Title III Technology Literacy Challenge Grant

Learning Unit

Overview | Content Knowledge | Essential Questions | Connection To Standards | Initiating Activity | Learning Experiences | Culminating Performance | Pre-Requisite Skills | Modifications | Schedule/Time Plan | Technology Use

OVERVIEW

•  Students will create paper mache globes with balloons. This can be done as part of an interdisciplinary lesson with the art teacher or in social studies.
• Students will label the 4 oceans on their balloons with reference to large wall map, classroom globe, and Encarta Virtual Globe CD-ROM projected on large screen TV with Tvator or other computer projection device. Continents may be labeled at this time or as part of another lesson.
• Students will read The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor by Joanna Cole. Some students may use Big Book and receive extra help from reading teacher. As an enrichment activity, the CD-ROM of the Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor will be available on computer.
• Students will read about various ocean mysteries as part of their Houghton Mifflin reading series. Theme Mysteries of the Deep includes Judy Donnelly’s The Titanic: Lost and Found, Rabinowich’s Loch Ness Monster, and The Long-lost Coelacanth by Aliki. As enrichment, students may go to the library and check out other books about ocean mysteries.
• Students will choose an ocean animal to research after playing the Who Am I? Game from the Undersea Adventure CD-ROM. Students will use the CD-ROM to fill out their story web after the teacher has modeled filling out a web using an animal that was not chosen.
• Students will write creative stories using Microsoft Works after researching their animal.

Story Starter: If I lived in the ocean I would be a ____________ because…

• After students have all completed their research they will play the guessing game with their classmates. Other students will ask questions such as: What do you eat? Where do you live? What are you afraid of? to try to guess which animal the student had researched, this will enable all students to learn more about each animal.
• Culminating activity: Trip to the Aqua Zoo or another aquarium.

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

•  What would your life be like if you lived in the ocean?
• Are there still treasures in the ocean?
• What have people done to harm the ocean?

CONNECTIONS TO NYS LEARNING STANDARDS
List Standard # and Key Idea #: Write out related Performance Indicator(s) or Benchmark(s)

 Standard: English Language Arts

1. Language for Information and Understanding

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

Benchmarks:

Listening and Reading

1. Listening and reading to acquire information and understanding involves collecting data, facts, and ideas; discovering relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and using knowledge from oral, written, and electronic sources.

Speaking and Writing

• Speaking and writing to acquire and transmit information requires asking probing and clarifying questions, interpreting information in one's own words, applying information from one context to another, and presenting the information and interpretation clearly, concisely, and comprehensibly.

•  

  Standard : Math, Science & Technology

  1. Scientific Inquiry

  Students will develop explanations of natural phenomena in a continuing, creative process.

   

  4. The Living Environment

  6. Plants and animals depend on each other and their physical environment.

  7. Human decisions and activities have had a profound impact on the physical and living environment.

   

  2. Information Systems

   

  Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.

   

  Benchmarks:

   

  Information Systems

  1. Information technology is used to retrieve, process, and communicate information as a tool to enhance learning.

   

   

  INITIATING ACTIVITY

   

  Students will make their own Earth out of balloons and paper mache. They will paint and label the 4 oceans.

   

   

  LEARNING EXPERIENCES
  In chronological order including acquisition experiences and extending/refining
  experiences for all stated declarative and procedural knowledge.

  As a result of this unit, student will know or understand…

   

  1. Different ocean mysteries

  2. ¾ of Earth is covered by water

  3. Identify ocean life forms

  4. Location of 4 oceans

   

   

  What experiences or activities will be used to help students acquire & integrate this knowledge?

   

  1. Reading various ocean mysteries from Houghton Mifflin Mysteries of the Deep

  2. Use of maps, globe, CD-ROM Encarta Virtual Globe

  3. Use of CD-ROM Undersea Adventure, story web

  4. Activity labeling oceans on paper mache Earth

   

  What strategies will be used to help students construct meaning?

   

  1. KWL chart

  2. Modeling

  3 minute pause

  3. Teacher modeling, Cooperative Learning, Collaborative pairs

   

   

  Describe what will be done.

   

  1. Students will start a KWL chart before reading, complete chart after reading different stories.

  2. Students will locate and label oceans on maps and globes

  3. Students will be shown use of CD-ROM, story web and research.

  (See learning experience for details.)

   

  Procedural Knowledge

  As a result of this unit students will be able to…

   

  1. Fill out a story web

  2. Word Processing

  3. Write creative stories

  4. Use CD-ROMs for research

   

  What will be done to help students internalize knowledge?

  1. Teacher modeling, collaborative pairs.

  2. Some prior knowledge, teacher modeling, direct instruction.

  3. Review, follow strategies for vocabulary, decoding, descriptive language.

  4. Teacher modeling, prior knowledge.

   

  Describe what will be done.

   

  1. See learning experience.

  2. Prior use of touch typing program, teacher modeling use of word processing program.

  3. Brainstorm descriptive words, use of story starter and web.

  4. Teacher modeling, cooperative pairs.

   

   

   

  CULMINATING PERFORMANCE
  Include rubric(s)

   Learning Context

   

  This learning experience incorporates both English Language Arts and Science. Incorporated standards are English Language Arts Standard 1, Key Idea 1; Science Standard 2, Information Systems, Key Idea 1

   

  Procedure

   

  The teacher will begin this learning experience by playing the Who Am I? Game from the CD-ROM Undersea Adventure by Knowledge Adventure. The CD-ROM will be projected on the large TV screen with a TVAtor. This game will accomplish various goals. It will motivate students for their upcoming assignment, it will demonstrate the teacher modeling the use of the CD-ROM that they will be expected to use for their research, and it will introduce the students to some of the ocean animals that they will be learning about. The teacher will choose various students to answer the questions. What do I eat? Where do I live?, etc. After completion of the game students will be given a story web and told to enter the name of the chosen animal inside. Animals will be approved beforehand to ensure that there is information available to the students. The teacher will model filling out a story web with an animal that has not been chosen. The teacher will show the students the various parts of the CD-ROM where the information on their animal is to be located. The teacher will explain that they will use the information about their animal to write a realistic fiction story, or a report. The students will be paired to complete the assignment and then proof read and conference about their partner’s work. Following this peer review the teacher will facilitate a group discussion to answer questions. Students will be referred back to the CD-ROM if necessary

  The teacher will assess the students through informal observation during group discussions and researching on the CD-ROM. The teacher will use a rubric to grade the writing assignment. There will also be a checklist to use in ensuring that students used the necessary parts of the CD-ROM, filled in the story web correctly, and had a partner proof read and conference about their writing.

  	Element #1 Story Web	Element # 2 Oral presentation	Element # 3 Report*	Element # 4 Visual aids
  4	Completes story web with accurate information from research.	Clear and concise oral presentation with accurate information .	Complete and accurate information written in complete sentences and accurate grammar.	Neat and accurate visual aids which support the report.
  3	Mostly complete story web, with mostly accurate information.	Good oral presentation and mostly accurate information.	Complete report with few sentence, spelling, or grammar errors.	Mainly neat and accurate visual aids which assist with the report.
  2	Partly inaccurate information, or incomplete.	Fair oral presentation with partially accurate information	Partly incomplete report with spelling, sentence and grammar errors.	Partially incomplete or sloppy work which slightly improve the presentation
  1	Incomplete and inaccurate outline.	Poor presentation with mostly poor or inaccurate information.	Weak sentence structure with several errors in grammar or spelling.	Messy or weak visual aids which do little to little to support the presentation of the report.

   

   

  PRE-REQUISITE SKILLS

  For students to succeed with this learning experience they need to have prerequisite skills in using a CD-ROM, filling out a story web, and writing a report.

   

  MODIFICATIONS

   

   If necessary, students will have adaptive devices to use the computer. Students will be allowed to have a scribe if needed. Some students may use a different format to exhibit their knowledge learned, ex. Diorama, poster.

   

   

  UNIT SCHEDULE/TIME PLAN

   Planning: 60 minutes

  Implementation: initial activity – 60 minutes

  Group discussion: 20 minutes

  Research: Students will be given 60 minutes with partner to research CD-ROM and fill out story web. Students will be given 1-2 hours to write report as needed, in smaller blocks of time.

  Assessment: Ongoing observation – as needed, grading 60 minutes

   

  TECHNOLOGY USE

   

   The students will need paper and pencils. The teacher will need a multimedia computer with TVAtor, hookup to TV screen, or other computer projection device, Undersea Adventure & Encarta Virtual Globe CD-ROM, story webs, and animal list. Computers will be available to use in word processing.