Big6+Resources

=Online Resources to Support Big6 Information Resource Skills=


 * = ==Overview of Big6== ||= ==Resources for Each Big6 Step == ||= ==Big6 Resources to Download== ||
 * = ==Big6 Projects and Organizers == ||= ==Technology and the Big6== ||= ==Big6 Resources on School Sites== ||

__Overview of Big6__
 [|Big6™ Home Page] - Visit the Official Big6™ Home Page to get an overview of the process from its co-developer, Dr. Mike Eisenberg. You'll want to visit this site often to explore the wide range of resources for teaching and learning with the Big6™ around the world. [|Big6™ Kids' Site] - Part of the Big6™ Home Page, these pages lead kids through the 6 step information process. Specific sections for grades K-2, 3-6, and 7-12 are provided.



__ Resources for Each Big6 Step __
**1. Task Definition** > [|Research Building Blocks: Hints About Print] > [|Research Building Blocks: Selecting Electronic Resources]
 * 1.1 Define the information problem**
 * 1.2 Identify information needed to complete the task (to solve the information problem)**
 * [|Questioning Toolkit] - Questioning strategies from Jamie Mackenzie.
 * [|A Taskonomy of WebQuest Tasks] - This site does a great job of explaining the different types of tasks that can be explored. It's useful for getting ideas for research projects, even if you're not developing a WebQuest. Also look at the Top, Middling, and New matrices at the [|WebQuest Portal] site for ideas.
 * [|Topic Triangle] - Good instructions for narrowing/broadening a topic.
 * [|General-to-specific triangle]
 * [|KWHL Chart]
 * 2. Information-Seeking Strategies**
 * 2.1 Determine the range of possible sources (brainstorm)**
 * 2.2 Evaluate the different possible sources to determine priorities (select the best sources)**
 * [|Brainstorming] - A technique and example for using brainstorming with students.
 * [|3M Keyword Method] - From the WebQuest site, a method for determining keywords and setting up successful Internet searches.
 * [|Primary and Secondary Sources]
 * [|Web page Evaluation] - An excellent tool for determining the value of a web page. Includes a downloadable format.
 * [|OSLIS Elementary: How to Search the Web]
 * [|OSLIS Secondary: How to Search the Web]
 * [|Boolean search tips]
 * [|Rockwell Schrock's Boolean Machine]
 * [|Kid's Tools for Searching the Internet]
 * [|Internet Search Tools - A Quick Reference Guide] - A one page guide that lists search tools according to their best use.
 * [|Choose the Best Search for Your Information Needs]
 * **Read•Write•Think** lesson plans for selecting best resources (grades 3-5).

**3. Location and Access**
 * 3.1 Locate sources (intellectually and physically)**
 * 3.2 Find information within sources**

> > **Online Databases** **Great places for teachers to find WWW sites and resources to support school projects**
 * Pathfinders**
 * [|John Newbery Elementary School Information Pathfinders]
 * [|Pioneer Middle School Pathfinders]
 * [|Walter Johnson High School Research Pathfinders] - A treasure trove of pathfinders for high school students.
 * [|Homework Pathfinders] - From the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Library system. Includes several well-organized pathfinders for school projects.
 * [|Lakewood Public Library] - Class Assignment Pathfinders (Lakewood, Ohio) for Elementary, Middle and High School.
 * [|UMI Proquest] - The ProQuest® online information service provides access to thousands of current periodicals and newspapers, many updated daily and containing full-text articles from 1986.
 * [|eLibrary Elementary]
 * [|eLibrary K-12]
 * [|42Explore] - This amazing site has preselected Web resources and activities for multiple topics.
 * [|American Memory Collection] - from the Library of Congress. If you teach social studies, you need to visit this page. Click on Learning Page for lessons and resources.
 * [|Librarians' Index to the Internet]
 * [|KidsClick] - Sites selected by librarians. Includes reading levels.
 * [|Yahooligans] - Kid friendly sites from Yahoo for kids. Check out the teacher section.
 * [|MarcoPolo] - Links to top sites in many disciplines, professionally developed lesson plans, classroom activities, materials to help with daily classroom planning, and more.
 * [|Sites in Spanish - for Kids] - Houghton Mifflin maintains this link library to selected sites in Spanish for kids.

**4. Use of Information**
 * 4.1 Engage (e.g., read, hear, view) the information within a source**
 * 4.2 Extract relevant information from a source**


 * Note-taking - Techniques for note-taking can be found at these sites:**
 * [|The Trash-n-Treasure Method of Teaching Note-Taking] - This is our favorite method for teaching/learning notetaking skills.
 * [|Notemaking] - This site has downloadable graphic organizers plus multiple methods for teaching notemaking.
 * Graphic Organizers provide a way to organize information for note-taking, brainstorming, presentation and more. Several excellent graphic organizers can be found at these sites:**
 * [|Graphic Organizers] - A great collection of downloadable GO's.
 * [|Laura Chandler's File Cabinet - Graphic Organizers] - 3 quality GO's to download.
 * [|Graphic Organizer Index] - Examples and suggestions for use of GO's.
 * [|NCREL's Graphic Organizers] - Great examples and explanations of GO's from NCREL.
 * [|SCORE's Graphic Organizers]
 * [|WriteDesign On-Line - Graphic Organizers]
 * [|Graphic Organizers] - Download and print several GO's.
 * [|About Graphic Organizers]
 * [|Graphic Organizer graphic organizers concept...]
 * [|Venn Diagrams] - Learn about using venn diagrams, create your own, or view a collection of venn diagrams.
 * [|Inspiration] - Software for creating graphic organizers. Download a trial copy. Includes Kidspiration for younger kids.
 * Citing Sources - Sites for creating bibliographies include the following:**
 * [|NoodleTools] - A subscription service for generating a bibliography.
 * [|NoodleTools MLA Starter] - A free tool for generating a citing for a single source.
 * [|Landmark Citation Machine]
 * [|Classroom Connect Community - Connected Teacher]

**Copyright and plagiarism:**
 * Copyright and Plagiarism
 * [|Plagiarism] - An online resource for checking sources.
 * [|Plagiarism vs.] - [|Summarizing] - Read the explanations from Joyce Valenza's site. Then take the quiz - [|Is it plagiarism?]
 * [|Copyright for Kids]

**5. Synthesis**
 * 5.1 Organize information from different sources**
 * 5.2 Present the information**
 * [|Project Product Ideas]
 * [|Products and Assessments] - Elementary
 * [|Products and Assessments] - Secondary
 * [|Basic 5 Paragraph Essay Pattern]
 * [|Graphic Organizers] - GO's can serve as the final product as evidenced by the student work presented at this site.
 * [|Student work: common phenomena] - Secondary students present their history research in graphic organizers.

**6. Evaluation**
 * 6.1 Judge the product (effectiveness)**
 * 6.2 Judge the information problem-solving process (efficiency)**
 * [|Discovery School.com - Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators] - Links to many areas of assessment.
 * [|RubiStar Maker] - Make your own rubric by selecting different categories from this excellent online tool.
 * [|Project Checklists] - Customize your own checklist for project based learning.
 * [|Assessment Tools for Elementary]
 * [|Assessment Tools for Secondary] - Includes rubrics for specific types of projects, such as posters, booklets, web pages.
 * [|Assessment and Project-Based Learning]



Big6 Projects and Organizers
**Consider putting your project online for students to access from school or home. The following sites provide ideas and Web page templates:**
 * [|CyberBee: In the Hollow of a Tree]
 * [|Lowell School - Project Planner]
 * [|American History Organizer]
 * [|Big6 Project Pages]



Technology and the Big6

 * [|Applying Big6 Skills™, Information Literacy Standards and ISTE NETS to Internet Research] by Janet Murray
 * [|Big6 Web Guide]

Big6 Resources on School Sites
>
 * [|What is Information Literacy?] - An excellent guide to the Big6 Process for secondary students.
 * [|Research Skills] - A guide for a high school Science class.
 * [|Research Tips] - Several links for research, writing, and citing sources for secondary (middle and high school) students.
 * [|The Big6 : Information Literacy] - A pathfinder to print and non-print resources about Big6.
 * [|IMC Big6] - Looking for the Big6 in Spanish? You'll find that and much more at this site.