An essential question is an activity in which the students self direct their learning of a concept.  In this activity students locate information on the computer to create a self selected project.  The theme of this essential question is oceanography encompassing the ocean layers.  After students research the ocean layers they will produce either a speech, PowerPoint, model, mural, or newspaper headline story.

• 5T-E1. Locate information from electronic resources
• Strand 3
• 3T-E3. Publish and present information using technology tools
 

Science

• Strand 6: Earth and Space Science
• Concept 1: Structure of the Earth
• PO 3. Explain the composition, properties, and structures of the oceans’ zones and layers.

 
• Strand 1: Inquiry Process
• Concept 1: Observations
• PO 3. Locate research information, not limited to a single source, for use in the design of a controlled investigation.
Reading
• Concept 1:  Comprehending Informational Text
• PO 1. Restate the main idea (explicit or implicit) and supporting details in expository text.
• PO 2. Summarize the main idea and critical details of expository text, maintaining chronological or logical order.

• Students will understand layers of the ocean using electronic sources of varying ability levels.
 

Academic

• Students will explain the composition, properties, and structures of the oceans’ zones and layers.
• Students will locate research information, not limited to a single source, for use in the design of a controlled investigation.
• Students will summarize the main idea and critical details of expository text, maintaining chronological or logical order.
• Students will restate the main idea (explicit or implicit) and supporting details in expository text.

 

• Students will locate information from electronic resources
• Students will publish and present information using technology tools

Basic computer skills – typing, saving

Internet searching capabilities

How to make PowerPoint presentation

• Computer with Internet access (one per student)
• PowerPoint
• Big pieces of butcher paper
• Markers, colored pencils, crayons, watercolors
• Microsoft Word (or any word processing program)
• Television
• Projector or Averkey
• Notebook
• Pencil or pen

 Strategies

Varied reading levels of text

Exploration of project by interest

This lesson differentiates What?
Project choice
This lesson differentiates How?
Places students into groups to distinguish what reading level they are
Allow students to choose a project based on interest

1. If this is the student’s first essential question the teacher will show the students what the essential question website looks like and then walk them through each page on the classroom television by use of an Averkey or projector.  Locate the essential question at http://www.amphi.com/teachers/sgilbertson/oceanography/home.html
2. Place the students into three groups.  (I used MAP data and a classroom reading assessment to group students)  Group one will be the students that need resources at a lower reading level.  Group two will be the middle level and group three at above grade level.
3. Once students are in their groups take them to the computer lab.  Students may want to use a notebook and pencil to jot down notes.  If they know how to cut and paste you may allow them to do that.  (Make sure that they do not plagiarize in their final project).  You may want to give a lesson on plagiarism so the students know how to site the sources and what plagiarism is.
4. Direct the students to the Question page.  Have each students read through it.  Check for understanding.  One way to do this is to have the students restate what they read or think-pair-share.
5. Next have the students go to the Student Activity page.  Have them read through the project choices and choose one that is of interest to them.
6. Go to the Task page.  Depending on the group the student is in, they will use the web sites to research the main idea and details of each page to answer the essential question.  They will sequence the layers of the ocean and the animals and plant through the websites.
7. Before they start researching have the students click on the assessment link and click on their project rubrics.  Make sure that they understand how they will be assessed before they start.

 

Assessment

Students will produce a project depending on their interest.  Each project has a rubric on the assessment site.  I had the students complete a project individually, but they could work in pairs or groups.  (The mural was a time consuming task, so the next time I would have the students work in pairs.)