• Keyboarding

• Internet search/databases

• Using digital content in an infographic

• Layout and design

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

List of people considered to be outliers in the eyes of society

Easel.ly or other infographic program

MLA documentation guide or OWL@Purdue Online Writing Lab

Students are paired up and given the name of a person to research. Each of the people appear on lists as “most successful” or “top” people in multiple fields. This list is endless and can be adapted to any purpose.

Students will research the assigned person in an attempt to prove/disprove the major tenets/components that determine a person’s identification as an “outlier” according to Gladwell:

• Accumulative advantage
• Relative Age Phenomena
• The Matthew Effect
• The 10,000 Hour Rule
• Cultural Legacies
• Concerted Cultivation

After completing the research, students will create an infographic using Easely. The infographic will highlight the ways in which the assigned person does or does not exemplify the common elements of an outlier as outlined by Gladwell.

The tenets of a good infographic will be observed:

• images/visuals should be more prevalent than text
• Text should be brief and should reinforce the images presented
• Images should “tell” the story and be relevant to the point being made
• There should be a conclusion drawn.

RI.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.

RI.11-12.2 Analyze informational text development.

RI.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem

SL.11-12.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.