=1http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~feegi/rose.html?s=8&q=1http://wordle.net/http://wordle.net/http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/timeline/index.htmlhttp://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/timeline/index.htmlhttp://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/timeline/index.htmlhttp://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/timeline/index.htmlhttp://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/timeline/index.htmlhttp://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/timeline/index.htmlhttp://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/timeline/index.htmlhttp://wordle.net/http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~feegi/rose.html?s=8&q=1http://www.gisnet.com/notebook/comprose.phphttp://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/dsxphome.htmlhttp://www.ibiblio.org/expo/1492.exhibit/Intro.htmlhttp://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Explorers.htmlhttp://library.thinkquest.org/4034/nominations.htmlhttp://cybersleuth-kids.com/sleuth/History/Explorers/http://www.academickids.com/http://www.factmonster.com/http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/indexc.shtmlhttp://kathyschrock.net/abceval/primary/index.htm


6/15

o Modeling and guided practice:

The media specialist will ask the students to work together in a group

using the internet to evaluate the web site Fact Monster using the 5

Ws handout. After the evaluation lesson, the media specialist willhave students use the internet or Destiny to find information for

questions about past presidents. Students will then explain how they

found their answers and was it a credible source.

o Independent practice:

Each group will be assigned a different explorer. They will be given an

internet explorer fact sheet. They can decide as a group which facts

each person must locate. The students must locate that information

from three different sources and document the sources.

o Sharing and reflecting:

After all groups have completed the assignment for that day, they will

complete an exit pass before changing class. Students will complete

their reports on their explorer and create a wordle and interactive

timeline and present it to the class. The media specialist will

introduce the wordle web site and the timeline web site at a later

class working session.

DAY TWOo Direct instruction:

Once the students have completed their explorer reports, the media

specialist will introduce the website wordle.net. A brief explanation

of what wordle is will be conducted by the media specialist.

o Modeling and guided practice:

The media specialist will create a wordle on the explorer Marco Polo

(since he is one the students were not assigned but studied).

Students will list key words that define him and his exploration.

o Independent practice:Students will then create their own wordle as a group for their

explorers.


7/15

o Sharing and reflecting:Students will share their finished products with the class using the

Smartboard.

DAY THREEo Direct instruction:The media specialist will introduce the READWRITETHINK web site.

The media specialist will point out helpful tips in creating an organized

timeline.

o Modeling and guided practice:The media specialist and class will create a timeline for Marco Polo

together.

o Independent practice:Students will create a timeline in their group for their explorer.

o Sharing and reflecting:

Students will print their timelines and display them on the bulletin

board in the hall.


8/15

THE FIVE WS OF WEB SITE EVALUATIONWHO

Who wrote the pages and are they an expert? Is a biography of the author

included? How can I find out more about the author?

WHAT

What does the author say is the purpose of the site? What else might the author

have in mind for the site? What makes the site easy to use? What information is

included and does this information differ from other sites?

WHEN

When was the site created? When was the site last updated?

WHERE

Where does the information come from? Where can I look to find out more aboutthe sponsor of the site?

WHY

Why is this information useful for my purpose? Why should I use this information?

Why is this page better than another?

20012009. Kathy Schrock. All rights reserved. Pagemay be reproduced for classroom use.

http://kathyschrock.net/abceval/primary/index.htm
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9/15

Research Report Rubric. Beginning

1

Developing

2

Accomplished

3

Excellent

4

Score

Introduction

Disorganized,

no informationon what is to

come

Gives too

little

information.

Summarizesreport

Concise, well-

written

introduction

.

Research Part 1

(describe the

explorer's routes,

important events and

dates, vehicles used)

Does not

cover all

appropriatetopics

Covers some

of the

appropriatetopics.

Covers most ofthe appropriate

topics.

All appropriatetopics covered

well. Also

includesinteresting

facts.

.

Research Part 2

(explains the

importance of the

trip, who sent the

explorer, describes

the life of the

explorer (if known),

includes map of the

route)

Does notcover all

appropriate

topics

Covers someof the

appropriate

topics.

Covers most of

the appropriatetopics.

All appropriate

topics coveredwell. Also

includes

interestingfacts.

.

Spelling/Grammar

Many spellingand

grammatical

errors

A few errorsOnly one or two

errors

Spelling and

grammarperfect

.

PresentationIllegible,

messy

Almost

illegible

Legible writing,

accompanying

illustrations

Well organized

presentation,typed or written

using a word

processor,

accompanyingillustrations

.

References No references

A single

reference,incomplete

citation

Several

references withincomplete

citations

Many

references,

listed inappropriate

format

.
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10/15

Internet Explorer Rubric Research Fact Sheet(You will need to verify the information by finding it on 3 (three) different sites.)

Explorer Name

_______________________________________________________

______

Geographic Area - Where in the world did they live? Who sponsored their

expedition? Be Specific.

What country were they trying to find? How did they go about locating it? Did

they find it? If not, where did they end up?

What route did they take? I.E. What waterways, countries, rivers, etc did they

cross to get to their destination? You will draw a map of this information.

Natural Resources - What was around them (rivers, oceans, forests, deserts,

grasslands, animals, plants, etc.)? BE SPECIFIC.

How did the natives use the natural resources to help them live? What did they do

and/or make?
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11/15

How did the country sponsoring the expedition use the resources to help them

live?

Customs and Culture - Give at least two descriptions. Some examples are religion,

beliefs, ceremonies, artwork, clothing, music, dance.

NEW WORLD/NATIVE PEOPLE OLD WORLD/COUNTRY EXPLORER

CAME FROM
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12/15

Group Work RubricNames of Students in Group:________________________________________________________________________

Requirement Attempted Acceptable Admirable Awesome

Contributions

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

-Seldom

cooperative

-Did not do any

work

-Rarely offereduseful ideas

-Sometimes

cooperative

-Could have

done more

-Sometimesoffered useful

ideas

-Cooperative

-Did their part of

the work

-Usually offered

useful ideas

-Always willing to

help and do more

-Did more than

others

-Routinely offereduseful ideas

Working with

others

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

-Rarely listens

to, shares with,

or supports the

efforts of

others.

-Often is not a

good team

member

-Often listens to,

shares with, and

supports the

efforts of

others.

-Sometimes not

a good team

member

-Usually listens

to, shares with,

and supports

the efforts of

others.

-Does not cause

problems in the

group

-Always listens to,

shares with, and

supports the

efforts of others.

-Tries to keep

people working

together.

Focus on the

task

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

-Does not focus

on the task and

what needs to

be done.

-Lets others do

the work.

-Sometimes

focuses on the

task and what

needs to be

done.

- Other group

members must

prod and

remind to keep

this person on

task.

-Focuses on the

task and what

needs to be

done most of

the time.

-Group

members can

count on this

person.

-Almost always

focused on the task

and what needs to

be done.

-This person is very

self-directed.

Points Earned: ________ Points Possible: 30 Grade : __________
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13/15

EXIT PASS

QUESTIONS RESPONSE1. Write one thing you learned

today.

2. What area gave you the mostdifficulty today?

3. Something I still don'tunderstand is ...

4. Did working with a partner makeyour work easier or harder?

Please explain.


14/15

Personal Reflection

I felt fortunate to be able to collaborate with these two teachers. I recently

moved to Pre-K after teaching 4th grade for the past 8 years. I was teamed with

Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs. Adams when I taught 4th

grade. Mrs. Mitchell teachesScience and Social Studies (and English Language Arts when class sizes are large),

and Mrs. Adams is the Special Education Teacher. This year, Mrs. Adams is

teaching an inclusion class with Mrs. Mitchell. I asked Mrs. Mitchell first about

this assignment because she teaches a large unit on explorers every year, and Ithought this would be a way to introduce new technology to the students and to

the teachers.

I have co-taught before but not in the role as a media specialist. This was a little

intimidating to me because we are fortunate to have an amazing media specialist atour school. Since I no longer share planning period with these two teachers, we

met after school to plan lessons. When the three of us first sat down to plan, we

looked at the GPS standards for Mrs. Mitchells explorer unit. I then introduced

ideas of how to enhance those plans. We needed to look at the time frame of each

lesson because Mrs. Mitchell has limited amounts of time that she can spend on one

topic because of the other subjects that she teaches. I wanted to focus on the

web site evaluation because so many of our students take information at face value

and do not know of the other reliable sites on the internet. I thought a wordle

would be a quick and easy way for the students to create a 2.0 example of learned

information and a quick and easy way for teachers to assess. The timelines were

more interesting (and neater) than the traditional timelines students usually

create. Both Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs. Adams were receptive to the idea of these

additions. We all worked together to form the rubrics that would be needed for

the lessons. Since both of the teachers were unfamiliar with a wordle, I took thelead role of teacher for that lesson. Mrs. Adams was familiar with the timeline

concept, and she led that lesson. Mrs. Mitchell was unfamiliar with both, so prior

to the student lessons, I gave a quick tutorial of both the wordle and timeline

sites. During the research and evaluation lesson, all three teachers felt

comfortable to teach the lesson. We each took a portion of the lesson and led theinstruction. Since so many special education students are in this class, Mrs. Adams

worked primarily with those students. She helped to modify and change instruction

to fit those students needs. It was helpful to me as a teacher and as a media

specialist to learn how to modify for students as a lesson is being taught. Many of

those teachable moments can not be planned.


15/15

The lessons were student friendly and the students were engaged throughout thelesson. Our school does not have a computer lab, so the direct instruction,

modeling and guided practice were conducted on the Smartboard in the media

center. Students then broke off into groups and rotated through the computers in

the media center. The students and the teachers liked the exit passes at the endof each teaching session. The teachers and I found the passes to very informative

and entertaining. Some students took this opportunity to tattle on fellow group

members. The passes allowed the teachers and me the opportunity to evaluate our

instruction and how we could improve instruction in the future. Mrs. Mitchell hadnever heard of exit passes and planned to use them in the regular course of the

day.

The students enjoyed making the wordle and asked if they could make them for

other classes. It was interesting to see what students thought was keyinformation that should be included in the wordle and timelines. The teachers and

I feel more time and direct instruction was needed for the timeline activity.

Observing Mrs. Adams with the special education students, I would try to plan in

advance for those students before the lesson and try to anticipate their needs

better.

I felt confident in the lessons that were delivered and would make the

modifications in the future. This opportunity allowed me to see how important

collaborative teaching is as a media specialist. I would plan on trying to meet with

all grade levels as a media specialist to try to incorporate technology into

classroom lessons. In-service meetings and faculty meetings would be a good

starting point to get interest peaked.

Documents

Explorer Information Literacy Lesson Plan