Activity 4A
C & I 335
Summer, 1998

Melissa Netznik
Lincoln School
Springfield, IL

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Overview:
Our third quarter theme in sixth grade at Lincoln School is entitled "Renaissance: Rebirth to Revolution." The students' culminating project will be to compile research gathered in each subject area and present a Renaissance Faire by portraying the characters and events from that time period. For the project proposal and a detailed description of the culminating activity, see Activity 1A.

Time Frame: This project is part of an entire quarter's thematic unit. Therefore, the unit covers approximately a nine week span. The following lists provides an overview of the length of time allotted for each activity.

• Science Stations: Seven 50 Minute Class Periods
• Science Hyperstudio Presentation: Two 50 Minute Class Periods
• Script Writing in Language Arts: Approximately two class periods to write and additional practice time
• Final Preparations (practicing script, preparing backdrops and costumes, etc.): Approximately three two hour group meetings

The following chart gives a specific schedule for the thematic unit, with specific focus on the science portion:

Weeks 1-4	Weeks 5-6, Days 1-7	Week 7, Days 8-9	Week 7, Days 10-11	Weeks 8-9
All background information is provided in the anchor subject, social studies. Students are introduced to the time period. In language arts, students are gaining additional background by reading novels from the time period. In math and science, students are working on the skills being introduced at that time.	Students begin rotating through research stations to learn about scientists from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. During this time, they are also completing stations that tie into the FOSS science module for this quarter, Mixtures and Solutions.	Each team will summarize the research gathered in the science stations. They will then present this information in a Hyperstudio presentation.	Students will be assigned an "expert" group and will now use the information gathered in the various subject areas to write a script to present at the Renaissance Faire. Afterwards, each group will write a brief overview of their topic for the Web page. This will become a resource and will be a virtual tour of the Faire.	Students work within their expert groups to rehearse scripts, prepare backdrops and costumes, and be videotaped and assessed. The Renaissance Faire is then presented at the Family Night.

Activities and Procedures:

Science Research:
In science, students will rotate through a series of stations to research famous scientists from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Three of the stations will focus on the research, while the other four will focus on the topic being studied in science, Mixtures and Solutions. Following is the rotation schedule for each team:

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
Team 1	Internet	CD-ROMs	Ref. Books	Assessment	GAK	Journal	Hands-on
Team 2	CD-ROMs	Ref. Books	Assessment	GAK	Journal	Hands-on	Internet
Team 3	Ref. Books	Assessment	GAK	Journal	Hands-on	Internet	CD-ROMS
Team 4	Assessment	GAK	Journal	Hands-on	Internet	CD-ROMS	Ref. Books
Team 5	GAK	Journal	Hands-on	Internet	CD-ROMs	Ref. Books	Assessment
Team 6	Journal	Hands-on	Internet	CD-ROMs	Ref. Books	Assessment	GAK
Team 7	Hands-on	Internet	CD-ROMs	Ref. Books	Assessment	GAK	Journal

Note: The CD-ROMs may include any of the following titles: Encyclopedia of Science, The Way Things Work, Encarta, Bookshelf or Grolier's.

The Internet site that we will bookmark for the students to use is http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/BiogIndex.html.

During these research stations, students will collect data on a data collection grid. They will research the following aspects of the scientists' lives: Early Life, Education, Accomplishments, and Lasting Contributions.

Science and Math Multimedia Presentation:
Upon completion of the research, students will then summarize the research to create a biographical sketch of the scientist. This information, as well as a photo and possibly an audio clip, will be used in a Hyperstudio project, in which each team will create a slide to present their scientist. The science portion will be combined with a presentation on Mathematicians. For a complete description of this project, see Activity 3C.

Sixth Grade Third Quarter Culminating Project:
The culminating activity for this quarter will be a Sixth Grade Renaissance Faire. All students will have completed research in each subject area and then are assigned a specific topic to present at the Faire using the research compiled during that quarter. Students get background from many topics, but become "experts" in only one area for the Faire. Students dress in Medieval costumes and design scenery. Students will be presenting their research topics as if they were in that time period. There will be a variety of stations, including Knights, Artists, Tower of London, as well as Scientists and Mathematicians, along with many others. All content areas, including the Fine Arts, are integrated during this unit and represented at the Renaissance Faire Family Night.

Evaluation:
In science and math, students will be evaluated on their research and Hyperstudio presentation (see criteria in Activity 3C.). Students will be creating a Web page in social studies or language arts and will be assessed on their contributions to that project in those subject areas, as well as their research grids in social studies. Each expert group will include their information on the Web page. Also in language arts, students will be writing scripts for the Faire, and will receive a writing grade for that assignment. Each student will also be evaluated on the presentation of their script at the Renaissance Faire.