Name: Jacqueline Fung

A. Format of the Information Literacy Unit Plan

Academic Subject(s): Mathematics, History and Technology

Topic(s) of Unit: Famous Mathematicians

Grade Level(s): 5th grade

Learning Objectives for 5-Day Unit:

Students will:• identify and conduct research on a mathematician who have contributed to our current philosophy or understanding in mathematics or science. • learn about the importance of mathematics in history by describing the mathematician's contributions• demonstrate their understanding of when and where these events occurred by creating a class timeline and world map.• will communicate what they learned from their research by creating a PowerPoint presentation.

Information Literacy Objectives:

• Define the Information Need: Students find information on a famous mathematician• Locate Information Students locate and evaluate information sources on a person who has contributed to the history of mathematics• Process the Information Students evaluate the usefulness of the information to determine the historical figure’s significance in mathematical history. They will extract information by taking notes. • Create and Communicate the Results Students create a PowerPoint presentation to describe the person’s biography and how his or her contribution is significant to today’s world. Students will share to their classmates and teachers during the presentation on what they’ve learned from their research. • Cite Resources Students will cite the resources used during the research using correct APA format (modified APA citation format)• Assess Process and Product

Students will self-review their organization, grammar and oral presentation with a rubric given at the beginning of the project.

Prerequisite Student Skills:

During procedures, teachers will guide students step-by-step through the Big 6 Research process. Students will need prior knowledge on how to use PowerPoint to create a slide show and previous experience utilizing the internet to search for information.

Materials:

• Access to several computers with word processing, Intenet access and PowerPoint software• Graphic organizer, Inspiration software or paper to create mindmaps• White butcher paper (for the timeline)• Large world map to display in classroom• Pins for the world map• Books, magazines, encyclopedias, etc. on the history of mathematics, specific mathematicians• Notecards, 4”x6” size minimum• 6” x 6” black cardstock cards• Websites

Bibliography information on mathematicianshttp://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Bibliography/index.html

Chronological List of Mathematicanshttp://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/mathhist/chronology.html

Math History Pagehttp://www.cln.org/themes/math_history.html

History for Kidshttp://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/science/math/

Biographies of Women Mathematicianshttp://www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/women.htm

• HandoutsBig 6 Review Handout (Appendix A): preferred in a clear protector sheetCreating Subtopic Headings (Appendix B)Common Subtopic Headings (Appendix C)Citation Style Instructions (Appendix D)Rubric (Appendix E)

Brief Overview of Unit This unit is to begin with the assignment of researching the biography of a famous mathematician. The Big 6 Research steps will be followed in chronological order with the class as a whole. The final project will be an oral Powerpoint presentation in front of student peers and the teacher. A timeline will be created and each student’s biography summary will be added. A world map with the location of the mathematician’s origin will be displayed.

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Suggested Timeline (based on availability of having the same students every day of the week for at least one hour at a time.)

Lesson 1 – Day 1Lesson 2 – Day 2Lesson 3 – Day 3Lesson 4 – Day 4

Schedule check-in with each studentLesson 5 – Day 11

Schedule check-in with each studentLesson 6 – Day 18Summary for Timeline – due Day 18Map pins – due Day 18Evaluation – Due back by Day 19

Teacher To Teacher: • This would be a great project for the beginning of the year to demonstrate the proper research procedure. It can be individual or a small group project. • Depending on the experience of the students, be flexible on due dates for the first project. • Schedule in quick an individual check-in to see how each child is doing during Lesson 4 and 5.

Procedures/Daily Activities

Lesson 11. Introduce to the class the importance of mathematicians:

“From ancient times to the modern day, mathematicians have been essential to the development of civilization. They have been fundamental to the advances in science, engineering and philosophy. Each culture has developed some mathematics, and in some cases, it has spread from one culture to another. History tells us that mathematics began in ancient Egypt and Babylonia, and then it rapidly grew in ancient Greece. Mathematics written in ancient Greek was translated into Arabic, Latin and became the mathematics of Western Europe. China, southern India and Japan also developed mathematics. The wonderful thing about mathematics is that it continues to grow at a phenomenal rate. There is no end in sight, and the application of mathematics is everywhere – science, technology and everyday life such as grocery shopping, traveling, eating, etc. This project is going to allow us a chance to explore the history of some of the most famous mathematicians and share with the class what you discovered. We will find out many ideas that we take for granted and can not imagine life without the idea.”

2. Each student will choose a famous mathematician to research and present their findings to the class in a PowerPoint presentation. Explain that they will go through each step of the research process together. The process will be called the Big 6.

3. First each student needs to spend some time looking for a mathematician that interests him/her. Skill 1 is Task Definition where the student brainstorms his/her topic.

4. The next lesson will explain Skill 1 of Big 6. 5. Pass to each student a copy of the Rubric (Appendix B). Explain that it will be further

explained at another lesson (Lesson 5). Give them a chance to ask questions if they want

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to. Many should be familiar with rubrics in past projects. If not, you may want to hold off passing out the rubrics to reduce confusion.

Possible mathematicians to research:Pythagoras, who was the earliest known teacher of mathematics developed the

Pythagorean Theorem. Archimedes, who said, "Give me a place to stand on, and I can more the earth." Isaac Newton, who developed the law of gravitation and "weighed" the sun. Euclid of Alexandra wrote a series of textbooks about math and geometry (on papyrus). Galileo whose discovered a way to produce accurate pendulum-regulated clocks. Rene Descartes, who first wrote out a mathematical statement and called it an equation. John Napier, who developed "Napier's Bones, used to calculate with. Blaise Pascal, who invented the La Pascaline used in calculation. Albrecht Durer, an artist who said, "geometry is the right foundation of painting."

Lesson 2 - Task Definition1. Pass out Big 6 Handout (Appendix A)2. Now that everyone has chosen a mathematician, go over Skill 1 – Task Definition of Big

6. a. Introduce or review the brainstorming technique. “What is my current task?”

What do you want to know about this person?b. Use mindmaps, Inspiration software, concept maps or any other graphic organizer

to develop key words.c. “What are some topics or questions that I need to answer?” Guide students into

asking questions such as:1. What did he/she do/invent?2. What is this person’s life history? Where did he/she live? When was he/she

alive? What kind of profession did he/she have? 3. How did he/she discover this? Was there a purpose?4. What is the significance of this discovery – then and today?

d. Have each child complete their mindmap/graphic organizer with topics.

Lesson 3 – Information Seeking Strategies and Location and Access1. Review Skill 2 and 3 Big 6 Handout. 2. Brainstorm with students on possible sources that students can look at for information

regarding their person. 3. Possible sources:

Print: Books, magazines, newspapers, atlases, encyclopedias, other reference booksElectronic: Encyclopedia online, World Wide Web access, and magazines and newspaper articles online.

4. Brief survey on whether the students feel confident on where they can search and what information/topics/questions they are going to look for.

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5. Determine a minimum number of resources they must have. Suggested: 5 resources: 3 print resources and 2 electronic.

6. Give the students a due date on when you want to have them check back. Suggested: 1 week, depending on whether this is the first research project or later in the year.

7. Allow the rest of the class time to start searching for resources.

Lesson 4 – Use of Information1. Review Skill 4 Big 6 Handout2. When starting to research, students should review their main topics and questions. 3. Use Handout “Creating Subtopic Headings” (Appendix B) with “Common Subtopic

Headings” (Appendix C).4. Have each student create a new organizer/mind map that has topics (same one from

before) and subtopics. 5. Students should create a list of sources, numbered, so that they can refer to the source on

the notecard. 6. Each student is to use a notecard, minimum size 4”x 6”, for notetaking. 7. The notecard will have the subtopic on the top left corner of the card, and the source

number and page number will be on the top right corner. The rest of the card is used for notetaking.

8. Don’t forget to schedule a check-in with each student to see how they’re progressing and if they need help.

9. Allow the rest of the class time to start searching for resources.

Lesson 5 – Synthesis1. Review Skill 5 Big 6 Handout2. Now that the students have collected the minimum required resources, taken notes from

these sources, they need to organize the notecards into groups of information. They can use their mind maps/organizers or original questions for help.

3. The project is to present their information with a PowerPoint. a. The first slide should contain a title, name, dateb. The last slide should give credit to anyone who helped and cite the resources.c. Refer to the rubric and explain each category that will be evaluated.

4. Don’t forget to schedule a check-in with each student. 5. Allow the rest of the class time to start working on their Powerpoint presentations. 6. Due by the first day of presentations: Remind the students to summarize their findings

onto a 5” x 5” typed piece of paper to glue onto a black 6” x 6” black cardstock card to be posted onto the classroom timeline.

7. Due by the first day of presentations: Students will place a pin on a world map to indicate the location of their mathematician. There will be a key at the bottom of the map.

Lesson 6 – Presentation - Evaluation1. Students will present their projects. 2. This may take more than 2 or 3 periods3. Have each child complete their own rubric based on a self-evaluation of their

presentation.

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4. They can compare the rubric that you completed for them with their own evaluation. 5. Give the students a chance to have a conference with you individually to discuss further

the evaluation.

Student Assessment and Evaluation 1. Students should be given the rubric (Appendix A) at the beginning of the project (Lesson

1).2. During Lesson 5, further explain each category that will be evaluated. 3. During each student’s presentation, the teacher will complete a rubric.4. After each student’s presentation, the student will complete a self-evaluation by

completing a rubric and evaluate him/herself. 5. The teacher will compare, make a copy for their records, and then give the student both

rubrics for comparison and future skills to work on for the next presentation.

B. Analysis of Information Literacy Lesson PlanRationale for Activities:

I chose not to go over the all the Big 6 research steps on Lesson 1 because I’ve learned in the past, if you give the students too much that is abstract to them at the time, they don’t comprehend what you’re talking about. It’s ok to say, “For this next project, we’re going to learn about each step of the research process. It contains, asking a questions, for example, What am I trying to find or do? What are the best resources I can use? Where can I find them? Out of all the information I found, what is the most useful? How should I organize the information? Did I cover all that I was assigned?” What I wanted to do in this unit plan was go through these questions and have the students actively participate each process at the same time.

This lesson fits into my math curriculum by introducing how math is important in our lives. Often times, you’ll hear the students say, “Why do I have to learn that? I’ll never use it.” This is just one way of teaching the kids how innovative people acquiring the knowledge of math utilized their skills. At the beginning of each year, I teach units on the history of mathematics and language. This is an appropriate project after the initial lesson or as the initial lesson. Generally, the initial lesson does not have any follow-up lessons. Its intention is to spark the imagination and curiosity of the story.

In upper elementary, my classroom can be a range of a number of students. I anticipate next year to be only 10 students between the grades of 4th through 6th. This is an excellent opportunity to give each student one-on-one attention during the research process. I will have a co-teacher to assist also. Many have already been introduced to the research process, but after this course, I have realized that it is important to make sure that each student practice the proper research steps, for example, the Big 6. Many of the students here have access to a computer and internet. It will be easy for them to also do work at home if they don’t have enough time at school.

In my classroom, I use a lot of timelines and a world map for references to geography. If the students have no previous experience with timelines, this is a good introduction. In the

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Montessori curriculum, students start working with timelines in 1st grade, so they should be very familiar with them.

I chose not to go into full details regarding the rubric on the first lesson because I want to keep them excited about their project. Going over rubrics can be tedious. Many of the criterias will not be clear if explained in the beginning. By lesson 5, it is close to their final presentation, and reviewing the rubric reminds them what they should be checking themselves before they present.

Explanation of the Information Literacy Component:

Information literacy includes researching, answering questions and synthesizing the information to share with others. I chose to emphasize the Big 6 research steps in order to slow down the research process. The activities I chose teach one skill at a time. I believe that it’s a necessity to have the students go through each step, in order, in every research project. Often times, students will jump right into locating the information. After spending much of their their time there, they realize that they haven’t developed their questions, or may have not chosen the best place to find their information. At this time, their frustration level is usually high, and the “fun” of the topic starts to fizzle out. The steps in the beginning don’t take long, but may be the most crucial to being successful. Once they have the hang of it, probably by the third run through, the teacher will need to walk through the process only with particular individuals.

C. Reflection on Unit Lesson Plan

Your Learning about Information Literacy: I’ve used all of the components of information literacy, but not all at the same time. In the past, I presented all of the skills at the same time but have experienced the students skipping ahead. Demonstrating each step’s importance is necessary for their development in proper research techniques. As mentioned above, the first skills in the Big 6 don’t take very long. As the students become familiar with them, it could take them less than fifteen minutes to complete a form and graphic organizer. Those fifteen minutes could save hours on the internet or afterwards when organizing their information.

What is new for me in this information literacy unit is putting it all together. Using a handout to assist the students in the process. This handout can be used throughout the entire year. I don’t think it is a stretch for me to utilize in the classroom because many of my assignments in history and science are research projects. Spending extra time in the beginning of the year will benefit the students and their quaility of work for the rest of the year and those that return for the other two years they can be in my classroom.

I learned how important it is to have clear and detailed plans for a unit lesson plan. There are so many little details that get lost when you only plan a few days ahead. It’s also important to give yourself some space in case things don’t go as planned, but to have an organized plan sets the tone of the project.

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Information literacy is in conjunction with my philosophy in that it teaches students to not skim through the information but to ask and define questions, research in an organized fashion and analyze what you’ve found. In this way, students who have developed questions on their own are more engaged when researching and are excited when they find their answers. What is just as thrilling when they come to you telling you all the “cool” things they found out. I enjoy it when they try to stump me or tell me facts they think I won’t know…. which most of the time, I don’t, so I’m just as interested in this new information.

Future Explorations: The next time I do this lesson, I would like to explore what is going on in the geographic regions and time period that has the most growth in mathematics. Was there something in history that sparked these mathematicians to explore their ideas? What were the influences: other people, the government, philosophy and/or religion? Are many of these great philosophers? I think this would be important to share with the students on WHY people were questioning and how and why things happen. It might give the students inspiration to question why things work or happen in their own lives.

I also think it would be interesting to conduct an example of what happens when you don’t follow the Big 6 steps in conducting research. For example, when you haven’t defined your task or get sidetracked with other information that is not pertinent to your assignment. The end result would be hours spent on useless information that has nothing to do with the assignment.

Annotated Citations:

Heeg, M. and Driskell, T. (n.d.) Famous Mathematicians. Retrieved on July 27, 2008 from http://www.coe.uh.edu/archive/math/math_lessons/mathles2.html

This website is a lesson plan for seventh and eighth graders. I adopted the idea and used it as a base formy lesson plan. I utilized the active links to websites for the history of mathematics and biographies of mathematicians.

Joyce. D. (1998.) History of Mathematics. Retrieved on July 29, 2008 from http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/mathhist/mathhist.html

I used this website for the information regarding the history of mathematics for my introduction in Lesson 1.

Reed, D. (1998.) Famous problems in the history of mathematics. Retrieved on July 29, 2008 from http://mathforum.org/isaac/mathhist.html

I used this website for the information regarding the history of mathematics for my introduction in Lesson 1.

Shoemaker, B. (1987) The Big 6 Skills. Retrieved on July 27, 2008 from http://www.big6.com/files/Big6Handouts.pdf

I used this handout to review the steps of the Big 6. During the lesson, I would pass this out to the students. I did not change any of its content except for retyping it onto a Word document.

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Samuels, H. (2007). Common Subtopic Headings. Retrieved on July 27, 2008 from http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/11a_Common_Subtopic_Headings.asp

I used this tip sheet and reorganized it into a table to pass out to the students for ideas for subtopics.

Samuels, H. (2007). Creating Subtopic Headings. Retrieved on July 29, 2008 from http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/11_Subtopic_Headings.asp

I used this tip sheet to help explain how to create a subtopic. I did not change any of its content. I changed the layout of the information.

Samuels, H. (2007). The Big 6 Skills. Retrieved on July 27, 2008 from http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/Big_Six_Steps.asp

This website is generated by Cambridge Rindge and Latin School: CRLS Research Guide. It has great “Tip Sheets,” that gives breaks down particular skills and gives tips to complete the task. .

D. Reflection on the Semester

The first thing that was pointed out to me was that our librarians and media specialists are indispensible when trying to decipher through the tremendous amount of information out there. Although I felt that I was knowledgable about where and how to gather information, I learned that there is so much more. During my research log assignment, I became a bit overwhelmed with how much information was on my topic, and I had difficulty narrowing down the search and finding articles that fulfil my question. Good organization and specific questions will help you to produce a more consise and educational answer. I had become extremely comfortable using the same search tools, but when asked to use different tools, it was difficult. I have much more respect and symphathize with my students when they become overwhelmed with finding information for their projects.

The fact that my school does not have a library or any type of media specialist is disturbing. Although the school is geared towards younger children, three to six year olds, I think it is an incorrect belief that these children would not benefit from a media specialist. My school has an abundance of books, but they are not centerally located or organized and there are not many other types of resources, i.e. encyclopedias, magazines, audio books, videos. My classroom has a set of outdated encyclopedias, and there are few educational videos with the DVD and TV stand. We have a projector, but I think I’m the only teacher that uses it for presentations and educational videos.

I believe schools assume teachers should have the ability to locate information easily. What I don’t think they understand is the plethora and depth of the amount of information there is. The media specialist or librarian job is full time job. As teachers in the classroom, we are torn between other responsibilities that many times limit us to spending extra time outside of the classroom at the library or on the internet.

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I liked the assignment to evaluate websites. I think this will benefit me in the future by having specific criteria to evaluate the quality of websites. I also think I can adapt this to be used in my classroom. In the past, I try to explain that not all websites are equal, but I’ve never had specific examples. By creating an evaluation sheet for things to look for, it gives students more evidence on why a site is credible or not. This would be an excellent exercise to either do before or after this unit plan.

This class with the assignments, discussion and readings have taught me that having great ideas and topics to teach the children is not the only part of the child’s education. We need to have the sensational ideas to attract the interests of our students, and once we have them, teaching them core values of how to research, organize and analyze is also an important lesson. Although I knew that before, I feel that I know have more concrete tools to teach my students. Looking back, I’m not sure if my students achieved the best product they were capable of because of the lack of teaching the full process. They were able to find information and present their findings, but I feel they could’ve done so much more had I used this unit plan. This class is a fundamental class that every teacher should take.

My goals for the next two years is to develop a routine for students to follow a research process that promotes information literacy. I feel that I best relate to the Big 6 steps, so I will try that first. Once I have the students feeling comfortable and in a routine to follow these steps everytime they conduct research, I think it will be easier for the years to come. I have the same students for three years as they continue from fourth grade through sixth grade. After this initial year, I will have students who are confident in this research process and can help incoming new students. It will become the norm of how to do research. I feel confident that if the students follow these steps for three years, they will continue the general steps throughout their life. They may enhance or choose different ways to organize, for example, different graphic organizers, or the way to search for sources may change, but I think they core of how to conduct thorough and effective research will stay the same.

I would like to start stepping out of the classroom and becoming an information specialist with an emphasis on helping classroom teachers. I understand how overwhelming it is to be responsible for the daily activities of the classroom, handle parents and administration, try to balance personal and academic life, and be aware that there is so much out there to still learn about but never having the time to evaluate new programs, resources, etc. As a media or information specialist, I want to find ways that will make it easier for teachers. The different classes, including this one, have greatly benefitted my knowledge in this field. I just wish that I could devote my full time and energy into these classes and not have to work full time.

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Appendix AThe Big6™ Skills

The Big6 is a process model of how people of all ages solve an information problem.

1. Task Definition1.1 Define the information problem1.2 Identify information needed (to solve the information

problem)o What is my current task?o What are some topics or questions I need to answer?o What information will I need?

2. Information Seeking Strategies2.1 Determine all possible sources (brainstorm)2.2 Select the best sources

o What are all the possible sources to check?o What are the best sources of information for this task?

3. Location and Access3.1 Locate sources (intellectuallyand physically)3.2 Find information within sources

o Where can I find these sources?o Where can I find the information in the source?

4. Use of Information4.1 Engage (e.g., read, hear, view, touch)4.2 Extract relevant information

o What information do I expect to find in this source?o What information from the source is useful?

5. Synthesis5.1 Organize from multiple sources5.2 Present the information

o How will I organize my information?o How should I present my information?

6. Evaluation6.1 Judge the product (effectiveness)6.2 Judge the process (efficiency)

o Did I do what was required?o Did I complete each of the Big6 Stages efficiently?

The "Big6™" is copyright © (1987) Michael B. Eisenberg and Robert E. Berkowitz. Shoemaker, B. (1987) The Big 6 Skills. Retrieved on July 27, 2008 from http://www.big6.com/files/Big6Handouts.pdf

Appendix B

Creating Subtopic Headings

Why do it? This step will help you organize your paper, write an outline and take notes.

What are they? Subtopic headings are phrases that identify the sections of your paper or project. They come from the words you select to label and then group your own questions.

How to do it • Look over the questions you developed in Lesson 1 with the group. • Decide on some words or phrases that are common to groups of questions. Use the list of Common Subtopic Heading” words to help you. • Turn those words or phrases into specific subtopic headings.

• On a sheet of notebook paper (or cut and paste if using a word processor) write each subtopic heading and rewrite under it the questions that go with it.

• Now add any other new questions that come to mind under any of the headings.

Sources: Samuels, H. (2007). Creating Subtopic Headings. Retrieved on July 29, 2008 from http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/11_Subtopic_Headings.asp

Appendix C

Common Subtopic Headings

How can I use this page?Here is a list of common subtopics that you can divide your questions into. Use this at the top of your note cards or note pages.

GeneralHistoryMethodDescriptionStyleEquipmentRules/regulationsCausesEffectsConsequencesReasons For

BiographicalChildhoodEducationFamily LifeEarly CareerLater CareerObstacles

HistoricalBackgroundBiographical InformationPlace DescriptionLiving ConditionsBattle StrategiesHome front (during war)Peace NegotiationsIdealogyWorking Conditions

ScientificHabitatPredator/PreyDietBehavior ReproductionProcessHypothesisMaterialsResultsReaction

GeographicalTopographyLand FormationsNatural SourcesClimateWeatherAnimalsPlantIndigenous PeopleLocationHuman InfluenceAgricultureIndustries

Social SciencesCase StudiesCausesProgramsLegislationSymptomsTreatmentConditionsAttitudesClass IssuesRace Issues

IndustrialMethodsProductionGovernment Regulations

BusinessPatentsCapitalLegal IssuesMarketingAdvertisingProduct DevelopmentMonopolies

LegalDefenseProsecutionArgumentsPrecedentsTrialAttorneysJudgesCases

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ReligionPracticesSymbolsLeadersPlaces of WorshipOriginsAdherents (Believers)Sacred ObjectsSacred Texts/Scriptures

Arts/Music/DramaArtistsMedia/MaterialsStyleMethodSubjectsTraining/EducationPerformancesExhibitionsGrants

Computer TechnologyHardwareSoftwareLanguagesVirusesLegislationCodingStandardsDevelopersCompaniesMonopolies

Source: Samuels, H. (2007). Common Subtopic Headings. Retrieved on July 27, 2008 from http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/11a_Common_Subtopic_Headings.asp

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Appendix D

Citing Your Resources

Citing a source means to give credit to the author.   Usually at the end of a project or report there is a Reference List, (or Bibliography) where you have written down every source you used to make your project.   There are many ways to write a citation, but the one you need to use is this one:

At the end of your report or project, start a new page with References (or Bibliography) at the top for the title.  Then list all of your citations alphabetically by the authors' last names.

Type of Resource Correct way to record it Example

BOOKS

Author's last name. Author's first name.  (Year).  Title of text.  City of publication: Name of publisher.

Fradin, Dennis.  (1995).  Polar bears. New York: Prentice Hall Publishers.

MAGAZINES

Author's last name. Author's first name.  (Year).  Title of text.  Name of Magazine Volume number (Issue number).  Page numbers.

Mead, Marilyn.  (1992).  Polar bears' survival habits.  Wildlife 18 (3).  133-

140.

COMPUTER SOURCES

Author's last name, Author's first name.  (Year).  Title of text.  URL or title of program.

Milbury, Peter.  (1997).  Polar bears on the Net. 

http://www.syr.edu/~pmilbury/bear.html

COMPUTER SOURCES WITH NO AUTHOR or

NO DATE

n.a. (n.d). Name of company sponsoring. Title of text. URL or title of program.

n.a. (n.d) Smithsonian. Polar bears. http://www.smithsonian.com

n.a. (n.d.) Citing your sources.Retrieved on July 27, 2008 from http://www.squires.fayette.k12.ky.us/library/research/citing.htm

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Appendix E

Research Report : Famous Mathematicians

Teacher Name: Jackie Fung

Student Name:     ________________________________________

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1 Graphic Organizer

Graphic organizer or outline has been completed and shows clear, logical relationships between all topics and subtopics.

Graphic organizer or outline has been completed and shows clear, logical relationships between most topics and subtopics.

Graphic organizer or outline has been started and includes some topics and subtopics.

Graphic organizer or outline has not been attempted.

Notes Notes are recorded and organized in an extremely neat and orderly fashion.

Notes are recorded legibly and are somewhat organized.

Notes are recorded. Notes are recorded only with peer/teacher assistance and reminders.

Internet Use Successfully uses suggested internet links to find information and navigates within these sites easily without assistance.

Usually able to use suggested internet links to find information and navigates within these sites easily without assistance.

Occasionally able to use suggested internet links to find information and navigates within these sites easily without assistance.

Needs assistance or supervision to use suggested internet links and/or to navigate within these sites.

Quality of Information

Information clearly relates to the main topic. It includes several supporting details and/or examples.

Information clearly relates to the main topic. It provides 1-2 supporting details and/or examples.

Information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given.

Information has little or nothing to do with the main topic.

Diagrams & Illustrations

Diagrams and illustrations are neat, accurate and add to the reader's understanding of the topic.

Diagrams and illustrations are accurate and add to the reader's understanding of the topic.

Diagrams and illustrations are neat and accurate and sometimes add to the reader's understanding of the topic.

Diagrams and illustrations are not accurate OR do not add to the reader's understanding of the topic.

Sources All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented in the desired format.

All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented, but a few are not in the desired format.

All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented, but many are not in the desired format.

Some sources are not accurately documented.

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Content Shows a full understanding of the topic.

Shows a good understanding of the topic.

Shows a good understanding of parts of the topic.

Does not seem to understand the topic very well.

Speaks clearly Speaks clearly and distinctly all (100-95%) the time, and mispronounces no words.

Speaks clearly and distinctly all (100-95%) the time, but mispronounces one word.

Speaks clearly and distinctly most ( 94-85%) of the time. Mispronounces no more than one word.

Often mumbles or can not be understood OR mispronounces more than one word.

Enthusiasm Facial expressions and body language generate a strong interest and enthusiasm about the topic in others.

Facial expressions and body language sometimes generate a strong interest and enthusiasm about the topic in others.

Facial expressions and body language are used to try to generate enthusiasm, but seem somewhat faked.

Very little use of facial expressions or body language. Did not generate much interest in topic being presented.

Posture and Eye contact

Stands up straight, looks relaxed and confident. Establishes eye contact with everyone in the room during the presentation.

Stands up straight and establishes eye contact with everyone in the room during the presentation.

Sometimes stands up straight and establishes eye contact.

Slouches and/or does not look at people during the presentation.

Volume Volume is loud enough to be heard by all audience members throughout the presentation.

Volume is loud enough to be heard by all audience members at least 90% of the time.

Volume is loud enough to be heard by all audience members at least 80% of the time.

Volume often too soft to be heard by all audience members.

Text (Font and Formatting)

Font formats (e.g., color, bold, italic) have been carefully planned to enhance readability and content.

Font formats have been carefully planned to enhance readability.

Font formating has been carefully planned to complement the content. It may be a little hard to read.

Font formatting makes it very difficult to read the material.

Spelling and Grammar

Presentation has no misspellings or grammatical errors.

Presentation has 1-2 misspellings, but no grammatical errors.

Presentation has 1-2 grammatical errors but no misspellings.

Presentation has more than 2 grammatical and/or spelling errors.

Use of Graphics All graphics are attractive (size and colors) and support the theme/content of the presentation.

A few graphics are not attractive but all support the theme/content of the presentation.

All graphics are attractive but a few do not seem to support the theme/content of the presentation.

Several graphics are unattractive AND detract from the content of the presentation.

Date Created: July 31, 2008 Rubric Made Using: RubiStar ( http://rubistar.4teachers.org )

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