Impact+on+Student+Learning


 * Overview and Rationale**

At Olive Mary Stitt Elementary School (grades K – 5) in Arlington Heights, Illinois, administrators recently created an initiative that all students in grades 3, 4 and 5 must complete a research project every year. This is intended to introduce the upper elementary students to skills such as evaluating, note-taking, assessing relevance, and competence with the resources in the Library Media Center (LMC). In order to address this need, I collaborated with four fourth grade teachers and the LMC director, Suzy Rabbat, in order to determine how to best develop these research and other information literacy skills in fourth graders.

After comparing the different research models, we decided to introduce the fourth grade to the Independent Investigation Method (IIM) model. We chose this model rather than another they have been using, The Big 6, because IIM allows more flexibility and room for higher-level critical thinking skills. Since neither the teachers nor the students have been exposed to IIM, the group agreed that an introduction and practice with the model would be appropriate before the research project was actually assigned. I suggested that I take the lead to design the series of lessons leading up to the project.

**Project Planning and Design**


 * Educational Goals and Objectives**

Students will understand how to use the IIM “notefacts” model in order to extract relevant information from a variety of resources.


 * Students will know how to properly cite a source.
 * Students will understand how to document source number, page number and other logistical information.
 * Students will understand how to extract relevant information from a source.
 * Students will know how to paraphrase information into note format.
 * Students will be prepared to revise and evaluate their notes as needed.

5A. Locate, organize, and use infor­ma­tion from various sources to answer questions, solve problems and communicate ideas.
 * Illinois Learning Standard(s) Addressed**:
 * 5.A.2a Formulate questions and construct a basic research plan.
 * 5.A.2b Organize and integrate information from a variety of sources (e.g., books, interviews, library reference materials, web- sites, CD/ROMs).
 * 5.B.2b Cite sources used.

1. Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge. 2. Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge.
 * Standards for 21st Century Learner Addressed:**
 * **1.1.1** Follow an inquiry- based process in seeking knowledge in curricular subjects, and make the real- world connection for using this process in own life.
 * **1.1.5** Evaluate information found in selected sources on the basis of accuracy, validity, appropriateness for needs, importance, and social and cultural context.
 * **1.1.7** Make sense of information gathered from diverse sources by identifying misconceptions, main and supporting ideas, conflicting information, and point of view or bias.
 * **2.1.1** Continue an inquiry- based research process by applying critical- thinking skills (analysis, synthesis, evaluation, organization) to information and knowledge in order to construct new understandings, draw conclusions, and create new knowledge.
 * **2.1.2** Organize knowledge so that it is useful.


 * Duration of Project**

I estimate that the project will take two 45-minute class periods over the course of three weeks. At that point, students will be prepared to begin researching their colonies.


 * Materials Needed**

//Lesson 1//
 * __The Plymouth Colony__ e-book by Andrew Santella
 * Touchscreen Monitor to display e-book
 * Large replica of notefacts sheet and markers
 * Copies of practice notefacts sheet for students

//Lesson 2//
 * The Plymouth Colony e-book and monitor for review
 * Scanned copies of sample notefacts to critique
 * Whiteboard and projector to display sample notefacts
 * Monitor to display Nettrekker database and websites
 * Large replica of notefacts sheet and markers
 * Copies of practice notefacts sheets for students (with space for citation)
 * Photocopies of __The Thirteen Colonies__ by Marc Tyler Nobleman – page 19 and 20, front cover and verso.


 * Lesson Plans, Artifacts and Overview**

//Lesson 1//

On the first day, students and I will discuss the essential question that we’re using for our sample – **was life better or worse for the Pilgrims in their new colony?** I’ve chosen this question to guide students because there is no right or wrong answer, thereby forcing students to read, interpret, and infer opinions from the material they read. We will examine an e-book on the monitor and evaluate the information within, then work together to cite the source and take several notefacts on the large sample notefacts sheet. Finally, students will practice writing two notefacts on their own.

Notefacts Lesson Plan 1

//Lesson 2//

On the second day of the lesson, students will evaluate and critique examples of notefacts, adjusting them so that they fit all the criteria of the IIM model. We will then look at another resource – a website – and practice citing and taking notes from that. Students will have an opportunity to practice taking notefacts from a third source and, this time, they will also practice citing their source. Finally, we will gather together to share our work.

Notefacts Lesson Plan 2 Examples of “needs improvement” notefacts – Group 1: and Group 2:


 * Reflection**

The planning for this project was an learning process for everyone involved. As this was the first time the fourth-grade teachers were required to do a research project, they were not exactly sure what they wanted. My supervisor and I suggested this IIM model in order to streamline things for them and the students, while increasing the critical thinking skills required. I believe that rather than a “copy-and-paste” or “fill-in-the-blanks” type assignment, it is important to allow students to define their own parameters. IIM allows students to be flexible with the material and interpret it unique ways.

My first step was deciding what knowledge and skills I wanted students to walk away with. Students, after completing my lessons, should have a good understanding of how to cite sources, assess the relevancy of information, take concise notes, and analyze different types of sources for currency and appropriateness. To do this, I decided that I would first look at sources with students and then allow them to practice on their own. I also wanted to incorporate technology – not gratuitously but to rather support the instruction and increase student engagement. To do this, I learned about a great number of resources in the Olive LMC and determined which ones would most facilitate student learning.

Finally, I needed to find excellent resources that would enable students to practice separating relevant information from irrelevant. I also wanted to use a wide range of sources, from traditional books to e-books to websites. I used numerous databases and analyzed reviews and summaries until I was able to settle on three distinct sources.

The planning process of this project came together quite nicely. It was wonderful to be able to begin with the fourth grade teachers and assess their needs and requirements. By collaborating with them on what they would like from the very beginning, I was able to tailor my lessons to fully support what was going on in their individual classrooms. Additionally, by involving them in the process, I was able to create a more cohesive lesson and also provide instruction to them about IIM and the notefacts model. Since this will set the tone for research projects for the future, I was pleased that we were able to collaborate and co-plan from the very beginning.

**Project Implementation and Assessment**


 * Implementation Process**

I taught the first lessons during three class periods over a one-week period. Due to a holiday, one class was scheduled to miss their LMC time and came in during another class’s period instead. This meant that there were two one-class lessons and one lesson in which I taught two classes at once. For the second lesson, I taught four separate lessons over a two week period.

The students seemed to pick up on the notefacts process fairly quickly. They were eager to participate by volunteering sample notefacts to write on the large sheet. They also seemed to have a basic understanding of why we should cite our sources (about half had familiarity with the copyright symbol and its meaning) and how to access databases through the LMC website. They had limited background knowledge of the Plymouth Colony so, since that was our basis for research, I began giving a brief expository statement about the colony before each class. The students were most excited by the critique of other notefacts. They enjoyed searching out what needed improvement in each one and being the first to spot it. I also believe it helped their notefacts confidence when they felt that they were “smarter” than the examples I projected on the whiteboard.

After my first session, in which I wrote the notefacts on the sheet myself, I decided to enlist each classroom teacher to serve as the recorder. This made the lesson much more collaborative as teachers were able to incorporate information from the classroom. It also helped the teachers become more familiar with the IIM model. By the time I started the second lesson, I had involved all of the teachers in the lesson and found the co-teaching process to very much enhance student understanding.

The technology portion of the lesson also helped facilitate student learning. When I used the monitor to project a database and then access a website, the students all seemed to perk up and follow what I was doing. Likewise, they were very interested when I projected scanned copies of the “needs improvement” examples and then wrote on them using the interactive whiteboard. I heard many comments of “Whoa! I didn’t know you could write on that!” I think that, in addition to making the lesson go more smoothly, the technology served to interest and engage the students.


 * Outcomes**

After students finished their practice sheets, I collected them and scored them based on five criteria (six after the second lesson). I then compared these from the first lesson to the second lesson to better understand how the critiquing process, our discussions, and additional practice impacted student learning. Students were only expected to provide a citation during the second lesson so data is only reflected for that in Day 2.



In the critique, we looked at a few examples of notefacts that didn’t answer the essential question. Therefore, after the second lesson, I found that many more students wrote facts that addressed the question. This demonstrated to me that the critiquing process was very effective.

The number of students with correct page and source number dropped from the first lesson to the second. I attribute this to the fact that the second notefacts sheet required more and more complicated numbering, including the citation information. Since this was new to the students, it makes sense that a greater number might struggle. As I continue to work with them, I intend to address this and give frequent reminders about checking for correct page and source numbers.


 * Reflective Statement**

I was very pleased with the implementation of the lessons. The chart above clearly demonstrates that the majority of the students improved their ability to choose relevant information that answers the essential question. This demonstrates the higher level critical thinking skills the students were using, as opposed to the rote skills needed for fill-in-the-blank research projects. Although some classes had fewer students who answered correctly on the second day for some of the aspects, particularly the correct page and source numbers, I believe that further practice will help these students become prepared to research on their own.

In addition to the formal assessment of the practice notefacts sheet, I was able to circulate during both lessons to answer questions or clarify anything that was unclear. As the students worked, I was able to assess their ability by discreetly watching them, informally noting whether or not they seemed to understand the task at hand. In combination with the more formal assessment, I believe this helped me form an accurate picture of student comprehension and I determined that, for the most part, students seemed to grasp and effectively utilize the notefacts format.

My ability to re-teach each lesson four times increased the impact on student learning as well. After the first class of Day 2, we ran out of time and I let the students move from practice to book check-out. While this was necessary due to time constraints, I felt that it really disrupted the flow of the lesson. Rather than come back to the rug for a wrap-up and closing segment, the students left without any type of closure. I immediately realized that this was ineffective and, in my next three classes, worked to speed my pace. When I had time to bring everyone back together before I released them to book check-out, I felt that the lesson was much more cohesive and effective.

Above all, I felt that this project demonstrated a great deal of learning, both on the part of the students and on the teacher! I learned about IIM and notefacts, but I also improved my lesson planning and collaborating techniques. These aspects help me become a more effective teacher and, as a result, improve student comprehension. Ultimately, student success is my most important goal and I believe that we achieved that through this series of lessons.