Library Instruction for English 1010
Learning Goals | Genre Project | A Long Way Gone | Assessment | Contact
In 2005, we worked with five Information Literacy Fellows* to develop joint learning goals and lessons, based on our conception of Writing Information Literacy and our 2004 English Composition Needs Assessment The following activities were designed to be fully integrated with the English 1010 curriculum and the required text, Bruce Ballenger, The Curious Writer (Pearson Longman). |
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Learning Goals
1. Students will define their information needs in order to anticipate what they and their audience need to know and to focus, shape, and organize their ideas and writing. Students will develop and demonstrate these skills by:
- Asking specific questions about their topic of research.
- Exploring and summarizing general information sources on a topic so that they can provide necessary background information and develop a more focused inquiry.
- Revising their research questions based upon the information found throughout the research process.
2. Students will use a variety of sources to explore a topic in order to develop an appreciation of different types of information and their purposes. Students will develop and demonstrate these skills by:
- Identifying the value of different types of information sources for various purposes in their own writing, such as providing background, clarifying questions and issues, and presenting evidence.
- Identifying the differences between primary and secondary sources.
- Using an appropriate range of sources in their writing.
3. Students will evaluate information for its value, relevance, and accuracy in order to develop the critical thinking skills of analysis and self-reflection. Students will develop and demonstrate their evaluation skills by:
- Actively engaging with and questioning the texts they read.
- Identifying the purpose and audience of different information sources.
- Determining whether information is useful for their purpose.
- Selecting information that provides evidence for the topic and using that information for support in their writing.
4. Students will recognize problems in their own research and writing in order to get assistance and further develop their writing and information literacy skills. Students will demonstrate this by:
- Engaging in peer review and participating in class discussions.
- Seeking the help of a librarian, instructor, the Writing Center, and/or their peers.
Lesson Plans for Genre Project
One: Identifying Communities pdf | rtf
Summary: Students will brainstorm ideas about examples of discourse communities. Librarians will model how to research discourse communities, including their communication practices.
Summary: Students will explore library resources to find examples of genres for a discourse community.
Information Literacy Learning Goals: 1, 2, 3, and 4
Target Dates for Fall: Mid-October
Three: Sharing Genres pdf | rtf
Summary: Students will bring an example of one of the genres from their discourse community and describe it to class.
Note: Instructors can encourage students to get additional help doing additional research in the Library by providing credit for attending a Find it Fast Workshop. These workshops provide one-on-one help, much like a visit to the Writing Center.
Lesson Plans for A Long Way Gone
The specific lessons outlined below use a sequence that librarians recommend for group research projects, based on our success with this model for the past few years. Here is a summary of the recommended sequence.
Deepening Inquiry through Research pdf | rtf
Summary: English instructors and librarians will lead a brainstorming session about issues and questions related to A Long Way Gone . Librarians will then identify a few easily researchable themes. The class will then develop specific research questions for one or two of these themes. Finally, the class will reflect on what they learned in the Genre Project to identify discourse communities to explore for answers to their questions.
Research Plan Worksheet pdf | rtf
Information Literacy Learning Goals: 1
Target Dates for Fall: Mid-November
Summary: Students will come to the library for hands-on group research on their topic. Librarians can demonstrate specific resources that will be useful for the entire class.
Information Literacy Learning Goals: 1, 2, 3, and 4
Target Dates for Fall: Late November
Work-in-Progress Report pdf | rtf
Summary: Students will practice the process of synthesizing sources through small group work in class. Each student will summarize one source and explain how it contributes to their group project. The group will reflect on their information gaps and librarians will provide advice about how to find that information. Ideally, this activity is scheduled after an initial research day and before a second research day.
Information Literacy Learning Goals: 1, 3, and 4
Target Dates for Fall: Late November
Online Collaboration Tools:
In preparation for the work-in-progress report, and to promote collaboration and synthesis throughout the project, students can use the following tools to plan and organize their work. Librarians can help students set up free accounts on their first library day:Thinkature: a free online idea organizer. Students can set up a free account and then record their ideas on color-coded cards, upload images, and use drawing tools to connect ideas or draw diagrams.
Diigo: a free online annotater. Can be added as an extension to Firefox or Internet Explorer. Students can highlight and place sticky notes of web documents and then share their comments and ideas with the group.
Note: Instructors can encourage students to get additional help doing secondary research in the Library by providing credit for attending a Find it Fast Workshop. These workshops provide one-on-one help, much like a visit to the Writing Center.
Assessment
English instructors are encouraged to share process assignments, research plans, bibliographies, and final papers with librarians, so that librarians can formally and informally assess student learning and provide feedback to students. If English instructors are not comfortable sharing assignments, they are encouraged to provide feedback to the librarian on student work so that librarians can better assess what students learned as a result of library instruction. Formative assessments for individual lessons are provided with each individual lesson plan.
The following assessments can be used with existing English 1010 assignments and scored using the English 1010 Information Literacy Rubric.
Assessments for A Long Way Gone
1.Research plans: Librarians summarize whether students were able to identify at least 2 research questions and 2-3 potential sources of information, according to the rubric for learning goal 1. Goal is to have most students perform at the "Good" level.
2. Annotated Bibliographies: Librarians rate bibliographies according to the rubric for learning goal 2 (students will use a variety of sources). Goal is to have most students perform at the "Good" level.
3.Presentations: Librarians rate the presentations according to the rubric for learning goals 1, 2, 3, and 4. Goal is to have most students perform at the "Good" level.
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Archived Lessons
The English 1010 curriculum undergoes frequent revision to accommodate the book selection for the Common Literature Experience and other factors. These lessons can be adapted for instructors teaching other classes, concurrent enrollment, or using different assignments in English 1010.
*2005 Information Literacy Fellows: Julie Johns, Heather Robison, Anne Stark, Maria Walters, and Michael Ward.
For more information, contact Wendy Holliday, Coordinator of Library Instruction, 797-0731.
Instructional materials on this page are covered by a Creative Commons copyright.
Sample Attribution: Adapted from materials created by Merrill-Cazier Library, Utah State University.