Critical Information Literacy Project
A Critical Look at Smoking

Introduction/Task

Many counties and states are implementing smoking bans. Fourth Grade students will work in collaborative groups to create a persuasive public service announcement either for or against a smoking ban. Students will need to critically evaluate websites to determine the most useful website.

The Process

Students will work in teams to:

Conduct research on smoking using World Book Online, World Almanac, and /or SIRS Discoverer, as well as resources gathered from the media center.
Continue the research using teacher givens websites. Students will need to fill out both website evaluation forms for each website.
Evaluation forms: http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/pdf/evalelem.pdf and http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/tbarcalow/490NET/EvalRubric.htm#Primary
Each student must turn in all his/her website evaluation forms, as well as a paragraph explaining which site was the most useful.
Assign roles for the Public Service Announcement that include: director, camera person, and actors.
Write a script, taking a side on the smoking ban issue.
Tape their Public Service Announcement.
Watch all the Public Service Announcements.

Students will be evaluated as a group for the script creation. Students will receive individual website evaluation and participation grades. This is a five day project. Days one and two will be spent researching an evaluating websites. Scripts will be written on day three. Day four will be filming and editing of the Public Service Announcement. On day five students will watch classmates Public Service Announcements. Students will also discuss which websites they thought were good and which were not so good.

Websites

PBSKids.org
notosmoke.com
Wikipedia
KidsHealth

Click here for Website Explanations

Site created by Colleen Pollitt
Last modified August 3, 2007
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Critical Information Literacy Project A Critical Look at Smoking

Introduction/Task

The Process

Websites

Critical Information Literacy Project
A Critical Look at Smoking