Brief Description

English Language Learners join schools from around the world to participate in a data collecting project in which they share their findings on the web. Students try to figure out how proximity to the equator affects average daily temperature and hours of sunlight. Participants in the project all follow the same procedures and submit a final report to be posted on the project web site. This is a CIESE Online Classroom Project.

Standards and Frameworks

Technology Standards

4T-E3  Collaboratively use telecommunications and online resources

1SC-E3. Organize and present data gathered from their own experiences, using appropriate mathematical analyses and graphical representations.
W-E6. Write formal communications , such as personal or business letters, messages. directions, and applications, in an appropriate format and for a specific purpose.

Academic

• Students will write a description of their school, formulate questions, and respond to messages from schools participating in the project using the 6 Traits of Writing as a guide.
• Students will graph data collected, and interpret patterns in collected data submitted by participating schools.

• Students will participate in a collaborative online project in which they will communicate electronically with schools around the world. In addition they will submit a graph to share their collected data online.

• Students should know basic computer skills and desktop navigation skills. Familiarity with the Internet, and Excel helpful.

Computer with Internet access and Excel software, printer, Celsius thermometer, world map. Web site needed: http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/tempproj/index.html

Accommodations for Special Needs

Lesson can be modified to accommodate beginning to fluent English proficiency levels. Non-English speakers can be paired with students with more advanced skills.

Procedures

1. Introduce project to the students. Show them the web site, and explain how they will participate.      http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/tempproj/index.html
2. Students write a description of their school. Students share their thoughts before writing a group description. Post letter on the web site.
3. Have students go online to read Letters of Introduction from participating schools.
4. Discuss with students the effect of climate on the architectural style of their school and compare their school building to those of other schools participating in the project.
5. Plot locations of participating schools on the world map.
6. Students discuss how they think proximity to the equator affects climate and hours of sunlight in any given day.
7. Proceed through project steps as listed on the web site. Pay close attention to the data collection and restrictions involved.
8. Students gather data as needed. This involves measuring the temperature at school everyday for a selected week, and calculating the number of daylight hours each day.  Collected data is submitted to the web site at week’s end.
9. Students make a graph of the final data submitted from all of the schools when it is posted.
10. Send final reports including student findings and responses to project questions along with their graph to project web site.

Students’ written work will be assessed by a 6 Traits Rubric. Students will also be assessed on accuracy of their data collection, and graph of final data submitted.

Teacher Name: Karen Loquvam
Site: Coronado
Date Submitted: May 11, 2002