This document outlines a series of lessons for 4th grade students on researching and evaluating information sources. It includes lessons on traditional reference books, online references, evaluating websites, avoiding plagiarism, newspapers and periodicals. Students will learn about different types of reference books and sources, practice navigating online references and evaluating websites. They will also learn about newspapers and their components. For their final project, students will work in groups to create a newspaper using word processing tools and an online printing press.

1. Research Unit
4th Grade - Media Center

2. Lesson 1
Intro To Reference (Traditional)
2 Sessions
• Reference Power Point –
types of books traditionally
found in a reference
section
• Reference Section – Tour
• Books on tables
• Reference Scenario Cards
– Pairs
• Place one of each of the five main reference books
(Atlas, Al-
• manac, Encyclopedia, Dictionary, and Thesaurus) on
the table
• Give pairs of students a stack of scenario cards.
They
• read the scenario cards together and determine
which refer-
• ence book should be used to find the answer to
the question
• or situation
• After all groups have had time to analyze their
scenarios,
• have each group read aloud their scenario and
suggest the
• appropriate reference book and why

4. Lesson 2
Intro To Reference (Virtual)
2 Sessions
http://www.factmonster.co
m/
• Online Dictionary, Almanac,
Encyclopedia, & Thesaurus
in one site
• Students will work in pairs
to navigate the different
parts of the site.
Others:
• www.encyclopedia.com
• www.worldbook.com
(Worksheets for each – site
hunt)

5. Lesson 3
Evaluating Websites for Information
2 Sessions
• Website Evaluation Power
Point
• Students will practice
evaluating web sites using
the handout which
contains URL’s
• They will fill out a
scoring rubric to determine
the quality of the site
using the rules they
learned for evaluating
websites

6. Lesson 4
Plagiarism
• Plagiarism Power Point
• How do we properly cite
sources?
www.easybib.com

7. Lesson 5
Periodicals & Parts of a Newspaper
2-3 Sessions
• What is a periodical? Periodical Power Point.
• What are the parts of a newspaper? Students work in
groups to examine newspapers. Brainstorm on Smart
Board – How is a newspaper different from other types
of texts we read? How is it organized?
• SWBAT browse through a collection of online newspapers
by visiting the Internet Public Library Website.
http://www.ipl.org/

8. Internet Public Library Site

9. Internet Public Library Site

10. • Compare layouts
• View headlines
• Compare and contrast
online & print

11. Lesson 6
Creating a Newspaper
• SWB broken into groups of 3 and work as an Editorial
team in order to make decisions about their newspaper
articles and layout.
• SWBAT use a begin to use a word processing tool to
type, save, and revise their work.
• SWBAT use an online printing press to generate a
newspaper.

12. Organizer Worksheets

13. Online Printing Press
• http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/Printing
_Press/

14. Newspaper Project Assessment
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