Information Literacy activities

Curriculum Connection: (ACELY1680) Use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning and begin to evaluate texts by drawing on a growing knowledge of context, text structures and language features.

Elaboration: Using text features and search tools to locate information in written and digital texts efficiently. ICT Capability Element: Investigating with ICT - Locate, generate and access data and information.

Effective Searching

Lesson Description

Students will use search engines such as Google to search and compile a ‘persuasive writing’

report about the topic of .

They were pointed to a number of different websites which presented arguments and statistics on both sides of the issue. They were asked to create a smooth, integrated account which drew on the documents but did not merely print them out or stitch them together.

They will conduct research and learn how to find resources that are relevant and valid. Begin the lesson as a whole-class discussion to determine what students already know about searching the Internet and how search engines work. It will be important to point out that the Web is a self-publishing medium, which is not always reliable, and that there are different ways to find information on the Internet.

Problem Statement Write your own problem statement to present to students remembering key use of ICT terminology and features.

Searching Guidelines

• Keywords: Think carefully about the type of keywords you are going to use before you type them in.

Spelling is crucial and it is important to think about the precise words you are looking for; • Singular: Use singular words as much as possible; • Combining words: Think how to combine words using Boolean operators such as AND, OR, NOT and truncation symbols such as *, “”, #, +, &. • Quotation marks: When you are searching for an exact phrase or sentence, always surround it with quotation or speech marks. This will return results where the two words are found together. These features can all be combined to build up complex searches, for example, several phrases in speech marks added to a number of key words.

Achievement Standards (English)

• Students understand how content can be organised using different text structures depending on the purpose of the text;

• Understand how language features are used to link and sequence ideas; • Demonstrate understanding of grammar and choose vocabulary and punctuation appropriate to the purpose and context of their writing and; • They demonstrate understanding of grammar and choose vocabulary and punctuation appropriate to the purpose and context of their writing; • Use knowledge of sounds and high frequency words to spell words accurately, checking their work for meaning.

Assessment Higher Order Skills

Synthesis: Students identify what they already know about Internet searching; they explore new ideas and synthesise information about new ways of doing research.

Evaluation: Students evaluate, summarise and explain new information.

Application: Students apply the new techniques that have learnt.

Analysis: To answer the given questions, students analyse information and compare the value of Internet research and research conducted in a library. Keywords

Singular

Combining words

Quotation marks ICT Capability LC: Investigating with ICT; Managing and operating ICT.

ICT Techniques Curriculum link

Information Literacy Activity

Complete the required steps for the activity here.

Lesson Description

Students will learn how to collect material from the Internet and use it on their own computer. They will learn that a webpage is not a single item but a collection of different files or objects like a book. A typical web page may include pieces of text and pictures – including logos and navigation arrows or buttons. Each of these can behave independently.

Problem Statement Write your own problem statement to present to students remembering key use of ICT terminology and features.

Collecting and Downloading

Saving a webpage – when using Google Chrome, for example, click on the customise Google Chrome button (top right), click on ‘More tools’ and select ‘Save Page As’. Then choose ‘Webpage (complete); Saving text from a webpage – Click on ‘More tools’ and then ‘Save Page As’, but this time select “Webpage, HTML only”; Printing a webpage – select Chrome customiser and the Print; Copying and pasting (words and images) into a word processor.

Achievement Standards (English)

List the achievements standards this activity is aligned with here:

Assessment Higher Order Skills

Synthesis: Students identify what they already know about collecting and downloading information; they explore new ideas and synthesise information.

Evaluation: Students evaluate, summarise and explain new information.

Application: Students apply the new techniques that have learnt. Saving a webpage

Saving text from a webpage

Printing from a webpage

Copy and paste (words and images) to a word processor ICT Capability LC: Investigating with ICT; Managing and operating ICT.

ICT Techniques Curriculum link

Lesson Description

Students to evaluate certain websites and write a review justifying their criticisms.

Problem Statement Write your own problem statement to present to students remembering key use of ICT terminology and features.

Key Question

• Who is the author? • What is their qualifications in this area? • Does the website have a sponsor? Is this sponsor reputable or biased? • Is there a link to information about the author or sponsor? • Should I trust this information? • Can I verify the information elsewhere?

Achievement Standards (English)

They contribute actively to class and group discussions, asking questions, providing useful feedback; They select information, ideas and events in texts.

Assessment Higher Order Skills ICT Techniques Curriculum link

Synthesis: Students identify what they already know about website authenticity; they explore new ideas.

Evaluation: Students evaluate and validate information on various websites

Application: Students apply the new techniques that have learnt.

Analysis: Students analyse the information by checking other websites of the same topic. Finding the website author

Validating information on other websites ICT Capability LC: Investigating with ICT; Managing and operating ICT.

HASS

Lesson Description (Kent, 2009)

Students will be presented with a range of urban myths and will be asked to choose one myth and find two websites that support the myth and two which contradict the myth. For each website found, students will need to assess the credibility of the information. They are then to decide whether they believe the myth or not, and justify their opinion.

Problem Statement Write your own problem statement to present to students remembering key use of ICT terminology and features.

Key Questions

• Who is the author? • What is their qualifications in this area? • Does the website have a sponsor? Is this sponsor reputable or biased? • Is there a link to information about the author or sponsor? • Should I trust this information? • Can I verify the information elsewhere?

Achievement Standards (English)

They contribute actively to class and group discussions, asking questions, providing useful feedback; They select information, ideas and events in texts.

Assessment Higher Order Skills

Synthesis: Students identify what they already know about website authenticity; they explore new ideas.

Evaluation: Students evaluate and validate information on various websites

Application: Students apply the new techniques that have learnt.

Analysis: Students analyse the information by checking other websites of the same topic. Finding the website author

Validating information on other websites ICT Capability LC: Investigating with ICT; Communicating with ICT; Creating with ICT.

ICT Techniques Curriculum link

Information Literacy Activity

1. Present the students with a range of urban myths and legends in Australia. A good website to use may be www.snopes.com 2. Ask the students to choose one of the myths and legends and find: • Two websites that support the myth; • Two websites that contradict the myth. 3. For each website found, the students will need to assess its credibility of the information. They are to use the questions listed. 4. They are to decide if they believe it or not and justify their opinion.

Extension Work

You could check information found in their reference books against information found on the Internet. The students can think about how differences between printed information and information found on the Internet could be accounted for by using the questions mentioned earlier. The teacher will need to prompt the students to consider the publication data of the information.

HASS 2

Lesson Description

The students will choose an issue or event that is of national or international significance and then use the Internet to find and summarise the perspectives of at least three different social or cultural groups.

Problem Statement Write your own problem statement to present to students remembering key use of ICT terminology and features.

Achievement Standards (English)

They contribute actively to class and group discussions, asking questions, providing useful feedback; They select information, ideas and events in texts.

Assessment

Higher Order Skills ICT Techniques Curriculum link

Synthesis: Students identify what they already know about website authenticity; they explore new ideas.

Evaluation: Students evaluate and validate information on various websites

Application: Students apply the new techniques that have learnt.

Analysis: Students analyse the information by checking other websites of the same topic. Finding the website author

Validating information on other websites ICT Capability LC: Investigating with ICT; Communicating with ICT; Creating with ICT.

Information Literacy Activity

1. The students are to choose an issue or event that is of national or international significance, for example, a major sporting event. 2. Students are to use the WWW on the Internet to find the perspectives of at least three different social or cultural groups. 3. Students are to summarise their findings in a word processor such as MS Word. 4. The website www.world-newspapers.com is a good source to start or you may wish to provide print media of your own. Google’s advanced news search will also allow students ways to search for news stories from specific countries.