Orphan Train Lesson
The following information literacy lesson is planned for a fifth grade classroom. The curricula areas are social studies and language arts. The topic is the orphan trains. This lesson will concentrate on the initial stages of a research project. This paper deals with the first stage of organizing research, as described in Chapter 2 of Teaching Information & Technology Skills: The Big Six (Eisenberg & Berkowitz, 1999). Often, when elementary students complete a research project, they are answering a series of questions provided by the teacher. The approach of the Big Six allows students to mold the task to suit their interests in the subject. A library-media teacher will teach this lesson, using the Madeline Hunter lesson plan model (Hunter, n.d.).
The orphan trains are an often-ignored event of American history. For 75 years, orphans from New York and Boston were put on trains that made scheduled stops as they headed west (Orphan, n.d.). At each stop the orphans were paraded in front of prospective parents. The orphans who were not chosen were loaded back on the trains and were subject to another selection process at the next stop.
The end product of this project will be a fictional diary of an orphan train rider. In order to get to the point that students can embark on their project, they will need to further define the information task by asking essential questions to identify the information they need to complete the task. The students will be working in groups of four. Because of the length of this lesson, it will be divided into two parts, with a recess in between.
Formal Outline
Subject- Language Arts/Social Studies
I. Lesson Title
A. Orphan Trains
II. Objectives
A. After completing the lesson, the students will be able to formulate essential questions to further clarify and define the task.
B. After completing the lesson, the students will be able to decide which research materials will be needed to complete the task.
III. Materials needed
A. Overheads of project example
B. A Copy of Train to Somewhere, by Eve Bunting
C. Graphic Organizers
1. KWHL worksheet (example attached)
2. Essential Questions worksheet (example attached)
IV. Anticipatory Set
A. A short discussion will be given to get the students excited with the lesson.
B. Objectives will be discussed.
V. Input
A. Teacher will show completed KWHL worksheet and Essential Questions Worksheet.
VI. Model
A. Teacher will begin work on a KWHL worksheet titled “A Week in a Teacher’s Life.”
B. Teacher will work on The Essential Questions Worksheet.
C. Teacher will decide what sources are needed to complete the task.
VII. Check for Understanding
A. Teacher will ask questions in order to check for understanding.
VIII. Guided Practice
A. Working in groups, the students will complete the KWHL worksheet started by the teacher.
B. Working in groups, the students will complete the brainstorm of what sources will be needed to complete this task.
IX. Closure
A. Teacher will let students know that they have reached the end of the lesson.
B. Teacher will answer questions to avoid confusion.
X. Independent Practice
A. Teacher will read Train to Somewhere, by Eve Bunting.
B. Using an overhead projector, teachers will present a brief lecture on the orphan train experience.
C. Students will be given the assignment of writing a diary of an orphan train rider.
D. Working in groups of four, the students will work on both worksheets.
Description of Each Step in Detail
In the following section, I will discuss in detail each section of the lesson plan. I will describe teacher’s and students’ roles and responsibilities.
Objectives
The objectives are what the students are expected to learn from the lesson. Both of the objectives (see outline above) align with the following standards from the American Association of School Librarian Standards for the 21st Century: 1.1.3 Develop and refine a range of questions to frame the search for new understanding, and 1.2.1 Display initiative and engagement by posing questions and investigating answers beyond the collection of superficial facts. (Murray, n.d.) Students will produce a KWHL and Essential Questions Worksheets to be evaluated by the teacher to check for mastery.
Materials Needed
Teacher and students will be using the same KWWL (K=know, W=what I want to learn, W=where I can learn it, and L=what I have learned). There will also be an Essential Questions Worksheet. Other materials that are needed are completed samples of the two worksheets, a copy of the Eve Bunting book, A Train to Somewhere, and an overhead projector.
Anticipatory Set
The purpose of the anticipatory set is to excite the students about what they will learn. Sometimes the anticipatory set is called the “hook.” At this time, the teacher will state the objectives to let the students know specifically what they are going to learn.
In this case, the anticipatory set will start with the teacher asking what would happen if one baked a cake but had the wrong recipe with incorrect ingredients. The teacher would elicit how bad the cake would be and that no one would want to eat it. The teacher would then say that the same is true for writing a research paper, and they are about to learn how to have the right recipe and ingredients to make a great product.
Input
This part of this lesson deals with the actual teaching of the material. In this lesson, the teaching will consist of the teacher showing the students a finished product that is similar to the one the students will complete. Beforehand, the teacher will have prepared KWHL and Essential Questions worksheets (see attached), entitled The Oregon Trail. The proposed product for the Oregon Trail Project was to write a one-week diary of a fictional person who traveled the Oregon Trail.
On the overhead projector, the teacher will point out the purpose of the different columns. By thinking out loud, the teacher will show how to arrive at the essential questions. The Essential Question Worksheet is designed for questions that provide upper level thinking. It provides question-starters such as: Which one…? How…? What if…? Should…? and Why…? By using these starters, the students will discover that there are many possibilities for each question. After completing this worksheet, the students will have a better understanding of the exact direction their final project will take.
Modeling
Now the teacher will start a new KWHL worksheet on a new subject. This time the subject will be “A week in the life of a teacher.” The teacher will fill in the column of “What he knows,” while asking for students’ input. Next, the teacher will model the questioning process, using the Essential Questions Worksheet to probe the questions that match this assignment. The questioning section will be completed at a later date in the guided practice section. Finally, the teacher will give suggestions and elicit other ideas on where to find information to answer the essential questions. This process will include much discussion on why each resource is chosen. The teacher will use the inquiry method during this segment of the lesson. With the proper guidance, the students will be able to supply the appropriate resources. This section will also be completed at a later time.
Guided Practice
The students, in groups of four, will complete the KWHL Worksheet and The Essential Question Worksheet that the teacher began in the Modeling Segment of the lesson. The teacher will guide the students when necessary.
Closure
At this point, the students will be told that they have reached the end of the lesson. The teacher will answer any questions to further clarify the subject. At this point the students will have recess.
Independent Practice
Independent practice will begin with the reading of Train to Somewhere, by Eve Bunting. This picture book for older readers is a perfect way to introduce the subject of the orphan trains. It touches on the emotions the main character experiences while she goes from stop to stop waiting to be chosen for adoption (Bunting, 1996). After reading this book, the teacher will give a brief talk on the history of the orphan trains. This talk will be supplemented by the liberal use of pictures of the orphan train experience.
After the presentation, the students will get back into groups of four to complete the KWHL and Essential Question Worksheets. The KWHL and the Essential Questions Worksheets will properly define the task and help the students to choose the type of resources they need to embark on their assignment to write a fictional diary of a participant in the orphan train experience. During this part of the lesson, the teacher will observe the groups in order to answer questions and keep students on task.
Summary
The purpose of this paper was to create and analyze an information literacy lesson. Since the audience for this lesson is a fifth grade class, emphasis has been put on the beginning stages of a research project. Often elementary students don’t know how to go about writing a paper that entails research. This is why it is so important to teach the beginning stages of research. Therefore, the main content of this lesson concerns the job of defining the task of the assignment. Defining the task comes in two stages: 1. Define and clarify the assignment, and 2. Identify information needed in order to complete the task.
The information literacy lesson in this paper uses the Madeline Hunter Lesson Plan template. I feel that this lesson plan structure works best with this material. Each section of this lesson plan has been described and analyzed.
Conclusion
After working on this paper, I realize that the information literacy concepts that are taught in this lesson need careful teaching and analyzing. It is not easy for a fifth grader to realize that he or she is in control of designing the assignment to meet what he or she believes to be important. This makes it even more essential that the material is carefully taught and explained. The act of defining the task gives students a lot of freedom to explore and create.
As I look back on this lesson, I see that it is extremely important that the teacher constantly checks for understanding. The completed KWHL and Essential Questions Worksheets are good evaluation tools, but it is essential that the teacher carefully monitor this lesson from start to finish. It would be very easy for a fifth grader to fall through the cracks with this difficult material.
Names______________________________ Date_____________
KWHL Worksheet
K
What I Know | W
What I Want to know? (Information will be transferred from Essential Questions Worksheet.) | H
How and where will I find information? (Information will be transferred from Essential Questions Worksheet.)
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What I Learned (To be completed when the Orphan Train Diary is finished.) |
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Date__________ Group Members: _______________________________________
Orphan Train Essential Questions Worksheet
Part 1
Directions: Create questions for each of these question starters.
Which one…?
How…?
What if…?
Should…?
Why…?
Part II
Directions: Use the questions developed above to choose the best resources to complete this assignment. Answer the following questions on a separate sheet.
1. What sources to I need for an overview of the subject?
2. What sources would be best for writing a fictionalized diary?
3. What sources are too specific for this assignment?
4. What purpose would orphan train fiction serve in the completion of this assignment?
References
Bunting, E. (1996). Train to somewhere. NY, NY: Clarion Books.
Eisenberg, B., & Berkowitz, R. E. (1999). Teaching information & technology: The big 6. Worthington, OH: Linworth Publishing Inc.
From Now On. (1996). Framing essential questions. Retrieved November 16, 2009 from http://www.fno.org/sept96/questions.html
Hunter, M. (n.d.). Madeline Hunter’s lesson plan. Retrieved November 15, 2009 from http://template.aea267.Iowapages.org/lessonplan/
Murray, J. (n.d.) Applying big 6 skills, AASL standards and ISTE NETS to Internet research. Retrieved November 21, 2009 from http://janetinfo.com/big6info.htm
Orphan Train Complex Inc. (n.d.) Orphan train history. Retrieved November 21, 2009 from http://orphantraindepot.com/OrphanTrainHistory.html
Pathfinder
Orphan Trains
This pathfinder will be useful to upper elementary and middle school students in finding information about the orphan train experience.
BOOKS
Nonfiction
The Orphan Trains, by Alice K. Flanagan (2006)
Dewey- 362.7 FLA
The Orphan Trains, by Annette R. Fry (1994)
Dewey- 362.7 FRY
Children of the Orphan Trains, by Holly Littlefield (2001)
Dewey- 362.7 LIT
We Rode the Orphan Trains, by Andrea Warren (2001)
Dewey- 362.7 War
Orphan Train Rider: One Boy’s True Story, by Andrea Warren
Dewey-B NAI
Fiction
Train to Somewhere, by Eve Bunting (1996)
Dewey- E BUN
Worth, by A. LaFaye, (2004)
Dewey- E KAY
Orphan Train, by Kay Verla (2003)
Dewey- E Kay
A Faraway Home, by Janie Lynn Panagopoulos (2006)
Dewey-FIC PAN
Websites
Children’s Aid Society
http://www.childrensaidsociety.org/about/history/orphantrain
He Drove the Orphan Train Across the Country http://edition.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/12/24/orphan.trains/index.html
Last Orphan Trains http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/history_for_children/18539
National Orphan Train Complex
http://www.orphantraindepot.com/
Orphan Train Heritage Society of America http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2400
Orphan Trains of Kansas
http://www.kancoll.org/articles/orphans/
Magazines
“It Took the Trains to put Street Kids on the Right Track Out of the Slums,” by Donald Jackson. Smithsonian, August 1986, pages 95-103.
“The Orphan Trains,” American History Illustrated, by Leslie Wheeler. December 1983, pages 10-23.
Video
The Orphan Trains, by Janet Graham and the Ed Gray Film Co. (shown on PBS as part of the American Experience series).