Jessica+Morgan

Project Based LearningIt’s All in the Family (What’s the Past Got to Do With It?)Social Studies First Grade


 * Project Idea: ** Students interview elder family members about first grade memories, as well as family traditions, cultural observances, etc. Using a variety of resources, students compare their present day first grade lives to the first grade lives of their parents’ and grandparents’, identifying impact and influences from those generations on their own. Students organize, collect, display and analyze resulting data. Each student creates a quilt square reflecting something learned about their own family heritage. As a culminating activity, students combine their individual quilt squares into a class quilt to be presented to the local historical society.


 * Entry Event: ** A guest volunteer from the local historical society will visit the classroom. After a brief explanation about the historical society and its mission, (including how much we can learn from the past!) he/she will describe a project that the historical society is undertaking to find out how present day first graders are both the same and different from first graders of past generations. He/she will read the children’s book, // Cherry Pies and Lullabies //, by Lynn Reiser to the class. The story illustrates a young girl’s look at several traditions from her family life and traces them back three generations, depicting how the same traditions were observed in each generation, but in different ways, according “to the times” of that generation. Students will be encouraged to identify differences between the generations as illustrated in the book as it is read. The guest will describe memories from his/her own first grade experience and ask children to make comparisons between their current day experiences and the guest’s memories from the past. The guest will encourage students to ask questions about his/her memories (this will “model” the interview students will later conduct themselves with their family members). The guest will seek students’ help with the new historical society project by asking that they interview their parents/grandparents about first grade memories. He/she will suggest information that the historical society might like to have, including but not limited to: calendar year of the family member’s first grade experience, school location, descriptions of first grade traditions, birthday and holiday celebrations observed during the school year, etc. The guest will announce his/her intention to return at a later date to collect the information the students have been able to gather.


 * Power Standard: ** Students will utilize a variety of resources to collect data, organize it and draw conclusions contrasting their present day lives with the lives of older generations as well as identify the influence/impact of older generations on succeeding generations. They will communicate some of the information they discover through art.


 * Driving Question: ** How is my life as a first grader similar to and different from the lives of my parents and/or grandparents as first graders?

Librarian - to help locate appropriate books on the major project themes: past/present, cultural diversity, ancestry, etc. Technology Instructor - to help students search the internet safely, and provide access to an email service so students who want to can interview, by email, those family members who live away. Art teacher – to support the quilt making activity Math resource/support teacher – to support bar graph activities
 * Resources: **
 * School-based Individuals: **

students will need access to individual computer stations in order to search the internet and email family members, as well as a compatible printer. Teacher may choose to use data projector to project websites onto large screen for whole class view. There is a commercial computer program, __Timeliner XE__ ([|www.tomsnyder.com]) owned by many schools that would be a great resource
 * Technology: **

Family members to serve as “interviewees” Volunteer(s) from the local historical society, or museum- to visit and launch entry event, also to receive final presentation Retired or former First Grade teachers Local “quilter”(s) – to provide information and support about quilts and quilt making, possibly volunteer to sew quilt squares together into class quilt. Local library – to help locate appropriate books on the major project themes: past/present, cultural diversity, ancestry, etc Local artist(s) – to demonstrate and/or support students as they create quilt squares
 * Community: **

The classroom teacher will lead the students in completing a ** Know/Need to Know Chart **. Once the class has identified what things they need to do, the teacher will facilitate their design of a simple timeline for accomplishing their goals and will post it for class reference. The next step of the project will involve students working collaboratively to create the questions they will use in their family interviews. Students may need to be reminded about expectations for working as members of a group. The classroom teacher should also provide opportunities for students to role play conducting interviews with each other. Creation of the interview questions to be used with family members can be done in small groups, then brought together as a class to share ideas and come to consensus regarding which questions to use. Strategic group/partner assignments can be made to provide for individual needs and abilities of students. The classroom teacher will help facilitate the culminating decisions, reminding students of issues that must be addressed in the interview in order to collect the specific data asked for by the historical society (calendar year of the interviewee’s 1st grade year, geographical location of the school they attended, classroom traditions and holiday celebrations). A Family Letter can be sent home along with the Interview Recording Sheet (s), compiled from the questions the class decided to include. Students will be encouraged to interview parents and grandparents, in person, by phone and/or through email. After the interviews have been completed and the Interview Recording Sheets returned, the teacher will facilitate the students’ reporting of their data, guiding them in making observations about the information, comparing what they have learned about the past and contrasting it with present day. Students should be introduced to a globe and maps before sharing the information they gathered about school locations. They can use the globe, World Outline Map, United States Outline Map , and/or West Virginia Outline Map to identify the different school locations reported. To assess their understanding, students can be asked to locate and color the Unites States on the World Outline Map and West Virginia on the Unites States Outline Map.( Teacher Checklist ) In classroom discussions regarding other interview questions, the classroom teacher will have opportunities to draw student attention to cultural differences reflected in the information they collected ( Classroom Discussion Rubric ). Students may research avenues of interest resulting from these discussions through library resources and the internet, sharing the information they learn with classmates as the project unfolds. The school librarian and technology teachers may be invited to help with student information gathering. Working with one interview question a day, the students will report their data. After discussion, students will organize the data, create a bar graph to illustrate it and draw conclusions. Bar graphs may be created by hand, with a teacher provided template, or through internet sites listed in the resources above, ( Blank Bar Graph Template ). If available, a math teacher may be recruited as a resource for the graphing activities. This part of the project should be paced according to student ability/needs. If reporting and discussing data takes more time than expected, the bar graph can be created the following day. Reporting and discussing the data is a very important facet of the project. These classroom discussions will provide the experience students will eventually use to create their quilt square design and also reflect upon in their journal writing.( Classroom Discussion Rubric ) After the data has been thoroughly investigated, the classroom teacher will launch the next stage of the project by introducing the time honored craft of quilting. A local quilter may be invited to visit the class. Sharing one or more of the children’s literature selections listed above will help students understand the historical value of quilts. Drawing on what they have learned about their own families’ experiences as first graders as well as cultural traditions and celebrations they observed, each student will draw a “rough draft” pencil sketch illustration that will later be used to create a quilt square. Using the rough draft sketches, students will use a variety of media (crayon, fabric paint, permanent markers, etc.) to transfer their design to a quilt square (paper or cloth), ( Quilt Square Rubric ). An art teacher can serve as a support resource for the sketching and final quilt square part of the project. The individual quilt squares will be combined (taped, sewn, etc.) to form a “heritage quilt”. The original entry event guest will be invited back to receive the data the students collected, the bar graphs and the quilt. The class may consider donating the quilt to the school for display, (even temporarily and then dismantling so each child may keep their own square) or donating to the historical society representative. Throughout the project the teacher will refer to the Teacher Observation Checklist to track student progress. The students will also keep a journal throughout the project to record their reflections, ****Journal Rubric****, ****Sample Journal Page****** , ******Sample Blank Journal Page****** , ** and ****Sample Journal Prompts******. ** Whole class discussion of journal prompts, before actually writing, will help students consider ideas to include in their writing.
 * Manage the Process: ** This project opens with the entry event visitor introducing the historical society’s plan to research and compare the lives of first graders today and “yesterday”. He/she will enlist the help of the students in researching and reporting information that will help the society with their project.


 * Project Evaluation: ** Classroom discussions, especially those held prior to journal writing will foster student reflection. Teacher reflection will be supported by classroom discussion, student journal entries, and assessment through the rubrics provided.

Lesson 2


 * Overview**

Children learn about the power of the Internet to facilitate collaboration among students worldwide. While co-writing a story online, students learn an important safety rule: Before sharing private information in cyberspace, they must get permission from a parent or teacher.


 * Objectives**


 * Identify information that is private
 * Recall that private information should not be given out in cyberspace without permission of a parent or teacher
 * Describe how students can collaborate on a project in cyberspace


 * 1) Communication and Collaboration
 * 2) interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.


 * 1) Digital Citizenship


 * 1) advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
 * 2) exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.


 * Home Connection**

Download the [|Home Connection] sheet related to this lesson.


 * Site Preview**


 * [|United States Geological Survey: Ask Us!]
 * [|KidsCom Jr.]


 * Materials**


 * Activity Sheets (2)
 * Online computer access


 * Introduce (offline)**


 * Have students collaborate to tell a story. Provide a story starter: //A brother and sister are with their family at the beach. As they are running, the girl sees something moving across the sand ...//
 * Allow volunteers, one at a time, to add sentences, building on the narrative.
 * Explain that they can also tell a story with students who live far away by using the Internet.


 * Teach 1 (online)**


 * Take students to www.becybersmart.org or www.cybersmartcurriculum.org, click on Student Links, and then click on the square. Find the title of this lesson, and open its link(s).
 * Show students how the Web site(s) allows them to send a message to a friend or to collaborate with others. **Ask:** //What private information does the site ask you to type?// (Many Web sites ask for the student's name, school, and E-mail address.)
 * Tell students that they must ask permission of their teacher or parent before typing such information at a Web site.


 * Teach 2 (offline)**


 * Distribute the activity sheets.
 * Read and discuss Activity Sheet 1. Make sure students understand the various types of private information under “What's Private?”
 * Explain that going into cyberspace is like traveling in the face-to-face world. Just as they would not give their private information to a stranger on the street, they should not give it to Web sites or other strangers in cyberspace.
 * When students read “Use the Rule,” explain that rules help keep students safe. **Ask:** //What other rules do we have in school to keep you safe?// (rules about running in the halls, fighting, pushing in lines, or taking turns)


 * Teach 3 (online)**


 * Have students recall the Web site you explored for this lesson and then answer the questions under “Tell How You Did.”


 * Assess (offline)**

The following items assess student mastery of the lesson objectives.


 * **Ask:** //What things about you are private when you go into cyberspace?// (name, address, school name, school address, E-mail address, phone number, passwords, parent's place of work, photos of oneself)
 * **Ask:** //What is our rule about giving out private information in cyberspace?// (Always ask your teacher or parent before giving private information in cyberspace.)
 * **Ask:** //How can you share writing a story in cyberspace?// (You can visit a Web site in which a story is started and send in the next part of the story for others to read.)


 * Extend (offline)**

Students will benefit by revisiting this lesson each year. The following activity can be added for students who completed this lesson in a previous grade.


 * Have students play a variation of Simon Says in which they must not do what Simon Says if Simon asks them to tell any private information.


 * Cyber Safety and Security Awareness Activities for Your School, Families, and Community**

Extend this classroom lesson with activities that will support a [|cyber safety and security awareness campaign] for your school, families, and community.

includes strategies for using interactive online [|Web 2.0 tools].

Jessica, What an important lesson! I always worry about students online and their innocence allowing them to forget that they also need to be careful. I had a parent last year refuse to allow their student to use the computers (not just the internet, the computers completely). Her father was afraid of what they might get into (I teach K). I think we need to teach them the proper use at a young age instead of keeping them away from it in the fear that they'll get in a bad situation. Meliss

Jessica, It's important for us to remember that although today's kids have grown up with technology and have been using computers, cell phones, and tablets since they were infants, they may not have the knowledge to use it correctly and safely. This is a wonderful lesson to teach online safety. I looked at the web resources you used in this lesson and plan on utilizing them in the fall before I allow my students to start using blogs or other collaborative web resources. -Stacey