Winter 2001 Course Homework Projects

The following projects were created as homework during a Winter 2001 Leadership Institute Integrating Internet, Curriculum, and Instruction online course.

Elementary School Projects

Middle School

 High School

Adult

Community: Building Bridges (Grades 2-3)
This is a multi-disciplinary project providing an opportunity for a multi-age classroom of 2nd and 3rd graders to explore the concepts of community, culture and acceptance. Students will use e-mail to collaborate with representatives of other cultures, the Internet to research cultures and a web page to post events, products and resources for the community. This engaged learning project emphasizes Wisconsin Model Academic Standards in the area of information technology, social studies and language arts centering on the themes of community and cultural diversity. The project's overall goal is to increase cultural awareness and acceptance in the school and community.
Summary
Pre-LInC Description 1
Pre-LInC Description 2
Pre-LInC Description 3
Scenario Student Pages and Rubric
Browse Project Directory

Save the Nature Trail (Grades 2 & 7)
This project challenges students to analyze our nature trail to determine what environmental problems exist including erosion and pollution. When the nature trail was constructed, the impact that the trail would have on the surrounding fragile environment was not taken into account. Over the past 20 years, erosion and litter pollution have plagued the trail. Since much of the trail is located on a hillside that leads down to a fragile swamp/marsh land, the erosion is now a major concern.

The students will make observations and collect data over the school year. In small groups (teams of 2nd and 7th grade students), they will create possible solutions to these problems and submit them to middle school classes for any needed improvements. Together they will implement the solutions. Additionally, the students will share their observations, which will include data and video, on the web.

Summary
Pre-LInC Description 1
Pre-LInC Description 2
Pre-LInC Description 3
Scenario Student Pages and Rubric
Browse Project Directory

Weather...or...Weather Not? (Grade 4)
This project provides opportunities for students to collect, measure, and analyze weather data. Working in cooperative learning groups students will generate forecasts and predictions. Groups will use appropriate technology to obtain data and will produce a video segment on the weather for their school's closed circuit "morning show." A school-home connection will be the development of a severe weather emergency plan.
Summary
Pre-LInC Description 1
Pre-LInC Description 2
Pre-LInC Description 3
Scenario
Student Pages and Rubric
Browse Project Directory

Middle School Projects

Elementary School

 High School

Adult

Bugs B Gone (Grade 7)
Antibacterial soap, antibacterial lotion, everyday we think that harmful bacteria is being killed and we are safe from infection. Are we?? Recently scores of students and teachers reported sick in record numbers. People have been sick in record numbers and have been recovering more slowly. Where do we find the most bacteria at school and what can we do to prevent illness? This is the task middle school science students will tackle.
Summary
Pre-LInC Description
Scenario 1, Scenario 2, Scenario 3 Student Pages and Rubric
Browse Project Directory

A Desert Oasis: Keystone Park and Wetlands (Grade 6 & Teacher Education)
Wetlands are very unique phenomenon. One such wetland was created in the desert southwest when the ancient Rio Grande (Rio Bravo) changed course and the water table remained high. Nestled at the foothills of the Franklin Mountains in the desert southwest lies Keystone--home to thousands of waterfowl. Keystone Park has asked students to brainstorm ways in which they can contribute to their educational outreach for the children and citizens of three cities, three states, and two countries (Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico).

Summary
Pre-LInC Description 1
Pre-LInC Description 2
Pre-LInC Description 3
Pre-LInC Description 4
Scenario 1
Scenario 2
Scenario 3
Scenario 4
Student Pages and Rubric
Browse Project Directory

Flooding Rivers (Grades 5-6)
Two classes of students 5th and 6th grade will combine their efforts to help solve a problem of flooding along small tributaries that flow through the communities and right through one of the school's property. Both school are very close to waterways that have had problems with flooding. One school actually gets flooding in the school buildings and is now the focus of a community study to prevent future flooding. As requested by the director of the water project, student are asked to apply their skills as scientists to study the problem and present their ideas to the organizations working to solve these problems. Students will learn not only about watersheds, rivers, and
urbanization around rivers, but also about community action and community governments.

Summary
Pre-LInC Description 1
Pre-LInC Description 2
Scenario 1, Scenario 2 Student Pages and Rubric
Browse Project Directory

Rainforest Herb Project (Grades 6-8)
This project is for eighth grade students and will be facilitated by pre-service English teachers. Students will use the Internet, library resources, and personal interviews to research and identify the effects of the diminishing rainforests and how this might affect their everyday lives and experiences. Students will focus on the medicinal use of plants as a disappearing resource. Through personal interviews and Internet research, students will explore the scope of the problem and generate questions and issues based upon their research. In their groups, the students will identify issues that they find relevant and/or have potential impact on their own community and personal experience.

Summary
Pre-LInC Description
Scenario 1, Scenario 2 Student Pages and Rubric
Browse Project Directory

Save the Nature Trail (Grades 2 & 7)
This project challenges students to analyze our nature trail to determine what environmental problems exist including erosion and pollution. When the nature trail was constructed, the impact that the trail would have on the surrounding fragile environment was not taken into account. Over the past 20 years, erosion and litter pollution have plagued the trail. Since much of the trail is located on a hillside that leads down to a fragile swamp/marsh land, the erosion is now a major concern.

The students will make observations and collect data over the school year. In small groups (teams of 2nd and 7th grade students), they will create possible solutions to these problems and submit them to middle school classes for any needed improvements. Together they will implement the solutions. Additionally, the students will share their observations, which will include data and video, on the web.

Summary
Pre-LInC Description 1
Pre-LInC Description 2
Pre-LInC Description 3
Scenario Student Pages and Rubric
Browse Project Directory

What Have You Read Lately? (Grade 7)
This project begins in October and will take about 4-6 weeks to set up and then it will be ongoing for the rest of the school year. Students will collaborate with the Lemont Public Library and with other students from Lemont to create ways of improving and promoting student attendance at the Lemont Public Library. Students use e-mail, Internet resources, word processing and database programs to complete this project. They communicate with middle school-aged students, librarians and authors of books to collected data about what kinds of books students like to read and need to have access to. Finally, the students submit the results to the library board at their February meeting.

Summary
Pre-LInC Description
Scenario 1, Scenario 2 Student Pages
Rubric 1, Rubric 2, Rubric 3, Rubric 4
Browse Project Directory

High School Projects

Adult

 Middle School

Elementary School

Are We on Solid Ground? (Earth Science, Physical Science and Physics)
This project provides students opportunities to collect and analyze earthquake data to determine guidelines for earthquake safety and preparedness. Students will collaborate with researchers to determine what role (if any) can they, the students, have towards earthquake prediction. Students will determine whether their communities are prepared for the aftermath of a large earthquake and determine how a community prepares for such an event. Students will use appropriate technology to obtain the data and will produce an informational pamphlet and/or web page for the community.

Summary
Pre-LInC Description 1
Pre-LInC Description 2
Pre-LInC Description 3
Scenario Student Pages and Rubric
Browse Project Directory

Exploring an Aviation Academy (Grade 10)
High school students will investigate aviation and the disciplines of study in aviation to ultimately design a creative presentation that promotes the proposed aviation academy at their high school. The project requires students to research and report their findings on aviation: aviation history, aircraft structure and design, aviation math, Computer Assisted Drafting, and career opportunities in aviation. Students will be challenged to not only design a creative presentation to promote student interest in an aviation academy but to demonstrate the need to include a specific discipline in the aviation academy curriculum.
Summary
CAD Pre-LInC Description
English Pre-LInC Description
Library Pre-LInC Description
Math Pre-LInC Description
CAD Scenario
English Scenario
Library Scenario
Math Scenario
Student Pages and Rubric
Browse Project Directory

Genethics (Grades 9-10)
Genethics introduces the social and ethical implications of genetic/genomic research and its applications to high school students. In this project, students will create web-based presentations that they will share with their peers. The students will build their presentation as a mode of educating the public and of suggesting the future direction of genetic/genomic research and its applications.

Summary
Pre-LInC Description
Scenario Student Pages and Rubric
Browse Genethicskim Project Directory

Survivor IIIe (Grade 10)
Survivor involves high school sophomore students in a decision-making project enabling them to demonstrate how they would deal with an impending cataclysmic event without the intitial benefit of adult expertise. Students will engage in creative, meaningful and challenging classroom academic options involving exploration using technology. Students will direct their learning, via group discussions with the resulting outcomes of creating a simulation game of a survival scenario, which demonstrates their understanding of the essentials of survival. Their survival exploration and escape adventure will require detailed accounts of how they avoided incineration through creation of a new habitat. Their success depends upon showing/demonstrating how they used technology to contact experts as well as actual survivors of cataclysmic events and set up a mechanism to plan to deal with complicated dramatic changes that may affect their values and beliefs.
Summary
English Pre-LInC Description
History Pre-LInC Description
Science Pre-LInC Description
English Scenario
History Scenario
Science Scenario
Student Pages
Rubric 1, Rubric 2, Rubric 3
Rubric 4, Rubric 5, Rubric 6, Rubric 7
Browse Project Directory

 

Adult Projects

High School

 Middle School

Elementary School

A Desert Oasis: Keystone Park and Wetlands (Teacher Education & Grade 6)
Wetlands are very unique phenomenon. One such wetland was created in the desert southwest when the ancient Rio Grande (Rio Bravo) changed course and the water table remained high. Nestled at the foothills of the Franklin Mountains in the desert southwest lies Keystone--home to thousands of waterfowl. Keystone Park has asked students to brainstorm ways in which they can contribute to their educational outreach for the children and citizens of three cities, three states, and two countries (Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico).

Summary
Pre-LInC Description 1
Pre-LInC Description 2
Pre-LInC Description 3
Pre-LInC Description 4
Scenario 1
Scenario 2
Scenario 3
Scenario 4
Student Pages and Rubric
Browse Project Directory

Educational Environment of the Future (Classroom Teachers)
Phase I: Participants will experience first-hand an engaged learning activity. Teachers will then debrief the experience and define engaged learning attributes.

Teachers will work in collaborative groups to share information and problem-solve. They will use the Internet as well as other sources on- and off-line to gather information.

Participants have been assigned by their district to plan for and open a new type of learning environment. What does this school look like? Where is it? Who will attend the school? Is it a building? Is it a virtual environment? What is the mission? What is the curriculum? How do the students learn? This task will be a hands-on model of engaged learning so that the participants will experience the process.

Phase II: Particpants will develop engaged learning projects under the ongoing and consistent leadership of the facilitator. Project developed will be incorporated into existing curriculum and infused with the State Learning Standards.

Summary
Pre-LInC Description 1
Pre-LInC Description 2
Pre-LInC Description 3
Scenario 1, Scenario 2, Scenario 3 Student Pages and Rubric
Browse Project Directory

Genethics (Biology Teachers - Grades 6-12)
This "Genethics" project introduces learners to the social and ethical implications of genetic/genomic research and its applications. Learners will create bulletin board-based presentations to share with their peers and use as a preparation for the Woodrow Wilson Biology Institute in July, 2001.
Summary

Pre-LInC Description
Scenario Student Pages and Rubric
Browse Genethics Project Directory

Staff Development Plans

CESA #11 LInC Staff Development Plan
New Mexico State University LInC Staff Development Plan
Professional Development Alliance LInC Staff Development Plan
South Carolina State University LInC Staff Development Plan
Technology Outreach Project LInC Staff Development Plan
Vallejo High School LInC Staff Development Plan
Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation LInC Staff Development Plan