English Language Arts Grade 11-12
Lesson Plans

Writing Standard 8

Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

• Puzzles, not Pieces: Evaluating Sources (Day 4 of 5)
  This is day four of a five ­day unit teaching students strong research skills for a "white paper" style research paper (can be modified for any pro­con research assignment). For the purpose of this assignment, the white paper is an argumentative piece which introduces a problem and argues a solution to that problem. In this team­ taught lesson, students will learn how to evaluate sources for credibility.
• Puzzles, not Pieces: Smart Searching (Day 3 of 5)
  This is day three of a five day unit teaching students strong research skills for a "white paper" style research paper (can be modified for any pro­con research assignment). For the purpose of this assignment, the white paper is an argumentative piece which introduces a problem and argues a solution to that problem. In this team­taught lesson, students will continue to learn that researching is not a linear process. Students will learn to adjust their topic based on what information is available (with their pre­search). Focus will be on finding good search terms and thinking outside of the box to gather evidence.
• Senior Capstone 2: Using Databases and Library Catalog
  This lesson plan introduces databases and the library catalog to students who are completing the Senior Capstone project.
• Senior Capstone 3: Using Databases and Summarizing
  Students actively research their individual topics for valid sources using CRAAP tool in the Media Lab or in the classroom equipped with a mobile lab. Students select "best" sources from both print and digital "pools" and complete a rhetorical précis on each source that will be used/cited in their research papers.

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