Hickson Homework

This lesson was conducted in the following classes:

• Cavo, 7-8
• Kayal, 13-14
• Cavo, 17-18

Handouts

• Note-taking organizers (1 for each country card assigned on Day 5)

Vocabulary

Pathfinder: Guide. A set of resources selected by the librarian to help students with a particular assignment.

Catalog: An online list that organizes and makes it easy to find the items that a library owns.

Activity & Discussion

The goal for this day was to learn about and use additional research tools: the online catalog and the project pathfinder.

Ms. Hickson showed the class the cart of country books she had pulled and reserved for the Advanced Academic Literacies classes. The books are organized on the cart by continent. Because many classes will be conducting this research at the same time, the books may not be checked out and must be used in the library. The books will be available on the cart through the end of May.

Ms. Hickson then demonstrated the online pathfinder for this project. The pathfinder includes recommended databases, e-books, and web sites, including sites that specialize in each of the continents being studied. She especially recommended the following resources for each of the research cards:

• Card 1: All sites listed under Travel Services, Reservations & Prices
• Card 2: International Travel Alerts; all sites listed under Travel Services, Reservations & Prices; all sites listed under Travel Guides, especially Fodor’s, Frommer’s, iExplore, Travel.State.Gov, and Virtual Tourist
• Card 3: All sites listed under Travel Services, Reservations & Prices; all sites listed under Travel Guides, especially Fodor’s, Frommer’s, iExplore, Travel.State.Gov; Virtual Tourist for restaurant prices
• Card 4: CountryWatch, International Travel Alerts, Portals to the World, World Factbook
• Card 5: Gale Virtual Reference Library-Juniour Worldmark Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Gale Virtual Reference Library-Countries and Their Cultures, Grolier Online-Lands & Peoples
• Card 6: International Travel Alerts, Travel.State.Gov

Homework

Work on your in-depth country research (using the colored cards that were assigned to you). Your teacher will discuss deadlines for the detailed research when you return to your regular classroon.

This lesson was conducted in the following classes:

• Cavo, 7-8
• Kayal, 13-14
• Cavo, 17-18

Handouts

• Group task instructions: Choose countries
• Cooperative Learning Roles: Country Decisions
• Country jigsaw note-taking sheet
• Research card decks
• Research Responsibilities grid
• Homework: Country Decision Log

Activity & Discussion

The goal for today’s time in the Media Center was to share country research summaries, pick the three countries that your team will visit, and assign in-depth research responsibilities to each team member.

Using the research summaries that they had prepared for homework, each team member spent two minutes briefing the team on two countries, providing their recommendation about whether to travel there and stating reasons why. As each team member spoke, the remaining team members took notes, which they will refer to when writing their decision-log homework.

After all team members had reported on their countries, the teams selected the three countries that their company would visit. Using color-coded decks of country research-assignment cards, team members divided responsibility for researching six key aspects of the three countries:

1. Activities, culture & entertainment
2. Transportation & travel
3. Food & lodging
4. National & local profile
5. Cross-cultural communication
6. Timing, health & safety

Homework

Check in with your team members to determine the countries they selected, the reasons why, and your research responsibilities.

Complete the Personal Decision Log-Country Choices assignment on Nice Net; due by midnight on Friday, Nov. 6.

Submit to Ms. Hickson your completed country fact sheets (2), your country summary sheet (1, double-sided), and any corresponding web-evaluation sheets (if you used web sources).

This lesson was conducted in the following classes:

• Cavo, 7-8
• Kayal, 13-14
• Cavo, 17-18

Handouts

• Homework: Country Research & Conferencing
• Research summary sheets (2)

Vocabulary

Etiquette: Manners. Courtesy. Guidelines for proper behavior. Saying “please” and “thank you” is one way to show proper etiquette.

Question

How do you show good etiquette in conversation with another person? How can you show good etiquette in an online conversation?

Activity & Discussion

Using research about New Jersey as an example, Ms. Hickson demonstrated how to complete the summary worksheet, on which students must make a recommendation about whether to visit the countries they researched and provide an explanation for their recommendation. In class, students completed one country summary. Students will complete the second country summary for homework.

Next, we reflected upon the research tools we have been using (the Internet and electronic databases) in an online conference.

Ms. Hickson reviewed the guidelines for online etiquette:

• Read first, write later
• Explain yourself fully
• Respect classmates
• No mean or inappropriate comments
• Use standard English
• Avoid capitalizing whole words or sentences
• Avoid strong or offensive language
• Be professional
• Review before posting

Using these guidelines, students posted to the NiceNet conference about their research-tool preferences. For homework, they read and responded to at least two other students’ posts.

Homework

1. Participate in the online discussion:

• Log in to NiceNet.
• Click the Conferencing link.
• Click the link for Research Tools Conferencing. 
• In a Word document, compose your response to this question:Thinking about your country research during the past two days, compare your experience of using the Internet to your experience of using electronic databases.a) Which was easier to use?
  b) Why?
  c) Which do you prefer?
  d) Why?
• Your response to prompt A, must begin with: “I was absent on Oct. 30″
• You must write at least one sentence for each section of the question (a-d).
• Copy the material in your Word document.
• In NiceNet, click the link for “Post Message to …”
• In the Subject line, type your name. In the Message Text field, paste your answer.

2. By the end of the day on Monday, Nov. 2, reply to at least two other students’ discussion posts:

• Read your classmates’ responses to the NiceNet conference.
• Reply to at least two other students by clicking the Reply link within their message.
• Type your message in the Message Text box. Your message must state more than just “I agree” or “I disagree”. You must explain your comments and opinions.

3. Using the country facts worksheet, finish finding facts about your assigned countries (at least 15 facts per country). You may use databases, web sites, or both to finish your research. If you find facts using a web site, you must complete a web evaluation form for the site.

4. Using the summary worksheet, summarize your findings and recommendations about each country you researched.

5. Be prepared to submit your completed fact sheets, summary sheets, and (if you used web sites) web-evaluation sheets in class on Nov. 2; or if you are also absent on that date, submit them to your AAL teacher when you return to school.

This lesson was conducted in the following classes:

• Cavo, 7-8
• Kayal, 13-14
• Cavo, 17-18

Activity & Discussion

Today’s class was a quiet work session during which students continued using CultureGrams to find 10 facts about their second country. Students were reminded to fill in the source box for every fact they recorded; when a fact came from CultureGrams, students could write “CG” in the source box.

Students took notes on their Cornell Method note-taking sheets, while Ms. Hickson demonstrated how to use the Facts on File-World Atlas (FOF) database.

Students used the remainder of the period to find an additional five facts about each of their countries, for a total of 15 facts about each country.

Homework

Finish finding 15 facts about each country using the tools we have discussed (CultureGrams database, Facts on File-World Atlas database, or web sites found with Google). Be sure to complete a Web Evaluation form for any/all web sites you use. (Hint: Find 1 good, informative web site that will provide at least 10 facts so that you don’t have to evaluate more than 1 site.) You do not need to evaluate the school’s databases. Be sure to fill in the source field for each fact.

This lesson was conducted in the following classes:

• Cavo, 7-8
• Kayal, 13-14
• Cavo, 17-18

Handouts

• Study Skills Tip: Cornell Method of Note-Taking (in your binder)
• Database passwords bookmark
• Country facts worksheet (for Country 2)

Vocabulary

Electronic database: A warehouse of edited, evaluated information that is quick and easy for a computer to search. The library subscribes (pays money) to electronic databases because they provide outstanding sources for academic research.

Question

How will using an electronic database be different than using the free web for research?

Study Skills Tip

Note-Taking with the Cornell Method: The Cornell Method is an organized and efficient way to take notes by dividing your note sheet into an area for notes; a recall column, on which you write key words or phrases to help you remember main points; and a summary section, where you summarize the main points of the lecture.

Activity & Discussion

Class began with 10 minutes of work time for students to use Google, find a site with information about their first country, evaluate that web site to determine whether it is worthy for academic research, and find 10 facts about the country from the Country Facts worksheet.

Next, Ms. Hickson conducted a lesson about another research tool — electronic databases.

Students discussed the difficulties they had yesterday using the free web to research their countries. Most reported that it was difficult to evaluate web sites because information about the author, purpose, and date of publication was often not available. As a result, it took too much time to find quality information on the Internet.

Ms. Hickson recommended electronic databases as an alternative to searching the free web. She demonstrated the CultureGrams database, and students took notes about CultureGrams using the Cornell Method. Ms. Hickson reminded students that it is not necessary to complete a Web evaluation form when using databases because the information in the databases as already been evaluated.

Homework

Finish finding 10 facts from the Country Facts worksheet for Country 1 (using Google). Be sure to complete a Web Evaluation form for any/all web sites you use. (Hint: Find 1 good, informative web site that will provide at least 10 facts so that you don’t have to evaluate more than 1 site.)

This lesson was conducted in the following classes:

• Cavo 7-8
• Kayal 13-14
• Cavo 17-18

Handouts

In your AAL binder behind the Media Center Unit tab (Unit 6)

• Vocab sheet
• Study Skills Tip: Skimming
• Web evaluation sheet 
• Country facts worksheet

Vocabulary

Evaluate: To carefully consider a source in order to judge how good or useful it is. Factors to consider include the author’s background and the accuracy of the facts. Why is it important to evaluate your sources?

Skim: Read quickly. Not reading every word or sentence, but quickly scanning the page to find what you are looking for. What parts of a page help you skim?

Study Skills Tip

Skimming: Use skimming to help you quickly get an overview of a book, article, or web site and see if the material contains relevant or interesting ideas that you can use. Your Study Skills Tip offers skimming suggestions.

Activity & Discussion

During your time in the Media Center, you will research information about potential travel destinations. Most students report that their favorite research tool is Google.

We reviewed important factors to consider when evaluating information:

• Who: Who wrote or published it? What are their qualifications on the topic? How can you contact them?
• What: Is the information accurate? Are spelling and grammar accurate? Do the links work?
• When: When was the site created or updated? Are there signs that it is updated regularly?
• Why: What is the purpose of the site (to sell, advocate, persuade, educate, inform, explain)?

Students received a Country Facts worksheet and a Web Evaluation worksheet. They used Google to find facts about their assigned countries. Before recording any information from a web site, however, students had to evaluate the web site to make sure it was trustworthy and useful.

Throughout your research, whenever you use a web site to find facts, you must evaluate the site.

Homework

Assignment 1: Use Google to find web sites that will help you research at least 10 facts about one of your countries. For every web site you use to find a fact, complete a web evaluation form to prove that the web site is useful, authoritative, and current. Then record your facts on the country facts worksheet.

If you need help evaluating web sites, view Ms. Hickson’s screencast reviews. Each screencast is 2-4 minutes long. Viewing them all will take about 20 minutes, or you can view only the particular sections where you need help.

• Why Evaluate?
• Who Section
• What Section
• When Section
• Why Section
• Summary Section

This lesson was conducted in the following classes:

• Sheldon, 1-2
• Sheldon, 3-4

Handouts

• Note-taking organizers (1 for each country card assigned on Day 5)

Vocabulary

Pathfinder: Guide. A set of resources selected by the librarian to help students with a particular assignment.

Catalog: An online list that organizes and makes it easy to find the items that a library owns.

Activity & Discussion

The goal for this day was to learn about and use additional research tools: the online catalog and the project pathfinder.

Ms. Hickson showed the class the cart of country books she had pulled and reserved for the Advanced Academic Literacies classes. The books are organized on the cart by continent. Because many classes will be conducting this research at the same time, the books may not be checked out and must be used in the library. The books will be available on the cart through the end of May.

Ms. Hickson then demonstrated the online pathfinder for this project. The pathfinder includes recommended databases, e-books, and web sites, including sites that specialize in each of the continents being studied. She especially recommended the following resources for each of the research cards:

• Card 1: All sites listed under Travel Services, Reservations & Prices
• Card 2: International Travel Alerts; all sites listed under Travel Services, Reservations & Prices; all sites listed under Travel Guides, especially Fodor’s, Frommer’s, iExplore, Travel.State.Gov, and Virtual Tourist
• Card 3: All sites listed under Travel Services, Reservations & Prices; all sites listed under Travel Guides, especially Fodor’s, Frommer’s, iExplore, Travel.State.Gov; Virtual Tourist for restaurant prices
• Card 4: CountryWatch, International Travel Alerts, Portals to the World, World Factbook
• Card 5: Gale Virtual Reference Library-Juniour Worldmark Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Gale Virtual Reference Library-Countries and Their Cultures, Grolier Online-Lands & Peoples
• Card 6: International Travel Alerts, Travel.State.Gov

Homework

Work on your in-depth country research (using the colored cards that were assigned to you). Your teacher will discuss deadlines for the detailed research when you return to your regular classroon.

This lesson was conducted in the following classes:

• Sheldon, 1-2
• Sheldon, 3-4

Handouts

• Group task instructions: Choose countries
• Cooperative Learning Roles: Country Decisions
• Country jigsaw note-taking sheet
• Research card decks
• Research Responsibilities grid
• Homework: Country Decision Log

Activity & Discussion

The goal for today’s time in the Media Center was to share country research summaries, pick the three countries that your team will visit, and assign in-depth research responsibilities to each team member.

Using the research summaries that they had prepared for homework, each team member spent two minutes briefing the team on two countries, providing their recommendation about whether to travel there and stating reasons why. As each team member spoke, the remaining team members took notes, which they will refer to when writing their decision-log homework.

After all team members had reported on their countries, the teams selected the three countries that their company would visit. Using color-coded decks of country research-assignment cards, team members divided responsibility for researching six key aspects of the three countries:

1. Activities, culture & entertainment
2. Transportation & travel
3. Food & lodging
4. National & local profile
5. Cross-cultural communication
6. Timing, health & safety

Homework

Check in with your team members to determine the countries they selected, the reasons why, and your research responsibilities.

Complete the Personal Decision Log-Country Choices assignment on Nice Net; due within 1 day of your return to class.

Submit to Ms. Hickson your completed country fact sheets (2), your country summary sheet (1, double-sided), and any corresponding web-evaluation sheets (if you used web sources).

This lesson was conducted in the following classes:

• Sheldon, 1-2
• Sheldon, 3-4

Handouts

• Homework: Country Research & Conferencing
• Research summary sheets (2)

Vocabulary

Etiquette: Manners. Courtesy. Guidelines for proper behavior. Saying “please” and “thank you” is one way to show proper etiquette.

Question

How do you show good etiquette in conversation with another person? How can you show good etiquette in an online conversation?

Activity & Discussion

Using research about New Jersey as an example, Ms. Hickson demonstrated how to complete the summary worksheet, on which students must make a recommendation about whether to visit the countries they researched and provide an explanation for their recommendation. In class, students completed one country summary. Students will complete the second country summary for homework.

Next, we reflected upon the research tools we have been using (the Internet and electronic databases) in an online conference.

Ms. Hickson reviewed the guidelines for online etiquette:

• Read first, write later
• Explain yourself fully
• Respect classmates
• No mean or inappropriate comments
• Use standard English
• Avoid capitalizing whole words or sentences
• Avoid strong or offensive language
• Be professional
• Review before posting

Using these guidelines, students posted to the NiceNet conference about their research-tool preferences. For homework, they read and responded to at least two other students’ posts.

Homework

1. Participate in the online discussion:

• Log in to NiceNet.
• Click the Conferencing link.
• Click the link for Research Tools Conferencing. 
• In a Word document, compose your response to this question:Thinking about your country research during the past two days, compare your experience of using the Internet to your experience of using electronic databases.a) Which was easier to use?
  b) Why?
  c) Which do you prefer?
  d) Why?
• Your response to prompt A, must begin with: “I was absent on Oct. 22″
• You must write at least one sentence for each section of the question (a-d).
• Copy the material in your Word document.
• In NiceNet, click the link for “Post Message to …”
• In the Subject line, type your name. In the Message Text field, paste your answer.

2. By the end of the day on Monday, Oct. 26, reply to at least two other students’ discussion posts:

• Read your classmates’ responses to the NiceNet conference.
• Reply to at least two other students by clicking the Reply link within their message.
• Type your message in the Message Text box. Your message must state more than just “I agree” or “I disagree”. You must explain your comments and opinions.

3. Using the country facts worksheet, finish finding facts about your assigned countries (at least 15 facts per country). You may use databases, web sites, or both to finish your research. If you find facts using a web site, you must complete a web evaluation form for the site.

4. Using the summary worksheet, summarize your findings and recommendations about each country you researched.

5. Be prepared to submit your completed fact sheets, summary sheets, and (if you used web sites) web-evaluation sheets in class on Oct. 23; or if you are also absent on that date, submit them to your AAL teacher when you return to school.

This lesson was conducted in the following classes:

• Sheldon, 1-2
• Sheldon, 3-4

Activity & Discussion

Today’s class was a quiet work session during which students continued using CultureGrams to find 10 facts about their second country. Students were reminded to fill in the source box for every fact they recorded; when a fact came from CultureGrams, students could write “CG” in the source box.

Students took notes on their Cornell Method note-taking sheets, while Ms. Hickson demonstrated how to use the Facts on File-World Atlas (FOF) database.

Students used the remainder of the period to find an additional five facts about each of their countries, for a total of 15 facts about each country.

Homework

Finish finding 15 facts about each country using the tools we have discussed (CultureGrams database, Facts on File-World Atlas database, or web sites found with Google). Be sure to complete a Web Evaluation form for any/all web sites you use. (Hint: Find 1 good, informative web site that will provide at least 10 facts so that you don’t have to evaluate more than 1 site.) You do not need to evaluate the school’s databases. Be sure to fill in the source field for each fact.