This lesson plan guide contains information for two 5th grade library lessons. The first lesson teaches students how to research using library resources and properly cite sources. Students will research a topic using at least three formats and take notes. The second lesson teaches students how to use Microsoft Word to type up their research findings, including changing fonts, margins, and saving their work. Formative assessments include a resource matrix and exit slip. The classroom teacher's role is to introduce the research project and provide instruction before and after the library lessons.

1. LESSON PLAN GUIDE
Your name: Emily Ward
Date: Aug. 3, 2011
Lesson Title: Using Library Resources to Research
Grade level: 5th Grade Length of lesson: 10 min. instruction; 20 min. research
Purpose: (“why” of the lesson; where and how does it fit in the curriculum?)
As students are preparing to exit elementary school and enter middle school, they need to be
prepared to conduct research on their own and in collaboration with others. This lesson will allow
students to practice using multiple formats in researching, including the internet, electronic
databases, print encyclopedias, magazines, and books. The lesson will also remind students of the
importance of appropriately giving credit to authors, by instructing on how to cite sources in a
bibliography.
Learning Outcome(s): (what will students be able to do/know by the end of the lesson?)
Students will…
Research using multiple sources in at least 3 formats
Take notes about what they learn including the most critical information related to
their topic
Organize their information into appropriate categories
Fully cite their sources according to the school’s standards
Common Core Standard(s) Addressed:
Reading Standards for Informational Text:
7. Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the
ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
9. Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or
speak about the subject knowledgeably.
Writing Standards:
7. Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge
through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
Illinois Professional Teaching Standards Addressed:
4G. Understands how to use various technological tools to access and manage information.
5C. Understands how to help students work cooperatively and productively in groups.
7E. Models accurate, effective communication when conveying ideas and information and
when asking questions and responding to students.
7H. Communicates with and challenges students in a supportive manner and provides
students with constructive feedback.
9D. Understands the collaborative process.
Technology Standards for Students (NETS):
3. b. Students locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information
from a variety of sources and media.
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2. 3.c. Students evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the
appropriateness to specific tasks.
5.a. Students advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and
technology.
Materials:
Needed by you:
Bibliography of helpful websites and informational texts available to students to
research the women’s suffrage movement
Resource Matrix for keeping track of resources
Needed by students:
Computer access
Instructional procedures:
Focusing event: (how will you get the students’ attention?)
To gather students’ attention and prepare them to focus on their topic of choice, I will do
very brief booktalks of the print materials available in the library media center regarding
the women’s suffrage movement.
Input from you: (what are you teaching & how are you delivering the content?)
While students are at library tables in front of the projector screen, I will guide students
through the online databases we have available, including Kids Search, KidsClick! and the
Grolier Encyclopedia. I will demonstrate, first using KidsClick! to search for “women’s
suffrage”. Selecting one the websites available (“Not For Ourselves Alone”) I will walk them
through what type of information they can find on such a site. Next I will exhibit how I
would cite this source, according to our school’s citation standards, which express that
upper elementary students should cite sources in an abbreviated form of MLA: Author Last
Name, First Name. “Title of article/webpage.” Title of book/website/resource. I will write
this citation on the moveable dry erase board.
Guided practice: (application of knowledge by students)
To assess how students are understanding this research process, I will have them
participate in going through the Grolier Encyclopedia. First I will ask for keywords from the
students to use in the search. Then, I will have students choose the most appropriate
article. Then I will have students come up to the white board to fill in each part of the
citation.
Closure (how will you end the lesson?)
To end the lesson I will pass out the Resource Matrices to guide students through their
research and invite them to use the computers or use the available print resources.
Check for understanding (what questions will you ask and when to determine students’
understanding?)
During introductory booktalks
Where can you find the index of a book?
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G. Burch

3. How do you find an article in the print encyclopedia?
While we do walkthrough of KidsClick!
What is a “keyword”?
Where do you find the title of a webpage?
Where do you look for an author on a website?
During guided practice
Give me an example of a keyword we can search.
What kind of information can you find in a list of search results?
What’s next? (another related lesson, review, end of unit?)
Students will spend the next several days researching, before returning to the library to type up
their results. Before typing their research, I will teach the following lesson, “Using Microsoft
Word to Produce Written Content.”
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G. Burch

4. Your name: Emily Ward
Date: Aug. 3, 2011
Lesson Title: Using Microsoft Word to Produce Written Content
Grade level: 5th Grade Length of lesson: 10 min. instruction; 20 min. practice
Purpose: (“why” of the lesson; where and how does it fit in the curriculum?)
After conducting research, students must learn how to present it and share it with others. To
become successful in the modern educational realm and workplace, students need to be able to use
basic computer authoring tools, the most widely-used of which is Microsoft Word. In this lesson,
students will be taught the basics of using Microsoft Word, and will be provided with ample time to
practice using this application with assistance available.
Learning Outcome(s): (what will students be able to do/know by the end of the lesson?)
Students will…
Have practiced their typing skills
Know how to change font styles and sizes, margins, and text widths
Know how to save and print their work
Common Core Standard(s) Addressed:
Writing Standards:
6. With some guidance and support from adults, use technology including the
Internet to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with
others
Language Standards:
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage
when writing or speaking.
2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Illinois Professional Teaching Standards Addressed:
4G. Understands how to use various technological tools to access and manage information.
5C. Understands how to help students work cooperatively and productively in groups.
7E. Models accurate, effective communication when conveying ideas and information and
when asking questions and responding to students.
7H. Communicates with and challenges students in a supportive manner and provides
students with constructive feedback.
9D. Understands the collaborative process.
Technology Standards for Students (NETS):
1.b. Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative
products and processes using technology. Students create original works by means of
personal or group expression.
2.a. Students interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a
variety of digital environments and media.
6.b. Students select and use applications effectively and productively.
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G. Burch

5. Materials:
Needed by you:
Exit Slip
Bad Microsoft Word examples
Needed by students:
Computer access
Hand-written text to be typed
Citation list of resources
Classroom zip-drives
Instructional procedures:
Focusing event: (how will you get the students’ attention?)
I will have students sit at the tables in front of the projector and show my Bad Microsoft
Word examples. Students will volunteer reasons why these are examples of how they
shouldn’t use Word to type their work. This will lead us into conversations of what are good
ways to use Word to type their work.
Input from you: (what are you teaching & how are you delivering the content?)
Over the projector, I will type a paragraph in Microsoft Word, making sure to use correct
spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. I will then manipulate the paragraph in different
ways to show students how to change the font, the text width, and the spacing. Then I will
show how to save the document to their classroom zip drive and remind them to raise their
hands for my go-ahead before printing the document.
Guided practice: (application of knowledge by students)
Students will then move over to the computers with their partners, to practice typing the
first paragraph they have written for their project. I will then encourage the typist to read
over his/her own work. Next, I will encourage the partner to read over the text, looking for
and correcting errors. With my coaching, they will then change the font, the font size, the
spacing, and the text width. When they get their text in the correct format, they will save
it to their zip drive, and continue on with their typing.
Closure (how will you end the lesson?)
Students will be busy continuing with their work, so I will just encourage them to keep
working and raise their hands with any questions (or when they’re ready to print). I will
continue to circulate, helping students when necessary. I will remind students of the fact
that if they choose to print images from the internet (which they can get from searching on
CreativeCommons.org), they will print in black and white.
Check for understanding (what questions will you ask and when to determine students’
understanding?)
During Focusing Event:
What makes this example difficult to read?
During Example Paragraph:
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6. What are some examples of easy-to-read fonts?
How wide would I want to set the text to fit in a pamphlet?
Who can tell me the library policy for printing?
During Guided Practice:
Why do we have your partner read over the text, too?
How do you change the font size?
Where do you go to save the document?
What’s next? (another related lesson, review, end of unit?)
Students will use the text they type during this lesson to create a pamphlet or poster promoting
their topic. This will be done in the classroom with support of their classroom teacher.
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7. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:
Evaluation plans:
To evaluate these lessons, I will gather and review the two formative assessments I provided the
students with following each lesson. The first lesson’s assessment, the resource matrix, will allow
me to judge whether students were able to successfully find and understand a variety of resources
and whether they were able to cite these resources correctly. The exit pass following the second
lesson, while mostly for the students’ self-assessment and planning capabilities, will allow me to see
what problems students are running into, information I will be able to pass on to their classroom
teacher. Further, although I will not be providing students with the final assessment checklist
(this will come from their classroom teacher), I will review these with the teacher and contribute
comments to the forms. Finally, I will meet with the classroom teacher to go over what was
successful about our collaboration, what didn’t go well, and how we can improve for our next
collaboration.
Differentiated Learning Opportunities:
The basics of the project incorporate a variety of differentiated learning opportunities to allow
for multiple intelligences of students. Some of these opportunities are represented most clearly in
the final presentation of the project. For example, students can choose to brighten their poster or
pamphlet either by finding usable images online or using their own art skills. Similarly, by
presenting this project as a partner team, students have built-in flexibility and support to succeed
in areas they might struggle in typically. Additionally, students will be able to use any informational
resources in their research, which will allow more visual learners to use videos and more auditory
learners to use audio texts. In special cases, students will be allowed to visit the library media
center at additional points in time to continue research and/or word processing. This will allow
students who work more slowly or who don’t have access to computers outside of school to finish
their work successfully.
Role of Classroom Teacher:
The classroom teacher will be introducing the project, which will include two major
components. First, the teacher will provide an introduction to the women’s suffrage movement,
particularly sharing with students some examples of posters and pamphlets that were used to
promote different sides of the issue during the time. Second, the teacher will lead the class
through a brainstorming process using an idea web to come up with possible topics for research.
Students will work in partners on this project, so after the brainstorm, students will choose which
topic interests them (allowing two students for each topic). Before coming to the library media
center, the teacher will also instruct students on how to take notes while researching.
After the first trip to the LMC, the classroom teacher will instruct students on how to turn
their research into a creative written product, which they will then type up during their second
trip to the LMC. Following this second trip, the classroom teacher will lead students in constructing
their final project.
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G. Burch

8. Assessment Forms:
Resource Matrix
My Name___________________________________________________________________
My Partner’s Name____________________________________________________________
Our research topic___________________________________________________________
Our research questions are
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
The resources I think will be most helpful for our project are:
Source of information Type of One answer I found in this source…
(Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of information
Article/Webpage.” Title of (Format)
Book/Website/Resource.)
The best resource we found was
__________________________________________________________________________
This is the best source because
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
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9. Exit Pass
My Name______________________________ Date________________________________
Today I worked on ___________________________________________________________
I learned that_______________________________________________________________
One problem I had was_________________________________________________________
Next I need to______________________________________________________________
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G. Burch

10. Final Assessment Checklist
Topic: ____________________________________________________________________
My Name:__________________________ My Partner’s Name________________________
Assessing My Poster/Pamphlet
Did We Complete All The Parts of the
Project? Yes No Comments
Research
Did my partner and I choose a narrow topic
related to the women's suffrage movement
to research?
Did we find information from at least 3 high-
quality sources?
Did we cite our sources fully and correctly?
While researching, did I take notes in my
own words?
Writing
Did we present the most important
information about our topic?
Did we organize our information into
sections that make sense?
Did we use words that will convince our
audience?
Did we carefully check our spelling,
grammar, and punctuation?
Overall Presentation
Did we use an authoring software (like MS
Word) to type our information?
Did we use formatting tools in that
software, such as font, headings, word art,
or columns, to arrange our information in a
way that will attract our audience?
Did we include images from the internet or
artwork to enhance our project?
Did we include a bibliography on the back
of our poster or final section of our
pamphlet?
Is our poster or pamphlet attractive?
Rating System for Checklist:
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G. Burch

11. Research
Exceeds Our research meets all four of the criteria.
Meets Our research meets three of the criteria.
Approaches Our research meets two of the criteria.
Not met Our research meets one or none of the criteria.
Writing
Exceeds Our writing meets all four of the criteria.
Meets Our writing meets three of the criteria.
Approaches Our writing meets two of the criteria.
Not met Our writing meets one or none of the criteria.
Overall Presentation
Exceeds Our presentation meets all five of the criteria.
Meets Our presentation meets four of the criteria.
Approaches Our presentation meets three of the criteria.
Not met Our presentation meets two or fewer of the criteria.
Bad Microsoft Word Examples:
1. The sun did not shine it was too wet to play so we sat in the house all
that cold cold wet day I sat there with Sally we sat there we two and I
said how I wish we had something to do
2. One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.
3. dO YOU LIKE GREEN EGGS AND HAM? i DO NOT LIKE
THEM sAM i AM.
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G. Burch