Mrs.V.'s Lessons

The following activities focus learners on the process skills recommended by the American Association of School Librarians, the International Society of Technology Educators, and

Learning Standard/Objective	Title of Activity/Resource	Description
Information Seeking	Webby Awards SearchQuest	Students create a commercial to promote a search engine, analyzing the tool's best features along with the fine print.
	Power Searching 501 (PPT) NEW!	A PowerPoint review for seniors (Valenza)
	Library Orientation Scavenger Hunt	Introduces students to locating and accessing materials they will be using heavily in the high school curriculum
	KidsClick! Worlds of Searching	Nine kid-friendly activities developed by the Ramapo Catskill Library System
	Uncovering the Invisible Web	Presentation explains the difference between the free and invisible Webs (Valenza)
	Four NETS for Better Searching	Excellent activities using Google, created by WebQuest guru Bernie Dodge
	Web Searching, Sleuthing, and Sifting	Angela Elkordy's rich collection of searching resources
	Creating Pathfinders Template	Guideline for an authentic student product requiring careful selection (Valenza).
	How to Choose a Search Engine or Directory	Laura Cohen (U. Albany) sorts out the search choices in a handy chart
	Boolean Searching on the Internet	A quick guide prepared by Laura Cohen (U. Albany)
	University of Albany Internet Tutorials	Extensive tutorials relating to searching and browsers
	Choosing the Best Search Engine for Your Information Need	Debbie Abilock's helpful chart suggesting the right tool for the task at hand
	Finding Information on the Internet	A variety of tutorials and activities created by Joe Barker, U. Berkeley.
	Boolean Machine	Illustrate Boolean logic using this interactive tool created by Rockwell Schrock (Kathy's son)
	WSU Tours and Tutorials	Tours, pretests, tutorials useful for high school. Check out the World Civ Tutorial.
	Question Brainstormer	Practice developing more thoughtful questions for research
	Search Engines Quick Guide Search Engine Chart	Carol Leita's (LII) search engine cheat sheets
	Research Conference Form	Helps students avoid research "holes" through conferencing with librarian.
	Searching PowerPoint	An overview of student search tools and strategies (Valenza)
	Do We Really Know Dewey	Introduction, activities, and review. As much fun as Dewey can possibly be.
	DataLine BG Pathways to Academic Libraries	Bowling Green State University's multimedia modules include narrowing your topic, Web Wizard, and talking to a database
	Electronic Materials for Children and Young Adults	Annette Lamb's interactive tutorials for teachers
	Yahooligans! Activities for Students	Website comparisons, evaluation, professional vs. amateur coverage, create and manipulate information, and more
	IMSA Self-Guided Micro-Modules	Wide variety of interactive quizzes linked to standards
	Active Learning Techniques for Library Instruction	"Information Literacy Activities Designed by Librarians, For Librarians" by two community college librarians.
	Is it a Thesis?	Practice in developing thesis driven research
	ProQuest's elibrary vs. Google	Comparison chart discussing the value of subscription databases
	How to Make Google Go	Student-produced video on Google's hidden features
	What About Wikipedia?	Student-produced video on when to use Wikipedia and when to think twice
	Databases are different	Student-produced video on different strategies needed for searching databases!
	Google Search Tip Posters	PDFs covering book search, Web search, and search tips
	What's the fuss about the thesis?	The Spartan instructs as the hotdog and the lion develop a thesis
Evaluation	Evaluating Websites WebQuest	Students work in groups, assuming a variety of perspecitves, to evaluate a group of sites relating to a specific topic (Valenza)
	Evaluating Sites on the Middle Ages	Which of the middle ages sites should you visit for your project?
	Evaluating Blogs	Questions to ask as you consider using blogs as information sources
	ICYouSee	A lively tutorial with a revealing two-site comparison by John R. Henderson of Ithaca College
	Evaluating Websites Links	A collection of evaluation resources
	Practice Ranking Sources (High School)	Simulates selection from a result list (Valenza)
	Practice Ranking Sources (Middle School)	Simulates selection from a result list (Valenza)
	Reflecting on the Research Process	Questions designed to inspire students to evaluate the process, designed as an attachment to the final product (Valenza)
	Why Should I Take this Author Seriously?	For upper level high school students, how to evaluate the credentials of an author (Valenza)
	Evaluation PowerPoint	Presentation explains why and how students should evaluate resources (Valenza)
	Using CARRDSS to Evaluate Your Sources	Springfield Township's acronym for evaluating sources
	Checklist to Evaluating Websites	University of Maryland Libraries offer a handy checklist with rationale for evaluation
	QUICK: Quality Information Checklist	Eight ways to validate information and an interactive "Quick Quiz" designed by two British health agencies for younger students
	Developing a Research Pathfinder	Description of how students might create high-quality, subject-specific guides for future researchers (Valenza)
	Distinguishing Scholarly, Popular, and Trade	Help students better understand where their articles are coming from
Ethics	Doug Johnson's Scenarios	Doug's excellent overview of ethical issues as they relate to information literacy and his two sets of scenarios designed for comparing the face-to-face world with the digital
	You Quote it, You Note it	Acadia University's amusing, interactive tutorial
	David Warlick's A Student and Teachers Code of Ethics	"What it means to be literate, a basic code of ethics — a right and wrong for the information highway"
	A Blogger's Code of Ethics	Guidelines from Cyberjournalis.net
	You Quote It, You Note It!	Acadia University's Vaughan Memorial Library's humorous, interactive tutorial on plagiarism
	Zippy Scenarios for Teaching Internet Ethics	Frances Jacobson's realistic scenarios are perfect for provoking student thought and discussion
	ABCs of Website Evaluation	Kathy Schrock's collection of resources for students and teachers
	Plagiarism vs. Documentation	These samples display how students can effective quote AND use their own voice in their writing (Valenza)
	Guidelines for Multimedia and Web Production	Suggestion for students in using media with a template premission letter (Valenza).
	How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography	Cornell University's guide to meaningful expanded citations
	Is it Plagiarism?	A discussion starter for students (Valenza)
	Copyright Tutorial	University of Texas' highly interactive "Crash Course" covering all media
	Citation Machine	David Warlick's (Landmark Project) interactive tool for "assembling" citations in MLA style
	Virtual Salt	Anti-plagiarism strategies for research papers
	Plagiarism PowerPoint	Springfield's tools for discussing the issue with students and teachers (Valenza)
	Academic Integrity Policy for Research	Springfield's policy explaining responsibilities of teachers and students
	Creative Commons	Creative Commons licenses provide a flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors, artists, and educators.
Synthesis	Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting	Yes, you can borrow from the work of others! How and when to use each of these three strategies.
	General Writing Concerns (Planning/Writing/Revising/Genres)	Handouts, exercises and PowerPoints from Purdue's Online Writing Laboratory which cover: starting to write, effective writing, revising, editing, and proofreading, and types and genres of writing.
	From Nuts to Notes, Mixed Nuts, Creating Mixed Nuts	A visual approach to note-taking (Valenza / Rohrbach)
	Thoughtful Research (Thesis PowerPoint)	Presentation explains research expectations to students and parents
	What's the Fuss About the Thesis?	Student-produced video on thesis writing
	Graphic Organizers	A collection of model scaffolds
	Springfield Township High School Research Guide	A comprehensive guide for high school students
	Springfield Township MLA Style Sheet	Guide for citation using common high school sources as examples
	Writing Research Papers Based on MLA Documentation	Capital Community College's guides to outlining, notetaking, citing, quoting, and a whole lot more
	Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers	Online textbook for the writing process. Includes links, exercises, and a citation manager
	Applying Bloom to Student Research	A collection of links describing the types of projects that inspire higher level thought
	Developing an Interpretation: A Process	Carol Rohrbach's guide for writing about literature
Communication	Gettysburg Powerpoint Presentation	Bullets simply do nothing for Lincoln's brilliance!
	Score More Points with Your PowerPoints	Tips for improving student presentations (Valenza)
	Virtual Presentation Assistant	Online tutorial from the University of Kansas
Information Literacy--Overviews	Tools for Reading the World	Debbie Abilock's extensive collection of 21st Century media literacy resources
	WSU: Master List of Info. Lit. Tutorials	Collects the best of the university learning resources.
	21st Century Literacies	Focusing on four 21st century literacies - information, media, multicultural, and visual--the site features resources and lessons developed by a team of literacy experts.
	Cybersmart Curriculum	Posters and excellent standards-based lesson plans K-8
	National Forum on Information Literacy: Definitions of Information Literacy	A collection of definitions
	Top Ten Tips for Teachers	Nitty gritty advice (Valenza)
	Information Literacy: An Overview of Design, Process, and Outcomes	Impressive guidance and resources from Debbie Abilock
	What is Information Literacy and Why Should I Care?	One page description of the process for high school students (Valenza).
	Big 6 Website	A rich collection of lessons and material to support the Eisenberg and Berkowitz model
	Information Literacy (Palmerston School)	Barbara Braxton's overview of the process for elementary students
	Seven Steps of the Research Process	Cornell University's hypertext guide for students
	Information Literacy	Christina Doyle's online book
	Electronic Resources: Lakeview High School Library	Margaret Lincoln's PowerPoints guide students through FirstSearch and Infotrac interfaces. Check out the Research Guide and Copyright Basics.
	Teaching Information Literacy: The Big Six Skills Approach to Information Problem Solving	Pam Barney's clear explanation of the Eisenberg/Berkowitz model
	For a clever country: information literacy diffusion in the 21st century	Background and issues paper for the first national roundtable on information literacy conducted by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), February 2001
	Letter for Parents About "the Changes"	A letter explaining the information literate school culture to parents.
	TILT: Texas Information Literacy Tutorial	Engaging interactive tutorials for librarians and educators.
	Research 101	University of Washington's comprehensive tutorials for students.
	Adventures of Cyberbee	Linda Joseph's alter ego offers tutorials, projects, and curricular connections.
	E-Literate Video	UCLA's media presentation for young people
	Kathy Schrock's Slide Shows	Covering technology, searching, and information literacy
	TRAILS: Tools for Real-time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills	Kent State's federally funded initiative designed to "foster collaboration between teachers and librarians who are concerned with advancing library and information literacy in the PK-12 school curriculum."
	Springfield Library Orientation	Our 8th grade introduction
Rubrics to Support Information Literacy	Rubric for the Research Process
	Research ChecBric	Developed by Springfield Township, this rubric is designed to assess process (Valenza/Rohrbach)
	Multimedia/Web Page Research Rubric
	Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric	Use to assess critical thinking, skills and habits of mind used in student projects (Facione/California Academic Press)
Miscellaneous Content Area Activities with Strong Info Lit Learning Goals	Best WebQuests.com	Tom March's collection of best practice in this inquiry-driven online learning model
	WebQuest Page	Bernie Dodge's resource page for all things WebQuest--templates, examples, training materials, and more!
	Learning Page (American Memory Collection	Inquiry-based resources and activities incorporating the rich primary source resources at the Library of Congress
	Changing the Questions	Death to topical research! A collection of learning resources to inspire more thoughtful research (Valenza)
	Teaching with Documents	Peter Pappas' excellent gathering of ideas and tools. Perfect for teachers working with DBQs!
	SCORE Cyberguides(Literature) SCORE Cyberguides (Social Studies)	Standards-based teacher guides and student activities prepared by educators from the San Diego County Office of Education
	Marco Polo	"Standards-based Internet content for the K-12 teacher and classroom, developed by the nation's content experts."
	PBL (Project-Based Learning)	Buck Institute of Education's description of what PBL looks like, project examples
	Project-Based Learning with Multimedia	San Mateo Office of Education's award-winning site includes topics, assessment, curriculum, and examples
	Project, Problem, and Inquiry-Based Learning	Collected descriptions, rationale, and examples (Annette Lamb)
	Make it Happen: The I-Search Process	EDC (Education Development Center's guide to the four phases of the process, based on Ken Macrorie's book
	To Solve, To Learn, Together	Samford University's Center for Problem-Based Learning
	It's OK to Use "I"	Catherine Trinkle's overview of the I-Search Process
	LION: Lesson Plans & Activities for School Librarians	"Links to library and information skills curriculum documents, and related books and periodicals."
Standards	Information Power: Nine Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning	Excerpt from AASL's Information Power document
	Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education	What university students should know and be able to do relating to information literacy (ACRL)
	National Educational Technology Standards	ISTE's standards for students, teachers, and administrators
	Information Literacy Standards	Council of Australian University Librarians define information literacy with standards and indicators