Planning Guide
Creating Learner-Focused
Schools
* Madison-Oneida BOCES- This document may not be reproduced in any form without the expressed written consent of the District Superintendent or his designee.
| LU Title: Around the World on the World Wide Web |
Author(s): Liz Barlow |
| Grade Level: Fourth |
School Address: County Route 29, Philadelphia, NY 13673 |
| Subject Area: Social Studies & Technology |
School Phone/Fax: (315)642-0125 |
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
| Declarative |
Procedural |
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ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
INITIATING ACTIVITY
What is culture? Have the students brainstorm and give ideas about what they think culture is. When all of their ideas are exhausted, ask a student to look up the word culture in the dictionary and read the definition to the class out loud. Discuss. Now, ask if the students can think of any more examples of culture based on the definition and add them to the brainstorming list. Possible answers could include: holidays, festivals, food, games, arts, crafts, history, daily life, spots, schools, homes, clothes, dance, music, religion, literature, monuments or language.
Next, formulate a working class definition of culture based on the brainstorming session. Write the students definition on a large strip of paper to be put on the bulletin board as a title. (We will add examples of culture from the Internet to this later.) Explain that we will be breading into groups and exploring the cultures of several different countries around the world. Break the students into 8 groups of three or four and ask them to choose a country to research.
Connection to State Learning Standards
Content Area: Social Studies
Level: 4th grade
| Benchmarks: Students will read and take notes, organize their thoughts in written form and present information orally. |
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Benchmarks: Students will create a multimedia presentation, use the Internet and electronic sources to research & gather information. |
| Standard: ELA #1 Students read, write, listen, and speak for information |
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Standard: MST #2 Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technology. |
Unit Theme:
Around the World on the
World Wide Web
| Standard: Social Studies #3 |
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Standard: English Language Arts #3 |
| Benchmarks: Students will explain how geographic events shape culture. Students will describe different aspects of a culture. |
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Benchmarks: Students will use proper grammar punctuation and spelling to write several paragraphs about culture. |
Learning Experiences
Declarative Knowledge
| What declarative knowledge should e in the process of acquiring & integrating? As a result of the unit, the student will know or understand… |
What experiences or activities will be used to help students acquire & integrate this knowledge? |
What strategies will be used to help students construct meaning, organize and/or store the knowledge? |
Describe what will be done. |
| Cultures have many different aspects Cultures have many similarities Cultures have many differences Geographic Features volcano, rainforest, desert, mountain, ocean, plateau, valley, river, lake Historical event and the impact it has had on the country's culture Myths and Fables Myths and Fables Graphing and Comparing Population and Land Area |
KWL worksheet Web organizer for brainstorming Similarities/Differences worksheet; Library Resources Internet Scanner Atlas, Globe, Maps, Dictionary, Text book Text book, Resource books, Internet Historical event workshop Internet Myth/Folklore handout Graph the population, Graph the land area |
Brainstorming, Note taking strategies, research techniques Small group work Small group work, define vocabulary, large group discussion Small group work, define vocabulary, large group discussion Small group work, research skills, writing skills, write summary Research, small group work, writing a summary, discussion Small group research, large group discussion |
Students will research their country using the KWL format, they will use both the Internet and text materials They will also scan several pictures to use later The students will use resources to define the geographic features vocabulary Students will first identify and describe a historical event in their country, next they will determine the effect it had on their country After reading and discussing a folktale from another country the students will find a myth or folktale from their country on the Internet and print it out, they will work in small groups and read it then they will interpret it, finally the group will retell the folktale to the class and discuss the morale or lesson The students will use an encyclopedia to look up the population and the land area of their country, the as an entire class they will graph all 8 countries population on one graph and the land areas on another graph |
Learning Experiences
Procedural Knowledge
| What procedural knowledge will students be in the process of acquiring & integrating? As a result of this unit, students will be able to: |
What will be done to help students construct models, shape & internalize the knowledge? |
Describe what will be done. |
| Navigating and research using the Internet Using the computer network Creating a HyperStudio presentation Note taking KWL format Creating a map |
Internet and KWL worksheet Visual aides on opening, closing and saving a document to the school's computer network Previous research facts (KWL), scanned pictures, history & myth handouts KWL form, Internet, library resources Previously printed maps from the Internet, atlas, globes |
The students will learn how to use the tool bar on the Internet Browser, they will also learn how to conduct a good search to find facts Students will create, open, save and close their HyperStudio presentation on the schools computer network The students will create a multimedia presentation on their countries working in small groups Students will use note taking strategies to gather information on the culture of their countries, they will gather information from both the Internet and text sources Students will work in small groups and create a map of their country with at least 3 geographical features |
Learning Experiences
Extending and Refining
| What knowledge will students be extending and refining? Specifically, they will be extending and refining their understanding of… |
What reasoning process will they be using? |
Describe what will be done. |
| World cultures, similarities, differences and facts |
Comparing
Error Analysis
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The students will write several paragraphs describing the different characteristics of the culture of their country. They will compare and contrast similarities and differences between their country and the United States. In the introduction I will stress the idea of celebrating our differences. The students will be asked to identify any neat or unusual characteristics that they find. The process writing procedure will be used to complete the paragraphs. |
| Planning Guide |
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Unit: |
| Step 1 |
Step 2 |
Step 3 |
| What knowledge will students be using meaningfully? Specifically, they will be demonstrating their understanding of and ability to........... |
What reasoning process will they be using? |
Describe student's products and performances and the criteria for evaluation. |
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[ ] Decision Making |
Products/Performances |
| Criteria for evaluation |
Rubric:
Key Questions:
What are the key elements, traits, or dimensions that will be evaluated?
Are the identified elements of equal importance or will they be weighed differently?
| Element #1 |
Element #2 |
Element #3 |
Element #4 |
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| Elements Scale |
Organization |
Research |
Content |
Mechanics |
| Weights |
25% |
25% |
25% |
25% |
4 |
Extremely well organized, easy to follow, flowed smoothly from one idea to another and contained a logical format |
Facts were from at least 3 different forms for a total of 8 resources, included personal insights and opinions backed up by facts |
Accurate content contained many descriptions and opinions backed up by facts and examples |
Used correct grammar and punctuation all of the time, made good use of visuals, text and sounds |
| 3 |
There were signs of organization, easy to follow most of the time, but sometimes unclear |
At least 3 different forms for a total of 6 resources, gathered many facts |
Mostly accurate, few inconsistencies or errors of information |
Used correct grammar and punctuation most of the time, used some visuals and sounds |
| 2 |
Somewhat organized, ideas were sometimes hard to follow and audience was distracted |
Used two forms of research for a total of 4 sources, no opinions some facts |
Somewhat accurate information, more than a few inconsistencies and errors |
Many spelling, grammar and punctuation errors, few visuals or sounds |
| 1 |
Choppy and confusing, transitions were abrupt |
Used only one form for a total of 2 resources, gathered very few facts |
Completely inaccurate, facts were few and misleading |
A lot of mistakes in spelling, grammar and punctuation, hard to read, no visuals or sounds |
NOTE: Rubric or other performance assessment instruments may be used.
| Element #1 |
Element #2 |
Element #3 |
Element #4 |
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| Elements Scale |
Content |
Visual Appeal |
Elements |
Group Participation |
| Weights |
25% |
25% |
25% |
25% |
| 4 |
All features and major components are clearly labeled and accurate, map is detailed |
Map is colorful and clean, labels are easy to locate and read, key is self explanatory |
Map is accurate and contains more than three geographic features, a key is included |
Group worked well together, all members expressed their viewpoints and the entire group made decisions |
| 3 |
All labels are included and most are accurately placed |
Some color a few labels but they are not easy to read, key is hard to see or read |
Map is mostly accurate, contains three geographic features |
Group had a few rough times, but, then worked it out fairly, most members contributed to decisions |
| 2 |
All but one or two labels are included several are inaccurately placed |
Limited use of color, labels are difficult to locate and read |
Map is inaccurate, contains two geographic features, key is missing important elements |
Group had many problems, some members dominated the decisions |
| 1 |
Several labels are missing and many are misplaced and inaccurate |
Very little color used, no key |
Map is very inaccurate, contains either one or no geographic features, key is missing |
Group had major problems, a lot of arguing and decisions were made by one individual |
Constructing a Holistic
Scoring Tool
(Rubric or Activity Specific Key)
Key Questions:
* How many score points are needed to discriminate among the full range of different degrees of understanding, proficiency, or quality?
This response, product, or performance provides evidence of understanding of concept/principle/generalization or proficiency in skill/process/strategy.
| Score Point 4 |
Score Point 3 |
| [ ]Very clear speaking voice |
[ ]Fairly clear speaking voice |
| [ ]Loud easily heard all the time |
[ ]Loud enough most of the time |
| [ ]Good body language eye contact |
[ ]Some eye contact faced audience |
| [ ]Many supporting facts |
[ ]A lot of supporting facts |
| Score Point 2 |
Score Point 1 |
| [ ]Couldn't understand speaker at some times |
[ ]Muffled speaking voice |
| [ ]Very little eye contact faced away from audience |
[ ]No eye contact turned back on audience |
| [ ]Sometimes spoke too soft |
[ ]Spoke to soft all the time |
| [ ]Some supporting facts |
[ ]No supporting facts |
Have You Considered These Yet?
Learn to Learn Skills:
The research and note taking skills the students learn will help them to access information on the Internet as well as in the library. The technology skills taught in this lesson will cross over into many different areas throughout the students school years and beyond.
Assessment Modifications:
For students with learning difficulties we could use peer tutoring and extended time. We would also utilize resource room personnel and other support. Each students is graded on an individual basis as well as in group participation. Each project is graded on a one on one basis. The entire project has many different grades from participation, to content.
Unit Schedule/Time Plan:
This unit should take between 4-6 weeks depending on the time needed for research and creating the HyperStudio presentation. Time will need to be flexible during both of these activities. I found the students could spend huge amounts of time playing with the bells and whistles of HyperStudio therefore, I required that all text be entered and checked first.
Written Overview:
This project integrates world cultures, technology and English/language arts standards.
The social studies component teaches an understanding and appreciation for other cultures, which is an idea stressed in our multicultural environment in Indian River. I have found that letting students choose their own country increases students involvement and many times students bring things from home which enrich their presentation. Sometimes parents or grandparents from other countries have even come in to share pictures, trinkets and their thoughts with the students.
Technology skills are increasingly important in our society. Students who don't have technology skills in the workplace are at a disadvantage. Young children eagerly learn the necessary skills.