Name: Angela Kitchens

A. Format of the Information Literacy Unit Plan

Academic Subject(s): Science
Topic(s) of Unit: Different types of rocks
Grade Level(s): 3rd grade
Standards Integrated into the Unit Plan (not information literacy standards):
Student Content Standards
(Keep in mind the standards you quote are the ones you will want to explain in your analysis and
reflection sections.)
Standard 1.0 Skills and Processes
Students will demonstrate the thinking and acting inherent in the practice of science.
Topic
A. Constructing Knowledge
Indicator
1. Gather and question data from many different forms of scientific investigations which include
reviewing appropriate print resources, observing what things are like or what is happening
somewhere, collecting specimens for analysis, and doing experiments.
Objectives
a. Support investigative findings with data found in books, articles, and databases, and
identify the sources used and expect others to do the same.
Standard 6.0 Environmental Science
Students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the interactions of environmental
factors (living and non-living) and analyze their impact from a local to a global perspective.

Please use APA style to cite the publication information for the standards you use with correct
in-text citations and references at the end. Use direct quotations when applicable.)
Learning Objectives for 5-Day Unit: (State what students are supposed to learn or what skills
they are supposed to demonstrate, not what activities they will perform. Also keep in mind that
objectives are not what you are doing as a teacher, but what students are learning. Objectives
should be measurable [in the assessment tool you create]. These objectives should be the
objectives from your state standards regarding the subjection you are teaching. For examples of
how subject, topic, objectives are written, see Course Content. )
Information Literacy Objectives: (To keep matters simple, we shall work from 6 basic
information literacy objectives. You may, however, incorporate other objectives from the other
information literacy standards if you want to. These are derived from the standards for the 21st
century as defined by the American Association for School Librarians. In this part, list the

information literacy objectives of your unit plan and add information specific to your lesson
plan. Since it is a unit plan, you should incorporate components from all 6 standards.
Define the information need: narrow the project-based topic, decide what information is
needed in the inquiry, identify keywords, develop search statements, determine
multimedia format for end student product
Locate information: develop a research plan, determine best sources including
multimedia resources, locate sources, Use technology and other information tools to
analyze and organize information.
Process the information: interpret the information, evaluate the authority, accuracy,
objectivity, currency, and usefulness of the information, extract and record information,
draw conclusions
Create and communicate results: organize the information from all sources, including
multimedia sources, and synthesize it, create a multimedia product to communicate the
information and share the end product with classmates, the community, or globally, cite
sources used, present/perform/share
Cite the sources used in a correct format (either MLA or APA or a simplified version of
either)
Assess process and product: evaluate the research process, evaluate the quality of the
product (this refers to student assessment of their work, not your assessment of student
work). Iowa City Community School District. (1998). Developing an information
literacy plan. (Ed. M.J. Langhorne). New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.
Prerequisite Student Skills: Do not state here that students have advanced research skills.
Since this is an information literacy unit, you must include instruction on research.
Materials: (books, textbooks, worksheets) In this section you should state all the materials the
students need. Also since this is an information and media literacy assignment, you need to
create at least three information and/or media literacy instructional sheets or tools; however,
you should include all the instructional sheets and tools necessary for students to complete the
process successfully. Here are some suggestions, but you are not limited to these, and you do not
need to use them all. Since the emphasis in your lesson is on information literacy, you must
develop this section thoroughly. You may use or adapt instructional sheets from other sources so
long as you cite them properly. You also may use a Web 2.0 tool to present instruction (podcast,
etc.)
Suggestions:

List of Web sites to start students in their research (Remember the grade level of the
students--don't give too many)
List of subscription databases they may use
Worksheets on developing and narrowing a topic
Worksheets on developing keywords and search statements (I will provide some sample
worksheets), worksheets for taking notes, etc.
Required worksheet on how to read a selected Webpage to access authoritative, accurate,
objective, and relevant information
Worksheets on evaluating sources, including multimedia sources

Worksheet explaining how to use a specific Web 2.0 tool to save resources, take notes, etc.
Worksheet with instructions for completing the final multimedia product.
Citation style instruction sheets. Please use APA format. You may an adapted style that is
suitable for the younger students grade level.

Brief Overview of Unit (two-to-four sentences): What is this unit about; what will the students
learn; how will this be accomplished?
Teacher To Teacher: (What comments would like to share with other teachers who might want
to use a similar unit?)
Procedures/Daily Activities (detailed, step-by-step and day by day description of the unit-simply listing the procedures and daily activities is not enough.
Here you should describe each day's activities: what the students will be doing, where they will
be working, how (individually, in groups) and what you will be doing. If you collaborate with the
library media specialist [certainly a best practice], you need to explain just what role the library
media specialist will play and how you will collaborate with him/her. You must give detailed
instructions on how you will incorporate information and/or media literacy [for example,
defining topics, accessing and evaluating information, instructions showing students how to read
a Webpage, explaining how to evaluate multimedia sources they may find, instructions on how to
create the final multimedia product]. If you created an instructional sheet or tool, you may refer
to that in your day-to-day description; you do not need to copy that instruction into the
description. You must provide specific details for each day; you should not just provide an
outline or a list.
Student Assessment and Evaluation (grading rubric or other evaluation criteria--Here you
should create a rubric to assess the students' work. Informal assessment is not enough. You don't
have to reinvent the wheel. If you find a logical and useful assessment online, you may use that-just remember to adapt it to your lesson and cite it. Remember that this is an information and
media literacy unit plan so you need to assess their skills at research, evaluating multimedia
sources, and creating a multimedia final product so those should be included in your rubric ).
B. Analysis of Information Literacy Lesson Plan
In well-organized paragraphs analyze your reasons for selecting the activities you did and their
relationship to your goals. Include the following points.
Rationale for Activities:
Why did you select these activities to achieve your goals?
How do the activities help students master each of the information literacy standards you
named in your objectives in Part A?
How do the activities help students master skills in accessing and evaluating multimedia
resources and using them to create a final product?
How does this lesson fit into your curriculum?
What made the unit appropriate for your particular students? (In answering this
question, be sure to describe relevant aspects of the student population that shaped your

unit [(e.g., number of students, student developmental levels{how did you accommodate
special needs, at-risk or low-performing students?), student resources at home]).

C. Reflection on Unit Lesson Plan

In well-organized paragraphs, reflect on how your unit lesson plan demonstrates what you have
learned about information literacy. Include the following points:
Your Learning about Information and Media Literacy: Which of the information and/or
media literacy components in your unit had you used before? What is specifically new for you in
this information/media literacy unit? How does this unit represent a stretch for you? If it was not
a stretch, explain why. What did you learn as you prepared the unit? How does this lesson reflect
your philosophy of teaching?
Future Explorations: What avenues might you want to explore the next time you do a similar
lesson? Why?
Annotated Citations: In addition to citing any print or online resources you used, in APA style,
explain for each resource what aspect of it you used and what specifically you changed about
that aspect.
D. Reflection on the Semester
In a well-organized essay of one to two pages, reflect on the SEE OUTLINE UNDER COURSE
CONTENT
semester; including (1) what you have learned about integrating information and media literacy
in assignments and in schools and (2) what your goals are for the near future. Be as specific as
you can.
You should use the following questions as guidelines for what to include:
1) What are the most important ideas and skills you learned this semester and why do they
matter to you? What caused your learning (Provide specific details about which class
materials helped you to learn to illustrate what you say). How will these ideas and skills
improve your teaching and research? What impact did the readings and other class
activities have on your thinking (Refer to specific readings and/or activities and explain
how they helped you to gain new perspectives. If the readings did not have an impact,
explain why)?
2) What did you learn about creating a newsletter for parents/students and using a wiki as a
tool for promoting collaboration between parents/students and schools? What are the
strengths and weaknesses of using a wiki for communicating with parents and students?
What safety and security issues do you need to take into consideration when using a wiki
in a school situation? Based on the feedback you received from sharing the newsletter
with your students, colleagues, or parents, what would you do differently the next time
you used the wiki as a means of communication? What information would you want to
include the next time? What is the best way of updating the information in the wiki?

What did you learn about the importance of assigning a level of access and its
relationship to safe use of information? Would you assign a different level of access the
next time you used the wiki? How easy was it to use PBWorks for creating the newsletter
and how well did it work for collaborating in your study group? What suggestions would
you make to improve its use in study group the next time?
3) What are your goals in the near future (next two years) re promoting information and
media literacy in your own classroom, in your own learning, or in your school?
Grading:
A. Lesson Plan:
60%
B. Analysis:
15%
C. Reflection:
15%
D. Reflection on Semester: 10%