| 84 | THE STOCK MARKET GAME | Social Studies,Computer Science | 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/chornik/Stock_Market_Criteria.htm | This unit provides five lessons for conducting a modified stock market game in your classroom. The lessons are titled: Determining Stock Market Criteria, Creating a Portfolio, Graphing Stocks, Graphing Stocks With A Spreadsheet, and Stock Statistics.
In Determining Stock Market Criteria, students learn about the concept of stocks and investment and the criteria for selecting of stocks. In Creating a Portfolio, students are shown how to keep track of the progress of their investments. In the two graphing lessons, students use both drawing application and spreadsheet application to create, read, and interpret stock progress on graphs. The Stock Statistics lessons provides opportunities for the students to find the range, mean, high, low, and use spreadsheet formulas for finding statistical information about their investments.
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| 85 | AUTHOR STUDY | LIterature,Computer,Science | 2,3,4 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/chornik/authorstudy.htm | Students, in cooperative learning groups, read books written by Laura
Numeroff and analyze the author's style with the use of a semantic web. They
practice word processing skills using Write On Plus, Writing With Picture
Books. They follow a sequence map to create a story using the author's style
that they have studied. The story is illustrated and published as a book, or
presented as a computer slide show. |
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| 87 | Coming to America | English/Language Arts,Social Studies | 4,5,6,7,8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/chornik/america.htm | The purpose of the program is to develop research skills, writing skills, and
word processing skills, to develop concepts related to United States
immigration, and to cultivate an appreciation for the diversity of the
community. The topic of United States immigration was chosen as an activity
that articulates with the fourth grade social studies curriculum for United
States history, and the study of various people who immigrated to the United
States. |
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| 88 | What's on Earth is a Biome? | Science,Social Studies | 3,4,5 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/bglasgold/biomes.htm | The purpose of this unit is for students to become familiar with the characteristics of
biomes, and to identify the different biomes on Earth. They will locate the regions
where the various biomes are located and will learn the vocabulary associated with
biomes. The students will use computer technology to research Earth's biomes,
locate the different biomes on Earth, and use various programs to map Earth's biome
regions.
One initial lesson would be to have the children research Earth's biomes on the
Internet. Using the links provided by the teacher, the students will be able to learn
Earth's seven biomes and to describe their abiotic (physical) characteristics. Next,
they will fill in a data table created on the computer, and then create a world map,
color keying the seven biomes onto the map. |
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| 89 | What Makes a Good Friend? | Social Studies, Science | | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/kaufman/friend.htm | n this project the students will become familiar with the term friend. They will
learn what they need to do and how they have to act in order to be a good
friend and have good friends. The teacher will read various books to the
children and have them describe ways in which the characters displayed
examples of the qualities of a good friend. These will be compared and
contrasted with other books dealing with the same theme. The children will
acquire the vocabulary needed to read some of these books on their own as
well as to use in their writing and speaking.
Students will use computer technology to create their own pictures of good
friends doing things together, to write stories, to make charts comparing and
contrasting characters in books, and perhaps use the Internet to make friends
in other schools around the city or country and show what they have learned
about friendship. One particular lesson would be to read the book Corduroy
by Don Freeman and to discuss how the characters Corduroy and Lisa were
good friends. Children would draw pictures of these two main characters
using KidPix, and list their qualities in a chart.
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| 90 | The Fascinating Moon Walk | Science,English/Language Arts | 5 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/fcarroll/moonwalk.htm | To stimulate curiosity about space exploration on the
moon. Students will use the Internet to research the
astronauts' moon landing in 1969. |
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| 91 | What is astronomy? | English/Language Arts,Science | 5 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/awoloshin/astronomy.htm | After reading the first three chapters of the novel Secret
of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark, fifth- grade students
learn to analyze components of the solar system and
beyond, using the Internet for research on astronomy.
Teacher preparation steps include previewing Web
sites; limiting the focus of contents for students;
locating information on South America, life in the
Andes mountains, and Inca lifestyles and tradition;
reading Secret of the Andes in its entirety; and
obtaining information on astronomy.
Student activities include reading the first three
chapters of Secret of the Andes; discussing the Inca
tradition of worshipping the stars and the sun, relating
this information to their knowledge of astronomy,
brainstorming about astronomy, and creating a
semantic web. They search relevant Web sites, locate
information in Grolier's encyclopedia, input information
in databases, work in cooperative learning groups to
write informative reports, and create artistic
representations of researched topics using Kid Pix. A
student from each group will read their report and share
illustrations with the class.
Assessment methods include preparing a chart of facts
learned from Secret of the Andes, focus questions on
traditions linked to astronomy, reports from cooperative
learning groups, and a test on the subject of astronomy. |
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| 92 | The Census | Social Studies | 3,4,5,6,7,8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/bruszkowski/census1.htm | This lesson will teach students what the census is and why the 2000
census is important. To begin, paper is given to the students for a
fictional art project that will take place later in the day. Purposely
undercount the number of students so that not every child gets a sheet
of paper. When students realize that not every student received paper,
discuss how some people were "cheated" because not everyone was
counted. Then, discuss with students what a census is and why the
2000 census is important.
Have students do research on the census by going on-line to the U.S.
Census Bureau Web site at www.census.gov. Show the students a real
census form, and ask how many have seen and/or returned one. Again,
discuss why the census is important, and what would happen if there
were an undercount.
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| 93 | What type of home do you live in? | ESL,Social Studies | K,1,2,3,4,5 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/mmcquade/homes.htm | The purpose of this lesson is to expose children to vocabulary and literature
related to homes, and to develop pride in being able to draw and describe
houses by hand and on the computer. Another goal is to develop mastery in
usage of this vocabulary related to their every day experiences.
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| 94 | Rain Forest Adventures | Science | 3,4,5 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/IMSL/ps6/rainforest.htm | Tropical rain forests are fascinating places which captivate the learning
interests of all children. This interdisciplinary unit introduces students to the
geographic locations of the world's rain forests, the diversity of plants and
animals and their importance to the ecosystem, the products and resources
found in rain forests, and the ways people can help to preserve and protect
these environments. Through visits to the zoos in Manhattan and the Bronx,
students will have the opportunity to compare and contrast the Congo African
rain forest with the South American rain forest. Activities will include making
rain forest terrariums and studying growth of plant life in a simulated humid
environment; learning about food chains; creating the different layers of the
rain forest; and classifying the living creatures in each layer.
With Internet access, students will research the various animals and plant life
found in the two kinds of rain forest and develop mini-presentations using
HyperStudio and Inspiration. Visits will be captured through digital photos
and scanned into their multimedia projects. |
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| 95 | Oh, Canada! | Social Studies | 5 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/IMSL/ps6/canada.htm | This unit will provide students with an overview of Canada through research
and map-making. A minimum of five one-hour sessions is needed to
complete this unit. Begin by generating a list from the students of what they
know about Canada (K-W-L model). Use names of cities/provinces to begin
a list of the 10 provinces and 3 territories. Students pair up and select a
territory or province to focus on (one per pair).
During the next four sessions, students will be researching their territory or
province and making one large map of Canada. For two sessions, one
member of the pair will be a map-maker and the other will be a researcher.
After two sessions, they will switch roles. Students will learn about types of
maps and select one to make (i.e. physical, political).
Researchers use CD-ROMs, the Internet, and books to find information. Their
research will be compiled and put onto information cards using PowerPoint,
Student Writing Center, or other word processing software. Map-makers
work together to create a large map of Canada (approximately 6' x 4').
Beginning with a simplified map of Canada, they will learn to divide it into
quadrants and utilize knowledge of latitude and longitude around the borders
to create the final map. Information cards for each territory or province will be
included with the map.
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| 96 | Flower Power | Science,Arts | 3,4,5,6 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/IMSL/ps1/flowerpower/template.htm | This hands-on unit takes a discovery approach to the understanding of
flowers, their structures, how they reproduce, how they are classified, and
what conditions their seeds thrive in. This unit is aimed towards the upper
elementary grades (3-6) and should be conducted during late May into June
since most of the activities require the accessibility of flower specimens that
bloom this time of year for observations. As a result of this unit, students will
be able to name and locate flower structures, classify flowers through
observation of their structures, understand and appreciate the importance of
the pollination and fertilization process, and discover the environmental
conditions which affect the growth of plants. Students will also be using
different kinds of resources for exploration such as the computer and the
Internet. The teacher will be responsible for teaching students how to use the
these resources before conducting the unit. It is also recommended that
before a unit is started, that the teacher needs to gauge the knowledge
students already have about the subject, what they want to know and what
they learned through a discussion with the students as an introduction to the
unit.
Their responses should be charted on a KWL graphic organizer and
displayed in the classroom. As for the assessment piece, students will be
collecting observations work in a folder as well as keeping notes of what they
learned in a science journal. Note that the science journal is a place for
students to keep questions as well as observations. Reading them
periodically will not only assess what they know, but also what their interests
on the subject are. |
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| 97 | Discover the World of Machines | Science,General Elementary,ESL | pk,k | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/IMSL/machines/machines.htm | This curriculum unit is developed for the pre-kindergarten level, supporting
English as a Second Language learners. This unit is based on a thematic
approach to teaching and learning integrated with multiple discipline areas -
reading, writing, math, social studies, science, and technology. This unit
utilizes strategies that engage children in meaningful activities; help to
motivate children to acquire concepts, ask questions, and research
information; and provide opportunities for children to explore and develop
visual-spatial concepts and problem solving skills. Children are given
opportunities to explore various machines that we encounter in our every day
lives. They work with the computer using various software programs to draw
and build their own machine designs. They are also taught to use the digital
camera to capture their activities and creations.
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| 98 | Pen Pal Communities | Social Studies,Art,Technology,English/Language Arts | 2,3,4,5 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/TeachNet/NewYork/Dissemnator/computaro_gioello.htm | Pen Pal Communities is a cross-curricular
program that helps students learn about other states
in the U.S. It integrates computer technology and
the Internet as a research tool with social studies,
geography, art, literature, and writing.
Second graders read Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown.
They analyze the main characters and discuss the
advantages and disadvantages of being flat.
They’re asked to imagine where they would travel if
they were flat enough to fit inside an envelope, and
what they would tell the people they met about their
community.
Children select the work center where they will
complete tasks such as puppet making, letter
writing, and creating a drawing of Flat Stanley that
can be mailed with their letter. Computer groups
are responsible for researching one topic about
their own community (with teacher assistance).
Topics are historical and recreational sites,
museums, and natural resources. Each student
turns this information into a report that is placed in a
packet with his/her letter and drawing of Flat
Stanley, class photos, and a request for information
about the community where the packet is sent.
During ongoing work sessions, students utilize
centers to edit, revise, and complete their work.
Those using the computer receive teacher
assistance in locating a school in a different state
where they will send their Flat Stanley package.
They address the envelope, locate the destination
on the U.S. map, and estimate its general region
(i.e., north or central U.S.).
As children receive responses, they share the
packages and discuss what they have learned
about each state, and create writing webs that will
later be used to make more reports. Children can
then write reports about their destination states
using Student Writing Center (or any word
processing program) and the information their Pen
Pal Community has sent them. Students compare
their own community to the ones they have received
information about.
As a culminating event, a "take-home package” is
made containing all of the materials received from
each "Pen Pal" state. The packages are taken
home each night by a different student to share the
information and letters with his/her family.
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| 99 | Ridgewood, New York - Now and Then | Social Studies | 3,4,5,6 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/mwolf/ridgewood.htm | The students will be learning about the history of our town, located in the
borough of Queens in New York. We will be writing narrative accounts on
postcards about our town and sending them to classrooms around the
United States. We will be looking at what Ridgewood was like in the past,
and comparing it to Ridgewood as it is today. We will be referring to a series
of articles published by the Ridgewood Times (the local newspaper) that
highlight Ridgewood’s past. Students will be taking facts from these articles
and writing about them.
We will be talking walking trips around our town to see many of the changes
that have been taking place over the years. We will be sketching and
photographing buildings and comparing them to old photos.
In addition, we have decided to make a three-dimensional model of a
Ridgewood street using the photos and sketches.
We will be interviewing some longtime residents and teachers from the area.
The students will gain experience in collecting data and appreciating the
value of oral history. Each of these lessons will be used to construct our
website. |
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| 100 | Energy Transfer: The Movie | Science,Math | 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/dfenner/energytransfer.htm | After a fourth grade energy transfer experiment, the students created a
spreadsheet and a corresponding chart to compare the the cooling of a hot
glass of water to the warming of a cold glass. Using Snapz Pro 2, the students
created a QuickTime movie that shows the students entering the data into the
spreadsheet and watching the chart change with each new entry. The
narration includes the students' observations of the experiment, their findings,
and the scientific principle behind the lesson. The movie is made on several
tracks. The students edit and combine the tracks into the final movie, using
QuickTime Pro. Editing mostly consists of cutting and pasting segments of
the movie tracks. Lastly, the students upload the movie onto the Web. |
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| 101 | Brochure Design | Art | 6,7,8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/dlufrano/brochure.htm | To design and create a brochure using the computer,
in order to explore how a brochure informs, educates,
and persuades the reader through the use of
typography and visuals. The computer helps facilitate
learning and understanding through the use of various
programs and the vast information it offers. |
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| 102 | Vincent van Gogh | English | 7 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/llangsner/vincent.htm | 1. Students will use computer technology as a resource to learn about the
Post-Impressionist artist, Vincent van Gogh.
2. Students will analyze and interpret van Gogh's painting "The Starry Night".
3. Students will create a line drawing entitled "Scary Night". |
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| 103 | IMPRESSIONISM | Art,History,Fine Arts,English/Language Arts, Computer Science | 8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/llangsner/impress.htm | To become acquainted with the period of Impressionism,
students visit and research museum Web sites. They sketch
ideas for an original landscape painting in the Impressionist
style, exploring the various brushstrokes and color palettes
used by the Impressionists. The students then create their
paintings using ClarisWorks Draw & Paint programs. An
original student computer art gallery will be created. |
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| 104 | MONET | Art History,Fine Arts,English/Language Arts,Social Studies,Music | 8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/llangsner/monet.htm | In this program, students explore and appreciate the life
and work of Impressionist artist Claude Monet. They gather
information to write a biography on him and sketch an
original landscape in his style.
Teacher preparation steps include previewing appropriate
Web sites for the students to gain an understanding of
Impressionism and the work of Monet.
Student activities include viewing computer images of
works by Impressionist artists in order to understand this
period. The paintings are discussed and their unique and
distinguishing qualities are listed on the board. Using the
information gathered, each student writes a biography of
Monet and prepares a sketch for an Impressionistic
painting he/she will complete in class during a follow-up
lesson.
The students’ work is assessed by their participation in
discussions, as well as by their biographies and sketches.
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| 105 | Wake Up and Smell the Roses - Georgia O’Keeffe | Art History,Fine Arts,English/Language Arts | 7 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/llangsner/okeefe.htm | Students create a watercolor painting in the style of Georgia
O'Keeffe and respond critically to a variety of her works displayed
on various Web sites.
Teacher preparation steps include researching Web sites on
Georgia O'Keeffe, gathering resource and reference materials,
acquiring prints and reproductions of the artist's work, and
gathering sample student artwork.
Student activities include reviewing and critiquing Web sites,
viewing and discussing a video documentary, and responding to
and analyze works of art by O'Keeffe.
The students’ work is assessed via reading comprehension
review questions, classroom discussion of the video presentation,
critiques of the artist's works, and through their watercolor
interpretations. |
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| 106 | A Mask For All Seasons | Arts,English/Language Arts | 8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/llangsner/mask.htm | Students create plaster craft masks to depict the four
seasons. By navigating various Web sites, they learn
about Renaissance artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo and
his "Season" series of floral faces. The students create
symbolism in their masks through the use of collage
materials.
Teacher preparation include locating appropriate Web
sites for reference, gathering visual resources, and
acquire Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" for musical
accompaniment while the students work.
Student activities include viewing and discussing the
"Web Gallery of Art" and Arcimboldo's paintings. They
brainstorm associations and phrases for the four
seasons, decide which season has the most appeal to
them, bring in materials to enhance the feeling of that
season, and create color studies for their masks. The
students apply plaster craft over plastic molds to create
the mask form. The masks are then sanded, painted,
and decorated. Finally, the students set up a showcase
of their work.
The students are assessed by participation in class
discussion, and through short quizzes, creative writing
assignments, and peer review and evaluation of work |
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| 107 | Egyptian Art: The Case of the Missing Mummy | Art,Social Studies | 6,7,8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/llangsner/egyptian.htm | Students will explore the art of Ancient Egypt and
creatively design an Egyptian Mummy Case, using the
art medium, papier-mâché.
1. To become acquainted with Egyptian Art, students
will use computer technology to view the renowned
collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New
York City, and the Cairo Museum in Egypt.
2. Through class discussions and writing, students will
employ, analyze, and communicate their newly found
information.
3. Using this information and pictures, they will sketch
ideas for their mummy cases.
4. Papier-mâché technique, using plaster-craft, will be
demonstrated in class, and students will work in small
groups to create individual mummy cases |
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| 108 | The Fishbowl--Using Action Research to Meet Standards and Improve Class Discussions | Enlgish | 4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/mattwayne/actionres.htm | The new English Language Arts (ELA)
Standards require thoughtful and
critical discussion around reading and
writing. The action research process
allows students to investigate the
quality of their discussions and use this
research to set individual and class
goals to improve their conversations.
As its name implies, action research is a
process in which students collect data
about their learning and take action
based on what they have discovered.
Most importantly, the students are
responsible for their learning and engage
in critical thinking as they strive to meet
the ELA Standards.
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| 109 | Myth Makers | English/Language Arts,Social Studies,Technology | Middle School | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/TeachNet/NewYork/Dissemnator/Stacey_Obrien_Profile.htm | Myth Makers is a dynamic program that
encompasses all aspects of language arts: reading,
writing, listening, and speaking. Students begin their
mythological journey by listening to the Greek story of
Arachne, in which the goddess Athena turns a young
girl into a spider.
Through independent readings and collaborative
research, students identify a myth's basic
components, namely: gods or goddesses and an
explanation of how something came to be. Once
students learn how to identify myths, they use books,
multimedia encyclopedias, and the Internet to
continue on their mythological journey.
Students enhance their oral presentation and
technology skills by sharing research with the class.
Dressed as mythological figures, students "tell their
stories" to the class. Using props and costumes,
students dramatically share information about
worldwide myths and historical figures.
The final destination on their journey requires
students to incorporate their information about myths
into the writing process. As myth makers, students
use what they have learned as a springboard from
which they develop their own myths. Using acquired
knowledge and imagination, students create myths to
explain how something originated. The culminating
activity allows students to share their myths with each
other.
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| 110 | How Does Your Garden Grow? | Science,Social Studies | 6,7,8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/jdente/gardengrow.htm | "How Does Your Garden Grow?" is a unit that investigates plants, biomes,
and plant response to environmental change. The lessons are designed to
provoke curiosity, which is what makes children ask questions and search
for the answers. In the real world, much information comes from scientists
talking and sharing their ideas with each other. Through independent
assignments and group research, the children will experiment,
communicate their results to audiences and defend conclusions from peer
review.
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| 111 | A Self-Portrait - Collage | English | 7 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/shea-bischoff/collage.htm | 1. Display self-portraits of several artists/photographers. How
are these pictures similar? Discuss use of a camera’s timer
to allow the photographer to enter the picture.
Demonstrate use of word processor to rotating groups.
Teacher advises as students search pictures and prepare
words to help describe themselves holistically. They should
be advised to include hobbies, favorites, personality trait, and
other symbols self-specific.
When students finish their cutting, gather all materials and
demonstrate collage techniques--successful use of color and
space, shape variations and effect dramatized by layout .
Pictures of non-self portrait related collages should be hung
around the room for students to model and/or glean ideas
from.
Final presentation collages upon completion - hang on wall for
all to see. |
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| 112 | Literary Valentines | English/Language Arts,Arts | 7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/shea-bischoff/valentines.htm |
1. Students engage in conversations and inquiry
concerning the traditions of Valentine's Day, the
composition of sentiments/ greetings, etc.
2. Students select characters from a literary work read
during the term.
3. Students compose, using the writing process, sentiments
to be placed in Literary Valentines .
4. Students design Valentine using technology, selecting
fonts, color and symbols appropriate to the creation of the
character's message.
5. Students create and publish the Valentines.
6. Students share projects with class and teacher. |
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| 113 | Middle School Print Shop | English/Language Arts,Technology | 5,6,7,8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/TeachNet/NewYork/Dissemnator/luis_torres_profile.htm | The two main components of The Middle School Print
Shop are graphic design and language arts. Students
work on various classroom projects and reports using
a variety of print and Internet sources. Standards
incorporated include reading and comprehending at
least four books on the same subject or by the same
author, reading aloud, participating in group meetings
and one-on-one conferences with the teacher,
preparing and delivering an individual presentation,
demonstrating a basic understanding of the rules of
the English language in written and oral work, and
analyzing and revising work to improve its clarity and
effectiveness.
Once students have completed the outline of their
report by creating a rough draft, it is time to make the
work look professional. From the graphics they
create themselves to the clip art found in various
computer programs, the students make their work
come to life using applications like HyperStudio,
PressWriter, and Claris Works.
As the year goes on, many major projects are
created. One project that incorporates literacy and
technology is the production of a monthly student
newspaper or newsletter for the school or individual
classes. This type of project enables students to be
creative, intuitive, and professional. The students also
create flyers as well as graduation items such as
programs and invitations. A computer and printer will
suffice, but it helps to have advanced technological
support. An optional component of The Middle
School Print Shop is the support staff. This is a group
of students that use their computer skills to assist
students in the program.
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| 114 | Celebrating Heroes: Creating Multimedia Interactive Biographies | English/Language Arts,Computer Technology | 4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/TeachNet/NewYork/Dissemnator/velez_shea.htm | This in-depth program presents valuable literacy and
technology experiences for students to explore the
lives of heroes who have contributed to humanity,
making the world a better place. In alignment with the
New Standards, this thematic, interdisciplinary
program has been designed to motivate young
adolescents to read, research and write thoughtfully,
for authentic audiences. Technology is used to
research information about hero-positive role models
using multiple electronic sources to supplement trade
books and other library materials. Students read,
summarize, synthesize notes utilizing computer
software, and finally, compose biographies using word
processing techniques. The biographies are
published in two formats, including: bound books that
are copyrighted by young authors, and multimedia,
interactive collective biographies that are group
presentations. These groups are formed
categorically. For example, a HyperStudio project
entitled “Space Explorers” may be designed by a
group off young authors who have selected subjects
such as: John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, and Christie
McAuliffe.
The media-enhanced stories of heroes’ lives
are published using video-clips, scanned
photographs, audio-clips and other artifacts of their
subjects’ lives. Exercising higher order thinking skills
and problem solving strategies, students engage in a
highly motivational experience that fosters literacy,
content knowledge and technological expertise. |
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| 115 | MONSTERS AND MYTHS: SCRIPTS / SCULPTS | English/Language Arts,Arts | 7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/shea-bischoff/monsters.htm | "Monsters & Myths: Scripts" is a comprehensive interdisciplinary unit pairing
English/Language Arts and the fine arts for intermediate school students. It is
a companion to "Monsters & Myths: Sculpts." The lessons introduce myths
from many cultures as a unique genre of literature. There are opportunities
for students to use critical thinking skills to compare and contrast mythic
tales, compare versions of the same story, and to respond to literature in
several forms. The culminating activity synthesizes learning from all aspects
of the unit, as students collaboratively create scripts based on stories they
have researched, using multiple resources, including the Internet. Their
dramatizations are performed, recorded, and celebrated at a unique festival
"fit for the gods."
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| 116 | CLOUDS - NOT JUST FOR RAINING | Science | 8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/cottrell/clouds.htm | This is a two week CAP (Contract Activity Package) about Clouds. The CAP
is a Dunn & Dunn idea about how to use various modalities in reaching
students.
There are four learning objectives. Each objective has a choice of four
different activities that are paired according to modality (visual, auditory,
kinesthetic, or tactile). In its ideal form, only 1 pair of activities is required;
however I chose to have my students complete two activities per objective (I
felt it would help to rely on more than one learning modality). |
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| 117 | Internet Search Skills 101 | English/Language Arts,Technology | 6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/cposer/searching.htm | The students will become familiar with computer and Internet jargon and
explore different types of searches. The students will perform a search with
and without Boolean search operators. They will learn how to make the most
of their searching time by being as specific as they can with their vocabulary. |
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| 118 | Recycle a Bicycle | Humanities,SocialStudies,LanguageArts,Math,Science | 6 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/TeachNet/NewYork/Dissemnator/Lara_Goldstone_Profile.htm | In this interdisciplinary expeditionary learning
project, students study machines as used
today and in ancient civilizations. As they
investigate machines, they tinker with, take
apart, and build their own machines,
investigating and discussing questions that
come up along their “expedition.” Students
build a bike and create their own
accompanying bike manual using the
computer. After research and discussion of
their community, students then give the bike
and manual to someone in need.
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| 119 | The Talking Book A.R.T. Project: Integrating Art, Reading, and Technology | Art,English/Language Arts,Technology | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/TeachNet/NewYork/Dissemnator/Rebecca_Kaufman_Profile.htm | The Talking Book A.R.T. Project involves
literacy, art, and technology. Students revisit a
pleasant piece of childhood by reading the book
Goodnight Moon together. This book has a
soothing, rhythmic quality and is easy for students
to illustrate while also learning to use new
technologies like computers, scanners, video
cameras, and the software program Hyperstudio.
The students create original artwork using both
traditional (paper, crayons, etc.) and digital (the
tool and color palettes in Hyperstudio) materials.
The artwork is scanned into the Hyperstudio
computer program, which enables them to add
sound, graphics, rudimentary animation, and
video to a nonlinear arena, allowing the book to
“come alive.” Once the project is complete,
students can reread the book, this time using
Hyperstudio to hear it read aloud, or to watch
someone read it aloud on a video, and view their
own and their classmates' illustrations. This
project is a motivation tool to interest students in
reading, while they create art and learn to use
technology. It can also be a jumping-off point for
writing and illustrating their own books, as well as
having classmates videotape them reading
books, which can then be added to their own
project.
The Talking Book A.R.T. Project can be
carried out in any classroom with art supplies
(paper and crayons, markers, or paint) and
books from the school or public library. Access to
a computer with the Hyperstudio program and a
scanner (students will scan their artwork into the
computer) is also required so the books the
students create can "talk.” |
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| 120 | Travels With... | ESL | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/morey/hometown.htm | This project allows the students to design a book cover illustrating their
hometown or native country. This lesson is part of the Project Arts
program and involves team teaching with an art teacher. Because many
of these students don’t have clear memories of their native lands, the
Internet was used to find photos that provide a visual frame of reference
for their original homes. The book is titled Travels with (students name)
to (student's hometown or country. The students use a word processor to
design the title of their book. The title of the book is also written in English
and their native language. The students reinforce their English language
skills through a writing exercise that goes along with the book cover.
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| 121 | The Bleeding Edge | Arts,Technology | 6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/mmeisler/bleeding_edge.htm | The Bleeding Edge is an on-line zine that explores blood as a metaphor. Languages
and visual iconography are forms of cultural expression. Students can express their
own ideas about the impact of blood and circulation on our day-to-day vernacular
and thought patterns by contributing to www.thebleedingedge.org.
This on-line zine was created by 6 - 11th grade students who worked with their
digital art (Meryl Meisler) and foreign language (Francine LaPorte and Neisha White)
teachers to pre-plan their topics with storyboards and scripts and produce their
projects for the www. Contributions from other schools are welcome.
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| 122 | The Label Project | Arts,English/Language Arts | 8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/mmeisler/labels.htm | In THE LABEL PROJECT students, create their own digital
"self-portraits as "labels" and write labels (critical interpretive
responses) for work on display at a museum or gallery.
Technology was used to create the self-portraits, write critical
reviews of art work at a museum and to communicate with the
museum's curators.
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| 123 | Senescence of Ca10 (POH) 6 (OH) 2 - Documenting ourselves in the learning about aging process. | Arts,Science | 10 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/mmeisler/aging.htm | Our 10th grade class explored connections of chemistry
and aging. Each student created a digital self-portrait
montage documenting themselves in the learning/aging
process.
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| 124 | Deep Research | Arts,English/Language Arts | 6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/mmeisler/deepresearch.htm | "Deep Research" Is a digital exploration of two worlds of
conspicuous silence – the New York Public Library and
the underwater world. These icons of conspicuous
silence and beauty are among our greatest resources at
risk. The viewer is engaged in an imaginary narrative that
explores issues of urbanization, access to information,
and environmental /quality of life concerns.
The students view "Deep Research" series by Meryl
Meisler. Follow-up activities can include discussion,
research and writing about the following: 1. Classify the
species of fish and coral in each picture; 2. Identify the
architectural details. Each student can create an
illustrated glossary of architectural terms and styles.
The Library depicted in the series is the Arts and
Humanities Branch on 42nd Street in NYC. Visit
http://www.nypl.org to find out: 1. When was the library
built? 2. Who were the major funders? 3. Who were the
architects? 4. Is it a public or private library? 5. What
reservoir was it built upon?
Write an imaginary narrative describing what is
going on in the picture.
What do you know about the mythical Atlantis? Find
the passage in Jules Verne’s "20,000 Leagues
Under The Sea" that describes Captain Nemo’s
tour of Atlantis.
Divide the class into small groups (3-4) to discuss the
following:
Digital media can archive books and make them
accessible via the internet; how will this effect the
need and function of schools and libraries?
Underpaid, and demoralized- NYC’s Librarians
and Public school teachers are leaving in record
numbers. Are real live/in person teachers and
Librarians replaceable by digital databases, and
virtual classrooms? Are institutions of learning
destined to sink? Why or why not?
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| 125 | Friendship | ESL,Foreign Language | 9,10 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/lwang/friendship.htm | In this unit students will explore the meaning of friendship by seeking
answers to the following questions in the readings: Do friends need
to be alike, or can they be very different? Does it take time for a
friendship to grow, or can it happen quickly? Students will read the
play “Driving Miss Daisy” by Alfred Uhry and a real life story, “A
Brave Man lays His Life on the Line” by Joe Treen and S. Avery
Brown, Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s “The Fox” from The Little Prince
and listen to Paul Simon’s song, “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
Students will explore related web sites to gather additional
information, and compose an essay with a controlling idea. |
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| 126 | Beginnings | ESL,English/Language Arts Language,Arts | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/lwang/beginnings.htm | Beginnings is a program about learning and sharing
immigrant experiences. Ninth-grade ESL students read
Adrienne Rich's poem “Prospective Immigrants, Please Note”
and Bette Lord's story “China's Little Ambassador.” The
students learn new vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and
literary elements and techniques.
After reading about Rich's and Lord's immigrant experiences,
students go to Web sites provided by the teacher and learn
more about the authors. They then write a compare/contrast
essay in which they either write about the lives of the writers or
the themes and stylistic devices employed in their work.
The students are assessed using a teacher-designed rubric
which incorporates writing process and technology
integration. |
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| 127 | Un Samedi a Paris | Foreign Language | 11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/chuck/paris.htm | The aim of this learning experience is to provide a
learner-centered, performance-based lesson in which students
work cooperatively to plan a day of activities in Paris. Students
conduct research on the Internet using authentic French
materials, assemble information in a meaningful way via a
dialogue, and present their project to the class orally.
The students will alternate between the computer lab and the
classroom. The teacher will meet with groups throughout the unit
to ensure all members are on task and to answer any linguistic
or technical questions. Students are assessed individually by a
scoring rubric, which they see at the commencement of the
project thereby providing them with clear expectations. |
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| 128 | Les Brasseries de Paris | French,Computer Science | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/chuck/brasserie.htm | The objective of this learning experience is to provide
a learner-centered, performance-based lesson in
which students work cooperatively to review a site in
the target language, enhance reading and writing
skills as well as cultural knowledge, then create their
own web-based project. While students in this lesson
completed individual projects, they did work
cooperatively at many points to assist each other with
language or technical difficulties. The class split its
time between the computer lab and a traditional
classroom.
Students had already set up their own web pages and
begun compiling their writing web-folios, so they were
familiar with the technology component. I put all their
Internet assignments on my web page, so many
worked additional hours at home on these tasks. They
worked on grammar or reading comprehension sites
on their own, in preparation for the Regents exam,
and were also able to listen to French radio stations
with headphones in the lab. They all had key-pals in
Sweden, learning French, with whom they
corresponded regularly. This technology integration
was highly motivating to the students, and they were
exposed to more authentic documents and artifacts
than they would be in a regular classroom setting |
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| 129 | Let's Plan a Trip! | ESL,Computer Science | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/chuck/trip.htm | ELA Standards: Read and comprehend informational
materials, including public documents; produce a
written report with minimal errors, demonstrating an
understanding of the rules of English grammar;
analyze and subsequently revise work to clarify it or
make it more effective in communicating the intended
message or thought. |
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| 130 | Theatre for Teenagers in New York City | English/Language Arts,Theatre Arts | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/jvitulano/vitulano1.htm | The Theatre for Teenagers in New York City is part of an inter-high school
project called Virtual New York. ESL teachers from various high schools in
New York City are leading their students through the research, design, and
writing of a virtual travel guide to the City prepared specifically for
teenagers.
My students are working on the Theatre in New York City. It so happens
that we are actively studying drama in our class with representatives from
the program "Page to Stage", so we have a happy mingling of lessons;
theatre trips; electronic publishing all rolled together. |
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| 131 | Universal Studios' Roller Coasters | English/Language Arts,ESL | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/jvitulano/universal.htm | This unit was designed as part of a preparation for the second task of the
New York State Regents that requires the students to read an article and
review a type of graph or other graphic representation. Then they must
write a response to a ""Task"" that may be a letter, a report, or a speech to
an interested group. In the written response they must refer to both the
article and the graph. Of course, the unit will serve as an English Language
Arts learning experience on its own without the onus of teaching for the
test. As you will see, there are the required components of all English As A
Second Language lessons, i.e., oral warm up, conversation, oral
presentations, and so on. In addition, the subject of theme parks and roller
coasters was chosen as an American cultural topic for an immigrant
student population. However, the lessons may easily be modified for any
English Language Arts class including regular English Classes.
To begin, the lessons are centered around the information on roller
coasters on the Universal Studios website. The students will enjoy the
entertainment elements as well as the graphics. The tasks include reading
for information, graphing, drawing, writing, and editing.
So climb on board, hold on tight, scream your head off, and have fun!
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| 132 | A Trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame (Writing a Persuasive Letter) | English/Language Arts,ESL,Physical Education | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/jvitulano/baseball.htm | This program is designed to teach high school students some of the
rudimentary research skills needed to find information using the World
Wide Web. The goal of the research is to garner information about the
Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York to demonstrate that a
trip to that institution would be academically beneficial to the members of
the school's baseball team.
The various writing skills include the following elements of the writing
process: free-writing, drafting, sharing, editing, and publishing. It also
includes a writing exercise on writing from a different point of view, as the
students are required to respond to the drafts of the letters from the point of
view of the baseball coach.
One other specific writing activity that is included in this program is writing
a variety of conclusions to the letter. In this way student writers can practice
their virtuosity as much as they like.
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| 133 | Lance Armstrong - Tour de France | English/Language Arts,ESL,Social Studies | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/jvitulano/armstrong.htm | This program aims to enable students to be able to write an essay about
the triumphs and difficulties in the life of champion cyclist, Lance
Armstrong. As background to the final product, the students will read a New
York Times article about Lance Armstrong. In relation to the reading,
students will trace his route through France, and then create their own Tour
de_____ (students may choose a state in the United States). They also
draw a timeline of his life. A T-bar graphic organizer is included to
delineate the difficulties and triumphs.
This program offers many opportunities for teaching across the curricula of
English Language Arts and Global Studies. The graphic elements provide
opportunities to focus on multiple intelligences.
One example of an activity that goes with this program is the practice of
paraphrasing. Quotations are identified and the students are guided
through the process of paraphrasing. The thesaurus on the word
processing program will be used. There is also a handout with a variety of
words to use instead of the word "said". Finally, there is a lesson on peer
review which may also be facilitated by the use of e-mail in a wired
classroom. |
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| 134 | Graphing and Analyzing Our School's Attendance | Algebra,Statistics,Technology | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/fianni/attendanceproject.htm | This project will serve two main instructional purposes. First, it will create a
sense of community and will help students understand their school and the
community around them. Second, it is a great way to introduce major
concepts such as histograms, pie graphs, and many other statistical
concepts that sometimes seem totally abstract.
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| 135 | Mean, Medium, Mode | Math,Business | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/fianni/mean1.htm | This unit combines mathematics and technology to teach students how
to find the mean, median, and mode for a set of data.
Using the website http://forum.swarthmore.edu/,
students will define terms and find examples, as well as complete
practice exercises. They will then work cooperatively to analyze real
data from a variety of websites provided. To demonstrate mastery and
reinforce ELA performance objectives, they will explain the procedure to
a friend in an e-mail message. |
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| 136 | Best Fit Line | Math,Computer Science | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/fianni/bestfitline.htm | This unit combines mathematics and technology to teach students how to
find the line of best fit for a set of data, and to find the correlation coefficient
for a set of data.
Major emphasis is placed on process instead of results. Having the right
answer is great only when it is combined with a clear understanding of the
materials, and also when students are able to create connections to other
topics in the subject. |
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| 137 | The Leaning Tower of Pisa | Math,Computer Science | 10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/fianni/pisa.htm | 1. On the first day, students will work in the computer lab, searching the web
for the history of the Tower of Pisa. Searching for the history will make them
aware that the Tower exists, that it is real and tangible.
2. On the second day, students will be introduced to the mathematics
content.
3. Students will work in the classroom using the TI-83 graphing calculator.
4. Students will work in the computer lab using the Geometer’s Sketchpad
software.
5. Again, students will be in the computer lab using the Internet in order to
plan a trip to Italy. |
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| 138 | Creating A Poetry Web Site | English | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/pmaslow/poetry.htm | Using poems that illustrate the use of figurative language, tone, repetition,
imagery, and refrain, high school English students write short essays, first in
small groups and then by themselves. Afterwards, they answer questions on the
poem they have selected as their favorite and write about it. Along with the
poems, these essays make up the Favorite Poem classroom Web site.
Students scan the poems, and artwork can also be incorporated. Then they
compare and contrast their classroom site to a national Favorite Poem Web
site. There are also video and audio readings of some of the poems on the
national site. Students can also analyze and write about some of these poems.
Students are assessed by their comprehension of the poems’ content and the
literary devices used, as well as by the essays they write. |
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| 139 | HAVING OUR SAY | English | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/pmaslow/HAVING%20OUR%20SAY.htm | Using various hotlinks from a Web site, high school English students
read about the history of discrimination against African Americans in the
United States and examples of racist (or “Jim Crow”) laws. This provides
the background necessary for the book Having Our Say by Sarah and
Elizabeth Delany with Amy Hill Hearth. They then read primary
documents---oral history accounts of African Americans affected by
discriminatory laws. They also read speeches by famous African
Americans (such as W.E.B. Dubois) mentioned in the book and they
take notes and answer questions. In class, they write literary essays
individually and within groups. The students word-process their best
essays in the computer room and revise and edit before submitting them
to the class Web site at highwired.com/fklane/e201. On the site, students
can view the featured essays, which are chosen by their teacher.
Students also hand in a portfolio of their best essays, including all drafts,
and view the made-for-TV movie Having Our Say and write an essay
comparing it to the book.
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| 140 | INHERIT THE WIND | English | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/pmaslow/inheritthewind.htm | High school English students from grades nine through twelve explore the theory of evolution and read the highly relevant play “Inherit The Wind” and a series of articles and essays about the famous Scopes trial that centered around the right to teach evolution. They incorporate technology as they research the topic and write their own essays on whether evolution should be taught in school.
Students first read a New York City student’s published opinion on the 1999 Kansas law that banned evolution questions from state tests. They evaluate her essay and read a New York Times article about the Kansas law and other accounts of the Scopes trial from 1925. They take notes and write short essays on their opinions of the events. They also read an article outlining the conflict between religious faith and the theory of evolution. Again they take notes and write essays expressing their opinions. They read the play “Inherit The Wind” at home, and for each of the five scenes, they write an account using the point of view of one of the characters in the form of a letter to a friend or a diary entry. They also read the play in class and discuss issues raised and the literary devices the authors use in a play, which is a fictionalized account of the 1925 trial. Students write essays based on the play and choose five topics to research using the Internet.
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| 141 | Hot links for Student Journalists | English/Language Arts,Journalism | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/pmaslow/hotlinks.htm | Students go to the hot links page on the web and then choose other student articles to read from all over the country. Depending on what type of article, commentary or feature/news, the students evaluate the article using a worksheet. Usually, it takes a full class period for a student to find an article he or she is interested in, read and complete an evaluation. Students are allowed to work with a partner or in groups.
Another type of activity using the hot links is to do the contest from SSNB by going to www.straightscoop.org. The contest entry has to be a feature article published in the school paper and mailed to the contest by May 31. The site provides excellent ideas for articles and resources as well.
Other hot link sites included in the project actually instruct students how to write a certain kind of article. One site provides expert analysis of a current newspaper article.
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| 142 | Oral History Interview and Essay | English/Language Arts,Journalism | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/pmaslow/interview.htm | Students are given a handout on how to do an oral history interview and several lessons prepare them for this undertaking. Then, after they have interviewed an older relative or neighbor, they hand in their transcripts or notes (if they have no tape recorder) and learn how to write an essay from their notes or transcripts. New York City has an excellent contest, the PAL (Police Athletic League) "Stories My Grandparents Told Me." Many of the students enter their final drafts of their essays, and several have won awards. Copies of the winners' essays are posted on a link from this lesson for students to evaluate themselves.
First they read the essays of student winners. Then they read a transcript of an oral history interview which is posted on the Internet. There is also a link to another interview transcript -one on working women during World War II. Furthermore, there is a link on how to do an interview, which is also demonstrated in class, and the students practice with each other.
They post the second draft of their essays on a conference section of the class site on www.nicenet.org. Students then read each other's essays and post a comment or question to help the person whose essay they read to do revision or improve their essay. Students are allowed to say what they liked about the essay they read, ask questions and/or summarize the essay. These are methods of student peer response that are taught in the NYC Writing Project directed by Lehman College.
Students then post their final drafts in the document section of our nicenet.org class. Lastly, they evaluate a link to Georgia 8th graders who did a similar project. Students read these articles after they have finished their own final drafts to motivate them to post their own essays on our school web site with photographs of their relatives.
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| 143 | Romeo and Juliet: The Theme of Love in Literature and the Arts | ESL transitional | 10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/dpietraru/romeo.htm | Students do not read and write enough in their English classes because they do not relate to the materials and curricula presented. Literature is usually taught from an exterior and moralistic perspective. This program will present literature and the arts as students want it: as a vehicle for expression and cultural liberation.
The program will ask for students' active participation in the design and implementation of the unit. Lessons will be based on the collective consciousness of the classroom: activities, such as reading poetry, writing essays or viewing movies, will be based on student selection.
Additional goals:
to instill appreciation for literary and artistic masterpieces, arousing the imagination and creativity of the young reader.
to encourage students’ creation of literature and arts, such as short stories, poems, theatrical fragments, and artwork.
to integrate the presentation of literature and arts with the study of cultures and societies, within the understanding that tolerance and multiculturalism are the spirit of true art.
to teach the New York State English Regents’ tasks using literature and the arts. |
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| 144 | Darwin's Evolution | Biology,Living Environment | 9,10 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/aanderson/darwin.htm | This unit deals with the Father of Evolution, his theories and the impact they have on us today. In this unit students will have the opportunity to see a well-crafted video on Darwin. This video is informative and only 30 minutes long. You feel for Darwin as he tries to find purpose to his life after the death of his beloved mother. It covers his life, voyage on the H.M.S. Beagle, formulation of his theories and their consequences on the world.
The students will also experience the Internet. They will be brought to sites full of interesting information where insight can be obtained and synthesized through PowerPoint work, as well as formal presentations. Creationism is brought out to balance Darwin’s Theories. It is current and apropos in a country of such diversity. Modern Theories will be seen with an in-class lab using the Hardy-Weinberg Law which refuted spontaneous generation. This adds reality by using the Scientific Method. The teacher may want to use only one or all of these lesson plans.
The concluding plan asks: "Life – How did it get here?" then proceeds to review, at the same time providing students the opportunity to explore Internet sites of interest on the topic
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| 145 | Presidential Decisions | Social Studies | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/gnewman/decisions.htm | Students will study four periods in American History when critical decisions were made by Presidents concerning wars within and wars with foreign foes. There are a number of overriding issues that go hand-in-hand with these crises, including the childhood of a president, the political climate at the time, the will of the American people, and the President's personal feelings and abilities. The following historical periods will be focused upon:
Slavery - Abraham Lincoln
W.W. I - Woodrow Wilson
W.W. II - Franklin D. Roosevelt
Post War World- Lyndon Johnson
Students will access the Internet to research the lives of these Presidents and to try to identify the reasons that these chief executives acted in the way that they did.
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| 146 | Exploring Careers Online-The Job Hunt | Business,Technology | 10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/ahorton/careers.htm | This learning experience will enable students to acquire career-specific technical knowledge and skills necessary to progress toward gainful employment. The teacher will familiarize students with the different search engines, subject directories, and web sites available to search for information on the world of work.
Students will use Internet resources to learn about how to apply for a job, how to key their application letter and resume, and tips on the interview process. They will also learn how to post their resume, cover letter, and employment application directly online, thus learning about the time-efficient changing nature of the workplace. As a culminating activity, they will present a mock-interview skit in class.
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| 147 | Women's History Month Exhibit | English/Language Arts,Technology,Arts | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/TeachNet/NewYork/Dissemnator/Lois_Stavsky_profile.htm | The Women's History Month Exhibit enables students to set up a multimedia gallery exhibit that includes writing, art, and photography. Students: 1) interview mothers, grandmothers, and other females who have played significant roles in their lives, 2) write and edit essays and poems based on these interviews, 3) take original photographs and scan existing photos, and 4) plan a gallery exhibit of essays, original artwork, and photos.
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| 148 | Arthur Miller, Drama, War Poetry | English | 11 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/bwu/millerprofile.htm | The purpose of this unit is to familiarize students with Arthur Miller, author of the play “All My Sons,” and to introduce them to the major elements used in drama. The students are also exposed to the exploration of the theme of war in poetry. Based on the conclusion drawn from these poems, they discuss why Chris, one of the main characters in “All My Sons,” behaves the way he does, and how realistic they feel the portrayal of his character is. Their thoughts are shared with fellow classmates in the Web Discussion Forum.
Teacher preparation includes doing on-line research to find the best sites for war poetry & other documents on war, Arthur Miller, and drama, and linking these sites to the Web page for this unit. (Done for you in the companion web.) The teacher also must design study questions to lead students into the discussion of the topic.
Student activities include visiting a Web site to learn about Arthur Miller: who he is, what he has written, and his most significant works. They read poems written by war veterans and get a real sense of how people who have experienced war feel. They also read poems by Wilfred Owen and compare and contrast how he feels towards the same subject.
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| 149 | College Research and College Essay Writing | English | 12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/bwu/techprep.htm | The objectives of the project is to help students determine which college they should apply for based on their personal and academic background. The student will also learn how to write a college essay that can describe him/her.
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| 150 | Julius Caesar-The Historical Figure and the Character | English/Language Arts,Social Studies | 10,11 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/bwu/caesar_profile.htm | While reading “Julius Caesar,” students learn about Shakespeare, his time, Elizabethan culture, and Shakespearean language. Students' learning is no longer limited by a teacher's knowledge. They can visit a virtual Globe Theater and learn about Roman history and related subjects. Students will also learn to critique others' work online and absorb what they read in the Internet and create their original work.
Teacher preparation steps include doing research online to several helpful Web sites that inform students of the history of ancient Rome and about Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre, and posting them on your Web site as resources for your students' research. Prepare questions that tap into the different levels of cognitive skills and ask the student to discuss online.
Student activities include visit Web sites and getting familiar with the history of ancient Rome, and visiting a virtual Globe Theater and reading background information about Shakespeare. They also publish their reactions to the play online.
A project can be designed to help assess the student's understanding, such as the analysis of a character or theme, or they can debate over issues raised in the play. After reading articles that critique “Julius Caesar” and allow them to see other people's perspectives on the play, the students can write responses to one or two of the articles and share them with the class online.
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| 151 | Women in Mathematics | Math | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/alee/women_in_math.htm | The purpose of this project is to introduce students to female mathematicians over the centuries and to acknowledge their contribution to mathematics. Students are also exposed to social and historical aspects math has in the world.
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| 152 | Flaming Weasels: The Perfect Sound | Math.Science | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/alee/flaming_weasels.htm | The project uses the concepts of algebra (formula) and physics (energy and resistance) to tackle a real-life problem (setting up a sound system). Students must be able to use the Internet to find the needed data as well as basic word processing programs to type the project.
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| 153 | Plate Tectonics | Science | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/ecolley/Plate_Tectonics.htm | Students learn geologic history and time, stratigraphic nomenclature, general plant and animal fossils of the periods, climatic conditions and the movement of the North American or Laurentia continental plate. Students learn how to read quickly through information from the Internet extracting the pertinent information to their project.
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| 154 | Forecast the National Weather | Science | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/ecolley/forecast.htm | Each students collects weather data from five locations within their chosen state. Weather station models are created from data. All station models are drawn onto a US wall map. Isobars are drawn and weather patterns are studied. Closed captioning is used for students' weather forecasts.
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| 155 | Posters For Victory | Social Studies | 10,11,12 | http://www.elfrank.com/ushistory/poster_project/profile.htm | The Internet is rich with primary source materials. This unit takes advantage of a collection of World War II posters aimed to support the war effort at home. Students are asked to participate in a variety of activities that build comprehension, written expression, communication, value judgments and technology skills.
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| 156 | Moving from Talking with Pictures to Speaking with Words and Sound | Special Education | k,1,2,3,4,5,6 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/flammia/moving.htm | It often becomes obvious that a nonverbal student becomes frustrated when he/she wants to convey a message and the appropriate vocabulary is not available on his/her manual communication board(s). Also, the board(s) become limited in the amount of information they can convey when they are filled with pictures. Pictures are often used to convey only a single message. Words, on the other hand, can be strung together to form more complete sentences and complex thoughts, as well as enhance literacy skills. I find it absolutely necessary to move the student from pictures to words (or a combination of both) on manual communication boards to eventually an electronic voice output device. When the student is ready for a device that has voice output - a whole new world has opened up for them - they can now "speak" so others can hear them. While using manual communication boards, they have to make sure that they have the attention of a communicative partner focused on their board. This is not always easy to do, especially in a classroom. (Some electronic voice output devices have the ability to change the voice in order to match that of a speaking child the user's age as well as change to more mature voices as the student ages.)
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| 157 | HOLIDAY SHOPPING WITH THE NONVERBAL CHILD | Special Education | k,1,2,3,4,5,6 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/flammia/shopping.htm | Holiday shopping can be frustrating for parents of a nonverbal child. This program teaches the nonverbal child about winter holidays from various cultures, while encouraging their powers of expression.
The teacher prepares a basic lesson about Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, and other ethnic/religious winter holidays, and about letter writing to Santa. Each student will receive a teacher-made letter to Santa. (If the student is unable to write, the teacher will fill in the answers.)
The teacher collects various catalogs that display high-interest items for the age group they are working with and makes a list of the corresponding Web sites and bookmarks them for easy access. The student is shown catalogs until attention is focused on an item, and is then asked if he/she likes the item. If the student says or nonverbally indicates yes, add it to a list. When the list is complete, bring the student to the computer and show him or her the corresponding Web site. Many items will be pictured in a thumbnail-size photo and will be enlarged when clicked on. The student then often shows more excitement.
The student will be presented with this same task for three consecutive sessions in order to determine accuracy and consistency of choices made. When this is determined, the list and a copy of the related Web sites will be sent home to parents.
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| 158 | Savoring Halloween with Graveyard Pizza | Special Education | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/hanwit/halloween.htm | This unit is designed to help students learn about the community (including the grocery store), cooking, and Halloween. The recipe for this lesson is from the Internet and a pictorial shopping list and recipe and Halloween sheet were created on BoardMaker (graphics database containing Picture Communication Symbols).
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| 159 | Using Screen Shots in the Curriculum | Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5,6 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/pakula/screenshts.htm | This is a computer lesson designed to be taught to teachers. The purpose of this lesson is to give teachers technology skills and tools which they can use to reinforce and enhance their lessons. Did you ever want to show someone on paper the steps that you used to create a document using a computer program? The easiest way is to take a computerized snapshot (aka screen shot) of a selected part of the image on the monitor depicting various stages, steps, or items revealed in the process. Such snapshots can be produced by using different utility programs or certain key commands on the Macintosh.
Screen shots can be used to create worksheets, homework, tests or other instructional materials. When an image on the monitor is composed of multiple objects, many children have a hard time focusing on just a single item. They can be over-stimulated by the visual complexity of the screen. By creating screen shots of specific objects, the teacher can isolate specific items upon which the child should focus. This helps the student to target his or her attention on one thing out of many.
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| 160 | Family Heirlooms | English/Language Arts,Art,Social Studies,Values Education | 7,8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/shea-bischoff/family.htm | This intergenerational project might be used in conjunction with grandparent's day or the Japanese holiday, "Respect for the Aged Day," which is celebrated in September.
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| 161 | The Old Man and the Sea | English | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.litstudies.com/manandsea/manandseacover.html | This two-session lesson will lead students to decide whether or not Hemingway was heroic himself just like most of his male characters he created by reading online biographical information about him . They will also share the relevant information about Hemingway by reading aloud the information they gathered to the class. Every student will take notes while listening. To demonstrate their understanding of this lesson, students will write an illustrative essay by using details and quotes from the notes. (This lesson is especially effective for teaching New Regents Task I skills to your students.)
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| 162 | Oedipus | English | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.litstudies.com/oedipus/oedipus.html | 1. The student will analyze the characteristics of literary genre-classical tragedy.
2.The student will explore the related themes in the play, i.e. fate vs character, blindness vs vision, truth vs illusion , Greek law vs. Roman (English) law ,etc.
3. The student will learn to argue for their point: what determines a person's life, fate or character?
4.To make thematic connections between contempory works and the classics.
5. To compare two works written in different time periods on the same theme or topic. |
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| 163 | Hamlet | English | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.litstudies.com/Hamletlessons/Hamlet.htm | Hamlet, Shakespeare, English |
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| 164 | Meteorology- Hows the Weather? | Science, Social Studies | 5 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/bglasgold/bmglas.htm | Start the lesson by brainstorming "meteorology" for topics to be used for research from the World Wide Web. From these topics create a semantic web on the computer using SuperPrint. After a lengthy group discussion, students and teacher will decide on the topics to be included for the research database. Students will use a database program (like AppleWorks) to create their database. The teacher will do some research to locate on-line web sites that the students can go to gather this information. The teacher will link the web sites for the children's ease of use. The student, therefore, is using the Internet to access data, and using the computer, AppleWorks, to organize his/her data |
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| 168 | Junior Certificate Geometry | Mathematics | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachnet.ie/geometry.htm | The project uses a web site which is heavily dependent on Macromedia Flash to help Ordinary Level students with their Junior Certificate Geometry. The web site begins by introducing preliminary concepts and background facts that students need to understand the geometry. It goes on to demonstrate the truth of various theorems by using animation. A formal proof of these theorems then follows. |
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| 169 | Millennium Superheroes | Social Studies,Englisih | 5,6 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/chornik/millenniumfp1.htm | In Millennium Superheroes, students brainstorm and synthesize ideas about what constitutes a real-life superhero. The students create a database with questions that pertain to what they want to find out about a hero of the new millennium and use the Internet to research the information needed to complete their databases. The databases are used to organize the information found during research so that a report can be written. A slide show can also be made from the information found.
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| 170 | The Tropical Rain Forest | Science,English/Language Arts | 3,4,5 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/bglasgold/rainforest.htm | This unit contains a series of lessons to explore the ecosystem of the biome called the rain forest. It begins with an introduction to the rain forest. Students will brainstorm on a KWL chart what they know about the rain forest, what they want to learn, and finally we will fill in what they have learned at the end of the unit. Each lesson will include a vast amount of web sites where the students can gather all their information, and look at pictures, which will help explain all the facts and information they will need to learn to complete this unit.
The first lesson asks for them to describe where tropical rain forests are located, physical descriptions of a rain forest, and some examples of animal and plant life. All the lessons include vocabulary to go with each lesson, which they will research on-line at various websites. They will compare the rain forest to other biomes they have studied. They will learn the layers of the rain forest, and fill-in a database showing the physical characteristics, dominant plant and animal life for each layer. They will learn what a rain forest food chain, or web of life, is and they will create a food chain for the rain forest.
Finally, the students will be asked why the rain forest is
important to us and to all life on earth. In cooperative learning
groups, students will be broken up into four groups. Each group will research a different aspect of why the rain forest is important- climate, food products, house products, and medicines. Each group will make a book on their topic and share with the class. All work will be done on the computer and using the Internet. Activities will include making a rain forest terrarium and creating books, showing how plants transport water from their roots to their leaves, and showing decomposition.
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| 171 | The Cay: Creatures of the Coral Reef | Science,English/Language Arts | 4,5,6 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/awoloshin/cay.htm | The purpose of this unit is to make a connection between science and literature. After reading the first five chapters of the novel The Cay, children will appreciate and be able to describe the physical characteristics of a coral reef, as well as describe and distinguish between the many living creatures found on the reef. The students will use computer technology to research the formation of coral reefs, their physical characteristics, and the plants and animals inhabiting them. Students will research reefs on the Internet. Using the links provided by the teacher, students will fill in a database and use the acquired information to write reports. Students will reproduce the living reef by using Apple Works.
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| 172 | Making Science/Literature Connections: El Guero | Science,English/Language Arts | 5 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/awoloshin/elguero.htm | The purpose of this program is to make a connection between science and literature. After reading the first three chapters of the novel El Guero by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino, the students use computer technology to do research on the Internet about the gray whale, its physical characteristics, and its route of migration. Using the links provided by the teacher, they fill in a database and use the acquired information to write informative reports. The students will reproduce the information using Apple Works.
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| 173 | Digging Into the Past | Social Studies,Science | 5,6 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/jmclaughlin/digging.htm | This is a series of lessons on the study of the earth's past, specifically through the study of fossils. Students will dig into a sample box of fossils (plastic) and observe their appearance and location in several layers of dirt. Prior to doing this they will have used the Internet to research the excavation process as well as viewed examples of fossils. Further activities include charting different geological eras in history, learning about endangered species, and writing a letter to Senator Clinton addressing the problem. |
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| 174 | Our Little Town | Social Studies,English/Language Arts | 1,2,3 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/psicuranza/community.htm | Our Little Town is an outgrowth of the study of the community that is part of the second grade social studies curriculum. The study consists of learning the various aspects of the students' community, i.e., the places, residents and workers, and various landmarks. The intense study took place within the first three months of school, however, the community is always connected to the other social studies themes. In this program, the students take local walking tours and incorporate technology by using a digital camera to take photographs. In the classroom, the students use the computer to display these photographs. With the use of different software programs such as SimTown, the students create a visual map of the community as a culminating activity. The computers allow the students to display their own work in a unique and creative way.
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| 175 | The Great American Melting Pot | Social Studies,English/Language Arts | 4,5,6 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/prestianni/meltingpot.htm | This project is used to teach students about immigration as it encourages them to learn about their family history. Each student will bring in a photo of relatives or people they know from other countries. These photos will then be scanned into the computer. A narrative writing component will be added. This will describe the photo and provide a history of the family's immigration to the United States. There is an alternative for this project, in the case that a student has no recent immigrants in their family. Students could write a creative piece from the perspective of an immigrant. They could imagine what it would be like to be new to the country. Pictures may be obtained from books or the Internet. All photos along with the corresponding narrative account will then be used to create a multimedia presentation, titled, "The Great American Melting Pot."
This unit involves four main activities. the students will learn how to:
1. Scan photos into the computer
2. Write a narrative account
3. Use AppleWorks word processor
4. Display work using multimedia presentation software
Internet links are provided throughout the lesson to benefit both teachers and students.
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| 176 | Producing Public Service Announcements for Video | Technology,English/Language Arts | 7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/nacionales/psa.htm | "This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. Get the picture?" Who could ever forget that commercial? Students are introduced to this and other Public Service Announcements ("PSA") on videotape in this program. Students brainstorm for other PSA topics that they will eventually be asked to write about and produce into a PSA on video. Students are encouraged to use the Internet, a valuable source of statistics and information they will need to complete the research on their PSA video |
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| 177 | Postcards from Abroad | Technology,Arts | 7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/lvelez/postcards.htm | "Postcards from Abroad" empowers students to use their computers in a creative manner. First, students will learn how to search the World Wide Web efficiently, using Internet search engines and strategic commands. Then, they will learn how to edit digital photographs using HyperStudio software tools. Finally, they will create composites which will include a recognizable "background" from a faraway vacation site, and a personal photograph. As a result, the culminating project will feature the creator and friends at a fantasy vacation site somewhere in the world, i.e. "virtual postcards."
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| 178 | A Venetian Carnival | English/Language Arts,Social Studies | 7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/cposer/venetianfp.htm | This unit is based on “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe. Students read and analyze the story for basic comprehension and to find ironic meanings. They then do research to find why the season of carnival is celebrated around the world, and they view various Web sites of global carnival celebrations. The students also create their own carnival masks. |
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| 179 | Witness for the Prosecution: Online Newspaper | English | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/pmaslow/witness.htm | Students read Witness For the Prosecution by Agatha Christie. The foreshadowing in the first act helps identify one main theme--mistakes are made in the justice system--which, by the way, could include mistakes made by juries, defense attorneys or their clerks, prosecutors, judges, police, and investigators.
In Act I, the facts of the case for murder are presented. Students then read a news article describing a possible accidental murder. They analyze the news article which should have 7 parts: the headline with a verb, the lead (normal or novelty,) background details, the 5 w's and h answered, attribution ( the source of all the facts either quoted or paraphrased), no bias demonstrated by the writer, and the most important fact according to the writer is first in the article. Students write a news article using the newspaper article as a model but with the facts from the play.
Act II contains a dramatic transcript of the witness's testimony and questions asked by the prosecutor and defense attorney. A surprise witness for the prosecution appears--the defendant's so-called wife. Students read a second news article about a trial with a surprise witness and analyze it. Then they write a second news article about the trial in the play with a surprise witness.
Students analyze an obituary article and write an obituary based on one of the two characters who died in the play after reading the third and final act.
The fourth article they analyze is a feature article about how one man was mistakenly found guilty and sentenced to death because of mistakes made by the prosecution. Students then write their own feature article about mistakes in the justice system based on this play.
The fifth article students read is an editorial about the use of the "heat of passion defense" accepted by the judge to sentence a husband who murdered his wife for adultery to 18 months in jail. Students can write an editorial or commentary or letter to the editor on whether Romaine deserves to be tried and sentenced for something less than murder one because of the "heat of passion defense," or they can write on another issue pertaining to the play including a review of the play. This is an opinion article.
Students post their articles on the class discussion forum, so that they can learn from each other and also write for an audience other than the teacher. They also go through several drafts of their articles.
Students learn how to use Microsoft Front Page Editor so that they can create online newspapers with at least 3 of their articles. They also include images of the characters which can be photographs of students portraying the characters, or images from the Internet.
These online newspapers are posted on the school's web site for everyone to see.
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| 180 | Writing a Short Story Based on Kindred | English/Language Arts,Social Studies | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/pmaslow/kindred.htm | Writing a Short Story Based on Kindred
Project URL:
http://www.teachnet-lab.org/fklane/pmaslow/kindred.htm
How it works:
As students read Kindred, by Octavia Butler, they become any character except the main character, who is telling the story. As the character, the students write 13 journals or letters and tell what is happening in the book. The students post these journals or letters on the class online discussion forum, where they can read each other's writing and respond.
Students also go online to explore a list of links (provided by the teacher) on slavery in the USA. They look at all the links and choose the ones that interest them most, read these thoroughly, then summarize at least 5 links and note for which research they recommend reading these links. Furthermore, they can use historical details from these links for their own short stories which they will write based on a few aspects of Kindred.
For the short story, there is a chart with all the literary terms they must illustrate, such as plot, characters, conflict, theme, setting. They also include historical details from the antebellum South and have a modern character who goes back in time. These stories go through several drafts before they are posted on the school's web site for all to see.
In order for students to understand and recognize literary terms, they are discussed in class in relation to the novel. We discussed in depth themes, characterization, and character conflicts, as well as searching for historical details in Kindred about the antebellum South and slavery.
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| 181 | Creating a Pamphlet for/by ESL Students | English | 9 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/btao/pamphlet.htm | This program is a follow-up activity to the "Beginnings" unit in Voices of Literature: Silver by McCloskey and Stack. It motivates ESL students to share their American school experiences in writing while they learn to use technology to create a pamphlet. These writing activities can be used as preparation for the second task of the New York State English Regents.
The students meet in the classroom daily for the first few days. The teacher helps them to brainstorm the common misunderstandings and other problems they have encountered in American schools due to cultural differences. Later, they navigate the Internet for more information on cultural taboos and social etiquette in their home countries and the United States. They take notes and integrate information gathered from discussions between pairs of students. They also e-mail teachers who have immigrated to America from other countries. Using what they have learned, they produce a four-paragraph report titled "Common Misunderstandings." Afterwards, they work in pairs to compose a list of ten tips that would help fellow newcomers in New York City high schools. After each pair of students presents their list to the class, the twenty-five best tips are selected. Once these speaking and writing activities are accomplished, the basic components of the pamphlet are introduced. In the computer lab, the students again work in pairs to design and compose their pamphlets, with each group given a different task. They present their pages to the class for feedback and revise their writing for the final version. Finally, they are required to write a letter to the school principal, the superintendent, and The New York Times' Web Learning Network to introduce their pamphlet
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| 182 | Home Sweet Home: Buying a House | Mathematics | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/alee/alee_files/homesweetfp.htm | TeachNet
Home Sweet Home: Buying a House
Project URL: http://www.teachnet-lab.org/mbhs/alee/home.htm
How it works:
The purpose of this program is to help students see the math involved in fulfilling one of the American Dreams: buying a house. The students use the Internet to find a home as well as the interest rates that banks charge to finance that home. They go to the Student Project Page to answer questions like: "You and your spouse are considering buying a house that costs $189,000. You have $80,000 in your savings account and have been waiting to go on a $30,000 world cruise. The remaining $50,000 will be used as a down payment on the house. You've decided to finance the house with a 30-year loan. Using Excel calculate the monthly payment of the loan." There are also writing assignments to help students evaluate their decisions. Students will also present their findings to the class.
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| 183 | Dream Houses | English | k,1 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/mmcquade/homesfp.htm | This program is about houses and how people build them, and how they become homes. It explores different types of homes and how the environment effects what types of houses people construct. It uses visuals, repetitive verses, poems, songs, and hands-on projects to involve the students in building vocabulary and exploring the reasons why people in different environments have different needs. In this regard it touches on multiculturalism, and creates an avenue where other aspects such as food and clothing can be further explored at a later time. Students are required to use the computer (Kid Pix) to create their own "dream house." |
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| 184 | Stock Market Game: Graphing Stocks | math,social studies | 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/chornik/stock_graph.htm | In this program, students in grades five through twelve produce computer-generated graphs charting the progress of various stocks over a four- to six-week period.
Teacher preparation steps include locating appropriate Web sites for finding daily stock quotes and preparing sample computer-generated bar and line graphs using Kid Pix drawing tools.
Student activities include forming cooperative learning groups to follow day-to-day changes in stocks they have chosen to invest in, using Kid Pix to create bar and line graphs that depict the progress of their stocks, and printing and sharing their graphs with the class.
The students are assessed by the accuracy and quality of the graphs they produce.
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| 185 | A Herculean Task | English/Language Arts,math,technology | 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/delduca.htm | A Herculean Task is an interdisciplinary program involving English and math that also integrates technology into the English curriculum so it can be aligned with the ELA Standards. In this way, students can be learning content-area material as well as honing their skills to take the new English Regents. Initially, students are introduced to the myth of Hercules in class and they decide which qualities of Hercules are similar to those of our modern day heroes.
The class separates into cooperative learning groups, where they fill out the triangles in a pie-graph handout with all twelve labors of Hercules and determine which specific qualities he would need to use in order to accomplish those labors. On a second handout, the groups answer teacher-generated questions, this time representing their answers using fractions, decimals, and percentages. Each group presents their answers to an assigned question, and is graded on how persuasively they present their argument. Subsequently, the students complete a third handout that depicts their answers in a box chart.
Next, students learn how to create graphics of their own choice using Microsoft PowerPoint to depict their answers. A demonstration of Microsoft PowerPoint is given using a computer on wheels and a projector before taking the students into the computer lab. When in the lab, students are asked to determine how computers can help them represent their answers—using fractions, decimals, and percentages— to the teacher-generated questions. Then they pair off to work on creating those graphics. The student-made graphs and box charts are then redistributed to the other cooperative learning groups, who are asked to interpret the information and use it to write a persuasive essay that argues whether Hercules needed strength or intelligence to accomplish his labors.
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| 186 | Fishing for Math, Science, and Social Studies | science,math,social studies,English/Language Arts,technology,esl | 3,4,5,6 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/ahern.htm | Fishing for Math, Science, and Social Studies is an interdisciplinary program that links curriculum from those three subjects to help develop literacy among ESL students. The program allows them to understand how stories, ideas, and methods from Native American cultures can be scientifically explained and validated. Students are first exposed to stories about Native Americans, specifically the story about the Indian Squanto and how he helped the Pilgrims grow better crops by planting fish remains along with the seeds. Then they are asked to write about Squanto and explain how he helped the Pilgrims survive. Afterwards, students test Squanto’s method of soil fertilization by conducting experiments in which some seeds are watered with tap water while others are watered with fish tank water. They monitor the growth over several weeks and display information in the form of graphs, tables, and drawings. While investigating the increased growth of the fishtank-watered plants, students contact various “experts” in the community via telephone, the Internet, letters, and visits. Some of the contact locations are the Alley Pond Environmental Center, the New York Hall of Science, the Queens Botanical Gardens, and local garden shops. They then conduct additional experiments with water and soil testing kits to find what additional nutrients are found in the fish tank water. Follow-up activities include integrating the knowledge obtained into a class project. Through this program, students see the importance of recycling, conservation, ecosystems, and interdependence among living organisms. |
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| 187 | Ben and Us: Sparking the Standards | science,English/Language Arts,social studies,technology | 4,5,6,8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/block.htm | Benjamin Franklin said, “The doors of wisdom are never shut.” A mouse named Amos helps open those doors and adds some creativity to the fifth grade classroom. And a hundred-dollar bill helps, too. Ben and Us: Sparking the Standards uses an inter-disciplinary approach to develop research, writing, and word-processing skills while giving students a chance to explore, gain knowledge, and be creative. Students complete a teacher-created graphic organizer in the style of an oversized hundred-dollar bill, and use various resources to research the life of Benjamin Franklin and his accomplishments as a scientist, inventor, statesman, and printer.
Becoming familiar with Ben’s accomplishments provides the background necessary to appreciate Ben and Me by Robert Lawson. In the novel, Amos the mouse takes full credit for Mr. Franklin’s work, including the Franklin stove and bifocals, experiments with electricity and lightning, and printing newspapers and Poor Richard’s Almanack. As the novel is read in class, students respond by keeping journals, understanding point-of-view narrative, and relating to the maxims in Poor Richard’s Almanack. Since the children have investigated the life of Franklin, they are adept at separating fact from fiction and putting the novel into proper historical perspective. The humorous-but-accurate presentation of the scientific method helps the students plan their own projects for the Annual Science Fair in our school and district. Next, the students research the life of another scientist or inventor. They then become authors, modeled after Mr. Lawson, and create illustrated storybooks such as Tom (Edison) and Me to tell how the famous scientist or inventor was guided through his/her accomplishments by an Amos-like character. They use word-processing programs on the computer to generate the text, and do hand-drawn or computer-assisted illustrations. The stories are shared on Author’s Day in our classroom.
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| 188 | Who's Who in Black History | technology,history | 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/clancy.htm | In Who’s Who In Black History, students create and play games to learn about the roles that African-Americans have played in American history in fields such as arts and education, science, politics, the civil rights movement, the military, and sports. They also complete a research project on a significant Black person in history. This project requires the use of a variety of computer programs and resources. Students take notes from CD-ROM encyclopedias and Internet sites as well as books and encyclopedias from the library. The final reports they create will be shared with the class. The activities and lessons for this unit were designed to reach students with learning disabilities, allowing them to work in small groups while practicing new skills and working one-to-one with teachers. Because of its open-ended structure, students who have varied abilities can engage in the activities and research at different levels. For students with reading and writing problems, a smaller set of research questions can be developed. Students with greater abilities in reading and writing can extend their research accordingly.
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| 189 | Earth Design 2000 | science,mathematics | 5,6,7,8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/gampel.htm | Earth Design 2000 is an inquiry-based program that motivates students to use the scientific method to design and construct a project or invention that can protect the earth’s environment. This standards-based program encourages students to identify a problem, research it, and use problem-solving strategies to design a model solution. Students are encouraged to use Internet Web sites and CD-ROM encyclopedias to gather information and statistics about problems affecting the earth’s environment, such as pollution. They develop a project or invention that helps solve the problem, such as a way to recover metal from a garbage dump. They also read about individuals and groups who have made major contributions to environmental protection. The students demonstrate their projects and inventions to the class, and the outstanding ones are displayed at the school science fair. These projects will also be displayed at our architecture, design, and technology fair.
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| 190 | Timelines and Extinct Animals | technology,art,language art,social studies,science | 3,4,5 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/hassin.htm | Timelines and Extinct Animals effectively integrates technology into many curriculum areas. It was initially created to fit P.S. 224’s Queens school-wide theme: “Timelines and Events of the Millennium.” Using extinct animals to demonstrate the concept of a timeline is ideal because the topic of animals is naturally motivating. Through the use of a teacher-made template created with the Kid Pix Studio Deluxe program, students design their own timelines as they learn about each animal in detail through teacher-made informational charts. The students then use Kid Pix to create original artwork of each animal, along with an animal fact sheet. When the timeline, picture, and fact sheet are completed, each student creates his/her own multimedia slide show using the same program. The cooperation and assistance of paraprofessionals is crucial for a successful experience with this project and all projects in the lab setting.
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| 191 | Knots on a Legend Rope | English/Language Arts,technology,math,social studies,science | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/maceczek.htm | Knots on a Legend Rope is an interdisciplinary program that taps into the Multiple Intelligences philosophy and gives students a key to Native American culture. The initial activity is a trip to the Museum of Natural History. Groups of two or more students observe dioramas of North American mammals that played an important role for Native Americans. The students take notes, which become part of their research portfolios, and then draw two sketches of the dioramas using charcoal pencils first and then pastels. A group of students can photograph or videotape the dioramas for reference purposes. Next, the children write and word-process reports about the animals, and use clip art to insert pictures. They proofread and edit their work on the computer. The teacher’s task is to guide the students and give them individual help when needed. Then the students read and discuss books written by Paul Goble, whose legends carry students deep into Native American culture. They read and analyze Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling, which proposes in a very unusual and entertaining way how the world was created. After class discussions, the students create their own original legends and poems. The culminating activity is publishing a big book: Native American Animal Stories. The teacher laminates and binds the children’s drawings with the matching printed legends and poems into the book. Finally, a rope will be tied to the binding of the book. Every time a person reads a legend, she/he will tie a knot on the rope as a symbol of a lasting relationship and of deep appreciation for the valuable lessons of the past.
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| 192 | PowerPoint Poems | technology,English/Language Arts | 6,7,8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/menotti.htm | PowerPoint Poems is a way for students to play with poetry and learn multi-media design at the same time. The students select a poem of their own or a favorite published poem, and they make it into a dancing, singing work of art as a PowerPoint slide show. They use images, colors, sounds, and creatively positioned and choreographed text to create their displays. In doing this, they study a poem in depth, determine its meaning, and work towards conveying and enhancing that meaning with their design choices. This program has two instructional purposes. First, as a computer technology project, it teaches the use of multimedia design to convey meaning. Secondly, as a language arts project, it engages students in creative response to poetry. In choosing how a poem is displayed, the student demonstrates his/her understanding of its meaning, and contributes to the expression of this meaning with his or her own ideas. The students are also engaged in reflection and critique. They are asked during sharing sessions to explain certain design decisions. They then discuss and defend their choices. They gain a greater appreciation of poetry, a greater understanding of design principles, and more comfort and skills with computers. This also teaches them a program that they can later use for another class project (i.e., presenting a research project or report).
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| 193 | Surveying Pre-Teen Tastes | mathematics,English/Language Arts,technology | 5,6,7 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/santagata.htm | Surveying Pre-Teen Tastes is a multidisciplinary program that enables students to develop math and language arts skills while focusing on their peers’ opinions and preferences regarding areas of common interest: food, movies, music, and other youth-oriented subjects and issues. This program enables students to graph their surveys of children from ages 10-12 both traditionally and with the use of technology. Discussing the tastes of pre-teens makes the work more interesting. The students are divided into groups of four, taking into account varied abilities in math and computer skills. Each member of the group is assigned a task: leader, secretary, keyboard operator, and presenter. They discuss topics that interest them, such as foods, music, school subjects, books read, movies, etc. The groups pick the topics and ask 100 students aged 10-12 about their tastes and preferences, giving each individual about four choices. The groups work both together and separately, in and out of school. After teaching the graphing process using CIMS, the teacher demonstrates how to make charts and interpret them as graphs using a word-processing program. After all the groups have a chance on the computers, their findings are discussed. The students then chart their surveys and draft both a bar graph and a pie graph using the spreadsheet of ClarisWorks. The main activities are assembly of information; critical thinking, and collating and examining data; putting their information on a spreadsheet; and then graphing that information.
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| 194 | Computer Graphics: An Introduction to PhotoShop | art,technology,writing | 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/nyc/profiles/shaw.htm | Computer Graphics was originally designed as an adjunct to already-existing art courses. Its primary goal is to enable all students, regardless of their natural artistic abilities or skills, to express themselves in a technologically based visual manner.
Projects such as story illustration or postal stamp design encourage each of the participants to conduct their own interdisciplinary research in order to make a visual statement. While approaching solutions individually to achieve their given project’s goals, the students learn how to use the various tools and techniques of the computer graphics program
PhotoShop.
The students keep a daily journal to encourage language mastery and to reflect their own ideas and concerns. As an enhancement, they are encouraged to openly discuss the role of visual media in society, using resources such as advertising and visits to local museums. An outgrowth of the museum visit is a broadening of their awareness through art history, whether past or contemporary. It is also of great benefit for students to maintain and build an image
library for the classroom.
Since the course began, student attendance and involvement has proliferated. This is because the computer is a non-threatening vehicle for expression. It has also demonstrated additional avenues of promise for the career-oriented student, whether mainstream or a recipient of special education.
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| 197 | Opening our own Post Office | social studies, literacy, math, technology | 1,2 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/IMSL/ps1/postoffice/profile.htm | This unit combines math concepts with social studies content. The first-grade social studies curriculum includes the study of the community. It is important that children recognize that each part of the community, i.e., the fire station, police station, doctor's office, and so on, plays a vital role. First-grade children must realize that people fill these important roles, and without them, the community would not effectively function.
Prior to this study, students should visit a post office at least once and understand that people write letters to communicate with each other. Many trade books can be used to introduce students to the concept of letter writing, including Dear Mr. Blueberry by Simon James, Dear Fred by Susanna Rodell, and The Jolly Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg.
As a culminating activity for the yearlong community study, the children look forward to opening their own school-wide, student-run post office. Students in other grades also enjoy writing letters to friends and teachers, and the first graders have the important role of ensuring that this mail will be delivered in a timely manner.
As students operate their post office, they learn many math concepts and skills, such as the concept of money, keeping numerical records, counting and adding by fives, collecting money and making changes, and categorizing and sorting.
Different technology media are introduced and used to supplement and enhance this project. The project integrates most curriculum areas - social studies, literacy, math, and technology. |
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| 198 | The Land of the Rising Sun | Social Studies; General Elementary | 3 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/IMSL/ps6/japan.htm | Learning about Japan's culture, traditions, geography, and ways of life is fascinating and extremely educational. Students begin by brainstorming what they already know, and questions about Japan that they would like answered. They view a number of videos that bring them into the lives of modern day Japanese people. This Eastern culture is explored as children visit wonderful web sites on the Internet.
Visits to a Japanese tea ceremony, the bonsai gardens at the Botanical Gardens, and the Noguchi sculpture garden are other enriching experiences for the children. They learn calligraphy as they write Japanese characters with brush paint. Art and math are incorporated through origami projects. Literature readings of The Big Wave and Sadako and A Thousand Paper Cranes bring the children into the lives and tribulations of their Japanese counterparts.
The unit culminates with the students conducting research on various topics of Japan and creating a variety of projects, such as a travel brochure, a class test, or Jeopardy questions for a class game
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| 199 | Sea Life Exploration | Science, Social Studies | 2,3,4 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/echristian/sealife.htm | During this program, students obtain basic knowledge of animal life in the ocean. They become aware that sea life has an impact on our environment, and that our environment has an impact on sea life. They become aware of the many different available research media (literary and reference books, encyclopedias, computer software, the Internet, etc.) and resource sites (class, school, and public library; Internet Web sites; etc.) and learn to utilize these media and resources to facilitate their study. They are introduced to the computer and other technology tools that can enhance their study, and have hands-on opportunities to obtain basic knowledge and skills to use some of these tools. Sea Life Exploration provides a starting point for further integration of technology into class projects |
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| 205 | Interpreting Shakespeare's Macbeth | English/Language Arts,technology | 9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/pmaslow/macbeth.htm | This program's emphasis on Macbeth helps and motivates students to understand William Shakespeare's language. Using the computer and the Internet lets students post their work to a wide audience that includes students in their class, school, and the world beyond. So it isn't just the teacher who sees their work, but anyone and everyone who is interested.
The first assignment, which the students do on their own, is to choose a character from Macbeth and describe, in the form of a journal or letter, what has happened to that character in a specific scene. Their work is also shared when students read the completed assignments aloud in class. The students work in groups to answer questions about the scenes, and then put their answers on the blackboard and explain them. Many of the questions require them to examine Shakespeare's language closely.
In the computer lab, once or twice a week, students can work on one of three projects. I start with an Inquiry project and have them create a simple table using Microsoft FrontPage Editor. They then choose a question they want to answer by going to the Inquiry Web site and copying and pasting it into FrontPage. The students learn to change the fonts and the background color. They can then look for images in the background page or go to AltaVista or Google for a more extensive search. During the first lesson or two, they also learn how to do a hotlink. Students write on the bottom of their Web page "Link For Students Work" and I show them how to link to the showcase page where we will link the best Web pages.
As we come close to finishing the reading of Macbeth in class and at home, the students write essays in class answering the question that they choose. The essay can be improved upon when they get to the computer room. I show them how to copy and paste from the hypertext links so they don't have to type the quotes. They are also responsible for explaining the quotes they use in their essay and putting in the relevant act, scene, and lines. The quotes really stand out when students use different colors for their writing. Students learn to use an FTP program and upload their Web page onto the Internet. I link the best work to the showcase page. Students are also required to evaluate each other's work. They also get a chance to do a second draft after looking at a checklist of how to improve their Inquiry essay Web page.
Another project, called Background, has students use the Internet to do a short research essay. In another project, students draw their own pictures based on a quote they choose. The last project has them divided into groups and creating a newspaper page based on Macbeth. These can also be uploaded as an online newspaper or printed as a conventional newspaper.
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| 206 | Calendar Creations | English/Language Arts,technology,mathematics | k,1,2 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/abrams.htm | Calendar Creations is a highly enjoyable interdisciplinary program that helps students achieve performance standards in Language Arts and Math. The finished product is a literary calendar designed and produced by the students. In the Language Arts component of the program, the students read books from the N.Y.S. Standards list and then select their twelve favorites.
Jodi Abrams |
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| 208 | A Scientific Slide Show | science,English/Language Arts,technology | 4,5,6,7,8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/allain.htm | A Scientific Slide Show is a program that teaches a myriad of skills. It takes quite some time to complete because it is so involved. For example, students will be taught to save their work onto the network in the computer lab. This is one whole lesson in itself. The children are walked through this process step by step.
Loula Allain |
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| 209 | Turning The T.I.D.E. | technology,English/Language Arts,ESL | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/burton-myrick.htm | Turning The T.I.D.E. (Teaching Internet Development Education) works by pairing up kindergartners with fifth graders to help the younger students to learn how to use the computer and PowerPoint. The kindergartners are taught how to go onto the Internet and browse different sites to get pictures of items they need for their PowerPoint presentation and journals, or to use clip art graphics for multimedia presentations using PowerPoint to create a template that they can use for presentations. They create cards where the pictures are placed relating to the alphabet: A-apple, B-boy, etc.
Zina Burton-Myrick
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| 210 | Let’s Get Crabby | science,technology | 2,3,4 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/caliari.htm | The children read the book A House for a Hermit Crab, written and illustrated by Eric Carle. This program is one aspect of a wider unit third-grade students do on invertebrates. Previous lessons are examinations of earthworms and crickets. In this lesson students work with a millipede and a hermit crab to continue the comparisons. The first group of students log on to: galexo.com/crabs and complete their quest sheet. The other students examine a hermit crab and millipede and complete their lab sheet. The instructional purpose of this program is to meet Life Science Concept Standards, namely understanding the characteristics of an organism and its environment. Even though students will only have a hermit crab to study in person, the Internet allows them to learn about a wide variety of crabs.
Teresa Caliari Olya |
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| 211 | Plymouth Colony—Beyond the Turkey | English/Language Arts,art,technology,social studies | 3,4,5,6 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/cruzdogim.htm | Plymouth Colony—Beyond the Turkey is an interdisciplinary program incorporating art, language arts, social studies, and technology to create an understanding of the historical concepts surrounding the formation of Plymouth Colony. |
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| 212 | Project Greeting Card | English/Language Arts,technology,art | 3,4,5 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/galanti.htm | Project Greeting Card is designed to give fourth-grade students a fun and meaningful way to study poetry and prose while improving writing and reading skills, and working collaboratively while learning about graphic designing. The students complete a six-week unit on poetry and prose studying their favorite authors such as Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky. They research their poet using a CD-ROM encyclopedia and the Internet. Following the poetry, the children study the ‘genre’ of greeting card business. They learn how to use the computer to create customized holiday cards for a special someone. The students use the software Print Artist and Shop and learn to wordprocess using Microsoft Word. They will work with their teacher and with the school’s art and computer teachers to learn about illustration, graphic design, and scanning, and how to download art from the Internet and graphics programs. They create original cards with their own poetry and prose. Project Greeting Card will provide the opportunity for the older students to share their new skills and knowledge with a younger student when they design, create, and share a special birthday card for the younger student and deliver it on the child’s birthday.
Dina Galanti
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| 213 | Architecture Has Made Us Great | science,social studies,English/Language Arts,technology,art | 4,5,6 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/gillman-levitt.htm | Architecture Has Made Us Great is an interdisciplinary project that helps students become more aware of the architectural environment around them, thereby enriching the Social Studies curriculum as well as their own cultural appreciation. In the classroom, architectural terminology is defined and then viewed during neighborhood walks. The students participate in hands-on experiments to help them learn about such scientific concepts as force, push, pull, leveraging, and support. A teacher-made research packet helps the class become aware of historic sights as the Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, the Taj Mahal, and the Parthenon. Students then ‘adopt’ a building in New York City and, with the aid of the computer, go on virtual tours of the historic buildings and research the buildings they are investigating. Students turn in photos taken of themselves at their adopted building and of the architectural elements they view. These photos, along with their research, are then turned into a class video with a class-written theme song. The culminating activity of the program involves the creative use of art material and their newly acquired knowledge to construct their own skyscraper of the future.
Pamela Gillman-Levit
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| 214 | Let’s Go Shopping | mathematics,technology | 1,2,3 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/greenberg.htm | In Let’s Go Shopping, the students set up a classroom store. This gives them insight into the concept of ownership while they develop their mathematics and problem-solving skills in a socially interactive fashion. |
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| 215 | Coming To America | science,mathematics,social studies,art,technology | 3,4,5,6,7,8,9 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/hidalgo.htm | Coming To America teaches students about the history of immigration in the United States: how it has affected the population of our country, and how it continues to change and influence its development. We learn about the many different groups of people who have left their country of origin for the United States. We explore some of the reasons someone might be compelled to come to America, leaving their past and perhaps their possessions and family members behind. And we discuss the different feelings that a new immigrant to this country might have, as well as what a person might experience upon entering his/her new home. Students also get a chance to discuss and explore the backgrounds, experiences, and stories that are part of their own family history. During this program, students read literature and respond to it in writing, artwork, and discussion. They conduct research on the Internet using non-fiction sources, write reports and narrative accounts, and interview immigrants. They take part in an imaginative role play in which they pretend to be an immigrant family—designing and measuring suitcases and deciding which items would be most useful in their new country.
Frances Hidalgo |
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| 216 | In The Trenches | mathematics,social studies,technology | 7,8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/jonas.htm | In the interdisciplinary program In The Trenches students are immersed in the study of World War One. Under the guise of a game, the students are divided into two teams: The Allies and the Central Powers. Each team must work and learn together. In Math class, several kinds of maps are made. Students then use their critical thinking skills to help them judge the accuracy of their work. The final map is one that divides the classroom into an X and Y axis. In Social Studies class, the causes of the war are compared to present-day global conditions. The students compare their lives and alliances to the ones in effect during the war. In Language Arts, they read from literary classics about World War One such as All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. They keep a war journal where they imagine themselves to be soldiers. They send home personal letters to loved ones describing classroom progress. The students also send business letters to the commanding officer (the teacher) to complain about conditions. Finally, in Art class, the students construct their team’s trench. The research each team has conducted both on the computer and using other sources plays a big part in design. The closing is a simulated war, a variation of several non-violent games.
Sheldon Jonas |
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| 217 | Art History/Painting | art,technology | 11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/korn.htm | Art History/Painting provides students with a framework for understanding how and why a stylistic movement in art (e.g., Impressionism or Surrealism) develops. Students discover how the work was done by doing it themselves. The various changes and innovations that have occurred over time and in a specific movement are covered and discussed. Students learn to develop original sketches, adapt a particular painting technique, and become familiar with various mediums through hands-on experience. Youngsters begin to develop an inner dialogue through painting application, which enables them to articulate varying concepts and ideas.
Judith Korn |
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| 218 | E Pluribus Unum | technology,social studies | k,1,2,3,4,5 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/kupfer.htm | One objective of E Pluribus Unum is to see how our nation has evolved from the original thirteen colonies into what it is today. People
from all over the world with many different cultures and languages come to the U.S. and form one country. We first read, discuss, and review If You Lived In Colonial Times by Ann McGovern and take a trip to Historic Richmond town in Staten Island to see how early Americans lived. Then every student picks a state they would like to learn more about. They use different research tools, such as the software programs Talking Map USA and Where In The USA Is Carmen Sandiego?, which provide information on every state. They also learn how to search the Internet for information.
Katarina Kupfer |
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| 219 | Art of the Orient: Chinese Scroll Painting | English/Language Arts,art,technology,social studies | 6 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/langsner.htm | Art of the Orient: Chinese Scroll Painting is an interdisciplinary program using the Social Studies curriculum as an impetus to Fine Arts lessons. Students study the cultural background of the Orient during Social Studies periods, while working on their Chinese scroll painting in their Art class. During class discussions, students share ideas about the important cultural contributions the Chinese have made in our society. Through readings and web research, students discover that it is the Chinese who are credited with the invention of the kite and compass, and how meditation and religion influence their art.
Lori Langsner |
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| 220 | Just So Stories | English/Language Arts,technology,art,social studies,science | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/maceczek.htm | Just So Stories is an interdisciplinary, interactive student-centered program that taps into the Multiple Intelligence philosophy and allows students to excel in a variety of activities. Students read and discuss Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling, an English writer well known for his unique style and originality of ideas. Spending most of his childhood in India, the author was always fascinated by its amazing fauna. This program invites children to study animals of our continent and create original stories with accompanying poems and illustrations done in Kipling’s style.
Karina Maceczek |
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| 221 | Foods That Grow Underground | science,mathematics,English/Language Arts,technology | k,1,2,3 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/mangra.htm | Foods That Grow Underground is an interdisciplinary program based on science which effectively integrates math, language arts, and technology. It is designed to give students with disabilities a way to experience science as a hands-on exploratory process in a cooperative environment. Second graders learn the ways underground foods are produced, how temperature affects their growth, and the changes that take place when they are cooked. They learn about vegetative production by planting and observing the growth of underground foods: as plants from bulbs, stems from roots, and eyes from potato seeds. Information about these foods is obtained from the Internet and encyclopedias.
Carol Mangra |
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| 222 | Self-Expression Through Poetry | English/Language Arts,technology | 2,3,4,5,6 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/missick.htm | Self-Expression Through Poetry is a multiple-intelligence interactive student program that involves interdisciplinary learning in reading, writing, and oral presentation using word-processing software. This instructional software program helps students in writing their own poems as well as giving them an opportunity to present the poems orally in front of their class. While doing so, it instructs the students on how to incorporate computer technology in their class projects. The class meets every day in the classroom and students have been previously trained by the school technician to work on computers.
Patricia Missick |
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| 223 | The White House Project | English/Language Arts,technology,mathematics,social studies | 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/obrien.htm | The White House Project exposes children to different facts about the history of the White House and the electoral process in the United States. The students research the White House using various books (gathered from the class and school libraries) and the Internet. The teacher locates relevant web sites, such as www.EnchantedLearning.com/dictionary.html, which explains how a president is elected in the United States. Another, www.whitehouse.gov/wh/kids/html , is an early-childhood interactive site that takes the student on a tour of the White House. The teacher begins by reading Woodrow, the White House Mouse by Peter W. Barnes to the class. Then students hold a mock presidential election and have a discussion on how a president is elected. The class brainstorms ideas about democracy, which are used to create a poem about that subject matter. The students then split up into groups. Each group researches a different room in the White House. They write up their facts and paste them into the windows of a cutout of the White House. The students also write letters to President George W. Bush.
Dyana O'Brien |
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| 224 | Museum in the Classroom | English/Language Arts,technology,social studies | 4 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/odowd.htm | The focus of Museum in the Classroom is facilitating fourth-grade students’ strategy acquisition to become independent readers, writers, listeners, and researchers. Using balanced literacy methodology along with multi-media sources, the students, over a period of ten weeks, explore the Eastern Woodland Indian culture and display their results for parents, peers, teachers, and administrators as a ‘museum in the classroom.’ Teachers conducting this unit will be meeting the NYC curriculum and standards for literacy, social studies, and art. Activities in balanced literacy include read-alouds, guide reading, and shared and independent reading and writing. Research will involve Internet projects, a library visit, a museum visit, listening to and being storytellers, making a life-sized canoe from rolled-up news-papers, recreating artifacts, and home assignments on Funbrain.com.
Angela O'Dowd |
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| 225 | An Exploration of Africa | English/Language Arts,technology,social studies,science | 4,5,6 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/peluso.htm | Students learn that Africa is a diverse land with customs, religions, daily practices, and languages varying greatly from region to region.
They identify the three major land forms: desert, grassland, and rain forest, and individually research an African animal by writing papers and creating animal trading cards, which are shared with the class. They also create a chart comparing and contrasting two tribes in Africa.
Marion Peluso |
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| 226 | Gardening With Science And Technology | science,mathematics,technology | 5,6,7,8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/perri.htm | Gardening With Science And Technology familiarizes students with the science of planting, with many school subjects utilized. The program integrates new media, learning standards, and various subject areas in a hands-on experience in developing and implementing a school garden. The students draw upon their classroom experiences to assist them in this project. The main activities consist of research, discussion, computer word processing, planting, and recording the information gathered.
Deborah Perri |
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| 227 | The Nutcracker: An Integrated Curriculum | English/Language Arts,technology,mathematics,science,dance,music | 1,2,3,4,5 | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/press.htm | The Nutcracker: An Integrated Curriculum is a literacy-based project using the story of The Nutcracker as its foundation. By reading and viewing videotapes of several versions of The Nutcracker, students are introduced to the story elements of a fairy tale. They discover how these elements are illustrated using text, ballet, and script. Students work in groups to conduct discussions comparing and contrasting the different story versions. Cooperative learning strategies are implemented by various groups of children who utilize discussion and computers for research. Students work on independent responses to the literature and compose their own versions of the story using a word-processing program.
Paula Press
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| 228 | Our Family Quilt | English/Language Arts,technology,mathematics,social studies | 4,5,6,7,8 | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/puma.htm | Our Family Quilt is an interdisciplinary program that studies immigration. After reading about immigration, each child researches his/her own ancestors’ journeys to America through oral histories of family members. The students use a student-writing program to create an essay of their family history. Each child completes the history by reproducing family pictures with the use of a scanner. The essays are compiled into a class book entitled Coming to America.
Sally Puma |
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| 229 | Where Will Class 102 Be in 2019? | English/Language Arts,technology,social studies | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/scimeca.htm | Where Will Class 102 Be In 2019? is a computer-based program that incorporates various activities dealing with future career choices. To stimulate their vocational interests, students read the book When I Was Six by Jamie Lee Curtis. (Any appropriate book can be substituted to match ability and grade level.) Then students brainstorm things they can do at their current age, compared with what they were able to do when they were younger. Students compose one or two sentences about this. Once the sentences are composed and edited,
they are published and illustrated using computer programs including Student Writing Center and Kid Pix Studio. Students then read books on different careers, and after each chooses one, they come to school on a given day dressed for that profession, whereupon their pictures are taken. They compose a brief paragraph explaining their choices. Sentences are also composed to accompany the picture of each student in career costumes, and they create business cards that help younger students learn their home addresses and phone numbers.
Anthony Scimeca |
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| 230 | Math & Science in the Art Classroom | English/Language Arts,arts,technology,mathematics,science | 9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/singer.htm | The two areas of focus for this program are studio and computer art. One studio class is devoted to three-dimensional fractal model building. This 3D branch is integrated through the computer component. Each student project is documented digitally and printed for exhibition. This subject is interdisciplinary, based on discussions of mathematics and science. Much of the focus is on structural elements describing numeric values and algorithms in a visual sense.
Clifford Singer |
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| 231 | Blasting Off With Math, Science and Technology | mathematics,technology,science | 5,6 | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/sweeney.htm | Blasting Off with Math, Science and Technology is an interdisciplinary program that enables fifth-grade students to explore math, science, and technology principles related to rocketry. This program provides students with extensive investigations of concrete situations, materials, and resources. The program also motivates students to understand math, physical science, and technology concepts through hands-on experiences using CD- ROMs, the Internet, and rocket-science kits in their learning environment.
Joseph Sweeney |
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| 232 | Linking the Past and Present | English/Language Arts,technology,history | 6,7,8 | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/venier.htm | Linking the Past and Present allows students to explore Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and state-of-the-art technology simultaneously. Students learn to appreciate great literary works and also learn the technological skills that are in demand in digital production. Students initially attain the background of the production through research. Discussions are held on the life and times of William Shakespeare.
Maria Venier |
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| 233 | The Play’s The Thing! | English/Language Arts,technology,art,social studies,business education,music | 9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/vitulano.htm | This program taps into a part of New York City cultural life—namely, live theatre. The students learn how to do work for the theatre, research and study plays that are currently on the boards, attend live performances, and reflect on their experiences.
Julie Vitulano |
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| 237 | A Planting We Will Go/Grow | technology,English/Language Arts,social studies,science,mathematics | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/jimenez.htm | A Planting We Will Go/Grow is an interdisciplinary project in which multiple learning styles of the students are stimulated with a variety of techniques. Students explore the process of germination and the parts of a plant, create a slide show depicting their findings, and learn some valuable life lessons.
Lisa Jimenez |
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| 238 | Fun with Franklin | science,mathematics,social studies,English/Language Arts,technology | 4,5,6, | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/sedewitch.htm | Fun with Franklin is an interdisciplinary, technology-oriented study of an amazing man whose multifaceted genius greatly influenced history. While studying Ben Franklin initially comes out of social studies, his many accomplishments lead us to science, math, and language arts. The students work cooperatively both at their computers and at their desks doing research, taking notes, sharing information, writing reports and mini-books, and developing slide shows.
Hilary Sedewitch |
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| 239 | Out of This World | science,English/Language Arts,technology | 4,5,6 | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/canzoneri.htm | Out of This World is an interactive program that involves science, language arts, and technology. It enables students to explore the solar system from their classroom, using both the Internet and books for research purposes. The students design and create a journey into outer space, whereby they visit the nine planets and the sun using the software of HyperStudio. The solar system is an exciting, highly motivating subject for the students and is part of the curriculum. All of these factors combined make a truly exhilarating experience.
Catherine Donaruma-Canzoneri |
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| 240 | All About Bugs | English | k | http://teachersnetwork.org/NTNY/lessonplans/davidson.htm | Objective: During the course of the study the children will be able to distinguish between fiction and non-fiction genres.
The children will be able to use reference books to obtain information.
The children will be able to make labeled diagrams.
The children will be exposed to a variety of literature about bugs.
Darcie Davidson |
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| 241 | Creative Problem Solving: | English | 3 | http://teachersnetwork.org/NTNY/lessonplans/lawrence.htm | In discussing their readings, third graders will be able to:
Talk about the authors’ choice of words, meanings, and plot.
Refer to both their own prior knowledge and to relevant information garnered during the discussions to explain, support, and justify their ideas.
The children will respond to literature by making connections to their own lives. While students will be able to identify characteristics of fantasy, they will also reference that literature in making comparisons to real life situations.
Mary Lawrence |
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| 242 | Art study of the Cinderella story | English | 2 | http://teachersnetwork.org/NTNY/lessonplans/stober1.htm | I thought of a lesson to do on the day before vacation starts, and I used this lesson before the start of our spring recess. Because I knew my second graders would be out of control that day (I know my kids!), I came up with something that would keep them busy and still have fun. We had read seven different versions of Cinderella (see Cinderella Genre Study Lesson Plan), which the class really enjoyed. My lesson involves recalling those stories.
Tracey Stober
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| 243 | Integrated Units-Ancient Egyptian Life | arts | 6 | http://teachersnetwork.org/NTNY/lessonplans/morowey.htm | I taught a class of social studies students how to create a "visual representation" of their knowledge about life in Ancient Egypt. The social studies teacher of this class gave me a textbook on Egypt, enabling me to know what students already knew. After reading the textbook, I set short and intermediate goals for the students.
Billy Moro-Wey |
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| 244 | Cooperative Lesson Plan on Indus Valley Geography and Civilization | social studies | 9 | http://teachersnetwork.org/NTNY/lessonplans/lopez1.htm | Students will be able to:
Read and critically analyze maps and geographical features
Identify the geographic features of the Indus Valley.
Locate and identify the major sites of the Indus Valley Civilization on a map
Create a detailed map of the Indus Valley.
Ramon Lopez |
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| 245 | Genre study of the Cinderella story | English | 2 | http://teachersnetwork.org/NTNY/lessonplans/nycntindex.htm | This is a language arts activity practiced during a 90-minute literacy block.
Students read different versions of the Cinderella fairy tale,
Objective:
This lesson will address literature standards by demonstrating their reading and comprehension skills through comparing and contrasting different interpretations of the same story.
Rough face girl, Yeh-Shen, Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters
Tracey Stober
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| 246 | Magic Squares | mathematics | 3 | http://teachersnetwork.org/NTNY/lessonplans/randall1.htm | The Chinese were fascinated by numbers and played a game called magic squares.
Standard: Uses basic and advanced procedures while performing the processes of computation, adding and subtracting whole numbers.
Objective: Students will be able to add whole numbers.
This lesson was great in helping me identify the students who were having trouble with adding whole numbers. I did find, however, that many of my lower functioning students often had trouble when figuring out the squares by themselves. Some of them became frustrated because it was hard for them to figure the answers out quickly. For those students, I did not give a time limit. I had them take their time and for a few students, I paired them up with other students so that they could get an explanation that they would understand using peer terminology.
The magic squares activity was an extremely fun activity for the students in my class. All of my students enjoyed this activity very much, higher functioning and lower functioning alike.
Overall, the students enjoyed this activity, and were able to use this skill in other math area such as associative properties etc.
Lisa Randall
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| 247 | Mapping America | social studies | 2 | http://teachersnetwork.org/NTNY/lessonplans/wood.htm | Objective: Students will research for the purpose of learning about the United States and New York.
Students were very excited about researching and finding information. They learned how to put a map together, record the states, execute research on the computer, and had practice in working cooperatively. They loved doing the puzzles and counting the states. Some students traced the puzzle map and all the individual states to make their own map for their project. Students suggested researching the other states.
Lydia Wood
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| 248 | Weight Lifter - An air pressure experiment | science | 1 | http://teachersnetwork.org/NTNY/lessonplans/gustafson1.htm | Background: Earlier this year, my class was taking part in a science unit on air and weather. For the school science fair, I decided to teach a lesson on air pressure.
Objective: To discover whether or not air had the strength to lift heavy objects. To learn and gain cooperative learning and group skills.
Katy Gustafson
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| 249 | December Dilemma | english/language arts,social studies | 4,5,6,7 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/holiday/decdilem/ | Before you hang up any holiday decorations or purchase a classroom Christmas tree check with your principal regarding holiday policies (written or unwritten ones.) Although you plan to be sensitive to the traditions and customs of all the children in your classroom, the truth is, you may not be aware of all the different religious beliefs/customs/traditions your students embrace. Our classrooms are becoming more and more multicultural and it can no longer be assumed that if you mention Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanzaa you have "covered it all." (In fact, some parents prefer that their children not be exposed to discussions regarding differing beliefs.) Several options are available for seasonal celebrations this year that can include everyone. In the lower elementary grades, gingerbread houses and gingerbread "people" are great seasonal topics. |
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| 250 | Passion for Poetry | english/language arts,social studies | 6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/poetry/intro/ | Passion for Poetry presents a series of interactive worksheets designed to expose students to the world of poetry. The worksheets allow for differentiated activities so students at all levels can develop a passion for poetry.
Janice Gordon |
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| 251 | Grammaroo | English | 4,5,6 | http://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/lessons/grammargame.htm | Most students think that grammar is about as exciting as a trip to the Dentist's chair. In an attempt to generate a little more enthusiasm, I devised a game called Grammaroo, which the kids enjoy immensely. It requires first that you prepare a stack of index cards with grammar questions on the front and answers on the back, and a few cards upon which you simply write one of the eight parts of speech.
Cynthia Carbone Ward
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| 252 | Show Some Emotion | English | 4,5,6,7,8 | http://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/lessons/showemo/index.htm | This two-step language arts activity for sixth graders will "stretch" their vocabulary and writing skills. It can also be used as an exercise to help students get to know each other better by acknowledging and sharing feelings.
Cynthia Carbone Ward |
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| 253 | All the News Too Fit for Print | english/language arts,technology | 10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/sscragg/news.htm | This program can serve as the introductory unit to an online journalism class in which students produce their own online magazine, "Background Source" (www.angelfire.com/ny4/scragg). The students learn the basics of journalism: doing research, writing a headline and a lead, news judgment, interview skills, objectivity, and avoiding plagiarism. They complete activities to practice these skills, and then put the skills to use by producing their own publication. This course would not have been possible without current technology, as the students create an online publication. Not only is an online publication more "current"-- it is also comparatively inexpensive compared to printing a magazine! Using the Internet, students link directly to professional articles, read the daily headlines, and actually do research on the spot. They learn the value of working with primary sources and are enlightened by seeing the media from the ground up. In this way, students gain a working knowledge of media literacy, a crucial skill in today's society.
Sandy Scragg |
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| 254 | Taking Action Against Indifference | english/language arts,social studies | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/pmaslow/night.htm | Taking Action Against Indifference is divided into a teacher page (http://www.teachnetlab.org/fklane/pmaslow/night.htm) and a student page
(http://myclasssite.org/maslow/night/night2.htm). The teacher page includes four tests (essay and short answer) and other resources for the teacher. It also has a link to the student page. The student page is divided into several sections, the first of which provides background for the book Night, by Eli Wiesel, a memoir about the extermination of the Jews in Nazi Germany. (It is also recommended that students have studied World War II before doing this unit.) The home page asks "Who is responsible?" Are those who knew about Hitler's "Final Solution" and did nothing also responsible for the deaths of people killed by the Nazis? The taking-action page presents a Web-based assignment and a checklist of the necessary elements for Web sites created by students in their groups (or individually). The assignment is to design a site to inform the world or specific groups about what the Nazis did to innocent people. A page of links for information on the holocaust is included.
The first assignment includes reading two New York Times articles and a chapter from the book Friedrich, by Hans Peter, and writing about the impact of a sign that says "Jews are not wanted here." Students also create a graphic organizer to help them understand the word "indifference." Two other sections have to do with responding to Night. Students have homework assignments that they do by themselves and class assignments they do in groups. They also use a discussion forum to display and discuss their answers. I recommend nicenet.org as an easy-to-use forum. The group work focuses on the language and themes in the book, with some emphasis on taking action against indifference. For the final assignment, students write their own memoir.
Peggy Maslow |
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| 255 | A Virtual Tour of Brazil | social studies,english/language arts/technology | 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/chornik/brazil.htm | This is a fifth grade social studies unit about life in Brazil. Working in cooperative learning groups, the students create a class virtual travel brochure. Roles include: researchers who find information using Web sites chosen by the teacher, a recorder who sets down the information found by the researchers (using a word processing application such as Student Writing Center or Microsoft Word), illustrators who locate online photos (from prescreened sites) or create illustrations researched by the group (using a drawing and painting application such as Kidpix), reporters who share the information with the class in oral and written reports, and web designers who place the textual information and graphics onto a site for the virtual brochure. Topics include: Brazil 's location, geography, climate, government, economy, people, education system, natural resources, and important sights. The time frame for this unit is three months.
Carolyn Hornik |
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| 256 | Journey Through Outer Space | science,english/language arts | 3,4,5 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/mpeluso/space.htm | Journey through Outer Space was created to foster third-grade students' understanding of the relationships between the nine planets of the solar system and their different characteristics. This program is also great for fourth- and fifth-grade space explorers, who can follow the activities to complete their own solo missions. Learning about the planets isn't boring or tedious when made into a game. One way the students review their facts is by playing a game of Solar System Shuffle at StarChild, an online learning center for young astronomers. The children try to match the descriptions of objects to the correct image.
Marion Peluso |
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| 258 | Real Math: An Exploration with Geometric Solids | Mathematics | 3,4,5 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/IMSL/ps6/math/homrealmath.htm | The students involved in this unit of study will have many opportunities to explore geometric solids (polyhedra). Working together in small cooperative groups, they will sort polyhedra according to their attributes. This process of observing similarities and differences will allow children to learn the components of these shapes and how they are related. They will become familiar with a common mathematical vocabulary that they will use throughout this unit.
Children will also begin to look at their real world through the eyes of a mathematician. They will identify geometric solids in the real world and again use their learned vocabulary to describe what they see.
Students will play a game called "Guess My Solid" – where they will ask questions about the attributes of a hidden shape in order to figure out which shape it is. Through a process of elimination, students should be able to name the mystery solid. This activity reinforces their knowledge of the characteristics of these shapes as well as the use of geometric vocabulary. In addition, as students become more familiar with the attributes of the geometric solids, they are more skilled at figuring out the mystery shape!
When students build their own models of polyhedra they think about how many sides, vertices, and faces their shape has. In this activity students look at flat representations of polyhedra and they need to make the three-dimensional shape. Again, their knowledge of the attributes of the polyhedra is reinforced. Students also continue to see the relationship between different polyhedra when they are physically building them.
Alice Hom
Barbara Rosenblum |
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| 259 | Teaching Science Fiction Writing: May the Force Be With Them | English | 5,6,7,8 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/cyberenglish/scifi.htm | Teaching Science Fiction Writing was written by Teachers Network web mentor, Lisa Kihn, a math and language arts teacher at Nevin Platt Middle School in Boulder, Colorado. Lisa believes in project based learning and curriculum integration to actively involve students in their learning process.
I have a poster in my classroom that says, “Science Fiction is the bridge between science and art.” Before I begin this unit, I ask students to think about what this poster means. They may respond in writing or by drawing a picture.
We share their ideas in the classroom.
I then give them this definition:
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| 260 | Virtual Travel through the USA | ESL,English/Language Arts,Technology | 4,5,6,7,8 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/dfenner/travel.htm | The students wrote about their experiences living in Ridgewood, New York City. They e-mailed their writing to a Miami, Florida school and received return e-mail about life there. The students in both states also surveyed their own schoolmates on various topics. They exchanged the data and graphed the comparisons. The students did a great deal of writing. They also learned to create bar graphs and pie charts using a computer spreadsheet.
My students created a QuickTime VR panorama of their classroom. We used a Sony Mavica digital camera to capture twelve photographs, completing a 360-degree view of the classroom. (A tutorial on how to create QTVR panoramas is included in Lesson 7.) Each student wrote a paragraph about a friend in the class. We recorded them as they read their paragraphs into the computer, and we added these soundtracks to the QTVR panorama and sent them to Florida. The students were excited about creating this glimpse of themselves. You can view this QTVR by clicking Sample Movie in the table of contents of this lesson unit.
Dan Fenner |
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| 261 | A Walk in an Impressionist Garden with Monet & van Gogh | Arts,English/Language Arts,Technology | 6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/llangsner/garden.htm | Using technology and the Internet, students are given the opportunity to visit the paintings of Monet's house and gardens in Giverny (http://giverny.org) and the collection at the van Gogh museum in Amsterdam (http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl). These visits provide valuable information on the artists' lives and works.
Students become familiar with Monet's "Water-Lilies" and van Gogh's "Sunflowers" by viewing posters in class and original paintings on the Internet. They learn to interpret and appreciate the unique style of Impressionism, as they analyze and interpret these paintings through an artist's eyes. The students explore Web sites of the artists and compare and contrast their work. As the culminating fine art activity, students design a "Water-Lily" mural painting and a "Sunflower" still-life painting, using tempera. Those already familiar with acrylic paint may chose to do an acrylic painting on canvas.
Lori Langsner |
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| 262 | The Real Way to Moolah Beach! | Mathematics,Technology | 7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/asalcedo/moolah.htm | Students and adults alike have difficulties managing money. This program doesn't pretend to take the place of a financial analyst, but it does provide key insight into the basics of managing your money. Students learn about checkbook accounts and the basics of accounting. They are given transactions and learn how to register those transactions accordingly. As a culminating assignment, students are given an imaginary initial balance of three thousand dollars. They first create a budget and then go online to acquire as many useful goods as their money will allow. All spending must be justified using sound criteria that a knowledgeable consumer would use, such as obtaining a number of price quotes first, comparing specials versus normal price, trying to acquire directly from dealers, obtaining extra perks for purchases, etc. Through this exercise, students learn the intricacies in decision making. Knowing that the consumer price index affects the real value of their money and maintaining a spreadsheet help them understand the importance of wisely administering money. Going online and being able to calculate the value of their money helps students open their eyes to this reality. The sooner they learn how to manage their money wisely, the sooner they will be prepared for life. And in the end, isn't this the purpose of education?
Anthony Salcedo |
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| 263 | CHOOSE OR LOSE: THE ELECTORAL PROCESS | Mathematics,Social Studies | 7,8,9,10 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/asalcedo/election.htm | This program focuses on the election process, nationally and locally, and gives students insights into what voters go through when choosing a candidate. Students see what issues might be important to a community as well as issues that different candidates base their platforms on. Students also gain insight into the power of statistics, through the different graphs they create. They will gain a greater understanding of the amount of information drawn from graphs and how they are used to make decisions. For example, in the first graphs students create, they not only see how many actual votes a candidate received, but also how this translates into percentages. Creating the graphs with the use of a projector saves time and assists students in the preparation of data on a spreadsheet, an important skill in itself. Being able to visualize the information through the graphs provides the means to achieve this goal.
Anthony Salcedo |
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| 264 | EXHILARATING EUROPEAN ESCAPADES | English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Social Studies | 6,7,8,9 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/neinstein/Escapades.htm | EXHILARATING EUROPEAN ESCAPADES is a comprehensive interdisciplinary program combining economics, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and technology for middle school students. It provides them opportunities to collaborate with their peers, to use critical-thinking and research skills, to compare and contrast travel fees, and to explore the Internet. Furthermore, the students gain invaluable real-world mathematics experience. The culminating activity, a collaborative PowerPoint presentation, synthesizes learning from all aspects of the program.
Nancy Sotomayor-Einstein |
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| 265 | Creating a School Web Site | English | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/dpietraru/creating.htm | This program provides an overview of what educators and students need to know to create a school web site. Educational web pages have to be carefully planned and executed in order to have an effect on student achievement. Lessons and activities contained here focus on active student participation in creating dynamic, real, and exciting web pages. Every activity has a direct educational value. For instance, the creation of a web-based discussion forum is a writer's workshop where students review their written work and reflect upon further writings. The construction of a useful web page is a powerful element in involving students in the life of the school and community. Students feel at home when asked to freely and meaningfully participate in such an enterprise. A web site creates a virtual school with global ramifications, where students make a significant contribution.
Dinu Pietraru |
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| 266 | Blueprints For Change | English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Social Studies | 3,4,5,6 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/chicago/showcase.html | This project places students in the role of community developers asked to recommend changes to be made to a parcel of land across the street from their school. The conditions for their solutions are that the changes be realistic, good for the neighborhood economically, and environmentally sound. They conducted research, visited the site and took measurements, examined other development situations, and generated solutions as classes. This problem-based learning experience was implemented in four classrooms 3rd - 6th grade and took place over approximately 5 weeks.
Betty Greer, David Johnson, Alice Keefer, Jasmine Keys, Michelle Williams, Gaylord Workman
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| 267 | The Alphabet Project | English | 5 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/chicago/showcase.html | My project was to have my 5th grade students create new posters for our primary students that depicted the alphabet through pictures. We brainstormed ideas, wrote poster proposals, took digital pictures of students, edited pictures, and printed out their pictures. Each picture was printed at 8 1û2 by 11 size, and glued to larger construction paper, in the form of a poster. After the posters were completed, each child wrote about their individual experiences. The students then typed their stories and we created a book for all to share. Finally, I turned this into a web page for all to see.
Carl Sannito
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| 268 | Over and Under the Sea | English | 3,4,5,6,7,8 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/chicago/showcase.html | This integrated unit uses current and in-depth information from the internet to supplement standard reference materials. Technology is used through a web quest and internet research. We estimate that at least 10 class periods are necessary for this project.
Vicki Bartlett and Julie Coller
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| 269 | Decision 2000 | English/Language Arts,Social Studies | 5,6,7,8 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/chicago/showcase.html | Each class of students from grades 5 through 8 met the problem through a letter from the ward Alderman Michael D. Chandler, requesting that they assist their community by getting people to vote. Each class went through an exercise in which they identified what they already knew; and needed to know in order to solve the problem which was to help the Alderman get people in the community to vote in the coming election. Students then brainstormed ideas. Chart paper was used to record the information and ideas generated by each class. It was displayed throughout the room for the other classes to see (grade 5, grade 6, grades 6 and 8 combined, grade 7). Students in each class defined the problem to focus further investigation. All were combined to generate a problem statement that was used by all classes. Students generate several possible solutions and identify the one that fits best.
Stella Norman
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| 270 | It "Ain't" Easy Being Green | English/Language Arts,Science,Technology | 4,5,6,7 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/chicago/showcase.html | This experience is designed to help students gain a better understanding of the impact of the school on the environment. Students will learn what they can do to make their school more environmentally efficient through an analysis of waste accumulated in the classroom.
Fourth and seventh grade students were invited to the school library by the principal, James Cosme. Mr. Cosme stated that he has noticed an extreme amount of paper waste in the school. He asked the students to come up with a plan to reduce waste by recycling and reusing paper products.
This project runs for about 10 days.
Eva Ghuneim, Kathleen Rodger, Pamela Patterson, James Cosme
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| 271 | Geodomes | Mathematics | 5,6,7,8 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/chicago/showcase.html | My name is Ed Clement and Iíve been a teacher in the Chicago public school system for 27 years. In those years I've taught all levels from 1st grade through High School. I'm presently a resource teacher in an inner city inclusive Chicago public elementary school of about 1300 students. My job, like all Chicago public elementary school teachers, is to improve the math and reading skills of my students.
Geodome Playhouse is a unit based the math and computer skills needed to make the 8 hexagons and 6 squares panels of the Archimedean solid called a Truncated Octahedron. Once completed the students must use what they have learned while making the small geodome to design and produce Truncated Octahedron panels large enough to be used as a playhouse or reading center for pre-kindergarten through first grade students.
When all the panels are completed, we fasten the large cardboard panels together, cut out holes for doors and windows and decorate the outside to look like a school or house.
Ed Clement
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| 272 | Mars Millenium | Science | 7,8 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/chicago/showcase.html | Students are to imagine journeying to the planet Mars and developing an earth colony. Students are to decide what they need to develop and maintain a colony on Mars. In order to do this they must determine what resources are needed to maintain life on an environment much different from earth. They work on this project for a minimum of ten class periods.
Karen Trout
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| 273 | Let's Talk About Sex | English/Language Arts,Health/Physical Education,Science | 5,6,7,8 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/chicago/showcase.html | Goals:
To design a curriculum that will facilitate the development and enhancement of students’ awareness and knowledge of the human reproductive system including information and lessons related to puberty, personal hygiene, healthy relationships and sexually transmitted diseases, their symptoms, transmission, and treatments.
To recruit and train a team of students who will become peer teacher/coaches responsible for presenting the curriculum to their schoolmates.
Method:
Students participated in a five-week project-based learning unit for which they were asked to find a solution to the problem that there is no personal growth program at the school. They were asked to develop one, with coaching and assistance from participating teachers. Students utilized the science lab and Internet for research, and used computer technology to develop multimedia presentations for schoolmates.
Stella Norman
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| 274 | Planet Protectors | Mathematics,Science | 3,4 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/chicago/showcase.html | This project was developed in order to heighten the awareness of our students to their surroundings and the role they play in them. The janitorial staff did not clean the classrooms, in this project, for three weeks. This began the student journey into environmental awareness.
The impetus for this project was derived from the story Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg. The story begins with a small boy named Walter, who has no concern for the world around him. He becomes concerned and aware after he travels the future one night in a dream.
Laura Sorce, Elizabeth Mendoza, Suzanne |
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| 275 | Human Body Systems | Health/Physical Education,Science | 3,4,5,6,7 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/chicago/showcase.html | How can we understand the human body in such a way that we can identify and explain the major systems?
Unit focus: Four systems of the human body
• Circulatory system
• Respiratory system
• Skeletal system
• Digestive system
This project lasts about three weeks.
David Johnson, Alice Keefer, Kimberly Solis, Gaylord Workman
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| 276 | Literacy Leaders ~ Cross-School Mentoring | English/Language Arts,Technology,Service Learning | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/bower/bower.htm | Why is it important to read aloud to younger children? Using the latest technology, high schoolers launch cross-school tutoring by scheduling five Read Aloud sessions with their elementary school Book Buddies. With children as their audience, older students interact in a REAL environment to raise their own learning standards and learn by teaching. Reflection Journals help them understand the mentoring experience. A Literacy Poster Contest and a Teacher Shadowship Day open doors to literacy competencies and teaching as a career.Mary Ellen Bower |
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| 277 | Extending Hands of Friendship To Veterans & Japanese E-Pals | English/Language Arts,Social Studies,Technology,Service Learning | k,1,2,3,4,5 | http://bostonteachnet.org/brown/brown.htm | This yearlong unit lets students connect Classroom~Community~Careers through shared activities with younger students, visiting veterans, and Japanese e-pals. Writing biographies and creating dolls of notable Americans lead to an exchange about the effects of war. Honoring veterans and listening to their stories personalize American history. Book publishing, interviewing, and presenting at special occasions help students develop skills in writing, social studies, technology, and civic responsibility. A Technology Check List for Parents and Students supports student new media projects with Integrated Classroom Activities.
Cheryl Brown-Greene |
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| 278 | Successful Deaf Leaders | English/Language Arts,Technology,Service Learning | 9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/chaffee/chaffee.htm | Students have the opportunity to learn about, meet, and pay tribute to local Deaf Leaders who exemplify the belief that deaf people can do anything except hear. Selecting leaders, they conduct videotaped interviews, transcribe tapes from American Sign Language to English, and use this information to write biographical sketches of each leader. Creating a computer slide show that includes their own photography, they add the information to a link on the school's web site. The entire school community honors the successful Deaf Leaders at a formal presentation where framed photos/biographical sketches are installed on the school's Wall of Fame.
Claudia Chaffee |
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| 279 | Learn to Teach ~ Teach to Learn: English as a Second Language (ESL) | ESL,Service Learning | 9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/dasilva/dasilva.htm | Combining language arts and technology, students engage in cross-class and cross-school tutoring that provide them with teaching and learning experiences. English proficient students interact with limited language proficient students who often are "new immigrants." Tutors help with cross curriculum subjects like history, native language, and science, and improve their own literacy skills while learning to teach.
Adelina da Silva |
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| 280 | A Teaching Guide for Mysteries and Whodunits | English | 5,6,7,8 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/cyberenglish/mystery.htm | A Teaching Guide for Mysteries and Whodunits was written by Teachers Network web mentor, Lisa Kihn, a math and language arts teacher at Nevin Platt Middle School in Boulder, Colorado. Lisa believes in project based learning and curriculum integration to actively involve students in their learning process.
Students in middle school can answer these general questions about mysteries after they finish reading a mystery book of their choosing.
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| 281 | A Survival Guide for Teaching Students How to Write Research Papers | English | 5,6,7 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/cyberenglish/research.htm | A Survival Guide for Teaching Students How to Write Research Papers was written by Teachers Network web mentor, Lisa Kihn, a math and language arts teacher at Nevin Platt Middle School in Boulder, Colorado.
Project Overview: Cover page with picture and title
Introduction:
catches the reader’s attention
uses images
general statement about the topic
power statement
(A power statement is a type of topic sentence that involves numbers or a number word: “There are three national monuments in Washington, D.C., that I will describe.” “There are several reasons to vote against this amendment.”)
explains your interest
definition
Paper divided into 3 or 4 subtopics or categories
Topic sentences
each paragraph needs a topic sentence
Supporting Sentences
all sentences within the paragraph support the topic sentence
Flow
each category contains enough information
categories placed in such a way that the information flows well and makes sense
Conclusion
sums up the most important or exciting aspect learned
contains a final image
Resources
must have at least one primary resource (an interview) and five secondary resources (books)
Quotes
at least one direct quote from an interview
Notecards
15 to 20 per category (one idea per notecard)
Bibliography
Visuals
at least one per category (pictures, graphs, maps, etc)
Presentation
present to class, include a large display and a teaching activity
Self and Peer Editing
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| 282 | Oral Book Review | English | 6,7,8 | http://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/lessons/oralbook/index.htm | This lesson plan was written by Lisa Kihn, elementary teacher of Language Arts, Reading and Math at Nevin Platt Middle School in Boulder, (CO).
I require the students in my class to do one Oral Book Review each quarter on a book that they have been reading independently. This is appropriate for middle level students.
Students are required to write brief notes on a notecard which they refer to during their presentation. They should practice in advance so that they are not “reading” from their card and can maintain good eye contact with their audience. The review should include the following information:
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| 283 | The Outdoor Path to Good Writing | English | 5,6,7 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/dcs/cyberenglish/outdoorpath1.htm | was written by Teachers Network web mentor, Lisa Kihn, a math and language arts teacher at Nevin Platt Middle School in Boulder, Colorado.
The Outdoor Path to Good Writing is a comprehensive writing activity that enables students to successfully brainstorm ideas that will lead to the creation of realistic fiction stories. This activity engages every student and learning style because it involves taking a hike with the class and reflecting on nature and how it changes with the seasons. Students are given the opportunity to sit down and think about themselves on the hiking trail. They are encouraged to look inside themselves to see who they are and what stories they can tell about their lives. Students are asked to write about themselves, using various prompts, and also to look carefully at their environment. Later in the school year, students return to the same spot to write about themselves again. On both excursions, students are asked to make a sketch of the mountain scene in front of them.
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| 285 | Study of a Woodland/Pond Area | Science | 9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/lessons/pondstudy/index.htm | Many school grounds are fortunate to have natural ecological areas available for student research. Our school has two human-built ponds that long ago were abandoned as the forest rebuilt around them. They are ideal for scientific studies. My biology students use the area during the year to study ecosystems, to observe and measure the growth of a tree branch, to research specific organisms, and to keep nature journals (including drawings). The initial activity is called Study of a Woodland/Pond Area.
Judy Jones
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| 286 | Biology Students and the Giant Plant Cell | Science | 9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/lessons/plantcell/index.htm | A traditional activity in a high school biology class is to have students create cell models. I have found that one drawback to this activity is that the organelles are always greatly enlarged relative to the size of the cell. A similar problem exists with cell diagrams in textbooks. Students are misled into thinking that the organelles are very large. The following activity involves students in creating organelles to scale for a Giant Plant Cell (approximately 3 meters on each side) made out of clear plastic painter's drop cloths and inflated with inexpensive portable fans (see provided instructions for making the big cell). Students use ratios in order to determine how large their organelles should be--a good integration of math into the biology curriculum (student activity included).
Judy Jones |
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| 287 | Ben & Jerry's Website: A Cool Way to Reinforce Language Arts Skills and Work Toward Computer Proficiency | English | 9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/benandjerry/index.htm | This English Language Arts program is designed for high school students, although it can be adapted for middle school students as well. The ultimate goal of the lesson is for the students to be able to write a well-constructed essay for which they have completed Internet research. To do this, the students use the website of the Ben & Jerry's ice cream company. This website is beautifully designed and well-maintained. It is the perfect site to serve as the foundation for writing an essay about factual information.
Julie Vitulano |
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| 288 | Learning Via the Virtual Field Trip | English | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/dcs/sixflags/index.htm | On this virtual wild safari, students are invited to put themselves into their teachers' shoes to judge the academic benefits of a trip to Wild Safari at Six Flags Great Adventure. The web site is fun and easy to navigate. The design is clear and simple, so the research tasks in this unit are not too demanding. There is a section on the special accommodations for the disabled at the park that offers the students a chance to reflect upon the special needs of others and how those needs are addressed.
Julie Vitulano |
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| 289 | Picture Math | Mathematics | 3,4,5,6,7,8 | http://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/lessons/picturemath/ | Picture Math was written by Ed Clement, former Teachers Network web mentor and a teacher in the Chicago public school system for more than twenty six years. For kids in 3rd through 8th grade. Build math skills. Show kids that math can be used for art.
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| 290 | Word Math | English/Language Arts,Mathematics | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/lessons/wordmath/ | Build reading skills while doing math.
YOUR STUDENTS USE THE ANSWERS TO MATH COMPUTATION, WORD PROBLEM HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS OR TESTS TO FIND A SECRET WORD OR MESSAGE.
A few years ago I was grading some math homework assignments while watching a PBS broadcast on weather. At that time meteorologists were having an extremely difficult time interpreting the huge amount of weather data that new weather gathering technologies were producing every minute of every day. To solve the problem they devised a computer program that would use the collected weather data and turn it into pictures or words that could be analyzed at a glance.
While watching that program it occurred to me that if I could turn the answers of my students’ math homework assignments and tests into words (perhaps their vocabulary words and kill two birds with one stone), I would be able to correct those homework assignments and tests faster and more accurately. What came out of that thought is something I call word math.
Ed Clement
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| 291 | Button Math | English/Language Arts,Mathematics | 3,4,5,6,7,8 | http://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/lessons/buttonmath/ | YOUR STUDENTS LEARN HOW TO OPERATE COMPUTERS AS THEY DRAW PICTURES, MAKE PIN-ON BUTTONS AND SOLVE MATH PROBLEMS.
BASIC STEPS
1. Make or purchase enough Cartesian coordinate grids for your
class.
2. Draw simple pictures on the grid that require making lines,
circles, angles and arcs.(I use a picture of a house, a snow
man and a ship.
3. Create a sequential set of ruler, compass and protractor
steps needed to make each picture.(Make enough copies for
each student or group of students.)
4. Have the students follow the directions and make the
simplest of the drawings on a grid.
Ed Clement |
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| 292 | Math Bingo | Mathematics | 4,5,6,7,8 | http://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/lessons/mathbingo/ | Create a worksheet with 25 review math problems on it. Give one copy to each student. Create an answer key, cut out the answers and put them in a hat to draw out. Make up a large grid with 25 blank spaces (see attached sheet) Have students record their answers to each question in the boxes on the Bingo Sheet. They can put their answers in any box. Gather bingo markers. I use beans or other small materials I have in the classroom, or I have students tear up small pieces of scrap paper to make their own.
Lisa Kihn
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| 293 | Wing Lift | Science | 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/lessons/winglift/ | Build science skills.
Show kids that science can be useful and interesting
YOUR STUDENTS CAN TEST WING DESIGN AND MEASURE LIFT
Ed Clement |
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| 294 | Air Born | Mathematics,Science,Technology | 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/lessons/airborn.htm | Build math, computer and science skills.
Show kids that math, computers and science can be useful and interesting.
YOUR STUDENTS CAN MAKE WINGS THAT PRODUCE ENOUGH LIFT TO FLY A HAND HELD STRYFOAM GLIDER
Ed Clement
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| 295 | Weigh Air | Mathematics,Science | 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/lessons/weighair/ | Build science skills .
Show kids that air has weight.
YOUR STUDENTS WILL SEE THAT AIR HAS WEIGHT
Air planes and gliders depend on the differences in air pressure created by their wings to create lift and fly. In order for there to be air pressure air must have weight. That is a very hard principal for children to perceive because air is hard to measure especially with the tools found in a typical inner city grammar school like mine. After several unsuccessful attempts I was finally able to demonstrate that air has weight. The steps below show how I weigh air in my classroom.
Ed Clement
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| 296 | Mummy Dearest | English/Language Arts,Social Studies | 5,6,7,8 | http://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/lessons/mummy/ |
This is an incredibly engaging project to be used as a culmination for a 6th grade unit on Ancient Egypt. The "recipe" was sent to me by another teacher when I first began teaching. Prior to this activity, students should have a foundation of understanding about the civilization and religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians. They should know that the mummification process was an attempt to preserve the body so that the ka, or spirit, could live on in the afterlife.
Cynthia Carbone Ward
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| 297 | Ancient Chinese Philosophies of Government | English/Language Arts,Social Studies | 4,5,6,7,8 | http://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/lessons/chinaphi/ | This sixth grade lesson demonstrates how different perspectives or points of view affect the way a problem is perceived and resolved. At the same time, it helps students to understand the basics of four different philosophies of the Ancient Chinese: Confucianism, Moism, Legalism, and Daoism.
Students should have already begun their study of Ancient China, including the period of "The Hundred Schools" during the Zhou Dynasty. During this period, many people questioned their society's rules and values.
First, summarize key points of the four schools of thought:
CONFUCIANISM
LEGALISM
MAOISM
DAOISM
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| 298 | Presenting Mealworms: A Slide Show | Mathematics,Science,Technology | 5 | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/bilello.htm | Presenting Mealworms is an interdisciplinary unit incorporating science, technology, and math (specifically measurement). In this unit, students gather data on the habits, food preferences, classification, life cycle, characteristics, properties, and anatomy of mealworms. Students perform “hands-on” activities with live specimens and follow the scientific method of investigation. The students also master new media technologies, with the computer utilized as a tool. They learn new concepts, master program soft-ware, and research and access resources available on the Internet. Graphics generated and acquired by students are imported into word-processing documents and multimedia presentations. Working in cooperative groups, the students demonstrate and reinforce learning by creating multimedia slide shows. Additionally, student-generated slide shows are an ideal way for students to communicate concepts learned, educate others, and celebrate their accomplishments, which are worthy of praise and recognition. The students develop scientific thinking by using evidence to construct explanations, evaluating different points of view and distinguishing between fact and opinion. They become familiar with scientific tools and technologies, critique written and oral explanations, demonstrate scientific competence by completing non-experimental research using print and electronic information, and demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics and life cycles of organisms.
Lisa Bilello
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| 300 | Saving The Environment | Arts,Mathematics,Science,Technology | k,1,2 | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/kayne.htm | Saving The Environment is an interdisciplinary unit that enables young children to study various aspects of the environment. It can be used in any of the primary grades with adaptations for the particular level of the group. It begins with a discussion of various environmental problems, and goes on to cover the properties of recyclables, with particular focus on the recycling of paper, as well as exploring other ways to improve the state of our environment. The children participate in a recycling project where they save bottles and cans to collect money for “adopting” a whale. They graph their collection of bottles and cans using units of five to see how many bottles they need to be able to adopt their whale. The students also study the history, characteristics, and life cycle of the whale, and they learn about that part of the world in which the whale they’ve adopted can be found. The children learn about other endangered species and what they can do to help the plight of these creatures. They increase their awareness of problems in our ecosystem and begin to see how we are all responsible for its care. After seeing pictures of whales on posters, in library books, and on the National Geographic CD-ROM Whales, the children try their hand at creating their own drawings of whales, which
are hung in the classroom to create an “Our Friend, the Whale” art gallery display. Finally, they record their experiences in various ways, including creating a slide show on the computer.
Diane Kayne |
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| 301 | Story Quilting | Arts,English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Social Studies,Technology | 4,5 | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/espinoza.htm | Story Quilting is an interdisciplinary program based in literacy, but integrating social studies, math, art, and technology. The project includes an author study, read-alouds, analysis of craft, research, hands-on exploration of geometry, and a “virtual” museum trip. We begin with a look at the work of Faith Ringgold, with a focus on Tar Beach. The children reflect on this book and list “noticings” which include her illustrations and their quilted borders.
Faith Ringgold through her book Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky. This leads to discussions of Harriet Tubman
Helene Espinoza
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| 302 | Fun With Numbers | Mathematics,Technology | 6,7,8 | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/dym.htm | In Fun with Numbers, students from grades six through eight search the Internet for various mathematical games in order to “subliminally” develop their skills in multiplication, addition, subtraction, division, and fractions. In addition to developing math and computer skills, they also develop basic consumer skills. Each group of four students will visit several Internet sites and “collect” various games designed to assist in learning targeted mathematical concepts. Finally, the students create their own math game, which they play and enjoy with their fellow classmates. This program reinforces basic arithmetic and number concepts, namely how to add, multiply, and divide whole numbers and how to compare decimals, percents and fractions. In addition, basic problem-solving and reasoning skills are reinforced. Computer and consumer skills are also developed. The students are assessed through their participation in class and from their performance in the tests they take.
Lucille Dym |
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| 303 | Robotics: Wave of the Future | Science,Technology | 6,7,8 | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/cottrell.htm | Robotics: Wave of the Future began and serves as an introduction to the robotics program that is being taught at Staten Island Tech High School. The students utilize various computer-simulation programs that design robots, and then test these robots to see how they function. The students also do research via the Internet about advances in robotics. As a final project, the students build a working robot using various materials and kits that are available in the marketplace. The use of the computer, Internet, and visual media is essential to the program because it provides rapid and up-to-date information on the robotics field. In addition, it prepares the students to be “computer literate.” The teacher must do research in advance in order to find Web sites that offer the necessary background information. In this program, the students demonstrate an understanding of position, motion, and forces; and develop an understanding of ideas and unifying concepts as well as the impact of science and technology. They collect and analyze data, identify problems, propose and implement solutions, and evaluate accuracy, design, and the outcome of investigations. The students are evaluated by their participation in class and their comprehension of the information presented to them.
Raymond T. Cottrell
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| 304 | The Mystery Powders | Science,Technology | 7,8 | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/dalton.htm | The Mystery Powders enables students to demonstrate their knowledge of physical science, the scientific method, and technology in a cooperative learning environment. They explore the chemical and physical properties of matter, study the periodic table of elements, and consider atomic number and mass, chemical symbols, electron configuration, and bonding power. They work in pairs on the Interactive Periodic Table program, which is designed to reinforce their knowledge of chemical symbols, atomic number, bond types such as covalent and ionic, and characteristics that the families of elements share.
Janice Dalton
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| 305 | Expressing Yourself in English | ESL,English/Language Arts,Technology | 9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/pietraru.htm | ESL students don’t read and write enough in their English classes because they have trouble relating to the materials and curriculum presented. Literature is usually taught from an exterior and moralistic perspective. Expressing Yourself in English presents literature and the arts the way students like it: as a vehicle for self-expression and growth.
The program asks for the students’ active participation in the design and implementation of the unit. Lessons are based on the collective consciousness of the classroom: activities such as reading poetry, writing essays, or viewing movies are based on student selection. The program also integrates several media (music, TV, the Internet, and written literature) into a single vehicle of communication: personal expression and emancipation.
Dinu Pietraru |
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| 306 | The Deciduous Temperate Forest | Science,Technology | 4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/pell.htm | New Yorkers live in the Deciduous Temperate Forest Biome. Do students who live here consider themselves to be living in a forest? The New York State Regents Biology Curriculum considers the interactions among living things and their environment—both living and nonliving. These considerations result in the under-standing of all biomes in the world in general, and the biome in the Bronx in particular. Students from grades 4 through 12, teachers, and parents are given a tutorial Web site to go to where they read, do activities, and answer questions about biomes, plant succession, and ecology. The viewer is urged to seek additional links and continue his/her study in greater depth. Although there are many Internet sites with valuable information, in order to introduce them to persons who are unfamiliar with this rich source of information, only one is mentioned per lesson. You may want to go back to previously used tutorial sites, since they may have additional information that is related to the content to be learned.
Edwin Pell |
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| 308 | Environmental Studies at Millennium Park | Science,Service Learning | 9.10.11.12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/debear/debear.htm | Millennium Park sited on a former landfill adjacent to West Roxbury High recently opened after years of planning and construction. Meeting with park engineers and organizers, students incorporated park-related studies into their curriculum and went on a Web Tour of careers in Biology/Ecology. Several students were motivated to design science projects around park themes. Covering a range of environmental investigations - earthworm examinations, soil erosion and seed germination, biodiversity in grass mixes - the projects received citywide notice with the erosion trial winning second place at the Boston Public Schools Science Fair. Neighborhood children and elders also learned the latest about their park when students shared information at Learning Festivals and nursing homes.
Gabriell DeBear Paye |
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| 309 | A Peaceful Place Is Powerful for the Mind | English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Technology,Service Learning | 2,3,4 | http://bostonteachnet.org/jones/jones.htm | How can schools be peaceful places? Students who follow paths to peace can build powerful places for themselves and their peers. By using real-life situations, they develop self-esteem, self-control, respect for the rights of others, and a sense of responsibility. This approach also encourages students to settle grievances and conflicts through oral and written communication without resorting to confrontation. Mentoring younger partners in the ways of peace reinforces potential conflicts and creates a new generation of non-violent practitioners.
Leamon Jones |
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| 310 | Learning Partners: LPs for Life | English/Language Arts,Social Studies,Technology,Service Learning | k,1,2,3,4,5 | http://bostonteachnet.org/lewis/lewis.htm | LPs for Life gives new meaning to long playing learning partners. It is a cross-aged tutoring and mentoring project where elementary students work with primary students on literacy and other subjects as suggested by curricula needs. Mentors, with their teacher, write the program's mission statement and rules. Planning involves the whole class with cooperative learning as a focal point. Students use technology with Alpha Smart keyboards, desktop computers, scanners and digital cameras as essential tools. Following each LP session, fifth graders write reflections that they share with classmates as an assessment and impetus for future planning. Student generated and personalized incentives add excitement to the culminating showcase.
Darlean Lewis |
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| 311 | TechAssist 2 ~ Cisco Kids Help Schools | Technology,Service Learning | 11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/mccullough/mccullough.htm | Building on PC and Network Hardware and Software foundations received in their sophomore year, juniors and seniors proceed to the Cisco Networking Academy Program. Students learn to design, build and maintain computer networks and prepare for the 21st century workplace with a thorough immersion in cabling, media, connections, electronics, routers, bridges, switches, and hub setup and management, network security and documentation. TechAssist Part II students continue to install, troubleshoot, maintain and repair computers with an emphasis on school networks. By assuming active roles in career choices and service, they show younger peers how Cisco Kids can be Successful Adults.
Charlotte McCullough |
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| 312 | Earth Day Birthday ~ Learning Festival | English/Language Arts,Science,Social Studies,Service Learning | 1,2,3,4,5 | http://bostonteachnet.org/ng/ng.htm | How old is the Earth? When kids hear that it is 4 billion years old, they understand why we must care for it. Based on the concept of Learning Festivals where older students host learning stations for youngsters and neighboring senior citizens, Earth Day Birthday challenges tutors to teach principles of ecology and recycling. Staged in the school's high-in-the-sky outdoor play area, inner city children get the message: Nature is everywhere. From seed planting to creating a peaceful tree, the event provides ways for older students to perfect emerging English skills and for younger ones to learn earth friendly concepts.
Wai Chin Ng |
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| 313 | Seeing Through Lyddie's Eyes ~ A Historical Career Search | English/Language Arts,Social Studies,Technology,Service Learning | 8,9 | http://bostonteachnet.org/Ouellet/Ouellet.htm | Why is it important to study history and plan for a career? Students study the Industrial Revolution in order to make connections between historical events and their contemporary lives. Students visit the Lowell Mills and observe first-hand the experiences of working men and women during the Industrial Revolution. They relate this to Lyddie, which they read in class, and to two theatrical presentations. They participate in a Career Fair and a Job Shadowing trip to Sovereign Bank to observe and experience hands-on job skills. Classes also visit The Boston Globe to view the production of a newspaper. During these visits students observe first hand a variety of careers and the impact of technology on these careers. Finally, students write, edit and produce a Then and Now historical newspaper for community distribution.
Patricia Ouellet |
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| 314 | My Country 'Tis of Thee | English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Social Studies,Technology,Service Learning | k,1,2 | http://bostonteachnet.org/quinn/quinn.htm | Who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance and The Star-Spangled Banner? What do these verses mean? Why do we observe Veterans Day and Flag Day? Youngsters use emerging language, math, and social studies skills to discover answers to these and other questions. Throughout the year, they invite veterans to their class and learn to respect the symbols, songs, and rituals associated with the nation's flag. Virtual field trips to the Smithsonian Museum and the Star Spangled Banner House provide children with stories about our Sweet Land of Liberty..
Lynn Quinn |
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| 315 | School Gardens ~ Sowing Seeds of Service | English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Science,Technology,Service Learning | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/sheung/sheung.htm | A school rooftop garden becomes a classroom extension for science and math investigations. Urban children apply Internet agricultural research to their container garden located high among downtown buildings. Using software to plan their garden, they germinate seeds in the classroom, observe and record the life cycle of plants, study the impact of environmental factors on plant growth, and share a computer slide show. Helping plant and care for the garden are local seniors whose wisdom enriches this experiment in cultivating classroom and community.
Lai Lai Sheung |
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| 316 | TechAssist 1 ~ Networking for Student Service | Technology,Service Learning | 9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/slater/slater.htm | When the printer balks, the scanner faults, what to do? TechAssist to the rescue! Combining technology with service, students come up with solutions for classroom technology problems. Students format computers, install operating systems, configure protocols, download software, diagnose and troubleshoot most common computer problems. Transforming a new Networking computer lab, students learn to: set up furniture, install and reconfigure computers, install network cable for devices, wire hubs, configure protocol stacks, map network drives, install software, scanners, and printers, and secure all devices with cables and locks. Thus, students learn to serve and serve to learn.
Fred Slater |
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| 317 | MS Means Must Succeed ~ Changing Attitudes Toward the Disabled | English/Language Arts,Social Studies,Technology,Service Learning | 6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/sparrow/sparrow.htm | MS Means Must Succeed is a five-month program that provides students with an opportunity to become sensitive to the needs and abilities of physically disabled adults. The project teaches the philosophy that people can excel despite their circumstances by demonstrating how science and technology enable disabled people to live useful lives. Students conduct bi-weekly visits to The Boston Home, a residential center serving adults with multiple sclerosis and related neurological diseases. They develop interview skills by talking with residents about their backgrounds and favorite celebrations. Improving writing and computer skills through weekly e-mail correspondence with their pals, students also learn about careers related to working with the disabled.
Hazel Sparrow |
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| 318 | Community Environmental Health Fair | Science,Social Studies,Service Learning,Health/Physical Education | 9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/tuller/tuller.htm | Is there a relationship between a community's wealth and its level of pollution? Through a city-construction simulation, students hypothesize reasons for this relationship. Identifying health as a global concern, they read and write about environmental causes of six major health issues and host two community health fairs. Environmental justice becomes a local issue as they research pro-active solutions on the Internet and survey community residents. Interviews with individuals and visits to organizations broaden their knowledge of related careers. Digital imaging technology helps them prepare exhibits and brochures. Identifying legal and political avenues that address health hazards results in reports to community members and government officials.
Liana Tuller |
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| 319 | ¡Vamos al jardín! Working Together in a Community Garden | English/Language Arts,Foreign Language,Science,Social Studies,Service Learning | 1,2,3,4,5 | http://bostonteachnet.org/vaisenstein/vaisenstein.htm | What kinds of projects help children learn both English and Spanish? Try gardening together! The Granada Park Community Garden, just a block away from this two way bilingual school, creates a context of meaningful Science, Mathematics, Spanish and English for a class of first graders. Children learn about the natural world through their close observation of weather patterns and growth patterns in seeds they germinate and in animals they find. Children record their observations in bilingual science journals and learn how to illustrate them using Kid Pix. As work progresses, children learn Spanish and English, a main goal of the school, in a context embedded situation. Finally, through a dialogue with older students, neighbors, and families, children experience how cooperative work builds a stronger community.
Ana Vaisenstein |
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| 320 | Courage Connection 2 Kids 4 Kids | English/Language Arts,Science,Social Studies,Technology,Service Learning,health/physical education | 7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/vasallo/vasallo.htm | How can the Internet help adolescents learn from each other and spread messages of courage and hope? Students help children cope with extended hospital stays when they give helpful hints and exchange stories of personal courage. In this model, students research human body systems on the Internet and discuss the consequences of disease and/or traumatic injuries. A partnership with a local hospital reveals important information about health care centers. Helped by high school mentors, students write and post their personal stories on their own Courage Connections web page and share information on careers in health care with the school community.
Lisa Vasallo |
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| 321 | Learn to Read, Read to Learn ~ With Neighborhood Connections | English/Language Arts,Service Learning | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 | http://bostonteachnet.org/williams/williams.htm | The transition from elementary to middle school is especially difficult for students at risk because of reading and language disabilities. It not only involves changing classes and leaving familiar turf during mid-adolescence; but it also involves transitioning from Learning to Read to Reading to Learn. Students who maintain neighborhood connections as they move from elementary to middle school have a wider support community. This project focuses on structured, sequential, multi-sensory reading remediation using rule-based reading software scaffolded by reading to younger children in the neighborhood elementary school. Creating a computer slide show and an Outstanding Readers calendar exposes students to new technology and allows them to reflect on their experience as older Reading Buddies. Lexia Strategies for Older Students (SOS) software provides context for students and teacher. For students, it includes follow-up practice after learning letter-sound combinations; for teacher, it offers continuous assessment to guide the remediation process.
Nancy Williams |
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| 322 | The Compassion Network ~ Preserving Our Pearls of Wisdom | English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Social Studies,Service Learning | 9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/wilson/wilson.htm | Networking with senior family members and friends motivates urban students to learn graphical estimation and forecasting in math class. Interviews with family members allow them to build writing, listening and communication skills. Forthcoming information inspires them to research the current situation of our nation's elderly and ask serious questions. Technology also leads to economic projections. Basic principles like social security, Medicare, and Medicaid are demystified. Sharing valuable information with family and community, students create a brochure, articles, and computer slide show. Young citizens who belong to the Compassion Network can produce a treasury of factoids and figures that help preserve our Pearls of Wisdom.
Naia Wilson |
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| 323 | The Traveling Classroom ~ ESL Students Give Back | ESL,Service Learning | 9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/wong/wong.htm | How can bilingual high school students give back to their school community? ESL 11th and 12th graders who develop and present mini-workshops on survival skills can impact the lives of beginning ESL 9th and 10th graders. Using the Internet, newspapers, and other reference materials, these tutors learn to prepare teaching materials and lesson plans for their hands-on presentations. Computer slide shows illustrate context-related situations like post office trips and check cashing tips to help new immigrants negotiate every day basics. As students travel to their younger peer's classrooms, they sharpen their own communication skills and role model career opportunities in the real world.
Valerie Wong |
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| 324 | Deserts: Not Just For Lizards | Science,Social Studies | 3,4,5,6 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2002/rsampedro.htm | Deserts: Not Just For Lizards is a unit that explores the mysteries of some of the most unfriendly but stunning places on earth. Students will learn the definition of desert and how and why deserts have developed in certain areas. Students will also learn about location, landforms and special features of the world’s greatest deserts.
Rosa M. Sampedro |
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| 325 | Viva Mexico | Arts,Foreign Language | 3,4,5 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2002/rduarte.htm | Viva Mexico is a cooperative project specifically designed to increase an awareness of multiculturalism through the use of the Internet. The major focus of this project is to teach students in grades three, four or five about Mexican culture using technology as its vehicle. It is interdisciplinary as it addresses standards in reading, writing, music, art, foreign language, and technology. The purpose of this project is the integration of these subjects in one theme. Students work collaboratively using project-based learning. Here they learn to work together as a team using decision-making and critical thinking skills. After their research is complete, they present their work to their peers and are judged by them using a rubric.
Rosa Duarte
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| 326 | Planning a Trip in Florida | English/Language Arts,Social Studies | 4 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/claytonj.htm | Planning a Trip is an interactive unit that integrates skills from knowledge of geography to creating a budget. The purpose is to develop strategies for researching through activities in which social studies, technology, mathematics, and creativity are integrated. Hands-on activities are used to create a relief map, go to web sites to explore, develop writing skills on the computer, budget for a seven day trip, discover facts on our state of Florida, and create an original tourist pamphlet.
Jacqueline Clayton |
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| 327 | Where Do We Live? A Unit on Habitats | Science | 2,3 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/concepcionc.htm | This unit is an exploration of three habitats. The habitats focused on are forests, deserts and oceans. Students begin with developing an understanding of what a habitat is. They them watch a PowerPoint presentation that introduces them to all three habitats. In this presentation, they will see animals from each area with links to additional information on each slide. Some links allow them to hear animal sounds such as whales and dolphins as well expose them to some of the fascinating projects out on the web such as The Jason Project. The unit goes on to explore each habitat individually after which students cooperatively complete murals for a class display. The forests habitat lesson goes a bit more into depth. It includes an additional lesson in which students visit a Guided Web Page about the rainforest and complete a "Scavenger Hunt." The unit culminates with a celebration where the class participates in a rainforest luncheon with a menu of foods that are grown or produced from vegetation in the rainforest.
Carmen Concepcion
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| 328 | Native Americans of the USA | English/Language Arts,Social Studies | 1,2,3 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/hernandeze.htm | The unit’s activities focus on four Native American “tribes” scattered across the United States: the Iroquois, Pueblos, Seminoles and Sioux. Students will be accessing web sites and gathering information about these four tribes. The four tribes are just some of the many nations across the United States. Students will be working in cooperative groups, doing a different activity daily. They will visit one nation’s site per day since these sites are quite extensive. The classroom is setup with five computers, each with Internet access using the school’s network. This unit should be completed within four weeks since the groups will rotate to a different activity everyday. At the end of this four-week period, there will be a culminating activity, which is the play “A Native American Welcome” by Sandra Widener.
Esther Hernandez |
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| 329 | Australia: The Land Down Under | English/Language Arts,Social Studies | 1,2,3 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/mendozai.htm | The purpose of this unit is to provide teachers, students and parents with activities related to Australia. Students can use the Internet to gather facts and information about Australia. This unit involves many hands-on activities and cooperative learning activities. Students will create class-made books and will be involved in many writing activities.
Ibis Mendoza |
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| 330 | Our State Road Trip | Social Studies,Technology | 4 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/woodsm.htm | The fourth grade social studies curriculum in the state of Florida mandates the study of the state, including history, geography and economics. A virtual trip around the state of Florida was created as part of a technology education program. Using teacher created web pages and links to other Florida sites, the student is able to "travel" around the state without ever leaving the home classroom.
The unit is entitled Our State Road Trip and it can be used to implement Florida's Sunshine State Standards. It connects social studies, science, math, language arts and technology. The students are actively engaged in research using a variety of resources. The lessons can be adapted for use with any of our fifty states. Students can work independently or in small groups. Most of the activities must be continued outside the classroom and will require parent involvement.
There are six lessons in which the students will locate Florida on a world map, United States map, identify bordering states, major cities, attractions, points of interest and bodies of water in and around Florida. They will identify and locate state natural resources, major crops, products and industries. Students will become aware of the Everglades with its endangered plants and animals. The students will use legends and scales to determine distances, climates, landforms, and bodies of water as well as use longitude, latitude and grid coordinates to locate notable places within our state. They will demonstrate the ability to use various forms of computer software, improve word processing skills, create graphs, and use an on-line service to search and gather information for their report.
Mrs. Woods
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| 331 | A Whirlwind Tour | Science,Technology | 4,5 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/duarter.htm | A Whirlwind Tour is a simulation science project specifically designed to teach students about volcanoes, hurricanes, and tornadoes through the use of the Internet. It is based on interactive units that will build students’ research skills. The purpose of this project is to integrate reading, writing, science and technology using a collaborative model where groups of students will be able to work, research and create a presentation. A scenario leads the students into the simulation which begins the project. Here, students will be able to have fun with role playing, while simultaneously learning and applying their adventures to real life situations. They will pretend to be the Director of a Hurricane Center at a university who has been invited to teach elementary students about volcanoes, hurricanes, and tornadoes, but he has to re-research all the information on the Internet. A series of activities, created on both sides of the spectrum, guide the students in their search for information. Each activity has specific links that make it easy for beginners to navigate without difficulty, as well as allowing high tech students to create a unique presentation using their wildest imaginations.
Once students reach a particular site, it is up to them to gather the information to be used in the presentation. However, the sites used are on-line interactive sites such as The Weather Channel and Florida International University Hurricane Center, where authentic data is presented. A sample lesson consists of easy to read, comprehensive, and step by step directions. For example, students have to compare and contrast two volcanoes. A link to Volcano Adventure takes the students to the site where they will choose which volcanoes to compare. After all lessons are completed, students then gather and compile their information to begin creating their presentation.
Rosa Duarte
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| 332 | Weather Watchers | English/Language Arts,Science | 3,4,5,6 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/williamsj.htm | Weather Watchers is an interactive unit that investigates weather and climate. The purpose is to develop strategies for implementing a student-centered approach through hands-on activities in which reading, writing, science and technology are integrated. Methods include searching web sites to develop task cards for student use, using weather related software, investigating on-line interactive weather sites and communicating between students via e-mail. New media is infused into every aspect of the curriculum from the creation of a student-produced Weather Gazette using desktop publishing, posting weather data on school TV and publishing weather poems and stories on the Internet to comparing results of weather observations with key pals.
In the area of language arts, students research various aspects of clouds and rain then write poems and stories. Poem types include shape poems, haiku, acrostic, cinquain and four-line poetry. Stories can reflect creative writing ideas and weather prompts. The poems and stories are edited and posted on the Kid Authors web site http://www.kidauthors.com/ Student articles submitted for the Weather Gazette are comprised of weather reports, eye witness news reports of weather happenings, weather jokes, and weather poems. Student teams plan, edit and publish the Weather Gazette; teams can act as reporters, editors, graphics, typists and layout designers.
In the area of science, students investigate and collect data from weather web sites, make daily weather observations using weather station equipment and conduct weather experiments using thermometers, barometers and rain gauges. The National Weather Service Page provides weather data, forecasts, current weather conditions and interactive weather information http://www.nws.noaa.gov . The GLOBE Program web site provides earth science resources, a virtual science museum and weather animations http://www.globe.gov In the Mad Scientist Network http://www.madsci.org/ , students can access the Ask-A-Scientist section for weather related questions and answers. Finally, students share results of weather experiments with key pals.
Jennifer Williams
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| 333 | U.S. PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY | Social Studies | 5,6 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/hechevarriaj.htm | Students will a journey through history exploring past and current presidents. The students will be able to understand the structure, functions, and purposes of government and how the principles and values of American democracy are reflected in American constitutional government.
Students are also engaged in researching presidents through the use of technology showcased in a HyperStudio presentation. Students learn the fundamentals of technology by copying, pasting, and saving items needed to complete their research. As a finale, students will be able to become the president of their choice and present themselves to their class.
Joy H. Hechavarria
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| 335 | Report From The Pond | Science | 1 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/delancyc.htm | In this science inquiry project my kindergarten students got to turn our classroom into a miniature simulation of a pond life habitat. Working together cooperatively, they conducted simple hands-on experiments with goldfish and water. They raised and charted the growth of tadpoles, and observed a small eco-linked pond that was self-supported by small plants, fish, snails and algae. The students also made drawings, murals and models of insects, fowl and wildlife that are indigenous to the various food chains in and around a pond. They also made use of multimedia materials such as Sammy's Science House. This primary CD ROM program, allowed the students to explore and interact with pondlife during all of the seasons.
"A Report From The Pond" provided the children with an up close and personal interaction with some common pond animals, plants, and insects. Appropriate classroom habitats were established to make our investigations as realistic as possible. The students observed and cared for one animal over a period of time. Then, they were introduced to another animal similar to the first but with differences in structure and behavior. The opportunities for observation, communication, and comparisons were enhanced throughout this process. Our science exploration lasted eight weeks. It was divided into four parts, each spanning a period of two weeks. The first two weeks were focused on insects that can be found in and around a pond. The next two weeks focused on animals that live around pond habitats. The third two weeks focused on our assessments and developing our own "A Report From The Pond" web pages, using Web Workshop by Sunburst. Finally, we were involved in an online science collaboration with Explore A Pond (http://www.uen.org/utahlink/pond/ ). All participants adopted a local pondlife habitat in their area; our class adopted the Everglades. It is an excellent resource for learning about animals, plants and insects that dwell in and around ponds.
Carol Delancy
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| 336 | Exploring the Everglades | Science,Social Studies | 6 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/riveram.htm | Exploring the Everglades is a unit that enables teachers to expose their students to the Florida Everglades without ever leaving their classroom. This unit is an interactive unit that utilizes many sites. The Florida Everglades is a unique environment that is home to many different animals, plants, and people. Some of these are unique only to the Everglades. There is no other Everglades in the world. The Everglades is one of the most threatened National Parks in the country. Man has a greater impact on the Everglades than any other species; this unit permits students to understand that they can make a difference in preservation of the Everglades and other National Parks.
Exploring the Everglades has many lessons that can be used across the curriculum. Not only are students viewing the Everglades, they are developing opinions about the Everglades and its importance to the environment. Students also become familiar with the Internet and various computer software, as this unit incorporates activities in which the students are required to create graphs, use word processing and create PowerPoint projects. The unit promotes the use of higher order thinking skills. Students are also encouraged to work together in cooperative teams, or groups.
Kim Hammon |
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| 337 | Welcome to Space! | Science | k | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/salidoi2.htm | The purpose of this unit is to introduce kindergarten students to the following space concepts. There are six lessons on: The Planets, Revolution of the Planets, Constellations, Gravity, Creating Moon Crators, and Aliens. Also, each lesson has links to web activities that are suitable for Kindergarten students. When finished with this unit, the students will have some basic understanding of the above valuable space concepts. They will know a little bit about each of the nine planets, what else is out there in space and some things that are not. Students will enjoy participating in each of these lessons.
Isabel Salido |
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| 338 | Creating A Family Tree | Social Studies | 4 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/stephensona2.htm | Creating a Family Tree allows children to explore their ancestral background as well as teaches them the basics of genealogy. While the lessons can be completed within a two-week time frame, the project itself may be ongoing throughout the year.
Each student will interview older family members and record anecdotes pertaining to that particular relative. This includes vital statistics, which will then be placed on a pedigree chart. Each person on the chart will have an individual page detailing the information gathered.
The unit incorporates social studies, math, reading and language arts as well as technology skills.
Ann Stephenson |
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| 339 | Ramona Quimby, Age 8 | English | 3 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/vazquezb2.htm | Students will explore the fascinating world of Ramona Quimby, Age 8 in this exciting unit. The students participate in activities such as cause and effect, sequencing, grammar (capitalization, punctuation marks, pronouns, plural nouns, compound words, past and present verbs, contractions, quotation marks), compare and contrast, word processing and searching the internet. Students will also use online resources to create word searches and puzzles using vocabulary words, create spreadsheets and graphs from class surveys, to complete grammar and word usage activities and learn how to write a publish a variety of book reports.
Beatriz Vazquez |
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| 340 | Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head | English/Language Arts,Science | 2 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/ramosc.htm | The water on our planet is constantly being recycled by the water cycle. How do clouds and rain form are questions constantly asked by children. These questions can be answered through the study of the water cycle.
Teaching the water cycle allows for hands-on activities, and the integration of technology.
This interdisciplinary unit introduces students to the water cycle and its individual steps in a meaningful way. The lesson will include hands-on activities, software exploration, spreadsheet design, use of the digital camera, use of the Internet, and the creation of a slide show.
The hands-on activities will include the use of the digital camera, communication with their pen pals and the use of the spreadsheet. With the use of software the students will be introduced with information about the water cycle. With Internet access, students will gather information to develop a slide show that will assess the students understanding of the water cycle. Slide show will be printed to prepare a poster.
Carmen L. Ramos |
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| 341 | Nuts About Nutrition | English/Language Arts,Science | 2 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/sampedror.htm | Nuts About Nutrition is a unit designed to teach and motivate children to learn about nutrition. It does so through the exciting process of interactive multimedia software and the Internet. The unit combines nutrition education with technology that captures children’s attention through music, animation, and video. It is the intent of this unit to promote health literacy. The students will be able to obtain, interpret, and understand basic health information in order to make smart decisions when it comes to nutrition.
Students will learn about the digestive system, understand the role of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and sugar in the body, identify various sources high in vitamins, organize and plan a trip to the grocery store, and plan a smart meal, just to name a few. So come on in and go “Nuts About Nutrition”. It’s a friendly unit that bustles with adventure and interactive learning.
Rosa M. Sampedro |
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| 342 | Take a Spin Through The Solar System | English/Language Arts,Science | 2 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/garciat.htm | Space travel used to exist only in science fiction. In today’s world, however, space travel is real, and the information received about planets is no longer fictional. Many students fantasize about space travel and are delighted to hear and read about space. Through this interdisciplinary unit students will embark on a journey through space which will introduce them to the planets and the sun, which make up the solar system. The students will learn the order of the planets in the solar system.
The students will also learn and explore which planets have moons and other interesting facts about each planet. Activities will include making maps and three dimensional representations of the solar system, using the imagination and predicting what life would be like in a space station, and learning about the stars and the moon’s phases. Using the Internet and various software, students will research the various elements which make up the solar system and will go on a Scavenger! Hunt. Students will also develop an ABC Book using Kid Pix Productivity software to create a multimedia slide show.
Terry Garcia |
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| 343 | Spice Up The Basal | ESL,Mathematics | 3,4,5,6 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/brownc.htm | Students new to the United States learn English reading and writing skills as they participate in exciting interdisciplinary hands-on activities using a basal reading series. Technology is infused into this unit as students collect information about writing, map making, mathematics, and grammar from various Web sites, publish their work on the web and use desktop publishing and programs such as KidPix to create and present multimedia projects. Students also collect data about weather using weather-related software. Students improve reading and writing skills as they communicate with key pals via the Internet. Although the students are predominantly Hispanic, activities can be adapted to any other recently arrived students.
Carlette Brown |
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| 344 | Around the World in 8 Days, Olé | Mathematics | 3,4 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/duarter2.htm | Around the World in 8 Days, Olé is a simulation cooperative project specifically designed to learn about Hispanic countries, their culture, and its currency through the use of the Internet. It is based on interactive units that will build students’ research skills. The purpose of this project is to integrate reading, writing, math, social studies, and technology using a collaborative model where groups of students will be able to work, research and create a presentation. An Introduction leads the teacher to guide students into the project. The students will be able to have fun surfing the Internet while acquiring information on the Hispanic country they have selected. Students must complete a series of six activities during this simulation of a worldwide tour. A series of Activities guide the students in their search for information.
Each activity has specific links that make it easy for beginners to navigate without difficulty, as well as allow high tech students t! o create a unique presentation using their wildest imagination. Once students reach a particular site, it is up to them to gather the information to be used in the presentation. However, the sites used are on-line interactive sites such as Yahoo and The Web of Culture, where authentic data is gathered. A sample lesson consists of easy to read, comprehend, and follow step-by-step directions. For example, students have to measure the distance from two cities. A link to Maps.com takes the students to the site where they will be able to have access to a map to measure the distance. As a culminating activity, using the data collected, each group to will present orally, written, or through an authoring program, such as HyperStudio, PowerPoint or iMovie, with the end goal of persuading their classmates to vote for their travel plans. After all presentations are made, the class is to evaluate the groups using a rubric and then vote for the best itinerary
Rosa Duarte |
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| 345 | Investigating Insects | Science,Technology | k,1,2,3 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/langfordc.htm | This project actively engages students in learning about insects. Hands-on activities include collecting specimens, making a butterfly balance, and learning about how insects use camouflage to hide from their enemies. Technology is infused into the curriculum through the use of the Internet to gather information about insects, to "Ask an Expert" science related questions, and by publishing poems, stories, and a newsletter.
Carol Langford |
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| 346 | WATTS UP? | English/Language Arts,Science | 1,2,3 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/lineroe.htm | Energy sources are running out. In the future many things will be different and we must search for alternatives for our future sources of energy. Through this project, students will learn to classify different forms of energy, how to keep safe from dangerous electrical energy, and how to conserve energy. Activities will include using the sun to make an electrifying dessert; an electronic scavenger hunt which will improve the students research techniques on the web; games; puzzles; viewing movies and working online. Students print and copy from websites to create a collage on energy and maintain a notebook about energy which they will hand in at the end of the unit.
Elizabeth Linero |
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| 347 | Shape Up Your Life | Science | 7,8,9,10,,11,12 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/vidall2/index.htm |
This unit will serve as your own personal trainer. You will learn about the importance of exercise and eating the right foods. You will also learn how the heart works and how to take your pulse. |
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| 348 | Discovering a Dynamic Underwater World | English/Language Arts,Science | 3,4,5 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/sklarr2.htm | This interactive unit on the ocean involves various activities that seek to inform children about the world's oceans and how to protect them from pollution and destruction. Without leaving home or the classroom, children can discover the ocean and its creatures by reading, creating art projects, searching the Internet and conducting science experiments. For example, tides and waves are explained through an art project in which students create a tide mobile.
Students are introduced to tides and waves by visiting a website which describes how tides are formed though pictures and animations. After becoming familiar with tides, students will then use various art materials to re-create what they saw at the website. The students will also use Microsoft word to type up an explanation on how their tide mobile works. Children will also be exposed to the beauty of coral reefs through books, The Magic School Bus pictures, and science experiments. The ultimate goal for creating this unit, is to instill in children how important it is to conserve ocean life, to keep the ocean waters clean and to protect different kinds of ocean life from becoming extinct.
Rochelle Sklar |
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| 349 | Hadley Takes A Cyber Trip | English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Science,Social Studies,Technology | 4,5,6 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/miami/2001/stephensona/index.html | It is a multicultural interdisciplinary unit.
The class chooses a country to study throughout the
course of the school year or for a select time frame.
The purpose is to integrate reading, math, social studies, science and technology into a unit whereby the students will be able to successfully utilize research skills.
The students explore the chosen country using online resources, CD-ROMs, magazines, and text books to acquire knowledge of its history, culture, currency, weather, language, folk tales, sayings, and social structure.
Students make online contact by way of the Internet, e-mail, web pages, bulletin boards, Ask Jeeves, Ask an Expert and various other cyber sources.
They then synthesize the information, incorporating keyboard skills and various other aspects of the computer, into a hard copy and multimedia presentation. |
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| 350 | As the World Orbits: How the Earth's Movements Around the Sun Affect Climate | Science | 4,5,6 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/london/climatelesson.htm | This unit of work consists of 5 lessons all relating to understanding the earth's climate.
Students will examine their local seasons and climate, and then investigate that of a region in the southern hemisphere. This comparison will help them understand the effect of the earth's orbit around the sun as well as its rotation on its axis.
It begins with a simple brainstorming session, includes a lesson about the movements of the earth, a lesson about accessing weather forecasts,a lesson investigating a foreign climate, and finally a lesson involving a virtual journey to that region.
It spans both KS2 geography and science, and requires a good deal of reading and writing, thus enhancing the literacy curriculum.
Maureen Cronin
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| 351 | Healthy Eating | Science | 3 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/london/healthyeating.htm | This unit of work consists of activities spanning 5 - 7 weeks. Children are introduced to databases within the context of their science work, initially when learning about 'mini beasts', such as caterpillars and spiders, and then moving onto creating a healthy eating database record of their classmate's favourite foods.
Sarah Garnett |
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| 352 | GCSE Business Studies, Finance and Accounting | Business Education | 9,10,11 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/london/gcsebusiness.htm | There are six brief numerical challenges to test the student's knowledge of the key relationships of the unit. Each section also has a collection of multiple choice questions and a data-response task. Students can download spreadsheets of sample accounts that they can analyse using the skills they have learned. They can then suggest strategies for the business to pursue, using their skills of evaluation. Finally, there is a task that could be used as an extended research assignment or as the piece of coursework that can be taken for final assessment.
David Salbstein
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| 353 | Weaving the Web: Evaluating and Developing Websites at Key Stage 3 | Technology | 8,9 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/london/weavingweb.htm | This project attempts to allow students the opportunity to develop their understanding of web design issues through the practical evaluation of existing websites and subsequent application of their findings to the production of their own websites. Students will plan their own work using a Gantt chart, analyse a number of websites, create a list of criteria for good web design and content and present their findings to the group. The second stage involves students applying some of these independently selected criteria to the redesign of a chosen website, ensuring that they are focusing on the needs of their identified audience/s. Once the sites are completed, students will test each other’s sites, give and receive feedback and make amendments. The final stage of the project will involve the production of a student guide to web evaluation and design.
Elizabeth Doyle |
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| 355 | Issues of World Development : An Introduction | Social Studies | 7,8,9 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/london/worlddevelop.htm | This series of lessons is merely an introduction based on the time allowance of six, forty minute lessons. A lot more can be done on this topic depending on the time available and the interest of the group. It is also a topic that lends itself to discussions and debates, which can hopefully develop out of the ICT work. World Development is a very topical issue with countless new case studies that can be explored. The ideas suggested in this scheme can also just be used as a framework on which to build in your own examples and use new Internet sites as you come across them.
Sarah Nixon
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| 356 | Psychology: Social Influence | Relations | 11.12 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/london/psychology.htm | This unit of work consists of five 90-minute lessons, each of which incorporates one student assessment task.
This project provides students with the opportunity to increase their knowledge and understanding of the issues related to Social Influence as part of AS level Psychology. For most students this will be the first time they have studied Psychology formally and this unit encourages a variety of activities including research on the internet. A downloadable glossary is included to ensure that students are aware of key terms and concepts.
The students are required to search the available material on the Internet using the links provided as well as executing their own searches for additional material. They will present their research to their fellow students using PowerPoint. The main mode of assessment will be reports, however they will have to download a PDF file containing a short-answer test as a final, personal assessment.
Key lessons will involve the theories of:
Moscovic (Minority Influence)
Asch and Sherif (Conformity Research)
Milgram and Zimbardo (Obedience)
Rajni Chopra |
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| 357 | West End Blues | Arts | 10,11,12 | http://www.teachnet-lab.org/london/westendblues.htm | This unit - 3 or 4 one-hour sessions - gives students a brief overview of the history and characteristics of The Blues. The piece West End Blues is used as a representative Blues piece and also introduces the influential figure of Louis Armstrong.
Students undertake research using the resources of the Internet and the unit contains links to various web pages, which contain concise historical, biographical and analytical information. There are also audio-visual links to footage of some of Louis Armstrong performances.
An audio copy of Armstrong's rendering of West End Blues is required and also preferably.
Neville Bluck
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| 358 | Moon Madness | Science | 3 | http://teachnet-lab.org/santab/moon_madness.htm | Students create animations to demonstrate knowledge of how the phases of the earth’s moon occur.
Tracee Sudyka |
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| 359 | Using Digital Tools and E-pals to Improve Descriptive Language | English/Language Arts,Technology | 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 | http://teachnet-lab.org/santab/epals.htm | This unit will use digital imaging, collaboration and e-pals to teach and develop written language skills. Classroom e-pals will be the media used to introduce, develop and/or master simple paragraph and personal letter writing. |
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| 360 | Building Videos to Build Language | English/Language Arts,Technology | 7,8 | http://teachnet-lab.org/santab/jeff.htm | I have slowly grown a set of Mac computers in the classroom from 1 (which ran a FirstClass BBS for interschool weather data sharing) to a mix of 9 older and new machines, all accessing the internet via T1 line, and 3 having digital video input and editing capabilities. Students sit in groups of 4 at lab tables... no desks, and it is very common for individuals to go to a computer to input a bit of data or writing to a piece of work or class template and then return to the group.
However, using video as a learning tool represents a number of challenges. Every minute of video is time intensive, both in terms of planning and filming, and editing. Meanwhile, issues of the processing power of computers and number of machines need to be considered.
Here's two examples of how video is a part of my classroom.
1. Capture and archiving of lessons and lab activities.- In this case, we are experimenting with students capturing essential elements of science experiments- teacher instruction and student activities- which are quickly edited and then saved for future use by students who either missed that day, or want review. They are saved on cd-roms.
- Management- I have a "Go To" table which rotates about every week. These students will learn and do whatever special skill or need arises, and become the resident experts for the rest of the class. If video production of an activity is called for, it is naturally their task to work it out in group.
2. ELD Class- An extended activity which involves these language learners picking a short "story" to tell via video. I have a scene diagramming template which they must fill out completely in their work group before using video.
Jeff Foote |
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| 361 | All About Me: A Research and Writing Unit | English/Language Arts,Technology | 5 | http://teachnet-lab.org/santab/sballabout.htm | "All about Me" is a research and writing unit that incorporates traditional essay writing, with the use of technology. Students begin the unit, writing an essay about themselves based on a student created timeline. The next essay, entitled "Who I am, Right Now" allows students to write about the person they are today including their likes and dislikes, appearance, strengths and weaknesses, etc. With the third essay, students look beyond themselves to their family to research and write about their Family History. Students use a Family History Webquest as a tool to gather interesting facts about their ancestry including surname origins, and family heirloom analysis. The final essay allows students to select a country of ancestry origin to research. Students use both traditional resources (encyclopedias and books), as well as technology to gather information about their country. Once the essays are completed, students sort through their research, pulling out the most significant facts from each essay to share via a multimedia PowerPoint presentation. Not only do students strengthen their research and writing skills, but they also develop a greater appreciation for their family's heritage.
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| 362 | Mush!! The Last Great Race on Earth | English/Language Arts,Social Studies,Technology | 4,5,6,7,8 | http://teachnet-lab.org/santab/sbiditarod.htm | The Iditarod: Last Great Race to Nome, can be a fully integrated curriculum unit which uses the Iditarod Sled Dog Race as its focus and central theme. The unit is designed to enhance the student's awareness and appreciation for the annual sled dog race across the state of Alaska. As a multi-faceted curriculum, the students will be involved in a variety of activities to become more knowledgeable about the race, Alaska culture and geography, and the people and animals who participate in the competition.
Prior to the race, students use the internet to research mushers participating in the race. After reading information on the mushers, students select one to compose a letter to including information learned in their biography. The letters are then sent, with the hopes that the musher will reply after participating in the race. During the race, students use the Internet to track the location of their mushers. Students also use the internet to gather information to create a " Come to Alaska" brochure, compare and graph weather conditions, and learn more about the history of the Iditarod through a scavenger hunt.
Jennifer Wright
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| 363 | Claymation Critters | English/Language Arts,Technology | 3,4,5,6 | http://teachnet-lab.org/santab/claymation.htm | This project is an introduction to research skills and report writing.
Students will select a wild animal to research and write about in a five paragraph report. Students will also create a clay animation of that animal to enhance their report.
Tracee Sudyka |
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| 364 | Not Another State Report, Again! | English/Language Arts,Social Studies,Technology | 3,4,5,6 | http://teachnet-lab.org/santab/states.htm | This unit will address a new approach to learning about the fifty states that we all know and love. Instead of assigning the "same old report", let your students use creative strategies and technology to demonstrate their knowledge about their state.
Students will gather information about their state from various resources (text, videos, and selected Internet sites (evaluated by the teacher first!). They will locate general information such as the state flag, population, government, etc. They will also look for activities (cultural, historical and recreational) to include in their final presentation.
The lessons will include: keeping data about a "Vacation Trip" to their state on a spreadsheet; creating a map of their state and using Microsoft Excel to diagram the map; surveying students and staff at their school and inputting data into a spreadsheet; and lastly, compiling all projects into a final Power Point Presentation.
racy Sturgell |
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| 365 | Let’s Dance | Arts,Physical Education,Technology | 2,3 | http://teachnet-lab.org/santab/dance.htm | Let’s Dance is a unit where students learn and choreograph dances over a three month period and then perform their dance steps at an assembly. There are approximately nine dances, and each dance goes with a different piece of music. The music selections are about 30 seconds,
long and several genres of music are used incorporating varied tempos and rhythmic patterns. The unit is recommended to be taught either first thing in the morning after stretches or during PE. Each dance is a different lesson, and after it is taught the children practice it for
about a week before the new step is added to the routine.
One example of how media plays a role is that during the process of creating the dances the children are video taped. Then they watch the video and critique the performance, and then apply what they learned to improve
their dances. In order to stay in compliance with copyright laws, you can use small portions of different songs. You capture the desired music pieces on your computer and burn a CD with all nine songs to use at school. The dance is also put onto a tape which is sold and showed at Open House at the end of the school year. When a new dance is taught, the children line up in the auditorium in a way that is appropriate for the dance to be taught. The song is played while they
just listen once. Then next time they clap to the beat with my
guidance. Then the dance steps are taught with the music off. Then we go over the step to the music. For the next few days the children practice while the teacher watches and gives suggestions. At least two songs in the dance are open for the children to choreograph their own movements.
These lessons take more time, because they often need suggestions to get started. This is a good time to go over the rubric and teach the vocabulary and specific dance movements. There is a video tape of the finished dance available .
Stacey Hansen |
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| 366 | Famous Buildings of the World | English/Language Arts,Social Studies | 5,6 | http://www.teachnet.ie/buildings.htm | This project uses the web in a focused way at primary/elementary level. Children between the ages of nine and twelve will work collaboratively in a meaningful way to research famous buildings of the world. Guided by the teacher, and facilitated by ICT, groups of pupils will locate information sources, select relevant factual material and present their findings to an audience of their peers. Key questions, Internet links, graphics and step-by-step guides to the processes involved are supplied, and ideas for online and off-line integrated activities are suggested.
Tips: A wide varity of enhancement activities are suggested in relation to the development of this project. It is suggested that teachers select the most appropriate follow-up activities according to the needs, interests and abilities of the pupils in advance of commencement. It is also suggested that a variety of appropriate reading, picyorial and reference materials are made available in the classroom.
Robbie O'Leary |
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| 367 | Electricity | Science | 3,4,5 | http://www.teachnet.ie/electricity.htm | The unit will be based on the web quest model and will include threads on: what electricity is; how ICT works; how ICT is made; different types of electricity; circuits; electricity in the home; safety; the history of electricity; famous people and electricity; etc. Particular focus will be given to on-line interactive sites as well as downloadable files which will be used by the pupils.
Peter Coakley |
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| 369 | Consumer Web-ucation | Business Education | 7,8, | http://www.teachnet.ie/consumereducation.htm | The topic of the consumer is covered in a new and innovative way. Students start initially with a "web-search" to find out the key points of the topic. The Internet will be used to find out about the different Consumer Organisations, Trade Associations, Ombudsman, Small Claims Court, Consumer Laws etc. This is done with worksheets. Then after discussing the items, a number of web-style quizzes, matching exercises, crosswords and "true or false" exercises are used to assess the students' knowledge. Exam-style questions are also included which require the use of ICT other than the Internet. These can be completed off-line. An example of this is a letter of complaint which came up on the Junior Certificate examination. The students use a word processor to type this up, having gathered the information on letters of complaint from the web-search and also from websites provided for reference.
Tip: Start with the initial web-search taking one class for this. Back to "talk & chalk" for a class and then use the Internet & ICT packages to complete. Maybe use a scanner to copy labels; logos to be used as clip art.
Tommy Flynn |
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| 370 | Mining the Web: Internet Sources for Leaving Certificate History | Social Studies | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachnet.ie/untanglingweb.htm | The project attempts to evaluate the potential for the integration of ICT into the teaching of History at Leaving Certificate level. This is by means of a case study entitled Wilhelm 11 and Weltpolitik Sources from The World War 1 Document Archive; American and from German archives are used. Supplementary questions will give the students a chronological and thematic framework for the primary sources. The final task for students is the writing of an essay. This allows students to use the insights and knowledge, which they have gained through their work on the sources.
Mary Ó Dubháin |
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| 371 | Have I Got News For You | English/Language Arts,Social Studies,Technology | 4,5,6 | http://www.teachnet.ie/haveigotnews.htm | "Have I Got News For You" is adapted from a project called Current Affairs. It is a global current affairs project suitable for children aged nine and upwards, which encourages students to find out what's going on in the world, to analyse world events, and to discuss global issues with their peers. Guided by the teacher, and facilitated by technology, students are required to research news stories, report to the class and contribute to a class newsletter. The project integrates reading, writing, public speaking, social studies, maths, IT and art as students write news stories: create maps, signs, and graphs to illustrate major points, and practice their presentations.
Tip: Teachers should research the project thoroughly before initation, visiting the various web links and ensuring school facilities are appropriate. Class periods should be timetabled with definite deadlines. Groups should be of mixed ability and an "editor" for each should be assigned.
Pat Brennan |
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| 372 | Math and Literature Connection | English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5 | http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/abraskin.htm | Working within the mathematics curriculum, this program utilizes stories that coincide with the topic being taught. For example, when teaching students about polygons and their traits, the book The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns is a good story to read. It tells of a triangle, unhappy with its shape, that keeps adding angles and lines until it doesn’t know who/what it is. The math vocabulary is included in the story as well. For literacy, a discussion of the story and its moral can be a definition of this genre. For a relevant writing exercise, the children write a story with the same moral. And the story touches on the concept of self-image—an important one for young individuals. This program can be done by the teacher working in the confines of the classroom curriculum. An interdisciplinary program makes time for all subjects during the day. It gives the teacher and the students more flexibility in the day’s schedule because all areas are planned in an economical way. Another way to work the program is to have the pairing of staff—one as the literacy teacher and the other as the math teacher. During the day these teachers switch classes to work the subject area of their expertise. In this way, the students receive instruction in subjects with master teachers of that subject. |
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| 373 | Acadian Odyssey | Social Studies | 9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/acadian/introduction/index.htm | These pages, created by Acadian descendants, hope to explore this group of people by visits to real "Cajun" towns, presenting Cajun folk stories and the Cajun language, describing the unique Cajun way of cooking, and by visiting the numerous Cajun-related festivals in Southern Louisiana.
Ron Dupuis |
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| 374 | Back to School Night | Relations | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/backnigh/index.htm | Back to School Night is one of the most important events on the school calendar. It is the night that sets the tone for your entire year with the parents of your new students. It is the event that can open the door to trust and cooperation. In one short presentation, you'll have the opportunity to share your goals, expectations, credentials, classroom rules and policies, and philosophies. We'd like to help you be ready!
Whether you are a brand new teacher or a veteran of many years, Back to School Night can be stressful! Careful and thorough preparation will help you present yourself with confidence and clarity. You'll feel more relaxed if you have everything in place. Let us share some of our favorite pointers, designed to help you plan a successful evening.
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| 375 | Black History Month | English/Language Arts,Social Studies | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/bhmonth/index.htm | Throughout February, TeachersNetwork.org hosts a series of Daily Classroom Specials focusing on African-American Heritage. Below are activities and examples of students' work.
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| 376 | Bits and Bytes | Science,Technology | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/bitbyte/list.htm | Bits & Bytes combines technology objectives, activity ideas, web sites, and resources in an effort to make it easier for everyone to incorporate technology into their instruction. Bits & Bytes is maintained by Barbara Smith, Magnet Coordinator at Harvard Elementary, Houston (TX) and Teachers Network web mentor. |
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| 377 | Critter Corner | Science | 8,9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/critter/index.htm | Critter Corner is a place for teachers and students to learn and share experiences about organisms that can be kept in the classroom. You will find information about some of the organisms that my students and I enjoy. And, you can send me information about your classroom critters! Your descriptions will be posted on this site. I especially encourage you to have your students research and write me about your classroom animals. At the end of each critter description there is a button to click if you want to send questions or additional tips to the person who wrote about that animal.
Judy Jones |
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| 378 | The Music Quest | Arts | k,1,2,3,4,5 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/musicq/index.htm | Enter into a search that will take you on a journey through the world of music! Join us for a musical question—a description and hints about a mystery composer, musician, instrument or musical excerpt. Test your personal or class expertise as you seek to solve the musical mystery. Check back a week later to find the answer.
Make this quest a weekly part of your classroom activities, or a chance for individual students to improve their musical knowledge. Help your students develop their research skills as they discover ways to find the answers. Feel free to print the question page and distribute it. Explore the vast musical landscape of the Internet, find the musical reference books in your library, or simply find some musical experts. The questions will vary in difficulty, and will cover a wide range of musical topics of interest to students of all ages. Some current events, some instruments, some musical examples, some composers, some great musicians—The Music Quest will surprise you. Print the answers, and keep a notebook of what you have discovered.
Kristi Thomas |
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| 380 | Technology and the New Teacher | Classroom Management,Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/technwteach/intro/index.htm | Technology and the New Teacher is designed to introduce you to the topics, successes, and pitfalls of technology in the classroom.
The focus of these pages is on the basics because you may be a first grade teacher or a high school math teacher, each with common technology but need to use it differently. A few things will be constant for each of you, however. Buzz Eyler |
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| 381 | Symmetry is All Around You! | Mathematics | 9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/math/symmetry/index.htm | Mathematics is much more than finding sums, differences, products, and quotients. Mathematics is a way of looking at the world. As a mathematician, you view the world looking for regularity and order or the lack of order and regularity.
We are surrounded by all types of symmetry, a type of regularity and order--in nature, in architecture, in art and much more. There are three kinds of symmetry: line symmetry, rotational symmetry and point symmetry. Nancy Powell
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| 382 | Can You Be a Millionaire? | Mathematics | 9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/math/BasicMath/millionaire/index.htm | using a spreadsheet to explore saving money and compound interest |
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| 383 | Earn a Living & Live on What you Earn | Mathematics | 9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/math/BasicMath/Earn/index.htm | In this project you will
* Buy a house and calculate the monthly payments and total cost,
* Buy a car and calculate the monthly payments and total cost, and
* Figure out what kind of wages you'll need to make to afford your car and your house.
* Make some calculations to figure out what you can afford and learn to use the mortgage and loan calculators found on the Internet |
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| 384 | I've Got That Geometry Bug! | Mathematics | 9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/math/bugweb/project.htm | Geometry is found everywhere in nature. The insect world provides a nice study of geometry. Insects constitute between 70 and 80 percent of all known animals. Ever since the Carboniferous period (200,000,000 years ago) insects have dominated animal life form. During this early time, dragonflies sped through the air on wings with a spread of two feet! Throughout time, insects have evolved and changed to meet the demands of their environments. Some insects crawl or hop on land, some fly through the air, and others live in the water. |
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| 385 | Design a Container | Mathematics,Technology | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/dcs/math/Containers/index.html | PROJECT Background:
A manufacturing company has hired the marketing firm that you work for to help them market a warehouse full of shiny “spheres.” Your boss has guaranteed the CEO of the company that his marketing firm can design an advertising campaign and product to sell all of these spheres. The company needs more space in their warehouse as soon as possible.
Your boss has given the marketing/design/advertising team that you are a member of 2 weeks (3 weekends) to design a container for sets of 7 “spheres”- all the same size. However, each team may only have one in their possession at any time. There should not be much wasted space in the container since efficiency of the container is important. Resources and cost need to be realistic and minimized if possible.
CONTAINER:
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| 386 | Structure Webquest | Mathematics,Technology | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/dcs/math/structures/index.htm | Introduction
You are a part of a group of structural engineers and you've been given a challenge. You are to design and build a tall and strong structure from a given set of materials at an engineering competition. With this structure, your team must submit a report that proves to the panel of judges that you really know your business and that your structure wasn't the winner by luck but instead by great design. The prize will be a huge construction contract for your firm. |
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| 387 | Feeling Bloated? A Project in Similarity | Mathematics | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/dcs/math/Bloated/index.htm | This project will give you a great opportunity to grow your own creature and gain information about similarity and rates of change. It will require you to collect FOUR days of data about your creature. You will be growing it and then shrinking it back. You will be using a spreadsheet (EXCEL) and a word processor (WORD 97) to generate your final report which will include charts and graphs of your data.
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| 388 | Feeling Bloated II | Mathematics | 9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/math/BloatedIIWeb/index.htm | This project will give you a great opportunity to grow your own creature and gain information about similarity and rates of change. It will require you to collect FOUR days of data about your creature. You will be growing it and then shrinking it back. You will be using a spreadsheet (EXCEL) and a word processor (MS WORD) to generate your final report that will include charts and graphs of your data.
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| 389 | String Art | Arts,Mathematics | 9,10,11,12 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/dcs/math/stringart/index.html | Who says you can’t create curves with line segments? It is fascinating to discover a curve formed from a series of straight line segments. Line designs utilize basic geometric forms, making curves out of segments. Order and symmetry are the basis of string art's appeal. Elaborate designs can be created with geometric shapes, points, and colored string.
Line designs form a basis for mathematical understanding of geometric shapes and relationships of points, segments, and angles. Each of the line segments is really a tangent for each of the curves being formed. But because of what we focus on, we often see the curves. For example, some of the curves that can be created are circles, parabolas, ellipses, hyperbolas, spirals, and some lesser known curves called cardioids, limacons, and deltoids. Yet in each case they were created with angles of different sizes, regular and irregular polygons, and a lot of segments and points.
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| 390 | Environmental Protection through Data Collection | Science,Technology | 6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=1 | This project is designed to give the students a greater awareness of the natural resources in the region, while they experience in a real environment the science that they have learned in the classroom. Data collection is used as a tool for extending the classroom beyond the walls of the school into the community. The process of understanding the impact of science on society and the environment begins with the collection of "real" data. This data is then used by the students during the year when studying various chemical processes. Many times the students do not understand chemistry's role in everyday living. For them to become aware of the problems that chemicals can cause they have to understand how information about the environment is collected. Students learn while they also make a useful contribution to society. This understanding is one of the life skills necessary for the future protection of the environment in the State of Maine. Eric Hendrickson
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| 391 | Electronic Portfolios: A Journey through Learning | Science,Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=2 | Electronic Portfolios: A Journey Through Learning is an authentic, performance-based, instructionally appropriate method of assessment in which students use technology to digitally document and exhibit their school progress, effort, achievement and development. Joanna Dimeo and Jay Cargill
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| 392 | Project ASK + | Science,Technology,Business Education | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=3 | Project ASK + involves children in grades three through six in personally emailing their questions to chemical and biological researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Maine politicians, economists, journalists, sociologists and local high school teachers. Project ASK + is adaptable at other grade levels. Each question sent receives an individual response from the above professionals. This answer is appropriate to the student's level of understanding. Project ASK + also includes follow up activities to enhance the learning experience. Project ASK+ aligns the school district's curriculum with the Maine State Learning Results. It was developed with the Guiding Principles in mind. Ann Marie Malnati and Norman Hjort
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| 393 | Exploring the Planets | English/Language Arts,Science,Technology | 2,3,4,5 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=4 | Space: the last frontier? Not when students explore the planets! In this unit of study, students access specific web sites to gather information about our solar system, then together create a multimedia slide show which demonstrates their knowledge. Each student writes a script about a specific planet, including such facts as distance from the sun, size,temperature, type of planet and number of moons. Many facts are then put into a spreadsheet and graphed, with students writing explanations of the graphs. This unit of study provides a unique opportunity for young students to use the computer to gather relevant information from the Internet, represent the knowledge gained in their own voices and pictures and produce a collaborative classroom presentation. Dianna Stavros
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| 394 | Technology: The Beginning Step to Building Assets in our Children | English/Language Arts,Science,Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=5 | Technology and language can reconnect parents to their children’s educational life and provide a foundation for asset building in children. The purpose of this learning activity is two fold. The only way to give a reader the actual powerfulness of the activity is to weave you through two paths that are within this project and how they have been intertwined to benefit students. The first path is the Learning Result connection, where students use oral language, writing and technology to show attainment of the performance indicators. The second path is loss of parent support in an elementary school. As you read this story, you will realize how students can bring school and community together by being clear and effective communicators and responsible and involved citizens.
Carol Marcotte
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| 395 | Whoo Whoo Wants to Learn About Owls? | English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Science,Technology | k,1,2 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=7 | "Whoo Whoo Wants to Learn About Owls" is a multimedia science unit designed to make owls come alive in a primary classroom. The heart of the unit is a teacher-designed Web site which includes a wide array of information such as owl facts, a photo gallery, owl calls, a book list and an interactive quiz for students. A variety of student activities accompany the Web site including printing owl masks and using real owl pellets for a bone sorting activity. At the end of the unit, students use a draw program to create their own owl picture. These pictures are put together into a slide show accompanied by a recording of each child telling the teacher one thing s/he learned about owls.
Susan Falvey
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| 396 | Nature's Calling Cards | English/Language Arts,Science,Technology | 5,6,7,8 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=8 | Nature's Calling Cards allows students to create a visual product that demonstrates their learning and understanding. They produce their own trading cards that incorporate language skills, technology skills and science indicators, as a great way to culminate a unit on scientific classification. Making trading cards, however, could be used in most any curriculum area where information is collected and visuals are available, such as state facts, biographical sketches and mathematical formulas.
Carole Millett
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| 397 | White Pine Growth Project | Mathematics,Science,Technology | 5,6,7,8 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=9 | The White Pine Growth Project (WPGP) is a science/math activity in which students collect field data on White Pine annual growth, graph the data on a spreadsheet program, form hypotheses, research, analyze data, and finally write conclusions. The students actually measure the White Pines’ annual new growth in the field and return to the classroom to display their data in a spreadsheet graphing program. These graphs are analyzed and hypotheses are developed about predicting the past precipitation trends in the field study area. Finally the students research using online resources to prove or disprove their hypothesis in a written conclusion. The project is suitable for grades 5 through 8.
Tim Tyler
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| 398 | Building a Resource Web Page | English/Language Arts,Science,Technology | 9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=10 | In this unit of study students create a web site that can be used by the class as a reference guide for the remainder of the course. The web site contains links to sites that students decide contain helpful information about topics they will be studying. This idea came while putting together a resource web page for a class. As the teacher surfed the web for appropriate and usable sites, he realized what a terrific skill it was to be able to evaluate information for validity and applicability. By building their own resource web page, students learn this valuable skill to extract useful information from the vast uncertainties on the ‘Net. In addition, they use the product they collectively create to research future topics. Finally, by creating and publishing web pages students better understand how the Internet works, which leads to more efficient utilization of the web as a resource.
Scott Fraser |
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| 399 | ANIMALIA | English/Language Arts,Science,Technology | 4,5,6,7,8 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=11 | In this unit, students are assigned the role of Animal Specialist. They use a WebQuest to research their topic and write a creative report for as well as construct a model depicting the animal in its natural habitat.
Fourth grade students act as researchers during the course of this unit. Their specific job is to collect as much information as they can about their topic using a minimum of two different Web sites, as well as a minimum of three texts from the town and/or school library. Students are also encouraged to research videos, conduct interviews or correspond with scientists on line. Once they have collected the necessary information to complete a data sheet about their animal, they write a creative report about it.
Judy Dorr
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| 400 | Arctic Food Web | English/Language Arts,Science,Social Studies,Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=12 | My third grade class and I developed an Arctic food web using the computer programs Hyperstudio and Claris Homepage. First choose an animal from our Arctic Index. Once you choose an animal, you will discover that you are on a page containing a detailed drawing of the animal, as well as a paragraph about the animal. After you read the information about the animal, you may continue to travel through the food web by doing one of three things. You may click on the option, “What I Eat”, the option, “What Eats Me”, or you may return to the Arctic Index and begin again. You will quickly realize that the polar bear, grizzly bear, and the Arctic wolf are top consumers, and that all food webs must begin with a producer. If you need an overview of what a food web is before you start exploring ours, you may choose to read the information we wrote as a class. There you will learn that all animals depend on each other, and each is dependent upon the producers. If you are not quite sure where the Arctic is or what sets it apart from the biome that you live in, you may choose to read our Arctic Introduction. After you have traveled through our web, you may want to test your new knowledge by going on our Scavenger Hunt. If you would like to find out more information about the polar regions, you may want to look at the resources that we used, and check out one of the books from your local library, or browse one of the links to the many Web sites that we categorized by third and fourth grade performance indicators for you. If you loved our Web site and would like to make one like it, you might read the instructions for how we made our site. And last, if you are a teacher or a parent, you may want to read about how our project fit the the standards set by the Maine Learning Results. Emily Thompson
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| 401 | One Small Step for Teachers a Giant Step for Education | English/Language Arts,Science,Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=13 | This staff development resource is an online training site for teachers and staff to learn how to use the Internet and to provide them with integration sites relative to their existing curriculum. A Technology Survival Guide is avaialble in notebook form.
Sheryl Knowles
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| 402 | Genetics/ Bioethics | Science,Technology | 10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=14 | Genetics is an ideal topic for study in high school Biology. This is a hands-on, lab based genetics unit focusing on real-life applications and decision making. This course is taught in 80 minute blocks on an alternating Day 1 / Day 2 schedule for a full year. Biology is a required course for graduation from our high school. The course is organized into 6 major units, with genetics falling in the second semester due to the complexity of the material. The genetics unit lasts 6 -8weeks. It has three basic sections: Structure and function of DNA and RNA Heredity Bioethical issues. Heidi Early |
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| 403 | Life on the Salt Marsh A Web-Lesson for Primary Students | Science,Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=15 | Primary classrooms underutilize the vast array of resources available on the Internet. Young children can use the multiple steps needed to access the Internet with appropriate adult supervision and the careful development of technological skills. "Life on the Salt Marsh" is a Web-lesson designed with primary children in mind. It opens with a digital projection of a Web site, which shows aerial photographs of a local salt marsh and beckons the children to take a virtual tour of a salt marsh. When this tour is over, the children choose to study a number of organisms from the lists of salt marsh inhabitants on the site. Each creature is linked separately to carefully screened Web sites specific to that particular creature or family of creatures. Students document their findings on recording sheets. Parents and/or community volunteers and older students provide additional classroom support to the youngsters as they learn the skills and content.
Jean Montesano |
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| 404 | Local History | English/Language Arts,Social Studies,Technology | 4,5,6,7,8 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=16 | Local History offers several exciting projects. It may be used with fourth grade students at the end of the year, but the individual parts are appropriate for students through middle school. The unit takes from seven to eight weeks and is related to the history of Bowdoinham, but could easily be adapted to the history of any city or town.
Resources are a major consideration in undertaking this unit. To provide suitable resources, teachers create their own Web sites for student use. This is accomplished by scanning print material pertaining to a variety of aspects of town history. Once this is done, the unit can be further developed. Lance Libby
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| 405 | What's up with Romeo and Juliet? | English/Language Arts,Social Studies,Technology | 9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=17 | This unit is an interdisciplinary, thematic unit used to introduce students to the world of William Shakespeare and study of human relationships using the play "Romeo and Juliet." Students are asked to integrate the disciplines of English, science, psychology, and history into a coherent package. This unit seeks to answer the question, "Why do people act the way they do?"
During the course of this unit, students complete a Shakespeare life project, write position papers, take on a movie project, and write an interdisciplinary essay.
Mike Nolette and Jeff Bailey
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| 406 | Making multimedia documentaries on local and US History | English/Language Arts,Social Studies,Technology,Business Education | 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=18 | Students form themselves into production companies and produce short multimedia documentaries, or newspapers if they choose, on themes in American History with a local angle. The teacher becomes the CEO of the holding company which owns all their companies and the equipment they use. Interactions between teacher/CEO and students/employees are as businesslike as possible in all aspects of production. Student employees have specific roles, job expectations and responsibilities. First quarter projects are basic, allowing students/employees to familiarize themselves with the technological tools. Over the course of the unit, students learn how to function as a group in a company model, and they learn state-of-the-art digital photo-editing and video-editing technology. Students also learn how much thought and planning goes into a two or three minute film!
Tom McLaughlin |
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| 407 | It's a Revolution! | English/Language Arts,Social Studies,Technology | 5,6,7,8 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=19 | It’s a Revolution! is a research project that focuses on the Revolutionary War period. The project develops students' research skills, including locating resources, taking notes, outlining and writing. Students use their technology skills to develop HyperStudio presentations as culminating projects. They research and writing individually but often work collaboratively to plan and develop their HyperStudio presentations.
It’s a Revolution! meets the Learning Results in a number of areas and integrates reading, writing and social studies. Students develop a better sense of what was happening, not only in America at the time, but also in the rest of the World. Through researching their topics, they develop their study skills. Using HyperStudio, they continue to develop their computer and communication skills.
Steve Heath
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| 408 | Experiencing Maine Government Through Power Point Presentations | English/Language Arts,Social Studies,Technology | 6,7,8 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=20 | Experiencing Maine Government Through Power Point Presentations is a wonderful activity that can be shared with teachers, students, paretns and other members of the community. This Maine studies unit is an innovative way to teach Maine State Government, as required in Maine Learning Results, while also contributing to an evening event for parents and community members. Ambitious and lofty, the Power Point Presentations are designed to "wow" other students and those who attend "Maine Night."
Laurie Michaud
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| 409 | Early Explorers - Using Microsoft Powerpoint | English/Language Arts,Social Studies,Technology | 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=21 | This unit of study is created about the early explorers, in which the students conduct research about explorers of their choice and then develop a Microsoft Power Point presentation to communicate their findings to the rest of the class.
Linda Kuzyk |
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| 410 | Retrospective Magazine Project | Social Studies,Technology | 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=22 | The Retrospective Magazine project is designed as a cooperative activity involving an entire class of fifteen to twenty-five World History students. The class as a whole collaborates on designing a news magazine much like Time or Newsweek. Students choose a topic from World History (prehistory to the modern era) to report on in the form of an article. Each student researches, prepares a draft, and finalizes the article over the course of the second half of the school year. Students are also required to work on a separate part of the magazine as well, such as the cover, table of contents, letters to the editor, advertisements, or a back page essay speculating on the future. The project focuses more on the technological aspect of the project rather than the research. Among the various processes used in creating the article are formatting an article using Microsoft Word or WordPerfect, downloading and pasting photos from online sources into the article properly with captions, scanning photos from separate resources into the article, and even morphing personal pictures into advertisements.
Cary Libby
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| 411 | Student Current Events Web Page | Arts,English/Language Arts,Science,Social Studies,Technology | 6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=23 | This project involves students in designing and constructing a comprehensive Web site on current events. This can be done as a year-long project with students periodically producing Web pages on selected topics in the news, or it can be done as a one or two time project in the computer lab lasting only several weeks.
This project is appropriate as a ninth or tenth grade social studies elective, but it can easily be taught successfully in grades six through twelve. The project may be adapted for lower level learners by reducing the length of the assignments and providing some or all of the Web site addresses, rather than students conducting searches for the information on their own. The length, age level and ability level are all adaptable.
John Jaques
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| 412 | Cyber Museum: Artists of Spain and Mexico | Arts,English/Language Arts,Technology | 7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=24 | How does a Foreign Language teacher integrate cultural units into the classroom and still continue to build language proficiency? Studying visual artists of the Spanish-speaking world provides a great opportunity to do all of this and to incorporate the use of technology as well.
By combining Internet research, Power Point slide presentations, and a Web page with hyperlinks to those presentations, this three to four week unit introduces students to the world of Hispanic art. Each student chooses an artist, researches his/her life and work on the Internet, creates a Power Point presentation, and shares her/his expertise with classmates through an illustrated oral report in Spanish. Marcia Tyrol
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| 413 | Bookworms and Shutterbugs, Making Books with a Digital Camera | Arts,English/Language Arts,Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=25 | Bookworms and Shutterbugs enhances the literacy development of students and encourages artistic expression. This project ties to content standards in English/Language Arts and Visual and Performing Arts. The children explore and use a digital camera to produce pictures, add text and create classroom picture books. The pictures are used as writing prompts. The class books allow for a variety of reading venues (independent reading, reading at home with parents, shared reading and book extensions).
Mary Anne Ayoob
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| 414 | Design Workshop | Arts,English/Language Arts,Technology | 10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=26 | The Design Workshop class is a semester-long elective class for high school students, grades 10-12. Students complete a series of 10 to 15 design projects of increasing difficulty and sophistication. The projects help each student develop the visual vocabulary and basic skillset to deal with communications in the 21st century. The primary emphasis is on graphic design skills, but during the second quarter all students also have a chance to use simple programming skills to explore game construction. They also learn some of the interpersonal skills needed to work with a client.
David Ingmundson
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| 415 | Word Dance | Arts,Physical Education,Technology | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=27 | "To live is to dance, to dance is to live." This unit is a creative arts collaboration between a high school speech/drama class and a professional dance company, in which students create and perform a dance, based on a work of literature. Students view videos of dance performances, and then engage in a series of teacher initiated movement exercises and workshops with the dance company. Students first search the Internet for a performance piece their groups will dance. The group then develops criteria for evaluation of their dances, based on the results of Internet searches for dance reviews. Students rehearse, working with the pieces. Throughout, students continue an e-mail dialogue with the dance company. "Nonverbal storytelling awakens the mind/body connection and the page springs to life, never forgotten." (Ram Island Dance)
Kathleen Harris |
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| 416 | A Look Into My (Possible) Future | English/Language Arts,Technology,Business Education | 4,5,6,7,8,9 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=28 | This career research unit helps fifth and sixth grade students think about their futures. It requires them to use technology, research skills, writing skills and self-reflection to create a product that informs students about potential career choices.
The career research unit is made up of 12-15 lessons of approximately 35-40 minutes each. It begins with a class discussion of what a career is, and what characteristics an individual should consider when selecting one. The students then fill out an online job aptitude questionnaire that uses their likes, dislikes and abilities to list possible careers for them. Each student must select one of the careers and spend 3-4 days researching it in the library and on the Internet. The students use the telephone book to locate a nearby professional in the field, and compose a letter to them with additional questions. The final performance assessment a student-created computer slide show based on the research. They then share their slide shows with other fifth and sixth grade classes.
Danielle Weston
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| 417 | Digging Up Your Past | English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Technology,Business Education | 5,6,7,8 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=29 | Two key essential questions frame this seventh grade interdisciplinary unit: Why is it important to learn about the past? How can you learn about it? The unit begins with the students exploring artifacts from their own personal pasts and through a series of guided activities creating unique booklets about themselves that examine their past, present, and future. By participating in a study called "Garbology," the students use observation and reasoning skills to learn how today’s trash relates to archaeology. During the unit, the students participate in a series of field trips to local historical landmarks and agencies that are repositories of historical data. All of this prepares the students to participate in an actual archaeological dig on the banks of the Aroostook River with a licensed archaeologist.
Elaine Hendrickson |
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| 418 | Lights, Camera, Action! | English/Language Arts,Technology,Business Education | 6,7,8 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=30 | "Lights, Camera, Action" is a challenging but rewarding project that has been used successfully with a heterogeneous eighth grade class. The project utilizes video and computer technology to develop good communication skills. Through the project, students become aware of the importance of good interviewing and public speaking. Most students feel comfortable speaking with their peers but can't imagine interviewing or addressing an adult audience. "Lights, Camera, Action" is a great way for the public to learn about what is going on in the schools, and offers an excellent opportunity for students to learn about their community.
Philip Bouchard
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| 419 | Publication Project | Arts,English/Language Arts,Technology,Business Education | 11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=31 | "Publication Project" engages students as integrative and informed thinkers in the development of a publication and presentation, which synthesizes photography, language arts, computer skills, "real world" career application, and the students' own interests. Taught as a unit of the course Graphic Communication - a basic photography course in which students learn functions of the 35mm manual camera and different lenses, developing and darkroom procedures, applications for photographs, and relevant computer skills - Publication Project is a self-directed and complex culminating project.
Lucy Johnson |
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| 420 | Penquis Publishing | English/Language Arts,Technology,Business Education | 7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=32 | This student-led business/ technology class provides a publishing service to the school and community. While providing this service students learn about deadlines, communicate with the public, work on a ream and produce a quality product. Students experience a business environment and the business runs smoothly because of clear expectations with students in leadership positions, including manager, assistant manager, bookkeeper, and secretary. Students design and produce over one hundred projects during the course of the year, including science fair books, Pine Tree Hospice brochures, the school newspaper, menus for a local business, marketing booklets, basketball programs, and an educational association newsletters. Students take pride in the work they produce, gaining a sense of ownership not only for the projects, but also for the business itself.
Kerrie Alley-Violette
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| 421 | Look Who Works Here! | English/Language Arts,Technology,Business Education | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=33 | "Look Who Works Here!" was designed to emphasize the importance of education and to raise the aspirations of a group of third and fourth grade students. In order to learn about various careers and the requirements and importance of education for each job, children work in teams to interview workers at their school. The interviews are published and the resulting publications shared with the people interviewed at a tea party.
Donalie Burbank
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| 422 | Project Jonah | English/Language Arts,Science,Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=34 | Project Jonah is a case study of technology integration at the intermediate elementary level, incorporating over fifty of the Maine Learning Results in a variety of content areas. Students conduct research and develop a multimedia presentation using Hyperstudio software to educate others about a species of whale. Technology serves as a tool for students to answer questions, organize information and present material to several audiences. Students enhance and extend their written text with a variety of media, including original artwork, images from the Internet, their own photographs, audio clips of whale sounds and their own narration. The students take part in self-assessment, and also have their work assessed by a small panel of educators. Students present their final projects to each other, to other classes, and to family and friends. This type of project is applicable to almost any content area and can be modified easily to suit the needs of primary through secondary students.
Key Developer: Suzy Hagemeyer. Co Developers Chris Reardon,
David Palmer, |
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| 423 | ...And It's Off To The Races | English/Language Arts,Science,Social Studies,Technology | 5,6,7,8 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=35 | ... And It's Off To The Races is an interdisciplinary unit on Alaska using the Iditarod, and weaving science, social studies, and literature content. The unit is designed for fifth grade but can easily be adapted for students in grades two through eight as the reading list ranges from lower level picture books to magazines and reference books written for adults. Science research may be on many topics: endangered animals of the north; communicable diseases (e.g. Dipthera); animal husbandry; plate tetonics and the relationship to earthquakes and volcanoes; and wave energy as it relates to tsunamis and the northern lights. Social studies content includes the study of the different cultures of Alaska and the changes they have undergone, geography and climate of the state, the pipeline, and the goldrush. Other topics that may be included are the formation of mountains, glaciers, avalanches,survival and hypothermia, plant life of the tundra, the migration of populations to and through Alaska, and the influence of the earth's tilt on its axis on all living things in the Arctic. Throughout the race, students are introduced to the topics stated above, and discuss the influence of the day's length and technology on the people of Alaska. The unit requires approximately 5 reading periods, 4 science periods, 2 computer periods, and 1 art period each week (each period is 50 minutes in length).
Judith Bossie |
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| 424 | The 100 Acres Project | English/Language Arts,Science,Technology | 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=36 | At the heart of this four-week project-based Maine forestry unit is a scenario in which 100 acres of forest property are donated to a school with the stipulation that it be used to benefit the schools' current and future students. Students begin with a hike up a mountain and then learn about soil composition, tree classification, and succession. They also complete a series of outdoor activities. Biologists, soil scientists, park rangers, and harvesters visit the classroom to share their expertise. Finally, students use Internet and print resources to research uses of forest land, write persuasive papers to support their preferred options, and develop a hypermedia project to present to area residents.
Key Developer: Debora Page; Co-developer: Judy Chase
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| 425 | Paparazzi Poetry: A Flash of Insight | Arts,English/Language Arts,Technology | 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=37 | This project was inspired by a stanza from "Asphodel, That Greeny Flower" by William Carlos Williams:
It is difficult/To get the news from poems/Yet men die miserably every day/For lack/Of what is found there.
Paparazzi Poetry: A Flash of Inspiration is designed to teach students to harness the power of language and to get inspiration from everyday life, specifically the daily newspaper. Students read the newspaper and respond by using lean, enlightened language to create poetry from the news. They experience how poetry can be used to make sense and create beauty in an often inhospitable world, how it can be used to arouse and manipulate emotions, to spur people to action, and even to affect the course of history.
Shirley LaBranche |
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| 426 | Using Technology-A Research Method For Primary Children | English/Language Arts,Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5,6 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=38 | Young children are very excited about learning something new and becoming authorities among their peers but there often aren't enough books available on the primary level for children to do research. However, with the help of a graphic organizer such as The Big Six Assignment Organizer, second grade students can find information on many topics, using both the library and the Internet. The Big Six, which is adaptable to any grade level, helps them come up with key words and phrases to guide them on a safe search. They develop a search strategy which uses appropriate and available resources, they formulate questions to ask when gathering information, and they record and share the information theyíve gathered.
Ree Granger |
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| 427 | Good Old Madison (the name of your town or city): Past, Present, and Future | English/Language Arts,Social Studies,Technology | 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=39 | Every town, every business, every old building, has a story to tell. In their work on this project, students learn some of those stories and write historical research reports about locations, establishments, or buildings in their hometown and the surrounding area. The report highlights the past, present and future role of the selected site in the community.
The "Good Old Madison" project is based on a book, Good Old Maine, by Will Anderson. Anderson researched business establishments and buildings around the state of Maine and reported their history. Most Maine communities have histories rich with change and adaptation, reflecting the economic changes in the town, state, country and world; the changes that came with an industry's adaptation, growth and death; the changes that came from transportation advances; and the effects of time, war and peace on a community.
Rose Church
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| 428 | Birds in Flight Webquest | English/Language Arts,Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5,6 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=40 | For the Birds in Flight webquest, students use the Internet to research a type of bird, write a newspaper article about the bird, and orally present the information learned. They use a framework that helps them make the best of their time; this helps eliminate the learner's need to surf the net without a clear task in mind.
Students are first taught how to use the browser so they can successfully navigate through the webquest, enabling them to gather and print information as needed. The "Task" section of the webquest outlines the students' mission, which is to write a newspaper article about a chosen animal and report their findings to the other reporters in the class. The "Process" section clearly outlines the steps each group takes to successfully complete the required task. For example, students choose a bird and then gather information that falls into four areas: what the animal looks like, what it eats, what its habitat is like, and any other interesting facts.
Penny Rice |
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| 429 | Creating an online class-wide historical era newspaper | English/Language Arts,Social Studies,Technology | 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=41 | Transform your classroom into an eighteenth century newsroom in Boston, Massachusetts at the height of the pre-revolutionary frenzy where students observe and report the momentous events but do so by using today’s technology. In this activity, the class becomes a newspaper company complete with separate departments and an organizational hierarchy, submits electronically articles, graphics, ads and other pieces to a server, and finally creates the newspaper using a word processing program.
Key Developer, Jack Wallace. Co Developer,Barbara Greenstone
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| 430 | Curriculum Fair Fare | English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Technology | 5,6,7,8 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=42 | The Curriculun Fair Project takes about two months from inception to completion. During this time, the students are honing skills while researching the topics of their choice. Language Arts class time is used for research, accessing computers, taking notes, and writing about their topics. Study halls are utilized in a similar manner but are also used as a time to consult with teachers in various disciplines. After school time is scheduled on an individual basis for help with experiments, research consutation, posterboard work and word processing.
The projects are challenging to the students because they choose topics of interest to them and are eager to follow through on the research. During the research portion, the student often encounters information that is contrary to what they originally thought. This gives them the opportunity to look at it from a different perspective.
Beverly Pare' |
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| 431 | Modern Communications Technology | English/Language Arts,Social Studies,Technology,Business Education | 8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=43 | Real TV: Students produce and distribute programming for the local cable access television station. Produced on a shoestring budget, the channel is a valuable service to the community while providing a powerful learning experience for the students. Students learn proper communication techniques such as writing, editing, interviewing, public speaking, projection with vocal authority, and the social aspects of dealing with the public through mass communications. They also become proficient in the operation of all equipment utilized in news broadcasting. The teacher also developed a teleprompter using outdated equipment, reducing the cost for this critical piece of equipment from several thousand to about one hundred dollars.
Key Developer, Vincent Vanier. Co Developer, Tom Pennington
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| 432 | Teens Teaching Teens | Health/Physical Education,Technology | 4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=44 | Following a teacher guided process, students research and prepare a Power Point presentation on a drug-related topic that they present to their peers as they assume the role of teacher. This unit has been successfully implemented with eighth graders for the past six years. Junior high students are often difficult to teach because of their developmental stage and the last thing that they want is to have another adult tell them not to do drugs. "Teen Teaching" works very well for this age group and topic. Students are asked to be responsible for researching, preparing and presenting a Power Point presentation and developing a Jeopardy game and quiz.
Key developer, Dale Hannon. Co-Developers: Barbara Basford, Melissa Hileman, Larry Puls, Cheryl Quinn
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| 433 | Wellness Portfolio Unit/ Wellness Report and Wellness Goal | Health/Physical Education,Mathematics,Technology | 7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=45 |
The Wellness Portfolio, a collection of the student's personal health information, is composed of a family health history tree, personal wellness report, wellness goal project, chronic disease brochure or Web page, and a multi-stage fitness test. This portfolio project integrates health, math, language arts, technology and physical education. The overall goal is for students to be aware of their present health status, to have begun to improve certain behaviors, to know their genetic health risks, and to have investigated how to prevent a disease that has been in their family.
Anne Smith |
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| 434 | The Secret of the Exercise Equation | Mathematics,Technology | 11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=46 | This project introduces and explores multivariate (linear) regression as a stepwise procedure. Students are introduced to bivariate regression by using a recursive regression analysis procedure to "uncover" the formula for the perimeter of a rectangle from a dataset generated through measuring lengths, widths and perimeters of rectangles. Armed with the knowledge garnered from this "Predicting Perimeters" lesson, they then seek to "uncover" the formula a treadmill uses to calculate the rate of calories burned based on the explanatory variables of weight, speed and incline from a data set that they collect at a local fitness center.
Al Newman |
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| 435 | Pathways to Patterns | Mathematics,Science,Technology | k,1,2 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=47 | Give children a set of objects and watch the patterns develop! Children instinctively want to build and there’s no better way to strengthen and reinforce their mathematical skills than by creating patterns. To further develop their skills and to capitalize on student interest, teachers can integrate technology by having them create their own classroom slide show.
Key developer, Cindy Stevens; Co-Developers, Wanda Heath
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| 436 | Class Stock Market Portfolio | Mathematics,Science,Technology | 4,5 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=48 |
The Class Stock Market Portfolio exposes fourth grade students to the world of financial markets as a form of investment by monitoring their own $1000 investments for six weeks. Through the creation of a class portfolio using the Internet, each student is allowed $1000 to purchase a stock of his/her choice. The chosen stocks are then researched, monitored, recorded and graphed for a six-week period. Utilizing the Yahoo search engine (http://www.Yahoo.com), the classroom teacher sets up a page called "My Yahoo," a free service using a user ID and password. Students record weekly the price of a share of their stocks on a spreadsheet using either Claris Works or Excel (about 15 minutes a week).
Peter Redmond |
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| 437 | Forestry Management - Calculating Cords of Firewood per Acre | Mathematics,Technology | 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=49 | This unit of study is primarily a data collection, data conversion/manipulation, decision making project. Students survey/sample a representative section of forestry land (this usually can be done within walking distance of many schools), and extrapolate this data to quantify cords of firewood per acre of "typical" localized forestry lands. Students survey a 37-foot radius of forestry land, recording and measuring each tree with a diameter greater than five inches. Students estimate the height of each surveyed tree using various techniques and record this data as well. When the plot of land has been accurately surveyed and "measured" (usually one - two class periods), they return to the classroom to "quantify" their data.
Brendan Murphy
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| 438 | Imagine...Travels Through the Spanish Speaking World | Foreign Language,Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://seed.mainecenter.org/application/resources.cfm?ID=50 | Are you a Spanish teacher trying to incorporate Spanish and Latin American culture into your curriculum? Are you overwhelmed by the time difficulty of this task while also teaching basic communication skills and following the Maine Learning Results?
Well, the answer may be a "Hyperstudio" Trip around the Spanish world. This is a really fun learning activity that can be incorporated into any class level or age group, and even into other content, such as social studies.
Melissa Foltz |
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| 439 | The Write Stuff | English | 5,6,7,8 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/cyberenglish/litlogs1.htm | The Write Stuff, How to Make Your Students Better Readers With Literature Logs
Literature Logs are an effective means for students to respond to the books they are reading independently. I require that my sixth graders read a half hour at home each night for homework. In addition, my students read in class for about 20 minutes each day and then write for ten minutes in their lit logs.
Summarizing skills are very important. We spend several weeks at the beginning of the school year practicing writing summaries of students’ classroom reading. I ask students to limit their paragraphs to three to five sentences. This becomes much easier for them as the year goes on. Students soon realize that as they read, they should be thinking about the most salient points of the material to note in their paragraphs.
Lisa Kihn |
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| 440 | The Outdoor Path to Good Writing | English | 5,6,7,8 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/cyberenglish/outdoorpath1.htm | The Outdoor Path to Good Writing is a comprehensive writing activity that enables students to successfully brainstorm ideas that will lead to the creation of realistic fiction stories. This activity engages every student and learning style because it involves taking a hike with the class and reflecting on nature and how it changes with the seasons. Students are given the opportunity to sit down and think about themselves on the hiking trail. They are encouraged to look inside themselves to see who they are and what stories they can tell about their lives. Students are asked to write about themselves, using various prompts, and also to look carefully at their environment. Later in the school year, students return to the same spot to write about themselves again. On both excursions, students are asked to make a sketch of the mountain scene in front of them.
Lisa Kihn |
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| 441 | A Survival Guide for Teaching Students How to Write Research Papers | English | 5,6,7 | http://www.teachersnetwork.org/dcs/cyberenglish/research.htm | Project Overview
Cover page with picture and title
Introduction
catches the reader’s attentionuses images
general statement about the topic
power statement ...
Lisa Kihn |
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| 442 | Saving the Environment | Service Learning,Science,Social Studies,Technology | 9,10,11,12 | http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/environsl/index.htm | Saving the Environment
Suggested Curriculum Infusion Areas: Science, Math, Social Studies, Health, Family Studies, English
Community need for saving the environment:
Our environment is a precious resource which needs to be protected. Words such as ozone layer, toxins, and landfill have crept into the vocabularies of even the very young. As a society, we have become conscious of the impact of pollution on our planet. We watched in horror when oil spilled into the pristine waters off of Alaska.
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| 443 | Quit Smoking - Together We Can Do It! | Service Learning,Science,Technology,Health/Physical Education | 9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/chang/chang.htm | Overview How does tobacco threaten the health of both the people who smoke it and the people who involuntarily inhale it? Students utilize the Internet to research smoking and second-hand smoke. In addition to studying its effects and health risks, they examine social, physical, and environmental causes and motivations for smoking as well as statistics (age, gender, ethnicity) related to nicotine addiction. Quit Smoking is the message of student produced brochures and posters distributed throughout school and community youth centers. Presenting a computer slide show during a school learning festival, students personally describe how they have quit and show how smoking adversely affects school achievement and workplace production.
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| 444 | Writing Buddies: The Writing/Teaching Life | Arts,English/Language Arts,Service Learning,Technology | 7,8,9 | http://bostonteachnet.org/lodge/lodge.htm | Overview All writers crave an audience and appreciate constructive criticism. When middle schoolers become Writing Buddies to a group of third graders, they learn how to appreciate the work of young writers while sharpening their own editing skills. Using technology, students exchange writing and writing responses, and engage in thoughtful conversations about what constitutes good writing. The opportunity to engage a professional writer and educator in a Visiting Author Workshop opens doors to careers in writing and teaching.
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| 445 | Wising up to Water ~ Simple yet Complex | English/Language Arts,Service Learning,Science,Special Education,Technology | 11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/sweeney/sweeney.htm | Overview High schoolers collaborate with Urban Ecology Institute (UEI) at Boston College and Vista volunteers to share chemistry and media technology skills with local elementary students. Visits to their science buddies' school and presentations at their high school's learning festivals broaden their organizational and instructional skills. They investigate water careers, pursue testing techniques, and use curricula from the local water authority and the Internet. Participation in classroom demonstrations, learning festivals and a UEI conference leads to student advocacy of a citizenry wise in the ways of water our most precious compound
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| 446 | Geometry Shapes Playground Safety | English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Service Learning,Science,Technology | 9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/yee/yee.htm | Overview How safe are our neighborhood playgrounds? Using the latest statistics from the National Program for Playground Safety, students discover that most of the nation's playgrounds rate only a C. High schoolers observe and report on children at local playgrounds. They research the Internet for safety tips and checklists. Then, they share their word-processed pamphlets, flyers or computer slide shows with high school peers and children from a neighborhood day care center. Demonstrating the role of geometry in construction, students design, sketch and choose recycled materials to build 3-D models. They also use computer software to draw virtual playgrounds and present these products to students and community leaders during Playground Safety Week and at a school based learning festival.
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| 447 | Literacy Leaders for Life Long Learners | English/Language Arts,Service Learning,Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/Bower/ | Using the latest technology, high schoolers launch cross-school tutoring, connect with Learning Buddies from local elementary schools, and learn by teaching. With children as their audience, older students interact in a REAL environment and raise their own learning standards. |
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| 448 | Walk Her Way Along a Women's History Trail | English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Service Learning,Technology | 1,2,3,4,5 | http://bostonteachnet.org/DItria/ | Researching their historic Boston neighborhood, students create a Charlestown Women’s Heritage Trail to commemorate twelve local women. They share their findings with the community and other schools by conducting tours and distributing information on women ignored by history. |
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| 449 | Pay Attention To Our Earth! | Mathematics,Service Learning,Science,Technology | 10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/debear/ | Students participate in outdoor, hands-on activities that lead to enhanced environmental awareness and appreciation. They use technology to create web pages, science projects, posters and books which help communicate the value of protecting our natural resources for future generations. |
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| 450 | Virtual Urban Gardens | Arts,English/Language Arts,Service Learning,Science | 3,4,5 | http://bostonteachnet.org/Ganter/ | Equipped with floppy disks, students record results of their scientific observations in computer journals. They learn about the scientific method in their own school garden and urban orchard. Community based organizations contribute to their investigations that in turn are shared with family and other classes on the World Wide Web. |
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| 451 | Serving and Learning From Those Who Have Served | English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Service Learning,Social Studies,Technology | 6,7,8 | http://bostonteachnet.org/JohnsonS/ | A shelter for homeless veterans leads students to learn how to become Good Citizens while combining service and civic education. Technology serves as a source to gather and analyze information and address issues facing veterans and homeless people. |
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| 452 | Big Hearts, Little Hands Reach for Peace | Arts,English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Service Learning,Social Studies,Technology | 1,2,3,4,5 | http://bostonteachnet.org/JohnsonV/ | "No Dream’s too big. Reach for Peace." Inspired by this motto, children study the life of Louis D. Brown, a local victim of gang violence. They learn about historical and real life role models and use technology tools to encourage young and old community members to preach and practice peace. |
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| 453 | Community Portraits in Pictures and Words | Arts,English/Language Arts,Service Learning,Technology | 1,2,3,4,5 | http://bostonteachnet.org/Pappas/ | Student writers learn to serve when they donate a series of collaboratively written books to children. Bookmaking helps young authors work together on illustrations and text, acquire publishing skills through computer literacy, and develop personal themes of family and neighborhood. |
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| 454 | Techno Gardening | Service Learning,Science,Technology | 9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/Quinones/ | High school students representing several languages and programs call their school beautification project The Multicultural Garden. They use technology to research and produce a sophisticated multi-media presentation for prospective students and community partners. |
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| 455 | A Glimpse of Japan | Arts,English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Service Learning,Social Studies | k,1,2,3 | http://bostonteachnet.org/Rudder/ | Forming understandings about the world beyond, youngsters board the Internet to meet Japanese children. They study Japanese folktales and customs through computer software and literature. Like their Japanese peers, they honor the elderly and present them with computer made invitations, posters, and cards. |
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| 456 | Database Detectives Discover Democracy | English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Service Learning,Science,Social Studies,Technology | 5,6,7,8 | http://bostonteachnet.org/Scott/ | During local or national elections, students use computers as tools to collect and evaluate real-time, real-life data. Throughout the campaign process, they unite and involve the entire home and school community while introducing kindergarten and primary students to the concept of informed voting. |
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| 457 | Rooftop Garden | Mathematics,Service Learning,Science,Technology | 2,3,4,5 | http://bostonteachnet.org/Sheung/ | Urban children apply Internet agricultural research to their container garden located high among downtown buildings. Helping plant and care for the rooftop school garden are local seniors whose folklore and wisdom enrich this experiment in cultivating classroom and community |
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| 458 | Connecting Courage ~ Community ~ Computer | English/Language Arts,Service Learning,Social Studies,Technology | 6,7,8 | http://bostonteachnet.org/Vasallo/ | Students design, construct and maintain a
web site that contains their own stories of courage and highlights their involvement in community service learning. This project integrates learning, gives real world application to curriculum, and provides students technology skills they will use
in their work. |
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| 459 | Rediscovering the Richness of Roxbury ~ Neighborhood Know-How | Arts,English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Service Learning,Social Studies,Technology | 1,2,3 | http://bostonteachnet.org/Wright/ | Using technology to uncover and record neighborhood stories, students survey and document sidewalk history. They collaborate with senior citizens to identify and distribute information on key figures, organizations, and sites that define community. |
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| 460 | Get out the Vote for School Elections | Arts,English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Service Learning,Social Studies,Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/election/getvote.htm | Can schools influence participatory democracy? Students address the problem of voter apathy when they hold a school-wide mock election and develop plans to increase community participation in the voting process. As they contact and interact with election department officials, students study registration requirements and launch a publicity campaign to expand voter turnout on election day. Computers become voting machines when students apply their database skills to conduct the schoolwide election. Uniting the school community and motivating students to encourage families and friends to vote, the campaign encourages dialogues about the Rights ~ Responsibilities ~ Respect of citizenship. Successful outcomes demonstrate how the power of an informed and active citizenry starts at an early age.
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| 461 | Hands of Friendship Honor Veterans | Arts,English/Language Arts,Service Learning,Social Studies,Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/veterans/honorvets.htm | Why do we observe Veterans Day and Memorial Day? For participants in a cross grade tutoring project, these holidays are for singing patriotic songs and reflecting on our nation's history. Veterans of Foreign Wars visit the classroom and describe how their post was named for a World War I African American soldier. Then fourth graders research World War II history and interview veterans from that era. Inviting the veterans to act as resources, they revive The Friendship Doll Exchange, a historic pen pal project between American and Japanese children that now has evolved into an e-mail exchange. The older students tell kindergartners stories about famous Bostonians and help them create dolls based on these historic characters. As they send photos and stories to their e-pals, they restore a once lively tradition. During a Memorial Day ceremony students extend their hands of friendship to honor veterans.
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| 462 | The Not Forgotten Lessons from Burial Grounds | Arts,English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Service Learning,Social Studies,Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/burial/notforgotten.htm | How can youngsters learn to respect cemeteries?
Every community has at least one historic burial ground. Students capitalize on this legacy by learning and serving through these hallowed sites. When high school role models care for a cemetery adjacent to their school, they use primary sources to research the men and women who have served our nation since Revolutionary times. Students write elegies to "The Not Forgotten" and work with parks department staff, community leaders and veterans. Searching records and deeds from local archives helps identify restoration, research and maintenance challenges. Photography, mapping and documentation lead to plans for a searchable database. The dos and don'ts of caring for stone and metal artifacts reveal new careers in conservation and preservation. Best of all, the keepers of the flame publish a newsletter and create a Web site that describes their project and sends the important message: these teenagers have zero tolerance for cemetery abuse! |
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| 463 | Walk Her Way on a Women's History Trail | Arts,English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Service Learning,Social Studies,Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/historytrail/index.htm | What is fame?
As a preface to creating a Women's History trail, elementary students discuss and define this elusive state. To understand who is considered famous, they distribute questionnaires to families and friends. Data results reveal an enormous gender gap that students address by identifying and studying local women and sharing findings with younger children and e-pals. Neighborhood walks lead to an oral history project while students document their interviews with audio recordings and photos. Creating a database of women contributors, they add photos, primary source documents, and old newspaper articles to their files. Students profile their candidates at a schoolwide assembly, and prepare for an election to determine the final selection. With the brochure designed and word processed, students announce their Women's History Trail and invite the community to walk her way. |
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| 464 | Learning Buddies Learn to Teach~Teach to Learn | Arts,English/Language Arts,Mathematics,Service Learning,Social Studies,Technology | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/learnbuddy/index.htm | What's teaching all about?
Boston students prepare to step into teacher shoes when they tutor and mentor younger children. Originally designed by high school students and teachers, this SL model has taken off in schools at all levels, and in all disciplines. Learning Buddies is about sharing knowledge and skills as high school students help middle schoolers edit a publication; ninth graders coach sixth graders on their science fair projects; and fifth graders read to first graders. Applying new media skills for communication and presentations, participants keep in touch through e-mail and sometimes telecon-ferencing. They also enhance their portfolios with products created to assess individual teaching practice. Students who serve students facilitate transitions from one school level to another, promote literacy, and foster lifelong problem-solving skills for themselves and their Learning Buddies. |
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| 465 | Learning Festivals from School to School | Arts,English/Language Arts,Service Learning,Social Studies | k,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | http://bostonteachnet.org/learnfest/index.htm | What are Learning Festivals?
They are interdisciplinary school-to-school events where high school students host learning centers or stations for their Learning Buddies. If regularly scheduled throughout the year, they offer older students ways to assess their teaching skills. Students prepare for them by organizing learning stations around themes that reflect mutual objectives and interests. Recent themes include: Utopian Communities, Pathways to Peace, A Celebration of Multiple Intell |
