Learning Strand: History

• Learning Standard 2: Historical Understanding
  • Students will understand the meaning, implications, and import of historical events, .... and past events as they were lived, by people of the time.
• Learning Standard 3: Research, Evidence, and Point of View
  • Students will acquire the ability to frame questions that can be answered by historical study and research; to collect, evaluate, and employ information from primary and secondary sources, and to apply it in oral and written presentations. They will understand the many kinds and uses of evidence; and by comparing competing historical narratives, they will differentiate historical fact from historical interpretation and from fiction.

Learning Strand: Language

• Learning Standard 2: Questioning, Listening, and Contributing
  • Students will pose questions, listen to the ideas of others, and contribute their own information or ideas in group discussions or interviews in order to acquire new knowledge.
• Learning Standard 3: Oral Presentation
  • Students will make oral presentations that demonstrate appropriate consideration of audience, purpose, and the information to be conveyed.
• Learning Standard 4: Vocabulary and Concept Development
  • Students will understand and acquire new vocabulary and use it correctly in reading and writing.

Learning Strand: Reading and Literature

• Learning Standard 9: Making Connections
  • Students will deepen their understanding or a literary or non-literary work by relating it to its contemporary context or historical background.

Learning Strand: Composition

• Learning Standard 23: Organizing Ideas in Writing
  • Students will organize ideas in writing in a way that makes sense for their purpose.
• Learning Standard 24: Research
  • Students will gather information from a variety of sources, analyze and evaluate the quality of the information they obtain and use it to answer their own questions.

Learning Strand: Media

• Learning Standard 27: Media Production
  • Students will design and create coherent media productions (audio, video, multimedia, Internet, emerging technologies) with a clear controlling idea, adequate detail, and appropriate consideration of audience, purpose, and medium.

The following standards are adapted from the Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning prepared by the American Association of School Librarians as found in Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning, 1998. The learning standards and indicators remain the same, but the benchmarks reflect the learning goals of Shrewsbury Public Schools.

INFORMATION LITERACY

 See Benchmarks linked to this project

Learning Standard 1: The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively.

• Indicator 1: Recognizes the need for information.
  • To meet this standard the student will:
    • ask appropriate questions.
    • evaluate the information found to determine if additional information is needed.
    • ask additional questions to arrive at a complete solution.
• Indicator 2: Recognizes that accurate and comprehensive information is the basis for intelligent decision making.
  • To meet this standard the student will:
    • understand that there are different points of view.
    • check the validity of information by accessing a variety of sources.
    • determine whether the information gathered will provide a complete answer to the query.
• Indicator 3: Formulates questions based on information needs.
  • To meet this standard the student will:
    • create questions to guide in the research process.
    • determine what additional questions are needed.
    • delete irrelevant questions.
    • develop questions that promote higher order thinking.
• Indicator 4: Recognizes a variety of potential sources of information.
  • To meet this standard the student will:
    • understand information is available in a variety of formats (i.e. print, nonprint, electronic, pictures).
    • understand the difference between primary and secondary sources.
    • acquire information from different sources.
    • respect the work of others by avoiding plagiarism and following copyright guidelines.
• Indicator 5: Develops and uses successful strategies for locating information.
  • To meet this standard the student will:
    • skim and scan to locate pertinent information.
    • takes relevant notes to aid in synthesizing information.

Learning Standard 2: The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently.

• Indicator 1: Determines accuracy, relevance, and comprehensiveness.
  • To meet this standard the student will:
    • recognize that there may be contradictory information from different sources.
    • synthesize to determine that more information is needed.
    • determine the usefulness of the information gathered.
• Indicator 2: Distinguishes among fact, point of view, and opinion.
  • To meet this standard the student will:
    • understand that there is a difference between fact and opinion.
    • discern when something is factual.
    • realize that an opinion may contain inaccurate information.
    • understand that facts can be verified.
    • recognize that differing opinions may reflect one's point of view.
• Indicator 3: Indentifies inaccurate and misleading information.
  • To meet this standard the student will:
    • compare information from many different sources to determine accuracy.
    • realize the importance of verifying facts to identify misstatements.
• Indicator 4: Selects information appropriate to the problem or question at hand.
  • To meet this standard the student will:
    • extract appropriate information.
    • determine what additional information is needed.
    • eliminate unnecessary information.
    • revise and alter search strategies to gather additional information.

Learning Standard 3: The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively.

• Indicator 1: Organizes information for practical application.
  • To meet this standard the student will:
    • use graphic organizers to help clarify his/her thinking.
    • consider audience for presentation.
    • create bibliographies which accurately reflect sources used.
• Indicator 2: Integrates new information into one's own knowledge.
  • To meet this standard the student will:
    • see connections and process information.
    • convey ideas in an original way.
    • use evidence to support his/her conclusions.
    • make insightful connections to the real world.
• Indicator 3: Applies information in critical thinking and problem solving.
  • To meet this standard the student will:
    • devise their own solutions.
    • develop strategies to transfer knowledge to new problems and situations.
• Indicator 4: Produces and communicates information and ideas in appropriate formats.
  • To meet this standard the student will:
    • select appropriate presentation tools.
    • understand that the choice of format depends upon the ideas being conveyed.