Information Literacy Lessons: Gather

 

VIEW STEP 2 OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT CALCULATOR

 

**Note the sub-categories: Finding Info, Evaluating Info, Using Computers to Find Info, Recording/Citing Info**

 

Finding Information

 

Lesson: Selecting the Right Source

Students will be able to choose appropriate information resources (e.g. people, places) and appropriate reference sources (e.g. dictionaries, indexes) to find useful information.

 

Lesson: Identify Key Words, Synonyms, Key Phrases

Students will be able to identify key words and phrases in their questions and generate synonyms when necessary.

 

Lesson: Flow of Information

Students will understand that information takes a linear path, from the time an event/social movement/discovery first occurs until it is disseminated in different forms and identify the types of sources they need to consult.

 

Lesson: Scanning

Students will know the purpose of scanning. They will be able to locate specific facts, key words, or phrases within a text. They will know to use the organizational tools such as a table of contents and index.

 

Lesson: Skimming

Students will know how and why to skim textual material. They will identify the main ideas of a text by reading first and last paragraphs, topic sentences, and noting other organizational clues such as title, type, captions, etc.

 

Lesson: Highlighting

Students will be able to identify key phrases in an article. They will be able to discriminate between information which answers their research questions and information which is simply interesting.

 

Lesson: Scanning for Visual Details

Students will be able to locate visual details within images. They will be able to look at an image's larger context to gain insights into the meaning of visual details. They will be able use captions to locate and identify meaning.

 

Worksheet: Bookmark with Primary Sources

This can be used as a worksheet or bookmark to remind students of over thirty possible sources for finding information.

 

Evaluating Information

 

Lesson: Determining Relevancy

Students will learn skills for evaluating information they retrieve from searching book catalogs, article indexes, and web search tools in order to ascertain if they are useful to answer their research question.

 

Lesson: Determining Authority and Accuracy

Students will know that they must identify the author (person or organization), evaluate the expertise of the author, and determine if they feel the source is trustworthy and accurate.

 

Lesson: Determining Point of View

Students will learn to determine point of view or bias of an information source in order to better evaluate the accuracy and usefulness of the information. They will be able to identify inherent biases or limitations.

 

Lesson: Determining Currency

Students will know to always check the date the information they are using was produced. They will understand that subjects or fields of inquiry that are rapidly changing require the most current information.

 

Lesson: Framing and Point of View

Students will recognize the three types of photo shots: close-up, medium, and long. They will understand that framing affects meaning: details in close-ups, relationships in medium shots, and context in long shots.

 

Lesson: The Function of Images in Text

Students will be able to recognize that images can have different functions in a text. They will be able to understand that the same image can function in more than one way depending on context.

 

Lesson: Images as Persuasion

Students will be able to understand that images can function as a means of persuasion.

 

Lesson: Scholarly Journals vs. Popular Magazines

This is a PowerPoint presentation designed to teach the difference between journals and magazines.

 

Using Computers to Find Information

 

Lesson: Searching Specialized Databases - The Invisible Web

Students will learn about valuable information available from specialized databases that can not be retrieved from searching general search engines. They will learn how to think critically about searching for information.

 

Lesson: Boolean Operators

Students will know the definition of Boolean logic and Boolean operators. They will be able to use Boolean operators to connect key ideas and conduct searches.

 

Lesson: Creating an Effective Search Statement

Students will be able to identify the keywords/phrases of their topics. They will be able to create a search statement using Boolean operators to connect elements of their topics.

 

Lesson: Online Search Techniques: Six Keys to Success

Students will be aware of basic and advanced searches and when to use them. They will be able to use Boolean operators and search by exact phrase. They will understand how to use truncation and limits to change their results.

 

Lesson: General Web Search Tools

Students will know the definitions of the three major web search tools: search engine, directory and metasearch engine. They will be able to distinguish when to use these different tools.

 

Lesson: Evaluating General Web Search Tools: Which are Best?

Students will understand and differentiate between general and subject-specific search engines/directories. They will be able to critically evaluate the best tool for their search needs.

 

Lesson: Understanding URLs

Students will learn the different domain suffixes (.org, .com, .gov, etc.), the organizations represented by each, and evaluate websites for relevancy, authority, accuracy, and point of view.

 

Lesson: Evaluating Websites

Students will be able to use a critical eye when looking at a website. They will be able to identify the purpose of a website and be able to define criteria for looking critically at a website.

 

Lesson: Choosing Best Results/Hits

Students will be able to identify the best hits/results by reading the title, description, and web address on a results page. They will be able to defend their choice when asked about their choices.

 

Lesson: Locating Images

Students will be able to effectively search for images using Google. They will be able to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant images, refine the search, copy images into a Word document, and cite appropriate sources.

 

Recording and Citing Information

 

Worksheet: Source Notes

These worksheets provide guidelines for students to record citation information as well as their notes, data, interpretation, hypothesis, analysis, thoughts, ideas, and concerns.

 

Books 

 

Interviews

 

Magazines/Newspapers

 

Reference Materials

 

TV/Radio

 

Video/Audio

 

Email

 

Databases

 

Websites