Using the broad topic of Change and Pattern in the Biological Sciences, we will go through the steps of the Big6 Information Access Skills.

THE BIG6
http://www.big6.com

The first step is to determine the need for information. This is the point where you will define what the problem is that you want to solve or what questions you want to answer. There are three types of inquiry questions that you will want to explore.

Skill Level

What kind of frogs live in Darby Creek?

Concept Level

How does the insect population affect the number and different species of frogs? How do pesticides impact frogs?

Application Level

What plan or steps can be taken to ensure that the natural balance is maintained for frogs? If a species has decreased, how can you reverse the change? Is all change negative?

• Darby Creek, hellgrammites, whirley-gig beetles, darters, streams, etc.

State Wildlife Divisions, Hands-On Experiences at Darby Creek, Books, Interviews with Scientists - Ask An Expert, Web Resources

In step 3 you locate the sources and begin searching for information. On the Web, you will want to try different search engines and starting points. Sometimes, you will simply stumble onto information by chance.

Search Engines

Each search engine indexes its own list of Web sites. They may be updated on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Search engines use different strategies and procedures for searching. You will want to look at the directions and tips at each site for complete details.

Internet Search Tools Quick Reference Guide
http://www.itrc.ucf.edu/iqr/
 

• Boolean - using the connectors and, or

Alta Vista
http://www.altavista.com

Alta Vista also allows you to search by phrase or natural language. When using a natural language search, you may get hits that have no relevancy to what you want.

Type: Darby Creek


 
 

Try Typing: What fish live in Darby Creek?



Print the first page of each search and compare the results.
 
 

• Natural Language

Electric Library
http://www.elibrary.com/

Electric Library allows you to ask questions and select what type of resources you want to retrieve. Although it is a subscription service, it is one of the best sources for finding information and pictures.

Check the boxes for pictures, magazines, books, and newspapers. Then type this Question:

What affect does habitat have on fish population?



If you want a picture of a box turtle, simply check the box and type box turtle.


 

• Keyword

Infoseek
http://www.infoseek.com

Infoseek allows you to find information by keywords or phrases.
 

A search for ... darter habitat +darter habitat "darter habitat"

Returns pages containing... darter or habitat darter, maybe habitat The word darter next to the word habitat

Type: "darter habitat"



Next Type: +darter +habitat



Print the first page of each search and compare the results.
 
 

• Meta Searches

MetaCrawler
http://www.metacrawler.com

Metacrawler and others let you query several search engines at one time. They retrieve the top hits. This can be a time-saver. However, there are occasions where sites are duplicated several times or useful information is not retrieved. Experiment and see how it works for you.

Type: Hellgrammites



Lucky Finds

• Aquatic Invertebrate Study Page

http://www.wcupa.edu/_academics/sch_cas.bio/invertid/DEFAULT.HTM




Starting Points

Starting points are places where specific topics have been searched and links created. Many include annotations describing the Web site.
 
• Aquatic Ecology Home Page

http://www2.netdoor.com/%7Epinky/aquatic.htm
 
• The Electronic Zoo

http://netvet.wustl.edu/e-zoo.htm


Ask An Expert

• ICONnect: KidsConnect

http://www.ala.org/ICONN/kidsconn.html
 
• Pitsco's Ask An Expert

http://www.askanexpert.com/askanexpert/

How do you know the information is reliable? Can you use the photographs and music in projects without violating copyright? How do you cite resources?

• Evaluating the Content - CyberGuides

http://www.cyberbee.com/guides.html

Compare the information at these two sites using the WWW CyberGuide Ratings for Content Evaluation by Karen McLachlan
 

Dobsfly or Hellgrammite
http://www.tiernet.riverwatch/dobfly.htm

Dog Day Streams
http://www.fishin.com/articles/dog-day-streams.htm
 

• Selecting Content to Use in the Project

 
After evaluating the information at each Website, students can create a folder of bookmarks of the sites that will be best for their report.
• Citing Resources

 
• Citing a Web page

http://www.cyberbee.com/citing.html
 
• NoodleTools
  http://www.noodletools.com

Step 5 is the culminating report or project. This can be anything from a written paper to a HyperStudio presentation to a re-enactment.

• Some Examples of Student Projects
 
• Darby Creek Home Page

http://www.fairbanks.k12.oh.us/darby.htm
 
• Rivers On Line

http://rol.freenet.columbus.oh.us/online2.html

There are three parts to the evaluation process.

• Self Evaluation

A checklist might serve as a benchmark for students to determine whether they have met the criteria. See step 6 Barbara Jansen's Big Six Assignment Organizer ( http://dewey.chs.chico.k12.ca.us/b6org.html) for an example.
 

• Student Self-Evaluation Rubrics, by Jim Askew

http://pc65.frontier.osrhe.edu/hs/science/hsciout.htm
 
• Peer Evaluation

This might be accomplished through a series of sharing activities throughout the project. Small groups would meet and discuss their works in progress. This lends to a non-threatening environment. For a global project you might have online discussions with other students who are also participating.
 

• Teacher Evaluation

On-going comments as well as specific criteria or rubric should be established.
 

• Assessment and Evaluation Grade 4

http://www.rbcm.gov.bc.ca/end_species/es_plans/4eval.html
 
• Building Rubrics

http://128.241.128.14/arts-assessment/rubrics.html
 
• Evaluating: Grading and Scoring

http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/ch11.html

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