Lesson 1: The Five W's
Objectives:
Students will learn to apply a very simple formula to websites in order to determine their validity. In Kathleen Schrock's article The ABCs of Web Site Evaluation Schrock points out that, like an investigator, students can apply the five W questions: Who? What? When? Where? and Why? to any Web Site to try and determine its validity. Students will learn to ask these questions of various websites in order to determine which sites might be reliable sources of information. I think this method is one of the quickest ways to validate website information....especially the When? question. There are so many outdated resources out there that many websites can be easily discounted because of when they were last updated.
Methods:
1. Students will meet in the computer lab in the library and told to access this site: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly. Students will be told to click on the examples link and await further instructions.
2. Students will be introduced to the 5 W's and how they can be applied to any website. I will demonstrate how these questions can be applied by showing my students a poplar website (espn.com, cnn.com, etc...)
3. Students will create a chart with space for evaluation of four websites based on answers to the five questions.
4. Using the example sites from the aforementioned site, The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly, students will evaluate four different sites and write a brief paragraph which defends which they think is the best site by using the 5 W's as their guiding questions. Student will be encouraged to thoroughly investigate each site, especially in checking links and author credentials. Each of the W's leads to a follow-up set of questions for investigation, and students will be equipped with these follow-up questions in order to make critical judgment.
Assessment:
Students will be evaluated based on the completion of the chart and, more importantly, in the months to come as they complete research.
Lesson 2: The Mini-Research Requirement
Objectives:
One component I would like to require of one of my rhetoric assignments is a small research component which, again, is a precursor for a bigger project pending later in the school year. The assignment topic is one I define (step 1 of the Big 6), but students would be responsible for the other 5 steps of the problem-solving model. The paper's topic is: If ECS (the school I at which I currently work) could offer one new class next year, what should it be, and why? Students will need to incorporate research into their argument and will learn to do so by thinking about where to search for information, locating the information, engaging with the relevant information, synthesizing it for their essay, and finally reflecting on the process. There will be a minimum requirement of two outside sources for this essay.
Methods:
1. Students will brainstorm ideas for the essay by considering which class would be most vital and why. They will construct a rough outline for their argument after generating a solid thesis.
2. Students will then go through steps 2-5 of the Big 6 process as they spend time accessing resources in the library (print and internet). As students are completing steps 3 and 4, they will be required to fill out a chart similar to the one from the Five W's lesson. In order to ensure validity of sources as they are going through the research process, the previous lesson will be a vital part of the completion of this essay. Along with a works cited page, students will need to hand in a completed chart which answers the Five W's for each of the sources used in the essay.
3. The essay will be broken into four stages:
1) Thesis and Outline
2) Annotated Outline which includes research/statistics/quotes and the 5 W's chart
3) Rough Draft
4) Final copy with Works Cited.
Assessment:
Each stage of the essay process will receive feedback. Ultimately, the first three stages of the process will be worth as much as the final stage, so the bulk of the assessment does not fall on the summative part of the assignment, but rather the student should see much improvement in the essay as he receives formative assessment at every stage.
Lesson 3: The Final Piece of the Big 6 Puzzle
Objectives:
Students will cap their school year by completing a bigger research essay than the one described previously, but this time they will be drawn into the inquiry process and they will be responsible for the question/topic/problem that the essay addresses. The inquiry process will be guided, of course, and the topic must be appropriate to the curriculum of the class. The main objective of this lesson is to draw students into the process by giving them freedom to find a topic that interests them. There will be a minimum of four outside sources required for this essay, and the process will be very similar to the one described in Lesson 2.
Methods:
1. Students will submit a proposal for their topic, and, pending teacher approval, begin to consider resources which will give them information relevant to their topic.
2. Students will then go through steps 2-5 of the Big 6 process as they spend time accessing resources in the library (print and internet). There will be a week of blocked time devoted to time spent in the library in order to complete the research portion. As students are completing steps 3 and 4, they will be required to fill out a chart similar to the one from the Five W's lesson. In order to ensure validity of sources as they are going through the research process, the first lesson will be a vital part of the completion of this essay. Along with a works cited page, students will need to hand in a completed chart which answers the Five W's for each of the sources used in the essay.
3. The essay will be broken into five stages:
1) Topic Proposal
2) Outline
3) Annotated Outline which includes research/statistics/quotes and the 5 W's chart
4) Rough Draft
5) Final copy with Works Cited.
Assessment:
Each stage of the essay process will receive feedback. Ultimately, the first three stages of the process will be worth as much as the final stage, so the bulk of the assessment does not fall on the summative part of the assignment, but rather the student should see much improvement in the essay as he receives formative assessment at every stage.
Though lessons 2 or 3 sound similar (and they are), they are intentionally constructed to build on one another to help students arrive at the end of a successfully completed Problem-Solving Model while also learning about how to employ the use of the internet in searching, retrieving, evaluating, and organizing information. I am seriously considering using these lesson designs in my class this year because I think this process would be better than the one I have used in years past. Yes, evaluating work at each stage is a pain in the neck, but it is also the best way to see serious student improvement.
