Double Entry Journal #11

From: Teacher Reflection of the Top Ten

Examples of the 6 A's:

Category: Authenticity, Exemplary: "There is an external audience for the student work." -- This is seen through the cluster map on the Wiki that the students created, which shows the students where people are visiting the site from, and how many people are viewing in each area. The students also presented this project to the Board of Education, which gave them a different external audience, and another chance to get the information they learned out to others.

Category: Academic Rigor, Exemplary: Students develop new habits of mind (e.g., questioning; precision of language and thought; persistence). -- I feel that students were able to develop new habits of mind because the teacher let them control a lot of their learning in this lesson/unit. The students were challenged to find solutions to the problems that arose (the rankings, for example), and find ways to implement the solutions. The students took the reins a lot throughout this project, and they were able to create their learning, while the teacher mainly guided them.

Category: Applied Learning, Exemplary: Students use multiple high-performance work organization skills (e.g., working in teams; using technology appropriately; communicating ideas, collecting, organizing, and analyzing information). -- The students were always using diverse methods while learning. There were multiple aspects on the Wiki that were learned and used, as well as working in teams on the information, problems, solutions, etc. The students had the opportunities to vary their instruction constantly throughout the lesson/unit, which I feel helped them excel and learn what was being presented to them.

Category: Active Exploration, Exemplary: Students gather information from a variety of primary sources and use a variety of methods (interviewing and observing, collecting data, model-building, using on-line services). -- The students used the internet for their research, and then transformed it into their own words and built their own pages on the Wiki (animal profiles, Wiki in general, etc.) They had the chance to look at multiple resources and use different techniques to learn about and build on their knowledge.

Category: Adult Connections, Exemplary: Students have multiple contacts with adults outside of school who have expertise and experience and who can ask questions, provide feedback, and offer advice. -- This goes along with how the people around the world commented on the students' Wiki about the information, layout, etc. The Board of Education was also there to ask the children questions, and give them feedback on how the project went, and so on.

Category: Assessment Practices, Exemplary: The final product is a culminating exhibition or presentation in front of an informed audience. -- This basically covers how the students presented the final project and the findings, etc. in front of the Board of Education at the end of the project.

CSO's that match this lesson:
Science:
SC.O.4.1.6:
support statements with facts found through research from various sources, including technology.


SC.O.4.2.1:
describe the different characteristics of plants and animals, which help them to survive in different niches and environments.


SC.O.4.2.2:
associate the behaviors of living organisms to external and internal influences (e.g., hunger, climate, or seasons).

Reading & Language Arts:

RLA.O.4.1.3:
use pre-reading strategies to comprehend text (e.g., activating prior knowledge, predictions, questioning).


RLA.O.4.1.9:
determine the author’s purpose in literary and informational texts and use supporting material to justify author’s intent:

* to persuade
* to entertain
* to inform
* to determine a specific viewpoint

RLA.O.4.1.13:
judge the reliability or logic of informational texts.


RLA.O.4.1.14:
select and use a variety of sources to gather information (e.g., dictionaries, encyclopedias, newspapers, informational texts, electronic resources).


RLA.O.4.2.12:
use strategies to gather and record information for research topics:

* note taking
* summarizing
* paraphrasing
* describing in narrative form
* gathering information from direct quotes, maps, charts, graphs and tables

RLA.O.4.2.14:
use strategies to compile information into written reports or summaries (e.g., incorporate notes into a finished product, include simple facts-details-explanations-examples, draw conclusions from relationships and patterns that emerge from data of different sources, use appropriate visual aids and media).


RLA.O.4.3.4:
create an age appropriate media literacy product that reflects understanding of format, characteristics and purpose.


RLA.O.4.3.3:
recognize communication skills (e.g., speaking rate, audience, etiquette, active listening).