City Sites
HOW IT WORKS
City Sites are
not always as familiar as the millions of tourists who visit
daily with what their city has to offer. The same can also
be said for students. City Sites is a
technology-driven program supported by a Social Studies and
Language Arts curriculum about New York City. The students,
through the use of the Internet, go on virtual tours of some
of the city’s most popular sites, obtaining information that
will be used to create new brochures for future visitors.
The first step is for the students to familiarize themselves
with the Internet. They learn to log on, access a search
engine (google.com), and search for pictures on the site
they have chosen to explore. Once the students acquire this
basic skill, they learn to copy, paste, and save in
Microsoft Word so they can easily retrieve their found
information. The search is guided by an Information Response
Sheet that asks for specific data: location, architect,
construction dates, etc. The students also list five facts
about their site that they find interesting. After all the
information has been collected, the students place it into a
brochure format using a template created by the teacher in
Print Shop 5.0 that is then loaded on each computer so they
can work at their own pace.
THE STUDENTS
There were 12 special education students (12:1:1)
participating in this program. They visited the computer lab
twice a week. The computer skills were easily learned by
most of the students. The research end of the project that
involved acquiring information challenged the students to
use their literacy skills. Their literacy efforts were
reinforced by the teacher and the paraprofessional
responsible for the project. This project can be easily
adapted to all age levels and abilities.
THE STAFF
Susan Naclerio has been a Special Education teacher at the
Bronx Occupational Training Center, P721X, for the past 20
years. She has a Master’s Degree in Special Education from
the University of Virginia. She has enhanced her teaching
skills by completing courses at Boston College and Columbia
University Teacher’s College and through district and
in-house workshops.
tion.
WHAT YOU NEED
This program requires a computer with Internet access,
printers, ink cartridges, software programs Print Shop 5.0
(or an updated version) and Microsoft Word, worksheets
provided by the teacher, and brochure paper.
OVERALL VALUE
City Sites is a very effective tool in engaging
students in a project that uses the computer not only as a
vehicle to obtain information but also to advance
self-learning through the Internet. By using technology, the
students are able to acquire a more in-depth understanding
of their site through both textural and visual sources. The
culminating activity--creating brochures--allows the
students to make the connection between their research on
the Internet and how the information can be presented.
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