CCC: Credible Sources, Creative Commons Images, and Citing Your Sources

Created By:
Becca VanWeerdhuizen
Title/Role:
LRC Director
Organization/School Name:
Faith Academy, Inc.

Grade Level:
7
Type of Lesson:
Lesson in a unit
Type of Schedule:
Combination
Collaboration Continuum:
Moderate
Content Area:
Language Arts
Content Topic:
Autobiography
Standards for the 21st-Century Learner
Skills Indicator(s):
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.
3.1.6 Use information and technology ethically and responsibly.
Dispostion Indicator(s):
1.2.4 Maintain a critical stance by questioning the validity and accuracy of all information.
Responsibilities Indicator(s):
1.3.1 Respect copyright/intellectual property rights of creators and producers.
1.3.3 Follow ethical and legal guidelines in gathering and using information.
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.
Scenario:
Grade 7 English Language Arts: Students do genre studies throughout the year. In the Autobiography unit, they study various autobiographies, biographies, and memoirs. To apply the knowledge they've gained about the genre, they compile their own autobiography. It is comprised of a life graph, a family tree, two autobiographical vignettes, a description of future aspirations, and a culture section. With this lesson plan, the librarian provides the teaching and support for the culture section - a 3+ page assignment. Along with the autobiographical content of the culture section, students learn digital literacy skills - choosing reliable/credible sources, using images that they have permission to use, and giving credit to the suppliers of their information. The teacher librarian and the classroom teacher collaborate to create the CCC lesson based on the unit goals. The TL is responsible for the actual teaching of the library lesson and being present during the subsequent library sessions to answer questions while the classroom teacher provides support and assistance to the TL. The TL assesses the guided practice and each day's exit slip and adjusts teaching accordingly. The classroom teacher assesses the final product - The Autobiography Project.

Overview:
Concepts Taught: A good researcher and writer seeks out credible sources, uses digital images that they have permission to use, and gives credit to those who provided the information and images used in his/her final product. Essential Questions: 1. Why is it important to use credible sources? 2. Why is it essential to use Creative Commons images? 3. How do I give proper credit to the suppliers of the information that I'm using?

Final Product:
One-Day Library Lesson: Population of passport country from CIA World Factbook and proper citation using EasyBib.com, sketch of a Creative Commons image with proper citation using EasyBib.com, and record call numbers for two credible and related print resources in the LRC. Autobiography Unit Final Product related to Library Lesson: A 3+ page MLA-formatted Culture Section of the Autobiography Project. Page 1: A written research report on the student's passport culture with credible sources and in-text citations. Page 2: A compilation of Creative Commons images reflecting the passport culture of the student with image credits. Page 3: An MLA-formatted Works Cited page with citations for both the written research report and the images used.

Library Lesson:
Goal of the Lesson: Students will search for and use credible sources with information about their passport culture, find Creative Commons-licensed images that possess the necessary permissions to use, and give credit where credit is due with MLA-formatted in-text citations, image credits, and a Works Cited page.

Estimated Lesson Time:
45 minutes
Assessment
Product:
The summative assessment of this unit is the full autobiography project with all of the elements (a life graph, a family tree, two autobiographical vignettes, a description of future aspirations, and the 3+ page culture section. Specifically for the culture section, the teacher looks for 1 page with 5 Creative Commons-licensed visual representations of the culture and attached image credits, 2 pages of reliable written information about the culture (population, type of government, family structure, common occupations, religion, and values/beliefs) with in-text citations, and an MLA-formatted Works Cited page with all sources used on the Visual page and Written pages.

Process:
Students will be required to fill in their CCC: Daily Self-Reflection sheet at the end of each class. The reflection is comprised of two parts. Part I is an account of what they accomplished during that class period. The TL and classroom teacher conduct informal observations of each student each day to check their learning of using credible/reliable sources, using Creative Commons-licensed images, and citing their sources with in-text citations, image credits, and a Works Cited page.

Self Questioning:
Part II of the CCC: Daily Self-Reflection sheet is a description of that day's work for each student: what worked well, what they need to work on the next day, what they might need assistance with in the next class period.

Instructional Plan
Resources students will use:
Dataset (ie. lists, tables, databases)
Still image (i.e.paintings, drawings, plans, and maps)
Interactive Resource (i.e. webpages, multimedia learning objects, chat services)
Physical Object
Text (books, letters, poems, newspapers, etc.)

Interactive Resource URL:
http://search.creativecommons.org

Resources instructor will use:
Projector
Laptop
White board

Instruction/Activities
Direct instruction:
Lesson Introduction: Discussing the Essential Questions (Why is it important to use credible/reliable sources? Why is it essential to use images that you have permission to use? How do I give proper credit to the suppliers of my information and images?). Credibility of Sources: Demonstration of a poor information source. Finding quality digital and print sources. Check a source with the questions on the pathfinder. Is it credible and reliable? Discuss again: Why is it important to use credible/reliable sources? Using Creative Commons Images: Searching using search.creativecommons.org, flickrcc.bluemountains.org, labs.ideeinc.com/multicolr. Knowing the creative commons rules/expectations. Discuss again: Why is it essential to use Creative Commons-licensed images? Citing Your Sources: MLA-formatted Works Cited page. In-text citations. Providing image credits with the images used. Discuss again: How do I give proper credit to the suppliers of the information and images that I've used?

Modeling and guided practice:
Guided Practice: Fill out the back bottom half of the pathfinder with your passport culture's population from the CIA World Factbook. Create an image credit for the a cultural image that you wish to use in your project. Input the information from the image credit into easybib.com to create an MLA-formatted citation. Find two OPAC entries for books from the library that may provide credible/reliable information.

Independent practice:
Students are given 4 class periods to work on gathering sources, finding Creative Commons-licensed images, and creating their MLA-formatted Works Cited page.


Have you taught this lesson before:
Yes
AASL/Common Core State Standards Crosswalk

Common Core State Standards English Language Arts:

CC.7.R.L.1 » English Language Arts » Key Ideas and Details » 1. Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. (7)

CC.7.W.7 » English Language Arts » Research to Build and Present Knowledge » 7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation. (7)

CC.7.R.I.4 » English Language Arts » Craft and Structure » 4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone. (7)

CC.7.W.9.a » English Language Arts » Research to Build and Present Knowledge » a. Apply grade 7 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history"). (7)