These introductory activities are useful for orienting students to information literacy. Each one begins with a question that you can use in a class discussion to introduce the activity. Follow-up activities are available.
Purpose: To show students that information from the past can be instructive and useful. This enjoyable activity introduces students to the library in a non-threatening way; it also counters the common misconception that the World Wide Web makes print resources obsolete.
Setting: Regular classroom and library
Materials: Back issues of magazines in the library (some are 40+ years old). Ask a librarian what's available.
Preparation: Go to the library first yourself and browse through the back issues looking for advertisements that shed light on one or more of the following:
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Instruction: Show the advertisements to your class, and encourage them to discuss what the ads reveal about life in the past.
Before the class goes to the library, ask the groups to discuss what they will be looking for. Have each group choose a recorder and reporter.
In the library, have groups browse through the old magazines. The recorder will list and describe advertisements relevant to the topics listed above. At the next class meeeting, the reporter will use these notes to tell the rest of the class what the group found as they looked through the magazines.
Purpose: To show students that potential research topics are everywhere: There are many possibilities beyond the overdone topics of abortion, capital punishment, and gun control. This quick activity can be repeated several times during the semester; eventually you can hand the newspaper section to a group and ask them to generate a list of topics themselves.
Materials: The first section of a recent newspaper.
Setting: Regular classroom
Preparation: Before class, scan the headlines and news stories to see which subjects could be developed into research topics. (If you're doing this activity for the first time, you may want to talk to a librarian or another instructor first to get some ideas.)
Instruction: Bring the newspaper section to class. Slowly turn the pages and display the headlines to the class, explaining how the subject of a story can be developed into a research topic.
Examples from page 1 of the September 2, 2001 issue of the Ledger:
"A Wright House,
Gone Wrong" (deterioration of architect Frank Lloyd Wright's
famous Fallingwater house)
Topic: Wright's influence on American architecture
"Compost Plant
Bid Causes Stir" (a businessman is having trouble getting
a permit to open a cow manure compost plant)
Topic: Recycling practices that make a profit
"Laws on Prison
Time Easing" (the falling crime rate has caused a rollback
of strict anti-crime regulations)
Topic: Causes of the drop in crime; new approaches to consequences
for criminals
"Researchers Look
for Laughs to Kill the Pain" (doctors are interested in the
possibility that humor can relieve pain)
Topic: New developments in the treatment of pain [Features like
this one are especially valuable because they explain how professional
researchers think and work. Consider giving extra credit to students
who bring research-related newspaper stories to class.]
Purpose: To teach students how to use LINCC, PCC's online catalog.
Setting: Regular classroom; computer classroom or TLCC (see below); library
Materials: Bookmarks from the PCC library (available at the circulation desk)--one or two for each group to share. (Sharing encourages collaboration.)
Preparation: You will be doing part of
this activity in your regular classroom (it should take only a
few minutes.) The second part will include both a computer classroom
and the library--make reservations for both, and tell the librarian
what you'll be doing. Here are the preparatory steps:
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Instruction:
Part I: In your regular classroom, have groups look at the information on the bookmark. Explain that books are grouped together on the shelves by letters (the system is explained on the bookmark). Walk around with your book and show students the call number on the spine. Briefly explain how you used LINCC to find the book (this probably won't mean much to students until they try it themselves). Introduce your assistant teachers and thank them.
Part II: In the computer classroom, work with your assistant teachers to show students how to access the library website and use LINCC to find a book about the country they'll be studying--or another topic you've chosen earlier. When students find a book, ask them to write down the title and call number and then help another student.
When everyone is ready, proceed quietly to the library. Briefly point to the computers and explain that students can use them to find books, just as they did in the classroom. Have students find and show you the books they looked for in LINCC. (This is important! Students who are used to computer searches may expect the book to be inside the computer. It happens all the time!)
Students can either borrow the books or put them in the designated place (look for signs) in the library.
[TLCC option: Choose one person from each group to meet you in the TLCC to learn how to use LINCC. Allow plenty of time for practice. Use these trained assistants to help you teach the rest of the class. This is an especially good option if a computer classroom isn't available.]
Purpose: To introduce students to the World Wide Web and its resources.
Setting: Regular classroom and computer classroom
Preparation: Familiarize yourself with at least one search engine (www.google.com and www.yahoo.com are favorites). If the World Wide Web is new to you, you can ask for assistance in the library and the TLCCs. Identify students who are familiar with search engines (there will probably be several in your class), and ask them to act as assistant teachers.
Instruction: Reserve a computer classroom. Ask students to team up so that every group or team has at least one student who has searched the Web before. Ask students to research a famous person who interests them--or some other topic that you've selected earlier. They should note the "URL" (Web address) of useful sites so that they can be accessed again later and make note of what they've discovered on the Web. Introduce your assistant teachers and thank them.
At the next class meeting, have students meet in groups to share what they've learned. A reporter should summarize the group discussion for the whole class.
Purpose: To introduce students to the limitations of the World Wide Web.
Setting: Regular classroom
Preparation: Try this activity yourself first.
Instruction: Meeting in groups, have students discuss this scenario:
"Imagine that a wealthy private foundation is interested in you. It wants to give $500,000 to a typical college student as part of an experiment. You are a candidate, but you don't know it. The foundation wants to research every part of your life. They are especially interested ini two kinds of information: documents and personal information from people who have known you."
1. Have students list the documents on record about themselves. What are they? Where are they located? What would the foundation have to do to read them?
2. Have students list significant people who know them. Who are they? How would researchers get in touch with them? Is any of this written down? If so, where is it?
3. Have students research themselves on the World Wide Web. What information is missing? How much time and money would be required to fill in the gaps?
4. What real-life situations cause researchers to be interested in a particular person? What does their research involve? Who pays for it?
Have a recorder take notes on the group discussion, and ask a reporter to summarize the discussion for the whole class.
Useful link:
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