Kris+Butts

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=** Lesson 1- Problem-based learning **= =** Grade Level: Middle School **=
 * Unit: Recycling Woes **

Introduction: We all want to do our share and “reduce, reuse, recycle”, yet how do we go about making a difference in a small town that has no recycling opportunities? My town recently closed our only recycling plant. This was tragic for our community not only because we now no longer recycle, but also since the plant employed a great number of our disabled adults. This year, my students and I will take a closer look at recycling. Does it work? How much does it cost? Does it cost more in our community than in larger cities? Why? How can our community do our part towards conservationism without a recycling plant?

GOALS: Content Standards:

1. Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. 2. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features. 3. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience. 4. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

ACTION:


 * Before-class preparation: ** This unit is geared towards a community lacking in a recycling plant. Read the unit to decide if it will work in your community. It may be adapted in various ways to suit your needs. Research and understand the environmental issues affecting your area in regards to recycling before you begin.

Introduce this unit by sharing images of landfills, tapping into students’ recognition networks and making the problem real to them (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2007). Use images to begin a class discussion about recycling in Montana. At my school, our students used to collect paper recycling and take it to the plant themselves; they understand the relevancy of this topic. Eagleton and Dobler cite Zwiers (2004) who points out “when students feel that they… already know something about a topic, they will be much more likely to be interested in learning a little more about it” (2007, p. 83). Help students feel the impications of the recycling issue in their own community.
 * Instructional Activities: **

Use Eagleton and Dobler’s (2007) QUEST strategy for Internet inquiry. Questioning will begin with a KWHL chart to brainstorm a list of possible questions we can research. Small groups will take on various questions and begin research online at ThinkQuest.com (see lesson 2). Create a checklist for students to follow as they search online and take notes on their digital journals.


 * Diverse learners: ** To scaffold this lesson for diverse learners, the teacher should conduct daily mini-lessons using videos and online simulations to spark their interests and motivation. Group struggling learners together, working with them often by providing “ongoing, relevant feedback” regarding their progress (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2007, p. 120). Graphic organizers and peer mentors will also assist them.

MONITOR:


 * Ongoing assessment: ** Students will reflect daily on their progress using our digital journals. Digital journals are simple word processing documents dated for each class period and saved in an online folder that I can access through our network. “Reflection provides a natural opportunity for providing cognitive feedback” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2007, p. 152). By having students explain their daily progress and set goals for the next session, the teacher will get daily formative assessment and students get a chance to solidify their new knowledge.


 * Final group product: ** Each group will complete a final project that shares the information they researched with the community. One group may conduct waste audits on local business and schools and share their findings using a storyboard presentation. Another group may create a presentation for city managers and local waste disposal organizations. Another group may conduct interviews with community members to create personal narratives. A group may choose to create a solution or begin a recycling program. Allow students to decide on group products as they explore needs in your community.
 * Individual product: ** The final outcome of this project for each student will be a digital storyboard telling the story of a piece of trash in our community (see lesson 3). Students should be able to present their stories to community members.

EVALUATION: As your students become experts on this topic and are able to share their knowledge in the community, this lesson will “stimulate curiosity related to real-world problem solving” (Alvermann, Phelps & Ridgeway, 2007, p. 182). This project lead to future career options for young adult students and it could have a profound effect on their attitudes toward conservationism. Keep in mind that this project has to be student-centered. Depending on the learning styles of the groups, outcomes may change. Students may decide to create videos or flyers sharing their knowledge. You may even end up putting on a student-led informational meeting for your community. Let your students be the creators for this project,and there is no telling how far it may go!

Kris B. 8th Grade English

Resources: Alvermann, D., Phelps, S., & Ridgeway, V. (2007). //Content area reading and literacy: Succeeding in today’s diverse classrooms.// Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning Eagleton, M. & Dobler, E. (2007). //Reading the web: Strategies for Internet inquiry.// New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

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= =**Unit: Recycling Woes**= =**Lesson 2: Thinkquest: Collaboration Project**= =**Grade Level: Middle School**=

To foster critical thinking, teamwork and creativity, my students will use the ThinkQuest web site as their project home base. The ThinkQuest site can be a foundation for project-based learning. Here, students can access, edit, and publish their assignment. This site allows the teacher to link resources that student groups can use to research their pieces of the project. The best part is that it allows the teacher to initiate collaboration with schools in other towns who may have similar recycling needs. This portion of the recycling unit encourages creative thinking because students will “ use their own initiative to decide what action to take based on their analysis of the data and their desire to make a difference” (White Paper, 2009, p. 6). They will then work collaboratively with each other and with students from another state or country to find solutions to an authentic environmental issue in their lives.
 * Introduction:**

GOALS: Content Standards

1. Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. 2. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features. 3. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience. 4. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

ACTION:


 * Before-class preparation:** Set up an account at ThinkQuest.org. You will need an administrator to sign and agree to the site terms, so make sure to give yourself plenty of time. Once the site is set up, click “New Project” to write the terms of the recycling project. At the setup page, you can add resource links, set up small group project tabs, and add student accounts to give them access.

Using a projector, demonstrate the use of the ThinkQuest site. After each group has decided on the aspect of recycling they wish to pursue, show the groups how to set up a link on your project page. This link can be their dashboard for adding, editing and revising the information they discover during their QUEST.
 * Instructional Activities:**

Conduct mini-lessons teaching students how to analyze web site authenticity. Alan November’s //Web Literacy for Educators// (2008) offers suggestions for mini-lessons about how to read URLs and check for valid authors. Because students are using the Internet as a primary tool for information, it is important that they understand the concept that “anyone can publish anything they want online” (November, 2008, p. 30). November’s REAL strategy is an effective method to teach (November, 2008, pp. 31-47). The ThinkQuest web site also offers a place on the student project page where the teacher can provide links to worthwhile sites.

Use the World link at ThinkQuest to reach out to schools across the world. Try to find a school with similar community issues to link with. Using ThinkQuest, you can expand your project to allow collaboration between your students and the other class.


 * Diverse learners:** To scaffold this lesson for diverse learners, the teacher should conduct daily mini-lessons using videos and online simulations to spark their interests and motivation. Group struggling learners together, working with them often by providing “ongoing, relevant feedback” regarding their progress (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2007, p. 120). Graphic organizers and peer mentors will also assist them.

MONITOR:


 * Ongoing assessment:** Continue using digital journals to allow students a place for reflection and goal-setting each day. Begin monitoring student input on their group tabs at the ThinkQuest web site. Each day, groups should be collaborating to add further research and data about their area of the project. On the ThinkQuest site, the teacher can also add questions or clarifications to guide learning.

Provide quizzes as needed to monitor understanding about Internet safety and recycling information. Have students create methods for sharing their learning weekly with the class. Students could even create assessment methods for checking understanding as they teach the class about what they learn.


 * Final group product:** Products will vary depending on group interests and learning styles. Create a checklist or rubric to monitor student learning. The rubric should be written collaboratively with the students, since each group will have unique outcomes and expectations.

EVALUATION: Review student reflection notes to monitor understanding of recycling information as well as Internet use policies. Study group pages on ThinkQuest to insure students are collaborating on final projects. Assess community interest in the project. You may modify the project to suit community needs in the coming years.

References:

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). //Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach.// Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning.

November, A. (2008). //Web literacy for educators.// Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

//The power of project learning with ThinkQuest// [Online Pamphlet]. (2009, August 3). Menlo Park, CA: SRI International. Retrieved August 5, 2010, from []

=** Unit: Recycling Woes **= =** Lesson 3: Recycling: A Digital Story **= = **Grade Level: Middle School** = After spending three or four weeks researching the implication of landfills and waste in our community, the students will now be able to “reflect, represent, and communicate what they know” in the form of a digital story to share with the community (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 67). During this lesson, students will combine their knowledge of recycling with their burgeoning writing skills to tell a story about a piece of trash. “A well-told story can bring an invaluable sense of immediacy to your cause” when your goal is to make an impact (Satterfield, 2007). This project will give substance to students’ efforts to change their community for the better by helping them create a tangible, visual experience that will leave a lasting impression on their audience. GOALS: Content Standards 1. Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. 2. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features. 3. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts. 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes. ACTION:
 * Introduction: **
 * Before-class preparation: ** Familiarize yourself with narration software that has the capability to scan images and video as well as record audio. For the Mac, i-Movie is the simplest and most readily-available tool for these purposes.
 * Instructional Activities: **

__ Planning __ : Begin the assignment with a clear prompt. Before writing, students should understand the purpose of the lesson- to illustrate for the community the importance of reducing waste. To reach this goal, students will write and illustrate a story about a specific piece of trash. This piece of trash- a battery, diaper, glass bottle, etc., will become the main character in the story each student writes. Based on the area of research students chose, they will determine their ‘characters’ and envision the life cycle of the item. __ Writing __ : Model a storyboard to demonstrate the writing process. Diverse learners will need various aids to help them create the story. Show a range of sample digital stories like the video story ( [] ) or the photo samples ( [] ) found at the University of Houston web site. This web site also offers story maps and storyboards as well as tutorials to help struggling writers get started. Provide mini-lessons on characterization, plot, imagery, point of view, and pacing. Allow students three or four days for writing their stories. Remind students that a digital story should end with a “wrap-up” that clearly states the theme of the story. Include time during the writing process for peer evaluation and reading aloud. The stories should be approximately two to three minutes long (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2007, p. 68). After drafts are written, show students how to map their writing into a storyboard. Here, students can decide how they want to use text and illustration to add to the narration of their story. Jakes and Brennan recommend twenty to twenty-five illustrations for a digital story (as cited in Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2007). Allow about a week in the computer lab for students to locate images and record their narrations. Mini-lessons during this time should focus on copyright laws as well as technical problems such as file rendering. MONITOR: EVALUATION: Because this is a community service-centered project, the storyboards should make an impact on their audience. Coordinate the lesson with Earth Day and invite the community to watch and discuss some of the best stories. Students could use this opportunity to set up displays of the information they researched earlier such as waste audit results and compost displays. Your students could even collect solid waste products like batteries and computers at the event. Allowing students to coordinate this event and become the experts in their community will empower them to make a difference in their world. References: Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). //Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach.// Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning. Satterfield, B. (2007, April 12). Eight tips for telling your story digitally. TechSoup.org: CompuMentor. Retrieved August 5, 2010 from [] The University of Houston. (2010). The educational uses of digital storytelling. Houston, TX. Retrieved August 5, 2010 from []
 * Diverse learners: ** To scaffold this lesson for diverse learners, the teacher should conduct daily mini-lessons to share example storyboards. Group struggling learners together, providing graphic organizers and continuous feedback.
 * Ongoing assessment: ** Monitor process work daily, saving time at the end of each class period for students to share samples of their writing in class. Assign homework during writing time, asking students to add imagery and feeling into their stories. Storyboards can also be assessed daily for progress.
 * Final product: ** Each student will have a final product for assessment. Create a rubric for grading the digital story. Make sure to provide a scale for assessing writing, creativity, adherence to the theme, demonstration of knowledge and visual appeal.