Big Joe's Lesson Plans

Title: Big6 Reality: Technology Shopping!
Grade Level: 6th
Subject: Information Literacy & Technology
Duration: Two 30-minute classes
Description: Need A NEW TV, VIDEO GAME SYSTEM, AND COMPUTER Within My Budget. Most 6th grade students should be familiar with the process of shopping, even if their experience was as simple as accompanying a parent to a store. To present this information, I wrote a scenario in which a 6th grader needs to purchase multiple technology device for different interests such as watching TV, gaming with friends, and doing homework on a budget.
A budget of only $ 525 has been imposed. The budget constraint in this scenario requires each student to research a computer, TV, and game system and selectively choose between the varieties of items. Proper evaluation of items is key to this task. On my electronic/technology equipment purchase I want to be able to do homework; watch TV; and do gaming. Each of these interests or events requires electronic/technology equipment, but I only have $ 525. By setting up a need for multiple electronic/technology types, I have an example in which I must research different sources, types and prices in my search for new equipment. To present the Big6 to the students, I developed a PowerPoint presentation titled (The Big6).
The presentation accomplishes two goals it guides students though Big6 strategy, and shows them a real-world example of how to use Big6 in a practical situation. To apply each Big6 stage in the context of technology/technology shopping, I created one slide for each Big6 stage, and then created a second slide to explain my technology/technology shopping problem related to that stage.
Big6 Relevance! Students can really relate to this example. Engaging students by asking a lot of questions about how they shop, the costs of different types of electronics and what suggestions they have to solve the need for multiple technology devices, with so little money. The students are Big6ing before they know it! A graphic organizer is included with this lesson.
Big6 is Transferable 
Additional goals included incorporating Big6 in other areas of the core curriculum to enhance the overall student achievement and lifelong learning skills. Encouraging the Science and Social Studies teachers to bring their classes into the media center frequently to learn and reinforce Big6 skills. Students have a chance to immediately reinforce the Big6 stages they have just learned while completing a research assignment. While I teach them the Big6, I not only relate it to the shopping scenario, but I can also tie in specifics about their assignment to each stage of the Big6.

Goals: Students will understand and apply the Big6 process to solve information problems. Students will be exposed to how the concepts taught in the Big6 apply not only to research but also to everyday life problem solving. Discover real world application to what they learn in school. Students will demonstrate a working knowledge of multi-media formats and accessing various sources.
Standards:
B.8.2 Define information seeking strategies.
B.8.3 Locate and access information sources.
B.8.4 Evaluate and select information from a variety of print, nonprint, and electronic formats.
B.8.5 Record and organize information.
B.8.6 Interpret and use information to solve the problem or answer the question.
B.8.7 Communicate the results of research and inquiry in an appropriate format.

Objectives:
Develop an understanding on the Big6 process
Locate and access LMC resources
Develop skills to become an informed shopper
Simulate the purchase of technology/equipment devices

Materials: Access to technology books and magazines.
Access to computers and Internet. Newspapers. Additional materials for presentations (OH, camera, video, pod cast devices, audio recorder, large poster board and construction paper, glue, push pins, and tape)
Procedure: Explain the scenario (see above). Present power point and discuss the Big6 process. Brainstorm uses, needs, and application of the three types of devices we are researching. Show students where the interactive graphic organizer is on their student servers. Each student should save the organizer into their student accounts and change the name of the file to today’s date. Discuss the goal of this assignment. Remind students that they must work with in the budget to purchase all three of the items, or purchase as many items as they can and explain why they purchased what they did.
Assessment: Present results to class. Meet budget requirements and justify purchases either oral/written.
Citations:
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Retrieved July 17, 2007, from Wisconsin DPI web site: http://dpi.state.wi.us/standards/
Modified by a lesson created by: Catherine Barone
added on Tuesday, December 14th 2004.Updated on Tuesday, January 18th 2005.

Title: Locating Library Books
Grade Level: 1, 2, and 3
Subject(s): Information Literacy & Language Arts/Alphabet
Duration: 30 minutes
Description: Correctly locating a fiction book seems like a simple task. Young children must learn a number of new skills and concepts to be able to locate a picture book in a library collection. Second graders know the alphabet well enough to learn to use it in building a strategy for finding materials in alphabetical order; they know both their first and last names. They understand that a person is responsible for writing a book. It is time to build the foundation for successful library material retrieval skills by immersing students in an authentic learning situation; which connects schoolwork (alphabetical order) and life-long learning skills. To accomplish this task successfully, the student must understand the concept of author, know the letters in alphabetical order, and integrate and apply this information to locate library books that have been shelved in alphabetical order by the first letter of the author's last name.
Goals: Students will select and use LMC resources to access, organize, and communicate information for solving problems and constructing new knowledge about how a LMC is organized and how to find information in the LMC.
Media and Technology Standard
A.4.1: Use common media and technology terminology and equipment.
A.4.2: Identify and use common media formats.
Mini-lesson
Students can work together to locate areas/items in our LMC Scavenger Hunt:
Step 1: Find the KEYBOARD, MONITOR, AND MOUSE.
Step 2: Find the checkout/circulation desk.
Step 3: Give your Library Media Specialist a “high five” and/or Library Aids.
Step 4: Find the area that picture books are located in.
Step 6: Find the audio/video area (movies & music)
Step 5: Go back to cushion area.
During this time, LMS is using prompts and hints to assist students in finding the circulation desk and/or computerized card catalogue.
Materials:
Pictures to represent first letter in word, e.g. “a” for apple.
Objectives:
Students will be able to demonstrate a working knowledge of a computer keyboard, monitor, and “mouse”.
Students will locate a picture book using the e-catalogue and identify the author's last name. Students will be able to identify an author as a person who writes books.
Materials:
-Electronic card catalogue designed for primary school aged students
-Elementary level ABC book
-Access to library with picture books available for checkout
Procedure:
Begin by reading an ABC book to the class. Then lead the children in a group oral recitation of the alphabet. Each child should speak loudly enough to be heard. Ask, "What is a special name for a person who writes books?" At least one student should respond with the word, "author." Ask the other students to touch their nose with their finger (or other indicator) if they, too, think that a name for a person who writes books is "author." Reinforce this by making sure that all students participate and by repeating the definition of "author."

Slowly recite the alphabet, and ask each student to stand up when the first letter of his or her last name is mentioned. Have one student model this. When the letter corresponding to the first letter of each student's last name is recited, the student will stand and wait quietly to be recognized. As soon as each child stands, ask him/her to say their last name and then the first letter of their last name.

Explain how the picture books in the library are filed alphabetically, grouped by the last name of the author. Model finding a book by an author whose last name begins with the same letter as yours. Ask students to choose a book, explaining that they are to find a book from the shelves written by an author whose last name begins with the same letter as their own last name. Begin normal checkout procedures, and assess to make sure that each student did find a book from the correct area of the shelves.
Assessment: In a short one-on-one session (easily done at book check-out time) with the librarian/teacher, the student will: recite his/her own last name; point to the first letter of the author's last name on the book cover; and correctly identify the letter as the beginning letter of the student's own last name.
Challenge: Find one other book authored by someone with the a last name that starts with the same first letter as their last name before their next library time.
Citations:
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Retrieved July 12, 2007, from Wisconsin DPI web site: http://dpi.state.wi.us/standards/

Lesson Plan Modified from: An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan Submitted by: Jane Wilson Adickes October 18, 2001 Accessed July 12, 2007, from http://www.nortellearnit.org/

Title: Virtual Museum Exhibit
Grade Level: 8th
Subject: History and Information Technology
Duration: (3) 45-min classes
Description: Museum exhibits are designed to educate and inform the public about the subject of the exhibit in a balanced and usually unbiased way. Groups may work on the same exhibit, developing different strategies for exhibits about; for example, the nineteenth amendment or Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, or each group could work on a separate part of a larger exhibit. For example, if the class were studying turn-of-the-twentieth-century America, one group might be responsible for technology during that period, another group for politics, another for industrialization, another for immigration, and so on.
Goals: Designing museum exhibits encourages students to think creatively and to use a wide range of thinking skills. Develop students’ knowledge of History and culture. Develop student’s skills to access and utilize various mediums to answer a problem. Enhance student’s ability to collaborate on projects and present a quality final product.
Standards:
A.8.1 Use common media and technology and equipment
A.8.2 Identify and use common media formats
A.8.3 Use a computer and productivity software to organize and create information
A.8.4 Use a computer and communications software to access and transmit information
A.8.5 Use media and technology to create and present information
A.8.6 Evaluate the use of media and technology in a production or presentation
B.8.1 Define the need for information
B.8.2 Develop information seeking strategies
B.8.4 Evaluate and select information from a variety of print, nonprint, and electronic formats
B.8.5 Record and organize information
B.8.6 Interpret and use information to solve the problem or answer the question
B.8.7 Communicate the results of research and inquiry in an appropriate format
D.8.1 Participate productively in workgroups or other collaborative learning environments
D.8.4 Recognize the importance of intellectual freedom and access to information in a democratic society
Objectives: Students will work in groups to develop an informative museum exhibit about the topic at hand.
Students will identify a meaningful topic and generate a virtue exhibit to inform others about their chosen topic.
Students will critically address a task/problem and cooperatively employee the Big 6 research process.
Materials: Handout, Access to Internet, computers, i pods, video and digital camera, craft and art supplies.
Procedure: The class will brainstorm the various components of a virtue exhibit and then pair into small groups to define their task using the ideas developed in the brain storming session. Regroup in a summary discussion, for students to determine what key themes they believe are most important for the museum-going public to understand about the subject of their exhibit, and which strategies seem most effective for presenting that information to visitors. Useful resource for choosing an exhibit topic: (http://www.janetsinfo.com/concept.html)
Before students go back to their small groups, discuss information seeking strategies for research and develop their exhibits, complete with replica artifacts, visual aids, and text for visitors, audio guides, and interactive exhibits. This link is a good for at least one of your sources: http://directory.google.com/Top/Reference/Museums/
The museum exhibit could also incorporate artwork, performance, documentary film, or educational websites. These options would also allow for collaboration between history or literature teachers and art, music, or information technology teachers as well. Guests to their museum could include parents, other classes, or invited guests such as the curator of a local museum who could give them feedback!

As they develop their ideas for museum exhibits, groups could consider: Location of sources and how they will access different sources of information to add to their exhibits. Useful web site to help evaluate information you find on the Internet:http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html)
As the students analyze their sources and begin to use/organize their information. Conduct a short lesson on extracting information, bibliographic and citations. Refer to our lesson on plagiarism and proper Internet usage.
Use the following guiding questions to help, guide, and focus students efforts:
What are the most important aspects of this time period or topic? What major themes should we try to convey with this exhibit?
What do we want people to walk away from this exhibit understanding? How do you want people to interact with your exhibit? Should they just walk through? Look? Pick up objects? Listen to recordings of voice or music? Participate in some other way?
Will this exhibit be controversial in any way? How will you present a balanced view if the subject is controversial?
What artifacts, images, and interactive features would help us convey those ideas?
Groups could sketch out their plan, and then come together to share their findings.
Once students have reached this point in their exhibit process, they are ready to concentrate on synthesizing their information and formatting their exhibit. They will revisit their task definition, evaluate their information and weed out secondary information.
Students will have extra time to work on their individual projects and present them to the rest of the class.
A challenge activity/follow up activity is to combine all exhibits into one museum exhibit that can be posted on our class web site.
Assessment:
Finished Virtual tour of Exhibit, Generate questions for future patrons of our Museum Exhibit, Evaluations/self, group, and final product.
Citations:
Modified from a lesson by Kathryn Walbert; titled Alternative discussion formats: Museum exhibit design. Retrieved July 22, 2007, from http://www.learnnc.org.
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Retrieved July 17, 2007, from Wisconsin DPI web site: http://dpi.state.wi.us/standards/

Using Note Cards to Organize Information
Grade Level: 7-9
Time Allotment: 30 minutes

Adapted by Rose Selle from:
Sutton, S. (2002). Lesson: Notetaking. 21st Century literacies. July 10, 2007: http://www.kn.sbc.com/wired/21stcent/lnotetaking.html

Wisconsin’s Model for Academic Standards in Information and Technology Literacy:
• B.8.3/B.12.3 Locate and access information sources.
• B.8.4/B.12.4 Evaluate and select information from a variety of print, nonprint, and electronic formats.
• B.8.5/B.12.5 Record and organize information.
• B.8.6/B.12.6 Interpret and use information to solve the problem or answer the question.

Goals:
The goal of this lesson is to show students how to create note cards to assist them in organizing research for writing papers or creating other final projects.

Objectives for student learning
Students will be able to:
• Set up a note card in a format that will be conductive to organizing research information
• Paraphrase highlighted information on the appropriate note card
• Cite their sources at the bottom of a note card

Materials
• Article recently read for class; with 5 accompanying research questions to be used for the demonstration
• 5 different colored note cards
• Independent practice articles; with accompanying research questions

Procedures
1. Open the session by discussing with students the difficulties of keeping research information organized.
2. Inform them that you are going to show them a method to help them stay more organized while they are researching.
3. Model the format for each note card used during researching.


4. Explain that a different colored note card should be used for each different research question.
5. Demonstrate what information you would put on your note cards by using an article that the class recently read.
a. Start by filling out the note cards with the research questions, the number, and your name.
b. Remind the students that it is not necessary to reread the entire article if you highlighted answers to the research question as you read.
c. Give the tip that short paraphrases are the best type of information to write on a note card because they pertain directly to the research question.
d. After each card is filled out, demonstrate how you would add a citation to the bottom. Tell the students that this is important because it saves a lot of time in the end searching for the original source of a piece of information.
6. Ask for questions and hand out the independent practice articles.

Assessment
Students will complete 3 note cards for an independent practice article. The research questions should be predetermined so that the practice can be reviewed easier. Each student should create one note card for each question in the proper format. The note cards will be reviewed and discussed during the next library media session.

Amanda Gast
Lesson Plan 1
Dev Info Lit Skills
Dr. Smith
July 11, 2007


Lesson: Effective Note Taking
Grade Level: 3-5 graders

Rationale/Context:
All students are in situations at one time or another in which they will need to effectively pull relevant information out of a much bigger product. Being able to perform this skill is vital to research, reading, answering questions, and many every day life situations as demonstrated by our activity.

Objectives:
Students will understand the importance of effective note taking
Students will pick out the relevant information
Students will know the uses of being able to identify which information is the most important

Standards:
B 4.1-Define the need for information
B 4.2- Develop information seeking strategies
B 4.5 Record and organize information
B 4.8-Evaluate the information product and process


Procedure:
Tell the students that you are a teen-ager who has to take a phone message for your parents from a friend of their's who is at the mall, calling from a cell phone. The teacher plays the calling-friend.
Script:
Calling-friend (teacher) using imaginary phone, keys in number. Phone rings. (Imaginary again. Use your voice for this.) Teenager (LMS) picks up phone.
You take it from there. Calling-friend needs to have a complicated message (the wordier the better, and talking fast) for the teenager who tries to remember it without writing it down - then panics as soon as the phone is hung up. Can't remember a thing. Wishes the friend would call back, and fortunately she does because she remembers something she forgot to say. Grateful teenager says how lucky it is that the person called back because she has already forgotten the message and needs to write it down. Gets pencil and paper. She then proceeds to try to write down every single word the person says. Ask her to please slow down.
Friend says: "You''re not writing down every single word I''m saying, are you? Just take down the important ones. I’m running out of minutes!”
Teenager does that, writing down keywords. Ours were: friend's name; place, time and location to meet her, and the added item: what to bring.
I then wrote on the board what I had written down on the paper. Class reconstructed the message for me, and I wrote that on the board. Then I told them I had just taken notes, and we discussed why it made sense to write down keys words and to make sure they were the pertinent words.
Have the students then get into groups, read a provided paragraph, and pull out the relevant information from that paragraph. Explain the different uses of being able to take effective notes.

Key Questions:
Why is effective note taking important?
How do we decide what is the most important information?
How do we take this important information and convey it to someone else?

Inclusive considerations:
Handing out the story on paper will help those with eye problems and also those who are English language learners or slower readers to better understand the story because they will be reading it and are then able to go back and process the information instead of hearing it just once. The beginning example of the phone message is quite universal. Have students work in pairs/groups for the final activity so they will be able to provide help to one another.

Closure:
Have students practice seeking out the most relevant information throughout the day by making notes on their upcoming lessons in a notebook.

Assessment and Reflection:
Students will be assessed by their participation during the activities. They will also be assessed by their drawings and their examples of hyperbole they bring for the next class period.

Materials:
Hand outs of story, blank paper, markers, marker board or black board, cooperating teacher for demonstration.



Adapted from lesson plan by Claire Simpson from Big 6 website: http://www.big6.com/showarticle.php?id=42

Jackie Liesch
Ed L 504
7/12/2007

Telephone
*Note: You need a cooperating teacher who will role-play. Have teacher at one end of room and Library Media Specialist at the other. Use your teacher voices!
Grade Level: 5
Rationale: This lesson introduces the concept of note-taking and taking relevant information in order to take concise notes when researching. This teaches Big 6 #4.2: Extracting relevant information.
Information and Technology Literacy Standards:
• B.8.2 Develop information seeking strategies
• B.8.4 Evaluate and select information from a variety of print, non-print, and electronic formats
• B.8.5 Record and organize information
• C.8.3 Develop competence and selectivity in reading, listening, and viewing
Objectives:
• Students will learn how to decide the main ideas from a list of instructions
Materials:
• Telephones (2)
• Pad of paper (1)
• Pen/pencil (1)
Procedure:
1. Tell the students that you are a teenager who has to take a phone message for your parents from a friend of their’s who’s at the mall, calling from a pay phone. The teacher plays the calling-friend.
2. Calling-friend (teacher) using imaginary phone, keys in number. Phone rings. (Imaginary again. Use your voice for this.) Teenager (LMS) picks up phone.
3. Calling-friend (teacher) needs to have a complicated message (the wordier the better, and talking fast) for the teenager (LMS) who tries to remember it without writing it down - then panics as soon as the phone is hung up.
4. The teenager (LMS) can’t remember a thing. Wishes the friend (teacher) would call back, and fortunately she (teacher) does because she remembers something she forgot to say.
5. Grateful teenager (LMS) says how lucky it is that the person called back because she has already forgotten the message and needs to write it down. Gets pencil and paper. She (LMS) then proceeds to try to write down every single word the person (teacher) says and asks her (teacher) to please slow down.
6. Friend (teacher) says: "You’re not writing down every single word I’m saying, are you? Just take down the important ones. I’m on a pay phone."
7. Teenager (LMS) does that, writing down keywords. Examples are: friend’s name; place, time and location to meet her, and the added item: what to bring.
8. The LMS will then write on the board what was written on the paper.
9. The class will reconstruct the message for the LMS, and I wrote that on the board.
10. Then the LMS will tell students that s/he had just taken notes, and the class will discuss why it made sense to write down keywords and to make sure they were the pertinent words.
Considerations: The teacher and LMS need to use loud enough voices so that all students can hear.
Assessment: Students will be assessed using observation.
Extension: If time allows, the LMS can introduce
Sources: Simpson, Claire (Thursday, February 13th, 2003). Note-Taking (Grades 4 - 6). Retrieved July 11, 2007, from Big 6 Web site: http://www.big6.com/showarticle.php?id=41