Earn While You Learn Institute 2003 Projects
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Life Science |
Thornton Junior High, 7th Grade |
Clyde Mann |
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| Summary: | |||
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Understanding the Scientific
Method is central to the study of Life Science (California Standards).
Unfortunately for many students, they dread doing science because of
the lack of relevance. It is quite common to hear students say, "What
will I need this for in the future?" The approach emphasized by
this project is the use the Scientific Method to something that is relevant
to their daily life. "Time for a Change" PowerPoint project
will focus on a specific habit that a student has and wants to change
using the Scientific Method. Students will utilize the
resources of PowerPoint, Internet, textbook, expert advise, and each
other to develop a PowerPoint presentation designed to share their habit
change through the Scientific Method with other students in the classroom. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Science and Writing |
Kennedy Middle School, 7th Grade |
Chris Heumann |
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Summary: |
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Throughout the year, self-chosen groups of 12 students will create an 11x17 full color newsletter using Microsoft Publisher to be printed on an HP 2500 printer. Student roles include editor, writers, graphics, and layout designers. The process will stress accurate scientific content, excellent writing style, and a positive collaborative atmosphere. This is where writing and science combine into a high-quality product to be distributed to families within the village as well as posted on the internet at www.heumann.org. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Social Studies and Language Arts |
Valle Vista Magnet School, Third Grade |
Kelly K. Hudson |
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| Summary: | |||
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My project is for third grade students. This project guides students working
in teams of four to research an Indian tribe and prepare a group report
that is presented two ways: an oral presentation to the class and
a written report to be put in a class book. The oral reports will be
turned into an iMovie. Students will create their own research question
and use reference books and the internet to discover the answers to
their questions. Students will use internet to conduct a WebQuest. After
gathering information, students will explore how the geography and environmental
surroundings of Native Americans effected
how they met their basic needs and formed their culture. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Chemistry |
Burlingame High School |
Susan Marcan Matt Vaughn |
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| Summary: | |||
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Students will collaboratively
develop webzine articles that address specific science content standards,
which will be compiled to serve as a chemistry reference.
Prior to creating their own pages, students will use and assess
existing content specific webpages and webzines.
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Science |
Huff School, 5th |
Laura Mabbott |
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Summary: |
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Islands are the worldâs storehouses of bio diversity, with disproportionately high numbers of endemic and endangered species. Due to the self öcontained nature of island environments, their ecosystems are extremely vulnerable to damage caused by introduced species and inappropriate development. Island coral reefs, mangrove forests and rainforests play host to an astounding array of marine and terrestrial life, but are amongst the worldâs most threatened ecosystems. Island Explorations is a way to get engaged in studying and comprehending the complexity and critical importance of ecosystems as well as fostering personal responsibility and stewardship by making connections between studentâs own behavior and the health of the planet. Studentâs general interest in islands is a natural way to teach students about ecosystems, cultures, government, trade, history and our worldâs interdependence and interconnectedness. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Science |
Energy Sources |
El Crystal, 6th Grade |
Mr. Quigley |
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Summary: |
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Students will be exploring various and viable energy sources. Student teams will research the pros and cons of either: fossil fuels, wind, geothermal, water, or nuclear energy and prepare power point presentations on their findings. Research will include pros and cons and the values and benefits of each energy source. Power Point Presentations will be shown over the digital projector to the entire class. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Science |
Hillsdale H.S. 9-12 Grade |
Kathy Stilwell |
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Summary: |
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Biochemistry and digestion will be taught through a unit on nutrition. Students will learn what their body needs to live, why it needs essential nutrients and how their body uses them. After learning these fundamental principals of biochemistry and nutrition, students will choose a topic to explore further. Students will then produce a pamphlet to teach public awareness about their topic. In addition, students will produce Public Service Announcements to create interest and inform the public of the concerns they explored through their project research. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Social Studies |
Christopher Elementary O.G.S.D 3 ö5 Grade |
Heather Newton Marie Mabanag Barry Inoue |
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Summary: |
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Students will research a Native American tribe using the internet as one of their sources. They will then create an interactive Powerpoint presentation that will include some of their facts and cultural findings. These pieces of factual information will then be countered with false facts. Users of the program must then choose correct answers to successfully navigate through the presentation. Ultimately, the program will lead the user to the meeting of immigrating groups of people and eventually the demise of the tribal nation. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Staff Development |
Henry M. Gunn High School |
Darlene Feldstein |
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Summary: |
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As the Manager of the DHS grant I have helped troubleshoot tech problems at Gunn for the past 5 years. State deficits have resulted in staff and resource cutbacks. This EWYL Summer 2003 Project is an online technology support resource focusing on technology and educational issues specific to the Gunn community. This PowerPoint is a prototype of the web pages to be designed (after collaboration with Gunn staff) which will answer previous FAQs, anticipate future tech inquiries, share ãcoolä teaching projects, and promote staff development opportunities. Hopefully, the Tech Tools @ Gunn web project will help support and promote a dynamic community of teachers and learners. A pre and post survey and informal interviews will be administered to evaluate the sitesâ effectiveness. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Web Page Design |
Valley Christian Junior High School Grade 7 and 8 |
Nancy Franklin |
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Summary: |
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Students will design an interscholastic art web site to connect student art galleries from different schools. The project provides real world experiences by taking students through a business simulation. Activities include writing a mission statement, contacting school art departments, keeping a database, creating the web site and help pages, and writing lessons which would utilize the new site. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Reading and Language Arts |
Van Meter Elementary and Blossom Hill School Grades 2, 4 and 5 |
Holly Kollenborn Jamie Glanville Lisa Keller |
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| Summary: | |||
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ãGood Books Rock!" is an opportunity for students of all ages to enjoy quality literature. Guided reading groups or upper grade book clubs will read and discuss grade appropriate literature. Through guided discussions, intricacies of each book will be explored. After reading, small student groups will plan and create PowerPoint presentations that highlight elements of response to literature standards such as scheme of plot, character analysis, and personal recommendation. "Good Books Rock!" offers students the chance to give authentic feedback in an innovative, comprehensive format. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Social Studies |
P. A. Walsh Elementary School, MHUSD, Grade 5 |
Jim Wright |
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Summary: |
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At last fifth grade students in Morgan Hill, California, can take a field trip to their nationâs capital. No fund-raisers; no long ride across the country in a noisy, crowded school bus; no children wandering off in the middle of a tour. Instead, my 2003-2004 fifth grade students are designing a virtual field trip to Washington, D.C. In groups, they will explore the many government and historical sites that relate to our fifth grade social studies program. They will prepare and present their trip with Power Point. This will be exported onto the Web so that their parents and other would-be travelers can enjoy the trip. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Science |
Graham Middle School, 6th Grade |
Susan Nora Papson |
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Summary: |
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Students will work in groups to investigate a variety of ways in which people have been affected by volcanoes. They will select a volcano/volcanic region and gather the necessary information to write a research paper, design a poster and create a documentary presentation using powerpoint/hyperstudio . The writing portion of their project will be completed in their Language Arts class, and the research, the poster and documentary formation and presentation will be completed in their Science class. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Technology and the Visual Arts |
George Mayne Elementary Kindergarten (Spanish Bilingual and English) |
Kathy Bartlett and Diane Matarangas |
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| Summary: | |||
Students will learn to do research to create a multimedia report page(s) of an animal of their choice using KidPix. They will work collaboratively to learn about animals from the seven continents. They will describe what they look like, what they eat and where their natural habitat is located. Students will develop language arts skill related to sentence writing. Each student will learn the tasks associated with KidPix3 while meeting standards in Technology, Language Arts, Social Studies and the Visual Arts. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Math |
Bernal, 7th Grade, Oak Grove School District |
Loren Smith |
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| Summary: | |||
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We (one seventh grade math class and myself) will establish and maintain a simple web site to: Communicate assignments Provide some online help Create ePortfolios for one class (pilot project) By October 27, 2003 the web site will include student composed (teacher edited) electronic communications regarding the PBL teams and their project choices, benchmarks, and products. By January 19, 2004 the web site will include eFolios for one selected class created in-class by each student on an electronic format provided by the teacher.
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Social Studies |
Crittenden MS, 6, 7, 8 |
Duggan/Fowler |
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| Summary: | |||
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Cultures Across the World is a cumulative, ongoing 6-7-8th grade Hyperstudio/PowerPoint project in which students will create e-Portfolios. Students will analyze cultures of the past through the World Cultures Model. This framework allows students to synthesize their learning and relate it to the world of today. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Science |
Presentation High School 9-12 |
Mike Pistacchi |
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| Summary: | |||
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This project was developed to teach students about science using constructivist strategies. Students will design an educational web page to teach science to an ãAlienä that knows nothing about science. In doing so, students will learn about the scientific method, experimental design, and scientific philosophy through a unit of scaffolding activities, which includes experiments, reflections, and a group research project. The project is easily adaptable to middle school students. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Language Arts |
Heroes: Past and Present: The Contributions and Significance of Cultural Icons |
Blach Intermediate English 7th and 8th |
Deborah Bjarnason |
| Summary: | |||
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In conjunction with the study of Bernard Evslinâs The Adventures of Ulysses, students will analyze past and contemporary cultural icons. Students will analyze how cultural icons are created, their purposes and influences in society, and what societal values these cultural icons represent. Students will analyze cultural icons in a variety of ãgenresä, such as pop culture icons, world peace icons, literature icons, sports icons, tactical icons, religious icons, etc. Higher level thinking skills will be employed as students ask themselves probing questions about society and its values. Each student will research two cultural icons and students will work in groups to create a slide show presentation. This project can be adapted for use in a social studies curriculum and/or for high school students. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Science |
Castro School 3rd/4th Grade |
Catherine Enos Janine Walker |
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| Summary: | |||
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Third and fourth grade students at Castro School will study the bayland habitat and devise a plan to assist in restoring this local treasure. Students will meet third and fourth grade science standards in accomplishing this project. A project based learning format will integrate technology, collaborative grouping, and community involvement. After thorough classroom investigations of the bayland habitat, groups of students will study an area in depth. Students will create multimedia presentations about a variety of animals in the bayland habitat. In order to help this process, students will write weekly journals entries via e-mail to their cross grade buddies highlighting new learning, questions, and interests. As a whole class we will investigate the environmental state of our local baylands. As a way of connecting this learning to the real world, students will identify the importance of the baylands in our community and will participate in their maintenance and restoration. Our investigations will result in a web site compiling student reports and restoration efforts as well as a presentation about the baylands to a public audience. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Math Analysis |
Andrew Hill HS, Grades 9-12 |
Rebecca Macasaet Joselito Sevilla |
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| Summary: | |||
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Math Analysis, like most math subjects, seems very abstract to most students. They do not see a connection between the concepts that they are studying and their application to the ãreal world.ä This project aims to apply concepts on Quadratic or Logarithmic functions to solve real-world problems. The class will be divided into groups of at most three members, and each group will have three options on what project they will do: 1. A web-based tutorial on Quadratic or Logarithmic function that will include the properties, graphs, solutions, and applications of the chosen function. 2. A game that will summarize the lessons learned on the chosen function, with emphasis on real-world connections. 3. A multi-media presentation on solving real-life word problems using the functions. All projects must have a prior approval from the teacher.
A timeline for making this project will be given prior to making the
proposal. Assessment and evaluation will be made based on a rubric that
will be discussed in detail with the class. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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John Muir 6th Grade |
Lisa Cunningham |
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| Summary: | |||
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Students will participate in groups of four to research endangered species online and choose one to research in depth. Through their research, students will uncover the environmental issues surrounding their disappearance and become aware of how they can help. They will see how environmental decisions made by humans have a direct effect on the growing number of endangered species and will present their findings in an iMovie. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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History/Social Studies |
Vinci Park Elementary 5th Grade |
Rob Curry |
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| Summary: | |||
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Students will develop a greater empathy for the ordeals
of African and African American slaves and see the roots of racism,
which may still exist in their own lives today. Students will better understand the connection between
the past and the present and relate it to their own attitudes and actions,
applied here to racism. The main collaborative activities will be (1) Research of slave narratives, which can be found in print, on line and on audiotape. (2) Development of the presentation by planning the presentation using a storyboard. (3)Creation of the Power Point presentation. (4)A Dramatic reading of the slave narrative, independent of the slave narrative. (5) A summarizing composition in which students will synthesize the knowledge they gained in doing the project and what they learned by doing it. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Multi-disciplinary |
Graham Middle 6th-8th grade SDC |
Mariko Kobata |
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Summary: |
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Students will be utilizing the writing process to improve their writing skills and reflect upon those improvements in writing as well as their personal self-confidence. These reflections will culminate in a project of the studentsâ choice. This project will incorporate technology and collaboration with other student. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Social Studies |
Zanker Elementary School Grades 4 and 5 |
Joan Perez |
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Summary: |
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Students will study the lives of Native Californians and Native Americans. They will work in cooperative groups to research different aspects of the Native Californians and Native Americans before the arrival of Europeans, and how that contact and interaction changed their lives. The groups will develop and share a Power Point presentation on what they learned. The students will reflect on what they learned and respond in a variety of ways to a class book. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name
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School(s), Grade Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Language Arts |
5th-8th |
Mary Howland |
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| Summary: | |||
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Science |
Morrill Middle School, 7th Grade |
Sandy Miller |
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Summary: |
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My
project will challenge teams of students to compare and contrast the
anatomy and physiology of a chosen flying animal with that of humans,
and to explore attempts to achieve human-powered flight. In the process, they will communicate
with teams planning to enter the annual Flugtag, or Flying Day, in San
Francisco in October 2003, and will build models of flying animals.
The culminating product
will be a PowerPoint presentation comparing their animal with
a human-powered aircraft that they have researched. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Language Arts |
Fisher Middle School, 6th Grade |
Lacy Maxwell |
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Summary: |
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Radical
Researchers is a project in which students will work collaboratively
in groups of four or five to identify, research, and solve a problem
in their community. The project incorporates various Language Arts standards,
including three of the required areas of writing (persuasive, expository,
and response to literature). In addition to the writing component of
the project, students will partake in the development of a multimedia
project, using various forms of technology and software. The completion
of the project will include an oral presentation in which students will
share what they have learned with an audience, as well as try to persuade
the audience to agree with what the group has determined is the best
solution to the problem. Through their research, writing, and final
project, students will learn that they are able to make a difference
in their community. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade
Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Social Studies |
Los Paseos Elementary 5th Grade |
Margaret Rodrigues |
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| Summary: | |||
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In May 1607, three English ships landed in Jamestown,
Virginia and planted the seeds of a community that grew into the country,
the United States of America. Native inhabitants had lived on this peninsula
for thousands of years and were led by chief Powhontan. The settlers
and native inhabitants interacted in both supportive and hostile manners
The first representative assembly in North America met here in 1619
laying the seeds of our future democratic government. The same year,
the first Africans arrived in Virginia. Later in the century the economic
pressure to grow tobacco led to the development of slavery. All three
of these groups viewed the formation of "America" through
different lenses or eyes. This project will explore life from the different
perspectives of each group - Native inhabitants, European settlers,
and African slaves. |
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Subject Area(s) |
Project Name |
School(s), Grade Level(s) |
Teacher(s) |
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Life Science, Technology |
What
I Learned from a Dragonfly |
Almaden Elementary School 3rd & 4th Grades |
Beth Fensterwald |
| Summary: | |||
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Freshwater wetlands, such as streams or ponds, provide an intriguing learning laboratory for children. And studying one common inhabitant of wetlands, the dragonfly, provides an opportunity to learn about natural history, life cycles, food webs, ecosystems, classification, and conservation. This project provides eight collaborative activities that enable students to explore the world of the dragonfly through books (non-fiction, stories and myth), the Internet, and at a nearby wetland. Students will develop scientific vocabulary, sharpen their powers of observation, understand the ecological interrelationships of organisms, learn about bio mechanics of flight, and develop empathy and concern for a fascinating insect and its special habitat. Students will demonstrate their learning with products made in Kidpix Deluxe, Appleworks, and Powerpoint (or similar applications). |
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