Information Literacy Lesson Plan

The First Thanksgiving

Kim Hollingsworth
FRIT 7136 Dr. Katherine Kennedy Fall 2010

Pathfinder URL
http://khollingsworth.pbworks.com/w/page/32215695/Thanksgiving

Information Literacy Lesson Plan

Grade: 1st Grade Language Arts: Anita Morgan and Kim Hollingsworth Content Topic: The First Thanksgiving Standards for the 21st Century Learner Goals Standard 1: Inquire, think critically and gain knowledge. Skills Indicator(s): 1.1.5 1.1.5 Evaluate information found in selected sources on the basis of accuracy, validity, appropriateness for needs, importance, and social and cultural context. Benchmark 1.1.5 - Recognize and use facts that answer specific questions. - Interpret information represented in pictures, illustrations, and simple charts. Dispositions Indicator(s): 1.2.3 1.2.3 Demonstrate creativity by using multiple resources and formats. Responsibilities Indicator(s): 1.3.4 1.3.4 Contribute to the exchange of ideas within the learning community. Self-Assessment Strategies Indicator(s): What interest me about this idea or topic? What do I already know or think I know about this topic? How do I find the information within each source? Connection to Local or State Standards 1st Grade GPS Standards for Unit: ELA1R6. Reads and listens to a variety of texts for information and pleasure. ELA1W2 The student writes in a variety of genres, including narrative, informational, persuasive and response to literature. ELA1LSV1c. Respond appropriately to orally presented questions.

Overview: In this unit, students will learn interesting facts about the voyage of the mayflower, the daily life of the pilgrims, and the first thanksgiving feast. They will compare the first thanksgiving feast to the way we celebrate thanksgiving today. Students will make text-to-self connections and will describe their personal thanksgiving experiences in a response to literature writing piece. The media specialists will introduce the primary website that is used throughout the unit and the pathfinder website to the students. She will demonstrate how to navigate around the websites used in this unit and how to locate and use the information located on the pathfinder website. Final Product: Students will explore websites, watch videos, and read books to discover interesting facts about the first thanksgiving. For the final project, students will make text-to-self connections and produce a response to literature writing piece in which they will describe their personal thanksgiving experiences. Library Lesson: The media specialist will introduce students to the primary website that will be used in this activity and the pathfinder that will provide them with additional resources to be used during this unit. Teacher resources will also be provided in the pathfinder. Assessment y Product Students will use interactive websites, books located in the library, and several United Streaming videos to learn about the first thanksgiving. Students will produce a response to literature writing piece, sharing their personal thanksgiving experiences. Process The teacher and students will use a K-W-L graphic organizer to chart their prior knowledge and learning experiences for each area covered in the unit. The teacher will use oral questioning and observation during each lesson to assess student understanding and learning. The teacher will use oral questioning and observation to assess student understanding and learning of website and pathfinder navigation. The teacher will conference with students during the writing portion of each lesson to ensure that the students are on track and will help them revise and edit their writing. Student Self Questioning Students will monitor their understanding of the material covered by completing K-W-L charts. This will provide students with the opportunity to reflect on the material covered in the unit. Students will evaluate the use of the technology with a self assessment technology rubric Students will evaluate their writing piece with a self assessment writing rubric.

Instructional Plan: Day One - This lesson will taught by the Media Specialist in a whole group setting. y Inform the students that over the next few days they will learn how the pilgrims traveled to America, what life was like back then, and what the first thanksgiving feast was really like. y Introduce the students to the primary websites that will be used in the lesson by showing them how to navigate around them. y Introduce the students to the pathfinder. Show them some of the different resources available on the pathfinder. Day Two - This lesson will be taught by the teacher in a whole group setting. y Create a K-W-L chart to find out what students know and want to learn about the Mayflower. y Go to http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/voyage/tour.htm. y Click on the tab, Voyage on the Mayflower. y Click on the speaker icon to hear about the voyage. y Click on Tour the Ship. You may choose to click on the full screen version. Then, click on the speaker icon for introduction. Click on the different numbers located on the ship and then the speaker icon to learn about the different parts of the Mayflower. Return to the main screen. y Discuss some of the things that students learned about the ship. y Click on Take the Journey. You may choose the full screen version. Click on the start button to begin the journey. Return to the main screen. y Click on the Meet the Pilgrims button on the right hand side of the web page. y Click on the different articles that include, On the Mayflower to read stories from different passengers on the ship. y Have student imagine that they are pilgrims coming to America on the Mayflower. y Students will create a postcard to send from their voyage. Have them draw a picture of something they do while they are on the ship on one side of the postcard. y On the other side, have them write about their experience. y At the close of the lesson, review the information discussed. Read a book that is located on the pathfinder and have students complete the book section of the text-to-self graphic organizer. y Allow students who finish early to visit the pathfinder website and explore some of the different resources on their own. Teacher will make observations about students ability to navigate websites and pathfinder. Day Three This lesson will be taught by the teacher in a whole group setting. y Create a K-W-L chart to find out what students know and want to learn about the pilgrims. y Review information discussed the previous day. y Go to http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/daily_life/ y Click on the speaker icon to hear the information about how the Wampanoag people helped the pilgrims. y Click on each button on the right side of the website to learn how the pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians lived. y Click on the Meet the Pilgrims button on the right hand side of the web page. y Click on articles that include, Life in Plimoth to read stories from different pilgrims.

y Have students tell what they are most thankful for about the help the Wampanoags gave the Pilgrims. y Have them create thank you cards for Fast Turtle that express their thanks. y Have them decorate the front of their cards with a way in which the Wampanoags were helpful. y At the close of the lesson, have students make a text-to-self connection with the information on the website and complete the website section of the text-to-self connection of the graphic organizer. y Allow students who finish early to visit the pathfinder website and explore some of the different resources on their own. Teacher will make observations about students ability to navigate websites and pathfinder. Day Four This lesson will be taught by the teacher in a whole group setting. y Create a K-W-L chart to find out what students know and want to learn about the first thanksgiving feast. y Review information discussed the previous day. y Go to http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/feast/ y Click on the speaker icon to hear the information about The Thanksgiving Feast y Click on the View Slideshow button to see and listen to slides describing the first feast. y Choose a Thanksgiving video located on the pathfinder for students to watch. y Have students make a text-to-self connection with the information on the video and complete the video section of the text-to-self connection graphic organizer. y Students will choose one of the text-to-self connections that they made and will complete a response to literature writing about Thanksgiving. y Students will complete the self assessment writing rubric. y Students will complete the self assessment technology rubric. y Allow students who finish early to visit the pathfinder website and explore some of the different resources on their own. Teacher will make observations about students ability to navigate websites and pathfinder. Student Resources: Websites: y http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/ y http://www.plimoth.org/education/olc/index_js2.html# y http://www.meddybemps.com/Thanksgiving/Index.html y http://www.janbrett.com/bookmarks/thanksgiving_day_printed_manuscript.htm y http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/thanksgiving/jigsaw-puzzles/pilgrim-indian.html y http://www.plimoth.org/kids/talk.php Books Located in the Media Center:
The Thanksgiving Story, by Alice Dalgliesh: Reference Number (394.2 DAL) Thanksgiving Day: A Time To Be Thankful, by Elaine Landau: Reference Number (394.2649 LAN) Thanksgiving Treat, by Catherine Stock: Reference Number (E Sto)

Additional Books: Lets Celebrate Thanksgiving, by Peter and Connie Roop The First Thanksgiving Day, by Laura Krauss Melmed

Instruction/Activities: y Direct Instruction: y The media specialist will provide whole group instruction on how to navigate the primary websites used in this unit and the pathfinder website. y The teacher will provide whole group instruction daily on each topic that is covered in this unit. Modeling and Guided Practice: y The media specialist will use the Activboard to introduce students to the primary website, http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/voyage/tour.htm and the pathfinder that was created to provide students with additional resources on Thanksgiving. y The teacher will guide students in a daily discussion about each of the topics that are covered in this unit using an Activboard and the website, http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/voyage/tour.htm. Independent Practice: y Students will be allowed to visit and explore the pathfinder and websites to discover information on their own. y The students will be allowed to read books that the teacher checked out from the library on Thanksgiving. y Students will pretend to be a pilgrim and will design a postcard for a member of their family that shows one thing that he/she did or experienced on the Mayflower. y Students will pretend to be a pilgrim and will write a Thank You note to a Wampanoag Indian for helping them. y Students will make a text to self connection and write a response to literature about their families Thanksgiving traditions. Sharing and Reflecting: y Students will add what they have learned during this unit to the K-W-L charts that were completed during each lesson. y Students will share their response to literature writing with the class.

Lesson Materials and Equipment: - Activboard - Graphic Organizer - Pathfinder - Grading Rubric - Student Self Assessment Writing Rubric - Chart Paper - Books on Thanksgiving

Personal Reflection: In this assignment, I learned just how valuable collaborating with the media specialist can be. I have been teaching for five years and up until now, all I have done is check resources out of the library. I have never collaborated with the media specialist. My understanding of the job of the media specialist has definitely changed.

I chose to collaborate with another first grade teacher, Anita Morgan. This made it easier to meet, collaborate, and create the unit. When I met with Anita and asked for her help with this assignment, she had several requirements; the unit must be doable, it had to go along with the current theme (Thanksgiving), and it had to include writing standards that were currently being taught. While researching and locating materials, I came across a great thanksgiving website from scholastic, http://www.scholastic.com. As I was enjoying the website, it hit me. We always have the students write about their families at thanksgiving, and since the writing genre for this nine week period is Response to Literature, the students could make connections to books, video and websites about Thanksgiving and write a response to them.

I met with Anita and threw out my ideas. She loved them. I located several books in the library, websites, and videos to go with the unit. I created a pathfinder so that we would have resources at our fingertips. Once it was complete, and I met with her to explain how to use the pathfinder. She was speechless. She wanted to know why we havent been using pathfinders as a grade level. Our first grade students complete several research projects throughout the year and using pathfinders would be valuable to the students and the parents.

This was a very simple unit. It did not have a lot of bells and whistles but the children loved it. According to teacher observation and the self assessment technology rubric, the students seem to have a good understanding of how to use the websites and pathfinder. Acting as the media specialist, I taught a whole group lesson on how to navigate around the some of the primary websites and the pathfinder. My favorite website was the Scholastic website. What made this website so great was the fact that most of the information could be read to the students by clicking on a speaker icon. Most first graders are beginning readers and trying to locate information on the web can be difficult and frustrating. During the unit, students were allowed

to visit the website when they completed their assignments, and this feature made the experience meaningful and the students successful.

In this unit, the pathfinder was primarily used by the teacher. I did introduce the students to the pathfinder. I observed some of them using it to play games and get to the primary websites used in this unit. First grade students are just starting to explore the internet for information. The pathfinder made it easier for them and they learned how to use it quickly.

This unit was definitely a success. As a grade level, I can see us adding to the unit and using it again. The collaboration effort for this unit was simple, but I can see a need for some type of checklist that teachers can fill out letting the media specialist know some of the requirements or things they would like to see in a unit they are working on together. This assignment gave me a better understanding of collaboration but I still have a lot to learn.

Student Name________________________________ MAKING CONNECTIONS

Text-to-Self Connections
Book Title__________________________________________________________________ Write about how the book, website, and video remind you of something you do on Thanksgiving.
The book said. . . . That reminds me of. . . .

The website said. . . .

That reminds me of. . . .

The video said. . . .

That reminds me of. . . .

Name:___________________________________________ Date:_______________________

Self-Assessment Response to Literature Writing Rubric I included a title in my writing. I included a good beginning in my writing. I included a good ending in my writing. I used a capital letter at the start of each sentence and in the title of my story. I used the correct punctuation in my writing. I used correct space between my words. My writing includes 4 or more complete sentences about the topic. My writing includes a text-to-self connection. My handwriting is neat.

Name:___________________________________________ Date:_______________________

Self-Assessment Technology Rubric

The websites were easy to use. The pathfinder was easy to use. I had difficulty understanding the material covered on the websites. The speaker icons on some of the websites were helpful. The pathfinder was helpful.

Response to literature Writing Grading Rubric

Name:_____________________ Date:__________________

Standard/Element
Writes text of appropriate length to address a topic.

1
Writes less than four sentences about the topic. _____

2
Writes four sentences about the top. _____ Includes a text-toself connection.

3
Writes more than four sentences about the topic. _____ There are several text-to-self connections present. _____ Consistently uses correct punctuation and capitalization with no errors.

Shows a text-to-self connection in writing.

No text-to-self connection present. _____

_____ Consistently uses correct punctuation and capitalization with minimal errors.

Uses appropriate punctuation and capitalization in writing

Does not consistently use correct punctuation and capitalization; numerous errors. _____

_____ Uses correct spacing between words consistently throughout the paragraph with minimal errors. _____ Consistently uses subject-verb agreement in writing with minimal errors. _____ Paragraph is easy to read; satisfactory handwriting. _____

_____ Uses correct spacing between words consistently throughout the paragraph with no errors. _____ Consistently uses subject-verb agreement in writing with no errors. _____ Paragraph is easy to read; excellent handwriting. _____

Uses correct spacing between words

Does not consistently use correct spacing between words.

_____ Writes complete sentences with subjectverb agreement Does not consistently write complete sentences with subject-verb agreement. _____ Paragraph is difficult to read; poor handwriting. _____

Prints legibly