Project Objectives

• Research, understand, and be able to discuss a topic of your choice. 

• Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences using effective techniques, relevant descriptive details, and well structured event sequences. 

• Integrate information in various formats, such as a podcast or a documentary film. 

Project Objectives

• Work effectively and respectfully as a group

• Use AI, AdobeExpress software, and other relevant technology in a safe and legal manner.

• Formulate questions and present an understanding of information literacy, specifically: 

  • • Students will be asked to use the STIC Model to assess the reliability of research resources and information.

    • Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of applicable copyright issues.  

Students will: 

• Seek, produce, and share information  

• Assess relevance, credibility, timeliness, and comprehensiveness of information found during research

• Provide respectful, actionable feedback on their classmates' work

• Appreciate and respond to creative expressions of information 

Teachers will assess: 

• How well the students collaborated

• How effective the podcast or documentary film was at supporting/teaching about the selected topic

• Whether the project objectives were met

Teachers will also pay close attention to the peer review activity to ensure comments are respectful, actionable, and not destructive. In all cases, teachers should observe intragroup interactions to help students develop skills for editing creative group projects in a respectful and constructive manner. 

Teachers will add their observations to a shared Google doc at the conclusion of each phase of the project, in preparation for making their final assessment at the end of Phase 5. 

Collaboration Objectives

• Goal: Foster effective teamwork and communication among students, teachers, and librarians.

• Examples:

  • Students will actively contribute to group discussions and project work.

  • Students will demonstrate the ability to provide constructive feedback to peers.

  • Students will use collaboration tools (e.g., Google Docs, Zoom) to co-create and share work.

Critical Thinking Objectives

• Goal: Enhance students' ability to think analytically and make well-informed decisions.

• Examples:

  • Students will evaluate the credibility of various information sources used in their projects.

  • Students will analyze multiple perspectives on a given topic before forming conclusions.

  • Students will synthesize information from different sources to create a cohesive argument.

Digital Literacy Objectives

• Goal: Improve students' competence in using technology to research, create, and present information.

• Examples:

  • Students will effectively use academic databases to find relevant research materials.

  • Students will create digital media (podcasts, videos, etc.) to present their findings.

  • Students will apply digital citation tools to credit sources accurately.

Ethical Use of Information Objectives

• Goal: Promote responsible research practices and respect for intellectual property.

• Examples:

  • Students will demonstrate proper attribution of sources in their projects.

  • Students will respect copyright laws and fair use policies in the creation of digital content.

  • Students will reflect on the ethical implications of the information they present.

Reflection and Metacognition Objectives

• Goal: Encourage students to reflect on their learning process and how they can improve.

• Examples:

  • Students will participate in self-assessments and peer assessments to evaluate their work.

  • Students will reflect on what they learned and how they can apply this knowledge to future research or projects.

  • Students will identify challenges they encountered during the project and describe how they overcame them.

Communication Objectives

• Goal: Strengthen students' ability to present their ideas clearly and persuasively.

• Examples:

  • Students will deliver a final presentation of their project using appropriate communication tools.

  • Students will use visual aids (slides, videos, graphics) to enhance the clarity of their presentations.

  • Students will engage with feedback from instructors and peers to improve the quality of their communication.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.7: "Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation."

• This standard aligns with the students conducting research in an academic library and producing podcasts or short films as their project outputs.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.5: "Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest."

• The creation of digital media (such as podcasts or short films) directly supports this standard, which encourages students to strategically use multimedia to present their findings.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.8: "Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning (e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy."

• If the students’ topics for their podcasts or films include analysis of public advocacy or reasoning in texts, this standard would be applicable. It encourages deep analysis and critical thinking about the material they research.

This project is designed to reinforce the following aspects of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. 

Authority is Constructed and Contextual

• use research tools and indicators of authority to determine the credibility of sources, understanding the elements that might temper this credibility

• acknowledge they are developing their own authoritative voices in a particular area and recognize the responsibilities this entails, including seeking accuracy and reliability, respecting intellectual property, and participating in communities of practice

• develop and maintain an open mind when encountering varied and sometimes conflicting perspectives

• motivate themselves to find authoritative sources, recognizing that authority may be conferred or manifested in unexpected ways

Information Creation as a Process

• articulate the capabilities and constraints of information developed through various creation processes

• recognize that information may be perceived differently based on the format in which it is packaged

• transfer knowledge of capabilities and constraints to new types of information products

• develop, in their own creation processes, an understanding that their choices impact the purposes for which the information product will be used and the message it conveys

• understand that different methods of information dissemination with different purposes are available for their use.

Information Has Value

• give credit to the original ideas of others through proper attribution and citation

• articulate the purpose and distinguishing characteristics of copyright, fair use, open access, and the public domain

• understand how and why some individuals or groups of individuals may be underrepresented or systematically marginalized within the systems that produce and disseminate information

• decide where and how their information is published

Research as Inquiry

• formulate questions for research based on information gaps or on reexamination of existing, possibly conflicting, information

• determine an appropriate scope of investigation

• deal with complex research by breaking complex questions into simple ones, limiting the scope of investigations

• monitor gathered information and assess for gaps or weaknesses

• synthesize ideas gathered from multiple sources

• draw reasonable conclusions based on the analysis and interpretation of information

Scholarship as Conversation

• recognize they are often entering into an ongoing scholarly conversation and not a finished conversation

• contribute to scholarly conversation at an appropriate level

• critically evaluate contributions made by others in participatory information environments

• recognize that a given scholarly work may not represent the only or even the majority perspective on the issue

Searching as Strategic Exploration

• determine the initial scope of the task required to meet their information needs

• utilize divergent (e.g., brainstorming) and convergent (e.g., selecting the best source) thinking when searching

• match information needs and search strategies to appropriate search tools

• design and refine needs and search strategies as necessary, based on search results

In Phase 1, students will explore the resources of the academic library to identify a topic of interest to them. At the leaders' discretion, students may be invited to use Chat GPT or Google Gemini to brainstorm potential topics, or work in groups to brainstorm potential ideas together. 

During this phase, students will be asked to use the STIC model to assess the quality of the sources they find. The artifact from Phase 1 will be a one-page quick write on what they have learned so far about their topic, any ideas they have had so far about turning that topic into a podcast or a film, and why they think their chosen topic will make an interesting podcast or film. 

Unit coaches will use these artifacts to assign students into groups based on their shared interests. Every student should have a group, so some may need to modify their topic selection.

In Phase 2, students will work with their groups to dive deep into the topic of their choice using the resources available to them through the academic library. 

• What is the problem? 

• How did we get here? 

• Who benefits from the way things are and why?

• Who is harmed by the way things are and why? 

• What are the major approaches to resolving this issue?

  • • What do those approaches get right? 

    • Where do they go wrong? 

• What do you think we should do?

The artifact from this phase will be a brief reflection on the topic they have chosen, who their target audience for the podcast / film will be, an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of various competing positions, a summary of their own position on the issue, and a list of 10-15 helpful resources they have found so far (properly cited). 

Unit coaches will use these artifacts to ensure that student projects are on track to meet curriculum objectives, provide feedback on the students' proposed direction, and identify any obstacles that might need to be addressed or otherwise managed as they create their films or podcasts.  

In Phase 3, students will be jigsawed into different groups based on whether they are planning to create a podcast or short documentary film. These jigsaw groups will be tasked with analyzing the components of a podcast or film, the steps involved in adapting a nonfiction narrative into a podcast or documentary, and to experiment with the AdobeExpress software that they will use to create their podcasts and films in Phase 4. 

The artifact of Phase 3 will be a short list of 3-5 elements students believe are important to consider when creating a podcast or film and why they matter. Students will also be asked to create a preliminary list of the equipment and other resources they will need to create a podcast or film on their topic. 

Unit coaches will use these artifacts to ensure that student projects are on track to meet curriculum objectives, provide feedback on the students' proposed direction, and identify any obstacles that might need to be addressed or worked around in Phase 4. Unit coaches will also use this phase as an opportunity to ensure that the projects are on track to fulfill major components of the California Gr 11-12 teaching standards, as well as the ACRL framework for information literacy instruction. 

In Phase 4, students will combine what they have learned about their topic with what they have learned about creating podcasts or films. Students will rejoin their Phase 1 groups to create their podcast or film. The groups will work together to plan the narrative and other elements of their chosen project, being certain to following any copyright regulations that might apply to images they choose to use in their projects.

The culminating project produced during Phase 4 will be a 5-10 minute film or 15 minute podcast created using AdobeExpress. The podcast or film should contain a narrative - either fiction or nonfiction - about the topic students have researched. Students will be asked to add transcripts and/or captions to make their podcasts and films more accessible for all readers. Finally, all projects should contain a credit list of all resources used in the production, and the students who helped create any portion of the project. Citations should be in a format used at the university level, (APA, MLA, or Chicago). 

Once all groups have finished their podcasts and/or films, the original groups will be randomly reshuffled. Students will present their podcast or film to their new group for peer review and feedback, based on the peer review graphic organizer available on the Tools page. At the end of Phase 5, students will rejoin their original group to discuss the feedback they have been given and edit or rerecord their podcasts or films accordingly before submitting them.

When submitting their productions, groups will be asked to include a short Artists' Statement describing their topic, what they learned during the course of making their production, and who might be interested in viewing or listening to it. 

Unit coaches will observe these interactions and assess the students on their ability to appreciate and provide respectful, actionable feedback on each other's work. Unit coaches will also assess how well the students collaborated, the effectiveness of the resulting podcast or film, and whether the students made effective use of reliable information uncovered in their research.

GROUP REFLECTION EXERCISE

At the end of the project, students will be randomly assigned to groups to discuss their own experiences in this project. What worked well? What didn't? What would they do differently next time? What did they learn that surprised them? Students will record their reflections in a shared Google Slides presentation.   

ACTIVE DISCUSSION & THOUGHTFUL WRITING

Next, students will be asked to work together to review each other's work. Groups can either choose to review podcasts and documentaries on topics they are interested in using the Four Corners model (described in Loertscher, 2009, p. 38), or be randomly assigned by unit coaches. In their short (200-300 word) reviews, students will provide a summary of the information in the podcast or film, an assessment of its relevance to our lives today, new questions raised by the podcast or film, and their own thoughts on the target audience for the production. 

The reviews will be published in a zine to be given to attendees at the upcoming film festival, and adapted for use as content descriptions for the online gallery of projects.  

COMMUNITY-WIDE FILM / PODCAST FESTIVAL

Finally, students will work together to plan, promote, and host a community-wide event at which students will present their podcasts and films to a live audience composed of their families, teachers, staff, members of the local school board, and peers. 

The event, which may take place on either the high school or university campus, will provide an opportunity for students to present their podcasts and films, and take questions from the audience about their topics of choice or the creation process. 

Attendees who cannot make the live event, will be invited to view an online gallery of projects sorted into breakout rooms according to their primary subject area. Attendees will be given copies of the class zine to use as a program guide to the film festival.

The idea for this unit plan came from several sources. 

The overall idea of teaching high school seniors and juniors the information literacy skills they would need to navigate an academic library before they graduate high school came from an article in American Libraries Magazine that Shala read during the course of Project 1. In the article, the author documented a collaborative effort between Utah State University librarians and their local high school teacher librarians to equip local high school seniors with undergraduate level information literacy skills to ease their transition into higher education (Landgraf, 2023). 

We opted to have the final project be some sort of podcast or film documentary on a topic of the students' choice based on co-taught lessons that Ralph has done in the past with teachers at his high school. Our unit plan includes layers that address some of the biggest logistical hurdles Ralph has observed in past implementations of the project. Specifically, we have addressed past issues in sharing completed work by creating a space on this website to host the podcasts and films produced by the students - regardless of the technology used to create them.

After talking with her teen, who has extensive experience with project-based learning (PBL), Shala gained valuable perspective on the structure of the project. Her daughter reminded her of a technique used in a previous seminar where smaller assignments were intentionally designed to lead up to the final project, making it feel more manageable. This conversation inspired her to rethink the project’s structure, focusing on how each phase could build toward the final product. We revised the Unit Plan with this in mind.

Having heard about the ways in which teachers use ChatGPT to streamline basic lesson planning, Ralph created a series of prompts to see how ChatGPT would structure this sort of information literacy instruction. We implemented several ideas from that ChatGPT interaction, including some of its suggestions for worksheets to guide the peer review and reflection process (OpenAI, 2024). Using ChatGPT to provide an potential outline for our lesson plan likely saved us a few hours of initial unit plan brainstorming. However, substantial alterations needed to be made to ChatGPT's proposed outline to transform it into a unit plan that complied with the requirements of our chosen Think Models and Big Think exercises from The Big Think: 9 Metacognitive Strategies That Make the Unit End Just the Beginning of Learning by David Loertscher, Carol Koechlin, and Sandi Zwaan. 

The unit can be delivered online using Zoom or other videoconferencing tool with the capacity to break students into smaller groups where they can work collaboratively in Google Docs, Google Slides, Padlet, Canva, or AdobeExpress, while making use of the library's electronic resources. It can also be adapted for use in a blended or face-to-face classroom using the academic or high school library as a collaborative working area.