Learning Outcomes

Students will understand that information takes a linear path, from the time an event/social movement/discovery, etc. first occurs until it is disseminated in different forms.
Students will be able to identify the types of sources they need to consult, based on the point at which the event/social movement/discovery, etc. is in the information flow.

Suggested Procedure

Tell students that they are going to explore ways to find good information for their topic. First, though, they are going to investigate an event chronologically and the information produced based on the timeline.

Activity(35 minutes)

Note to Teacher: Have 3 topics available, so each set of 2 groups can work on the same topic. Try to choose a mixture of less current topics that will have a wide range of information available (e.g. the discovery of penicillin by Jonas Salk or the Iran-Contra scandal were decades ago, so they will have information in newspapers, magazines, books, encyclopedias - both general and subject specific, scientific handbooks) as well as more recent topics that will have fewer information sources available (e.g. Bombing of World Trade Center on 9/11: Because this event occurred recently, there will be internet sites, magazines, and journal articles available, but not books or encyclopedias)

Give each group their topic. Tell them they will have 5-10 minutes to list the sources they could use to find information on the topic. Note: For earlier grades, students' lists may be more limited. You may want to adjust your pre-prepared list based on the students' levels.

Have each group write their list on the whiteboard/blackboard/transparency/Inspiration. Discuss each topic and compare the lists from the set of groups with the same topic.
Tell students that they are going to look at the list of sources they generated in terms of the timeframe in which information might have appeared in them.

As a wrap-up to this activity, you may want to end the session by asking: Why is knowing about the flow of information important to you? Hopefully this will elicit answers such as, "this will save time" "I will retrieve more accurate and relevant information", etc.

Examples and Additional Resources: See the following websites for examples and charts that may be helpful when demonstrating and reinforcing this lesson:

UCLA College Library's "Flow of Information. This contains an example using the Exxon Valdez tanker accident in 1989. http://wwwtest.library.ucla.edu/libraries/college/help/flow/index.htm

Five Colleges Of Ohio "Flow of Information Information Literacy Tutorial" Contains examples for each stage of their timeline. http://www.denison.edu/ohio5/infolit/a1flow/

Duke Libraries. Contains a clear chart showing that as time passes, information filters through different types of resources. http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/select_table.htm

Assessment

For review and reinforcement of this critical concept, as students have an assignment requiring they locate and evaluate information, prior to their beginning their search for information, have them write a brief statement about where they anticipate finding the needed information in the information flow. Provide them with the examples and charts listed above for review.