Lesson Title: The Future of File Sharing on the Net
Topic/Focus Area: Current Issues
Lesson Overview / Comments
Content Standards
Objectives
Activites 		Resources
File Attachments
Assessment

Subject(s): Language Arts/Reading, History/Social Science Grade Level(s): 7-12, HigherEd

Name: Nancy Silva
School: Butte Co. Office of Education
Subjects Taught: Professional Development Coordinator 5 County Center Drive
Phone: 530-532-5814 Oroville, CA 95965
E-mail:  

Lesson Overview / Comments
    Unit Overview
    The future of Napster and peer-to-peer file sharing has been called into question. Students are given a brief overview of the status of the case. Students are divided into teams of four with an equal number of teams representing Napster's point of view and the Recording Industry's position. The four roles for each team are: Recording Industry representative or Napster representative, teenager for Napster or teenager for Recording Industry, lawyer for Napster or lawyer for Recording Industry. Students work individually to design a research question (focus question) and investigate their focus area based on the role they are assigned in their group. Over 4 more class periods, the role players will then meet in groups and synthesize information gathered about the Napster case into a PowerPoint presentation for the group. The PowerPoints are presented to the U.S. Court of Appeal (the Teacher) and posted on the class web site. Students will take what they have learned from the pros and cons presented by their peers in class and write a persuasive essay on their personal position in the Napster case. They will post their essay to a discussion board with their PowerPoint web page URL listed. The unit of study can easily be adapted to other current events.

    Overview of Lessons
    This first lesson focuses on researching the Napster Controversy. Students will spend time with their group and independently comb resources on the Internet to find data that support their point of view and defend at least one main counterclaim. Students prepare an outline which includes a question, a thesis, and a list of at least three important points from their research and a rebuttal to at least one counterclaim to support their role position. This information will be used in the group PowerPoint. The subsequent lessons include writing and revising persuasive compositions, designing and publishing a persuasive argument using multi-media publishing software and
    graphic programs, and presenting persuasive arguments all of which are content called for in the grade 9-10 Language Arts Writing & Listening and Speaking content strands.
Standards Addressed
Ninth & Tenth Grade: Language Arts
  Writing
    1.3 Use clear research questions and suitable research methods (e.g., library, electronic media, personal interview) to elicit and present evidence from primary and secondary sources.
    1.4 Develop the main ideas within the body of the composition through supporting evidence (e.g., scenarios, commonly held beliefs, hypotheses, definitions).
    1.5 Synthesize information from multiple sources and identify complexities and discrepancies in the information and the different perspectives found in each medium (e.g., almanacs, microfiche, news sources, in-depth field studies, speeches, journals, technical documents).
    2.3a Write expository compositions, including analytical essays and research reports that marshal evidence in support of a thesis and related claims, including information on all relevant perspectives.
    2.3b Write expository compositions, including analytical essays and research reports that convey information and ideas from primary and secondary sources accurately and coherently.
    2.3c Write expository compositions, including analytical essays and research reports that make distinctions between the relative value and significance of specific data, facts, and ideas.
    2.3d Write expository compositions, including analytical essays and research reports that include visual aids by employing appropriate technology to organize and record information on charts, maps, and graphs.
    2.3e Write expository compositions, including analytical essays and research reports that anticipate and address readers' potential misunderstandings, biases, and expectations.
Student Learning Objectives
  • Given instruction and an online resource guide, students will use 1 research question they designed, on the Napster controversy that meets or exceeds proficiency on the rubric checklist.
  • Given instruction on suitable research methods, students will use suitable research methods including at least two of the following three resources: the Internet, the library, and / or personal interviews to obtain answers to their Napster research question and role.
  • Given instruction on how to elicit evidence from primary and secondary sources, students will elicit answers to their research questions from at least 1 primary and 2 secondary sources and will outline at least 3 points of evidence to support their position that meets or exceeds proficiency on the rubric checklist.
  • Given a few primary and secondary Internet links to jump start the process, students will marshal evidence in support of a thesis and related claims, including information on all relevant perspectives that meets or exceeds proficiency on the rubric checklist.
  • Given time to research, students make distinctions between the relative value and significance of specific data, facts, and ideas and outline information and ideas from primary and secondary sources that meets or exceeds proficiency on the rubric checklist.
  • Given time to research, students anticipate and address U.S. Appeals Court's potential misunderstandings, biases, and expectations in their thesis outline to meet or exceed proficiency on the rubric checklist.
Activities

  1. Introductory Activity
    The Day Before
    Before you begin this lesson, give students a printed handout of the MSNBC news story on the Napster controversy and the U.S Appeals Court ruling for those who don't have Internet access from home (http://www.msnbc.com/news/528921.asp) . Assign the reading as homework. Since this is a current issue, do a quick search to find out the latest on the case (see Web Links in Resources section of lesson plan). Integrate any pertinent news into your lesson plan.

  2. Introductory Activity
    Day One - Classroom
    1. Break students into groups for discussion for 10 minutes. Explain that one person from the group will share out the group's reaction to the ruling when the time is up. Here are some topics they can consider.
    a. What was Napster's argument?
    b. What was the record industry's argument?
    Why did the judge support it?
    c. After reading the article, which side do you think has a stronger argument?
    d. Why has the case been watched closely by lawyers, consumers, policymakers, and entrepreneurs?
    e. Do the implications for the case extend beyond music? How?

    2. Introduce the role-playing unit and give students an overview of the logistics, the lessons, and how they will be assessed.

    3. Set up role playing groups. Divide students into teams of four with an equal number of teams representing Napster's point of view and the Recording Industry's position. Within each team assign one of the four roles: Recording Industry representative or Napster representative, teenager for Napster or teenager for Recording Industry, lawyer for Napster or lawyer for Recording Industry.

  3. Learning Activities & Feedback Strategies
    Day Two - Classroom with Computers and/or Computer Lab
    1. Give overview of writing research questions and outlines and an online resource guide at: http://www.geocities.com/athens/oracle/4184/index.html#outline

    2. Hook up your LCD projector or Computer / TV scan converter and show students how they can find and integrate primary & secondary resources from online library resources and interviews. Give them some search strategies and starting points on the Net (see Web Links in Resources section of lesson plan).

    3. Students spend time with their group and independently combing resources on the Internet to find facts, opinions, quotations, and ideas that support their point of view and defend at least one main counterclaim.

  4. Culminating Lesson Activity
    Homework
    1. At the end of day two, students save their research on a disc or print it. Their homework is to prepare an outline which includes a question, a thesis, and a list of at least three important points from their research to support their role position. (Word-processed if students have access to computers during study period, after school, or at home.) Ask students to turn in a copy (electronic when possible) of their outline the following class period. It will be used to design the group PowerPoint.

  5. Culminating Lesson Activity
    Day Three - Classroom with Computers and/or Computer Lab
    1. Students put their word-processed outline on the LAN server and save a copy in the Teacher's folder. You can use paper copies if access to computers is limited.

    2. Break students into their groups to review and discuss each members' outline and begin synthesizing information gathered into a PowerPoint outline (preferably at least one computer per group but can be done with paper and pen and transferred to PowerPoint application when you go to the computer lab.) Give some web sites where they can download pictures and multi-media for their project.

    3. While students are meeting in groups, assess their outline work and attach rubric checklist (download from this lesson plan's file attachments) with written feedback when necessary.

Resources
    Content Resources (books, articles, etc.)
    Hardware Resources (computers, TV, VCR, etc.)
      Classroom with Internet connected computers and/or computer lab.

      Can be accomplished with at least two classroom Internet connected computers.

      Ideally a 1:1 student to computer ratio

      LCD projector or Computer / TV scan converter.

      Multi-media software such as PowerPoint or HyperStudio.


File Attachments

    download the file Rubric / Checklist for Lesson 1

    download the file Precise Searches / Boolean Operators

    download the file Table of Search Engines



Assessment
    Assessment Instrument
    The culminating activity for this lesson is an outline. The assessment for this lesson and subsequent lessons in this Unit of Study is a rubric checklist, which can be found in the File Attachment section of this lesson. The assessment for the culminating PowerPoint, presentation, and persuasive essay will be a 4-point rubric that includes elements from each of the lesson checklists.