Title III Technology Literacy Challenge Grant

Learning Experience

LE Title:Classifying Animals	Author(s):Dawes, Elsenbeck, Evolo, Mathlin, Jenkins, Keuerlaber
Grade Level:Grade 5	School Address:934 Armory Drive
Topic/Subject Area:Science/Vertebrates and Invertebrates	School Phone/Fax:315-792-2011
	Email:315-792-2014

LEARNING CONTEXT

Purpose or Focus of Experience

The purpose of this learning experience is for the student to extend and refine their knowledge about vertebrates and invertebrates. Prior to this learning experience, students should know how to do the following:

Access information from the Internet

Access information from other electronic encyclopedia sources such as Encarta or Compton’s
Complete a compare /contrast graphic organizer
Write a compare / contrast essay
Use a rubric
Use a word processor (optional-students can use manuscript)

Connection to Standards

ELA #1: Students will listen, speak, read and write for information and understanding

Benchmark: Reading and Writing to acquire information and understanding involves collecting data, facts, ideas, discovering relationships, generalizations, and using knowledge from oral, written and electronic sources.

Benchmark: Reading 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.

MST #4: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.

Benchmark: Living things are both similar to and different from each other and nonliving things.

Essential Question

How are living things both similar to and different from each other?

Content Knowledge

Declarative	Procedural
Students will know the characteristics of vertebrates. Students will know the characteristics of invertebrates. Students will know the differences between vertebrates and invertebrates.



PROCEDURE (Chronologically ordered description of all teacher & student activities and interactions.) Students will extend and refine their knowledge about the characteristics of vertebrates and the characteristics of invertebrates. This will be done by using the process of comparing. Steps #1-6 are to be completed as a class with teacher guidance. These steps can be omitted, depending upon the students’ level of independence. Teacher selects one vertebrate and one invertebrate that the students are to compare. Students use either the Internet or an electronic encyclopedia source to access and gather information on the two given animals. Students review and discuss the information they have gathered about the two given animals. If needed, information is revised and/or clarified during this class discussion. Students complete a compare/contrast graphic organizer using their information. Students write a compare/contrast essay using their completed graphic organizer. Students selects one vertebrate and one invertebrate, different from those previously chosen by the teacher. Student accesses and gathers information on the two chosen animals, using either the Internet or an electronic encyclopedia source. Student completes a compare/contrast graphic organizer using the gathered information. Student is given a rubric and writes a compare/contrast essay using the completed graphic organizer. Student types completed essay on a word processor. (optional)

INSTRUCTIONAL/ENVIRONMENTAL MODIFICATIONS

To accommodate the range of abilities in the classroom, the following procedures can be utilized during this learning experience:

Some students can go through the learning experience as a group, with teacher guidance, as indicated in steps # 1-6 of the PROCEDURE.

2. If available, the teacher assistant in the computer room and/or librarian help guide the students while they use either the Internet or electronic encyclopedia sources.

3. The ESL teacher can provide additional support to ESL students.

Some students can be given a model of a compare/contrast essay that they are to follow while writing their own essay.
A partially completed graphic organizer can be given to some students as they search and gather information.
Students can work in collaborative pairs rather than individually.
Accommodations and adaptations will be followed according to any students’ IEP’s.

TIME REQUIRED

For each aspect of the learning experience, the approximate amount of time needed is as follows:

Planning-locating and reviewing web sites; preparing graphic organizers, model of a compare/contrast essay and rubric (4-6 hours)

Implementation-PROCEDURE steps#1-6 – three 60-minute sessions

PROCEDURE steps#7-10-two 60 minute sessions

PROCEDURE steps #11(optional) 50-60 minutes

Assessment- student self-assesses using given rubric—15 minutes

Grading compare/contrast essay using rubric—5-10 minutes per essay

RESOURCES

The resources needed to successfully implement this learning experience include:

Technology- Electronic encyclopedia sources: Compton’s, Encarta, Internet web sites:

sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/

www.studyweb.com/

www.ipl.org/youth

www.homeworkcentral.com/

word processor (optional)

Human-computer room assistant (depending upon Internet access in the building and use of electronic encyclopedia services)

ESL teacher

Librarian (depending upon Internet access in the building and the use of electronic encyclopedia sources)

Material- science textbook used in the classroom

ASSESSMENT PLAN

(Include samples of rubrics, checklists, etc.)

Formative Assessment (during the learning experience): teacher observation, student work and participation during group portion as listed in the PROCEDURE steps #1-6

Summative Assessment (end of the learning experience) : Completion of a compare/contrast essay by the student, a rubric given prior to the student, can be used by them to do a self assessment of their essay. (The sample rubric can be found in the Effective Communicator Book – Grades 3 – 5)

STUDENT WORK

(Include samples of student work showing different levels of performance.)

See attached

REFLECTION

As a team, we felt that this learning experience was worthwhile. The students had prior knowledge of much of what they had to do. Also, given a partial graphic organizer, they were able to complete the graphic organizer with

more ease. The students were able to complete the activity in a reasonable

amount of time and the students were able to follow a rubric for the

compare/contrast essay so they were aware of what was expected of them.

To extend and refine the knowledge that we taught, we feel that this was an excellent learning experience so that students could write effectively.

COMPARECONTRAST COMPOSITION (3-5)

Task Component	4 Points Each	3 Points Each	2 Points Each	1 Point Each
Opening	Creatively begins with an interesting lead that thoroughly identifies the items as well as the central idea being examined	Begins with an appropriate opening statement that accurately identifies the items as well as the central idea being examined	Begins with an opening lead that identifies the items being examined OR just identifies the central idea	Begins with an opening lead that does not full identify the items being examined nor does the lead identify the central idea
Organization	Effectively and accurately organizes the material in the correct compare/contrast pattern	Accurately organizes the material in the correct compare/contrast pattern	Organizes the material into a compare/contrast pattern but varies the patterns through-out the writing	Material is organized into a pattern that compares the items but does not contrast the items
Support	Provides well-developed and accurate support (examples, details, reasons) for each component being examined with the items	Provides accurate support (examples, details, reasons) for each component being examined with the items	Provides some support (details examples, reasons) that is accurate but also has some inaccurate support for the components being examined	Provides little if any support (examples, details, reasons) for the components being examined
Conclusion	Constructs a thorough closure to the writing that follows logically from the opening lead	Constructs an appropriate closure that follows logically from the opening lead	Constructs a closure that somewhat follows logically from the opening lead – may not be fully explained	Constructs a closure that does not follow logically from the opening lead