Students will research topics related to slope and linear equations to create a digital infographic. They will use the BIG6 research model to define the task, find resources, gather information, compile their research, and synthesize the data. Students will present their infographics and evaluate their own work and their classmates' infographics. The lesson introduces infographics and the BIG6 research process. Students research their topic, create an infographic, and present it to the class.

1. BIG 6 LESSON PLAN
ALGEBRA 1 - NINTH GRADE
LINEAR EQUATIONS & INFOGRAPHIC
LM555 - Dr. Betty Morris
Instructional Design Unit
Cari Golden, Rhonda Nolin, & Suzanne Sullins

2. OBJECTIVES
Students will research topics related to slope and linear equations.
Students will use the BIG6 research model to define the task,
determine valid resources, locate information, compile research, and
synthesize data to create a digital infographic.
Students will present digital infographics to classmates, the
teacher and the library media specialist.
Students will evaluate the quality of his/her infographic and the
quality of his/her classmates‘ infographics.
MATERIALS
Projector/Smart-Board
Computers with Internet Connection
Print sources
(e.g., books, textbooks, reference materials, magazines)
Infographic information sheet
Examples of stellar infographics
BIG6 Research Model checklist and planning sheet

3. PROCEDURES:
The teacher will introduce the lesson
with the following infographic
The infographic serves two purposes:
•REVIEW of the previous day’s lesson
• PREVIEW of the upcoming project - infographics
Students will take notes, record
journal entries, and actively discuss
the questions that are presented.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Immediately following the lesson review with the teacher,
the media specialist will facilitate the BIG 6 lesson plan.

4. BIG 6 / INFOGRAPHICS LESSON
Day 1
Introduction to Infographics
Introduction to the BIG 6 research model
Overview of project expectations/rubric
Begin BIG 6 Handout:
DEFINE THE TASK - Decide topic & type of infographic
DETERMINE VALID RESOURCES - Internet, magazines, textbook...
LOCATE INFORMATION - Begin research
***HOMEWORK***
Continue research & evaluating infographics
**Remember to post questions on Extended Learning Blog

5. BIG 6 / INFOGRAPHICS LESSON
Day 2
LOCATE INFORMATION - Complete research
SYNTHESIS - Compile data for the infographic
Create infographic
Review Rubric
***HOMEWORK***
Complete infographic
complete BIG6 handout (SELF-EVALUATION)
study for posttest
**Remember to post questions on Extended Learning Blog
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 3
EVALUATION - Infographic presentations
Posttest & Self-Assessment

6. INTRODUCTION TO INFOGRAPHICS
What is an infographic?
Visual representations of information, data and knowledge.
An infographic contains integrated text which combines paragraphs, headings, visual
elements and design features that support and give context to one another.
An infographic contains nonlinguistic interpretations - mental pictures, graphic
representations of information, and even physical sensations.
Why use infographics?
It promotes visual literacy, which is the ability to create, interpret, negotiate, and
make meaning from information presented in the form of an image. Infographics can
be used to display your assignment by summarizing the results of your research. The
process of an infographic creation tests your skills in sketching/planning, researching
and distilling large amounts of data, as well as graphic literacy. The ultimate goal is
to present a lot of complex information in an easy to read format.
How do you create an infographic?
First we will look at different types of simple infographics.
We will also look at more complex infographics that encompass a complete concept
and all of the elements related to the concept. These will be the type of infographics
you will be creating for your linear equation/slope research project.

7. Diagrams
Maps & Graphs
SIMPLE INFOGRAPHICS
Timelines & Word Art

8. Informational
Timeline
Statistical Data

9. BIG 6 Research Model
How are you going to create your infographic?
STEP ONE - TASK DEFINITION
WHAT IS THE ASSIGNMENT?
Research a topic of interest that relates to slope.
Compile data to create a specific type of infographic.
WHAT INFORMATION DO YOU NEED?
What is your goal / outcome of the project or investigation?
Determine your TOPIC.
Determine the TYPE of infographic you will create.
What do you already know about this topic?
What are the keywords you can use for research?
When is the project due?

10. POSSIBLE TOPICS...
Communications
Cell phone plans charge a flat rate and extra for texts
messages/other services. Research different plans and/or
different companies. Compare your results graphically.
Which one is the best plan? Why?
Financial
Planning to travel abroad? If you travel outside the
United States, you should be familiar with currency
conversion rates since currencies other than U.S. dollars
are used in most other countries. In 2009, one US dollar
was equivalent to 0.7749 Euros. Find out the current
exchange rate (you can choose a different country).
Explain what the conversion means. Research
geographical data of the country to include in your
infographic. This could informational or statistical.
In the Kitchen
Have you ever doubled (halved) a recipe before. Did you
know you were solving a linear equation when you did
this? Well, you were. Find a favorite recipe - double it
and half it, compare the ingredients and discuss how
they are related. Graph your results and show the
vertical shifts (positive and negative) that occur.
Sports
Have you ever heard the phrase - “Let’s hit the slopes?”
Research if athletes have a preferred mountain slope.
What makes it perfect? Can slope be too steep? not steep
enough? You could also research the effect of the
environment on certain slopes and how they have
changed over time. This would make a good timeline.
Health & Body
You probably have heard about some ratios that are said
to exist in the body. For examples, it is often said that if
you open your arms wide and measure the length from
the fingertips of one hand to the fingertips of the other
and compare this to your height, the two measurements
are equal. Do you own investigation? Is it true?

11. Think about all of the possible sources of
information that will help you answer the questions
we asked in Big6 #1 Task Definition.
Where do you start looking for information?
What kind of resources do you need?
website? reference? newspaper? current information? scholarly
research? image? personal interview? audio or video? primary
source? historical information?
MAKE A LIST!
If you need help, ask your media specialist.
STEP TWO - INFORMATION SEEKING

12. WHERE WILL YOU FIND THE INFORMATION?
Online? in print? personal source? database?
HOW TO ACCESS THE INFORMATION YOU NEED?
Do you need a password or log in information?
Is a book available for check-out?
Can you get photocopies of reference materials?
Are there magazines available that have infographic examples?
STEP THREE - LOCATION & ACCESS

13. STEP FOUR - USE OF INFORMATION
How will you record the data you find?
STEP FIVE - SYNTHESIS
How will you compile the data you have found
for the specific TYPE of infographic?

14. STEP SIX - EVALUATION
You should be able to answer “yes” to these
questions before you publish your project:
•Is the topic of the infographic specific in nature?
•Does the type of infographic support the content being presented?
•Are the objects repeated to support various data points and to make
it easier for the viewer to understand the infographic?
•Do the data visualization formats make the data presented easy for
the viewer to understand the information?
•Does the infographic include fonts to both complement the content
and make the text readable?
•Do the color choices enhance the visibility of the infographic?
•Does the layout of the infographic adhere to the inverted pyramid
style (main point at top, secondary point, then supporting details)?
•Does the infographic utilize one of the LATCH (location, alphabetical,
timeline, category, or heirarchy) information organization formats to
allow the viewer to understand the information in the infographic?
•Are full bibliographic citations included for all sources used?

15. How to use & communicate the
information in an ethical manner:
We expect you to use information created by others.
Direct quotes, paraphrasing and summarizing are ways you can
use another person’s words / ideas in your project.
The MOST IMPORTANT thing about using the work of others is
to give them credit for their work (citing your sources).
Ask your TEACHER which method (APA or MLA) she prefers.
Don’t forget to cite your sources in text. (parenthetical citation)
Images, audio, video, blog posts, interviews, and other non-
print sources must be cited as well.
Document your sources as you find them,
even if you are not sure if you will be using them.

16. Currency
The timeliness of the information
When was the information published or posted?
Has the information been revised or updated?
Is the information current or out-of-date for your topic?
Are the links functional?
Relevance
The importance of the information for your needs
Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
Who is the intended audience?
Is the information at an appropriate level?
Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining
this is one you will use?
Would you be comfortable using this source for a research paper?
Evaluate Your Sources

17. Authority
The source of the information
Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
Are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
Is the author a teacher or student of the topic?
Does the author have a reputation?
Is there contact information, such as an e-mail address?
Has the author published works in traditional formats?
Is the author affiliated with an organization?
Does this organization appear to support or sponsor the page?
What does the domain name/URL reveal about the source of the
information, if anything?
Evaluate Your Sources - Cont’d

18. Accuracy
The reliability, truthfulness, and
correctness of the informational content
Where does the information come from?
Are the original sources of information listed?
Can you verify any of the information in independent sources or from
you own knowledge?
Has the information been reviewed or referred?
Does the language or tone seem biased?
Are there spelling, grammar, or other typos?
Purpose
The reason the information exists
Are possible biases clearly stated?
Is advertising content vs. informational content easily distinguishable?
Are editorials clearly labeled?
Is the purpose of the page stated?
Is the purpose to: inform? teach? entertain? enlighten? sell? persuade?
Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?
Evaluate Your Sources - Cont’d

19. *As you gather your data:
Think about HOW you are going to refine your data and in what
way you will represent the data. A fundamental aspect of this
project is that information graphics are interesting because they
reveal differences. For this reason refining them and
representing the data derived from their statistical treatment
often reveals aspects that otherwise would be confusing, which
often leads to wrong conclusions.
Once data is refined you will have to choose the most effective
visual representation or type of infographic.

20. As you create your infographic:
Remember layout, textures and typography effect the
overall feel of your design. Typography is one of the
most important key aspects of any design project. Among
other things, effective typography can enrich the visual
appearance by adding graphical elements with the written
word. Also remember that varying the colors, reducing
the saturation of what is less important and increasing it
for the most relevant data, modifying the typography, the
size of fonts, eliminating everything that doesn’t
contribute to showing and clarifying the data (irrelevant
grids, redundant data, and unnecessary labels) without
losing relevant information sometimes provides
surprisingly improved results.

21. MATERIALS
BIG6 research model checklist and
project guidelines.
EVALUATION
Teacher observation will be used as
students research and gather data.
A rubric will be used to grade the
student infographics. (MATERIALS TAB)