Brief Description

In this lesson students will use the CD-ROM (World Book Encyclopedia) to find information on their endangered animal for their research project to learn about the issues involved.  Students will use this information on future assignments (organize notes, write a research paper, create a poster to encourage people to save animals, participate in debates, write and perform plays that depicts their animal, and create a Kid Pix Slide Show presentation that will illustrate their understandings).  Students will be evaluating their own assignments, as well as evaluating classmates assignments.

Standards and Frameworks

Technology Standards

• 5T-F1. Recognize electronic information sources.
• 1T-F3.  Use developmentally appropriate technology resources to access information and communicate electronically.

• W-F5.  Locate, acknowledge and use several sources to write an information report in their own words.

Academic

• Students will use a computer reference program as one research source and report information in their own words.

• Students will identify 3 possible sources of information.
• Students will locate information on their topic in the World Book Encyclopedia CD-ROM.
• Students will highlight text and will print the information they want.

• Students will need to know basic keyboarding skills in order to type in their topic.

• A computer per student.
• 1 projection screen and machine.
• Paper for printer.
• 1 CD-ROM of World Book Encyclopedia per computer.

Gifted Students:  Gifted students can look up other topics of their own interest and can explore the information and pictures.

Sheltered English Immersion Students (SEI):  The teacher should write down the correct spelling of each animal for every student.  These students will successfully be able to type in their topic since it is written down.  The students will partner read the information at a later time and will highlight the most important information.  In addition students work on research with the SEI teacher.

ADD/ADHD students:  Instruction will be broken down into specific steps so that students can easily follow along.  There will also be time for students to explore topics at their own pace.

Procedures

Introduction (in classroom): 20 mins.

1. Teacher will ask, “We will be researching endangered animals.  Where can we find information?” Have students think-pair-share for 2 minutes and have them share with the class.  Make sure books, videos, web sites, speakers and CD-ROMs are mentioned and explained.
2. Teacher will review the use of encyclopedias.  “What is an encyclopedia?  How do you find information in an encyclopedia?”  Allow students time to think-pair-share their responses to these questions.  Allow time for pairs to look through a volume of a real encyclopedia.
3. Teacher will explain the CD-ROM (World Book Encyclopedia).  “What is a CD-ROM? What information is on a CD-Rom?  How do we handle a CD-ROM carefully?”  Allow students time to think-pair-share and then discuss with the class.  “An encyclopedia on a disc is just like looking up a book in the library.  You will type in your topic and the information will appear to the side.  Please hold disc carefully without touching the underside and put it in the disk drive with the label up.”

1. Teacher will briefly review where to find information and how to handle CD-ROMs again. (Teacher will have passed out a CD-ROM to each student along with his or her topic written out.)
2. Teacher will guide the students on opening the program.

a. Take CD-ROM out of case carefully.
b. Place it in the disk drive with the label facing up.
c. Open up the TechLab file and locate the World Book Encyclopedia.  Press the W key to help you locate the program.
d. Click on the program and it will open up to the main screen.
e. There are several categories of searches and information.  Please click on Topic since we want to search for our topic animal.

3. Teacher will have students stop to watch the computer projection.  Teacher will show students the following steps and then will allow students to research.  Teacher will re-explain the steps to students if needed.

a. You will now see a split screen that will have a text box for you to type your topic.  Make sure that your cursor is in the text box and then correctly type your topic.  Information on your topic will appear to the right side.  You may then scroll up and down to look at the information.
b. Decide what information you think is appropriate for your research.  For our research we will need to find information on the animal’s description, habitat, food, life cycle, and endangerment.  If you want to print some of the information you will need to highlight the continuous sections (you can only highlight one large section at a time).  With your mouse you will click on a corner of the text and drag it down and over the cover what you want printed.  If you like all the information you don’t have to highlight.
c. Go to the Menu bar when you are ready to print.  Go to File and drag down the mouse until you get to Print.  You will then be given a choice:  Do you want to print all of the text or the selected paragraphs (highlighted parts)?  Make a choice and then click Print.
d. The printer will print it out, but please stay at your seat.  I’ll hand out the papers in an organized way in the classroom.
e. When you have finished, you may look up other topics, but please don’t print.

4. Teacher will assist students in finding their topics and guide them through the printing process.  Allow time for all students to print.  At this point several students have printed and are now looking up other topics.
5. Teacher will guide the students through the process of exiting the program on an Apple computer.  Teacher should post a chart of the following steps.

a. Close all windows.
b. On the desktop, drag the World Book Encyclopedia (WB) icon to the trash and unclick to eject the CD-ROM.
c. Carefully place the CD-ROM in the case with the label facing you.

Teacher will listen to the discussions and will assist students in the lab.  Students will be assessed on the following aspects:

Students will:

• Participate in a discussion on information sources and will identify 3 sources.
• Locate information on their topic in the World Book Encyclopedia CD-ROM.
• Print necessary information successfully.

After gathering information from this lesson, students will analyze the material which will assist them with the following higher level lessons based on State Standards.
• Students will restate information as they take organized notes.
• Students will write a 1-3 page report on their endangered animal that illustrates their understanding of their animals description, habitat, diet, life cycle and endangerment.
• After a complete investigation, students will create a Kid Pix Deluxe 3 slide show presentation.  Students will present information that will show others why we need to protect these animals and will illustrate the slides.
• Students will design a poster to promote the protection of their animal.
• Students will debate the need to protect animals and which animals to protect and how.