Know Thyself: Word(le) as a Path to Enlightenment (or How to Avoid Staring Blankly at a Search Screen or Reaching Randomly for a Book, Any Book!)

Subject Area(s):

• K-12: Language Arts
• K-12: Technology
• Art Connections
• Thinking and Reasoning

Grade Level(s):

• 9th Grade
• 10th Grade
• 11th Grade
• 12th Grade

Description:

This lesson is designed to engage high school students in the act of selecting reading material for pleasure. Intended for a school with an institutional free, voluntary reading program or any silent sustained reading time, it strives to solve the problem of students aimlessly grabbing for something (anything!) to read during that time. It incorporates a bit of soul-searching as well as some simple technology integration. In addition to students making more focused reading choices, the end result will also be a library media center decorated with stunning word cloud collages. The lesson is for one 50 minute class period; it includes a buILder. In general, the 9th grade humanities classes schedule this library time in the beginning of the school year, but it can be used anytime with other grades as well.

Goals & Objectives:

Instructional Goals:

• Students will discover and articulate their own reading interests.
• Students will create ways of organizing their reading interests into lists.
• Students will locate an item of reading pleasure.

Learning Objectives:

• Students will create a handwritten free-write of their reading interests.
• With the help of a partner, students will categorize and edit their free-write and create at least two “thematic” (and spell-checked) lists using Word, the word processing program. Each list should have a title and at least ten items on it.
• Using Wordle, a free online graphic organizer of sorts, students will create at least one word cloud collage using the best of their lists.
• Students will locate an item and explain, in their own words, how it relates to their reading interests.

Motivational Goals:

• Students will be attracted to the idea of self-introspection and will gain confidence in knowing their own areas of interest.
• Students will be excited to find reading materials based on the lists they have made.
• Students will have a sense of pride in their creations, in both the content and the aesthetics.

Materials:

See attached lesson plan in Supporting Files.

See buILder at http://www.informationliteracy.org/builder/1845

Rubric [included in the attached lesson plan in Supporting Files]

Procedures:

See attached lesson plan in Supporting Files

Assessment:

See attached lesson plan in Supporting Files

Supporting Files:

• wordle_lesson.doc
  

Standards:

National Information Literacy Standards (K-12)

Uses information accurately and creatively

• Applies information in critical thinking and problem solving.
• Produces and communicates information and ideas in appropriate formats

Pursues information related to personal interests.

• Designs, develops, and evaluates information products and solutions related to personal interests.

Practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information technology.

• Uses information technology responsibly.

Participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information.

• Shares knowledge and information with others.
• Respects others' ideas and backgrounds and acknowledges their contributions.

Information Skills and Subskills (K-16)

Planning

• Creates a general framework for organizing information found

Organization

• Summarizes/synthesizes/classifies final information

Presentation

• Selects most appropriate format for communicating results
• Assembles organized information for presentation
• Subject: K-12: Language Arts

National Content Standards (K-12)

Writing

• Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process

Reading

• Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process
• Subject: Thinking and Reasoning
• Effectively uses mental processes that are based on identifying similarities and differences
• Applies decision-making techniques
• Subject: K-12: Technology
• Knows the characteristics and uses of computer hardware and operating systems
• Knows the characteristics and uses of computer software programs