Gaultney

Susan Gaultney MLIS 5050

**** Information Literacy Lesson Plan **
 * Preparation for the Future

The following information literacy lesson plan was created for the sixth grade students at Page Middle School. As seventh and eighth graders these students will be participating in several research reports and projects. Therefore, after much collaboration with the school librarian and the collection of much data, the conclusion was made that the sixth grade students needed more practice and instruction on how to research using the materials available in the library, how to access and use the Tennessee Electronic Library, and how to cite sources correctly using MLA format. More preparation in these three areas will equip the sixth graders with the necessary skills to be successful researchers in the future.
 * Introduction**

After distributing a needs assessment to sixty sixth graders at Page Middle it was determined that their idea of research was very different and was lacking some very important aspects of research. The students do not know how to use several of the resources in their school library, they do not know anything about the Tennessee Electronic Library, and they have little confidence at citing sources using MLA format.
 * Pre-Assessment**

Develop an understanding and know how to use an atlas, an almanac, an encyclopedia, biographies and the Tennessee Electronic Library. Utilize the easy citation worksheets to learn how to use the correct MLA format in a bibliography. Organize and present information in the form of a PowerPoint Presentation.
 * Standards and Goals**


 * Instructional Objectives**
 * A**udience – The learner will be in the sixth grade at Page Middle School.
 * B**ehavior – The learner will choose a topic of interest and creatively place their research into a PowerPoint to present to the class.
 * C**ondition – The learner will be given instruction in the area of the print resources available in their school library as well as the online database Tennessee Electronic Library and will access them appropriately for their research over the topic of their choice. They will also receive instruction on creating a bibliography using correct MLA format.
 * D**egree – The learner will score at least 10 out of 15 points on the rubric after presenting their final PowerPoint to the class.

The teacher will need a PowerPoint for the opening discussion and instruction, a folder for the class created on the public drive, the opening worksheets and research notes worksheets, LCD projector and screen, reserve the computer lab and library. The teacher will also need two copies of the same almanac and atlas and questions with questions/answers for the opening game. The students will need their information to log onto the computers and every student will need a computer with Word and PowerPoint access.
 * Materials, Media and other Resources**

From the survey given prior to this lesson it was obvious that sixth students do not have a strong understanding about the type of information found in an almanac and an atlas. In order to actively involve the students in developing a better understanding of these resources they will participate in a game. The students will be split up into two teams and given two reference books, a student almanac and a student atlas. The teacher will ask the students a question and they will have to first determine which book to look in and then search for the answer. This will give the students a fun atmosphere to find out for themselves what type of information can be found in an atlas or an almanac and how to find it. The team to find it first will be awarded a point and the team with the most points will win. Next, the students will discuss the various types of questions asked and participate in creating a Venn diagram of the two types of reference books examined. The team that wins the opening game will get to line up at the door first and lead the class down to the library.
 * Set Induction**

Once in the library the students will be guided to the biography section and will discuss how to find a biography with emphasis on looking for the last name as opposed to the first name. Next, the students will be shown where the reference section is located and more specifically where to find the encyclopedias, almanacs, and atlases. For the next class meeting the students will again begin in the computer lab. First, the research project will be explained as well as the main objective of preparing them for the future, especially their seventh and eighth grade research projects. The research project involves the student picking any topic of interest, using an encyclopedia, an almanac, an atlas, a biography, and the Tennessee Electronic Library Database to gather their data and then presenting their findings in a PowerPoint to the class with the correct MLA citations in the credits of the presentation. Next, they will be given instructions on how to access the Tennessee Electronic Library via our school webpage, [|www.wcs.edu/pms] and after some instruction they will use it to begin brainstorming the topic that they would like to use for their research project. Several days will be spent in the Library using the notes handout and easy MLA citations worksheet. Once the information is gathered the students will return to the computer lab to begin arranging their data into a PowerPoint presentation. Pre-determined websites are available for students that cannot find the information they need in the library but they must look for it first and then get permission to go to the websites. The last three days of the project will be spent evaluating and presenting their presentations. In order to evaluate one another’s projects the students will be put into small groups in which they will give positive feedback as well as suggestions for improvement. The students will then be given a day to make any last minute changes based on the suggestions they were given. Finally, on the last day the students will present their final project to the class for a grade. One adaptation is to direct the students to pre-determined websites if they find that there is a lack of information in print in the school’s library. Once found they will be given directions on how to cite an Internet source. Gifted students will be required to seek information from one of the pre-determined websites and cite them in the project in addition to all of the other required sources. Special Education and ELL students will be paired with a student that is academically stronger.
 * Instructional Sequence**
 * Closure**
 * Adaptations and Extensions**

The entire research process, research notes, presentation and final PowerPoint will be assessed using a rubric.
 * Assessment**

My students are currently involved in this Information Literacy project and what I have discovered is that they really need a lot of structure and small steps given slowly and explained thoroughly. The students really enjoyed themselves especially because of the fact that they were able to choose their own topic. The best part is that the librarian at my school was thrilled that the students were getting a head start on researching because she witnesses a lot of struggling seventh and eighth graders when it comes time to research. I originally did not want the students to utilize the Internet except for the Tennessee Electronic Library. The problem with that is that some of the topics the student picked with over topics and people that our library had no resources for. That is why I decided to allow the students to visit the pre-determined websites. I did make sure they looked in the library first. If I had more time I would have them look at some of the public library before going to the Internet. Student Projects: *These will be attached as soon as my students are finished.
 * Reflection**