Melissa Schlegel

Melissa Schlegel Kenmore Middle School ELA 8 Gathering Information

Purpose and Description: The purpose for this lesson is to teach the students how to gather information from reliable and credible websites. The students will be writing a research paper about a career they are interested in and will need to know how and where to gather information. This lesson will be taught in the school’s Discovery Computer Lab. To begin, the students will be asked to define what is meant by the word “research.” They will create their own definition, and we will then share a few of their ideas. We will then perform a Google search for “research definition.” We will click on the Merriam-Webster link. I will explain that it is a book found in many classrooms, and we know that it is credible. We will then read aloud the definitions. I will ask the students which definitions best define research in an English setting. They will copy the two definitions on their worksheet, and then put them in their own words. They will then create a definition for a research paper using the definitions of research we have found. After we learn what is meant by research and what a research paper is, we will move on to learning how to decide if a website is credible and reliable. The students will be asked to brainstorm ways to know if a site can be trusted. We will share some ideas, and I will then handout a worksheet with a checklist. The checklist asks questions that will help the students decide if a website is credible. After we have gone over the worksheet, I will ask the students if Wikipedia is a reliable website. I will show them a Wiki for Among the Hidden. We will go over the plot summary briefly, and will agree that it is correct. I will then tell the students that I believe that the setting is in the Canada, so I am going to add that the plot summary. I will then proceed to show them how I could easily change the website to read what I would like it to say. We will discuss how easily Wikipedia can be manipulated and that we never know who has created the website. Next, we will go over how to perform a web search and find a reliable website. In Google, we will search “highest paying jobs in US.” We will go through the names of each and decide which would be the best to get our information from. Finally, the students will perform their own web search to answer a question on their worksheet.

Constituent Group: This lesson will be taught in five eighth grade English classes at Kenmore Middle School. There are nine students with IEPs, one student with a 504 plan, and 4 ESL students. There are varying degrees abilities throughout all five classes.

Common Core Standards: - ELA W.8.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a questions (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. Objective: 1.) The students will be able to define research by putting a definition in their own words. 2.) The students will be able to determine if a website is credible/reliable by using their checklist. 3.) The students will be able to gather information from credible websites to answer specific questions.

Anticipatory Set: Before the students log on to their computers, I will ask the students to create a definition for the word “research.” They will write this on a worksheet that I will provide for them. After they have created a definition, the students will log into their computers. I will walk around the room to monitor their progress. Once each student has created a definition and logged into their computers, I will ask the students to raise their hand to share their definitions; I will write their ideas on the board.

Lesson: After we have shared their ideas for the definition of research, I will tell the students that we are going to do a web search for a proper definition. I will ask them to open the web browser and go to www.google.com. I will be doing this as well on a computer connected to the projector so that the students can monitor their progress; I will also be walking around the room occasionally to ensure that the students are doing what they are supposed to. During certain class periods, I will also have an AIS teacher, special education teacher, and/or an ESL teacher in the room to assist. When each student is on the correct website, I will ask them to raise their hand so I know that they are there. We will then type into the search bar, “research definition.” I will read aloud some of the names of the websites to the students, and as I do so I will make comments about how I have never heard of some of the sites. I will then tell the students that I know what the Merriam-Webster dictionary is and that it is a credible, reliable, and truthful source. All of the students should click on that link. I will ask a student to read the definitions that we find there (during this time I will be monitoring by walking around). Then I will ask the students which definitions apply the best to an English classroom. We will decide on the first and third definitions. They will be asked to copy these onto their worksheet, and then put the definitions into their own words. We will discuss a few of their answers. After we have found the definitions of “research,” I will ask the students to use their definitions to explain what a research paper is. They will discuss this with a person sitting next to them. I will then ask a few students to raise their hands and tell the class what their group came up with for an explanation. I will then explain to the students that the reason we are talking about research and what it means to write a research paper is because they will soon be writing their own. They will be writing a paper about a career that they are interested in. In order to have a well written research paper, it is important to understand what the main focus is, and how to gather that information. I will explain that today we have so far learned what is meant by research and what a research paper is. The next important step is to learn how to gather information. I will next explain to the students that the ways we can gather information are usually from books and the internet. I will tell the students that gathering information from the internet can be tricky because there are a lot of sources that are not completely truthful; we need to make sure that the sources we use are credible and reliable. I will then ask the students to brainstorm some ideas about how to tell if a website is truthful, credible, and reliable. I will then pass out a checklist that lists ways to tell if a website is a good one to use. After we discuss the checklist, I will ask the students if they think Wikipedia is a good site to use. They will indicate what they believe by giving thumbs up or thumb down. I will then show the students a Wiki for the novel Among the Hidden. I will read some of the lines from it, and as a class we will agree that it seems pretty truthful. I will then make a comment about the setting, saying that I think we can make the setting much more specific. I will then click on the edit link and show them how I can change the setting if I want to even though it is not the correct information. Next, I will ask the students to return to Google. I will explain that we are going to complete a web search similar to what they will be doing for their research paper. The students will need to type into the search bar, “top paying careers in the US.” We will look at the names of the websites and click on what that may be reliable. We will click on the link for careerinfonet.com. We will take a look at the list, and then scroll to the bottom of the page to find where the information came from. It is from U.S. Department of Labor and can be considered a reliable source; if there is time, we will compare it to our checklist. Finally, I will explain to the students that they will now complete an independent search to find the most dangerous jobs in the United States. They will need to survey at least 3 websites and choose which site is the best suited for their purpose. Closure: When the students have finished their research to find the most dangerous jobs, they will be asked to organize the information into a paragraph of at least 7 sentences. They will need to have an introductory sentence as well as a closing sentence. This needs to be completed for homework if not finished in class. Name: ______Group: _____ Gathering Information ELA 8

1.) In your own words, define “research.”

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2.) Google search definition of “research.”

______

- ______

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3.) Using the definitions we have found, explain what a “research paper” is.

______

4.) Brainstorm ideas for how to tell if a website is credible/reliable:

______

___ 5.) Is Wikipedia a reliable website? Why or why not?

______

6.) Gathering Information: Find the answer to the following question. Make sure you view at least 3 websites. Evaluate how reliable each site is and use the best one that suits your purpose. - What are the top 5 dangerous careers? Why are they so dangerous? 1. ______

2. ______

3. ______

4. ______

5. ______Once you have gathered all of your information organize and summarize it into a 5- 7 sentence paragraph. Make sure you include an introductory sentence as well as a closure sentence.

WEBSITE RELIABILITY CHECKLIST 1) VALIDITY a) Who is the author(s) of the site? Look for his/ her qualifications. b) Is contact information provided? The author should be accountable for her/his work. c) Check to see if the website is from a reliable institution. d) The end of the website’s URL indicates the site's origin: .com = commercial .edu = education .org = non-profit organization .gov = government .mil = military .ca = Canada (.it = Italy, etc.) 2) CURRENCY a) When was the site last updated? A reliable site is frequently revised and improved. 3) CONTENT a) Are there links to other useful and reliable sites? They should be relevant to the subject matter. b) Is the site relevant to your needs? It is important to maintain your focus. c) Does the advertising overpower the content? It shouldn't. 4) PURPOSE a) Is this site trying to persuade you? Educate you? Market a product? For instance, a .com site may try sell you something whereas an .edu site most often exists for the sake of education. b) Are there any biases that might be promoted: racial, gender, religious, or other types? Even non-profit .org sites may be biased. 5) ACCURACY a) How can you ensure the information is precise, authoritative, and current? The author should cite the sources used.