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SELS ELM Curriculum Project
For Media Specialists, Librarians, and Teachers using the Electronic Library of Minnesota databases
 

Lesson Plan Index

This database is the result of an LSTA project to SELS from Library Services and School Technology, the Minnesota State Library Agency. The project purpose was to develop lesson plans incorporating resources from the Electronic Library of Minnesota (ELM) and the SELCO and MnLink databases into school curriculum units in all subjects at all grade levels. This database is available to all K-12 schools and public libraries to support K-12 students.

All Records Displayed
Title     
Abstract  
Grade     
1920's PATHFINDER A pathfinder is a specialized step-by-step research guide. This pathfinder will introduce students to the cultural mores and class distinctions of 1920 American life. It is against this social backdrop that F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote his American Classic, The Great Gatsby. 9-12
Accessing the Electronic Library of Minnesota from Your Home Students will learn how to log onto the ELM Databases (Kids Info bits, Junior Ref. Collection) from their home computers using remote access passwords. They will receive laminated wallet sized cards with remote access passwords from World Book Online, EBSCO and the ELM Databases. They will be told they can freely share the information on the cards, and use these resources for homework assignments. A brief demonstration will show them how to get to the databases from the Winona Middle School Home page: www.winona.k12.mn.us After learning the basics of logging into the databases remotely, students will receive instruction on using Info Bits and Junior Reference Collection. Students will be able to use the databases at home if they have home computers, but all students will receive training on using the databases as reference tools. Home access of these resources will aid an many projects and be a definite "homework helper". 3-5
American Experience The time period from 1776 through 1845 is one of dramatic change. Out of a set of diverse colonies developed a nation that struggled with its new form of government. After improbable success in war, it faltered under the Articles of Confederation only to form a whole new government under the Constitution. This new union continued to grow and prosper, and eventually evolved into the powerful nation it was destined to become. 9-12
Author Card Students will create an author card (similar to a baseball card)in Word. The card will include pictures and information and will require specific sources and formatting details. 6-8
Country Brochure Students will explore resources and do research to create a brochure about a country outside the United States. 6-8
Dakota and Ojibwe Life This pathfinder will lead you to sources that will help you with your compare and contrast paper. The objective of the paper is to explain the major aspects of Dakota and Ojibwe culture, social organization and history, and compare and contrast them. 6-8
Drug Abuse This lesson is preliminary research for group presentations. Material is organized around nine drug categories: alcohol, depressants, designer drugs, hallucinogens, inhalants, marijuana, narcotics, steroids and stimulants. Students are pre-assigned in groups to determine fast facts: i.e. drugs included in this category, definition of terms, statistical information on usage, the risks involved in abuse, street names, description and identification of drugs, legal implications of illicit drugs etc. Students give presentations to the rest of the class (9 total) in one week. 9-12
French Writers Teacher monitors student's work in relation to class lectures. Librarian checks periodically for questions re:pamphlets / databases. 9-12
Great Gatsby During the 1920s, life in the United States was caught up in a decade of change, social development and cultural conflict. This anticipatory lesson highlights various aspects of the Roaring Twenties and provides a historical backdrop and introduction for the study of the novel, The Great Gatsby. 9-12
Media Literacy Students will complete a series of four activities that will show them criteria to evaluate internet sites, evaluate messages in news stories and advertisements and understand/discuss copyright, fair use and plagiarism concepts. 6-8
Native American Tribes: Their Way of Life and Their Leaders This lesson builds on the knowledge gained in the previous U.S. History unit on explorers. Students will once again use the ELM databses, as well as print resources and World Book Online to create a Powerpoint Presentation of four to five slides which explain the way of life of a Native American tribe, identify and tell about a tribal leader, and list two sources in a bibliography. Students will once again be able to use the wallet sized cards they received to access the resources from their home computers. In this unit they will earn to use PowerPoint and present their work to the class. Students will work independently on the project, but present the information in pairs, so that they may compare ways of life from tribes of two different regions. 3-5
Nutrition Newsletter Students have completed a nutrition unit with the health teacher. In the computer lab they learn to use electronic and print resources. They have also completed instruction in Microsoft Word. This unit combines skills health standards, research skills and computer applications. 6-8
Photography-Artists and their Art Photography is one means of effective communication. It is the record of true images exactly as they existed at a specific moment in time. In this lesson, each student will individually and independently use library resources to study one world photographer to analyze such images. This is your final! In this project you will be expected to tell the story of an artist and their work. You will use your critique skills to evaluate and reflect upon the work of a famous artist. You will then get to share with the class what you have learned from your research and reflection. On this hand out I have given guidelines for a C quality project. If you want to earn an A I will expect you to go above and beyond the minimum expectations and work to make your presentation engaging and exciting. Use your creativity and research skills. Find some anecdotes from the life of your artist that will add some color to your description of their life. Most importantly use good presentation skills: address the class, speak in a clear and confident voice, and be expressive when you speak, show us that you are interested, and get us interested. 9-12
Poverty The purpose of this research paper is to examine in depth one specific population or region, and explain the key factors that keep it in poverty. Periodical information from the ELM database network and the SIRS database should be the key sources of background information. "There are complex and structural reasons why chronic poverty stubbornly adheres to certain US populations and regions." Reasons can be categorized into 2 areas: income inequality (i.e. education, wealth, discrimination, ability, monopoly, power) or income gap (i.e. decline of unions, changing family structure, increasing importance of education, structural economic change, geographic location) 9-12
PowerPoint Timeline Project Students will create a timeline that combines events in their personal lives with events from the world. They will use online resources to locate news events by date, and will combine these events with their personal timelines to create a PowerPoint presentation. 6-8
Psychology Project (Senior Elective) Psychology, the science of behavior, investigates age-old questions relating to human nature and human uniqueness. In this lesson, students will participate in group research by analyzing a topic of their choice from 1 of 5 categories: 1. Child Development 2. Gender 3. Intelligence/Creativity 4. Memory or 5. Personality. Psychology, the science of behavior, investigates age-old questions relating to human nature and human uniqueness. In this lesson, students will participate in group research by analyzing a topic of their choice from 1 of 5 categories: 1. Child Development 2. Gender 3. Intelligence/Creativity 4. Memory or 5. Personality. Psychology, the science of behavior, investigates age-old questions relating to human nature and human uniqueness. In this lesson, students will participate in group research by analyzing a topic of their choice from 1 of 5 categories: 1. Child Development 2. Gender 3. Intelligence/Creativity 4. Memory or 5. Personality. Psychology, the science of behavior, investigates age-old questions relating to human nature and human uniqueness. In this lesson, students will participate in group research by analyzing a topic of their choice from 1 of 5 categories: 1. Child Development 2. Gender 3. Intelligence/Creativity 4. Memory or 5. Personality. Psychology, the science of behavior, investigates age-old questions relating to human nature and human uniqueness. In this lesson, students will participate in group research by analyzing a topic of their choice from 1 of 5 categories: 1. Child Development 2. Gender 3. Intelligence/Creativity 4. Memory or 5. Personality. Psychology, the science of behavior, investigates age-old questions relating to human nature and human uniqueness. In this lesson, students will participate in group research by analyzing a topic of their choice from 1 of 5 categories: 1. Child Development 2. Gender 3. Intelligence/Creativity 4. Memory or 5. Personality. 9-12
Science and Technology Planning Information Overview: Technology has permeated almost every aspect of our lives; it is hard to imagine any dimension that has been unaffected. In this lesson, students selected a recent technological development in an area of personal interest (i.e. recreational, automotive, school, medical, family etc.) and then prepared an oral presentation. Database articles were the main resource for background information. 9-12
Stage Design-Costume Project Students will analyze either a geographical and/or historical period and accurately design four costumes for a fairy tale from that era. End product may be either two-dimensional drawings or three-dimensional objects. 9-12




The Institute of Museum and Library Services, a Federal agency that fosters innovation, leadership and a lifetime of learning, and State Library Services & School Technology, the Minnesota State Library Agency, support the ELM Curriculum Project at SELCO/SELS under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).