Subject: English/ Information Literacy
Grade level: 11th
Title: The Early Bird Catches the Worm (or learning how to apply to college)
Objectives: Students will understand the steps necessary to apply for admissions to a
specific college. Students will learn how to best present themselves, in an application
and a personal statement.
Timeline: This unit will take three weeks. The English class will come to the media
center three times a week, for fifty minutes. Part of this time will be focused on the
students’ personal statement and taught by the English teacher, the other part will focus
on the information needed to complete the application and timelines.
Standards met:
Indiana Grade 11 English Standards
11.2.3- Verify and clarify facts presented in several types of expository texts by using a
variety of consumer, workplace, and public documents.
11.4.2- Demonstrate an understanding of the elements of discourse, such as purpose,
speaker, audience, and form, when completing narrative, expository, persuasive, or
descriptive writing assignments.
11.4.3- Use point of view, characterization, style and related elements for specific
narrative and aesthetic purposes.
11.4.4- Structure ideas and arguments in a sustained and persuasive way and support
them with precise and relevant examples.
11.4.7- Develop presentations using clear research questions and creative and critical
research strategies, such as conducting field studies, interviews, and experiments;
researching oral histories; and using internet sources.
11.4.11- Edit and proofread one’s own writing, as well as that of others, using an editing
checklist
11.4.12- Revise text to highlight the individual voice, improve sentence variety and style,
and enhance subtlety of meaning and tone in ways that are consistent with the purpose,
audience, and form of writing.
11.5.3- Write reflective compositions that: -explore the significance of personal
experiences, events, conditions, or concerns by using rhetorical strategies, including
narration, description, exposition, and persuasion. –draw comparisons between specific
incidents and broader themes that illustrate the writer’s important beliefs or
generalizations about life. –maintain a balance in describing individual events and
relating those events a more general and abstract ideas.
Information Literacy Standards
1- The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and
effectively.
Indicator 1- Recognizes the need for information.
Indicator 4- Identifies a variety of potential sources of information.
Indicator 5- Develops and uses successful strategies for locating information
2- The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and
competently.
Indicator 1- Determines accuracy, relevance, and comprehensiveness.
Indicator 4- Selects information appropriate to the problem or question at hand.
3- The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively.
Indicator 1- Organizes information for practical application.
Indicator 4- Produces and communicates information and ideas in appropriate
formats.
4- The student who is an independent learner is information literate and pursues
information related to personal interests.
Indicator 2- Designs, develops, and evaluates information products and solutions
related to personal interests.
5- The student who is an independent learner is information literate and appreciates
literature and other creative expressions of information.
Indicator 3- Develops creative products in a variety of formats.
6- The student who is an independent learner is information literate and strives for
excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation.
Indicator 1- Assesses the quality of the process and products of personal
information seeking.
Indicator 2- Devises strategies for revising, improving, and updating selfgenerated knowledge.
8- The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is
information literate practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information
technology.
Indicator 3- Uses technology responsibly.
9- The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is
information literate and participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate
information.
Indicator 1- Shares knowledge and information with others.
Indicator 3- Collaborates with others…to identify information problems and to
seek their solutions.
Information Inquiry Model: The structure of the media specialist’s portion of the unit
follows the Big 6 information inquiry model, which was developed by Mike Eisenberg
and Bob Berkowitz.
Task Definition- week one
Students will be given their project information. Media Center: They must pick a school
to research and a theoretical area of study. Students will take self-assessment quizzes to
help them determine their area of study. English Class: Students will complete exercises
to help them pick a tentative topic for their personal statement.
Information Seeking Strategies- week one
Media Center: Students will find resources to get college application (call admissions
office, download form, etc). They will also brainstorm resources to find information for
their timeline. English Class: Students will locate books, websites, and/or articles that
advise on college essays.
Location and Access- week two
Media Center: Students will start taking notes of information they think they may want to
include in their timeline. They must have the college application at this point. English
Class: Students will skim college essay resource, making note of relevant sections.
Use of Information- week two
Media Center: Students will start fill out pre-application worksheet. They will review
notes and decide what information should be included on their timeline. English Class:
Students will write outline of personal statement. They must decide how it will be
presented (essay, video, approved student choice). A guest speaker will come in from
DePauw University.
Synthesis- week three
Media Center: Students will compose timeline and complete final application. English
Class: Students will complete personal statement, go through peer review session, and
turn in revised copy. Students will make project presentations.
Evaluation- week three
Students will turn in journal, with at least 8 entries. They will also turn in a project selfassessment form, and have a short conference with either the English teacher or the
media specialist. These will be used to evaluate their process. The projects will be
graded with a rubric. The timeline also has a checklist.
Resources:
Standards
Indiana Department of Education Grade 11 Academic Standards, available at
http://ideanet.doe.state.in.us/standards.
Information Literacy standards, available in Information Power (1998). Chicago,
American Library Association.
Information Inquiry Model
http://www.big6.com
College information online
The Princeton Review: http://www.princetonreview.com/college/default.asp.
Peterson’s College search:
http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel/code/searches/srchCrit1.asp?path=ug.fas.college
College Board’s College search:
http://apps.collegeboard.com/search/index.jsp
Department of Education college search:
http://www.ed.gov/students/college/locate/edpicks.jhtml?src=ln
Directory of all Indiana colleges’ websites available at
http://www.doe.state.in.us/htmls/higher.html.
College Handbooks
The College Board College Handbook
Colleges that Change Lives: 40 schools you should know about even if you’re not a
straight-A student by Lauren Pope
Fiske Guide to Colleges by Edward B. Fiske
U.S. News & World Report Ultimate College Guide
Financial Aid Resources
http://www.finaid.org
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov
http://www.ed.gov/students/college/aid/edpicks.jhtml?src=ln
Application Essay Online Resources
Samples of application essays at
http://collegeapps.about.com/od/collegeessay/a/essaysamples.htm
“An Insider’s Tips on College Essays” at
http://www.princetonreview.com/college/apply/articles/process/insidertips.asp
College Board’s Essay Skills page at http://www.collegeboard.com/apply/essay_skills
Application Essay Print Resources
College Admission Essays for Dummies by Geraldine Woods
How to Write a Winning College Application Essay by Michael James Mason
Writing a Successful College Application Essay: the key to college admission by George
Ehrenhaft