"Go online and search your topic for 20 minutes": Leveling up students' browsing strategies and skills
The problem Every year students surprise me with the way they navigate the internet, or "read online." Kim Young noticed when she asked 9th grade students to browse the internet for introductory research, 60% of of them didn't show the skills, strategies and behaviors associated with consciously browsing the internet to get an introduction to a topic. The solution In the Advanced Innovative Learning Team (AILT), Kim and I discussed this data point and decided to create a lesson using a deck of cards to scaffold student browsing during the initial research phase of the 9th grade Global Concerns project. Students research three different geographical areas for 20 minutes to get a feel for which one they might want to select for their extended research project. We opened the lesson by modeling a Google search, paying particular attention scanning article titles, URLs and snippets. Most students click on the first result, and we want them to use the strategy