Instructional Goals:

Students will:
-review the aspects of a website to determine credibility and appropriateness for research
-review keyword searching
-retrieve and process information
-develop research skills

Learning Objectives:

Students will
-develop map/geography skills by locating and labeling landmarks on a blank world map
-learn about important places in the world and world history (cultural literacy)
-identify the aspects of a website to determine credibility and appropriateness for research
-use the internet to retrieve and process information to complete worksheet
-develop research skills by identifying key words in a sentence to help retrieve information on the internet to answer statements on the worksheet.

Motivational Goals:

-Students will gain confidence in retrieving, processing and researching information
-Generate interest in and relevance of the research process
-To promote the importance of information literacy skills in academic and personal pursuits.

Materials Needed:

-Handouts:
-Where in the World...? worksheet (modified)
-Blank world map (http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/pdf/world_country.pdf )
-Kathy Schrock's 5 W's handout (http://kathyschrock.net/abceval/5ws.pdf )
-Kathy Schrock's Internet Curriculum: Critical Evaluation of a Webpage transparency (http://kathyschrock.net/eval/brainstorming.pdf )

-Overhead Projector and white board
-Multi-media projector with internet connection
-Computers with internet access
-Search engines to be used: Google, Yahoo, AOL search, Atlavista, and -AllTheWeb

-Answers to worksheet#1:

1. Angel Falls; 2. Alcatraz; 3. Great Wall of China; 4. Sahara Desert; 5. Stonehenge; 6. Venice; 7. Leaning Tower of Pisa; 8. the Parthenon; 9. Mount Fuji; 10. Golden Gate Bridge. BONUS: Ayer Rock.

-Answers to worksheet #2:

1. Chichen Itza; 2. Mount Vesuvius; 3. Great Pyramid of Giza; 4. Rock of Gibraltar; 5. Taj Mahal; 6. Victoria Falls; 7. Palace of Versailles; 8. Red Square; 9. Diamond Head; 10. Tower of London. BONUS: fjords.

Collaborator(s): LMS and Social Studies teacher

Introduction and Overview

1.Play music to Carmen San Diego and be dressed in an overcoat, inspector hat and a magnifying glass in one hand and globe in the other hand.

2.Bell Ringer: On overhead, reveal the following questions. Ask students to write down their answer,

-What is the name of the London place that is the official home of Her Majesty, the Queen of England? (A: Buckingham Palace)
-In Rome, huge crowd came to this amphitheater to watch bloody sporting events and was built around 75 A.D. (A: Coliseum)

3.Have students share responses, but don't give answer. Tell students how many got it right or wrong for each question. Example: For question #1, only 1 person got it right. Explain we will answer the questions soon!

4.Say: Today we will be using the internet to search for names and places of landmarks found around the world. We have prepared an activity sheet to test your searching skills and knowledge as well as blank map to locate and label the landmarks. But...before I set you loose, we need to

-Define some important geography terms
-Review key word searching on the internet
-Review how to evaluate a website to determine its creditability and accuracy of information.

Body

A. Geography - Activate prior knowledge:
1.Ask: I just asked you to name two landmarks found in the world, these are examples of what kind of geography? (A: cultural geography)

2.Ask: What are the aspects of or the definition cultural geography? (A: characteristics of the people in a location, such as language, predominant religion and ethnic/racial group(s), education, life style, architecture, foods, clothing, etc.)

-List responses on overhead or white board when done process and write up definition.

B. Key Word Searching
Use questions posed at start of lesson. Search engines to be used: Google, Yahoo, AOL search, Atlavista, and AllTheWeb
1.For our purposes look at and discuss the questions asked earlier. Put up questions on overhead.

2.Remind students that for key word searching, in general, the more keywords you submit, the fewer sites will be retrieved and the more likely it is these sites that will have the information they want.

3.Hand out sheet with questions on it. Say: Read the sentence to yourself and underline/highlight what you think are keywords/terms that will help you find the answer. (give 5-10 seconds)

4.Ask for student responses for first question and write on overhead.

5.Have a student demonstrate their keyword search suggestions on multimedia overhead. Can we find the answer?

6.Discuss use of synonyms and experiment.

7.Repeat process for second question.

C. Review of Website Evaluation
1.Using Kathy Schrock's Internet Curriculum: Critical Evaluation of a Webpage transparency, brainstorm, with class, the criteria that make a website creditable for research. Discuss

2.Go over Kathy Schrock's 5 W's handout to use as a reference when students begin their search. Discuss and refer to graphic organizer.

3.Use one of the student's keyword search suggestions and review hits displayed, point out locations of important information on a website that allow students to evaluate and judge whether the site is reliable and accurate.

D. Begin Activity: Where in the World? worksheet
1.Pass out activity sheet and read through directions. Allow students to work individually or in pairs.

2.Pass out blank world map for students to locate and label the landmarks Blank world map.

Conclusion

-Once students have completed worksheet review answers and ask them to explain their search process, i.e. search terms, types of sites found, how did they choose a site for their answer?

Extensions:
1.After students complete the activity, challenge them to create their own Where in the World? questions. Compile the ten best questions into a new work sheet to help students exercise their research skills.

2.The original work sheet, or the second sheet, might make a good homework assignment; have students and parents complete it together and learn together