Project URL: https://sites.google.

com/view/5thgrade-september11-memorial/teacher-page

Mural collaboration page: 

https://app.mural.co/invitation/mural/mrsmartinsclassroommural5358/1625625886923?
sender=uc5cf4aeb676ef70836343512&key=fafe16f6-35fc-4bf3-a92f-14b572db8331

Title of Project: 911 Memorial Presentation

Grade Level(s): 5th grade

Subject(s): Social Studies & ELA 

Abstract: 

Students will assume the role of a journalist documenting the events that took place during 911 and the
impact this event had on American life. Students will design a multimedia presentation for our online
911 memorial classroom website. This website will be displayed for anyone who researches 911
information on the Internet. Students will interview a person of their choice from my list of community
911 survivors or those affected. Students will record their interviews using Zoom. Students will have the
opportunity to receive a point of view of the horrific events that happened that September day from a
first-person perspective and gain insight into the events that occured while analyzing the impact that
event had on American life.

Learner Description/Context:

Students will conduct research and participate in group discussions while working collaboratively to
produce a presentation within the classroom. Students will reach out to the community and assume the
roles of journalists to interview a survivor, or someone closely impacted by 9-11. 9-11 was a national
occurrence, and although many of the students in classrooms today were not coherent on the day of
this tragedy, many of their older family members experienced the trauma first-hand or through the
media. 

Time Frame:  

 This will be a two-week unit.

Standards Assessed: 

 GSE Standards:
   b. Describe the events of September 11, 2001, and analyze their impact on American
life.

o SS5H7 Trace important developments in America from 1975 to 2001.

o ELAGSE5W4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and
organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 

o ELAGSE5W7: Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build
knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic

 ISTE Standards:

 7b. Students use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers,
experts, or community members, to examine issues and problems from multiple
viewpoints.

 6d. Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for
their intended audiences.

o  Standard 7- Global Collaborator: Students use digital tools to broaden their

perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and working
effectively in teams locally and globally.

o Standard 6- Creative Communicator: Students communicate clearly and express

themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles,
formats, and digital media appropriate to their goals.

Process:

 The “hook” or Introduction:

o The teacher will pique student interest by showing the students some interesting videos
about 9-11 and the tragic stories that encompassed that day. These videos will set the
tone and help students realize how relevant this historical event is even today. By using
zoom, the teacher will allow the class to conference with a 9-11 survivor to gain a better
understanding of what it might have felt like to live through the historic event. Then, the
teacher will introduce the standards and objectives to students, so they understand
their learning expectations. 

 Exploration:

o (Week 1) The teacher will start a conversation with students about 9-11 and what they
thought about the videos. The teacher will ask questions that lend themselves to the
learning objectives. Students will become intrigued and excited to conduct more
research. The teacher will set the stage for students to take on the role of
journalists/reporters. Students will use class time to do collaborative research and place
interesting facts about 9-11on the class’ Mural. Every student in class will have access to
our Mural space on any device that has access to the internet. 
 o The teacher will provide a list of people affected by 9-11 for students to interview. This
list will include survivors, family members of survivors, community members that were
adults during the time of the event. Students will also have the opportunity to add other
relevant interviewees to the list, such as their older family members and parents. The
purpose of this interview is to gain insight into the effects 9-11 had on American life.
Students will be able to choose 2-3 people from their list and will be required to use a
recording device (hand-held recorder, Zoom, etc.) so that the interview can take the
form of a conversation and not just question/answer format.

o Students will collaborate on Mural to develop interview questions that are relevant to
the topic and an interview situation. The teacher will serve as a facilitator and help
students brainstorm appropriate higher-order thinking questions that would lend
themselves to a conversation. Once completed the teacher will save this Mural space as
a PDF and print out the artifact for students to utilize during their interviews.  

 Class Mural Collaboration page

https://app.mural.co/invitation/mural/mrsmartinsclassroommural5358/162562
5886923?sender=uc5cf4aeb676ef70836343512&key=fafe16f6-35fc-4bf3-a92f-
14b572db8331

o Students will conduct 2-3 interviews and record their conversations. The reason the
student will be required to record their interviews is so they can reference them when
creating their presentation/video or even use their recordings (with the permission of
the interviewee) within their presentation/video. They will have the opportunity to
reach out to people from their own community, as well as people from other parts of
the world depending on the person they choose to interview. Again, the outlet is totally
the student's decision. They have the option of face-to-face or virtual interviews
depending on parental preferences and safety concerns. 

o (Week 2) Students will work in pairs and use their research and interviews to create a
presentation or video that is unbiased and open-ended when it comes to the effects 9-
11 has had on American life up to the present day. The presentation should allow
viewers to decide as to whether they feel the effects were negative or positive. The
product should not sway viewers' opinions either way and display the students’
authentic findings.

o Students will have the choice of creating a presentation or a Video. They may choose
any medium to present their information. Any of the available 21st-century
presentation productivity tools are appropriate and may be used. (Zoom, Flipgrid,
iMovie, PowerPoint, Prezi, Nearpod).

 Product:

o Once students complete their presentation, they will upload it to our class’ 9-11
Memorial Mural page. The teacher will have organized the page beforehand, so
students will know exactly where their content will be displayed. This will allow students
to focus more on the content and less on the design aspect of the website space. When
the Mural page has been finalized anyone that researches information about 9-11 will
 have access to the classroom Mural website. It will have the ability to be utilized by
multiple people for multiple purposes. The sky is the limit.

 Assessment: 

o Students will be assessed based on their performance and completion of the

presentation, along with their collaboration with peers throughout the process. The
completed presentation will determine if the students have met the standards and
objectives. This is a credible assessment strategy because the students will have to
analyze the data they collected and use it to produce a presentation that evokes
thought. The information gathered and the way it is presented will indicate whether or
not the students understand the purpose of the project and have met the academic
objectives. A rubric will be used to assess the different aspects of the presentation and
the overall effort of collaboration provided by the student.  

Technology Used:  

 The students will use a hand-held or video recording device/software such as Zoom or another
recording software for interviewing the people affected by the events that took place on
September 11, 2001.

 The teacher will create a website using www.mural.co for student collaboration. The students
will publish a video/presentation.

 Examples of presentation outlets for student use: Flipgrid, iMovie, Nearpod, Prezi, PowerPoint,
Zoom, etc. 

The technology used in these learning experiences supports the student’s role as a producer. It also
allows the students to work collaboratively with peers and people impacted by 9-11 in the community
no matter their location. It provides students with more than enough accessibility to be successful and
achieve the learning outcomes.

References and Supporting Material:

Technologies:

 Computer or device with internet connection 

 Webcam 

 Headphones with recording abilities

 PowerPoint or presentation tool (iMovie, Flipgrid, etc.) 

Websites:

 www.mural.co (required for use of uploading student material)

 www.zoom.com (optional for presentation use)

 www.nearpod.com (optional presentation for use)

  www.prezi.com (optional for presentation use)

 www.flipgrid.com (optional presentation for use)

Physical resources:

 Technology use permission forms

 Rubric for presentation requirements 

 Library books/ebooks

Resources:

International Society for Technology in Education. (2021). ISTE Standards for Students. ISTE.
https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-students. 

Lucas , G. (2021). Edutopia . Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/. 

Williamson, J. (2015, April 15). ITEC 7400 Intro to EL Indicators. Login - KSU MediaSpace.
https://mediaspace.kennesaw.edu/media/ITEC+7400+Intro+to+EL+Indicators. 

Moersch , C. (2020). LoTi Framework. loticonnection. http://www.loticonnection.com/loti-framework. 

MURAL. a digital workspace for visual collaboration. (n.d.). http://www.mural.co/. 

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2010). Integrating educational technology into teaching.
https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/. Allyn and Bacon. 
Reflection

I learned a great deal from collaborating on this project. Planning a project like this takes a great deal of
time and effort. Many days are needed to plan and research the topic, we gathered some tools along the
way and learned how to build and implement many new productivity tools. This project helped us gain
insight to the necessary obligations of an online/ virtual teacher. The demand for communication for
teachers is extensive anyway, but when you become an online teacher, it seems that we over-
communicate to help our students reach their learning goals. I feel like this project helped prepare me
overall for future challenges. I see education progressing towards a more technology/ online-based model,
and projects like these are going to make me a more effective teacher overall as times change and
education becomes more intricate. Looking back, I would have taken previous projects and built onto this
larger project. I was unaware that this project needed audio and a video component. If I had looked ahead,
I would have created those files to fit this project and saved myself some time. 

I did not get the opportunity to use my project with my students, however, I can say that theoretically
speaking, it seems very detailed and easy to comprehend. I feel that any teacher could pick up this project
and teach it the next day. It does involve some technology, but most teachers are already familiar with
Google sites. Some teachers will need some PL on using Mural, but it is very easy to learn. I feel the Voki
and video was a good tool to add. It will read the directions and explain the project to students that may
be more auditory learners. To improve my project, I think I would like to add an immersion piece. I
would love for my students to get as close to a first-hand experience of 9-11 as possible. The virtual
reality of watching the newscast of that day or standing on the street as the towers fell could enhance their
learning and make for a more authentic experience, and probably one they will never forget, I was in 3rd
grade thousands of miles away and I still remember that day vividly. 
Throughout the completion of this project, I earned that I really enjoy using technology. It is rewarding to
use these tools and create learning materials. I learned that trial and error is sometimes the best teacher.
Technology is fickle and it is like what it likes. Troubleshooting technology is like a virtual puzzle and
although challenging, it feels so good to figure out the mystery. I had never used Google sites before this
project. Going forward I think I will find more ways to implement it into my classroom. 

If I were to give any advice to someone who had to complete this project, I would say give yourself grace.
Allow yourself to make mistakes and learn something new. I would say step outside of your comfort zone
and try something new. As educators, we should always be learning new things. The world and the
amount of knowledge it holds is ever-changing, so we should be too. The more we know, the more
knowledge we can place in the minds of others.