Name: Naomi Perl

A. Format of the Information Literacy Unit Plan

Academic Subject(s): Literacy
Topic(s) of Unit: Country Report
Grade Level(s): Third Grade
Standards Integrated into the Unit Plan (not information literacy standards):
Student Content Standards

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and
explain how they support the main idea.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words,
sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend

informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at
the high end of the grades 23 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic

and convey ideas and information clearly.
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.2a Introduce a topic and group related information
together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.2b Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and
details.
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.2c Use linking words and phrases
(e.g., also, another, and, more,but) to connect ideas within categories of
information.
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.2d Provide a concluding statement or section.

(Common Core, 2012)

Learning Objectives for 5-Day Unit:
Day 1:
Day 2:
Day 3:
SWBAT research SWBAT write a
SWBAT research
the embassy of
formal letter to
information

Day 4:
SWBAT identify
important words

Day 5:
SWBAT publish
their geography

their assigned
country.
SWBAT
outline and plan
a formal letter to
their countrys
embassy.
SWBAT identify
the different
parts of a formal
letter.

their embassy.
SWBAT email a
formal letter to
their countrys
embassy.

about their
countrys
geography by
choosing the best
web based
information to
read. SWBAT
paraphrase
information from
their research
into sentences in
their own words.
SWBAT write a
rough draft of the
paragraph about
their countrys
geography.

to include in
their glossary.
SWBAT use the
internet to find
the meaning of
these words.
SWBAT put the
key words and
definitions in
their glossary.

paragraph by
typing it into the
first page of their
book.
SWBAT publish
their illustration
for the
geography.

Information
Literacy
Objectives:
(Day 1:
SWBAT interpret
the information
on their
embassys
website to
determine
important
information to
use in their letter.

Day 2:
SWBAT
communicate
results of the
information they
learned and
communicate
these to the
embassy through
email.

Day 3:
SWBAT develop
a research plan
and determine
the best sources
to locate
information.

Day 4:
SWBAT
determine the
most accurate
definitions to
important words.

Day 5:
SWBAT
synthesis
information and
publish it.
SWBAT cite the
sources of their
information.

Prerequisite Student Skills: This plan is the first week in a month long research project. Even
though some students may have done research before very little should be assumed about what
students already know. Students first will need to know how to use the technology that they will
be using to conduct the research. Students should be instructed in how to turn on the computer,
open up the web, and how to type into the webpage. Students must know about internet safety.
They should have clear instruction about how to navigate the internet and how not to trust
everything you read. Students should be aware that not everything on the internet is true and
honest. Safe websites should be provided for students to use and students should be instructed to
not simply use google. In third grade students are too young to safely browse without
guidance and so should be given specific websites to start their research. Students should be
given paper and pencil to help take notes with even though they are searching online. Students

who need extra visual help will appreciate having the ability to see their notes not only on the
screen but also in front of them. This will also help students publish their work in different
screens. To help all students research students should be given specific questions to find the
answers to. This will help focus students thinking and allow them to focus on finding quality
research instead of simply looking for broad information.
Materials:
List of countries
List of websites appropriate for student research (see attached poster)
Poster of internet safety rules (see attached poster)
Poster to check website authority, objectivity, coverage, currency, accuracy, and
relevance (see attached poster)
Computers or chromebooks
Research notes templates
List of main ideas and research questions for students to answer
Students need access to an email account

S
A
F
E

INTERNET SAFETY
TAY ON THE WEBSITE THAT YOU WERE TOLD TO GO ON!

LWAYS CHECK TO MAKE SURE WHAT YOU ARE READING IS

TRUE!

IND THE INFORMATION YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AND

DONT GET DISTRACTED!

XPLAIN WHERE YOU FOUND THE INFORMATION THROUGH

CITATION!

HOW
DO I
RESEA
RCH
MY
COUNT
RY?

1. OPEN THE INTERNET (PRESS ON

2. TYPE IN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING WEBSITES:

a. http://www.countryreports.org/
b. http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/
c. http://www.timeforkids.com/around-the-world
d. http://www.factmonster.com/countries.html

3. IDENTIFY THE QUESTION YOU ARE GOING TO ANSWER IN

YOUR RESEARCH
4. FIND THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION IN AT LEAST TWO
WEBSITES
a. Think:
i. Do the answers match?
ii. Does the information make sense?
b. If the answer is yes then keep on going!
c. If the answer is no then continue to research on other
sites.
5. RECORD THE INFORMATION YOU HAVE FOUND IN THE
CORRECT PLACE IN YOUR NOTES.
6. WRITE DOWN WHERE YOU FOUND THE INFORMATION SO
THAT YOU CAN CITE YOUR WORK!

THE WEBSITE!

1. FACTS ONLY - NO
OPINIONS
2. UP TO DATE
INFORMATION!
3. ANSWERS THE
QUESTIONS FOR THE
REPORT!

Brief Overview of Unit: In this unit students will research about an assigned country. They
will research online using safe websites. Using the information researched students will publish
an online digital book through Microsoft Photo Story 3. (Newingham, 2013)
Teacher To Teacher: Third grade students struggle to research because of inability to skim
information and to target the most important information needed to answer the question. It is
important to teach students how to focus their research and how to record the information they
find. It is also important to explain to students how to identify relevant details to support main
ideas. At this age many students do not understand the concept of validating websites and so will
need structure to make sure that the websites chosen are appropriate. Students should be taught
how to check if a website is ok, but should not be simply sent off to try on their own.
Procedures/Daily Activities:
Day 1:
Objective: SWBAT interpret the information on their embassys website to determine important
information to use in their letter. SWBAT outline and plan a formal letter to their countrys
embassy.
Opening: Explain to students that they will be starting their country reports today by contacting
their countrys embassy. We are doing this to ask the embassy to send information and artifacts
about their country. .
Model: Display the embassy of the model country (Turkey) on the smart board. Circle the
important parts of the website that may be used in the letter. (interesting facts, etc.) Model
filling out an outline of a formal letter. Make sure to include the address of the embassy,
something interesting you found out about the country, and a little information about yourself.
Also, include the request for information and artifacts from the embassy. Finally display the end
product so that students are aware of what they are working towards.
Guided Practice: Choose one student from the class who you know may struggle with this
assignment. As a class use this students country to research about their embassy. Go to the
embassy website on the SMART board. Then have different students come up and circle the
important and interesting information. As a class complete the outline.
Independent Practice: Students complete the same steps as above independently. First
students go to their countrys embassy website. They then locate important information from the
website. Next they complete their outline for their formal letter.
Assessment: Students will have included at least three relevant and important facts about their
country in their outline.
Day 2:
Objective: SWBAT write a formal letter to their embassy. SWBAT communicate results of the
information they learned and communicate these to the embassy through email.

Opening: Ask students who has ever sent an email before. Explain to students that today we
are going to write our letters to the embassies and send them through email. (If students do not
have emails then you can have them type of their letters and the teacher can send from his/her
email.)
Model: Model using the outline that was written the day before to write a formal letter. Model
using the formal letter writing template. Explain to students email etiquette and the importance
of remembering that once an email is sent it can be reversed. Discuss internet safety.
Guided Practice: Have students work with a partner to discuss their outline from the day
before. Have partners discuss if each student has researched enough information from the
embassy website in order to send the email. If there is not enough information then both partners
should go back to the website and find more information.
Independent Practice: Students type their formal letters to the embassy. Students send the
email to the embassy under strict teacher supervision.
Assessment: The letter is complete and includes all the parts of a formal letter. Students will be
evaluated on their internet safety through observation. Teachers should note if students are: only
sending an email to the embassy, are able to explain why internet safety is important, and what
they should do if they think they found something that is unsafe.
Day 3:
Objective: SWBAT develop a research plan and determine the best sources to locate
information. SWBAT research information about their countrys geography by choosing the best
web based information to read. SWBAT paraphrase information from their research into
sentences in their own words. SWBAT write a rough draft of the paragraph about their countrys
geography.
Opening: Have students explain a plan that they have made for themselves before. Explain that
today we are going to use a research plan to determine the best source to locate information.
Model: The research plan that we are going to use will help us make sure that our websites are
the best place to find the information. In the plan students will use the posters for check the
website and how do I research my country. In the plan students should first check the website.
If the website is what they are looking for then students should evaluate the website to make sure
that it has the information they are looking for. Today students are looking for information about
their countrys geography. Model completing this plan and finding the information about
geography.
Guided Practice: Work with the class evaluate several different websites. These websites
should be a mix of appropriate and not appropriate websites. One of the websites should be
Wikipedia. Explain to students that Wikipedia is actually written by anyone and so should not be
trusted in research.
Independent Practice: Finally students should independently check the websites they want to
use, and then begin their research of geography. Students will record their research in a project
outline.
Assessment: Students will research plan will be their assessment. Students should be able to
evaluate a website and found accurate information about their country.
Day 4:

Objective: SWBAT identify important words to include in their glossary. SWBAT determine
the most accurate definitions to important words. SWBAT put the key words and definitions in
their glossary.
Opening: Discuss with the class what is a glossary and what it is used for.
Model: Yesterday in the research plan students evaluated websites to make sure they had
accurate information. Then they found the website that was best for their research. Today they
will go through the similar process but this time to find the best definition of the important words
in their research. Model finding the best definition for one or two vocabulary words. Model
writing the words and definitions in to the online book on the glossary page.
Guided Practice: Work with the class to find the best definitions for one or two vocabulary
words. Find the definition for the same word on two different websites. Then determine which
definition is the best based on the context of how the word was used in the research. Put these
definitions into the glossary in the online class book.
Independent Practice: Students locate three important words. Students determine the best
definitions for at least three words and put them in the glossary of their online book.
Assessment: Students completed glossary.
Day 5:
Objective: SWBAT publish their geography paragraph by typing it into the first page of their
book.
SWBAT publish their illustration for the geography. SWBAT cite the sources of their
information.
Opening: Discuss if anyone has ever heard the word plagiarism.
Model: Discuss with students what plagiarism is. Use the wiki page that my group created this
semester: http://plagiarismguidelines.pbworks.com/w/page/70166115/FrontPage. (Fairbrother,
2013) Model for students how to publish the first page of their online book using Microsoft
Photo Story 3. (Newingham, 2013) Then explain to students that we need to cite the websites
that we got the information from. We are going to use Chicago style citation. Our citation will
look like the following: 1. Google Privacy Policy, last modified March 11, 2009,
http://www.google.com/intl/en/privacypolicy.html. ("Chicago-style citation quick," 2010) Model
citing where the information for the page you published came from.
Guided Practice: As a class work together to publish one of the pages in the class online book.
Then cite where the information for the page came from.
Independent Practice: Students publish their page on their online book. Students cite where
they go their information from correctly.
Assessment: A complete published page with correct citation.
Student Assessment and Evaluation
Non Fiction Writing Rubric
Exceeds
4

Meets
3

Name:

Approaching
2

Non Fiction
Each page is
Each page is
One page does not
Content
focused around one focused around
focus on a main
main idea. Each one main idea. 3 idea. Most (4 or 5)

Below
1
More than one
page does not
focus on a main

main idea is
supported with at
least four specific
details. All text
features are
included and used
correctly.

idea. No pages
pages have only
pages have less
have more than 3
three details. 1 than three details. details. More than
text features in 2 to 5 text features 5 text features are
not included, but are not included. 1 missing. More
all others are
text feature is not than 1 text feature
used correctly.
used correctly.
is not used
correctly.

Each page is written

in your own
language but based
around facts that
Non Fiction
you have
Research
researched. All
research about your
country is correct.
All research is
correctly cited.

1 page is not
written in your
own language.
The facts are
copied. 2 facts
are incorrect
about your
country. Most
research is
correctly cited.

2 pages are not

written in your own
language. The
facts are copied. 3
to 5 facts are
incorrect about
your country. Very
little citation used.

3 or more pages
are not written in
your own
language. The
facts are copied.
More than 5 facts
are incorrect about
your country. No
citation.

Your book has a title

page, table of
contents, glossary,
and index. Your
Non Fiction
book is easy to read.
Structure
Your book teaches
the reader new and
exciting information
about your country.

Your book has a

title page, table
of contents,
glossary, and
index. Your book
is mostly easy to
read but
confusing on one
page. Your book
teaches the reader
information about
your country

Your book is
missing either a
title page, table of
contents, glossary,
or index. Your
book is confusing
on 2 pages. Your
book teaches the
reader some
information about
the country.

Your book is
missing more than
one text features
page. Your book
is confusing on
more than 3 pages.
Your book teaches
the reader little
information about
your country.

5 or less word
All word wall and
wall and spelling
spelling words are
words are spelled
spelled correctly.
incorrectly. 3 or
All capital letters
Conventions
less capital letters
are used correctly.
are used
All sentences are
incorrectly. 2 or
complete and end
less sentences are
with punctuation.
incomplete.

More than 10 word

6 to 10 word wall
wall and spelling
and spelling words
words are spelled
are spelled
incorrectly. 7 or
incorrectly. 4 to 7
more capital letters
capital letters are
are used
used incorrectly. 3
incorrectly. 5 or
to 5 sentences are
more sentences are
incomplete.
incomplete.

Illustrations Illustrations support 2 illustrations do 3 or 4 illustrations No illustrations

the main idea and
not support the do not support the support the main
teach the reader
main idea.
main idea.
idea. Illustrations
more about your Illustrations teach Illustrations mostly do not help the
country.
more about your teach about your reader learn more

Neatness

country.
Illustrations are neat Illustrations are
and very detailed. mostly neat and
detailed.

country.
Illustrations are
somewhat messy.

about your
country.
Illustrations are
messy.

Your book is
neat, but has less
than three
mistakes. You
clearly did your
best.

Your book has

between 3 and 7
mistakes. Some
pages are rushed
and messy.

Your book has

more than 7
mistakes. Many
pages are rushed
and messy.

Your book is neat

and it is clear you
took pride in your
work.

Key: Exceed Grade Level: 24/24; 23/24

Approaching Grade Level: 20/24; 19/24

Meets Grade Level: 22/24; 21/24

Below Grade Level: 18/24 or below

B. Analysis of Information Literacy Lesson Plan

In well-organized paragraphs analyze your reasons for selecting the activities you did and their
relationship to your goals. Include the following points.
Rationale for Activities:
I selected the activities in this unit because they followed a clear sequence of events.
Students needed to start at the beginning of research and complete a little bit at a time.
As the month progressed students will be better able to evaluate a website and then can
focus more on the research part of the project.
Students are mastered informational text standards because they are having hands on
experience doing the standards. Students are not simply presented with a standard but
actually have to show they understand how to complete the standard. Even though media
teachers are usually the teachers who focus on these standards, I have never taught at a
school that actually has enough money to hire a media teacher. For this reason I did not
include this teacher in my unit.
The activities help students evaluate websites and complete research because I simplified
these things in to simple steps. Also, students are asked to do these steps multiple times
in each lesson so that they are able to complete the task. To produce a final project I have
broken this down in to smaller steps so that students are only doing a little bit at a time.
This unit is a great example of cross curriculum. Students are mastering information
literacy standards, literacy (reading and writing) standards, and Social Studies standards.
I made sure to differentiate the unit into very simple steps because the population I taught
is very diverse in terms of our learners abilities. Some of my students are very high
readers while others can not read at all. It is important that whatever lesson I create it can
fit the needs of all my learners. My advance students can research more facts and create
more elaborate end projects. My students who need extra help can get that help because
the lessons are broken in to small sections.

C. Reflection on Unit Lesson Plan

In well-organized paragraphs, reflect on how your unit lesson plan demonstrates what you have
learned about information literacy. Include the following points:
Your Learning about Information and Media Literacy:
This unit is one I have taught before. However, I have never had students evaluate websites or
cite their work. I didnt have students evaluate websites because I always provided appropriate
websites for them to use. It is scary to let third graders research on their own because they can
go in so many directions. By teaching them to evaluate websites they then will be able to make
better choices in the future about what websites to use. This unit reflects my philosophy of
teaching because I believe in making sure all students can be successful through differentiation.
In this unit students can work at their own rates. However, all lessons are clearly modeled
multiple times to give students many opportunities to understand the concept. In the past I have
created a small group of my lowest students who all get the same country and we do the research
together and then each student completes their own reports. This helps all students feel
successful even when it is a challenge.
Future Explorations:
I would like to explore how other teachers have gotten their students to regulate which websites
they use in their research. It would be interesting to learn best practices and better understand
how other people teach their students this information.
Annotated Citations: In addition to citing any print or online resources you used, in APA style,
explain for each resource what aspect of it you used and what specifically you changed about
that aspect.
D. Reflection on the Semester
In a well-organized essay of one to two pages, reflect on the semester, including (1) what you
have learned about integrating information and media literacy in assignments and in schools and
(2) what your goals are for the near future. Be as specific as you can.
You should use the following questions as guidelines for what to include:
1) I learned a lot about what information literacy is this semester. This is not something I
thought about much before I took this class. In the readings we learned a lot about how
to promote safe use of technology with students. This information is powerful and
important to teach. I enjoyed learning about the personal learning networks. I signed up
for Edmodo and continue to use this website to find best practices. I also learned a lot
about wikis and their use.
2) I have been creating a classroom newsletter for my families for several years. In the past
I have also used a website. Making these for families is so important. It is important
because families and schools should be in a partnership to make sure students are
successful. Without this partnership students will fail. Families often want to be more
involved than they are in the school but unfortunately life often gets in the way. (Like
when a mom is working, taking care of a newborn, and trying to finish up a grad school

class!) The families who dont always come to school still need a way to be involved and
these newsletters and websites give them this opportunity. The study group worked fine
except that I gave birth to my daughter the week we created ours. I do not think I
contributed as much as I would have if she did not come three weeks early.
3) Right now my job is to work with schools in my charter network to implement
instructional technology. I plan to use the knowledge about media literacy to teach
schools how to promote this literacy with their students. I plan to do this through
conversations that we have and a weekly newsletter I send out with best practices within
instructional technology.

References:
Chicago-style citation quick guide. (2010). Retrieved from
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
Fairbrother, H. (2013). plagiarism. Retrieved from
http://plagiarismguidelines.pbworks.com/w/page/70166115/FrontPage
Newingham, B. (2013, February 13). How students can create their own digital books online.
Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2013/02/how-students-cancreate-their-own-digital-books-online