Evaluate Resources- Evaluating Books

Information Literacy Objective

The student will identify evaluative criteria for books.

The student will determine the value of books for their research based on evaluation criteria.

The student will differentiate between scholarly/popular sources.

Student Objective

The student will determine their individual research needs based on their assignment.

The student will evaluate books for their research based on evaluation criteria.

Materials—Teacher:

Evaluation Criteria Handout

Books for class evaluation

Materials—Student:

Pen/Pencil

Research citations/books (optional)

Preparation

• Review applicable section in LOBO: Evaluating Books http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/lobo2/evaluate/books/index.php
• Read lesson plan.
• Choose appropriate books for examples in class  
• (Optional) Instruct students to bring research citations/books to class for this lesson
• Do this lesson before assigning the “Evaluating Books” LOBO module

Introduction (Time = 10 minutes)

1.      Pass out upcoming research assignment and read together as a class. 

• Explain that when first obtaining an assignment it is important for students to first ask “What do I need to know?” and then “What types of sources are likely to provide the information I need?” Discuss.  (You may have already covered this step in another lesson.)
• Ask the class to determine what types of sources are needed to successfully complete the assignment.  Make a list on the board.
• Are the types of sources needed broad/specific, primary/secondary sources? (Depending on your discipline, the definition of primary source may change.  Discuss your definition of “primary sources” with the class if appropriate for this assignment.)

2.      If primary sources are important for their research, review the differences between primary and secondary sources. (May want to create a chart on the board.)

TRANSITION:  Tell the class, “Now that we know what type of information we need, we need to determine which books are best for our purposes.  We are going to look at how to evaluate books for research.”

Procedure (Time = 25-30 minutes)

Step 1

·        “If we are going to figure out which books are best for what we need, we first need to determine a way to evaluate them.  There are some specific things that you need to look at when evaluating books.”

·        Ask students to come up with a list of criteria that they believe are important in figuring out the value of a research resource.

·        Make a list on the board of their ideas.

·        When finished, fill in any of the gaps.  The criteria should read as something similar to:

1.      Authority/Author

2.      Purpose

3.      Organization/Content (objectivity, scope, writing quality, relevance)

4.      Publisher

5.      Date of Publication (Currency)

TRANSITION: “Now that we have our criteria, let’s practice using it to evaluate books.”

Step 2

·        If students have not yet done any research for their assignment:  Assign students into small groups of 2-3 people.  Pass out handout with evaluation chart.  Give each group 2-3 books on the same topic to evaluate for research value. 

·        (Optional) If students have already begun their research: You may want them to bring in one of their own books to evaluate.  Students can still work in small groups together to decide the quality of their sources.

·        Explain that students will be evaluating several books and that some may be quality sources, while some are less valuable.  Working in groups, students will fill out the chart, and then present their findings to the class.

·        Discuss the criteria that made the book a useful/inadequate source.  Look at each of the criteria listed, especially those particularly relevant to the upcoming assignment.

·        Ask students if anyone had any difficulty determining whether or not their sources were valuable?  What made it difficult to determine?

Closure (Time = 5 minutes)

·        Summarize the main points of the lesson.  Ask students if they have any questions. 

·        Assign students the Evaluate Books Module from LOBO.  Have students evaluate one of their own sources and fill out the question to be turned in for assessment.