Brief Description

In this science lesson about comets, students will discover more than the fact that a comet is just a dirty ball of ice.  This is a 5-day project.  One the first day students will learn how to use the newsletter part of Microsoft Publisher.  They will also focus on the legal issues involved with copyright laws.  The rest of the week will be spent creating a newsletter on comets that will be written in groups.

Standards and Frameworks

Technology Standards

• 2T-E1. Discuss basic issues related to responsible use of technology and information and describe personal consequences of inappropriate use
• 2T-E2. Exhibit legal and ethical behaviors when using technology and information and discuss consequences of misuse
• 3T-E3. Publish and present information using technology tools

• 6SC-E2. Describe common objects in the solar system and explain their relationships
• W-E1.Use correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar and usage, along with varied sentence structure and paragraph organization, to complete effectively a variety of writing tasks
• W-E5.Write a report that conveys a point of view and develops a topic with appropriate facts, details, examples and descriptions from a variety of cited sources
• W-E8.Demonstrate research skills using reference materials such as a dictionary, encyclopedia and thesaurus to complete effectively a variety of writing tasks

Academic

• Students will create a newsletter synthesizing their newfound knowledge of comets.
• Students will write reports on comets being careful to take into account the copyright laws.

• Students will experience searching the Internet for specific information, using Boolean logic, and use Publisher to create a newsletter.

• Students should have some knowledge of searching the web.  They should be somewhat familiar with Microsoft Word as well as some experience with inserting photos into a document.

Internet ready computers a ratio of one to four students, Microsoft Publisher.

Accommodations for Special Needs

Students will be in groups of four.  It would be helpful for students to be set into heterogeneous groups.  If it is necessary, students can be given modified requirements for their projects.

Procedures

1. Set students into groups of four.  Show them the sample newsletter so that they begin with the end in mind.
2. The first activity is to learn about copyright laws. These can be discussed or learned about on the following Internet sites:
a. http://www.techlearning.com/content/speak/articles/questions.html
b. http://supportnet.merit.edu/module3/copyright/quiz
c. http://www.iupui.edu/~copyinfo/fuchecklist.html
d. http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/citing.htm
3. Remember that students need to understand that they can’t just copy things off the Internet – it is just like a book.  Once students have had some exposure to the copyright laws, show them Publisher.
4. Explain that they will be choosing a newsletter.  They should spend some time navigating their way through the program.  They will need to know how to insert photos, type in the fields given, add text boxes, and change font sizes to fit fields.
a. Inserting photos – this is done in the same way that it is done in Word.  Students need to click on the insert button and then answer the question on where they would like to get the picture.  If they chose to get the photo from clip art, they just need to choose a photo.  If they wish to get a photo from a disk, the desktop, etc.  They should ask to get photo from file.
b. Typing in fields – Some times the students will type too much to fit in the field – they will need to adjust font size to fit their text.  If something is up and they just can’t type, they will need to use the drawing tools to create a text box.
5. Students should follow the directions in the example given to them at the start of the unit.  This example lists and explains the criteria for the finished project.
6. Continue to monitor students’ progress on this assignment throughout the week.  You may want to set daily due dates for each portion of the newsletter.
7. Emphasize the fact that copyright is a legal issue that must be adhered to!
8. The final product is due 5 days from the start date.  Use the six traits, and other criteria to judge student work.

Assess students’ newsletters on the six traits of writing, comet reports, creativity, and understanding of copyright laws.  You may also assess students in progress of their newsletters to see that they are using Boolean Logic to search. Students will write reports on comets being careful to take into account the copyright laws.

Teacher Name: Niki Tilicki
Site: Wilson
Date Submitted: April 22, 2002