Information Literacy Skills Artifact
Online Research Lesson Plan
Class Description:
The class is made up of approximately 30 sophomore English students. The gender split is almost equal, with only a handful more girls than boys. The racial breakdown is mostly white students, with 8 African-American students, 4 Latino/a students, and 3 Asian-American students. The school is located in Champaign, Illinois and has 50 minutes periods.
Goals:
- Students will be able to do keyword searches in online search engines.
- Students will be able to mostly distinguish between "good" and "bad" online sources independently.
- Students will be able to record bibliographic information required for online entries on a works cited page.
Materials Needed:
- Chalk or whiteboard
- Computer lab or enough computers for each student
- Access to the internet
- MLA How-To handout
>Activities:
Opening
- (5 minutes) First, we will talk as a class about what makes a "good" online source and what makes a "bad" one. A student volunteer will record these in a list on the board. We will talk about what traits to look for to distinguish between "good" and "bad."
- (1 minute) A student volunteer will pass out the MLA How-To handout.
- (2 minutes) We will refresh our memories about how to cite books and journals (from the information on the handout).
- (5 minutes) We will talk about how to cite electronic sources.
- (1 minute) The class will start up and/or log in to their computers.
Middle
- (5 minutes) Students will begin using keyword searches on online search engines to research their essay topics.
- (2 minutes) While they are working, I will remind them to start with specific keywords. If their search does not return any items, I will suggest that they broaden their search.
- (23 minutes) Students will continue working independently, while I make myself available for questions about keyword searches, and "good" or "bad" online sources. They will record the bibliographic information from each of their sources as they research.
Closing
- (2 minutes) Before students leave, I will remind them to print out, email, or write out their research sources and bibliographic information.
- (5 minutes) Students will ask any questions they still have about MLA, their essays, or keyword searches.
Formative Analysis:
- Assess students' understanding of how to effectively use keyword searches by observing them while they work.
- Assess students' understanding of the difference between "good" and "bad" sources by observing their searches during class.
- Assess students' understanding of MLA citations by looking over their bibliographic information as they work and during the question time at the end of class.