Standards and Frameworks

Technology Standards

5T-E1. Locate information from electronic resources

3SC-E3. Identify a specific need and propose a solution or product that addresses this need, taking into consideration various factors.
3SC-E4. Implement a proposed solution or design and evaluate its merit.
W-E6.Write formal communications, such as personal or business letters, messages, directions and applications, in an appropriate format and for a specific audience and purpose.

Academic

• Students will complete this track, learning about recycling while gaining a desire to do something about it!
• Students will have an understanding of how trash affects the Earth, and how they can make a difference.
• By completing a persuasive letter on the topics presented to them, students will demonstrate their ability to value our Earth in regard to recycling as well as their letter writing abilities with regard to The Six Traits of Writing.

• Students will learn to search the Internet via a controlled site.
• Students will use the knowledge gained via the Internet to produce a word-processed document.
• Students will be able to create a document, save it, and email it.

Materials
Internet ready Computer
Worksheet for searching the web

Accommodations for Special Needs
Buddies
This site has extra credit tracks on it

Procedures
1.Before you do anything, preview the track star! You may want to show it to students in you classroom using the aver-key
     and a monitor.  If this is their first time doing a track star, you will want to show them how to navigate the track before
     they go into the lab. While doing this, tell students the purpose and end result of the activity.
2.Have students log on to track star,
     http://trackstar.hprtec.org/main/track_frames.php3?track_id=84016&nocache=1585450755 you may want to set and
     book mark computers before class…
3.Follow the guide to the track star:  The top of the track – in yellow – will give the students directions – the left side will
     have the sites marked.  The actual Internet page is in the center of the screen. (You are able to scroll down in all three
     places.
4.Use the worksheet to record student answers and follow the directions on the top of the site. (You may want to use a
     separate sheet of paper or have the class verbally respond to the questions.) (In light of the subject, you may want to
     open the worksheet in word and have students record their answers on the computer.) You can get the worksheet here.
5.This track should take 2 class periods of 50 minutes in a computer lab. It could also be done in a small group on a
     classroom computer. It also has a homework assignment that students will need a week to produce.
6.The final track asks students to write a persuasive letter urging their parents to recycle.  There is a homework help link in
     the track star that reviews the process of persuasive writing.  Students should use their worksheet to help them integrate
     new vocabulary words and knowledge gained from this track star. The finished product will tell you what the students
     learned as well as their feeling toward recycling.
7.Students who finish early can work on the extra credit tracks, their homework, or move on to discover other tracks on
     the subject of recycling.

Assessment

• Check for understanding on the student worksheet and persuasive letter.
• In the letter, use the Six Traits of writing rubric to score the written work, check to see that students included vocabulary and newfound knowledge from their worksheet notes.
• Look for heightened awareness in students’ perception of recycling.  This will be noticeable in the way they handle their graded papers.  Do they still leave them around?  Do you have a recycle bin in you class now?
• Are parents responding to their student’s essay?
• Were students able to navigate through the track star and scroll in all of the designated areas?
• Were the students able to successfully complete the tasks pertaining to the computer?