Learner Description -

Anne Sullivan Elementary School, 5th grade students.

Overview &endash;

Students will be engaged in a performance-based, multi-disciplinary unit punctuated by an instructional model that is both interactive and collaborative. The teacher facilitates a project driven by student exploration and understanding validated by authentic and challenging task management.

What will be taught? How will it be taught? What will students do and learn?

* What happens when people are oppressed? As a class, we explored this particular question at the beginning of our unit connecting to real world events and then focusing on the Revolutionary War.

* Activated prior knowledge and background information, and accessed content by previewing the lesson and taking a picture walk in the social studies text.

* Read, reviewed and discussed social studies text, Chapters 8

and 9.

* Students completed a comprehension packet (A modified comprehension packet was given to special students).

* Wrote entries in our social studies' writing journal that focused on utilizing higher level thinking skills.

* Aided by A Revolutionary Experience research packet and tool kit distributed to each student (A modified packet was given to special students), children were given the task to develop an Apple Presentation highlighting a Revolutionary War event or important person. The packet contained information including, but not limited to, the following: schedule and due dates, purpose of the project and expectations, slides required and information to be included with a focus on the essential questions, a section on taking notes, writing a bibliography, a contract to be signed by both student and parent with a section on plagiarism, and a questionnaire. Two packets were made available to students: a regular packet and a modified one.

* Students were required to complete two Apple Presentation classes.

* Students designed a rubric for their final assessment. However, additional items should be taken into consideration via anecdotal notes: teamwork, attitude, and deadlines.

Rationale - Purpose for the unit as a whole. The WHY questions.

Why would you teach this unit?

The purpose of the technology project is to explore one aspect of the Revolutionary War as it relates to our country's history. Students will synthesize learned and researched information separating fact from fiction and using higher-level thinking skills to formulate conclusions. Utilizing social studies, reading, language arts, research, public speaking and technology skills, students will design and implement a project culminating in an Apple Presentation to be shared with the class.

Why would this qualify as an Engaged Learning unit?

The project would qualify as an Engaged Learning unit because it meets the basic criteria as follows: children are engaged in authentic and multi-disciplinary tasks, assessments are based on students' performance of real tasks, students participate in interactive modes of instruction and work collaboratively, students are grouped heterogeneously and learn through exploration, and the teacher is a facilitator and guide in the learning process.

Why is technology an important component of this unit?

Technology plays an important role in the unit by acting as a conduit through which learning can be acquired and shared. The six essential learnings are explored and knowledge is deepened as the student acquires, analyzes, and selects new information through a variety of sources. Meaning is constructed through collaboration with other team members vis-à-vis students and teachers finally coaching other children and deepening understanding.

Why is this project authentic/meaningful, and challenging for students?

The project is authentic and meaningful yet challenging for students for several reasons. Students are engaged and responsible for their own learning both individually and as a group. Students address and solve a variety of concerns while integrating reading, language arts, social studies, art, music, and technology. The assessment is developed by the student with a teacher acting as facilitator. Throughout the project, the teacher acts as a guide who is simultaneously learning with her students. Lastly, students learn from one another and teach their fellow students to utilize and develop real-life products.

Goals - Content, Cognitive and Social - The WHAT questions

What new attributes (knowledge, skills, attitudes) do you expect students to gain?

Integrating social studies, language arts, reading, and technology students will gain an understanding of the causes/effects of oppression beginning with a world view and focusing on the Revolutionary War through class discussion, exploration of a variety of written learning and comprehension materials, and technology components. Additionally, students will gain knowledge in selecting, gathering and synthesizing research materials in order to produce a written project. Students will participate in teacher-directed classes on designing an assessment rubric and an Apple Presentation.

What school, district, state and national standards/benchmarks are addressed?

Literacy: Goals 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 5C.

Social Studies: Goals 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D, 14F, 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D, 17A, 18B.

Learning Activities - The activities required to achieve the goals.

The How questions.

Student Assessment- Enables student and teacher to measure student's attainment of goals.

What are my scoring characteristics? (What do I want to measure? What is an important outcome of this unit?)

Scoring will be ongoing and authentic based on observation and anecdotal notes as well as a student-designed rubric. Measurements are based on factual knowledge gained and applied, detail in terms of information, pictures, and musical selection, absence of plagiarism, bibliography, creativity, presentation, communication, individual contribution and teamwork.

What will indicate that students are novices, practitioners, or experts?

Student's designed a rubric used for scoring their project. The rubric clearly delineates the difference between a novice, practitioner and an expert.

How will I measure and communicate student progress on the goals?

A schedule and specific due dates were discussed with students at the outset of the project. Then students and teacher engaged in ongoing one-on-one, small group and whole class conferences throughout the project to verify topics, provide assistance and updates, and set future goals.

How can students be involved in establishing goals and criteria for the assessment?

At the beginning of the project, students assisted in scheduling specific due dates and goals. Then, with the guidance of a teacher, students developed a rubric to be used for the final project.

How will the assessments be implemented to ensure that they are generative? Seamless and ongoing? Equitable for all students? An authentic task?

Students were made aware of the requirements at the beginning of the project. Then students designed and implemented their own rubric.

How will students demonstrate their knowledge and skills?

Students demonstrated their knowledge and skills on a continual basis. Tasks were assigned, due dates given, followed by a student/teacher conference. This provided me with the opportunity to check on the ongoing knowledge acquired and continuing skill development in relation to the topic at hand, and the research and technology components. The individual meetings provided for one-on-one time to check progress, provide positive feedback, tweak work, and set future goals.

Management

How will you manage student work individually and in groups? - What resources will you need to do this unit?

Resources needed for this unit are as follows:

The teacher as a resource is a given as well as additional support from the technology department during two phases of the project: Apple Presentation and developing a student-designed rubric. Students also acted a resource for one another providing information and support throughout the process. Finally, working with our school librarian provided both the teacher and students the opportunity to select materials that were appropriate to the students' ability and reading level.

How will the room(s) be arranged?

The classroom arrangement has not changed, however, students were made aware of the materials and resources available to them.

Where will equipment and materials be located to promote maximum use?

Both materials and equipment were located around the classroom, in the technology laboratory, and the school library. Additionally, some students traveled to their local library, which provided the opportunity to review additional materials needed for the project.

Where will students need to work and how can they be accommodated?

Initially, students were provided with time to go to the library selecting the appropriate books. Because I suggested using A.R. books for their project, students were given time during the school day to read and collect their research and fill out their research cards. Some reading at home in order to complete the initial reading and research was also required. During our regular time in the computer lab, students worked together to complete their projects. Additional computer lab time was provided during the last month of the project. Students were also encouraged to stay after school for added time and support.

How will students with special needs be helped?

Students with special needs were provided with a modified packet and, while expectations remain high, the amount of work was reduced in order to sustain maximum effort and provide adequate support.

Unit Evaluation

What will I need to do, be aware of, and/or gather while teaching the unit in order to answer these questions?

Throughout the unit I had ongoing discussions with students, gathered anecdotal notes, and made changes based on feedback, goals, and accomplishments.

What was effective?

At the conclusion of the unit, I debriefed with my students. This session provided a format for students to openly and honestly discuss the project, sharing feedback, successes and suggestion for the following year. As a teacher, many issues came to the forefront, and I was pleased to know the students recognized the intrinsic value of the project. For your review, I have shared many of their comments below:

* I liked the wide variety of topics from which to choose.

* Looking for research materials was easy.

* Working together as partners was positive. We could share ideas, divide work, ask my partner for help and each other's opinions, and divide work equally based on individual talent.

* Students who finished early could help other students.

* We could double-check other students' work.

* Extra school time in the computer lab was good!

* Partners switched off to divide work. We were both responsible for the work, meeting outside of school to complete the project. We also had a sense of responsibility toward each other. We also changed roles during the project (pictures/typing the Apple Presentation).

* We had enough time to get the research cards ready.

* Liked the 2nd set of cards to finalize the presentation before going to computer lab.

* Sharing music with other kids is fun!

* As partners, we got together outside of school to do homework then work on the project. We shared ideas with other classmates.

* The project gave us a chance to help each other.

* I got to use my creativity and imagination.

* I learned how to use technology, and to research.

* I learned how to pace myself during a project.

* I became an expert using my own words and learned a lot about the subject matter.

* It was fun!

* I will use these skills in the future.

* My own personal slide show &endash; it's mine!

What wasn't effective? What will I do differently next time?

The students made two excellent suggestions that I plan to use in the future: 1) Additional time in the library to research and then choose a topic, 2) The students suggested that all students work in pairs rather than some individually in order to share opinions and obtain additional information.