Keri+Bara

=Keri Bara=

__**Topic:**__ Where should I go this summer- problem based learning __**Grade Level:**__ third grade __**Subject:**__ reading, math, social studies __**Description:**__ Students will work in groups of three. They will choose a destination that they would like to travel this summer. They will put together a proposal to share with their parents to persuade them to travel to this destination. The proposal will include airfare, hotel, and tourist sites for a five night trip. __**Goals:**__


 * **Reading:** || **Math:** || **Social Studies** ||
 * Shares written and oral products in a variety of ways including discussions, author’s chair, book making, presentations, and other forms of publication. || Collect, organize, analyze, and display data (including circle graphs and tables) to solve problems. || Distinguish and analyze the economic resources within communities. ||
 * Uses planning strategies with assistance to generate topics and to organize ideas (discussing, drawing, webbing, story mapping, listing). || Strategies for multiplying and dividing numbers. || Distinguish and analyze the economic resources within communities. ||
 * Analyzes, compares and contrasts printed and visual information (e.g., graphs, charts, maps). || Strategies for adding and subtracting numbers. ||  ||
 * Locates information for specific purposes. || Compare and order numbers. ||  ||

__**Steps:**__ __**Technology:**__ __**Diverse Learners:**__ Since some students have never traveled to a destination before, I would group those students with a partner or two that have traveling experience. This would allow the students to share their prior knowledge to reflect their final product. I will also watch a short video on United Streaming to help those students that have never traveled create some knowledge. Since students are working in groups of threes, some students will have a strength in an area that can assist his or her group. Students that struggle with math skills can use a calculator to solve facts and focus on the problem instead of computing large numbers. This project has elements of social studies, reading, math, and art so students can apply a strength they have in several different aspects. Those students that may struggle in math, can show their creativity when designing the brochure. Lastly, when researching on the Internet, I will provide a Macbook to students that struggle with reading. The MacBook will allow students to highlight words, sentences, or paragraphs on the screen and have it read aloud. This will help students that are not fluent readers become involved in the research. __**Assessments:**__ I will provide a rubric for students that assesses the student’s spreadsheets they created, participation in their group, as well as their final product. I will have students assist me in creating this rubric, so that they take ownership in the expectations. I will take notes as I observe the students working in their groups. These notes will allow me to record my observation of students through their actions and interactions with their peers.
 * 1) Students will decide on a location that all three partners would like to visit for five days of the summer. Students may look at a globe, a map, or the Internet to gather ideas.
 * 2) Next, I will scaffold the activity by brainstorming Internet sites with the class that can be used to find airline tickets. I will be sure to write down various airlines as well as search engines such as Expedia and Orbitz. Students will use these sites to search for the cheapest flights available. They will record the information from the cheapest flights on each website they search using a spreadsheet program.
 * 3) Next, students will research hotels in the area using Orbitz, Expedia, or hotel.com. They will be planning their trip for a five day stay. Students will complete a spreadsheet for the hotels that they find on this site. They will include the price of the room as well as number of stars the hotel has received.
 * 4) Students will research tourist attractions at their destination. They will choose an attraction for four of the days that they would like to attend. They will record the cost of the attraction they would like to visit on their spreadsheet.
 * 5) Last, students will determine which airline, hotel, and flights they would like to include on their Glogster. Students will embed pictures of the hotel and tourist attractions in their virtual poster. The purpose is to persuade their parents to visit this destination. A total price of the trip will need to be listed on the Glogster.
 * 1) My students will be using the Internet to search through airlines and hotels at their destination to find:
 * An affordable flight
 * An affordable hotel that would meet their parents’ expectations
 * A list of tourist sites the students would like to explore and the cost of these sites
 * 1) My students will be creating a spreadsheet on Word Excel or iWork Numbers to keep track of their notes.
 * 2) United Streaming video to gain knowledge on traveling
 * 3) Calculator to computer problems
 * 4) Students will use Glogster to create a Poster outlining the components of their trip complete with embedded photos and a Google Earth picture of the location.

Hi Keri,

I love your lesson because students at that age thinks that parents just say less go. They do not know and or think about the fact that everything cost money. Allowing them to do the research themselves helps them to understand just what has to before families take trips. I also like the grouping of your students because it is important that they get a chance to hear first hand experience from their peers. Letting your students use different tools to help them with the addition and subtraction of this project also eliminates those fear in this area and allow them to focus on the project at hand. I think this lesson will have the students planning their family vacation from here on out. Good Job.

Sandra

__**Topic:**__ Where should I go this summer- social networking __**Grade Level:**__ third grade __**Subject:**__ reading, math, social studies __**Description:**__ Students will work in groups of three. They will choose a destination that they would like to travel this summer. They will put together a proposal to share with their parents to persuade them to travel to this destination. The proposal will include airfare, hotel, and tourist sites for a five night trip. __**Goals:**__

__**Steps:**__ 2. This wiki will be available for other groups in the classroom to view. Other students can offer suggestions on which option of airfare, hotel, and attractions look best based on the information in the spreadsheet. Students will be involved in higher level thinking as they have to compare the data to determine the best option. 3. Students can post a question on http://www.travelerqa.com/ or http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Travel/ to ask about tourist attractions or hotels in the destination that they chose. I will sign up for the site under my name so I can monitor the comments before the students view them. 4.Using their **creative thinking skills,** students will use Glogster to create a poster outlining the components of their trip complete with embedded photos and a Google Earth picture of the location. I will set up a videoconference with a friend of mine who is a graphic designer. This friend can provide tips and hints to the students that he uses to persuade an audience. This friend can also view the Glogsters once they are finished to provide suggestions. Peers will view other Glogsters to provide comments and suggestions. __**Diverse Learners**__ Since some students have never traveled to a destination before, I would group those students with a partner or two that have traveling experience. This would allow the students to share their prior knowledge to reflect their final product. I will also watch a short video on United Streaming to help those students that have never traveled create some knowledge. Since students are working in groups of threes, some students will have a strength in an area that can assist his or her group. Students that struggle with math skills can use a calculator to solve facts and focus on the problem instead of computing large numbers. Lastly, when researching on the Internet, I will provide a Macbook to students that struggle with reading. The MacBook will allow students to highlight words, sentences, or paragraphs on the screen and have it read aloud. This will help students that are not fluent readers become involved in the research. Before posting a question on the travel sites, I will have students type the question on a word processing program so they are able to spellcheck their work before posting. __**Assessments:**__ I will provide a rubric for students that assesses the student’s spreadsheets they created, participation in their group, as well as their final product. I will have students assist me in creating this rubric, so that they take ownership in the expectations. I will take notes as I observe the students working in their groups. These notes will allow me to record my observation of students through their actions and interactions with their peers. I will also have the parents fill out a checklist regarding the final product. This checklist will be returned to school and students can view the checklists with their group.
 * **Reading:** || **Math:** || **Social Studies** ||
 * Shares written and oral products in a variety of ways including discussions, author’s chair, book making, presentations, and other forms of publication. || Collect, organize, analyze, and display data (including circle graphs and tables) to solve problems. || Distinguish and analyze the economic resources within communities. ||
 * Uses planning strategies with assistance to generate topics and to organize ideas (discussing, drawing, webbing, story mapping, listing). || Strategies for multiplying and dividing numbers. || Distinguish and analyze the economic resources within communities. ||
 * Analyzes, compares and contrasts printed and visual information (e.g., graphs, charts, maps). || Strategies for adding and subtracting numbers. ||  ||
 * Locates information for specific purposes. || Compare and order numbers. ||  ||
 * 1.** Students will create a wiki to address the aspects of their research. Students will be able to post airfare, hotel information, as well as tourist attractions in the spreadsheet when they find the information. They will have access to this information at home as well as at school.

Keri,

I really like this project. It is very involved, yet sounds interesting and worthwhile to the students. I only have two questions about it. Is it too technologically involved? That is, will your students be able to use all the technolgy you plan to use? Also, how will you assess all of the standards that you have listed in the table above.

Thanks, Bryan

Bryan,

I started this project before my students tracked out for the summer. We were able to work on the laptops every day for roughly an hour. Several of my students were able to complete their graphic organizers for flight, hotel, and tourist attractions. I did not have the students post their spreadsheets to a wiki and continue their exploration at home. That might be a step I may leave out if the technology gets too overwhelming. The students loved researching for this project and asked me when they walked into the room if we would be working on the project that day. There were a lot of objectives I planned to meet in this project. This project will not be my only way of seeing students display these skills, but this project would be an additional assessment to show mastery. Several of the objectives I listed could be combined into one portion of the project. Students will be using planning strategies (reading) by collecting information and organizing it into a graph (math). Students will be comparing print and visual information (reading) by using addition and multiplication strategies as well as comparing numbers (math). I plan on combining several of these strands into a rubric to provide students before the project begins. Since this is a learner based project, my job will be to walk around, assist when needed, and take field notes of my observations. These field notes will play a part in my assessing as well.

Keri