High School / Secondary

Assignments specifically geared toward grades 9-12.

Submitted by Lauren deLaubell on January 17th, 2025
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Short Description: 

The most powerful wizards have gathered to battle one another.  Only one will win.  Wizards must use reliable sources to research incantations for the battle, or their spells will fizzle.  Truly wise wizards must learn to tell the difference. 

Research Wizards is an information literacy card game designed to teach students ages 12+ about source evaluation.  Research Wizards corresponds to the Frame Authority Is Constructed and Contextual, from the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.  Players will discuss and challenge the relative value of various sources, each representing a different suit in the game.  The game includes four major actions/phases:  Parley, when players discuss and decide for themselves the relative value of each suit; Battle, which includes competition, player actions, and Challenges; Vengeance, for eliminated players to impact and speed up the remainder of the game; and Victory.

The Research Wizards website contains free game files, player directions, and printing tips for librarians and teachers who wish to use the game in their classrooms.  The website includes an editable, Microsoft Publisher version of the game.  Noncommercial use of the game is free for educational purposes with attribution to the author.  Librarians and teachers are encouraged to adapt the game as needed for their subject areas, student needs, and as the sources in the game evolve over time.  Adaptations must be shared under the same terms.

Players:  3-5 per deck

Play Time:  20-30 minutes, plus discussion

Research Wizards by Lauren deLaubell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0  To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
Player directionsdisplayed 1592 times1.02 MB
Printing tipsdisplayed 1509 times26.71 KB
Card deckdisplayed 1550 times2.51 MB
Learning Outcomes: 
    • Wizards will define a variety of traditional and emerging information formats.
    • Wizards will compare a variety of information formats and discuss their relative reliability.
    • Wizards will explore the variation in quality found within specific categories of information (e.g., the wildcard of using resources located by or generated with artificial intelligence).

Individual or Group:

Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

It is recommended to review directions out loud with students, with pauses for students to sort their decks and conduct the Parley phase of play.  To contextualize and reinforce learning, it is recommended to conclude the game with discussion questions; sample questions are provided at the bottom of the player directions file but may be adjusted as needed.

Suggested Citation: 
deLaubell, Lauren. "Research Wizards." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2025. https://projectcora.org/assignment/research-wizards.
Submitted by Ariel Dyer on November 18th, 2024
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Short Description: 

Play-based learning activity asking students to intentionally create "fake news" and engage with their emotional reactions in coming across information. 

Learning Outcomes: 
  • Evaluate news using the SIFT rubric
  • Select relevant misinformation tools and apply to misleading information
  • Create misinformation in order to understand its proliferation

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 
Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 
Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

Recommendations for adaptation:

  • -Prior introduction to AI tools
  • -Stronger parameters for discussion post (set the scene)
Suggested Citation: 
Dyer, Ariel. "Faking Breaking News." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2024. https://projectcora.org/assignment/faking-breaking-news.
Submitted by Andrea Brooks on October 14th, 2024
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Short Description: 

Two librarians at NKU developed an Informed Voting workshop to help students navigate information during the 2024 election season. Attendees were provided a worksheet to learn about the candidates/issues on their ballot and dig into one issue/race to investigate during the workshop.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
Voting Workshop Plandisplayed 574 times36.13 KB
Voting Workshop Slidesdisplayed 634 times2.95 MB
Voter Workshop Worksheetdisplayed 575 times25.1 KB
Learning Outcomes: 
Locate voter information to identify who and what is on their ballot
Use relevant and credible news sources to make informed voting decisions

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

This was a workshop designed for our campus community and open for anyone, though marketing targeted the student population. We are also considering how to offer this workshop as an option for a class.

Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 
Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 
Collaborators: 
Suggested Citation: 
Brooks, Andrea. "Voter Workshop." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2024. https://projectcora.org/assignment/voter-workshop.
Submitted by Megan Pitz on February 15th, 2024
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Short Description: 

This learning session, led by a librarian, is for first-year community college students in an academic library setting. The intention of this session is to scaffold onto existing research writing skills acquired in previous education, as well as use of popular video sharing platforms to obtain information, like TikTok. Informative videos produced by everyday people are a growing form of intellectual connection between all audiences and scholarly sources based on relatability, as well as visibility of marginalized issues larger news organizations do not address. When the information messenger is familiar yet dynamic in their presentation and provides information that the public is not informed on, viewers are more inclined to listen than if it were just a research paper or a scholarly representative of a research community. There are, however, citation issues and basic research principles missing in several of these videos, based solely on most video sharing platform’s intention to obtain engagement, not to responsibly inform/educate its users. As researchers, it is crucial to discern engagement-intended, incendiary content with informative, well-researched content that our neighbors are making, even if their intentions are good.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
TikTok Lesson Plan.docxdisplayed 1232 times17.53 KB
AttachmentSize
lesson plan project slides.pdfdisplayed 1238 times304.28 KB
Learning Outcomes: 

By the end of this session, students will be able to:

  • Identify research as an ongoing conversation between several scaffolding and outside research and popular community voices.
  • Recognize the importance and necessity of crediting other voices inside and outside of the research and popular communities you are entering.
  • Respect your own contributions to scholarship by following citation guidelines in your own information creation.
Discipline: 
Education

Information Literacy concepts:

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 
Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 
Assessment or Criteria for Success
(e.g. rubric, guidelines, exemplary sample paper, etc.): 
AttachmentSize
lesson plan worksheet.pdfdisplayed 954 times108.36 KB
Assessment Short Description: 
X number of groups (based on class size, max 5 members per group) will be assigned one TikTok with a relevant, polarizing topic (i.e., Israel-Hamas conflict, self-diagnosing psychological disorders, anti-feminist podcasts, Dating Do's and Don'ts, AI/ChatGPT, school shootings, etc.) per group to watch, will answer questions together, and will ultimately decide if the creator of the TikTok is engaging in scholarly conversation or popular conversation (relevant topics to the zeitgeist at that moment in time). Groups will all come together and review their findings with the class, having designated one representative to speak for the group. Instructor will monitor discussion appropriately, with an overall time frame of 1 hour in mind.
Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 
  • This session includes both passive and active activities. The librarian begins the session by priming students in standard lecture format with what scholarly conversation is, what it looks like, and how to participate in it responsibly and respectfully. The students then engage in verbal and written group analysis of a TikTok and determine if it is a scholarly or popular information source. The students produce their learning onto the worksheet, which the librarian will collect at the end of the session to assess learning. 
  • The librarian builds on prior knowledge of students’ engagement with TikTok (as viewers and creators) or other video sharing platforms of the same format, as well as student learning of proper citation use from previous education, no matter how long ago. 
  • Popular conversation should not be taught as “lesser” than scholarly conversation, but as diversified intellectual support to scholarly conversation when used properly. The crucial factor in discerning the two is that the information provided is factually correct, well-researched, and most importantly, addresses other voices in the ongoing conversation that the creator is entering instead of operating within a vacuum.
Suggested Citation: 
Pitz, Megan. "“According to the CDC…” vs. “Someone just said…”: Identifying Scholarly and Popular Conversations on TikTok." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2024. https://projectcora.org/assignment/%E2%80%9Caccording-cdc%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D-vs-%E2%80%9Csomeone-just-said%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D-identifying-scholarly-and-popular-conversations.
Submitted by Tierney Gleason on May 16th, 2023
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Short Description: 

These slides were developed for a high school class visiting our academic library. Their assignment was to learn how to do legal research to write a history paper on a Congressional bill or Supreme Court case.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
IntroToLegalResearch_Congress_SupremeCourt.pptxdisplayed 608 times2.18 MB
Learning Outcomes: 
  • Choosing and refining a research topic

  • Performing background research

  • Working with secondary and primary sources geared towards legal topics

Discipline: 
HistoryLaw

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 
Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 
Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 
  • This session was designed for high school students who had limited access to an academic library. Emphasis on open access options was important.

Slides were designed for flipping back and forth with live searching rather than following the slides in linear order with no interruptions.

Suggested Citation: 
Gleason, Tierney. "Introduction to Legal Research." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2023. https://projectcora.org/assignment/introduction-legal-research.
Submitted by Tierney Gleason on May 15th, 2023
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Short Description: 

Learn how to go beneath the headlines and current debates to examine the text of laws and/or proposed legislation with a focus on Congress, the Supreme Court, Executive Orders, and state legislatures. This introductory workshop will highlight library resources, open government resources, and search strategies to support researchers across many disciplines and interest areas to navigate legal and legislative history resources.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
Workshop Slidesdisplayed 738 times1.52 MB
Lesson Plandisplayed 585 times18.23 KB
Learning Outcomes: 
  • - Participants will understand the importance of collecting background information to support searching for laws & legislative history.
  • - Participants will learn about the pros & cons of library databases versus open government resources.
  • - Participants will become reacquainted with civics/how government works as they learn to select information resources based on jurisdiction and navigate database limiters that organize information by legislative activity and/or document type.
Discipline: 
Law

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

Iterations of this session have been offered as workshops. This session appeals to students across many disciplines who use legal research (Journalism, Social Work, Education, Political Science, History, etc) as well as activists, genealogists, and more.

Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 

Lesson plan includes search examples and background information that help with searching for legal resources.

Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 
Suggested Citation: 
Gleason, Tierney. "Researching Laws & Legislation." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2023. https://projectcora.org/assignment/researching-laws-legislation.
Submitted by Ellen Carey on April 14th, 2023
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Short Description: 

The SIFT* & PICK approach to evaluating sources adapts and builds on Mike Caulfield's SIFT method to help students select quality sources by practicing:

  • Lateral Reading (SIFT): fact-checking by examining other sources and internet fact-checking tools; and
  • Vertical Reading (PICK): examining the source itself to decide whether it is the best choice for their needs.

*The SIFT method was created by Mike Caulfield under a CC BY 4.0 International License.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
SIFT & PICK Fact Checking & Source Evaluation.pdfdisplayed 3098 times566.56 KB
SIFT & PICK Fact Checking & Source Evaluation without Luria Library branding.pdfdisplayed 2029 times375.72 KB
Learning Outcomes: 

After learning the SIFT & PICK Fact Checking & Source Evaluation process, students will be better able to:

  • Distinguish between lateral and vertical reading strategies for source evaluation
  • Use lateral reading strategies to fact-check information
  • Use vertical reading strategies to select the most appropriate sources for their particular needs
  • Consider how a particular source relates to a body of knowledge on a topic
Discipline: 
Multidisciplinary

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

At Santa Barbara City College, we use SIFT & PICK in many instructional materials (e.g. research guides and Canvas modules) and guide students through this fact checking and source evaluation process in instruction interactions (research workshops, at the reference desk, in our Library 101 course, etc.).

Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 

The SIFT & PICK pdf and LibGuide include links to other fact fact checking and source evaluation resources.

Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

When teaching the SIFT & PICK Fact Checking & Source Evaluation process, we emphasize the need for both fact checking (SIFT) and critical thinking in regard to selecting which source(s) to use (PICK). When we use SIFT & PICK in research workshops, we choose which concepts and/or ACRL Frames to emphasize based on the course assignment and/or goals of the workshop.

Suggested Citation: 
Carey, Ellen. "SIFT & PICK Fact Checking & Source Evaluation." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2023. https://projectcora.org/assignment/sift-pick-fact-checking-source-evaluation.
Submitted by Raymond Pun on February 12th, 2023
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Short Description: 

ChatGPT is an generative artificial intelligence chatbot released in November 2022 by OpenAI. What are the opportunities in using this tool to teach library instruction? This document highlights various ways to engage with learners in critically analyzing ChatGPT (version GPT-3) and its responses through the ACRL Frame: Information Creation as a Process. 

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
Activity- Using ChatGPT For Library Instruction- Information Creation as a Process.pdfdisplayed 1953 times29.71 KB
Learning Outcomes: 
  • Learn how to connect library research and instruction with ChatGPT
  • Critically analyze ChatGPT and its responses through dialogue and research
Discipline: 
Education

Information Literacy concepts:

Individual or Group:

Suggested Citation: 
Pun, Raymond. "Using ChatGPT For Library Instruction: Information Creation as a Process." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2023. https://projectcora.org/assignment/using-chatgpt-library-instruction-information-creation-process.
Submitted by Gina Trask on March 24th, 2022
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Short Description: 

This lesson actively engages learners in the process of evaluating an information source using the SIFT technique, designed by Mike Caufield. The approach uses lateral reading techniques and the lesson encourages learners to apply and reflect on the technique as it pertains to a specific information need.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
Activitydisplayed 1598 times27.11 KB
Example scenarios of information needs for the activitydisplayed 1662 times84.89 KB
Lesson plandisplayed 1865 times101.13 KB
Learning Outcomes: 

Learners will be able to evaluate a website or online source to determine if it is appropriate to use for a specific information need.

Information Literacy concepts:

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

This lesson has been taught for multiple audiences: first-year and senior college students for a specific course assignment, as a drop-in virtual workshop with college students of all levels, and as a continuing education workshop with public school educators. The lesson has also be adapted as an asynchronous module in a learning management system.

Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 

Caulfield, M. (2019, June 19). SIFT (The Four Moves). Hapgood. https://hapgood.us/2019/06/19/sift-the-four-moves/

Caulfield, M. (2017). Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers. https://webliteracy.pressbooks.com/

Lesson materials adapted from: Citizen Literacy by Robert Detmering, Amber Willenborg, and Terri Holtze for University of Louisville Libraries is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

 

Assessment or Criteria for Success
(e.g. rubric, guidelines, exemplary sample paper, etc.): 
AttachmentSize
Rubric for Activitydisplayed 1175 times81.95 KB
Assessment Short Description: 
The activity for this lesson serves as the assessment. The rubric can be used to assess the competency of the learners in regards to the SIFT technique. It may be appropriate for some learners to be at the "beginner" or "developing" stage and for others to aim for "exemplary" stage.
Suggested Citation: 
Trask, Gina. "Source Evaluation via SIFT Technique." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2022. https://projectcora.org/assignment/source-evaluation-sift-technique.
Submitted by Eric Kowalik on March 2nd, 2022
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Short Description: 

To practice thinking about what sources work well together, instead of choosing sources, students will choose who to invite to a small dinner party. The goal is to put together a group of guests that will be able to find enough common ground to have interesting conversations.

Learning Outcomes: 

Students will choose who to invite to a small dinner party with a group of guests that will be able to find enough common ground to have interesting conversations.

Information Literacy concepts:

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 
Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 

https://marquetterml.github.io/information-literacy-modules/

Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 
Suggested Citation: 
Kowalik, Eric. "Usage of Sources (The Party)." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2022. https://projectcora.org/assignment/usage-sources-party.

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