Lesson 6
A Growing Success
This HyperStudio project about plants is an excellent way to finish up a unit on plants. What better way for your students to show what they have learned about plants than by creating a multimedia presentation? You should plan on four weeks for the completion of this project. The first three weeks will be used for research and computer time. The fourth week is reserved for student presentations. Note: This project has been done using HyperStudio. Any multimedia software program can be used, if properly modified. Click here for HyperStudio basics.
Objectives:
The student will complete a HyperStudio presentation on plants.
The student will use technology tools to locate and collect information from a variety of sources.
The students will use technology to enhance creativity in communication skills.
The student will listen and respond to a variety of oral presentations, such as multimedia presentations.
Time
Required:
Four Weeks
Materials:
HyperStudio software or comparable software
Reference materials on plants (i.e., CD-ROMs, reference books, etc.)
Computer with Internet access
Procedures:
Explain to your students that they will be working in pairs to create an eight-card stack on plants. No more than two students should be assigned to each topic. Some topics could be: Plants of the Arctic Tundra, Plants of the Woodlands and Forests, Plants of the Desert, Plants of the Rainforest, or Plants of the Prairies and Dry Plains. Below are some links where students can find information on the plants of the different biomes:
MGBNet is a great site that features the biomes of the world: rainforest, tundra, taiga, desert, temperate and grasslands. It also features freshwater and marine ecosystems.
Toucan Sam this fun site gives facts about rainforest plants.
Fortune offers excellent information about plants of the rainforest.
Desert USA learn all about the American southwest desert.
Mirage Mall offers interesting information about the Lower Sonoran Desert and has great jpg pictures of desert animals.
Have your students research their topics during the first week of the project. Once they have finished their research, have them storyboard their stacks, so they are ready to work on a computer when it is their turn.
Each stack should be divided up in this manner. Card #1 should be the title card and should include the title of the stack, authors' names, a graphic of some sort, and a button that is connected to the table of contents card. If your students build a linear stack, they will only need one button that will take them to the next card. If your students build a branching stack, then there should be a button that goes to each card in the stack on the table contents card. Card #3 should be used as an introduction card. You may want to have your students answer several questions about plants, to give stack readers an understanding of plants. Some suggested questions are as follows: What is a plant? What are the parts of a plant? Cards #4 - #6 should describe specific plants, give a graphic about the plant being described, and include at least one button. Card #7 can be a card filled with interesting facts about plant the students chose such as where the plant lives, what it does, photo of plant, etc. Finally, card #8 should list five questions that the readers of these stacks must answer. The answer to these questions must be fond somewhere else in the stack. Try not to make these questions too difficult for your fellow classmates.
When all stacks are completed, each student pair will have the opportunity to read and answer the questions from the other stacks. It should take approximately 10 - 15 minutes for students to read through and answer questions from one stack. Set up a schedule that allows each group to see each stack. Have students answer the questions on blank pieces of paper.
Evaluation:
Extension
Activity:
Students will go on a field trip to Fairchild Tropical Gardens or other local garden attraction.
Home Learning:
