Researching a Favorite Author

Created by:

Colet Bartow

Title/Role:

Library-Information Literacy Specialist

Organization/School Name:

Montana Office of Public Instruction

Location:

Montana

Grade Level:

Type of Lesson:

Stand-alone lesson

Type of Schedule:

Individualized Instruction

Collaboration Continuum:

Limited

Content Area:

Language Arts

Content Topic:

Favorite author research paper

Standards for the 21st-Century Learner

Skills Indicator(s):

4.1.7 Use social networks and information tools to gather and share information.

Dispositions Indicator(s):

4.2.1 Display curiosity by pursuing interests through multiple resources.

4.2.2 Demonstrate motivation by seeking information to answer personal questions and interests, trying a variety of formats and genres, and displaying a willingness to go beyond academic requirements.

Responsibilities Indicator(s):

4.3.1 Participate in the social exchange of ideas, both electronically and in person.

4.3.4 Practice safe and ethical behaviors in personal electronic communication and interaction.

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.

4.4.1 Identify own areas of interest.

Scenario:

A ninth grade student has recently completed a traditional research paper on her favorite author: Jane Austen. The student mentions to the school librarian (SL) that she would like to create a blog that helps her connect with other fans of the author. The student would like to e-mail a Jane Austen scholar to ask questions but is not sure about protocol for e-mailing an expert. The SL encourages the student to bring her research paper to the library to review the paper and works cited list. The SL suggests that the student expand the resources used for the research paper to include a bibliography of Austen's novels and books written about the author's work, along with links to graphics, video and audio clips from Austen's novels. The SL also suggests that the student may want to create a wiki, rather than a blog, to better share information. The SL then meets with the ninth grade team and proposes that a wiki would be a great way to follow up and share what students learn from their research papers as an addition to the research unit and offers to teach wiki design as an additional element to the project.

Overview:

A student wishes to share and expand upon information synthesized in an English I research assignment. In particular, the student wishes to exchange information with others interested in the same topic/author.

Final Product:

The student designs a wiki that includes a variety of resources and a component for exchanging information with visitors to the wiki.

Library Lesson:

The SL conducts informal, one-on-one instructional sessions and conferences with the student. These meetings focus on searches for additional resources, netiquette required for online exchanges and methods to build and sustain learning through social networks.

Estimated Lesson Time:

30 minutes

Assessment

Product:

The student and SL will create a self-assessment checklist to include criteria for (1) wiki design, (2) quality and variety of resources, (3) reliability and accuracy of information, and (4) appropriate credit for sources of information. The student and the SL will also use a SWOT (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) analysis to evaluate the wiki.

Process:

The student will maintain a reflection log, outlined by the Student Self-assessment questions, throughout her independent research to share with the SL at their meetings.

Student self-questioning:

Did I effectively expand the information beyond my original report? Did I gather good information from experts? Did I find some new pictures, audio or video to add to the original research? Did I achieve my goal to share my information with others outside of my class and school? Did I achieve my goal of connecting with other people who share my interest in Jane Austen?

Instructional Plan

Resources students will use:

Dataset (ie. lists, tables, databases)

Moving Image (i.e. animations, movies, tv program, video)

Interactive Resource (i.e. webpages, multimedia learning objects, chat services)

Sound (i.e. music playback file, audio compact disc, recorded speech or sounds)

Text (books, letters, poems, newspapers, etc.)

Interactive Resource URL:

http://

Resources instructor will use:

Laptop

Instruction/Activities

Direct instruction:

The SL reviews the online and library collection resources presented during the English I research project and suggests additional resources. The SL also reviews Netiquette Rules for safely and responsibly using electronic resources and in communicating with e-mail or other online communication tools, and provides instruction on how to choose a wiki site and how to set up the basic account information and design.

Modeling and guided practice:

The SL works with the student to identify search strategies appropriate for finding experts and multimedia resources and assists the student in searching WorldCat® for scholarly works on Jane Austen. The SL challenges the student to develop new questions that will lead to discovery of new information and understandings about the author and her works and guides the student toward examples of well-designed wikis.

Independent practice:

The student uses independent time to search for resources and make contact with experts. She creates and implements a wiki design that includes appropriately credited content and links to multimedia resources

Have you taught this lesson before:

Yes

AASL/Common Core State Standards Crosswalk

English Language Arts:

CC.9-10.W.6 » English Language Arts » Production and Distribution of Writing » 6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology's capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically. (9,10)

CC.9-10.SL.1 » English Language Arts » Comprehension and Collaboration » 1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. (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)