Explorers: Then and Now
Jean
Barber
5th Grade/Social Studies
Payette School District
Content
Area Objectives Addressed:
Upon the completion of this unit the students will be able to:
Name and discuss three reasons for exploration
Name and explain three hazards/obstacles encountered by explorers
Name five explorers; for whom they sailed, what they were looking for, what they
found, and the significance of their discovery
Technology
Objectives Addressed:
Primary
Objectives:
The student will use the Internet to research explorers from a given list using
book-marked sites.
The students will use technology to go on-line.
The students will go to book-marked sites from a social studies folder in
Favorites.
The students will navigate within the sites to investigate a topic.
The students will copy pictures, paste them into a word document, and print them
.
The students will use Yahooligans to search for information on explorers.
Secondary
Objectives:
Word Processing:
(We have access to Alpha Smarts that make these objectives reasonable. Access to
a lab setup would also facilitate the project.)
The student will open a word processing program, create, and save a document.
The student will use a template supplied by the teacher to complete a worksheet.
The student will compose a document to fulfill the content area assignment that
reflects the writing process. The
student will use the technology tools available to produce a paper in paragraph
form. The teacher will select the
format: group, pairs, individually.
The student will import a picture, graphic, or clipart per teacher directions.
The student will complete a title page according to format requested by the
teacher.
Database
The student will use a database to query for information to complete a
teacher-made worksheet.
The student will use the information to make a decision.
Activity
Description
What
was the process that your students went through to complete this lesson?
I demonstrated the search
activity on my computer to five students. They
then worked with three others for about 20 minutes and then 1 group at a time
came to the computers and did their research, again for a 20 minute period –
˝ a class period. This enabled me
to put the entire class on the computers every class period.
The students completed the guided practice and were checked
by the teacher before they were allowed to go on to a paired practice and then
to the independent practice.
As the final copies came in I hung them up around the room.
Soon it was clear that we needed a way to organize material and
information and I taught 5 students at a time about a database using my
computer.
As soon as all the students had
been through the database demo I started inputting information into our explorer
database. Ultimately I had three
students in one class and two in the other who were happy to do this for us and
I gladly shared the responsibility.
How
did you monitor student progress?
I moved among the computers as necessary to assist and made notes on my roster
on a clipboard. The students
monitored their own progress on the white board signing in under the appropriate
column as they entered the room. Those
headings were:
Researching my first explorer on
the computer
Writing my summary paragraph
Peer edit/Teacher edit
Final draft
Researching my second explorer on the compute
Researching my third explorer on the computer.
I made note on my roster each day where each student was working and intervened
if I did not see progress.
Was
there a template or example the students were expected to follow?
The students used a worksheet to guide them thorough the process..
How
much time did you dedicate to this project?
Total:
I cut the project off at three
weeks. I had planned a two week
work session but the students were too involved to end the project.
Daily: I have each class for
45 minutes a day.
How
was the final project presented? Who
was the audience for the final product?
The students made an oral presentation to the class.
Learning
Issues:
What
prior knowledge was required on the part of the student in order for them to be
successful in this project? (include curriculum and technology knowledge)
I had hoped for a better background than my
students displayed. Ultimately, no
prior knowledge – either in curriculum or
technology – was assumed.
Resource
Management
What
was the student to computer ratio?
There are 6 computers in my classroom, so the
ratio is roughly 4+ to 1 for students to computers.
How
did you schedule your students’ computer time?
Initially, I scheduled the groups for 20
minute slots. This was only
necessary for the first two days, then, as the students signed in, they went
where they needed to go – to the computer to research, to a table to write a
rough draft, edit, or write their final draft.
What
was the location of the computers and other technology equipment used by
students?
The computers are in my classroom.
How
would you suggest beginning teachers obtain computer resources for their
students? (Knowing some of your strategies would be valuable for our pre-service
teachers.)
Grab every opportunity you have to learn about technology. Apply for every grant that comes down the road.
In Idaho we are fortunate enough to have foundations like the
Albertson’s Foundation which have made enormous
opportunities available.
Rate
the level of access for students to use computers/other technologies as they
needed
Rate
the level of supervision required for students during the project, specifically
for computer and other technology use
Materials
What
hardware was required for your project? We have the computers supplied by
Bridges.
What
software was required for your project? We used Internet Explorer.
We have Microsoft Office on all of my computers.
Anything
else? The SMART Board and
projector will be up and running – soon, I hope.
It is obvious that these resources could have streamlined the project for
both teacher and students.
Assessment
What
kind of assessment did you use for this project?
For the curriculum objectives the assessment piece was three-fold:
the complete research papers, the paragraph summaries, and THE TEST.
We assessed the paragraph summaries
using the rubric. (The test was the paper I had given them on learning
objectives on a different color paper, had them write “Final Test” on top
and answer the questions. )
I
assessed technology learning as they work working on the computers by teacher
observation.
Note: I
am aware that not all the technology objectives were met.
Circumstances made the Alpha Smarts unavailable and the word processing
portion of the project was omitted.
Other
What
did you like best about this project?
I continue to love watching the lights go on.
The students far exceeded my expectations and continue to remind me to
get out of the way.
What
did the students like best about this project?
Ownership.
The students had a great deal of input in this project and , while they
liked using the computers, I think they liked the learning even more.
The technology offers enormous opportunities that many of my students
have not experienced before and they are grabbing the chance and running with
it. Truly it does
level the playing field. Lots of
technology and trained teachers offer an opportunity to students in rural Idaho that is unequaled in my teaching career.
What at time to teach! What
a time to LEARN!
Rank
the level of student involvement in this project
HIGH
Rank
the level of student interest in this project
HIGH
Would
you teach this lesson again?
Absolutely, of course, I made notes on things I would do differently and that
will change with each group of students.