Stratton_ Tammy_ Information Literacy Plan_FRIT_7136

Information Literacy Plan Tammy M. Stratton Georgia Southern University

Stratton_ Tammy_ Information Literacy Plan_FRIT_7136

Grade: 7th Teacher(s): Ms. Stratton (SLMS), Mrs. Winger (teacher) Content Topic: It s All Greek to Me, an integrated, thematic seventh-grade Social Studies unit, focuses on the influence Ancient Greece had on American Democracy and culture. With lessons concentrating on democratic roots, architecture, and Greek Myths, students experience various components of the cultural impact of Ancient Greece. It s All Greek to Me builds upon students prior knowledge of the democratic process including voting, democratic systems, party politics, and branches of government. The unit aims to take the students on a journey into the roots of democracy while exposing them to ancient ruins, gods and goddesses and the Olympic beginnings along the way. Standards for the 21st-Century Learner Goals STANDARD 2: Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge. SKILLS INDICATOR(S): 1.1.2 - Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning. BENCHMARK(S): State and support what is known about a topic, problem, or question, and make connections to prior knowledge. DISPOSITIONS INDICATOR(S): 2.2.4 - Demonstrate personal productivity by completing products to express learning. RESPONSIBILITIES INDICATOR(S): 1.3.5 Use information technology responsibly. SELF-ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES INDICATOR: 4.4.3 Recognize how to focus efforts in personal learning. -

Stratton_ Tammy_ Information Literacy Plan_FRIT_7136

SCENARIO: In collaboration with a seventh- grade teacher, the SLMS and teacher identified an area of the teacher s It s All Greek To Me thematic unit that could incorporate information literacy skills. The unit itself consists of nine lessons that are standards-based, differentiated, and multidisciplinary in nature incorporating learning objectives from numerous subject areas. The unit is a yearly activity and one that is highly anticipated and extremely popular with the students, thus it was challenging to identify the appropriate lessons for information literacy integration: the teacher admitted to both anxiety and excitement in changing up the lessons. After several conversations and exchanging of ideas, the SLMS and teacher agreed that it felt more natural to add a new element to her unit that would be a pre-cursor to a future lesson instead of altering the teacher s current lessons. The new element agreed upon was a virtual field trip to the British Museum culminating in the students building a Greek temple online. The SLMS shared her past experiences with virtual field trips, and the teacher exhibited great excitement and interest during the initial visit to The British Museum s Ancient Greece online exhibit.

CONNECTION TO LOCAL OR STATE STANDARDS: Colorado Content Area: Social Studies Grade Level Expectations: Seventh Grade Standard: 1. History

Prepared Graduates: Analyze key historical periods and patterns of change over time within and across nations and cultures. Concepts and skills students master: 2. The historical eras, individuals, groups, ideas and themes within regions of the Eastern Hemisphere and their relationships with one another.

OVERVIEW: In social studies class, seventh-grade students describe the foundation and development of key historical topics. Topics include but are not limited to early civilizations, Greece, Rome, ancient China and ancient African civilizations, and the Medieval World incorporating the Crusades and

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Feudalism. The teacher utilizes a thematic unit centered around the Greek civilization to build on students prior knowledge of the American democratic system and to highlight the influence Ancient Greece had on Western democracy and culture. Inquiry Questions: (teacher focuses on these questions during the classroom lessons) 1. 2. 3. 4. How does the rise or collapse of a government affect surrounding societies over time? What ideas have fundamentally changed different cultures in the Eastern Hemisphere? What are the factors that influenced the development of civilizations and nations? To what extent are ideas from ancient Greece, Rome, China, and Africa important in today's world?

FINAL PRODUCT: Upon completion of The British Museum virtual field trip, students will design and build a Greek temple online in preparation for a future lesson within the teacher s unit. The students will also complete a KWL chart illustrating their prior/existing and acquired knowledge of virtual online field trips. LIBRARY LESSON(S): Addressing class initially as a whole group, the SLMS will introduce the KWL chart on the Smartboard regarding virtual field trips. As a group, the class will complete the first two columns of the KWL chart. They re responsible for completing the final column and turning the completed chart in with their Greek temple design. Upon completion of discussion, SLMS and teacher will discuss The British Museum s Ancient Greece online exhibit, with the SLMS focusing on the online aspect and final product and the teacher focusing on purpose and future assignment. ASSESSMENT Product: The actual completed Greek temple is proof of the students applying knowledge and creating new knowledge, as the on-line tool inhibits each step until the student makes certain design choices; student understanding of the virtual fieldtrip is assessed through the use of the KWL chart; the SLMS and teacher also use a checklist to assess each student s whole group interactions and contributions. Process: SLMS and teacher observe student actions throughout the 50 minute lesson, answering questions as needed.

Stratton_ Tammy_ Information Literacy Plan_FRIT_7136

Student Self-Questioning:  Did I understand my task?  Did I listen carefully enough to find the information I need?  Did I participate and contribute to the group learning activity?

INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN Resources Students Will Use:  KWL Chart responsible for contribution during whole class discussion  Individual KWL Chart  Website http://ancientgreece.co.uk/menu.html

INSTRUCTION/ACTIVITIES Direct Instruction: As class comes in, engage students by having the KWL chart on the Smartboard complete with the headings, What we know about virtual field trips, What we want to know about virtual field trips, and What we learned about virtual field trips displayed. The SLMS will also hand out individual KWL charts as the students enter the room. SLMS will introduce the KWL chart and how it works then discuss the questions, filling in the first column then the second column as students are called upon for answers. SLMS and teacher will review with students what they have been learning in their classroom to make connections and identify purpose for the lesson (SFT21stCLIA p. 69). SLMS will continue with discussion on virtual field trips while displaying examples of virtual field trips on Smartboard using http://www.exploratorium.edu/neverlost/#/navigation/planetarium, http://homeworkspot.com/fieldtrip, and http://field-trips.org/cross/world/index.htm. Modeling and Guided Practice: Upon completion of the last tour, SLMS will then type in http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/menu.html as she directs the students to also navigate to the same website. Students are to click on Knowledge & Learning then follow the same navigation links as the SLMS takes them through the Story, Explore and

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Challenge links. SLMS explains they are to explore a minimum of two links before navigating to the Acropolis. Students are given 10 minutes to navigate their chosen links. Independent Practice: At the end of 10 minutes, students are directed to the Acropolis link where they are to design and build their Greek temple in the Challenge section of the Acropolis. Remind students they are to print only the finished product, which, with their completed KWL chart, is their Ticket out the door for the lesson. The SLMS assists students who have questions. Sharing and Reflecting: The last 10 minutes are devoted to students completing their individual KWL chart. Students hand the SLMS their Greek temple design and KWL chart as they leave the room.

ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING AND RESULTS Assessment: Through the use of informal observations and a checklist, it was determined that each of the 23 students successfully accessed the given websites and stayed on task. With the teacher and SLMS walking around during the entire lesson and answering questions as needed, the behavioral problems were few. The temple design activity was chosen due to its encouragement of independent learning and because the finished project was proof of the student s newly acquired knowledge: the site does not allow the student to progress until they make a design decision at each step. For example, the Build a Temple Challenge Step 1 prompts the user to choose either Ionic or Doric for the order or style of the temple. Once chosen, the user is given an explanation of their chosen style. Next, the user must decide how large their temple will be based on the size of the columns (6, 10, or 18 meters). The Challenge continues with the user choosing the building and roof material, whether to add Pediments or Akroteria and even if they d like to design a new statue of Athena for their temple. The KWL chart is an assessment tool that activates students prior and existing knowledge. It proved an excellent assessment tool with the virtual field trips, as the students were excited and surprised to uncover what they knew and what they wanted to learn. It s not surprising that the majority of students had heard of a virtual fieldtrip, though only three students had accessed one online. Results: 23 out of 23 students completed and submitted an original design of a Greek temple based on the above-description of the architectural design format. In addition, all 23 students returned their KWL chart, though four had only 1 2 words describing what they d learned (new websites). The remaining 19 students had various answers

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ranging from, New sites to help with homework, as good as a real one. REFLECTION

Cool way for research, and Almost

First, the lesson itself was engaging as evidenced by student observation and feedback, but I feel the lesson could have easily been divided into two separate lessons: Day One Accessing and navigating several virtual field trips Day Two Focusing on Ancient Greece and The British Museum s online exhibit and project creation. But then again, the teacher s focus was Greece, so one day committed to unrelated virtual field trips doesn t make sense. Secondly, once I understood the teacher s end result it was easier to design the lesson. The future lesson that builds on the information literacy lesson has the students physically constructing a Greek temple during Art class. Though I was taught to design multi-disciplinary, thematic units, actually witnessing one implemented was new to me. I ve found the majority of teachers do not teach this way, though the research supports it. Finally, the collaborative effort was informative, exhilarating and discouraging. I thoroughly enjoyed talking about the standards and picking the teacher s brain for ideas. She welcomed my questions and input, but I also sensed that this was her unit, which, in retrospect, explains why we added a lesson instead of changing the existing ones. Time is precious for teachers, so I was grateful to have this one class period. Also, I m actually thankful for email and text messaging (normally, I m not a huge fan) as they assisted in our collaborative efforts tremendously. What time savers! Overall, I give the experience a B+. Given additional time and my own media center, it would definitely be an A.

Ancient Greece Pathfinder for Teachers URL http://ancientgreecepathfinder.pbworks.com/w/page/32401557/Ancient %20Greece%20Pathfinder%20-%20Teacher%20Resources

Stratton_ Tammy_ Information Literacy Plan_FRIT_7136

Name___________________ Class/Date_______________

KWL Chart
What I Know about Virtual Field Trips What I Want to know about Virtual Field Trips What I Learned about Virtual Field Trips

Stratton_ Tammy_ Information Literacy Plan_FRIT_7136