How to locate and evaluate information, Part II - Databases

Submitted by mcfues on Thu, 04/14/2011 - 04:51Printable version Bookmark and Share
Created By:
Marianne Cole Fues, Lisa Scroggs
Title/Role:
Library Media Specialist
Organization/School Name:
Jefferson City High School
Location:
Missouri

Grade Level:
10
Type of Lesson:
Lesson in a unit
Type of Schedule:
Flexible
Collaboration Continuum:
Moderate
Content Area:
Language Arts
Content Topic:
Past, Present, and Future
Standards for the 21st-Century Learner
Skills Indicator(s):
1.1.2 Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
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.
Dispostion Indicator(s):
1.2.3 Demonstrate creativity by using multiple resources and formats.
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):
1.4.4 Seek appropriate help when it is needed.
2.4.1 Determine how to act on information (accept, reject, modify).
2.4.3 Recognize new knowledge and understanding.
Scenario:
The SL confers with English II teachers to help plan for students to begin research papers. The course level expectations (CLE) for acquiring information state that students will locate and use multiple sources to select relevant and credible information, evaluate reliability of information, and evaluate reliability of sources. An additional CLE states that students will document sources of information using a standard citation format. Teachers and the SL discuss ways to engage students in the process. The SL suggests using a work form for students to record their findings along with a citation template. Classes will locate a minimum of three sources on the topic of past, present, and future. Teachers will introduce the research paper process to students and they will each select a subject for their paper. The class will visit the library for the following three days for instruction and research. Instruction is divided into three sections with student work and assessment for each part. Following initial research, students return to the library for additional sources as needed.

Overview:
Students will be able to select and cite credible information for their English II research paper. Students self-select their topic of past, present, and future, e.g. television, cell phones, immigration, capital punishment. This gives the student an opportunity to use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.

Final Product:
Students will write a research paper for English II.

Library Lesson:
During Part II, students will learn about databases - common features and distinctions between available databases. Students will locate specific sources for their research paper and record them on their work form. They will describe why they believe the source -- a database, for part II -- will be appropriate for their individual subject. The SL will use a rubric to summatively assess each student's final work.

Estimated Lesson Time:
90 minutes
Assessment
Product:
The student research paper is assessed by the English II teacher.

Process:
The SL will assess the student work form each day looking for students location of appropriate databases, article selection for their subject as well as source citation on the citation template. Written comments are added to the work form to let the student know how they are progressing as well as talking with the individual student each day about their work. This formative assessment for learning ensures that students receive timely feedback to keep them working effectively toward a well-developed research essay. The SL and teacher observe students as they work on locating sources for their subject. They talk with each student during class about their work.

Self Questioning:
Did I understand how to use a database to locate information? Have I cited the source correctly?

Instructional Plan
Resources students will use:
Dataset (ie. lists, tables, databases)

Resources instructor will use:
Projector
Laptop

Instruction/Activities
Direct instruction:
Part II involves instruction by the SL on the use of electronic subscription databases: location of similar buttons on each database -- print, email, citation -- and types of sources found on a particular database. The entering of terms appropriate for the subject and analyzing results is demonstrated. The SL also reviews citation information provided by the databases and by citation templates.

Modeling and guided practice:
The SL demonstrates search strategies for databases and models Part 2 of the attached work form. Students locate sources on databases for their subject.

Independent practice:
Students use a laptop to select appropriate databases and locate information on their subject. Part 2 of the worksheet involves recording the search terms used to locate their sources, selecting two databases they think will be helpful in finding information for their paper, and justifying their selections. Students continue recording citation information for their database sources.


Have you taught this lesson before:
Yes

Strategies for differentiation:
Each student works independently to find sources for their selected subject. The SL and classroom teacher check progress each day with each student.
AASL/Common Core State Standards Crosswalk

Common Core State Standards English Language Arts:

CC.9-10.W.8 » English Language Arts » Research to Build and Present Knowledge » 8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. (9,10)

CC9-10RS/TS7 » Reading Standards for Literacy in Sci Tech » 7. Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words. (9,10)

CC9-10RH/SS7 » Reading Standards for History » 7. Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text. (9,10)

CC.9-10.R.I.7 » English Language Arts » Integration of Knowledge and Ideas » 7. Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person's life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account. (9,10)

CC.9-10.R.L.7 » English Language Arts » Integration of Knowledge and Ideas » 7. Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment (e.g., Auden's "Musée des Beaux Arts" and Breughel's Landscape with the Fall of Icarus). (9,10)

CC9-10RS/TS8 » Reading Standards for Literacy in Sci Tech » 8. Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author's claim or a recommendation for solving a scientific or technical problem. (9,10)

CC9-10RS/TS9 » Reading Standards for Literacy in Sci Tech » 9. Compare and contrast findings presented in a text to those from other sources (including their own experiments), noting when the findings support or contradict previous explanations or accounts. (9,10)

CC.9-10.SL.2 » English Language Arts » Comprehension and Collaboration » 2. Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source. (9,10)

CC.9-10.SL.3 » English Language Arts » Comprehension and Collaboration » 3. Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence. (9,10)

CC.9-10.L.3.a » English Language Arts » Knowledge of Language » a. Write and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a style manual (e.g., MLA Handbook, Turabian's Manual for Writers) appropriate for the discipline and writing type. (9,10)

CC.9-10.L.4.c » English Language Arts » Vocabulary Acquisition and Use » c. Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its etymology. (9,10)

CC9-10RH/SS8 » Reading Standards for History » 8. Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author's claims. (9,10)

CC.9-10.R.L.1 » English Language Arts » Key Ideas and Details » 1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. (9,10)

CC.9-10.R.I.2 » English Language Arts » Key Ideas and Details » 2. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. (9,10)

CC.9-10.R.I.3 » English Language Arts » Key Ideas and Details » 3. Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them. (9,10)

CC.9-10.R.L.2 » English Language Arts » Key Ideas and Details » 2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. (9,10)

CC9-10RS/TS1 » Reading Standards for Literacy in Sci Tech » 1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions. (9,10)

CC9-10WH/SS/S/TS1b » Writing Standards » b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form and in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level and concerns. (9,10)

CC.9-10.W.2.b » English Language Arts » Text Types and Purposes » b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic. (9,10)

CC9-10RS/TS2 » Reading Standards for Literacy in Sci Tech » 2. Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text's explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text. (9,10)

CC9-10RS/TS5 » Reading Standards for Literacy in Sci Tech » 5. Analyze the structure of the relationships among concepts in a text, including relationships among key terms (e.g., force, friction, reaction force, energy). (9,10)

CC9-10RS/TS6 » Reading Standards for Literacy in Sci Tech » 6. Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text, defining the question the author seeks to address. (9,10)

CC.9-10.R.I.8 » English Language Arts » Integration of Knowledge and Ideas » 8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning. (9,10)