Lesson Title: It’s Treasure Time! Mapping Your Library Strategy

Creator: Janice Murray

Brief Description

Students will be taken on a “journey” of their library. The will learn how to read and use maps. They will then explore their library and create their own maps of the library based on their new knowledge of maps and their library. Next, in groups, the students will use the maps to discover items throughout the library as requested by the LMS.

Information Literacy Standards:

1 Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge.

2 Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge.

Information Literacy Skills:

1.2.3 Demonstrate creativity by using multiple resources and formats.

2.1.3 Use strategies to draw conclusions from information and apply knowledge to curricular areas, real world situations, and further investigations.

Related Subject Area: History/ Social Studies. Students will gain knowledge on how to read and use maps that will help them with Social Studies Geography lessons.

Related Content Standard as defined by the New York State Education Department at www.emsc.nysed.gov :

Social Studies Standard 3, Geography- use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live— local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.

Performance indicator- understand the characteristics, functions, and applications of maps, globes, aerial and other photographs, satellite-produced images, and models.

Collaborators: Social Studies teacher. Teacher will help develop a list, to be used in LMS’s lesson, of books and web/database materials related to geography lessons or current events lessons that are available in the library for students to become familiar with.

Credits: Lesson plan idea adapted from a lesson in the S.O.S. for Information Literacy presented by Jean Maier at http://www.informationliteracy.org/plans/view/279/back/0 . Purpose

Instructional Goals:

Students will understand the basic parts of a map.

Students will be able to read maps as well as create their own maps.

Students will become familiar with their school library and with the main aspects of libraries in general.

Learning Objectives:

Sixth grade students will be able to identify the basic parts of a map as presented in the lecture by LMS with 100% accuracy. The students will explore their library and demonstrate their knowledge of maps and their library by creating their own maps of the library. With the maps, students will be able to effectively navigate their way through the school library and discover items on a request list created by the LMS and the Social Studies teacher with at least 90% accuracy.

Motivational Goals:

Students will feel confident with their ability to read and comprehend basic maps.

Students will be comfortable navigating their library to search for various materials. Audience

Grade Level:

6th grade students. Can also be tailored to suit the needs of 5th through 7th grade students who are new to the middle school if desired.

Number of Students:

18

Relevant Characteristics:

- 10 to 12 year old students, most are 11 years old

- 10 girls, 8 boys

- Small city/ suburb environment

- The school year has just started and students are unfamiliar with the school and with the library

- Most students are at an average reading level, with few at a high level and few at a low level

- Mixed mapping skills in the class with very few students reading maps at a high level

- High interest in trend topic of Pirates

Motivational Profile (Incoming Motivation Levels):

Attention: Low Medium High

Students are very interested in Pirates and are excited to have that incorporated into a lesson.

Relevance: Low Medium High

Students will be learning more about maps in the Geography lessons in Social Studies.

Confidence: Low Medium High

Students in the class are primarily very bright and quick learners, but there are a few possible Fear of Failure students as well.

Satisfaction Potential: Low Medium High Students will enjoy the variety of techniques used and will feel satisfied with their new comfort and ability to use maps as well as the library.

Procedures (Methods, Media, Materials)

This lesson is designed to be given parallel to a Social Studies unit on maps and Geography and would also fit with a current events unit regarding modern day pirates. During the Discovery Game “treasure hunt” students will be asked to discover locally themed or authored books as well as atlases, maps, world history books, and books about pirates to help keep student interest and attention.

The lesson uses a variety of teaching methods and techniques to accommodate a range of student needs and learning styles. It allows individual work time to suit the need for achievement students, group and team work to suit the need for affiliation students, and a game and the option to present work to suit the need for power students. The team work and game are also tailored to help fear of failure students by encouraging positive and constructive feedback by peers and by allowing all teams the opportunity to succeed using the tools that they have created as individuals.

Required Materials

Smartboard; at least two different types of maps that include basic features of a map; a pirate’s treasure map; The book The Caribbean (Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court, Book 1), by Rob Kidd; library items checklist to give to students when exploring the library; six “Library Treasure Items” lists to be handed out to teams during the Discovery Game; paper or construction paper, pens, pencils, colored pencils, markers, etc.

Required assessment tools:

Checklist of basic parts of a map that students are required to know including title, compass rose, grid, symbols, key or legend, and scale.

The six “Library Treasure Items” lists.

Part 1

Introduction 1. Students will hear excerpts from the book The Caribbean (Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court, Book 1), by Rob Kidd, about the pirates of the Caribbean.

2. Students will look at a treasure map on the Smartboard.

3. The LMS will lead a discussion with the students about the treasure map, including probing questions about the images on the map, the purpose the map serves, and how the map accomplishes this purpose. The introduction will serve to stimulate the students’ interests in maps and treasure.

Body

4. LMS will present two different types of maps via the overhead or Smartboard. For each map, LMS will display the image on the screen while pointing out and explaining the purpose of each of the components of the map.

5. LMS will lead students in a discussion about how the two maps are similar and how they differ.

6. Students will leave their seats and “explore” the library. They will be given a checklist of different parts of the library, such as the fiction section and the nonfiction section, which they will check off once they have “discovered” that part of the library.

Conclusion

7. Students will return to their seats to ask questions about maps and about the library and items on the checklist they have missed.

Assessment

Students will be asked to write on paper and hand in the basic parts of a map that they have learned.

Part 2

Introduction

1. LMS will review the parts of the map covered in part one of the lesson to ensure that all students know and remember the basic parts of a map.

2. Students will take out their checklist of the parts of a library and will be given a bit more time to explore and refresh their memories. LMS will pass out drawing materials at this time. Body

3. Students will be asked to return to their seats. They will create a map of the school library based on their explorations. Students will be asked to ensure that all basic parts of a map as well as all items on the “Parts of a Library” checklist are included. During this time LMS will observe the drawings and offer feedback and advice for the individuals.

4. Students will then be placed in groups of three. In the groups, students will be asked to offer constructive feedback on their group members’ maps.

5. Discovery Game. Groups will be given a list of ten “Library Treasure Items” throughout the library that they must “discover” as a team with their maps. Each team will be given a different list to ensure the possibility of successfully using their maps to discover all the items.

Conclusion

6. Teams will return to their seats with their items when they are finished. LMS will attend to each group to ask them how they created their maps, how the different items of the maps were useful in navigating the library, and how confident they now feel about using the library for future projects.

7. Students will then be given the opportunity to “show and tell” their maps if they wish.

Assessment

Students’ ability to use maps and identify the parts of the library will be determined as LMS meets with each group. LMS will check the students’ “discovered treasures” to make sure that they match the requested items on the groups “Library Treasure Items” list. If there are any incorrect items, teams will be given another chance to search for the item.