Elementary students are studying coastal biomes and will pretend to be marine biologists creating exhibits for different marine animals. They will research information about their assigned animal by formulating questions and finding sources with help from the library media specialist. Students will then create paper animal models, habitats, and informational posters to display what they learned about their animal's role in the coastal ecosystem. Their work will be evaluated based on inclusion of required content and brevity of notes.

1. Intermediate Grade Science
Elementary students are studying the biomes of the state, specifically the coastal region. The teachers and
the library media specialist work together to introduce the unit using the Big6™ terminology for each step. Students,
in groups of three or four, will pretend to be marine biologists whose job is to create an exhibit housing a specific
marine animal for a public aquarium. The exhibit must include a habitat that supports the animal and display
materials so that the public can learn about the animal and its importance to the coastal ecosystem. Each group
brainstorms information they will need to find out about their animal, writing these in question form, using
Inspiration® (Inspiration Software Company) on the computers in the lab, classroom, or library media center. The
teacher provides a list of questions required by the state’s mandated curriculum. Students notice that they already
have some of the questions, so the teacher instructs them to add to the bottom of their list any they do not have.
The library media specialist helps the class create a list of sources and teaches or reviews how to locate and
use each. The librarian also teaches a note taking strategy so that students do not copy needless information from the
print and electronic sources. Students work in groups to find answers to their questions while the library media
specialist, the teacher, and the special education teacher monitor and help as needed.
Once groups have most questions answered (they may not find answers to all of their questions), the
teacher leads a discussion about how the exhibits will look. Students decide to make stuffed paper animals and use
construction paper, clay, and other materials for the habitats. Word processing or illustration software is used to
make informational posters about each animal, its habitat, and its importance to the ecosystem. Students use a
scoring guide to ensure that they do not leave out any item of importance in content and format. The library media
specialist administers a written student self-evaluation and assesses each student’s notes for brevity. She sees that
many students copied needless information from the sources and makes a mental note to reteach the method when
she works with this grade level on a social studies unit next month.
Instructional scenario from: McGhee, M. W. and Jansen, B. (2010). The Principal’s Guide to a Powerful Library
Media Program. ABC-CLIO/Linworth Books. (in press)
Big6 Steps and Activities ELA TEKS Research Skills
Big6 #1:
Big6 #2:
Big6 #3:
Big6 #4:
Big6 #5:
Big6 #6: