WHERE WE LIVE

Where We Live

Author(s):

Laura Glenn & Tracy Schneider
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bww/index.html

Grade Level:

4th grade

Timeframe:

Approx 10 days, 60 min each

Lesson Plan Description:

Students will go through each of the activities on the web site to see how plants, animals, people, culture and language work together to create our world.

Indiana Curricular Standards


Social Studies
4.5.2 Identify the different types of social groups to which people belong and the functions these groups perform.
4.5.3 Define the term cultural group and give examples of the challenges faced by diverse cultural groups in Indiana history.
Science
4.3.8 Explain that the rotation of Earth on its axis every 24 hours produces the night-and-day cycle.
Language Arts
4.4.7 Use multiple reference materials and online information (the Internet) as aids to writing.
4.7.3 Identify how language usage (sayings and expressions) reflects regions and cultures.

ISTE Standards

Technology productivity tools
Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.

Assessments
Formative/Summative

After each day of activities students will be asked to journal about what they have done that day. After going through all of the online activities the students will then be asked to create something that shows what they have learned through the activities and how they feel about what they have learned. These projects can be written papers, oral presentations, power points, hand or computer aided drawing, or a drama. Also, in their journals they will complete the “L” portion of our KWL chart to see if they learned things that were previously mentioned.

Prior Knowledge

Curricular Knowledge or Skills: Students will be given the questions listed on the web site and as a class we will create a KWL chart to see what students think they know about the topics and to see what it is they would like to find out.
Technology Knowledge: As a class we will go through the first few steps of starting this project to insure students know how to get started.

Technology


Internet Resources: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bww/index.html
http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/ballc/animals/animals.html
http://accent.gmu.edu/
http://www.gorin.com/phrase/
http://www.ipl.org/youth/hello/index.html
http://www.ipl.org/youth/hello/index.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/explore/khufuenter.html
http://www.plimoth.org/visit/virtual/
http://www.schoolmenu.com/menus.htm
http://www.flags.net/index.php?index=full
http://www.banknotes.com/images.htm
http://www.student.city.ac.uk/~rc313/weirdfood.html
http://www.weird-food.com/
http://www.embassy.org/embassies/
http://www.myhero.com/myhero/go/directory/directory.asp?dir=hero%27s
http://www.time.com/time/time100/heroes/index.html
http://www.heroesofhistory.com/page2.html
http://myhero.com/directory/directory.asp
http://www.nrdc.org/onearth/03fal/heroes1.asp
http://www.fi.edu/tfi/units/life/habitat/habact3.html
http://www.discovery.com/stories/nature/sharkweek2000/sharkweek2000.html
http://www.discovery.com/cams/ant/antmain.html
http://www.fi.edu/tfi/units/life/habitat/habact2.html
http://home.earthlink.net/overquota.html
http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/chf/pub/virtualbird/student/les4.html
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/PhotoGallery/
http://animal.discovery.com/
http://co.essortment.com/kidsgardening_mzt.htm
http://www.fi.edu/sln/school/tfi/spring96/hydroponics.html
http://www.mbgnet.net/
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/nreos/forest/topics/leafco~1.html
http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellationjavalist.html
http://www.seds.org/messier/more/mw.html
http://www.epa.gov/kids/
http://www.time.gov/
http://www.visualpharm.com/wallpaper/earth_at_the_night_1024x768.jpg


Hardware: Microsoft Word, for students to answer the questions provided to them to save daily.

Software: Screen reading software

Materials: Computers with internet access (1 per pair)

Procedure

Students will be working in pairs and each pair will be given a number 1-6 (there will approx. 2 sets of pairs for each number). Each group (1-6) will be assigned a starting place and then will move to a different topic each day.

Day one: Class with gather together with their journals and begin discussion for the KWL chart. As a class we will write down things that the students know about the different topics discussed and what the students would like to learn from this project. These items will also be written down in each student journals.

Project one: Global
When students get to this topic they will explore the web sites provided to answer the following questions and then write in their journal about this information.
Where is the earth?
How does the movement of the earth change our lives?
How does where people live on the globe impact their lives?

Project two: Plants
When students get to this topic they will explore the web sites provided to answer the following questions and then write in their journal about this information.
How do plants change because of their conditions?
What are conditions?
What conditions have an impact on plants?

Project three: Animals
When students get to this topic they will explore the web sites provided to answer the following questions and then write in their journal about this information.
How do animals adapt to the places they live?
Give three examples of how an animal adapted to its conditions.

Project four: People
When students get to this topic they will explore the web sites provided to answer the following questions and then write in their journal about this information.
· How do people live in different parts of the world?
· What do they admire and like?
· How does a person gain the respect of others?

Project five: Cultures
When students get to this topic they will explore the web sites provided to answer the following questions and then write in their journal about this information.
What kinds of things make up a people's "culture?"
How do people create a culture?
Why do people create cultures?

Project six: Language
When students get to this topic they will explore the web sites provided to answer the following questions and then write in their journal about this information.
Why do people in different parts of the world speak different languages?
What is language?
Learn three interesting things to communicate in a different language.
How can people communicate without language?
Days 8 &9 students will work on their final project with their partner. Students will individually finish the “L” portion of the KWL chart in their journals. Once these projects on completed students will then present their information to the class (day 10).

Differentiated Instruction

ESL
ESL students can use software that will read the screen to them. If there are several ESL students in the class that speak the same language then they could also use software that can translate the web sites into their first language.

Challenge/Extend

Students that need a challenge can do the final step in each of the activities which was to make up 3 rules about that topic. Also, these students can provide additional information in their final projects.

Special Needs

Students will be in pairs and these pairs will be assigned by the teacher with a purpose. Groups will be assigned so that students can work together, help each other out and complement each others weaknesses.
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