What´s in Our Skulls?

LIBRARY MEDIA SKILLS OBJECTIVES

The student will use multiple formats and sources to complete a project concerning what is inside the human skull.

MOTIVATIONAL OBJECTIVES:

The student will:

• Become interested in the research process.

• Understand the importance of information skills.

• Experience increased confidence in research ability.

• Understand the value of information skills.

• Achieve satisfaction in research accomplishments.

INSTRUCTIONAL ROLES

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES FOR COMPLETION

• As one of several activities about the human body, the lesson may be introduced with excerpts from videos or pictures of the skull and brain. The teacher may ask students to think about what comes into their minds when the word 'skull' is heard or seen. Depending on the responses, the teacher may steer the discussion toward a consideration of the skull and its contents.

• The teacher may explain that students will work in the library media center and use a variety of resources to find out what is inside the skull. The teacher may show an example of a transparent overlay from an encyclopedia to illustrate the student's final product - an overlay showing at least two structures that can be found in the skull.

• Before the students go to the library media center in small working groups, they will list what they already know about the skull. They will also write their own understanding of the question (What is inside our skull?), which will be checked by the teacher. In the library media center, the library media specialist will confirm her understanding of the question as each student explains what he/she is seeking. Then the library media specialist will outline the resources available for this project. If students have not been introduced to Internet sites, the library media specialist may provide instructions for how to use the computer for finding information.

• The library media specialist may suggest a two-part strategy. The students may use the list of things they know as they browse through sources. They may add information to the list about nerves, muscles, the brain, etc., before they finally decide what they would like to include on their transparency overlays of the skull. When the students decide what they will illustrate, they will begin the second part of the research in which they take detailed notes that will help them complete the overlays.

• Students will make notes in the form of illustrations. They may find clip-art outlines of the skull helpful or they may take notes freehand on sample skull outline provided (see Support Materials). The students will draw their selected structures on individual sheets before they transfer or trace the illustrations onto the transparenceis. Students should use permanent magic markers and should be told to use care not to smudge the marking when first transferred. Students may display the transparencies against the windows or use an overhead projector to share the information collected.

FOLLOW-UP
The students may:

• make overlays on the computer by using an illustration software package.

• complete a short animated video or film that shows the structures in the skull.