TECHNOLOGY

(SECONDARY)

ESSENTIAL UNIT 5 (E05)

(Information Acquisition and Evaluation Fluency)
(JULY 2010)

Unit Statement: The student will apply digital tools to collect, evaluate, and summarize
information. The instructor will coordinate with the students other teachers to integrate a
major project from another class. Alternately, the student may select their own project
from another class.
Essential Outcomes: (assessed for mastery)
1. The Student Will identify important questions from the project worthy of
investigation.
2. TSW locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information
from a variety of sources and media. The data could be developed through original
research, collected from a library, media sources, the Internet, or other sources.
3. TSW select the appropriate digital tools or resources to use for their project and
justify the selection based on their efficiency and usefulness.
4. TSW effectively use advanced search functions to quickly narrow search results to
coincide with the search objective.
5. TSW efficiently scan search results for best potential sites before following links.
6. TSW recognize bias in digital resources while researching the controversial
aspects of their project with guidance from the teacher.
Introduced & Practiced Outcomes:
1. The Student Will model ethical and legal behaviors when using information by
properly selecting and citing resources.
2. TSW use planning strategies to guide inquiry before initiating research.

Suggested Materials:
Access to the Internet and/or QSIs Destiny library catalog are required. Google offers
search resources for teachers including lessons. Cornell University offers a good primer on
evaluating Web sites.

QSI TECHNOLOGY SEC E05

Copyright 1988-2010

20

Assessment Rubric E05 Information Acquisition and Evaluation Fluency

The use of the following checklist is suggested, but not mandatory. Rather it is a tool to
assess students on essential outcomes. A level mastery means that a student has mastered
all essential parts of the unit at an appropriate high level. The student consistently
demonstrated noteworthy achievement of high quality, particularly in the higher order
thinking or performance skills. B level mastery means that a student has mastered all
essential parts of the unit at an appropriately high level in which the student successfully
engaged in higher thinking or performance skills. Students may receive a D (deficient)
if they have not made a reasonable effort on one or more outcomes.
TSW
1. Identify important
questions from the project
worthy of investigation.

A Level Mastery
Identifies very
important questions
from their project.

B Level Mastery
Identifies questions
from their project
but the questions
lack some
significance.

P Progress
Unable to identify
significant questions
from their project.

2. Locate, organize,
analyze, evaluate,
synthesize, and ethically
use information from a
variety of sources and
media.

Excellent ability to
process information.
The information is
ethically used and
comes from a variety
of sources.

The information is
not completely or
carefully processed.
There is limited
variety of sources.

Inability to process
information. The
information is not
used ethically. A
variety of sources is
not used.

3. Select the appropriate

digital tools or resources to
use for their project and
justify the selection based
on their efficiency and
usefulness.

Exceptional ability
to select the
appropriate
resources. The
reasons for the
choices made make
sense.

Ability to select and

use tools for
pursuing inquiry,
although the
explanation of use
and/or tool chosen is
not always best.

Inappropriate
resources are used.
The student cannot
justify their
efficiency or
effectiveness.

4. Use effectively advanced

search functions to quickly
narrow search results to
coincide with the search
objective

Mastery of advanced
search functions.
The student quickly
narrows search
results based on the
search criteria.

Advanced search
used, but with
difficulty or
assistance. Search
results are
somewhat narrowed.

Inability to use
advanced search
productively. Search
results not narrowed
to the search
objective.

5. Scan efficiently search

results for best potential
sites before following links.

Search results are

carefully scanned
before resources are
accessed.

A limited survey of
links is made before
following links.

Search results not

scanned before links
are followed.

6. recognize bias in digital

resources while researching
the controversial aspects of
their project.

Student has
recognized
motivations and
causes for bias in the
controversial aspects
of their project.

Student has
recognized bias in
the controversial
aspects of their
project.

Student has not

recognized bias in
the controversial
aspects of their
project.

QSI TECHNOLOGY SEC E05

Copyright 1988-2010

21