As of September 30, 2005, the North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium is no longer in operation.
|
|
|
|
|
Activity One:
Class Discussion. This activity should take one 60-minute class period.
Purpose:
Introduction of communication inventions through pictures and establishing
groups for research work. The visual images created by the pictures will help
stimulate class discussion and create a common reference point for all students.
Using The Amazing Picture Machine, show the pictures found by conducting a keyword search for the word "communication." Elicit discussion as to what the pictures have in common. (They all deal with forms of communication.) Discuss what is unique to each form of communication shown (time period, form of communication, complexity of device of communication, etc.). While discussing the devices and their intent, begin to ask students about their perceptions of the communication devices. Why were they invented? What was life like before these inventions? How did the inventions change the lives of the people of the time? How has the original purpose of the invention changed over time?
As students are discussing the various forms of communication, list them on poster paper. Write down any questions that may arise and the students' perceptions. Encourage your students to write their own thoughts and those of their classmates in their own journals.
Materials:
Internet Web site: The Amazing
Picture Machine (http://www.ncrtec.org/picture.htm)
Poster paper, markers, student science journals, pencils
Lesson:
Possible communication inventions include verbal story telling, printing press,
pony express, telegraph, telephone, radio, motion pictures, television, satellites,
and computers.
Activity Two:
Research Project and Chronological Timeline. This activity will take two or
three class periods.
Note: Chronological Timeline and research in the media center and on the Internet are going on at the same time. As students find research information for the timeline, they add to the chronological timeline.
Purpose: Introduce timeline, establish criteria for students' work, and begin research.
By the end of the discussion in Activity One, the students will have developed an interest in one of the many communication inventions. Organize groups of students by interest in the various forms of communication. Inform your students that they will research one of the communication devices and later share information with the class regarding:
Tell your students that they will be using the library as well as the Internet to research these ideas. As you conclude your discussion at the end of each day, encourage your students to write their thoughts in their science journals. Journal entries should address questions such as the following: What is communication? Why is it important? What communication inventions do you have in your home, see in businesses, and see at school?
Introduce the chronological timeline to students. Instruct students to add events to the timeline as they find the dates of the inventions or of other important events. You may want to use a flexible timeline to allow students to adjust the placement of events in case students disagree over the dates. If the students find pictures of life in the time period that they are investigating, ask them to place these on the timeline. These pictures will help students imagine what life was like before they were born.
Review the purpose of the research time, what the students are looking for, and the requirements of the final project. Begin the research in the media center, on the Internet, or with other resources, such as print materials and CD-ROMs.
Assessment to this point will be based on whether individual students are understanding the concepts. Do they understand what you want them to do? Do they contribute to the discussion? Have they recorded ideas in their journals?
Materials:
The Amazing Picture Machine (http://www.ncrtec.org/picture.htm)
ENC (http://www.enc.org)
Lincoln School - Springfield (http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/schools/lincoln)
Pony Express History (http://www.ccnet.com/~xptom/ponyhist.html)
Poster paper, markers, student science journals, pencils, rolled paper to create the timeline, Post-ItTM notes, and pencils
Possible communication inventions include verbal story telling, printing press, pony express, telegraph, telephone, radio, motion pictures, television, satellites, and computers.
Share the final assignment with the students so that they can use it as a guide in conducting their research.
Lesson:
The presentation assignment will be to:
Present a report to the class giving the following information:
The class presentation may involve each group member presenting:
Begin conducting the research only after all of the students understand the work they will be doing. Students will become discouraged when they do not immediately find the information for which they are searching. The information is available, but is hard to find. Students will also need to be encouraged to focus on the information in a meaningful way. As you are working with the groups of students, ask questions that reflect back on the original questions. (What is the value of the invention? How did it change the world? Is it a good invention or not? Why?)
You may find a group that is unable to find information. If so, allow the group to select another communication device. Changing a topic does not mean failure, but merely that not enough sources of information on the device are available to the students.
You may find it most helpful to pause and assemble the class for a debriefing and sharing session. Discuss successful techniques that students are using in locating information, what they are learning about communications, whether any communication inventions relate to other devices, how, and why. Prompt your students to probe their classmates' thoughts. Encourage note taking and journal writing as their investigation progresses.
Discussing the timeline and what students are posting is also beneficial. As you discuss the historical events, ask the students if they see connections between the inventions and what is going on in their own world. What knowledge gained in their social studies classes can be applied to the chronological timeline?
Assessment at this point is concerned with whether the students are staying on task. Are they searching various forms of information source, such as books, encyclopedias, CDs, and Internet sites? Are the individual members contributing? When they find information valuable to another group, do they share it? Are they contributing to the group timeline?
Students continue to seek information and prepare work to present to the class and to add significant events to the timeline.
Activity Three:
Class Presentations
The class presentation may involve each group member presenting:
This report provides a chance for the students to share with fellow learners and to be critical listeners. As each group shares its new learning, encourage the audience to take notes on the presentation. While listening to each presentation, the students should think critically about the information being shared. Does the information conflict with their own, does it substantiate their findings, does it help them understand why or how one invention was improved or led to another invention?
After each presentation, examine the chronological timeline to see if new items
need to be added. Ask leading questions as to how the presentation relates to
the other groups' research information. What impact has the invention had? Was
it a bad or a good invention? Why or why not? What problem did the invention
solve? Did it create new ones? How does the invention relate to American history?
Can it be mapped?
|
Contact Us | Privacy Policy |