Lepisto 1

Title: MRHS Library Database Workshop

Author: Rayanne Lepisto

Time & Format: 1 hour per session; six sessions in the school library.

Audience/Learners: 10th Grade students in the AP History Class

Topic Overview: The purpose of this lesson plan is to teach these students how to use the high
school library database. The students will also learn how to enter keywords to find sources on the
library website for their research paper on their chosen topic. The students will also learn what a
credible source is and how to evaluate resource credibility.

Goals:
 Self-development: Develop skills to use for research paper and the senior capstone paper.
 Knowledge of credible resources and were to access them
 Online resources for help with research paper

Engagement:
 Assess students’ prior knowledge on the database.
 Classroom discussion on where students can find credible resources. Ask the following
questions:
o What is a credible resource? List components.
o What do you know about the library database?
o What type of materials can you look up on the library database?
Exploration:
 Use the projector and present how to use the database to the class in the library. Present
the database resource form to students.
 Show and explain other online resources for reference pages and writing papers. Owl
Purdue and Citation Machine.
Explanation:
 Activity 1: Hand out the source form for the database.
 Activity 2: Hand out website evaluation assignment. Have the students show the teacher
and the librarian their resources after completing the form and what they will use them
for.
 Activity 3: Classroom discussion on how they accessed the resource, how they know it is
a credible resource, and what type of resource. Talk about the forms they filled out.
Elaboration:
 Students will begin creating their reference page with annotations.
 Lepisto 2

 Begin outline of paper and where the resources will be used.

 Students will fill out the answers to the following questions and hand them in:
o Explain how to use the library database.
o What materials can you access within the database?
o What is a credible resource? How do you know?
Evaluation:
 Evaluate the answers to the questions.
 Evaluate reference and draft/outline of the paper.