Engaged Learning Project Draft

GaPSC/ISTE-E 4.1/4a, 4.3/4c, 4.4/4d, 5.2/5b

Title of Project: Biography of an important person in the student community

Subject(s): ELA, Social studies, ELA, & Technology
Grade Level(s): Elementary 5th grade

Abstract:
This project involves elementary students assuming the roles of a researcher. Students will employ a wide range of
strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different
audiences for a variety of purposes. The project addresses the content area standards for ELA, and social studies.
The students will research and write a biography about a special person in their community, such as an immediate
family member, a relative, neighbor, or community leader, and share with the class. Students will engage in
interviewing, talking to others who know that person, and doing internet and library searches. Students will take on
the role as producers and participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of
communities. The students will collaborate with their families to expand their work and be invited to present the
information on a three-dimensional object such as a shoebox, a paper-bag vest, a hanging mobile, or a poster
collage. This will allow for the teacher to facilitate and build positive learning about each other’s communities and
community members. These items will be used to create a gallery to which the students can return throughout the
year to look at it, learn more about it, and be reminded of each other’s communities and their contributions. The
students will share their project and publish their project using technology.

Setting/Context:
The learning experience will take place in a suburban elementary school. The student population at the school
consist of the following: White 1.6%, Black, or African American 92%, Hispanic/Latino 4.7%, Two or more races 1.3%
and American Indian or Alaska Native 0.3% (District, 2021) and served over six hundred students in pre-
kindergarten through fifth grade. At the school 18% of the students scored at or above the proficient level for math
and 12% scored at or above for reading. The school enrolls 99% economically disadvantaged students. The students
and teacher have one to one computers to engage with technology. Majority of the parents at my school are
actively involved in their child's education. There are twelve clubs offered after school for students to participate in
such as My brother’s keeper, My sister’s keeper, Cool Girls, Band, Orchestra, and Literature Circle. My fifth-grade
classroom consists of eighteen ten- and eleven-year-old students, eleven boys and seven girls. My school is
departmentalized so I co teach another fifth-grade classroom with twenty-two students, sixteen girls and six boys.
My classroom is diverse with students from different cultures. The parents filled out surveys to share their Funds of
knowledge. I understand students’ families, cultures, and communities and use the information as a basis for
connecting students' experiences in the classroom to engage with the content.

Culturally and Linguistically-responsive Instructional Strategies:

This project will allow me to learn about an important person in my student’s community, their cultural identities,
and practices. I will be able to engage all students with this project to support culturally responsive teaching. The
project will leverage and utilize the cultural learning tools that students bring to the classroom (Richards, 2007).
The project will be reflective of and affirming students' identities, brings awareness to global diversity, and it allows
for students to interrogate the presented information. Students will be encouraged to share and display their
projects in the classroom environment. I will direct students to give their classmates complete attention when they
are sharing. The classroom environment is culturally and socially affirming to students’ identities and brings
awareness to global diversity. I will engage in effective communication with my students’ families around their
learning goals for the Biography project and use of educational technology through emails, student interview
sheets and parent letters.

1
 Engaged Learning Project Draft
GaPSC/ISTE-E 4.1/4a, 4.3/4c, 4.4/4d, 5.2/5b

Time Frame: The project will take place over two weeks and thirty minutes a day in class. The students will engage
in the project at school, at home, and in their community. In the classroom students will conduct research on an
important person in their community. Students will conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas
and questions and posing problems about community members. In addition, they will gather information, evaluate,
and synthesize data from a variety of sources to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and
audience. Students will collaborate with their families to expand their work and share with the class.

Content Standards Addressed: ELAGSE5RI7: Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources,
demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.

ELAGSE5RI9: Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the
subject knowledgeably.

ELAGSE5W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

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

ELAGSE5W8: Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital
sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work and provide a list of sources.

SS5H6 Describe the importance of key people, events, and developments between 1950- 1975.

Technology Standards Addressed:

ISTE Standard 1.3 Knowledge Constructor

1.3.a Effective Research Strategies
Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their
intellectual or creative pursuits.
1.3.b Evaluate Information
Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility, and relevance of information, media, data, or other
resources.
1.3.c Curate Information
Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of
artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.

Learner Objectives: The students will be able to research and write a biography about a special person in their
community. Students will be able to engage in interviewing, talking to others who know that person, and doing
internet and library searches. Students will be able to collaborate with their families to expand their work and
present the information on a three-dimensional object such as a shoebox, a paper bag vest, a hanging mobile,
technology, or a poster collage. The students will be able to utilize Flip Grid to describe their finished products.

1. Audience: The learners in the Engaged Learning Project are 5th graders. The learners will work with
their families and community members.
2. Behavior: Students will use digital resources to conduct research of community members in groups of
twos. Students will work collaboratively with their families and community members. Students will
interview an important community member. Students write a biography on an important community
member. Students will present their project to the class.
2
 Engaged Learning Project Draft
GaPSC/ISTE-E 4.1/4a, 4.3/4c, 4.4/4d, 5.2/5b

3. Conditions: Students will use Destiny Discover, library, and internet to research information about their
important person in their community. Students will use the internet to publish their biography of an
important person in their community.
4. Degree: Students will be expected to complete their biography using accurate facts in a timely manner
and present their project.

The “Hook” or Introduction to Students:

The teacher will activate prior knowledge about key people we learned about in social studies. The learning
experience will be introduced to students during a whole group discussion about important people in our lives. The
project will be engaging to students because they will be given an opportunity to share with the class a person that
is important to them and why.

Process:
Day 1-3: The teacher will display on the Interactive whiteboard a key person and their biography. The teacher and
students will have discussion about components in a biography from Story That. The students will interview their
classmates and find out key components from their biography. Peers will give each other feedback..
The teacher will assess the students learning process using a Checklist and offer feedback.
Day 4: The teacher will invite a guest speaker in the classroom face to face or virtually to share with students what
they do in the community. The students will ask the guest speaker questions.
Day 5: During the ELA block in the classroom, we will have a whole group and small group discussion about
important people. Students will be able to share during Think Pair Share with a person that is important to them.
Day 6: The teacher will show students examples of biography posters on Interactive whiteboard from Story That.
The students will create a biography poster of an important person in social studies. Peers will give each other
feedback in Google docs.
Day 7: The students will clarify "why" the person they selected is important and what impact this person has on
them or the community. The students will research and write a biography about a special person in their
community. Peers will give each other feedback in Google docs. The project will be student directed when students
choose their person and create their list of questions to interview their important person. I will facilitate by
providing a bank of interview questions for students who need support. The teacher will help create a graphic
organizer for students to write components of biography and interview questions. I will use the graphic to assess
students' learning and scaffolding on the project.
Day 8: Students will be able to engage in interviewing, talking to others who know that person, and doing internet
and library searches. The students will record the interview of their important person using Voice Memos" App on
any iPhone, Google, recorder, Flip Grid etc. We will have a class discussion to share the biography of an important
person.
Day 9-10: Students will collaborate with their families to expand their work and present the information on a three-
dimensional object. A rubric will be created to assess the student's project. The students will utilize Flip Grid to
describe their finished products.

Product:
Students will collaborate with their families to expand their work and present the information on a three-
dimensional object such as a shoebox, a paper bag vest, a hanging mobile, technology, or a poster collage. The end
product the students will produce a three-dimensional object such as a shoebox, a paper bag vest, a hanging
mobile, technology, or a poster collage. People at school and in the community will care about the product. The
product will be meaningful to students because they get to share an important person with the community. The
students will use technology to research an important person, interview the person, and create their project. The
students will share their published biography.

3
 Engaged Learning Project Draft
GaPSC/ISTE-E 4.1/4a, 4.3/4c, 4.4/4d, 5.2/5b

Assessment:
While working on the project the student’s graphic organizer will be assessed using a Checklist. The graphic
organizer being assessed is the student’s biography and interview questions. The students will publish their
biography. The final product will be assessed using a rubric to show mastery of the project. The rubric for the
project will consist of a short biography, interview questions, pictures, and any creativity to project.

Technology Use:
Technology that is critical to the project is video conferencing with a mentor in the community virtually. The
mentor will explain to students what they do in the community and students will be able to ask questions. Another
technology that is critical to the project is a productivity tool for students to share projects. The productivity tool is
authentic, real world, and culturally responsive pedagogy because students will be able to share an important
person in their community which is a meaningful task. For student directed, the last technology that is critical to the
project is recording the interview of their important person using Voice Memos" App on any iPhone, Google,
recorder, Flip Grid etc.

References and Supporting Material:

The following materials used to develop this learning experience are Checklists, Rubric, Sample project of
important people, sample biography, Graphic organizer biography, Graphic organizer interview questions, and
Storyboard That.
Storyboard That https://www.storyboardthat.com/lesson-plans/biographies

Biography Poster https://www.storyboardthat.com/lesson-plans/biographies/poster