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Capital Region BOCES SLS Information Fluency Curriculum

1: INFORMATION FLUENCY

CONNECT

Indicators:
Each learner:

• Draws on prior experience and knowledge.
• Identifies the big picture.
• Participates in and responds to experience or activity that introduces a topic, problem or question.
• Identifies personal interest within curricular content area.
• Recognizes the need for information.
• Acquires background information and knowledge of context through observation, experience & reading.
• Identifies key concepts and terms related to the topic.
• Defines basic issues, assumptions, conflicts and questions.
• Asks clarifying questions.
• Develops an awareness of criteria and components of final product.

Learner Questions:

• What interests me about this idea or topic?
• What do I already know or think I know about this topic?
• What background information would help me get an overview of my topic?

Self Assessment:

• Students survey resources in relation to prior knowledge and interest.
• Informal checking
• Learning logs
• Can I state what I know about the topic, problem, or big ideas?

FOCUS

Indicators:
Each learner:

• Maintains an awareness of criteria and components of final product.
• Identifies intended audience and purpose for inquiry.
• Demonstrates the ability to refine, focus, and limit scope of the question.
• Formulates preliminary questions and ideas to focus on an information problem and product.
• Anticipates, investigates and reflects on what information is needed to meet information needs.
• Formulates research questions, thesis, and hypothesis to guide inquiry.

Learner Questions:

• Why am I doing this research?
• What kind of product will I be creating and who is my audience?
• Will my question lead me to answers that will fulfill my assignment?
• What are the questions I need to answer?
• Am I finding the right kind of information that will be useful to my final product?

Self Assessment:

• Evaluates research questions for relevancy.
• What new understandings did I develop about the topic?
• Students share and expand questions.

INVESTIGATE

Indicators:
Each learner:

• Understands the function and organization of the libraries and other information environments.
• Understands the location of desired resources within libraries and other information environments.
• Understands basic operations of types of information technology available.
• Recognizes and uses organizational features in a resource, both print and digital.
• Uses indexes and other search tools, both print and digital, to access relevant information.
• Identifies appropriate resources in all formats, including but not limited to print and digital.
• Develops a search strategy in conjunction with a timeline.
• Develops an alternative course of action, if necessary.
• Brainstorms synonyms and keywords related to the topic.
• Locates information from within diverse sources, genres, points of view and formats including but not limited to print and digital resources.
• Demonstrates competent use of chosen information formats, print or digital.
• Extracts relevant information from a source.
• Analyzes information from different sources and formats for usefulness.
• Examines and evaluates sources to determine their advantages and their limitations.
• Reformulates questions based on information needs.
• Critically evaluates information sources for bias, relevance, accuracy, reliability and authority.
• Uses reading and thinking strategies to comprehend information and construct meaning.
• Reconciles contradictions, opposing ideas, gaps in information.
• Participates productively in groups to define problems and pursue information.

Learner Questions:

• Where would I find the information I want?
• What kinds of research sources are available?
• How do I find information within each source?
• How do I use these sources?
• Have I examined sources in multiple formats, print, digital, visual?
• Do I have a research plan that keeps track of deadlines?
• Do I have a backup research plan?
• What are the best search terms?
• Do I feel comfortable using different kinds of sources?

Self-Assessment:

• Learning log question: Have I differentiated fact from opinion and non-fiction from fiction?
• Journaling about relevant and useful information, irrelevant and not useful information
• Identifying inaccurate and misleading information.
• Redefining the original question?
• Checking process and product rubrics.

CREATE/CONSTRUCT

Indicators:
Each learner:

• Understands, organizes, and evaluates information using an outline or organizer.
• Clarifies main and supporting ideas using evidence, examples, data, and details.
• Connects and compares ideas from various sources and addresses contradictory information.
• Connects information with prior knowledge, evidence and examples.
• Revises thesis as needed.
• Evaluates inquiry process and resources used.
• Discovers new relationships among ideas.
• Reviews and reflects how ideas changed with more information.
• Identifies when information does not support tentative thesis.
• Gathers additional information as needed.
• Demonstrates new understanding by drawing relevant conclusions supported by evidence.
• Participates productively in groups to generate information.

Learner Questions:

• What does the information mean?  How can I organize the information?  Is all of the information useful?
• What is the main idea?  What is the evidence that supports the main idea?
• What are the similarities and differences among the sources?  Is there contradictory information?  How can I resolve the differences?
• How does the new information compare to my earlier knowledge?
• How do my ideas connect with each other?
• How have my ideas changed as a result of my investigation?
• Does the new information agree with my thesis?
• Do I need more information?
• What conclusions can I draw from my evidence?  What examples show that my evidence supports my conclusions?
• Do I need to revise my thesis? 
• Which parts of my problem solving process were successful?  Which resources gave me valuable information?

Self Assessment:

• Reviewing and organizing notes
• Journal prompts
• Creates draft, edits, and revises
• Checking process and product rubrics
• Listing problems, gaps

EXPRESS

Indicators:
Each learner:

• Demonstrates and communicates an authentic, meaningful and deep understanding of material presented.
• Explore diverse presentation formats (i.e. I movie, pod cast, digital slide show, wikis, written paper, visual presentation, webpage, etc.)
• Determine appropriate presentation format.
• Creates final product through drafting, reflection and revision.
• Uses standard citation conventions.
• Rehearses / prepares presentation of product.
• Presents/communicates final product using appropriate format/technology.

Learner Questions:

• What type of product or presentation will allow me to present my evidence and conclusions effectively to the intended audience?
• Have I included everything I need to fulfill the requirements of the assignment?
• Is my final product organized and visually appealing?
• Have I practiced enough to be confident in communicating my ideas?

Self Assessment:

• Is information presented in an organized fashion?
• Have I organized my conclusions and evidence to present them effectively?
• Practice, adjust.
• Checks process and product rubrics.

REFLECT/ASSESS

Indicators:
Each learner:

• Evaluates the sources of information for opinion, fact, point of view, bias and authority.
• Differentiates fact from opinion and non-fiction from fiction.
• Recognizes information likely to be relevant as differentiated from information likely to be irrelevant.
• Identifies inaccurate and misleading information.
• Redefines the original problem when necessary.
• Evaluates comprehensiveness of data.

Learner Questions:

• What did I learn about inquiry?
• What new questions do I now want to answer about the topic?
• Did I fulfill all the requirements of the assignment?
• Did my time management plan succeed?
• Is my product as effective as I can make it?
• Reflects and reacts to peer/self evaluation.
• What might I do differently next time to improve my inquiry process?

Self Assessments:

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2: LITERATURE AND LITERACY

MOTIVATED, INDEPENDENT READER

Indicators:
Each learner:

• Reads, views and listens for social interaction, enjoyment, personal knowledge and pleasure.
• Identifies and locates appropriate materials for pleasure reading.
• Selects literature based on personal needs, interests, and reading level from a variety of genres and by different authors.
• Identifies and differentiates between fiction and non-fiction.
• Uses technology to find information in a variety of formats related to personal interests.
• Explores award-winning works of literature and noteworthy authors, illustrators, producers.

Learner Questions:

• How do I find out about books and films I will enjoy?
• Where do I find choices of reading and/or viewing resources that will match my interests?

Self Assessments:

 

LANGUAGE FOR CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION

Indicators:
Each learner:

• Seeks information related to various dimensions of personal well being, such as career interests, community involvement, health matters, and recreational pursuits.
• Explores a variety of media for reading, listening and viewing purposes.
• Identifies contributors to books or other media (author, illustrator, editor, art director, and publisher).
• Recognizes author’s purpose: persuade, inform or entertain.
• Uses inference and deduction to understand pictures and graphic information.
• Applies awareness of elements of fiction (character, plot, setting, style, theme, point of view) to their personal reading.
• Recognizes characteristics of genres.
• Compares and contrasts literature published in different media.
• Speaks critically about a piece of literature.
• Utilizes elements of nonfiction (table of contents, index, bold face type, glossary, captions, timelines, diagrams, keywords).
• Identifies parts of a book (cover, dust jacket, spine, title page, copyright date, end pages, spine label).
• Differentiates between fact and opinion.