Rachel+Threadgill

PBL Part 1

TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION FOR MEANINGFUL CLASSROOM USE
= Daily Lesson GAME Plan Template = 
 * A Standards-Based Approach **
 * Lesson Title: Building Bridges || Related Lessons: ||
 *  || Unit: Ecology ||
 * GOALS ||
 * Content Standards: ** The student will demonstrate an understanding of how organisms interact with and respond to the biotic and abiotic components of their environment. This standard has objectives that covers soil and water quality as well as populations, communities, habitats, niches, and biomes

 o X Creativity and innovation o  XCommunication and collaboration o X Research and information fluency || 
 * **ISTE NETS-S **

<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">o <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> XCritical thinking, problem-solving, & decision-making <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">o <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> Digital citizenship <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">o <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> XTechnology operations and concepts || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Instructional objective(s): **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Students will work cooperatively to solve a problem based on where to build a bridge. What effect will the new bridge have on our local ecology?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> || 3 to 5 days || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Students will create a power point or video depicting what they discovered about effects on ecology from building structures. The students will use the internet, including blogs and other websites to complete their research. The students will then choose where the new bridge should be built. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Computers, internet, power point, video cameras || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Notes: Student groupings, environmental modifications needed, etc.
 * ACTION<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Before-class preparation: **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Students will have researched effects on ecology when structures are built. They will look at other areas that have a similar ecology and determine what effect if any these projects had on the ecology. The students will have also completed the chapter as well as several activities that is based on ecology which includes niches, habitats, and populations. ||
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; msobidifontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: center;">During class
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Time || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Instructional Activities || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Materials & Resources ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">


 * MONITOR ||

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Ongoing assessment(s): The students will be assessed based on their completed assignment and each part of the assignment that will be due. I will also assess the students based on how well they worked together in their groups and their participation on the activities. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Accommodations and extensions: Since I do work with special education students I will accommodate them according to their IEP. Some may get extended time which will be allowed. I will also pair students up so that my students that have more difficulties are not paired together.

Teaching self-contained allows me to choose which subject that I would like to design a problem-based learning activity. For this assignment I am choosing science for my 7th grade students. We live in Hilton Head, South Carolina which is on the Atlantic coast. During the summer months we are overrun with tourists seeking a vacation at the beach so over the past several years the town as begun many new road projects. They have extended some roads and created others, unfornuately this is only in the town that you go through before getting on the island. Once you arrive at the bridges the traffic becomes a problem again. The town has proposed building another bridge that will connect to another part of the island to help relieve some of this traffic. Building this bridge will effect many things including are ecology. This leads me to the problem-based activity I would like to design. One of the standards of the 7th grade science is; The student will demonstrate an understanding of how organisms interact with and respond to the biotic and abiotic components of their environment. This standard has objectives that covers soil and water quality as well as populations, communities, habitats, niches, and biomes. The problem that I would like to propose to the students is: What effect will the new bridge have on our local ecology? This is relevant for my students because it not only covers one of the major standards and objectives but it will also effect their lives here in the community. The problem-based assigments will have several steps. The students will first have to complete research about our local ecology so that they understand what might be effected by the new bridge. Then the students will need to research what effect bridges being built have had on other areas. Finally the students will take the information they have and decide where this new bridge should be connected to the island and the mainland and what and how the ecology will be effective if at all. There are several different forms of technology the students will be able to use while doing answering this problem. The internet will be a great source of information that will allow the students to research effects on the ecology when roads and bridges are built. They will also be able to use blogs to work with other students in their groups as they discover new things. They will also be able to play with an online bridge simulator that will allow them to build different bridges. As a final part of the problem they will create a power point or a video that allows them to answer the question that has been proposed. In order to make sure that all students are able to complete this activity I will assign different due dates that will allow more time for those students who need it. I will also assist any student who is having any problems with their research. The students will be assessed based on their completed assignment and each part of the assignment that will be due. I will also assess the students based on how well they worked together in their groups and their participation on the activities. This type of problem will hopefully motivate the students to complete because it will having meaning and effect their lives. PBL Part 2

Grade Level: 7th grade Science Description: Students are studying ecology. They are learning about niches, habitats, and populations. For this lesson the students are going to determine if building a new bridge to link the mainland with the island will have any effect on the ecology of our area. Outcomes: The students will identify the differences between niches, habitats, and populations and what effects if any that humans have on the ecology of an area. The students will also determine what part of the island and mainland would be best to build the bridge. Steps: The students will first study about ecology. They will learn about our local ecology by identifying niches and habitats, as well as the different populations of animals and sea life we have. In order for the students to research this information they will be using the internet and take a field trip on a shrimp boat. The field trip will consist of an expert speaking about our local ecology and dragging the nets so that students can see what sea life we have. The students will then research bridge structures and other areas similar to ours that have built bridges. While the students are completing each of these steps they will be required to post on a wiki that I will have set up their findings. There will a designated day each week that the students will have to post how their research is going and what difficulties they are having. This will allow me to assist the students with any difficulties they are having and to assess how they are doing. Once the students have completed their research they will then determine what area on the mainland would be best to build the bridge that will connect to the best area on the island.

Social networking: Students will be required each week to post their findings and difficulties on a wiki page that I will have set up ahead of time. I will also have the students create an epal account and they will also be required to talk to students in other areas similar to ours. They will be able to ask the students questions about their ecology and if humans have had any effect on their local areas. This will give the students another perspective to think about.