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The first information literacy skill found in //Information Power// involves students accessing information “efficiently and effectively.” This means that students are able to recognize information needs, formulate guiding questions, identify possible resources, and then develop strategies for finding information (9-11). In order to help students develop these skills, teachers must develop authentic assignments that build on students’ prior knowledge (Callison and Preddy 295). Through these assignments students master basic skills and teachers help students master more complex skills through the zone of proximal development, the distance between what a student can do on their own and what they can do with the help of someone else (Callison and Preddy 524-525). For example, a novice learner might be able to recognize that they need to more information about what is a balanced diet, but they need help formulating an appropriate research question.
 * Inquiry Skill**

//Middle school// Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS), a content area that includes nutrition, interpersonal relationships, and clothing and textiles, is not introduced to schools until middle school. At this age, the curriculum is focused on introducing students to the different aspects of FACS and teaching students basic skills and information. In the nutrition and wellness program this includes not only basic food preparation but information about balanced diets and basic nutrients. In this unit, students explore the importance of eating a balanced diet by researching one of the six nutrient groups: carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins, minerals, water. Working in groups, students research the nutrient and then present their information to the rest of the class. The students can choose how they will present their information, from educational brochures, power point presentations, skits, or poster. The lesson focuses on the development of research questions to guide students’ research.
 * Overview**

// High school// Since FACS classes like Nutrition and Wellness are usually elective classes in high school, students have more choice over when they can take the class in their high school career. As a result, one class may be a combination of upper classman and under classman, leading to varying degrees of skill level. Many times classes are available at different levels, such as Foods 1 and Foods 2, and students must take previous classes in the sequence before the can move on the higher level classes. The Nutrition and Wellness class described in this unit is a basic level class, with students beginning to explore nutritional issues with more depth but still needing guidance in how to find information. Students will break into groups and investigate the nutritional needs of different types of special diets, such as vegetarianism, lactose intolerance, or diabetes. After finding relevant information, students develop a menu for their dietary need that also incorporates the dietary needs of the food guide pyramid. For example, the students will have to find a way for someone with lactose intolerance to still consume the desired amount of calcium for one day. Students will then demonstrate to the class one of the recipes that they have on their menu while explaining how it meets the dietary needs of their special diet. Students choose how they will present their menu to the class, whether as a power point presentation or in the format of a restaurant menu. The lesson introduces students to the unit and starts to help them develop a research strategy to find information.


 * Lessons:**

Sarah MacMillan **Subject/topic:** Nutrients ILS 1: The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively M-NW-1.3 Evaluate nutrition choices and practices in a variety of settings using reliable guidelines and sources of information: Nutrients, nutritional analysis Chalkboard/white board Article: Murphy, Dee. “Fad Diets.” __Current Health 2__. 30.1 (2003): 16-18 Student worksheets Students will be able to formulate research questions to guide research into nutrients Students will be able to recognize the importance of having a focus in their search process Students recognize the importance of a balanced diet and how all the different nutrients work together to keep the body healthy Review with students different fad diets such as the Adkins diet, which eliminate or place heavy emphasis on one or more of the different nutrient groups. Why is a balanced diet healthier than one of the fad diets? How do the different nutrient groups work together to keep the body healthy? Develop a research question to guide research into different nutrients Have students separate into the research groups that their teacher assigned them to in a previous lesson Hand out student worksheet In their research groups, have students brainstorm key words or ideas related to their different nutrient group (e.g. carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals, fats, water) and record on their worksheet Students come back together as a group and share some of their ideas with rest of the class As a class, read the article about fad diets After the students read the article about fad diets, they will brainstorm additional ideas or words in their groups The students will come back together as a class and share some of their additional ideas Teacher models how to use some of the key ideas to create a research question ex. How does protein help the body? What happens when you get too much protein? For the remainder of the time, students work in their research groups to develop research questions See evaluation rubric
 * Middle School**
 * Grade:** 6-8
 * Information Literacy Standards:**
 * Family and Consumer Sciences Middle School Standards**
 * Materials:**
 * Objective:**
 * Motivation:**
 * Goal for learner:**
 * Content/procedures:**
 * Practice/application:**
 * Evaluation of student learning:**


 * Student Worksheets**

Name Class Nutrients and Fad Diets Today, many people use “fad diets” like the Atkins diet to quickly lose weight. Many of these diets eliminate or place heavy emphasis on one or more of the different nutrient groups. For instance, in the Atkin’s diet people eat a lot of high protein foods like meat but not a lot of food with carbohydrates, like bread. For this assignment you will investigate one of the nutrient groups to find out how **all** work together to help us stay healthy. Nutrient group: What do you already know about the nutrients that your group has chosen to study? What foods have the nutrients that you will be researching? Brainstorm words and ideas related to your nutrient group here:

Now that you have brainstormed key ideas, it is time to think about what you want to learn about your nutrient group: Research Questions: 1. 2.  3.


 * Rubrics**
 * ||  ||   ||   || ** Middle School ** ||
 * **// Nutrients //** ||  ||   ||   ||
 * || Name: || Teacher: __Ms. MacMillan__ ||  ||
 * ||  ||   || ** Criteria ** || ** Points ** ||   ||
 * ||  || **4** || **3** || **2** || **1** ||   ||
 * ** Introduction/ Topic ** || Student(s) properly generate questions and or problems **around a topic**. || Student(s) **generate questions** and or problems. || Student(s) **require prompts** to generate questions and or problems. || Questions or problems are **teacher generated**. || ||
 * ** Conclusions Reached ** || ** Numerous ** detailed conclusions are reached from the evidence offered. || ** Several ** detailed conclusions are reached from the evidence offered. || ** Some ** detailed conclusions are reached from the evidence offered. || ** A ** conclusion is made from the evidence offered. || ||
 * ** Information Gathering ** || Information is gathered from multiple electronic and non-electronic sources and **cited properly**. || Information is gathered from **multiple** electronic and non-electronic sources. || Information is gathered from **limited** electronic and non-electronic sources. || Information is gathered from non-electronic or electronic sources **only**. || ||
 * ** Summary Paragraph ** || Well organized, demonstrates **logical** sequencing and sentence structure. || Well organized, but demonstrates illogical sequencing **or** sentence structure. || Well organized, but demonstrates illogical sequencing **and** sentence structure. || ** Weakly ** organized. || ||
 * ** Punctuation, Capitalization, & Spelling ** || Punctuation and capitalization are **correct**. || There is **one error** in punctuation and/or capitalization. || There are **two or three** errors in punctuation and/or capitalization. || There are **four or more** errors in punctuation and/or capitalization. || ||
 * ||  ||   ||   || ** Total> ** || ||   ||   ||


 * High school lesson plan**

Sarah MacMillan ILS 1: The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively 4.2 Investigate food modifications made for nutritional challenges such as vegetarianism, sports nutrition, diabetes, lactose intolerance, and food allergies Chalk board/white board
 * Subject/topic**: Nutritional Needs
 * Grade:** 10-12
 * Information Literacy Standards:**
 * Nutrition and Wellness Standards:**
 * Materials:**

Computer with projector Web site My Pyramid Plan http://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid/index.aspx Student worksheets Students will be able to brainstorm a variety of resources to access information to meet their needs Students will be able to work collaboratively to develop a research plan for their project Students discuss the importance of developing strategies to meet their needs in a variety of different situations Create a research plan/strategy to find needed information Have students divide into groups of four to five Each group decides which dietary need they will investigate: diabetes, lactose intolerance, food allergies, etc. After the groups decide which dietary need they will research, distribute copies of KWHL worksheet and project guidelines Demonstrate how to access My Pyramid Plan from the United States Department of Agriculture Type in web address: http://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid/index.aspx Pick a student volunteer who will enter their information into the required fields and discuss some of the suggestions with the class Discuss importance of developing strategies to meet needs in life ex. driving directions, recipes, etc. Describe how students will work in groups to develop a search strategy to find information about their dietary need and then plan a menu to share with rest of the class In their research groups, students brainstorm possible resources to find information, focusing on inclusion of print and non-print resources, ex. diabetes web site, cookbooks, interviews with vegan, etc. As a class, students review each others’ ideas, adding to other groups as needed Students work in groups to refine research questions and decide who will be responsible for using which resources See rubric
 * Objective:**
 * Motivation:**
 * Goal for learner:**
 * Content/procedures:**
 * Practice/application:**
 * Evaluation of student learning:**


 * Student Worksheets**

Name­­­­­ ­­­­­­­­­ Class_ Menu Planning Having a balanced diet is an important part of keeping healthy, but many people have special dietary needs which make it more difficult to incorporate a balanced amount of foods into their diet. As a group, you will:  ·  Investigate the dietary needs of a special diet such as vegetarianism, diabetes, lactose intolerance, or a food allergy  ·  Plan a meal incorporating the guidelines of the food guide pyramid but keeping your special dietary needs in mind  ·  Demonstrate to the class how to make one of the dishes on your menu, explaining why it is a good choice for your dietary need To help you in your research process, you will need to develop a search strategy and determine what each group member will be responsible for Dietary Need: Guiding questions about the need: 1. 2.  3.

Use this chart below to help gather information and plan the search strategy for your group What I know || W What I want to know || H How will I find information? What web pages, print resources, or other methods will I use? || L What I learned || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
 * K


 * Rubrics**

Teacher Name: **Ms. MacMillan**
 * || ** Group Planning -- Research Project : Special Dietary Needs **

Student Name: || ||
 * CATEGORY || ** 4 ** || ** 3 ** || ** 2 ** || ** 1 ** ||
 * ** Ideas/Research Questions ** || Researchers independently identify at least 3 reasonable, insightful, creative ideas/questions to pursue when doing the research. || Researchers independently identify at least 3 reasonable ideas/questions to pursue when doing the research. || Researchers identify, with some adult help, at least 3 reasonable ideas/questions to pursue when doing the research. || Researchers identify, with considerable adult help, 3 reasonable ideas/questions to pursue when doing the research. ||
 * ** Delegation of Responsibility ** || Each student in the group can clearly explain what information is needed by the group, what information s/he is responsible for locating, and when the information is needed. || Each student in the group can clearly explain what information s/he is responsible for locating. || Each student in the group can, with minimal prompting from peers, clearly explain what information s/he is responsible for locating. || One or more students in the group cannot clearly explain what information they are responsible for locating. ||
 * ** Plan for Organizing Information ** || Students have developed a clear plan for organizing the information as it is gathered and in the final research product. All students can independently explain the planned organization of the research findings. || Students have developed a clear plan for organizing the information in the final research product. All students can independently explain this plan. || Students have developed a clear plan for organizing the information as it is gathered. All students can independently explain most of this plan. || Students have no clear plan for organizing the information AND/OR students in the group cannot explain their organizational plan. ||
 * ** Quality of Sources ** || Researchers independently locate at least 2 reliable, interesting information sources for EACH of their ideas or questions. || Researchers independently locate at least 2 reliable information sources for EACH of their ideas or questions. || Researchers, with some adult help, locate at least 2 reliable information sources for EACH of their ideas or questions. || Researchers, with extensive adult help, locate at least 2 reliable information sources for EACH of their ideas or questions. ||


 * Discussion**

Since the focus of the middle school Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) program is introducing students to the discipline, middle school students need to learn basic information and skills. High school students on the other hand have had previous experience in their middle school classes and can therefore explore issues of health and wellness more in depth then in middle school. For example, middle school students learn the importance of a balanced diet and following the food guide pyramid guidelines, but high school students can start to explore other issues related to special dietary needs and other types of lifestyles such as vegetarianism. Middle school students might need help in developing appropriate research questions where as high school students will need help in refining their research questions. Middle school students may need help in recognizing appropriate resources for health information, such as the United State Department of Agriculture or appropriate health dictionaries, but high school students can start to explore other sources such as interviews with a vegan grocery store owner or expert on food allergies. The teacher helps students to develop these skills through modeling of appropriate strategies. For instance, the teacher demonstrates for students how to use brainstormed concepts to develop research questions or how to develop a research plan. By seeing appropriate strategies students are then better able to mimic these strategies and integrate them into their already existing practices. Middle school students with less experience performing research will need more guidance from the teacher and more detailed lessons that break down the research process. High school students can focus on the development of broader research skills such as forming overall research strategies.


 * Resources**

Callison, Daniel and Leslie Preddy. __The Blue Book on Information Age Inquiry, Instruction, and Literacy__. Westpor, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2006.

American Association of School Libraries and Association for Educational Communications and Technology. __Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning__. Chicago: American Library Association, 1998.

Christine Fisher Addition I have created a comic about a Kindergarten boy who sees a "Got Milk?" ad of Superman. He fosters his own search for information through an interview, pre-selected sites, Food Network programs, as well as books. This can easily be adapted into lessons for an entire Kindergarten unit on Health & Exercise.




 * This is an optional nutrition lesson plan for third grade students created by Terri Zabonick. **

Science: 3.4.7 Explain that eating a variety of healthful foods and getting enough exercise and rest help people stay healthy. Language:  3.2.1  Use titles, tables of contents, chapter headings, a glossary, or an index to locate information in text.  1.1.2  Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning. 1.1.4 Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions. 2.1.2 Organize knowledge so that it is useful. 4.1.8 Use creative and artistic formats to express personal learning.
 * Indiana **** Academic Standards: **
 * Standards for the 21st Century Learner: **

Day 1: Brainstorm with students reasons to eat a healthy diet and get enough rest. Ask students how they can learn more about making good food choices. Ask students who they can ask about good food choices. Days 2-3: Have students create interview questions about making good food choices. Have students interview members of the cafeteria staff at school about making good food choices. Have students interview family members at home about making good food choices. Day 4: In the media center, have students research food groups using books and appropriate internet sources such as: http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/pyramid.html Day 5: To share what students have learned they will create a healthy meal diagram using construction paper, a paper plate, and other art materials and share it with the class. Glue a paper plate on to a large piece of construction paper to serve as a placemat. From there students create their healthy meal choices by drawing, cutting out pictures, or making them from construction paper. Day 6: Share with the class and reflect on the project and the learning.
 * Method: **