TitleIII Technology Literacy Challenge Grant

Learning Unit

LU Title: Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Author(s): Penny P. Simons

Grade Level: Seventh

School: Hammond Central School

Topic/Subject Area: Technology Education

Address: P.O. Box 185, Hammond, NY 13646

Email: psimons@cit-tele.com

Phone/Fax: (315) 324-5931 ext. 63

OVERVIEW

 The seventh grade Technology Education students will develop their own company and design a product.  They will do research & development activities and marketing activities.  This unit will take approximately 4-5 weeks.  The teacher will be expected to have computer-based knowledge in order for students to perform many of the activities.  Students will be expected to use the classroom, shop and computer lab to do this unit. 

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

Declarative

Procedural

 Differentiate between various printing operations and their applications.

Differentiate between various printing operations and their applications.

Explain where new product ideas come from.

Develop basic skills and knowledge necessary to create, transmit, and receive graphic messages.

Describe the product design process.

Describe the product design process.

Name three production design factors

Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of graphic communication systems through creative and technical developmental activities

Identify the major steps in product engineering.

 

Define marketing

 

Name two major markets.

 

Name two ways market research is done.

Name two ways market research is done.

Define advertising.

 

Name three ways of selling products.

 

Identify the stages of the product life cycle.

 

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

·        Why are companies always looking for new ideas?

·        Why are some products taken off the market?

·        Have you ever bought a product and thought of ways it could be improved?

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

·        MST #5: Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs.

Key Idea #2:  Technological tools, materials, and other resources should be selected on the basis of safety, cost, availability, appropriateness, and environmental impact; technological processes change energy, information, and material resources into more useful forms.

            Indicators:

            ¨Students will use simple manufacturing processes to produce a product

            ¨Students will use appropriate graphic and electronic tools and techniques to process information.

Key Idea #3:  Computers, as tools for design, modeling, information processing, communication, and system control, have greatly increased human productivity and knowledge.

            Indicators:

            ¨Students will use the computer as a tool for generating and drawing ideas.

·        MST #6:  Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and technology and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning:

Key Idea #5:  Identifying patterns of change is necessary for making predictions about future behavior and conditions.

¨Students will observe patterns of change in trends or cycles and make prediction on what might happen in the future.

Key Idea #6:  In order to arrive at the best solution that meets criteria within constraints, it if often necessary to make trade-offs.

            Indicators:

¨ Students will determine the criteria and constraints and make trade-offs to determine the best decisions.

INITIATING ACTIVITY

 The instructor will have the students list things that are no longer available on the market.  They will brainstorm a list on the chalkboard or overhead.  Ask the students why these items no longer exist or what has replaced them.  Explain to them about improvements in products.  Use things they can relate to such as food items or toys.

Ex. I used cereals:  Lucky Charms has different and more marshmallow shapes than when I was their age.  It entices children to beg Mom to buy it.  Make it seem like new!  Also Corn Pops use to be called Sugar Pops, the name was changed to sound healthy to parents.

Items no longer available:  Technology changes the demand for some items like Atari video Games.  Various Sony and Nintendo games have replaced it.  The better graphics, color and action have made them more appealing than Atari, therefore the demand decreased and Atari was taken off the market. 

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

 Time

Activity

2-3 days

Start the first day with the initiating activity.  Next outline chapter 4 of Technology, Today and Tomorrow.  Key ideas to cover: 1) the importance of graphic communication media in our society, 2) the processes used to help us record and duplicate messages, 3) factors that impact the effectiveness of a graphic message, 4) how printing, drafting and photography are used in graphic communication. Students should be able to differentiate between various printing operations and their applications.

1 day

Students will use Print Artist to design mailing labels for their company that they will develop a product for.

1 day

Students will use Microsoft Works to develop letterhead stationery for their company.  They will use a works wizard to perform this operation.

1 day

Students will use Microsoft Word to develop a market research survey in order to help them develop a product idea.  They will make 5 copies of their survey to ask various people their opinions.  This will help them determine the major market they want to sell their product to.

2-3 days

Outline Chapter 7 of Technology, Today and Tomorrow.  Key ideas to cover: 1) Where new product ideas come from, 2) how ideas are developed into products, 3) what type of product drawings are needed, 4) the major steps involved in engineering a new product, 5) how computers are used in designing and engineering products, 6) the importance of product testing. Upon learning the design process students will use drawing equipment to make thumbnail sketches, rough sketches and rendering of a product they will design.

2 days

Students will make a mock-up of their product.  See Rubric for grading

2-3 days

Outline Chapter 10 of Outline Chapter 10 Technology, Today and Tomorrow.   Key ideas to cover: 1) who is responsible for selling products, 2) what a market is, 3) how market research is done, 4) why advertising is important, 5) the three major ways of selling products.  Students will use various drawing equipment to make a rough sketch of an advertising poster.  Discuss what a logo is and give examples.  I show them things like Pepsi logo or Nike swoosh.

1 day

Students will use Print Artist, Microsoft Word or Paintbrush to design a company logo for their advertising poster.

2 days

Students will make a sign on the computer of a magazine advertisement.  Use Print Artist, Microsoft Word of Paintbrush to perform this task.

4 days

Students will write a script and act out a commercial.  This will be videotaped on the fourth day.  The commercial will require the use of their posters and mock-up.  See Rubric for grading this project

CULMINATING PERFORMANCE
Include rubric(s)

Students shall end this project by watching the commercials and evaluating them based on the rubric given.  The students shall also vote for the following: best actor, best actress, best commercial, best product, funniest commercial, best posters and best mock-up.  On the very last day, students will have a Techademy Awards Ceremony where the students receive their certificates for the categories above.

RUBRIC FOR PRODUCT

SCORE

Idea

Mock-up

Sketches

Packaging

4

Not far fetched, would sell easily to consumers

Realistic representation of the product

Neat and complete

Catches the consumers eye, is neat and colorful

3

Good idea, could use some improvements

Is good enough a bit rough

Mostly neat and complete

Has few mistakes

2

A bit far fetched, may not sell to a big consumer market

Is rough, needs more work, not realistic

Not complete, messy

Not colorful or very appealing

1

In poor taste, will probably not sell

Is not finished, does not look like the product idea

Very messy, incomplete design

Poor, many mistakes may not even have one finished.

Student Score

 

 

 

 

RUBRIC FOR COMMERCIAL

SCORE

Acting

Script/Jingle

Posters

Time

Speech

4

Good acting ability

Very appealing, catchy

Easy to read, colorful, neat

Proper length (30 seconds to 1 minute)

Clear and concise

3

Good enough

Could use some minor improvements

Good, may have some parts hard to read

Less than 10 seconds off time requirement

Could be a bit louder

 

2

Fair, no voice changes or eye contact

Poor script or no jingle

Hard to read, not colorful

Length is 11-20 seconds off the time requirement

Hard to hear, poor pronunciation of words

1

Poor job of acting,

No script or jingle, making it up as they go.

None

More than 20 seconds off the time requirement

Mumbles, can’t hear them.

Student Score

 

 

 

 

 

STUDENT EVALUATION SCORE SHEETS FOR COMMERCIALS

This is a sample of a scoring sheet for students to fill out. This should be handed out before the assignment of the commercial so that they know what they will be judged on.

Give a score from 1 to 20 in each of the following for each commercial viewed.

Category explanations:

1.      Actor’s Ability:  Knowledge of lines, good eye contact, good facial expressions, moves smoothly

2.      Set Design: Neat, lettering on posters easy to read, attractive setting

3.      Creativity: Original ideas, unique delivery, special attention-getting devices.

4.      Impact on Viewer: Held your attention, made you interested in the product, convinced you to buy it.

5.      Proper Length: (Range 30 seconds to 1 minute) Subtract points for every few seconds above or below the time requirement.

 

Commercial

Category 1

Category 2

Category 3

Category 4

Category 5

Total Score

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Questions: Fill in all questions:

1.                  What was the best product overall? ________________________________________

2.                  Who was the best actor? ________________________________________________

3.                  Who was the best actress? _______________________________________________

4.                  What was the funniest commercial? ________________________________________

5.                  What was the best commercial overall? ______________________________________

6.                  What commercial had the best mock-up? ____________________________________

7.                  What commercial had the best-set design? ____________________________________

8.                  What commercial had the best posters? ______________________________________

 

PRE-REQUISITE SKILLS

 Students should have a basic knowledge of what communication is all about.  The students will need some very basic word processing skills. 

MODIFICATIONS

 Learning disabled students should have no problems with this unit.  Teachers may allow for extra time to do the activities.  Advanced or gifted students may be available when finished to assist other students.

 

UNIT SCHEDULE/TIME PLAN

 This unit will take approximately 4 to 5 weeks to do.  Teachers will need to plan for supplies necessary to do this activity.  Time should be allotted to do lesson plans for each day.

 

TECHNOLOGY USE

 Students will use Print Artist, Microsoft Works, Microsoft Word, and Paintbrush on the computer.  They will use videotaping equipment.