Lesson Plan
Digital Literacy and Research Skills
Students will develop deeper digital literacy and research skills
All Notes
Teacher Notes
Student Notes
1 Hook - The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
- Ask students what a source is
- Somewhere you get information from (ex. books, online, news)
- Ask students how they know a source is reliable
- Website ends in .org, .edu, .gov
- Authors are visible, etc.
- Tell students that they are going to have 30 minutes to research about the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
Student Instructions
- Students create a Google Slides presentation about the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
- What is it?
- Where does it live?
- How can we help it?
2 Core Learning - Identifying Reliable Sources

- Some students may have discovered that this is a hoax, some may not have
- If they discover it is a hoax tell them to keep it a secret until everyone has presented
- After all students have presented - explain that this is a hoax
- Ask:
- What strategies did you use to find information? (many students will just click the first link)
- Did you notice any words that came up again and again? (hoax: many students will ignore this word because they won't know what it means)
- How many sources did you refer to? (many students will only look at one)
- This lesson teaches us that we need to research carefully and do the following:
- Use a variety of credible sources
- Check information against other sources to ensure it can be verified
- Introduce students to Google Tips and Tricks
- Ask:
Student Instructions
- Students present their information about the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
3 Research in Action - Google Search Challenges
- Give small groups of students different Google Search Challenges
- Students must use research tricks in order to solve
Student Instructions
- In small groups students complete Google Search Challenges
- Students must write the specific steps and strategies they used to solve the challenges