Resource recon

Teams of students will search for the answers to questions using various information resources. The questions will be in categories such as: biography, current events, historical events, geography, language. Besides competing for the fastest answer, the students will learn (1) how to use the resource effectively, and (2) which resource is best for finding different types of information.

A lesson plan for grades 6–7 English Language Arts and Information Skills

By Keith Dudley

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Related topics

• Learn more about cooperative learning, information literacy, language arts, and research skills.

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Learning outcomes

Students will learn:

• information needs may be placed in categories (current, biographical, historical), to aid in resource selection.
• which resources best answer different types of questions.
• how to gather information from a variety of resources.
• the answers to the questions.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

7 days

Materials/resources

• Millennium 2000 World Book Deluxe Edition Encyclopedias
• Websters New International Dictionary
• The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000
• Abridged Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature by H.W. Wilson Co. (or computerized database of magazine or newspaper articles if available)
• National Geographic Atlas of the World

Technology resources

• Internet
• Grolier Encyclopedia 2000 CD-ROM
• overhead projector

Pre-activities

Review with students the following search skills:

• How to use an index or table of contents
• How to search by alphabetical order
• What keywords and Boolean searches are

Activities

1. The class of students is divided into seven teams. Each team will be assigned one of the information resources. If a team is assigned a material resource, each student will have a copy. If the resource is technology-based, each student will get to do the searching at least once.
2. A question from the Recon Worksheet (doc | rtf) will be placed on the overhead for all to see. The class will decide what type of question it is, such as biography, current events, etc. On the signal “go”, the teams will compete for the fastest search. When the answer is found, the team members will raise their hands, and the instructor will look to see if the correct answer has been found. Teams will be ranked first, second, etc. as they find the answer. Please note that some teams will not be able to find an answer, due to accessing a source that does not have the information. Do not stop the search until each team has an answer, or realizes an answer is unavailable.
3. After each search, have one of the successful teams explain to the class which resource they used, the key words they used, their search strategy (index, Boolean, table of contents, etc.).

   At approximately 10-15 minutes per question, you’ll only get 5-6 questions per hour.

   When using the periodical resource, someone needs to be available to retrieve magazines if the resource in not a data bank or search articles.

4. Make sure the class discusses and realizes which resources had the answers, and had them most readily available.

This contest may be played seven times, so that each team gets a chance to use each resource.

Assessment

• During the competition, the resource-accessing time will decrease.
• Without using the resources, ask questions similar to the ones from the competition. See if the students know which resources are best applied to the different questions.