Useless Information

1
Useless Information
2
Information Literacy

• Denise Vodola JaimieLynn Silva Alyson Britt
• WIS Media Specialist Social Studies Language
  Arts

3
Bottomless Pot
Time to chat
Food for Grazing
And a Killer Lunch
4
A G E N D A

• Shift Happens
• Number Connecting Exercise
• Information Literacy
• Movie Clip
• Essential Questions
• Sample Questions/Lessons
• Big6 Introduction
• Web Evaluation Activity
• WebQuests
• Types of questions/Question Brainstormer Activity

5
What is Information Literacy? And why should I
care?

• School research is a training ground for real
  life.
• Information literacy skills are skills you will
  need through your life. We are always seeking
  information. What car or stereo should I buy?
  Which college should I choose? Which book should
  I read next? How can I sell this idea to my boss?
  How can I convince the school board to act on my
  proposal? Information helps us reach conclusions,
  make our choices, and communicate more
  effectively. But the good stuff is often buried
  in heaps of junk. We need to continue to improve
  our searching, evaluating and communication
  skills in a changing information environment.
• Remember computer literacy is not information
  literacy.

6
Essential Questions

• Whats in a Question?

7
What are Essential Questions

• "Essential Questions" bring students beyond basic
  fact-gathering, and require them to solve a
  problem or make a decision.
• Definition
• Open-ended with no right or wrong answer
• Important life-affecting questions

8
Why Ask Questions?

• Questions allow students to
• Access information
• Analyze information
• Draw Sound Conclusions
• Good questions stimulate thinking and creativity
• What do that mean?

9
Attributes of Essential Questions

• Reside at the top of Bloom's Taxonomy (Penthouse)
• Seek an understanding of something which matters
  to us, sparking curiosity and wonder.
• Answers cannot be found. They must be invented.
  Students construct their own answers and make
  their own meaning
• Essential questions engage students in the kinds
  of real life applied problem-solving suggested by
  nearly every new curriculum report

10
Demanding Questions

• Demanding Questions Serve Daily Practice and
  Lesson Planning
• Training in essential questions sometimes imposes
  a heavy burden on librarians and teachers who are
  led to believe they must somehow reach the above
  Tests of Significance on each day of 5th Grade
  science or 8th Grade social studies. Demanding
  questions are a much more reasonable expectation
  to apply to daily lesson planning, as the teacher
  orchestrates a series of lessons that ultimately
  help students to "piece together" answers to unit
  questions over a number of days and weeks.

11
Teachers Role

• Topical research assignments required little
  action on the part of the teacher. It was easy to
  fall into assign and mark.
• Exploration of exasperating, challenging
  questions is an entirely different matter. The
  teacher's role is critical

12
Curriculum Mapping

• Themes and essential questions help to frame
  student inquiry and promote critical thinking. 
  They also provide a helpful framework for
  organizing a unit of study using a multi-genre
  approach. 
• Good essential questions have some basic
  criteria in common
• They are open-ended and resist a simple or single
  right answer
• They are deliberately thought-provoking,
  counterintuitive, and/or controversial
• They require students to draw upon content
  knowledge and personal experience
• They can be revisited throughout the unit to
  engage students in evolving dialogue and debate
• They lead to other essential questions posed by
  students

13
Curriculum Map Template
14
Grade 5 Sample Map for 1 Month
15
The 4th Grade State Report

• Traditionally, the typical State Report was to
  find information about the state, the flower,
  bird, capital, etc.
• This assignment leads to information gathering
  but little analysis or thought.
• Invites Copy-and-Paste plagiarism

16
4th Grade State Report Take 2

• A new state of California is being created. It is
  up to your team to find a new location for the
  capitol, a new state flag and song.
• Create a persuasive multimedia presentation
  convincing your classmates.

17
Identifying Subsidiary Questions

• Teams must list smaller questions which will help
  them answer their main question.
• Effective research results from formulating as
  many categories of related questions as possible,
  with each category suggesting missing questions.

18
Suppositions - Hypothesis

• Before they proceed very far, students list
  suppositions, pose hypotheses and make
  predictions - many and most of which will be
  revised as information is gathered. This thought
  process helps to provide a basis for construction
  of meaning.

19
and listen to the Sounds of Silence. -Paul
Simon http//video.google.com/videoplay?docid
-4843226743390535857qsoundsofsilencetotal255
5start0num10so0typesearchplindex5
20
Big Questions

• Many of us fall into the trap of thinking an
  essential question is a big question, but that is
  not a sufficient or very important quality of an
  essential question.
• All of the following are big questions that do
  not rise to the level of "essential" because they
  do not require much more than information-gatherin
  g and summarizing.
• What happened in World War One?
• What were da Vinci's accomplishments?
• What were Napoleon's Codes?

21
Essential Questions

• Those four questions are large in scope but they
  do not require thought on the top of Bloom's
  Taxonomy and they do not pass the test of "So
  What?" They could each be converted into
  essential questions by adding a twist that would
  require judgment, interpretation, synthesis and
  thought.
• In what ways did the events of World War One help
  set the scene for World War Two?
• How did da Vinci's character shape his
  contributions?
• To what extent do we owe Napoleon a debt of
  gratitude as a result of his Codes?
• Most essential questions are interdisciplinary in
  nature. They usually cut across lines.

22
Essential Vs. Demanding

• When is an essential question actually essential?
• When will a demanding question suffice?

23
When to ask Essential Questions

• While it is certainly a worthy goal to focus much
  student learning around important issues and
  questions of great importance, it is probably
  unrealistic to impose such high expectations on
  daily lesson planning. Essential questions serve
  well to organize major units of study, while
  demanding questions may better match the
  realities and possibilities of daily practice.
• Students synthesize their daily work on demanding
  questions like jigsaw pieces until a picture
  emerges that captures the essence of an essential
  (unit) question.
• A demanding question requires thought at the top
  of Bloom's Taxonomy but need not meet some of the
  same tests of significance we apply to essential
  questions.

24
Essential Question for Elementary Science
Curriculum

• "Which would make the better classroom pet--a
  starfish, or a hermit crab?" Explain your reasons
  for the decision you have made.

25
Essential Question for Elementary Science
Curriculum

• "Which Spider?" Select a spider for a classroom
  pet. The spider must be able to survive in an
  environment where (supply criteria).
• "Which Day?" You will be going on a hike with
  your class this week. It's your job to choose
  which day this week you will go on the hike. (Use
  the Local Weather Forecast on the Internet to
  investigate the 5-day forecast and make your
  decision.)

26
Essential Question for Elementary Social Studies
Curriculum

• "Community Helpers" Your classroom has been
  asked to give an award to the most important
  community helper. Together, decide which will
  receive the award and why they deserve it (Police
  Officers, Fire Fighters, Paramedics, Mountain
  Rescue, etc.)

27
Essential Question for Social Studies Curriculum

• "New State Nickname" You have just been informed
  that the Governor of New Jersey is tired of the
  old New Jersey State Nickname ("The Garden
  State"). He is hiring you to come up with a new
  state nickname for New Jersey. He wants the new
  nickname to stand for something very special
  about the state of New Jersey.
• "Choose Your Chief" You have been transported
  back in time to the early 1800's. You find that
  you have become a Native American of those times.
  The Captain of the Time Machine tells you that
  you have to live with one of the American Indian
  tribes for one year, before he will come back to
  pick you up. You need to decide which Indian
  Chief you would prefer to live with, as a member
  of his tribe, for one year.
• "Native Americans' Contributions" What are two
  or three beliefs or skills of North American
  Indians that are still important in today's
  society? How so?

28
Essential Question for Science Curriculum

• "Which Dog?" You have been chosen to select a
  pet dog for an elderly person a family in
  Alaska a family with young children and no
  fenced yard

29
Essential Question for Social Studies Curriculum

• "Stranded on an Island" If you were stranded on
  one of the small, uninhabited islands found in
  popular children's' books (Island of the Blue
  Dolphins Robinson Crusoe The Cay Call it
  Courage), on which island would you most prefer
  to be stranded? How would you supply your basic
  needs on this island?

30
Essential Question for Science Curriculum

• "Displaced Species" You are a member of a team
  of zoologists. Your task is to return a displaced
  species to a suitable environment somewhere on
  the earth. The original environment of this
  species has been rendered uninhabitable so your
  team must research the needs of your animal, the
  original habitat, and possible alternate
  habitats. Find one location, on a different
  continent, where the species can be reintroduced
  successfully.
• "Which Fault Line?" You are a geologist who is
  currently working for an American land
  development company. The company is planning on
  building new condominiums at various places in
  the United States. Unfortunately, each location
  is very near a fault line. You have been asked to
  recommend the least risky location, regarding
  earthquakes, for the new condos. Which location
  will you choose, and why?

31
Essential Questions for Social Studies Curriculum

• "1620 Living" You and your team are a group of
  children living in either the Jamestown or
  Plymouth Colony. After investigating living
  conditions in both colonies, decide where you
  would have preferred living, in the year 1620.
• "New Move" Your parents have just lost their
  jobs. Your family is being forced, by necessity,
  to move from the West Coast to New England. Your
  job is to help your parents decide which New
  England city to move to, from the following list
  of cities Providence, Rhode Island Burlington,
  Vermont Hartford, Connecticut Boston,
  Massachusetts Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• "Which Park?" Your classroom has just become a
  finalist in a contest sponsored by the National
  Geographic Foundation, for outstanding
  achievement in the area of geography. Your prize,
  if you should win, is an all expense paid, ten
  day trip to your favorite National Park site. In
  order to win, you must submit a written proposal
  to the Geographic board, describing ten different
  Parks, their special qualities, and the one you
  chose to be the best. Keep in mind that your
  entire class must be able to make this trip,
  including the two children in wheelchairs. Good
  luck!!

32
Essential Question for Science Curriculum

• "NASA or NOAA"? You and your team are advisors
  to the President of the United States. Your
  assignment is to help him determine whether NASA
  or NOAA should receive funding. Due to budget
  cuts there are only enough monies to adequately
  fund one of these programs. Research NASA and
  NOAA to find at least 3 important benefits from
  each program. Apply the following criteria to
  help you choose the program to fund Benefit to
  environment Benefit to most people Scientific
  gain
• "Simple Machines" Which simple machine idea is
  most valuable in your life?
• "Earth Games on Other Planets" You are the
  Interplanetary Recreation Coordinator, hired by
  NASA to teach Earth games to inhabitants of the
  other planets. How must you adapt Earth games to
  the gravitational pull of other planets?
• "Operation Rescue" Earth is doomed. Your job, as
  a leading NASA scientist, is to organize a
  colonization expedition to another planet. The
  expedition is limited to 20 people. Identify the
  planet and defend your choice. Then identify the
  20 people who would be rescued, and tell why you
  chose them. Defend your choices.

33
Question Brainstormer
Brainstorm two topics related to the unit you are
studying. Use the cues to develop essential
questions that will help students focus their
research. You dont need to fill in every box. We
will be discussing which of the questions you
develop would be the best to research.
34
Why Big6?

• We all suffer from information overload. Theres
  just too much "stuff" out there, and its not
  easy to keep up. At the same time, theres an
  ironyyes, we are surrounded by information, but
  we can never seem to find what we want, when we
  want it, and in a form we want it so that we can
  use it effectively.
• One solution to the information problemis to
  speed things up. We try to pack in more and more
  content, to work faster to get more done. But,
  this is a losing proposition. Speeding things up
  can only work for so long. Instead, we need to
  think about helping students to work smarter, not
  faster. There is an alternative to speeding
  things up. Its the smarter solutionone that
  helps students develop the skills and
  understandings they need to find, process, and
  use information effectively. This smarter
  solution focuses on process as well as content.
  Some people call this smarter solution
  information literacy or information skills
  instruction. We call it the Big6.

35
Big6 Model
People go through these Big6 stagesconsciously
or notwhen they seek or apply information to
solve a problem or make a decision. Its not
necessary to complete these stages in a linear
order, and a given stage doesnt have to take a
lot of time. Almost all successful
problem-solving situations address all stages.
36
What is the Big6?
Developed by educators Mike Eisenberg and Bob
Berkowitz, the Big6 is the most widely-known and
widely-used approach to teaching information and
technology skills in the world. The Big6 is an
information and technology literacy model and
curriculum, implemented in thousands of schools -
K through higher education. Some people call the
Big6 an information problem-solving strategy
because with the Big6, students are able to
handle any problem, assignment, decision or task.
Here are the six stages we call the BIG6. Two
sub-stages are part of each main category in
the BIG6 IPM
37
Big6 Model

• Task Definition1.1 Define the information
  problem 1.2 Identify information needed
• What am I supposed to do?
• What information do I need to do this? (consider
  listing in question form)

38
Big6 Model

• 2. Information Seeking Strategies
• 2.1 Determine all possible sources
• 2.2 Select the best sources
• Which are the best possible sources I can use?
• Print Sources books, magazines, newspapers,
  primary sources, textbooks, maps, other
• Technology Internet, on-line databases, DVD,
  video, computer program, tv/radio, other
• People teachers, parents, experts, peers,
  business owners, other
• If using web sites, how will I know that they are
  good enough for my project?
• I will only use those evaluated by and provided
  by my teachers.
• I will ask my librarian, teacher, or parent for
  help in finding good web sites for my project.
• How do I evaluate a website?
• Website Evaluation WebQuest
• Follow these links more information on searching
  and appropriate internet search tools , more
  search tools, our catalog , and licensed
  databases.

39
Big6 Model

• 3. Location and Access
• 3.1 Locate sources (intellectually and
  physically)
• 3.2 Find information within sources
• Where will I find these sources?
• School library
• Public library
• Provided by teachers
• Internet
• Other
• Who can help me find what I need?
• I can find the sources myself
• My librarian
• My teachers
• My parents

40
Big6 Model

• 4. Use of Information4.1 Engage (e.g., read,
  hear, view, touch) 4.2 Extract relevant
  information
• How will I record the information that I find?
• Take notes using note cards
• Take notes using word processor
• Take notes using data chart/ graphic organizer
• Illustrate concepts
• Record using tape recorder, video, digital
  camera
• Other
• How will I give credit to my sources?
• Use the guide given to me by teacher
• Use NoodleTools

41
Big6 Model
5. Synthesis 5.1 Organize from multiple sources
5.2 Present the information

• How will I show my results?
• Written paper
• Oral presentation
• Multimedia presentation
• Performance
• Other
• How will I give credit to my sources in my final
  product?
• Include a written bibliography
• After the performance or presentation, announce
  which sources used
• Other

42
Big6 Model

• 6. Evaluation6.1 Judge the product
  (effectiveness) 6.2 Judge the process
  (efficiency)
• How will I know if I have done my best?
• Before turning in my assignment, I need to check
  off all of these items
• What I created to finish the assignment is
  appropriate for what I was supposed to do Big6 1
• The information I found in Big6 4 matches the
  information needed in Big6 1
• Credit is given to all of my sources, written in
  the way my teacher requested
• My work is neat
• My work is complete and includes heading
  information
• I would be proud for anyone to view this work

43
WebQuests

• A Strategy for Scaffolding Higher Level Learning
• Bernie Dodge, Ed Tech Department, San Diego
  State University
• Definition
• Inquiry-oriented
• Based on a doable, engaging task
• Uses pre-defined resources from the Web (and
  others)
• Can be short or long term
•  Parts
• Introduction
• Task
• Process
• Resources
• Evaluation
• Conclusion
•  Underpinnings
• Constructivism
• Cooperative Learning
• Scaffolding
• Fading

44
Sample Quests

• http//www.bcpl.net/sullivan/modules/eastasia/ind
  ex.html
• http//www.bcpl.net/sullivan/modules/midrenn/inde
  x.html
• http//www.bcpl.net/sullivan/modules/apartheid/in
  dex.html
• http//www.bcpl.net/sullivan/modules/diseases/ind
  ex.html
• http//www.bcpl.net/sullivan/modules/holocaust/in
  dex.html
• http//jeffcoweb.jeffco.k12.co.us/elem/kendallvue/
  Church/Webquest/SSWebQuest.htm
• http//www.questgarden.com/13/59/8/060110130600/

45
Calvin Hobbes

• I used to hate writing assignments, but now I
  enjoy them. I realized that the purpose of
  writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure poor
  reasoning, and inhibit clarity. With a little
  practice, writing can be an intimidating and
  impenetrable fog!

46
Question Types Level 1Memory

• Memory level questions are those to which you
  will most likely find answers in sources such as
  books, web sites, and other reference materials.
  Asking this type of question provides background
  for the subject. These questions bring forth
  simple reproduction of facts, formulae, or other
  items of remembered content.
• Thought processes involved while asking and
  answering these questions are naming, defining,
  identifying, designating, or giving yes/no
  responses.
• Memory questions usually begin with these words
  
• Who...
• What...
• Where...
• When...
• Examples of memory questions
• When did Richard III reign?
• What games were played during the ancient Greek
  Olympics?
• Who developed the planetary model of the atom?
• Where is ____ on a map?
• Based on Ciardiello, Angelo. (1998). "Did you
  ask a good question today? Alternative cognitive
  and metacognitive strategies." Journal of
  Adolescent Adult Literacy. 42, 210-219. Used
  and modified with permission, 2003.

47

Question Types Level 2Convergent Thinking

• Convergent thinking questions are those which
  represent the
• analysis and integration of given or remembered
  information. They
• lead you to an expected end result or answer.
• Thought processes involved while asking and
  answering these questions are explaining, stating
  relationships, and comparing and contrasting.
• Convergent thinking questions usually begin with
  these words or phrases
• Why
• How
• In what ways...
• Examples of convergent thinking questions
• How does gravity differ from electrostatic
  attraction?
• How was the invasion of Grenada a modern day
  example of the Monroe Doctrine in action?
• Why was Richard III considered an evil king?
• In what ways does Roman drama compare to the
  heroic epics of Indian literature?

48
Question Types Level 3Divergent Thinking

49
Question Types Level 4Evaluative Thinking

50
Big 6 an Information Problem-Solving Strategy
Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz
51
The More Things Change