The FYW Library Instruction Program is designed to support students as they learn to engage with the research process. Librarians provide scaffolded instruction that aligns with the progression of research assignments throughout the semester. This page includes descriptions of each of the four lesson plans available to FYW instructors.
In this lesson, students will learn brainstorming strategies that will help them develop a researchable topic, walk through the process of refining ideas, and create a bank of keywords to use for searching.
Possible areas of instructional focus:
This session is most applicable at the beginning stage of a research assignment.
In this lesson, students will be introduced to Scout, learn basic search strategies such as connecting search terms with Boolean Operators and using limiters, and how to choose the right database for the kinds of sources they need.
Possible areas of instructional focus:
This session is applicable for students who have selected a research topic and are still gathering sources for their assignment.
In this lesson, students will learn how to put together a search strategy to locate specific types of sources and develop evaluation skills to select sources while considering variables such as timeliness, publication process, and credibility.
Possible areas of instructional focus:
This session is applicable any time during a research project.
During this session, a librarian will come to your classroom and answer student questions about the research process.
This session is most applicable during the drafting stage of a research assignment and is ideally scheduled after students have spent some time searching for sources.