Title: Europeans Come to America
Grade Level: Social Studies/Fifth Grade/Special Needs
Overview: During the study of European explorers students will be given the chance to research a European explorer of their choice. This research will be done during the use of stations prior to the beginning of this project. In order to complete this research, students will be given a task sheet to focus their data collection. The students will be working in groups of two during the data collection and through the completion of this project. Once the task sheets are complete they will be able to begin the work of completing a multimedia presentation with the use of HyperStudio.
Time: This project will actually take the students approximately 2 class periods each about 50 minutes long. The initial research for the project will take place during the study of European Explorers coming to America which is Unit 3 in our Social Studies series.
Objectives:
1. Students will be able to use various sources to collect data with the help of a data collection sheet.
2. Students will work cooperatively with another student to research information about the given explorer.
3. Students will be able to use the researched information to develop a HyperStudio slide about their explorer. This slide should contain the information the students gathered through the use of the data collection sheet.
Required Materials and Resources
1. Students should have access to various forms of resources necessary for initial research. This would include Internet, CD-ROMS, printed materials, and video selections.
2. Students need to have access to the HyperStudio program to create the presentation.
3. Students must have access to computers with the capability to run the HyperStudio software. Access to Power Macintosh computers would be most beneficial. If possible, each group of students should have access to computers during the course of the assignment.
Prerequisites
Before beginning this project students should have prior knowledge of the HyperStudio program. This would include a teacher explanation and the distribution of a direction sheet. Students will also need to have done similar projects through the use of HyperStudio.
Activities
1. Before beginning the presentation process students will complete a data collect task sheet created by the teacher. This will include researching such points as where the explorer was from, what were the reasons for the voyage to the Americas, what area of the Americas did they explore, and what was the result of the voyage?
2. Students will research and find a picture of their explorer or of the explorers party or ships. This picture will be used as a graphic in the presentation.
3. Once the data collection has concluded, students will be given the guidelines of the presentation. The guidelines will include requiring the students to include a graphic in their slide, as well as the use of buttons to navigate back to the home page. Students will also be required to included a paragraph describing their explorer and their contribution the the exploration of the United States.
4. Once the guidelines have been established students will then begin to work with their teammate to form a conclusion paragraph about their explorer. Students should also begin to select a graphic to be used in the final presentation.
5. Once the summaries are completed and a graphic has been selected students may then use the computer to create a concluding slide about an explorer. Students should be encouraged to be creative and incorporate the use of sound, video, and graphics in their final product.
6. Once all slides are created students will work with the help of the teacher to link all slides together to form one multimedia HyperStudio presentation.
Evaluation
The students will be evaluated for the use and content of the following guidelines:
1. Each team will be graded on their initial data collection task sheet.
2. Each team will be graded on the completion of a HyperStudio slide which contains contents following the already established guidelines. The presentation must include a graphic, as well as, buttons to navigate back to the beginning or to the next slide.
3. Students will be graded on their creativity. This would include the addition of graphics, video or sound. These areas would be graded based on the relevancy to the topic.
4. Each group member will be evaluate on their participation. This will take place through teacher observation and through feedback received from the students.
Additional Information Concerning Evaluation
Please be aware that I have mentioned that students will be evaluated in some areas on the bases of what the team has created or submitted. It is the teachers responsibility to monitor the students and ensure that each student is participating in the completion and development of the project. As a teacher, I try to continually be aware of what each group of students is doing. To manage this I spend a great deal of my time rotating from group to group while students are working in stations. This allows me to know what is developing in each group and also to have a better grasp on each students individual participation. Keep in mind that team evaluation can cause much turmoil if it is not handled in a very delicate manner.
Other Considerations