Identifying the Source Lesson Plan

Time	Year Level	Prerequisites	Materials [This lesson plan is supported by the Identifying the Source Teacher Resource.]
1 lesson	9 - 10	Before undertaking this lesson students will have demonstrated: an understanding that written texts contain conventional elements; the ability to read complex texts; a beginning level of critical discussion; and a beginning level of self-directed learning.	Overhead display or whiteboard. Lucas Clothing Factory wiki page. Word processor or workbook and pen. A small selection of books for demonstration purposes.

Description

Identifying key details of references underpins the ability for researchers to evaluate the validity of historical texts. In this lesson students will explore this notion by: individually identifying key details of references in a given text; sharing their choices; engaging in critical discussion in order to generate an agreed set of key details of references; then responding to set questions and prompts to produce their reflection on learning.

Curriculum Connections

At Year 9 level students explain the contextual significance of a source and understand that the reliability and usefulness of a source depends on the questions asked of it. At Year 10 level they continue to build on their understanding of the concept of the context of a source and their understanding that the reliability and usefulness of a source depends on the quesions asked of it.

Program

This lesson is part of the Create a Publicity Brochure for the Lucas Clothing Factory in 1919 program.

Theme

This lesson is part of the Skill Builder theme.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson students will: understand that written texts use particular conventions to convey key details about source materials; be able to apply these conventions to identify references in a wiki page; be able to sort detail of references into 'key' and 'other' categories; understand that classification of the terms involves the use of evaluation criteria; be able to apply evaluation criteria to the classification of details of references in a wiki page; and be able to express judgment of their own and fellow learners' value of information and ideas.

Activity Type

Students will engage in activities that allow them to build their knowledge (through reading texts and data-based inquiry) and to express their convergent knowledge (through answering questions).

Thinking skill developed

This lesson will involve students in higher level thinking involving analysis (through comparing and classifying information within given texts) and evaluation (through decision making about which are important details of references in the text, becoming familiar with the standards through critical discussion of their choices and creating and applying standards of coding through agreement of which choices are key details of the references).

Assessment Type

Students will be assessed on their demonstration of complicated skills, including: information processing skills; their ability to find relevant information; their ability to compare and classify information; their ability to develop evaluation criteria; their ability to apply evaluation criteria and their ability to express judgment of the value of information and ideas.

Lead in

Introduction, or re-introduction, to the project that will follow from this lesson. e.g. Create a Publicity Brochure for the Lucas Clothing Factory in 1919.

Brief explanation that before starting the project the group needs to ensure that everyone has the skills to identify and properly record the sources - in a professional manner.

[If you are using this lesson as a follow-on from the Identifying Key Facts Lesson Plan include a brief summary of that lesson and what was learned.]

What do students know?

Teacher-lead discussion using the following questions...

• Question 1: What are references?

• Question 2: How do we know what the references are when we are reading from source material? (Use your small selection of books to demonstrate the key concepts: quotations; in-text citations; footnotes; reference list/bibliography; hyperlinks.)

Activity

Introduction and motivation

[Students need to be able to see the Lucas Clothing Factory wiki page - an overhead display would be preferable, but individual computers will work.]

Briefly - have students call out the references on the Lucas Clothing Factory wiki page.

Introduce the secondary concept - footnotes as explanatory notes, not references to sources.

[This list needs to be saved for inclusion with the reflection on learning.]

On their own, students are to identify the facts/statements in the text that are used in the Lucas Clothing Factory wiki page - and copy them down with all details of the reference that was used. (Suggest a brief "quotation" with the reference number and reference copied down.)

[Without conversation students need to write their answer to the question...]

• Question: What are the details that you need to write down every time you reference something?

Exposure to conflict situations

On an overhead display or whiteboard record every detail that the students have identified as necessary in recording the references - including a count of how many times the same term is suggested.

Construction of new ideas

Students to participate in a structured critical discussion of what details need to be in a fully constructed reference.

Discuss (and repeat) any listed details that don't have group consensus.

• Question 1: (To the students who suggested the detail.) Why did you choose this as a necessary detail to be recorded?

• Question 2: (To the other students.) Why did you decide this wasn't a necessary detail to be recorded?

• Question 3: (To all students.) Has anyone's opinion of whether this is a necessary detail to be recorded changed? Why?

If all listed details had group consensus...

Choose 2 or 3 examples from the reference list - ensuring that 1 has a comprehensive recorded of the reference details and 1 has very little detail (e.g. just a URL).

• Question 1: Of these examples, which is the correct way to record the reference? Why?

• Question 2: Do the references without all of the details still allow us to find the original source for ourselves? (Prompt the students to think about the URL reference. Do webpages always remain? What details could be added to the reference to help users find the source if the URL changes?)

• Question 3: (Of the record with comprehensive details.) Is there any detail in this reference that could be left out and you could still find the original source?

Evaluation

[Students to add this to their document/workbook - to be submitted with their reflection on learning.]

Agreement on key details in references - development of a coding system for further research of the Lucas Clothing Factory.

• Question 1: Are there any details that all students agree are key details?

• Question 2: Are there any details that have only been suggested by one student?

• Question 3: What is the minimum number of students suggesting a detail is key before we all agree to it?

All key details identified by these rules to be written into a list.

Application of new ideas

Students to use the agreed key details and use the hyperlinks on the Lucas Clothing Factory to properly record the details of 10 references on related wiki pages.

Reflection on learning

[Recommended to be used as a homework task.]

Students to write a reflection on learning by responding to the following questions and prompts...

• How did I identify key details during the first activity?

• What categories did I use to sort the details of references on the wiki page into key details and other details?

• What ideas did other students express about the key details with which I agree? Why?

• What ideas did other students express about key details with which I disagree? Why?

• How is my original list of key details different from the final list? What ideas were expressed throughout the lesson that help me to understand why the lists are different?

• My understanding of key details of references has changed in these ways...

• The group discussion has helped my understanding of key details of references by...

• My understanding of other peoples' values and ideas has changed in these ways...

• The group discussion has helped my understanding of other peoples' values and ideas by...

Closure

Explain how the work done in this lesson will be used in the project - and briefly introduce what will be happening in the next lesson.

Individualising learning

Remedial

For students with low reading and comprehension abilities, it is suggested that the individual exercise be modified in the following way...

Before you lead the lesson make a print-out of the Lucas Clothing Factory wiki page and create a cloze passage (fill-the-blank) sheet - so that students are finding key details of references as identified by you.

Prepare them for the critical discussion with these questions...

• Why is [insert a detail of a reference] a key detail of the reference? (Hints: If I don't have this information can I still search for the source material using Google/Bing? Do books sometimes have the same name, even when they're written by different people? How many books might one person have written?)

Extension

Have students use a URL hyperlink to go to the source of 3 of the the references.

• Question 1: Are the key details you need to reference these sources easy to find?

• Question 2: Would you still be able to legitimately use this source material in your work if you could not reference it with all of the agreed key details?

Assessment

The assessment for this lesson is based on the written reflection produced by the student after completing the entire lesson.

	4	3	2	1
Information processing skills	Demonstrates observation and recall of all key concepts and secondary concepts discussed re. where to find references in conventional texts. (Quotations, in-text citations, footnotes, reference list/bibliography, hyperlinks, that footnotes can be references of the author of the text.)	Demonstrates observation and recall of all key concepts discussed – where to find key terms in conventional texts. (Quotations, in-text citations, footnotes, reference list/bibliography, hyperlinks.)	Demonstrates observation and recall of 2-3 key concepts discussed – where to find references in conventional texts. (Quotations, in-text citations, footnotes, reference list/bibliography, hyperlinks.)	Demonstrates observation and recall of 1 key concepts discussed – where to find references in conventional texts. (Quotations, in-text citations, footnotes, reference list/bibliography, hyperlinks.)
Find relevant information	(More than 8) and all references identified and recorded verbatim.	8 references identified and recorded verbatim.	8 references identified and at least 4 references recorded verbatim.	Less than 8 references identified and less than half recorded verbatim.
Compare and classify information	Draws key details of references from all categories discussed and shows clear evidence of adapting new categories in further key term choices.	Draws key terms from all categories discussed.	Draws key terms from 2-3 categories discussed.	Draws key terms from 1 category discussed.
Develop evaluation criteria	Identifies development of their understanding of key details of references. Identifies elements of the group discussion that have prompted this development in all instances.	Identifies development of their understanding of key details of references. Identifies elements of the group discussion that have prompted this development in most instances.	Identifies development of their understanding of key details of references. Identifies elements of the group discussion that have prompted this development in some instances.	Identifies development of their understanding of key details of references. Fails to identify elements of the group discussion that have prompted this development.
Apply evaluation criteria	Identifies changes in their list of key details of references. Arguments that promoted change identified in all instances.	Identifies changes in their list of key details of references. Arguments that promoted change identified in most instances.	Identifies changes in their list of key details of references. Arguments that promoted change identified in some instances.	Identifies changes in their list of key details of references. No arguments identified.
Express judgment of the value of information and ideas	Identifies ideas with which they agree and disagree. Arguments relate to key and secondary concepts discussed. Arguments for and against inclusion of key details of references are persuasive and suit the purpose (further research of the Lucas Clothing Factory).	Identifies ideas with which they agree and disagree. Arguments relate to the key concepts discussed. Arguments for and against inclusion of key details of references suit the purpose (further research of the Lucas Clothing Factory).	Identifies ideas with which they agree or disagree. Arguments relate to the key concepts discussed. Some arguments for and against inclusion of key details of references suit the purpose (further research of the Lucas Clothing Factory.	Identifies ideas with which they agree or disagree. Arguments for and against inclusion of key details of references do not suit the purpose (further research of the Lucas Clothing Factory).

Review Suggestions

Student Engagement Did time management allow for proper communication between students and teacher? Did activities allow students to practice critical skills?

Student-centred teaching Did the lesson cater for the needs of all students? Could feedback and assessment have been improved?

Links to next lesson

Build a Bibliography Lesson Plan

Internal Links

Understanding the Activity Types

Understanding the Assessment Types

---

--Beth Kicinski 13:57, 12 June 2012 (EST)