Information Literacy

“…the ability to know when there is a need for information, to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use that information for the issue or problem at hand.”

» National Forum on Information Literacy

Develop “habits of mind” to tackle information needs

Why do I care?

Information Skills…

Not just for Language Arts anymore!!!

Levels of Inquiry

Controlled InquiryFind three facts about turtles using a given website, present it in a 5 slide powerpoint

Guided InquiryStudents given question/topic, but have more flexibility with sources and how its presented

Free InquirySelf selected topic, find information and present it in their own way

Models for Information Seeking Process

Big 6 5AsISP DIALOGUEResearch Cycle InfozoneREACTS 8WsStripling Model Research Process Helper8Ws Research AssistantFlip-ItPathways to Knowledge

1. What am I doing?Task Definition

• Overview of the information seeking process• Strategies for asking good research questions

and clarifying a topic• Strategies for finding background info on a topic• Knowing kinds of information to look for i.e.

overview, details, pros & cons etc.• Different types of information needs require

different types of information

2. Where should I go to find the info I need?Information Seeking Strategies

• Planning where to go to get information• Identify different types of sources and what

kind of information you might find there• Recognizing the differences between sources

i.e. why might you use a book vs. website vs. database etc.

3. How do I get info from sources?Location and access

• Identifying parts of a book and how it might help you find information i.e. index, table of contents,

• Identifying parts of a website and how it might help you find information i.e. navigation, title, URL etc.

• Knowing generally how a search engine works i.e. the source of information is not Google, recognizing advertising in search results and on websites

• Different search terms bring up different results• Identifying search terms from background knowledge• Finding a book in the library

4. How do I sort and organize the information?Use of Information

• Now that you have the info, how to evaluate usefulness, relevance, credibility

• Does the information meet my needs• Differentiating between fact & opinion• Strategies to verify information• Evaluating website by finding out “who, when &

why”• Note taking & avoiding plagiarism• Citing sources

6. What am I going to create with the information?Synthesis

Creating product i.e. writing, digital storytelling, infographics etc.

6. How’d I do? What can I do different next time?

Evaluation

• Evaluating not only the content of what you learned but search process, what worked, what didn’t etc.

• Identifying the hardest part, best part, skills learned, insights from search process

Challenging

• Need lots of practice opportunities to build skills

• The process is as important as the outcome• Systematically spread across grade levels and

across subjects• Start with basic skills and build up from year to

year • Mini lessons, tutorials etc.

Evaluating websites

• 6th – strategies for identifying who wrote a website

• 7th - strategies for identifying why a website was created, recognizing purpose

• 8th - putting it all together, more challenging examples etc.

Can you…

BEAT THE HOUSE?

1. Log on to the library home page – search for “sioux falls school district library”

2. Use the databases to find the items listed3. Write the database name next to the item

you find4. Beat the librarian’s hand without going over

21