Lansing 1

Where in the World…?

EDU 566- Utilizing Media in the Curriculum

Final Project

Amber Lansing
April 20, 2009

Introduction:

This lesson introduces an instructional design project for a teacher and

school media specialist serving the intermediate level, specifically grade 5.

 Lansing 2
The whole project is a 2-week unit that teaches about the expedition of Lewis

of Clark. The school media specialist will work with the fifth grade classroom

for a total of 2 class sessions, one 45-minute block of time once per week

and the teacher will work with them over an 8-10 hour time period.

The project will be a collaboration of teacher and school media

specialist. A collaborative project includes planning between two equal

partners “who set out to create a unit of study based on content standards”.

With the SMS and teacher working together it raises the chance of meeting

standards and even raising test scores. A collaborative project also has

many benefits for students, teachers and school media specialists. Out of

these 3 the most important being the students. Students are able to achieve

“independent use of relevant, integrated information skills, experience the

excitement of resource-based learning, and have the advantage of two

different teachers” assistance. This type of project has been proven to be

authentic, complex, and significant. [Buzzeo, 2002]

Collaboration is also the best way to prepare students for 21st Century

Skills, especially those that will take place in a workplace environment. As

stated by Monteil Overall “through collaboration, students can learn to do

library research, not as an end, but as a means to discovering more about

subjects they are studying in the classroom. When this process occurs across

the curriculum, it becomes a powerful teaching and learning device that taps

into students' experiences and schemata.”

Prior to the instructional design the school media specialist worked

with the students in creating their own Gmail account name to prepare them

for working together online with each other. The teacher worked with the
 Lansing 3
students introducing them to Lewis and Clark, having them read a chapter in

their textbooks about their journey and also integrating map skills into their

curriculum, which will prepare them for the map skills needed. This is a

great example of how teachers and school media specialists working

together teaches not only content knowledge but also procedural knowledge.

When this occurs students are able to take the knowledge and perform it

with other tasks, including their state assessments. [Buzzeo, 2002]

At the completion of the design the students will have a great

understanding of the journey of Lewis and Clark, will be able to use Google

applications and will have created a unique website that incorporates all of

the information gathered throughout the project.

Section 1: Needs Assessment

Introduction:
 Lansing 4
A needs assessment is necessary in determining the needs of the

students and how the lesson will help support those needs. For this

particular lesson, the students will be learning about Lewis and Clark to

accomplish a requirement for the intended fifth grade curriculum and also to

prepare them for their statewide tests at the completion of the year.

Classroom X includes 26 fifth grade students, most of whom are 10

years old. It is now mid-year so these students have adjusted to their new

roles as fifth graders and can be treated as so.

Goals

Using different sources geared towards this particular topic, a list of

goals that the lesson planned to accomplish is as follows. They are listed in

order of importance.

• Understand the characteristics and uses of maps, globes, and

other geographic tools and technologies

• Have a greater knowledge of Lewis and Clark and their journey

• Know the location of places, geographic features, and patterns of

the environment

• Understand the physical and human characteristics of a place

• Understand that culture and experience influence people’s

perceptions of places and regions

• Understand the concepts of regions

Problem Identification, Analysis and Solution

 Lansing 5
The problems among the 5 grades students in Classroom X are that
th

they are not yet familiar with the applications available through Google and

how to use them. The first goal includes the use of technology and the final

outcome of the lesson includes creating a classroom website. This means

that a subject matter expert (SME) will be used to teach these skills to the

students. The SME for this project will be the school media specialist.

It is also a problem that there are many goals but a limited amount of

time, only 8-10 hours for the students to work together on their projects.

Therefore it was decided that in the event of time constraints the goal of

understanding the concepts of regions would be taken out and replaced

somewhere else within the curriculum.

These problems were determined by a discussion between the teacher

and the school media specialist. For this portion the SMS is involved at an in-

depth level. She uncovered information about the time abilities of the

students including how much time they actually had for computer use. It

was decided that for this project students would need to have more

computer time available to them.

On another level, the teacher/librarian collaboration may stumble upon

roadblocks. This includes lack of administrative support and difficult

scheduling patterns. After careful consideration, it is possible to overcome

these roadblocks by using a little bit of creativity. [Buzzeo, 2002]

Section 2: Learner Analysis

 Lansing 6
Analysis of Learner Characteristics

Sources

• Observations of students

• Interviews with students

• Interviews with teachers

• Past test scores

• Town website statistics

• School statistics

General Characteristics

The fifth grade students serving in the intended audience range in age

of 9 to 10 years old. This classroom is a heterogeneous group. They are not

placed by gender or ability. These students are all in multiple classes

together and this teacher focuses primarily on history and geography,

therefore most of the students are of the same ability. This is their first year

at the intermediate school and their first experience with multiple teachers

and classes.

These students live in a suburban community and 90% of them have

access to a computer and Internet at home. The school is within walking

distance to the local public library. The classroom is predominantly white

with approximately 8% African American and 1% other ethnic groups. These

are students that live mostly in an upper-class wealthy area of the state.

Entry Level Skills

 Lansing 7
There are certain skills that are prerequisite for this instructional

design. Most importantly the students should have the ability to easily use

the Internet and type on a keyboard. They should also complete the

homework assignment of reading the chapter within their textbook on Lewis

and Clark.

Learning Styles and Tools Inventory

As with every classroom, the students in classroom X all have varying

learning styles that will also necessitate different learning tools and

techniques. There are some similarities between the students that will help

the teacher and SMS in finding common ground for the students to work

with.

Most of the students enjoy working on group projects or with a partner.

They find that this gives them the ability to discuss their ideas and topics

with another student. Some of them like to type on the computer while

others hate it, finding that one of each of these students may make a good

team. They also like to work hands on rather than just listening and taking

notes. This helps to keep them motivated and interested.

 Lansing 8
Section 3: Instructional Objectives

Articulated Instructional Goal

This instructional design will give students the information they require

through the curriculum about Lewis and Clark and also map skills. The main

goal for this project is:

After researching information about Lewis and Clark’s expedition,

the students will be able to list the places visited in detail

concerning geographic and cultural characteristics plus create a

classroom website to incorporate it all within a 2 week time period.

As always, with every instructional design can come certain restraints

and problems. This lesson may cause a problem with computer access for

each student at the necessary time they require it. This may mean that

students will need to work on their project at home and on their own time.

The teacher decided she would expect the students to work on this for 1-2

hours at home. This requires the students organize who will accomplish

what in each group so they can take full advantage of their class time to

work in their groups. They would need to accomplish work at home that

could be done without the assistance of their group.

 Lansing 9
Section 4: Assessment of Student Performance

Introduction

Several kinds of assessment will be used in measuring this

instructional design project. They are each explained below.

Pretest Assessment Checklist

Prior to the beginning of the Lewis and Clark project, the students will

take a pre-assessment that they will not be graded on. This will ask them

what they know about Lewis and Clark, briefly find their knowledge of maps,

and what they know about the Internet. This pre-assessment gives the

teacher and SMS knowledge that can be incorporated within the actual

instructional design to suit the specific needs of the students.

Embedded Assessment

During the lesson, the teacher and SMS will monitor the student’s work

as they complete research and fulfill lesson requirements. By using a

provided rubric it will allow the instructor the check each step of the process

and be sure the students are completing them accurately.

Post-Test Assessment Rubric

On a daily basis, the students will take the last few minutes of class to

write in their research journal (a blue book) what they accomplished on their

project.

When the students finish all of their research and compile it all

together, the students will be required to present their researched location to

 Lansing 10
the class. A rubric will allow the students and teacher to assess the group

work as well as their presentation.

The students are able to have this type of assessment because of the

technology they will be using. Technology has drastically changed the way

teachers and students are able to grade. This is just one reason that

technology is so useful and needed within the classroom. (Technology in

Elementary Schools, 2004)

Student Questionnaire

Upon completion of the lesson the students will be asked to “grade”

the teachers with a questionnaire. This gives the students a chance to give

input on the way they are being taught and how it can be adjusted for other

lessons. When students feel an ownership in what they are learning they are

more likely to stay motivated and excited to learn.

Section 5: Strategies and Activities Development

 Lansing 11
This instructional design will use many different types of strategies and

activities. By doing so it helps assist students of differing abilities and

learning styles. The students will engage mostly in group-oriented activities.

This will be done by doing research together in the library and compiling the

information together for their page on the website. When students work

together in teams it helps them in many ways. This includes giving them

their own individual role which gives them ownership and pride in what they

are doing. It also gives the teacher a new role of resource person and

learning facilitator. [Buzzeo, 2002]

They will also each play an important role in their group. Each will be

responsible for gathering information but at least one student will need to be

the speaker for their final presentation and at least one in charge of

organizing their information for the website.

Students will participate in student-oriented activities by preparing

information at home and doing various reading assignments that go along

with the project. They can also complete additional research on their own

through the Internet, their local library and online databases.

The teacher will also use direct instruction to get the students working

on their project and lecture to give them the necessary information. During

crucial points of the lesson the teacher will engage the students in discussion

to determine how their project is going, where they may need help, and what

they are learning.

 Lansing 12
Section 6: Materials Selection

With all of the great materials available online, the students will use

the Internet and local resources such as the local library, the school media

center, their computer at home, and resources given to them from the

teacher through handouts.

Again, to help students of different learning styles, it is appropriate to

provide materials of differing modalities. To do this the teacher will include a

movie from YouTube, a list of possible choices is here-

http://www.youtube.com/results?

search_type=&search_query=Lewis+and+Clark+Expedition&aq=f. The

teacher will also include diagrams, readings, and many pictures. The school

media specialist is important during the gathering of materials. Their level of

involvement at this point is at a moderate level. They can assist in gathering

the materials, selecting the different formats, previewing them and

reviewing them for use in the class.

Listed below is a compilation of online resources available that will include

materials for this lesson:

http://lewisandclarktrail.com/101.htm

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark

http://www.lewis-clark.org

www.nd.gov/hist/lewisclark/geomethods.html

www.pbs.org/lewisandclark

www.lewis-and-clark-expedition.com
 Lansing 13

Section 7: Implementation

See also attached: Lesson Plan

Below includes a description of the entire unit lesson.

Primary Instructional Objective

Given a location visited by Lewis and Clark, the students will research

information related to that location and determine the geographic features,

the environment, the physical and human characteristics and the culture of

this location during the time of Lewis and Clark’s expedition. For this project

the teacher will need the school media specialist to be at the moderate level

50% of the time and at the in-depth level 50% of the time.

Enabling Objectives

• Identify a location where Lewis and Clark traveled

• Identify information about this location

• Select information that fits the requirements of the project

• Identify this location on a map

Motivating Activity

The beginning of the unit will start off with a “hook” to get the students

really motivated and prepared for the unit. After reading the chapter for

homework in their textbook on Lewis and Clark, the students will each

receive a group of pictures. These will include a picture from each of Lewis

and Clark’s stop on their expedition. The teacher can work the SMS at a
 Lansing 14
moderate level in gathering the pictures needed for this motivational

activity. The SMS will have resources available including books and

knowledge of websites to find the needed materials.

Working in groups, the students will try to put them in order and guess

where they are. A list of places will be provided for them to try and guess

where it is. They will need to back their reasons by characteristics in the

picture. This gets them ready for detail in regards to their location. This

makes it more like a game and challenges them to work together to

determine which place is which.

Presentation

Following the motivating activity, the students will form 8 groups of 3

students. Each group will pick a location from a “hat” and that will be

location they are going to research. A handout will be provided to give them

all the information they need plus a web that will help them keep track of

their work. The teacher will then instruct the students on the requirements

for the completion of the assignment, including the creation of the classroom

webpage and the group presentation.

The classroom webpage will be hosted through Google sites. The

students will use their emails they created for Gmail to log in and with a

collaborative website they can add their information. They also will work

with Google maps in tracking the different locations visited by Lewis and

Clark. On this map they can add additional information as needed. These

types of tools are considered Web 2.0 applications.

 Lansing 15
The students will use information located at other websites to

complete the necessary information requirements. By using these websites

students will learn more about the nature of our world today and understand

and appreciate other countries and other cultures, assisting in completing

the objectives described earlier. [Solomon, 2007]

Posttest

Daily Journals and group presentations

 Lansing 16

Section 8: Evaluation

After the instruction, it is important to evaluate each step taken. This

includes evaluating the needs assessment, learner analysis, instructional

objectives, student performance, strategies and activities development,

materials, implementation and even the evaluation itself.

Taking into consideration that this lesson has not been implemented

with the students, a proper evaluation cannot be accomplished.

During the evaluation phase, the SMS will be working at an in-depth

level taking into consideration that the SMS will need to do an evaluation of

their teachings themselves. It will be necessary for the SMS to have a good

knowledge of the Lewis and Clarke expedition so that they can give the

students accurate resources and information.

Following the instruction, a formative evaluation will take place. By

doing such an evaluation the teacher and SMS will be able to revise their

instruction and make it better for the future. They also will know exactly

what the students achieved and what was a success. The student

questionnaire will assist in this evaluation.

 Lansing 17

References

Buzzeo, T. (2002). Collaborating to Meet Standards. Worthington, Ohio:

Linworth Publishing Inc.

ICONN

Montiel-Overall, P. (Dec 2006). Teacher and teacher-librarian collaboration:

moving toward integration. Teacher Librarian, 34, 2. p.28(6). Retrieved April
21, 2009, from General OneFile via Gale:
http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodId=ITOF

Implementing Technology in Elementary Schools. (2004, December).

Technology & Children, Retrieved April 21, 2009, from Science Reference
Center database.

Timeline
 Lansing 18
Day 1- Introduction to the lesson (See Lesson Plan Attached)

Day 2- Day one in the library. Students work on researching

their location. They will gather and organize information.

Day 3- Continue to research their location and organize their

information

Day 4- Use in class computers to type up any textual

information and locate pictures/diagrams that will be on their

WebPage

Day 5- Final day for research if needed. Meet with teacher

to talk about progress of project. Review Internet rules and

online safety and cover any questions on project.

Day 6- Prepare data to be inputted on WebPage

Day 7- Day 2 in school media center, students work on

inputting information on their Webpage and completing

project

Day 8 & 9- Students present their WebPages to the class