Design Report

Individual or team name:

David Schouweiler

Learner Analysis
General characteristics that may impact the instructional experience (age,
education level, work experience, attitudes and expectations related to the topic,
etc.)
The class will be 11th-12th grade Honors Chemistry students to be taught in
a public high school. Student population is ethnically and socioeconomically
diverse and covers a range of reading levels. Several students are placed in
the class because of expressed interest in nursing despite histories of low
academic performance. Students are often expected to conduct research for
other classes in high school (Biology, English, Social Studies, etc), but have
very little experience with evaluating valid scientific research and are often
used to simply repeating beliefs that are handed to them without evaluating
their validity. Past students have consistently used unreliable resources in
research assignments, demonstrating a systemic need for instruction within
the school.
Specific entry competencies (prerequisite skills, knowledge, abilities)
Students are expected to know how to read and summarize information.
Students will also require basic computer skills: the ability to use Google to
find sources of information.
Special needs, if any
Some students may have IEPs and require scaffolded instruction. Group
work will be employed to help bridge the gap for students who may struggle
with reading comprehension.
Description of process used to complete learner analysis
I am the teacher of these students, so I have prior experience with their
learning strengths and needs.

Task Analysis (for procedure or concept to be learned)

Description of task to be completed or concept classification to be mastered upon
conclusion of instruction (at step-level)
Students will be able to find reliable resources of science information on the
internet and identify sources that may not be reliable based on the following
identifiers:
Phrases that begin with phrases scientists say
Quotes by scientists from unaccredited institutions
Claims that seem too good to be true
Descriptions that are intended to create a panic
Information that is linked to a goal outside of the science itself (like
influencing perception of global warming policy)
Identification of experts used to complete task analysis
Consultation of other science teachers in the department of the school

confirmed the need for instruction and the reliability of validity criteria.
English and Social Studies teachers were also consulted for confirmation of
resource validity, particularly revolving around Wikipedia. Local college
professors could be contacted for further support, but may be beyond the
scope of this objective.
Explanation of how accuracy of content was confirmed
Accuracy of the content was verified by consultation with other science
teachers and Wikipedias essay on identifying reliable sources for the
natural sciences (
Link
).
Description of process used to complete task analysis
The objective was designed by myself as the lead teacher with consultation
from other science teachers.

Context Analysis
Needs analysis (confirmed need for instruction)
Identifying valid sources of information remains a valuable skill in college
science classes, as well as being an informed consumer of information.
Students in prior semesters consistently used unreliable sources of
information in research assignments. Other teachers in the school agree
that while the students can often find information on a given topic, they are
often poor at analyzing validity.
Description of instructional context (description of physical environment and
schedule of instruction)
Students will be working in a school classroom of 28 desks in the front of the
room and six lab tables in the back of the room. A projector connected to the
instructors computer will be used in the front of the room. Students will be
able to use their own smart phones or class Chromebooks to research two
given websites and will use the projector to justify to the class which website
is more reliable.
Description of transfer context (where the learned skills will be used after
instruction)
Students have been assigned a 9-week independent research project on a
topic of their choice in the field of emerging science. New branches of
science and cutting-edge discoveries are often flooded with articles
containing bogus claims and false conclusions. Students will demonstrate
ultimate mastery of this learning objective on this research assignment.
Additionally, finding valid sources of information will be critical for
college-level research assignments.
Description of process used to complete context analysis
The needs analysis was completed by analyzing student work from previous
school semesters, focusing on source citations in students research papers.
These papers regularly contained unreliable sources and false claims.
Additionally, student conversations in class reveals that students are highly
subject to sensationalist pop-science perpetuated in social media.

 Objectives of instruction
Overall goal of instruction
By the end of this lesson, students should be able to use the internet to
create a list of five reliable sources of scientific information.
Specific objectives
Students will be able to verbally explain the importance of identifying
scientifically reliable sources.
Given an article about a scientific topic, students should be able to
circle any of the following warning signs of faulty research:
Phrases that begin with phrases scientists say
Quotes by scientists from unaccredited institutions
Claims that seem too good to be true
Descriptions that are intended to create a panic
Information that is linked to a goal outside of the science itself
(like influencing perception of global warming policy)
Given two online sources of science information, students will
verbally present to the class which is more reliable based on a sample
article from each site .

Testing/evaluation plans
What is to be evaluated
Students will be evaluated on their ability to identify the five warning signs
of faulty research and their ability to apply this information to find reliable
sources of scientific information.
Strategies for how evaluation will occur
Students will be given an article containing one or more of the above
warning signs. Students will be asked to identify whether the resource is
reliable, providing evidence of their claim. This will flow in a
Think-Pair-Share format; students will first think for themselves, then
collaborate with their neighbors, then share as a class.
Students will also work collaboratively in groups of four to identify reliable
and unreliable sources of information. Each group will be given two
websites and instructed that one is more reliable than the other. Each group
will determine which site is more reliable based on a sample article of their
choice. The groups will present their conclusions to the class.
How feedback is to be provided to the learner
In-class feedback will initially come from discussions with peers. As student
groups present their online articles, the class will provide verbal feedback
followed by verbal instructor feedback.

Practice activities to be used in instruction

What is to be practiced
Students will practice identifying the five warning signs of faulty research .
Strategies for how practices will occur

Students will initially be given an example article and asked to write in their
notebooks whether they feel that the article is reliable, justifying their
position. Students will pair with a partner sitting next to them and discuss
their positions. The class will then share as a whole and arrive at a
consensus with no final verdict provided by the instructor. The process will
be repeated after instruction on the five warning signs. After the first article
is reviewed a second time, a second article will be provided (on the back of
the first), and the process repeated once more.
Relationship of practice to the objectives of instruction
Practicing in this way allows students to analyze real articles that have been
published. The practice should reflect their thought process when
researching information for their research assignments.
How feedback is to be provided to the learner
Group consensus will provide the initial feedback for the students. After
instruction and a new consensus is reached, the instructor will provide final
feedback.

Examples and non-examples of the concept (if appropriate)

Examples and non-examples to be used
Dimensions of complexity
Dimensions of divergence

Introductory presentation of instruction

How context for instruction will be set
Students will be given an article about Dighydrogen Monoxide (
Link
).
Students will be asked to identify whether they feel that this resource is
reliable in their notebooks, justifying their claims.
Prerequisites needed for instruction
Students must be able to read, summarize information, and write.
Key terms, acronyms, other information needed to facilitate instructional
experience
validity, reliability, citations
First look at objectives to be achieved and skills, knowledge to be learned
After coming to a class consensus about the article, students will be
instructed on the five warning signs of faulty research. Students will be
shown a real excerpt demonstrating each of the five warning signs. Students
will then be asked to re-evaluate the initial article and come to a new
consensus.

Motivational strategies to be used in instruction

How will attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction be addressed
Attention will be gained through the wild claim of the initial article
and the revelation that the article is a hoax.
Relevance will be established by relating the objective to their
research assignment and college-level reading goals. Additionally, an

article demonstrating the consequences of faulty research (

Link
) will
be shared after the final class consensus is formed on the initial
article.
Students will gain confidence through group discussion and drawing
out the idea that some sources are difficult to assess even for experts.
Satisfaction will come from students knowing that they are informed
consumers of information and the ability to move forward in their
research assignments.

Basic plans for instructor materials

Description of design for usability
The instructor materials (including links and examples) will all be compiled
into one PowerPoint-style presentation in Google Drive. The materials will
flow sequentially, with cues and prompts worked into the presentation for
student work.
Congruence between student materials and instructor materials
Students will initially be given a handout with two articles (one on each
side) to be evaluated over the course of instruction. Students will
subsequently be given a reference card containing the five warning signs of
faulty research. Students will use the presentation on the front screen as a
guide to what they should be doing at any given moment.
How instructional strategies and tactics will be communicated to users
The instructor will give verbal cues as to what the students should be doing
and learning from each step of the instruction. Students will also use the
front screen as a reference for what they should be doing and looking for at
each step.

References
(if necessary)
Appendices
(optional)

Evaluation data
Expert evaluation feedback
Other