Winter 1998 Course Homework Projects
The following projects were created as homework during a Winter 1998
Leadership Institute Integrating Internet, Curriculum, and Instruction pilot
online course.
CheSSie
Two classes of fourth through sixth grade students, one in Maryland and
the other in Washington, DC, are working cooperatively on a simulation to
determine the health of rivers and streams in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
Authors: Susan Hurstcalderone, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, DC,
and Mellie Lewis, Atholton Elementary School, Columbia, MD
Montgomery County to the Rescue!
The hometown of the Power Rangers, popular TV and movie action characters,
has been destroyed by evil forces. The Rangers post an Internet plea for
help in locating a new home base that is ethnically and culturally diverse.
In order to convince the Rangers to adopt Montgomery County as their new
home base, second grade students must find out specific facts about different
ethnic and cultural groups in the community, and present these facts in
a persuasive case to the Rangers. Students use the Internet and e-mail to
obtain current facts about Montgomery County, and send their invitation
back to the Rangers. Author: John Rebstock, Montgomery County Public Schools,
Rockville, MD
Community and Ecosystems
Community and Ecosystems is an integrated unit for fourth and fifth graders
in math, science, and language arts focusing on ecosystems, food chains
and webs, predicator/prey relationships, and man's role in the destruction
and protection of the environment. Using the scientific method, activities
will include data collection, observation, and problem solving. Math skills
include graphing, data analysis, statistics, and problem solving. Language
Arts skills include vocabulary, journal writing, Microsoft Works reports,
and multimedia reports using HyperStudio. This unit relates math, science
and language arts to real-world applications through hands-on experiences
and engaged and discovery learning. Author: Cheryl Earnley Dove, South Redford
School District, Redford, MI
Native American Dwellings
Fifth grade students will research the Native American Dwellings of various
tribes and regions in the United States using various forms of technology.
The information gleaned will be shared with other students both locally
and throughout the country via the Internet and student product presentations.
Author: Carolyn C. Dunmore, Braidwood Elementary School, Braidwood, IL
Route 66
Fourth or fifth grade students will research the history of Route 66 and
in particular the history pertaining to Illinois. They will use this knowledge
in preparation of a Route 66 Festival. Author: James H. Elder, Braidwood
Elementary School, Braidwood, IL
Vital Signs
The focus of the Vital Signs project is to promote good health in our young
people. It is the goal of the Vital Signs project that students everywhere
will contribute to promoting good health decisions. Through the use of telecommunications,
second through fourth grade students will research health related topics
such as good nutrition, exercise, and basic body functions. They will analyze
three research data and distribute it through the use of the Internet. The
World Wide Web will assist students in communication with experts in related
health fields. Electronic mail will be used in collaborative research effort
between communities around the world. Students will have the opportunity
to conduct health related research, discuss their findings, and present
solutions for problems that are facing their generation. Authors: Denise
Waalen and Christine Voigtlander, Wildwood Elementary School, Mahtomedi,
MN
100% Recyclable
Seventh grade students will be challenged to develop a school-wide recycling
program. The challenge will be for everyone; students, teachers, administrators
and especially the cafeteria and lunch program to recycle waste products.
Students will form teams to investigate waste and waste management. They
will also contact other schools throughout the country (via e-mail) and
collect data on school recycling programs. Do they exist? How are they managed?
What percentage of waste has to be hauled away? What are the costs for running
such a program? The teams will be encouraged to develop a Total School Recycle
Program to either internally handle waste, or to find resources that will
productively utilize waste products. This will involve investigating the
means of disposing or recycling all the waste generated from their school
building. Can it be done? Author: Mary A. Warren, Lemont-Bromberek S.D.
113, Lemont, IL
WebGraphics, Inc.
It's an international collaboration between Minnesota's Mahtomedi Middle
School's eighth grade elective class "Movie Making . . . in Animation"
and the John F. Kennedy Schule's computer science class in Berlin, Germany.
Both schools have divided their classes into three teams. Each team is assigned
to create, as their business, a graphic art's company to be home based on
the World Wide Web (WWW). Along with being entrepreneurs in the graphic
world, all teams are potential clients to the other cooperative school's
teams. They will approach their problems creatively and in an interdisciplinary
scope using a variety of sources such as mentors, facilitators, the library
and the Internet. Author: Dan Gray, Mahtomedi Middle School, Mahtomedi,
MN
The Future of Social Security
The Social Security will go broke by the year 2025 if it remains as it is.
An Advisory Council on Social Security can not agree on what to do to extend
and expand Social Security. High school students will be a part of the Advisory
Council's decision-making team. Some of them will be working with state
representative, Jerry Weller from Illinois. The students will also be in
contact with Peter Ladd, Field Director of Economic Security 2000 and Marcilyn
Creque, Regional Volunteer Director for the American Association of Retired
Persons. Peter and Marcy represent opposite opinions about the Social Security
dilemna. Authors: Lucianne Sweder and Robbin O'Connell, Professional Development
Alliance, A Regional Office of Education for Will, Grundy-Kendall Counties,
Joliet, IL
The Bridges Of Adams County
Assisted by computer software programs and the Internet, eleventh grade
Carpentry students along with eleventh and twelfth grade Drafting students
at the Ohio Valley Vocational School in West Union, Ohio will design and
build their own balsa wood model bridges. The technological development
of bridges throughout history, the science principles that apply to bridge
building, and the construction techniques and skills necessary for creating
an exemplary bridge will be explored. The hoped-for final product of the
activity is student contribution to their community regarding the future
construction of bridges within their county. Authors: Randall C. Dunkin
and Richard T. Kuhn, Ohio Valley Vocational School, West Union, OH
Around the World Zoo
Tenth grade students design and maintain a zoo Website. They research, classify,
and provide habitats for different animals. They interact with experts in
the animal field, such as zookeepers, veterinarians, and zoology professors.
The students communicate with other students from around the world to learn
about new animals to add to their zoo. Author: Rebecca Potratz, LaSalle-Peru
Township High School, LaSalle, IL
Technical Writing for Skill Development
Recent research is indicating that engaging students in authentic technical writing can improve student
performance in all areas of the curriculum. Ninth through twelfth grade students involved in this project will work with peer review groups, on-line
mentors and mathematics, science, social studies and language arts teachers and a project facilitator to learn the technical
writing process and to publish technical writing pieces (on student designed web pages)
for student selected non-profit organizations .
Author: Becky Billigmeier, Turner Unified School District, Kansas City, KS
Author: Joanna Francis
Created: June 17, 1998
URL: /lincon/w98/projects/projects.shtml