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CSCU Information Literacy Toolkit

Activities & Lesson Plans

Identifying Source Types

Submitted by:   Joy Hansen, CCSU

Contact info:   jhansen@ccsu.edu

Description:   The original activity was presented to a freshman Sociology class and it can be easily adapted to other classes. The professor wanted me to review the definition of peer-reviewed, what constitutes an academic source, and how to evaluate for credibility. Also, she wanted me to visit her classroom and provide an interactive activity but not all students had laptops. My lesson plan shows the learning objectives and what needs to be covered in class (it's a one shot) before the activity. The source handouts will need to be replaced depending on what subject you are teaching...they provide an example only. And the powerpoint that was shown in class along with the demonstration and Q and A can also be adapted (and the slides with the source examples replaced once you decide which ones you are using). How it ran: 1. I did a general library show and tell reviewing what I needed to for the activity. (see lesson plan) 2. I broke the class into groups of 3-4 and each group received a different information source type and answered three questions (see slide in the powerpoint). (7-8 minutes group activity – discussion went fast) 3. Got back together and I projected each source type on the screen (from the ppt) and whatever group reviewed it answered the questions. Lots of wrong answers which meant classmates could help them figure it out AND we cleared up a lot of confusion! It was a lot of fun, it covered the main objectives, and the professor loved it.

Skill Set:    Basics    

Resource Type:    Activities and Lesson Plans     

ACRL Frame:    Authority Is Constructed and Contextual       Information Creation as a Process     

Audience:   First Year

Length of Lesson:  Longer than 60 mins

Materials Used:   White board, teaching workstation, ppt, handouts

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion?   Yes

Online Activity Worksheet

Submitted by:  Joy Hansen, CCSU

Contact info:  jhansen@ccsu.edu

Description:    After instruction, provide practice time using worksheets. Using Libwizard or Google Docs, review submissions submitted to your email during class time so that you can clarify muddy points and highlight best practices.  (Best for two-shots)

Skill Set:   Researching        Evaluating    

Resource Type:    Activities and Lesson Plans 

ACRL Frame:    Research as Inquiry      Searching as Strategic Exploration    

Audience:   First Year, Second Year, Third Year, Fourth Year, Graduate

Length of Lesson:  15-30 mins

Materials Used:   Online form

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion? No