Internet+Research+with+Wikipedia

df =Internet Research with Wikipedia =


 * **Lesson intended for Grade 6**
 * **Objective:**
 * Students will learn how to leverage Wikipedia to conduct reliable internet research for classroom projects.
 * **Essential Questions:**
 * What tools should be used to judge the reliability of a website?
 * How does a Wiki work?
 * What are the potential dangers of using Wikipedia to conduct research?
 * How can we check to see that information located on a Wikipedia page is valid?
 * Is Wikipedia an acceptable endpoint for research?
 * **Learning Activities:**
 * //Warm-up activity//: creating an encyclopedia entry. Students will be given a term, the name of their school or town perhaps, written on a piece of paper. The paper will circulate around the room like a note, and each student will be able to edit other students' content or add content of their own. After every student has had the paper, teacher will post final product for all to see (great opportunity to use Elmo, if school has them!). Students can then discuss what they like or don't like about what their peers have added. Chances are good that everyone will not agree on the content of the entry.
 * //Activate prior knowledge:// Start a classroom discussion about how students conduct (or how they intend to conduct) research for a classroom project using the internet. How do students usually use the internet? Have they ever used the internet to gain information? If not the internet, what other sources have they traditionally used in or out of school to learn information they needed to know?
 * //Brainstorming session: reliable web resources.// Students will break into small groups to create a graphic organizer (Venn Diagram on the similarities and differences between print and internet resources or a concept web outlining features of trustworthy research sources).
 * Qualities to look for: articles from peer reviewed journals, affiliates of major universities, reputable research organizations (RAND...), reputable news media, or government agencies.
 * [|Inspiration] software can help teachers and students create the graphic organizers for this activity.
 * //What about Wikis?// (whole class) Ask students if they know what a Wiki is. Ask students if they have ever seen or used [|Wikipedia]. Explain that Wikipedia is not like an ordinary encyclopedia. Instead, it is a collaborative project that allows anyone to edit content (much like the warm-up activity at the beginning of class-- would students feel comfortable using their class-created entry as information for a school report? Even if it looked professional!?). The class can even go into an entry and edit it with teacher facilitation.
 * //Wikis are not necessarily Wicked!// Show students the resources feature at the bottom of each Wikipedia entry. Tell students that Wikipedia can be a great starting point for research because, while they will still have to filter the resources listed, the links provided can lead to promising internet research tools.
 * **Assessment**
 * Informal: Students will be assessed on their participation in group discussion. (basic +/-)
 * Formal: Each group will turn in graphic organizers on information sources. (looking for evidence of thoughtful brainstorming)
 * Formal: (long-term) Student research projects will be graded partly on the reliability of sources used. Class can work together using brainstorming results to determine acceptability.

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