Please answer, in detail, the following questions about your
technology-supported lesson. If you prefer to answer electronically, look for
our form in the Master Teacher section of our web page at http://edtech.boisestate.edu/bridges
This form is also found on your ZIP disk.
Your Name: Joan Fay
Lesson Number: Lesson #2
Title: Sports of the 2002 Olympics
Content Area/Grade Level: Language Arts (
Content Area Objectives Addressed:
Rationale: Read a variety of grade-level materials and
apply strategies appropriate to various situations.
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Standard - The
student will: |
Content Knowledge and Skills: |
Samples of
Applications: |
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01. Read a variety of traditional and
electronic materials for information and understanding. |
a. Use decoding strategies to fluently
read fourth-grade materials. |
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k. Before, during, and after reading, locate
information to clarify text structure and content. |
i. Preview materials to understand
structure and anticipate content. ii. Use a table of contents, index,
headings, captions, illustrations, and major words to anticipate and predict
content and purpose of a reading section. iii. Use such text organizers as type,
headings, and graphics to predict and categorize information. iv. Connect prior knowledge to enhance
comprehension of text. |
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m. Locate and gather information for a
variety of purposes. |
i. Use encyclopedias and other electronic
and print reference materials to gather information. ii. Use a dictionary and glossary to gather
information. iii. Conduct Internet research. iv. Gather information from charts, graphs, and
maps. v. Gather information from periodicals. |
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n. Paraphrase and summarize text. |
i. In own words, rewrite selected passage;
include most important ideas. |
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04. Read to locate information from a variety
of traditional, technical, and electronic sources. |
a. Use appropriate strategies when reading
for the following purposes: - Full comprehension; - Locating information; - Personal enjoyment. |
i. Identify and use such traditional sources
as reference books, library materials, experts, and electronically stored
sources to locate and acquire information. ii. Within written materials, identify uses
of graphics, layout, white space, parentheses, italics, and other visual
aids. |
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b. Generate questions about important and
interesting issues; use discussion to narrow research. |
i. Write "who,"
"what," "when," "where," "why," and
"how" questions related to a self-selected topic. ii. Read draft of information report to a peer;
invite peer to ask what further information he/she would like to learn. |
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05. Read for technical information. |
a. Identify and use such traditional
sources as reference books, library materials, experts, and
electronically-stored sources to locate and acquire information. |
i. Locate reference materials. ii. Use search engine to locate information
on Internet. |
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02. Write and edit for correctness and
clarity. |
a. Apply rules and conventions of the
following: - Grammar; - Punctuation; - Capitalization; - Spelling; - Legibility. |
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Standard - The
student will: |
Content Knowledge and Skills: |
Samples
of Applications: |
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01. Speak to share understanding of
information. |
b. Plan and deliver an oral presentation
that incorporates appropriate grammar and vocabulary, as well as effective
use of illustrations, pictures, and charts. |
ii. Present an oral report related to a
science or history project to a small group or entire class. |
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Technology Objectives Addressed:
Using “Kidspiration” software for outlining and making notes.
Use Alpha Smarts and Word to write up report.
Use Internet for researching information and following Olympic Events.
Use a Spreadsheet to take student poll and graph.
What was the process that your students went through to complete this lesson?
1. We followed the Olympic Torch as it came to Twin Falls and
continued following it to Salt Lake City using the Internet. We used the official Olympic site to watch mini-videos about the different sports that were coming up. We also investigated the Idahoans who were going to compete this year. Because my students showed so much interest and because I felt it was an important event close to us, I decided to use this opportunity for them to learn more about it and to do reports about the different sports and the sport background.
2. Students chose a sport for their report and I gave them an outline to
follow for their written report.
Written Report Guideline
History
When
or how it began?
Where
it started?
When
became part of the Olympics?
3. We spent three 40 minute periods in the lab for the students to locate their information on their sport. Before going to the Computer lab I modeled going into the Internet site and finding the specific topics they needed to look for. They were shown how to copy and paste only the important information they needed to a Word document. They saved their document to the student server so it could also be accessed in the classroom. When they completed their report they printed it off.
4. The next step was to put their information into their own words, in a list or abbreviated form on 6 cards so they could give their oral reports from these. Each card should contain information on one topic about their sport. They were given another Guideline for their cards.
TOPICS TO BE INCLUDED IN ORAL REPORT
(one topic per card)
1. History of your sport:
Where it began?
When it began?
What country it started in.
When it was added to the Winter Olympics.
2. Rules.
3.
Equipment used.
4. How
many different events in your sport?
5.
Something interesting about your sport (people, countries that usually
win, people who won the
medals at this Olympics).
6. What
country won the medals—gold, silver, and bronze?
Put the information for each number on a
separate card for your report. Use these
cards to give your oral report.
5.
They then used their cards to help them write a paragraph about each
topic about their sport using the program “KIDSPIRATION”. This helped them to outline their information
and to write a paragraph of at least 3-5 sentences for each topic about their
sport. They printed off their outline on
“Kidspiration”.
6.
Their outlines were used to write a report in their own words on the
Alpha Smarts in the classroom and they then downloaded the Alpha Smart file to
Word and edited their writing.
7.
Oral reports were given to the class using their note cards and then
they were required to see if the audience had any questions. This was where they excelled! I was amazed at how much information they had
actually acquired about their sport. The
students asked
questions and the one giving the report did
an outstanding job responding. Every
single student in my class did an special job preparing and presenting their
reports. They practiced good speaking
skills and also good listening skills.
How did you monitor student
progress?
I worked closely with the students discussing their progress and helping
them when they needed it. I allowed students to help each other with the
Internet or software.
They received a 3-0 score for their cards and for their written reports.
3 would require all the cards to be handed in with quality information on them for each topic.
2 would require all cards handed in with minimal information on
each card.
1 would require at least some of the cards completed.
0 would be no cards or only 1 or 2 with little or no information.
The students were divided into groups of 4 to listen to each others reports
given the same rubric to score each others reports.
Was there a template or an
example that students were expected to follow?
The guidelines for their written reports and cards for their oral reports to
include certain information was given to them. However the order the
information was put together didn’t matter.
How much time did you dedicate
to this project?
Total---3 weeks (a week before the Olympics and the 2 weeks of the
Olympic events.)
Daily---30-45 minutes during the 2 weeks of the Olympics
How was the final product
presented?
Each student gave their report to the class using their note cards and then
answering questions after their report. I put together a Power Point
slide show with a picture of each event that a student was reporting
about so a picture of their event was up on the Smart Board while they gave their report. In some cases this helped them answer questions from the class.
Who was the audience for the
final product?
Their class and teacher were the audience for their reports. I should have
invited our other 4th grade classes in to hear their reports.
What prior knowledge was
required on the part of the students in order for them to be successful in this
project? (include curriculum and technology knowledge)
My students needed to be familiar with the Internet and how to search through a site for information. Having done reports before helped them to put these reports into their own words. Familiarity with the Alpha Smarts and how to download the information into Word on the PC speeded things up. They also knew how to save their files into their folder on the Student server.
Having worked with writing and editing skills helped them to do a better job on their reports. Being able scan and search for information in texts and electronically helped them to be more successful looking for information.
What was the student to computer ratio?
During Computer Lab periods each student had
access to a new computer. In the
classroom, when much of the finishing work was done, there are 5 older, slower computers they
worked on.
How did you schedule your students’ computer time?
We spent two 40 minute periods in a week in the computer lab. Students
who needed more time worked in the classroom during study times for 15 minute periods or during recesses.
What was the location of the
computers and other technology equipment used by students?
In the computer lab or 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.)
Taking technology related classes where you often learn about opportunities from other teachers helps. Also investigate grant prospects that are available. Talk with and ask questions of your technology staff in your district.
Rate the level of access for
students to use computers/other technologies as they needed --high, medium, low
High
Rate the level of supervision
required for students during the project, specifically for computer and other
technology use –high, medium, low
Most students supervision was medium, for some students it is high.
What hardware was required for
your project?
Alpha Smarts and computers.
What software was required for
your project?
Kidspiration, Word, Excel,
Anything else?
Internet access for all students
What kind of assessment did you
use for this project? (Include a copy if you can.)
I used a rubric 5-0 which is shown above under the Activity Description
for their written report.
A 5-0 rubric was also used for their oral report.
What categories did you assess?
(I.e.: content, screen design,
depth/breadth, etc.)
Content
How does the product that you submitted compare with other students’
products for this same project?
average
What did you like best about
this project?
I enjoyed seeing them using their reading, writing, and technology skills to learn so much about topics they were researching. Because it was about something that was happening right now, they could relate to the difficulty of preparing for the competition. They internalized the information and were able to discuss and answer questions very intelligently.
I think they liked giving their oral reports and felt good about being able to answer their peer’s questions so well. They always take pleasure in working with the computers and Alpha Smarts.
High
Rank the
level of student interest in this project –high, medium, low
High
Yes, but it would need adapting to possibly include sports that students enjoy participating in themselves, since the Winter Olympics is only experienced once every 4 years. In that case it may be more difficult researching on the Internet for the information. You would want to make sure you use safe search engines for your students. Or list sites on a Word document they can open and click on the sites you have selected. Marco Polo for educators ( http://marcopolo.worldcom.com ) would be a good place to begin for sites or Yahooligans ( www.yahooligans.com )