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What Is ILT?
The Presidential Committee on Information Literacy defined information literacy as the set of skills required for an individual to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." In order for students to become 21st century learners, they must function in an information-rich, technology-infused world, mastering the skills necessary to understand and authentically use information.

What Does the Curriculum Look Like?
There are currently eight ILT projects being implemented in classrooms across DPS. Each is an interdisciplinary inquiry unit written around a piece of literature, aligned to standards, with research and technology as driving forces. The overview, resources, and day-to-day lesson plans are all easily accessible on-line. DoTS provides student copies, books, maps, and other resources necessary to implement the project—all free to the classroom teacher.

The current projects, including Tell Me a Digital Story, Race Around the World, and Small World are available in full at: http://techtraining.dpsk12.org/ILT

How Does It Impact My Classroom?
Imagine project-based, information literate, technology-enhanced curriculum units designed with AVID constructs. Imagine two-to-three week interdisciplinary units with literature inclusions and embedded research, complete with day-to-day lessons, student handouts, and resources available on-line. Well, STOP imagining…tomorrow’s dream is today’s reality! And we want YOU to be a part of the new generation of ILT projects!

ILT Expands!
During the 2007-8 school year, we will offer EIGHT to TWELVE new ILT projects in multiple subject areas for elementary, middle and high school classrooms. We need your curriculum writing expertise! We are hiring teachers for the summer who are interested in curriculum writing on any of the following projects (pay at DPS standard curriculum writing rate, to be done this summer):

Proposed Projects - What units you would be interested in helping write?

Language Arts: K-12
A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Research: Traveling the DPS Databases
Prepare your students to be successful on any research project--take your students on a five-day exploration of the rich resources available to DPS students, at school as well as at home.

Science / Social Studies: 5-8
Man, Do We Need Instructions! Mysteries of the Universe
From the wonders of Easter Island to the enigma of the ocean bottom, this three-week unit will help your students become experts in research and writing before offering a multi-media explanation to the world!

Science: 4-6
From Canopy to the Forest Floor: The World’s Rainforests
Students will wrap their learning experiences in geography, zoology, and botany around the cultural and political decision-making centered on saving our world’s rainforests.

Geography / Social Studies: 5-8
Sheik and Bake: From Bethlehem to Baghdad! A Study of the Middle East
Students will take on the roles of Middle East leaders to debate and solve the 3000-year old conflict embedded in the Middle East. This 4-week unit includes geography, history, art, writing position papers, as they become involved in one of today’s most heated current events.

Science: 4-6
Mission Incredible: A Last Chance to Survive at Sea!
Placing students in the middle of a virtual ocean, this two-week simulation will require students to apply oceanographic knowledge infused with meteorological and marine biology, as well as team work!

Science / Art: 5-9
It’s Da Train…It’s Da Plane…NO…It’s Just Da Vinci
Don’t miss the three-week opportunity to watch your students intertwine the magic of DaVinci’s art with the brilliance of his science as they work collaboratively to use research knowledge to design, explain, and make prototypes of new inventions.

Language Arts / Math / Social Studies: 7-10
A Buzzing Coming of Age: An Interdisciplinary Study of The Secret Life of Bees!
This 4-week unit, based on the novel Secret Life of Bees, offers a web-based adventure exploring the reading, writing, and research opportunities based on the novel, such as Diversity in Religion; Racism in the 1960s; the Interaction of Bees; and the psychological importance of companionship.

Social Studies / Art: 7-10
Let’s Cross That Bridge When We Build It: An Interdisciplinary Study of Architecture Through History
Using many of the architectural examples in Denver, students become experts in the architecture that defined civilizations and their impact on the times and today.

Economics / Social Studies: 8-10
Take This Job and Love It!: A Career Unit
Students are immersed in selecting careers, daily budgeting, checking accounts and the ups and downs of managing daily financial affairs.

Have a different idea?

So, you want to be involved? Here are the logistics!

What:

• Join a small group of teacher-colleagues to write an ILT unit, from a proposed outline of activities.

When:

• Initial meeting of the minds to be held in mid May. Come learn how to put the unit together and then stay for an afternoon of initial working with your team (all paid time).
• Other writing will be done in teams and partially on your own during the summer.
• Units must be completed by AUGUST 1, 2007.

Where:

• Initial meeting of the minds and group curriculum work will be hosted at DoTS (780 Grant Street).

Compensation:

• Meeting time will be compensated at $20.13 /hour
• Curriculum writing will be compensated at $30.98 /hour

Interested in participating on a writing team?

Send an email expressing your interest in participating and the Unit(s) you would like to help write to:

Candace_Stocker@dpsk12.org