Note+taking+and+Biomes


 * Nancy Hammons**
 * MLI 5050**
 * 12 October 2007**
 * Information Literacy Lesson Plan on Note Taking—Biomes/Animal Adaptations**

Fifth grade students have been asked to summarize passages using good note-taking skills. More than 90% of fifth grade Science students wrote in complete sentences, copying whole sections of text from references sources. Also, only 60% of the students recorded key information from these passages which indicates a lack of understanding about how to derive meaning from the text.
 * Pre-Assessment**

Students have been introduced to the science concept of adaptation and ecosystems or biomes by reading the science textbook. They also know the expectations for good cooperative behavior because they will work with partners. They also realize that partners are expected to participate equally, and that part of their grade will be based upon participation.

For Information Literacy: Extracts relevant information responsibly and accurately · Paraphrases · Direct Quotations · Understands and Avoids Plagiarism Organizes collected information into useful components using a variety of techniques (i.e. source cards, note cards, graphic organizers, outlines) Begins to use presentation formats for sharing information (e.g., oral reports, research papers, essays, multimedia presentations, visuals)
 * Standards** (from Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools)

For Science: Investigates how living things interact with one another and with non-living elements of their environment · Investigates the relationships among organisms in a specific ecosystem o Determines various types of plant and animal relationships within an ecosystem o Differentiates between the populations and communities that comprise an ecosystem

1. The Learner will (TLW) demonstrate that he/she can work effectively with a partner. 2. After the teacher librarian presentation and guided practice, TLW identify key information from a reference source and accurately summarize or paraphrase the information. 3. TLW work with a partner to summarize important facts from an article about particular biome or ecosystem. 4. At the end of the guided practice, TLW be able to accurately summarize 90% of the important or key points from a reference source. 5. At the end of the lesson, TLW present information about an assigned biome using multimedia presentation software with his/her partner with at least 90% accuracy.
 * Instructional Objectives**

//TEACHER:// //STUDENTS://
 * Materials, Media, and Other Resources**
 * PC computer, multimedia projector, interactive whiteboard
 * PowerPoint™ presentation with selected biomes articles to use as examples
 * Recording of ambient rainforest soundtrack
 * Biomes pathfinder
 * Pencil/Pen
 * Markers and/or crayons, if illustrating notes is preferable
 * PC computer for extension-one per group
 * Nonfiction and reference materials related to biomes/ecosystems and animal adaptations

The teacher will (TTW) play an ambient soundtrack of a tropical rainforest (use soundtracks from www.Kidexplorers.com [rainforestambience.wma, rainforestambience2.wma, and rainforestswamp.wma)—not sure it’s legal to post actual sound files here). TTW ask if anyone knows where these sounds come from. After a brief discussion of tropical rainforests, TTW remind students that they read a chapter in their science textbooks the day before about how living things, organisms, adapt to their environment.
 * Set Induction/Introduction**

Today is our first day in the media center and we will be spending the week here learning how to do research. After finding a good source of information—your teacher and I have set aside some great nonfiction books, encyclopedias, and websites on a pathfinder for you—the next step is to read an article or section of a book and write the important information down: note taking. Do you know why this is an important step? Why can’t I just copy the information word-for-word out of the book? OK…I may be tempted to copy the author’s words into my paper or write them on my project. That has a bad name: plagiarism and it is illegal. When someone writes something, they don’t want someone else to take credit for their work. Imagine that you wrote a poem and posted it on your MySpace page. Then somebody came along and copied it, put it to music and made money off of it, calling it theirs. Wouldn’t that make you mad? They used your words and didn’t give you credit! When you copy someone else’s words—whether they’re in the book or on the Web—you can’t call those your words! So we’re going to learn how to keep from plagiarizing by taking good notes. Once you learn how, it’s faster and easier than copying word for word anyway. We’re going to be researching biomes so I’ve picked out an article about biomes as my example (show them how to condense basic information into simple text or phrases, pictures, or symbols—even math expressions).
 * Instructional Sequence**

Now I want each group to come up and take a minute to find two important facts and write your own shorthand notes for each (slide has room for hand-written notes using the interactive whiteboard).
 * Guided Practice #1**

That was great! I think you all understand how to take good notes. Now let’s practice in your pairs. You may flip over the paper I’ve set between the two of you now. You have a note sheet to share with your partner. I want each of you to find two facts a piece from your article and write good notes the way we just did together on the board. Make sure that you each get two facts. If you have trouble with the words, ask each other for help with the meaning. If you still have trouble, raise your hand—I’m going to go around and check your work.
 * Guided Practice #2**

Now that all seem to get how to take good notes, I’m going to pass out a biomes pathfinder that will help you get started on the project your teacher told you about. There is also a link from our library webpage to this pathfinder—it will be easier to use this link if you want to go to any of the websites or to use the Grolier database. After you spend two days gathering information with your good note taking skills, we will work together to put this information into a PowerPoint™ presentation to show the whole class.
 * Independent Work**

What a great group of researchers you are! Your presentations were great—you all showed a lot of good detail about each of your biomes and the animals that live in them. You are now expert note takers, and when you begin studying the planets, I believe your teacher may like to come back to the library and do another research project so that we can learn more about note taking and bibliographies—where you give credit where credit is due.
 * Closure**

//Linguistic//—writing of notes, reading text to find information //Logical/Mathematical—//may use numbers and mathematical expressions to write notes //Musical—//use of soundtrack in introduction of rainforest biome //Bodily/Kinesthetic—//allow time to move to the interactive whiteboard to participate in guided practice //Spatial/Visual—//use of pictures with text, use of pictures in demonstration, and may use drawings and symbols in writing of notes //Interpersonal—//Pair these students with ELL or Resource students. Have them read the text aloud and help the other student with note taking practice //Intrapersonal—//Allow time to listen and respond to the soundtrack //ELL/Resource—//See Interpersonal //Gifted—//Give advanced text that is on a higher reading level; allow student to help others if finished with assignment
 * Adaptation and Extensions**

TTW check all notes during the guided practice #2 to make sure at least 90% of information from the articles has been notated. TTW remediate or modify assignment when necessary.
 * Assessment**

Did my lesson progress in the way I planned? What measurable data do I have that shows the objectives were met? What have I learned from this lesson that I may use to improve my instruction? What changes will I make in this lesson the next time I present it? What have I observed about my teaching ability as a result of this lesson?
 * Reflection**