Dear Parents:

Our school is always striving to provide the best educational resources for our students. That's why I am proud to announce the Louisiana Department of Education has provided our campus with many online resources for our students and parents to use! Access is for all Louisiana schools and parents across the state! For more information, please double-click the following Internet Addresses:

Gale Group for Parents - www.galegroup.com/parents/

High School Students and Adults -infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/lap02kinderhs (Use louisiana for the password.)

A Colorful Look for Students in Elementary and Middle Grades - (Kids Edition, Junior Edition, and Student Edition) - infotrac.galegroup.com/itk12/lak12rpa (Use pelican for the password.)

In an effort to improve your child's information seeking skills, the KHS Library has incorporated the Big6 Skills into the library lesson instructions and classroom library assignments. The librarian needs your help in the transition of the Big6 Skills from library usage to everyday usage in the home.

Explanation of Big6 Skills:

Big6 is a six-step *thought process for solving any **information problem developed by librarians Michael Eisenberg and Robert Birkowitz.

 The six steps are:

Step 1: Task Definition- define the problem.

Step 2: Information Seeking Strategy- think of all possible sources of possible information. Select the best sources.

Step 3: Locate and Access- physically find the sources. Find information within the source.

Step 4: Use of Information- engage (read, hear, view, touch) the information in a source. Extract information from a source. (Print out, photocopy, take notes.)

Step 5: ***Synthesis- organize and present the informaion.

Step 6: Evaluation- judge the result and process efficiency.

* Thought Process- a way of thinking following a certain order.

**Information Problem- any problem that you need to find information to solve it.

***Synthesis- to combine certain parts to form a whole.

  Examples of Using Big6 Skills:

Example 1 Sample Information Problem

Your family is hungry for fudge and you don't know how to make it.

Step 1 Task Definition

You need a good recipe for fudge.

Step 2 Information Seeking Strategy

Think of places to obtain a recipe. (Internet, ask someone, cookbook from library.)

Step 3 Locate and Access

Get up and go ask neighbor for recipe, get on the internet and type in fudge recipe, go to library and find cookbook with recipe.

Step 4 Use of Information

Copy down recipe from neighbor, print out recipe from computer,copy down recipe from cookbook or photocopy it.

Step 5 Sythesis

Collect all recipes and decide on one to use. Go to store and obtain ingredients. Follow recipe step by step to make fudge.

Step 6 Evaluation

Serve fudge to family. They will give comments to you on taste, texture, etc. (Evaluation of product.) If all good comments and everyone liked the fudge, you did a good job of steps 1-5. If comments are not all good, you need to go back and look at steps 1-5 and decide how you could do it differently. (Evaluation of process.)

Example 2

Information Solving Problem:

Your family wants to take a vacation and there is little money.

The steps are all scrambled. See if you can match them in the correct order. Answers are at the very bottom of this page.

Step 1 Task Definition
Step 2 Information Seeking Strategy
Step 3 Location and Access
Step 4 Use of Information
Step 5 Synthesis
Step 6 Evaluation

Step ____ Make a chart of vacation spots with cut out/ pasted information from brochures under each spot, or have each family member study a different brochure and present finding. Make a pro and con list for each place and present.

Step ____ You need to find materials on various inexpensive places to go on vacation.

Step ____ Read all materials gathered underlining or highlighting points, copy down information from brochures or travel magazines, print out information on various vacation spots found on Internet, or cut out facts from brochures for chart.

Step ____ If decision is made, good job on product! From results of family discussion, decide if you could have done any of the the steps differently.

Step ____ Interent, travel agencies, ask someone who vacations a lot, travel sections at bookstores, travel magazines, city library.

Step ____ Go to Internet- key in keywords and select from various web sites. Go to travel agency and ask for brochures, selecting ones on inexpensive vacations. Go to person and ask for ideas. Go to library or bookstore, find vacation books, magazines, and inexpensive places within each source.

For Further Information, here are some additional websites:

The Big6 Skills	http://www.Big6.com
The Big6 eNewsletter	http://www.Big6.com/enewsletter/
Information Literacy Adventure	http://prwww.ncook.k12.il.us/LearningCenter/infolit/iladventpage/

All KHS students are using these steps when doing term papers or speeches in their English classes. This process is also being used by Spanish, Biology, World Geography, Health, and Keyboarding Students. All teachers giving library assignments complete a collaborative Big6 lesson plan with the librarian.

All KHS students receive library lessons dealing with the usage of all types of reference material both in print and those available through the Internet. Instruction is also given by the librarian, to all students in locating, gathering, and accessing all types of print and non print information and in developing a bibliography with the gathered information.

Answers to 2nd Big6 example: steps 5, 1, 4, 6, 2, 3