Response 1 to Dianne Fulton's Proposal
Dianne,
I love your ideas. Giving students the skill and experience to do Internet research is necessary before the research can begin in earnest.
Limited computer access is a problem for all of us as we try to maximize the opportunities to use IT tools. I plan to group students so they can work together in a center approach. The students will be on-line during class when other center stations are available. In my situation, (a multiage class of 5,6,and 7 year olds), pairing of students is essential as many of the children can’t read yet.
Some ideas for extension:
1. Have students try and find out how many towns in the US/worldwide are named Springfield.
2. Establish your own town within the classroom. Allow the students to name the town, elect officials, create businesses, etc. My son’s 5/6 grade class, partnered with a 3/4 class, did this last year at Iles. The project lasted all year and the kids learned a tremendous amount as they struggled with the beaurocracy and issues they themselves created!
3. Check out some of the projects from the CTER 1 group that focused on the Ridgley School celebration. There are some wonderful lessons that focus on community.
4. Obviously, following-up with visits to local landmarks and with city officials would be ideal. Those experiences could be documented by the students using word processing, scanning, digital photography, etc. in some kind of video presentation.
Good luck!
Response 2 to Kristin Gage's Proposal
I think your goal to combine web research, web site evaluation and web page design is admirable and will be valuable to your gifted students. These skills will enhance their learning across any curriculum. In my experience, most gifted resource experience has been of limited benefit to those students involved. How nice to see a project that has some long term application.
Since history can be
a dry subject for students, actively involving them is learning is a smart
educational approach. Hopefully, the web can provide a more dynamic presentation
and supplement traditional reference materials like books and encyclopedias.
I would suggest focusing student research on specific aspects of the time
period they are investigating. Perhaps you could provide them with an outline
of basic information they should include in their study to help direct
their energy. That would also allow for more succinct comparison of the
ages as they share their work-- comparing 100 A.D. apples
with 1800 A.D. apples
as they say... Helping students locate sites that include video and audio
links would be wise as they might bring “history to life.”
I am having trouble figuring out whether or not to trust information gathered on the web. Do you have experience and a system to evaluate the validity of such information? If so, please share. Teaching that kind of strategy to young learners is vital.
Web page development fascinates me as I am just learning the techniques. I suspect students will be motivated by the immediate gratification these design techniques allow. I’d be interested to see your web page template and instructional guidelines for use with younger students.
Finally, your time frame seem ambitious. Gifted students may be more efficient workers but don’t rush the process and compromise the wonderful objectives of this project.