Germs+3rd+and+7th+Grades

Germs - 7th Grade Unit
I created two different units on germs and for two different grades – 3rd and 7th. Third grade is one of my favorite grades because the students at that age typically are going through a rapid development of skills mentally, physically, and socially. They have a strong sense of right and wrong and a growing understanding of the world in which they live. Seventh graders are also going through a lot of rapid changes physically, emotionally, socially, and mentally. This transformation can cause anxiety and moodiness. They are capable of more complex thought and are better able to express themselves verbally.

Even though they were developed for different grades, each unit involves the inquiry skills of note taking, interviewing, and addresses the following Standard for the 21st Century Learner from the American Association of School Librarians: · Learners use skills, resources, and tools to share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as member of our democratic society.

**Notetaking**
For the third graders I only had them collect the name and title of their resources in addition to any factual information they gathered. I think this introduces them into the importance of recognizing and citing other people’s work they gather for their own use. The seventh graders are capable of gathering more complete citation information for their resources.

**Interviewing**
The interview planning worksheet I provided for both grades outlines the appropriate way of following through with an interview based on the __Blue Book on Information Age Inquiry.__ The third graders need the guidance and experience of a class interview to understand how one should be conducted. The seventh graders on the other hand should be able to complete a successful interview individually.

**Sharing Knowledge**
Both lessons allow the students to share their new found knowledge with their school population. While the third graders have a choice on how to layout their illness prevention poster, I believe seventh graders are beginning to be aware of their own strengths and weaknesses and deserve more options to choose from to effectively present information to others.

**Resources**
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Callison, D., & Preddy, L. (2006). __The Blue Book on Information Age Inquiry, Instruction and Literacy.__ Westport, CN: Libraries Unlimited.