Project Whistlestop "Show Me" Learning Unit: On This Day
Unit design based on Show Me Learning Goals
Title: "On This Day"
Teacher: Janice Gumerman
School: Bingham 7th Grade Center
Grade Focus: 7th Grade
Time Frame: six days
Related Materials: On This Day Scoring Guide
Show Me Standards Covered: Communication Arts; Goal 1.4, Goal 1.8; Goal2.1; Goal 2.7.
Unit Introduction: Mrs. Gumerman introduced the unit by going through the handout of required elements and the scoring guide. In addition information about print resources and expectations when using Internet resources.
Goals or Objectives leading toward results: Students prepared brochures that connected their date and year of birth with a famous person, a family memory and a significant world event as well as the meaning or significance of their first name.
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By using print, internet and oral history sources By learning how to publish their brochure using ClarisWorks By learning how to cite primary sources |
Preparation for Learning Adventure: Mrs. Gumerman met with classroom teacher Miss Ketterlin to plan the unit. Mrs. Gumerman provided the outline for the unit. Miss Ketterlin provided the scoring guide. Mrs. Gumerman located appropriate web sites for students to use to find celebrity birthdates and important occurrences in history. Mrs.Gumerman located appropriate web sites to search for name meanings. Mrs.Gumerman located appropriate print resources in the Bingham library and took these off the shelf and on reserve.
Scope of Student Work: Class alternated between a lab of 8 computers and a lab of 27 computers.
Day One: Introduction of unit, explanation of expectations, print resources available, internet websites to use, time line. Students worked with Mrs. Gumerman in library research lab using Internet sites to locate a celebrity with a common birthdate.
Day Two: Students worked with Mrs. Gumerman in the library lab (27computers) to locate a celebrity with a common birthdate and information about the celebrity; as time permitted students also looked for a significantevent that occurred in their year of birth; some students used an Internetsite to discover the meaning and origins of their first names.
Day Three: Students continued their Internet and print resource work to complete the information needed to fill out the brochure.
Day Four: Students who were ready started their word processing work with instructions on how to alter type and to set the document for more than one column, how to save. Some students brought photos that were then scanned so that they were ready to be pasted into the document.
Day Five: Continuation of work started on Day Four.
Day Six: Final projects turned in. Student sharing of projects.
Miss Ketterlin and I used the scoring guides to grade the projects.
Resources used: numerous library books from Bingham library. List attached. These were checked out in my name and used in the library by students during class time. All work was done in class with the exception of the oral history portion. Students had to cite a primary source for the family memory and information about their name if possible.
From the Whistlestop workshop I used the following topics: Google search engine; project based learning; research models; technology integration;
Websites that I suggested that students use are as follows:
Behind the Name (I found this with Google.com)
Upon reflection I would give more guidelines as far as pictures and the appropriateness of the ones to use in the brochure. I had to review this on day two instead of day one after some questionable pictures were found on day one. I assumed that students were more knowledgeable about ClarisWorks than they were. Some students used a school picture for their graphic and that was labor intensive to scan that picture and then paste it into the brochure. In retrospect I probably would suggest some artwork but not require a pasted graphic.
Students were actively engaged in their work. Some difficulties with ClarisWorks but easily overcome obstacles.
It was interesting to me to see students find people who shared a birthdate but they had no idea at all who some of them were. One girl had never heard of Tony Randall, so I had to try and explain who he was. That was a bit mystifying to me but understandable!!
I did not include student work. We are still working on finishing these projects. I will send some over after the fact!!
Study skills class project with Mrs.Gumerman, Bingham Librarian
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ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY Have you ever wondered if you share a birthdate with anyone famous? What kinds of events were occurring at the timeyou were born? Students will conduct searches in printand web based resources about peopleand events that occurred on theirindividual date of birth, both the specificday and the year. Listed here are some of the elements that will be included. Final project will includea folded brochure with a cover and inside two columns of word processed information in a readable format.Complete sentences, correct spelling and punctuation are expected.
**1.Headline for the brochure (on outside cover). Catchy title. Use a font other than Helvetica. Use type point size larger than 12 pt. Change the style from plain text. (italic, bold, underline, outline, shadow etc.) **2.Complete name of student; any significance to the name? (named after relative, friend, celebrity) Extra credit -- Do you know the "meaning"of your name or the nationality? Explain!! **3. Complete date of birth (month, day, year) **4. Find a "celebrity" who shares your birthdate. Some choices are: a. athlete b. artist c. musician or performer d. author, writer, poet, dramatist e. government official f. other (with approval) |
**5. Give the contribution of your celebrity. Explain why this person is famous. a. disaster (natural or manmade) b. invention or discovery c. historical event (war, treaty, peaceagreement)
d. other (with approval) 10. Optional--Additional interesting or unusual information that would like toshare about the day you were born or about your family history.
**These are required elements.
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Suggested Print Resources:
World Almanac and Book of Facts
Atlas of the 20th Century
The 1998 Information Please Almanac
1,000 Makers of the Millenium
Children's History of the 20th Century
1998 People Weekly Entertainment
What happened when
1999 People Weekly Almanac
Encyclopedia of Pop Culture
Encyclopedia of American Biography
Our names, where they came from
Famous first facts
Reader's Digest book of facts
Great people of the 20th century
The 20th century year by year
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