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This book demonstrates how government information can be used to engage students through inquiry and project-based activities, thereby providing opportunities for creative investigation and discovery.Many government agencies and institutions provide educators with curricula, lesson plans, data, and direction-all of it free. But to access this largely hidden world of government information, one needs an understanding of how this government information is organized and knowledge about how to best utilize the finding aids, databases, and other search mechanisms to help guide effective research. This guidebook shows you how to locate high-quality, effective lesson plans developed by the nation's best educators, access reliable government data, and find curated lists of free government sources that are theme-based and reference national standards in social studies and health.
Understanding Government Information: A Teaching Strategy Toolkit for Grades 7-12 is ideal for middle school and high school librarians and teachers in all subject areas, public youth services librarians, as well as parents teaching their students in home school based programs. You'll learn how to access expert-developed lesson plans, documents, images, and other primary sources along with suggested activities. The book also includes a teacher toolkit that details strategies for lessons and student activities that can be used across the curriculum.
List of contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
List of Icons
Introduction
1 Getting Geeky with Government Information2 Tools of the Trade: ToolkitIntroducing the Tools of the Trade
Asking Questions with QFT
Evidence Stacks
Circle of Viewpoints
The Research Journal
Search School: Searching for Government Resources on the Web
Dig & Dive
Unpack Primary Sources with the Library of Congress
Bringing It All Together
3 Design Ideas: Classroom StrategiesInquiry and Government Information
Exhibits
The Presidential Brief
Theme Park
Monument Project
The Powers of Persuasion: The Fine Art of Propaganda
4 Blueprint: Agencies and InstitutionsU.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Finance
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Presidential Libraries
The Library of Congress (LOC)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
National Park Service (NPS)
Smithsonian Institution
The Three Branches of the Government . . . and a State Department
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Wait! There's More!
Images Cited
Index
About the author
Connie Hamner Williams was formerly a National Board Certified Teacher Librarian at Petaluma High School.
