Lesson+Comparison

Both of these lessons are designed to engage students in activities that help them develop skills in open-ended questioning, weaving information into meaningful concepts and making real world connections. As there is a significant gap in student age, grade, and academic skill levels the activities, teacher involvement and student requirements are vastly different. However, the core concepts--critical and creative thinking, questioning, using and weaving information, and applying new knowledge are elements of both the 1st and 10th grade inquiries.

An article in School Library Monthly emphasizes the importance of using students' prior knowledge to create meaningful learning experiences. The study concluded that, "New learning builds on existing prior knowledge." And, "Research is...utterly fascinating when it connects to what they [students] know" (Fontichiaro, 2010). The 1st grade inquiry is intended to build student's historical and cultural knowledge by using their personal experiences of national holidays. They develop inquiry skills by comparing two countries' holidays and making connections to people, places and events in their own communities. They also extend their information skills by transferring their new knowledge of symbolism to creating a personalized, representative flag of their own families. First grade students engage in controlled inquiry activities that teach information skills or, "...understanding how to identity and extract information to address a basic information need; usually in an academic setting" (Lamb, 2005-2011).

The 10th grade inquiry also uses prior knowledge of national holidays as a base for building further inquiry skills. By investigating two countries' national holidays students are able to make personal connections, and relate more to their American or Mexican classmates respectively. In addition to historical knowledge students are also gaining societal, cultural, and ethical information skills. Barbara K. Stripling (1995) writes that, "Learning implies a change in mind of the learner; therefore, learning cannot be defined as a collection of information, as knowledge that can exist outside of a learner, or as simply a process unrelated to content." The 10th grade modeled inquiry strives to help students develop not only basic information research skills, but more importantly, information inquiry and usage skills. Annette Lamb (2005-2011) argues that an effective inquiry involves the following elements:
 * build on their existing knowledge and skills
 * select topics of interest.
 * explore a variety of resources (i.e., books, maps, primary source documents, websites, videos, audios, photographs).
 * select the best way to communication their findings.
 * share with real-world audiences.
 * be evaluated on both process and product.
 * evaluate themselves, their peers, their resources, and their teachers.

The "Invitation" assignment engages students in a modeled level of inquiry in that they get to make decisions on a specific holiday to investigate, research their information sources, and then share their knew knowledge through a final project of their choosing. The teacher and librarian act as guides through the inquiry process by conducting short class sessions to go over the day's activities, monitoring and prompting individual work time and teaching mini-lessons when necessary. The students do have requirements and daily tasks to complete; however, they are responsible for developing questions, gathering information sources, making content connections, reflecting on their work, editing peer projects, developing a final project and working in a small group to create a fiesta experience for Spanish 1 students. The assignment is set up so that students have opportunities to engage in the information inquiry process, with a focus on weaving concepts into meaningful, applicable new knowledge. Stripling (1995) defines this process by saying that, "...learning is recursive. Students move backward and forward throughout the process as they encounter difficulties, reflect on their own progress, make decisions, or react to input from others. Tenth grade students are ready to encounter this type of recursive learning environment. They need to develop learning skills that can transfer to real-world work and educational situations. The goal is that this assignment will strengthen, teach and engage students information inquiry skills so that they can become ife-long learners.

The amount of supervision and structure is vastly different than the 1st grade inquiry. First grade students need specific tasks and high levels of teacher instruction. They are not yet ready to independently seek out information sources or make final project decisions. They are just learning the information process and developing inquiry skills. The 1st grade inquiry is designed to introduce them to the process of asking questions and connecting ideas that transfer to other areas of life. The 10th grade students have conducted projects, research and written papers throughout their schooling. They have encountered print and electronic sources. They understand technologies and how to present information in a variety of ways. Their assignment uses these skills as a foundation to increase their information inquiry skills. They take their prior knowledge of research and apply it to writing a reflective blog, developing open-ended questions that lead to more questions, weaving concepts, applying new knowledge to the real world and creating unique ways to share the learned information and skills with others. Stripling (1995) writes that, "...the main goal is not a final product or solution but the formulation of ideas, understandings, and further questions." The student responsibilities and tasks are at different levels of inquiry due to the students age, grade level, information skills, prior knowledge and academic abilities. However, the assignments for both grade levels are intended to increase students information literacy and inquiry skills through activities and teacher and librarian guidance.


 * The information standards I address in the 1st grade unit are**:

__Skills __ 1.1.2 Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning. 1.1.3 Develop and refine a range of questions to frame the search for new understanding. 1.1.5 Evaluate information found in selected sources on the basis of accuracy, validity, appropriateness for needs, importance, and social and cultural context. 2.1.1 Continue an inquiry-based research process by applying critical thinking skills (analysis, synthesis, evaluation, organization) to information and knowledge in order to construct new understandings, draw conclusions, and create new knowledge. 2.1.6 Use the writing process, media and visual literacy, and technology skills to create products that express new understandings. 3.1.1 Conclude an inquiry-based research process by sharing new understandings and reflecting on the learning. 3.1.5 Connect learning to community issues.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> __Dispositions in Action__ <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">1.2.3 Demonstrate creativity by using multiple resources and formats.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> __Responsibilities__ <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2.3.1 Connect understanding to the real world.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">**The 10th grade unit includes all of these standards, as well as, many others**:

__ Skills __ 1.1.1 Follow an inquiry-based process in seeking knowledge in curricular subjects, and make the real-world connection for using this process in own life. 1.1.2 Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning. 1.1.3 Develop and refine a range of questions to frame the search for new understanding. 1.1.4 Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions. 1.1.5 Evaluate information found in selected sources on the basis of accuracy, validity, appropriateness for needs, importance, and social and cultural context. 1.1.8 Demonstrate mastery of technology tools for accessing information and pursuing inquiry. 1.1.9 Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding. 2.1.1 Continue an inquiry-based research process by applying critical thinking skills (analysis, synthesis, evaluation, organization) to information and knowledge in order to construct new understandings, draw conclusions, and create new knowledge. 2.1.2 Organize knowledge so that it is useful. 2.1.3 Use strategies to draw conclusions from information and apply knowledge to curricular areas, real-world situations, and further investigations. 2.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to analyze and organize information. 2.1.5 Collaborate with others to exchange ideas, develop new understandings, make decisions, and solve problems. 2.1.6 Use the writing process, media and visual literacy, and technology skills to create products that express new understandings. 3.1.1 Conclude an inquiry-based research process by sharing new understandings and reflecting on the learning. 3.1.5 Connect learning to community issues. 3.1.6 Use information and technology ethically and responsibly. 4.1.1 Read widely and fluently to make connections with self, the world, and previous reading. 4.1.5 Connect ideas to own interests and previous knowledge and experience.

__ Dispositions in Action __ 1.2.3 Demonstrate creativity by using multiple resources and formats. 3.2.1 Demonstrate leadership and confidence by presenting ideas to others in both formal and informal situations. 3.2.3 Demonstrate teamwork by working productively with others.

__ Responsibilities __ 1.3.1 Respect copyright/intellectual property rights of creators and producers. 1.3.2 Seek divergent perspectives during information gathering and assessment. 2.3.1 Connect understanding to the real world. 3.3.4 Create products that apply to authentic real-world contexts.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">As can be seen by the above lists, higher grade levels address more information standards. The older students have more experience and learning skills that can be increased through inquiry activities. Younger students are just beginning the learning process so must develop information skills that will form a foundation for future advanced inquiries. The information standards that older students are able to meet include technology, information searching, collaboration, making advanced connections to real life situations, exploring a variety of information sources (print, electronic, video, audio), and creating unique final products that demonstrate their new knowledge and inquiry skills. The information skills that younger students encounter include basic information searching, questioning, developing critical thinking, making preliminary connections and creating final products. A "...good inquiry develops when we know a little bit about something but want to know more" (Fontichiaro, 2010). The information standards help teachers and librarians create learning experiences that engage students in "good inquiry" activities.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Fontichiaro, K. (Ed.). (2010, September-October). Awakening and Building Upon Prior Knowledge. //School Library Monthly, XXVII//(1), 12-13. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Fontichiaro, K. (Ed.). (2010, November). Developing Questions and a Sense of Wonder. //School Library Monthly, XXVII//(2), 13-15. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Lamb, A. (2005-2011). Retrieved from Virtual Inquiry: http://virtualinquiry.com/index.htm <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Lamb, A. (2005-2011). //Inquiry-Based Learning.// Retrieved from Virtual Inquiry: http://virtualinquiry.com/inquiry/inquiry7.htm <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Stripling, B. K. (1995). Learning-Centered Libraries: Implications from Research. //SLMQ, 23//(3).
 * Works Cited**