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Shared Learning Objectives Project Information -
Option 2
District: Capital Region BOCES
School/District Representative: Steve Janover
SLO Project Name: Web-based Inquiry - Frogs and Toads
Authored by: Steve Janover
E-mail: sjanover@mum.neric.org
Homepage address: instruct.neric.org/frogs
Grade Level(s): 4-5
Subject Area(s): Science, English Language Arts, Computer Literacy
Learning context:
Actual Learning Standards Referenced:
English Language Arts - Standard 1 - Language
for Information and Understanding (Elementary)
Students will read, write, listen and speak for information and
understanding.
Speaking and Writing
2. Speaking and Writing to acquire and transmit
information requires asking probing and clarifying questions, interpreting
information in one's own words, applying information from one context to
another, and presenting the information and interpretation clearly,
concisely, and comprehensibly.
English Language Arts - Standard 3 - Language for Critical Analysis
and Evaluation (Elementary) Students will read,
write, listen and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.
Listening and Reading
1. Listening and reading to analyze and evaluate
experiences, ideas, information, and issues requires using evaluative
criteria from a variety of perspectives and recognizing the difference in
evaluations based on different sets of criteria.
Speaking and Writing
2. Speaking and writing for critical analysis and
evaluation requires presenting opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas,
information, and issues clearly, logically, and persuasively with reference
to specific criteria on which the opinion or judgment is based.
MST - Standard 2 - Information Systems
(Elementary)
Students will access, generate,
process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.
Information Systems
1. Information technology is used to retrieve,
process, and communicate information and as a tool to enhance learning.
MST - Standard 4 - Science (Elementary)
Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and
theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and
recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
The Living Environment
3. Individual organisms and species change over
time.
4. The continuity of life is sustained through reproduction and development.
5. Organisms maintain a dynamic equilibrium that sustains life.
6. Plants and animals depend on each other and their physical environment.
Performance Indicators:
(ELA Standard 1 )
* gather and interpret information from children's reference books,
magazines, textbooks, electronic bulletin boards, audio and media
presentations, oral interviews, and from such forms as charts, graphs, maps,
and diagrams
* select information appropriate to the purpose of
their investigation and relate ideas from one text to another
* make appropriate and effective use of strategies to
construct meaning from print, such as prior knowledge about a subject,
structural and context clues, and an understanding of letter-sound
relationships to decode difficult words.
* present information clearly in a variety of oral and written forms such as
summaries, paraphrases, brief reports, stories, posters, and charts
* select a focus, organization, and point of view for oral and written
presentations
* observe basic writing conventions, such as correct spelling, punctuation,
and capitalization, as well as sentence and paragraph structures appropriate
to written forms
(ELA Standard 3)
* read and form opinions about a variety of literary
and informational texts and presentations, as well as persuasive texts such
as advertisements, commercials and letters to the editor
* express opinions (in such forms as oral and written reviews, letters to
the editor, essays, or persuasive speeches) about events, books, issues, and
experiences, supporting their opinions with some evidence.
* monitor and adjust their own oral and written
presentations to meet criteria for competent performance (E.g., in writing,
the criteria might include development of position, organization,
appropriate vocabulary, mechanics, and neatness. In speaking, the criteria
might include good content, effective delivery, diction, posture, poise, and
eye contact.)
* use effective vocabulary and follow the rules of grammar, usage, spelling,
and punctuation in persuasive writing
(MST Standard 2)
* use a variety of equipment and software
packages to enter, process, display, and communicate information in different
forms using text, tables, pictures, and sound.
* access needed information from printed media, electronic data bases, and
community resources.
(MST Standard 4)
* describe how the structures of plants and
animals complement the environment of the plant or animal.
* observe that differences within a species may
give individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing.
* describe the major stages in the life cycles
of selected plants and animals.
* describe basic life functions of common
living specimens.
* describe some survival behaviors of common
living specimens.
* describe how plants and animals, including
humans, depend upon each other and the nonliving environment.
Assessments:
1) Successful completion of Web-Inquiry based on
Grading Rubric.
2) Successful completion of in-class exam.
3) Completion of online assessments.
Student Outcomes (Exemplars):
1) Students will be familiar with taking online
assessments and gathering research material from the Web. These skills can
be applied to other topics and curriculum areas.
2) Pupils will use information gathered to write an essay on any one of
several topics from the Web-inquiry.
3) Students will have general information about frogs and
toads and will be able to identify several local species.
4) Students will understand metamorphosis and will learn the importance of the frog as a barometer of
environmental health.
Procedure:
Specific inquiry/activity:
The objectives of this inquiry are
to answer several fundamental questions and explore the following areas:
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What are some characteristics
of frogs and toads?
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Where do they live? (habitat)
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What are the similarities
and differences between frogs and toads?
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Identify several local species of frogs
and toads.
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What is the life cycle of a frog?
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What is the role of the frog in the
environment?
This inquiry is designed as an online supplement for
elementary 4-5 students and teachers who wish to expand their knowledge about
frogs and toads. It provides a list of Web sites to explore, activities,
assessments, documents, and a list of resources.
Assessment scores are not permanently recorded, but can
be used as a rough guide for the student to determine prior knowledge and
mastery of the subject matter.
The inquiry is designed to last 12 hours in length. It
can be delivered over the course of 12 class days for a duration of one hour per day.
Day 1 - The teacher
introduces the topic and explains the procedures and parts of the inquiry.
Day 2 - The
instructor reviews the topic and uses an LCD panel projector and Internet
connected computer to walk the class through the areas of the inquiry.
Days 3-9 - Students
perform the web-inquiry in a computer lab or library. Besides taking
notes on the various sites visited, the class also needs to do the online
assessments.
Days 10, 11 - If possible, the teacher should
schedule a field trip to a local frog pond, nature park, or museum that
contains live and preserved frogs and toads.
Day 12 - Teacher
administers an in-class exam based on the inquiry and initiates a post
inquiry discussion. The exam will include objective, as well as essay
questions. Student findings need to be summarized and reviewed. Participation
in the post inquiry discussion will be graded as indicated in the
rubric. The
teacher may discuss how the skills and techniques utilized in this
activity can be applied to other topics and subject areas.
Instructional Modifications: large typeface
display for visually impaired students may be used. Inquiry activities
during days 3-9 may be assigned as homework.
Time Required: 12 hours
Resources (materials):
Web sites utilized:
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/1337/info.html
http://cgee.hamline.edu/frogs/science/frogfact.html
http://allaboutfrogs.org/froglnd.shtml
http://www.ecc.ttu.edu/edit5318/DUnfred/FrogStudent.htm
http://www.ecc.ttu.edu/edit5318/DUnfred/FrogTeacher.htm
http://www.norcrossws.org/html/frogsandtoads.htm
http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow9/jun99/
http://library.thinkquest.org/J0110059/index.html
http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/temp/index.htm
Reflections:
This inquiry can be adapted to many different topics
in science and also reworked for other curricular areas.
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