• Printer Friendly Version

Subject

Social Studies (NYS K-12 Framework Common Core)

Assessment

A rubric will be used to assess the PowerPoint slides that the students will create from the unit. Rubrics will assess content accuracy as well as student's ability to meet the objectives of the task:

1. Inclusion of graphics such as video streams, clipart, images, charts, etc.
2. Understanding of the curricular content
3. Independence in using technology after instruction

 

• PowerPoint Rubric

 

Learning Context/ Introduction

Content Background
In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on the continent of North America. He was not the first European to do this; however, what ensued was a mass migration to this new continent in search of fortune. The cultures that already existed in this land and the people who sailed here would be changed forever.

Purpose for Learning Experience
The students in my fifth grade classroom have very little experience with using technology in order to enhance a school project, other than to use a word processing program. This was an opportunity for me to introduce a simple way for students to do this, and my goal was to let them see that learning can be challenging, creative, and fun.

Prerequisite for this learning experience
Students were taught how to create a PowerPoint presentation, as well as how to customize one to fit their personal goals. Within these mini-lessons, students were shown how to stream/download video, copy images for use in a presentation, and how to design a PowerPoint presentation.

Duration

2-3 class periods (40 minutes each)

Planning 3 hours

Essential Questions

• What motivated the European explorers to cross dangerous waters in order to find or get to new places?
• What were the relationships between European explorers and the native peoples with whom they came into contact?
• In what ways did the "discovery" of a new continent change the world?

Instructional/Environment Modifications

Modifications will be made to accommodate students with special needs. For example, a student who has a reading/language disability will be paired with a student who can read proficiently so that the student with the disability may at least hear the words that are read.

For specific disabilities, modifications will be made accordingly to accommodate all students to ensure equal participation in the experience.

Procedure

Completed after the unit on Spanish Explorers in Grade 5.

1. Students will be given the task of creating a PowerPoint presentation that will assess the students' understanding of the curricular content, use of technology on an independent level, and the ability to accomplish the objectives within the task.

2. Students will be instructed through mini-lessons about how to do the following:

   1. Set up a PowerPoint presentation design

   2. Download video, clip art, and images from the internet

   3. Highlight key words in text within PowerPoint Presentation

Reflections and Feedback

During this lesson, I learned that younger students have a strong desire to work with computers. When they work on a goal-oriented project such as this they are truly engaged. Technology can be a very effective tool at capturing a student's interest.

This learning experience was reviewed at an internal mock peer review and then by an internal real peer review process before being submitted to NYLearns.org.

Technology is the future of education. An educator who pushes it away to avoid personal discomfort is doing the students a disservice.

Student Work

Students will create a mini-PowerPoint presentation for the group that addresses one of the essential questions of this unit.

Student #1

Conquistador Video Clip

Student #2

Student #3

Coronado Video Clip

Results of Spanish Exploration Video Clip

Related Resource

Text: Houghton Mifflin: Build Our Nation (grade 4/5)

unitedstreaming.com: video stream on Spanish Conquistadors

Microsoft PowerPoint

Related Academic Standards

New York State

SS.5.3 EUROPEAN EXPLORATION AND ITS EFFECTS: Various European powers explored and eventually colonized the Western Hemisphere. This had a profound impact on Native Americans and led to the transatlantic slave trade.

SS.5.3.a Europeans traveled to the Americas in search of new trade routes, including a northwest passage, and resources. They hoped to gain wealth, power, and glory.

SS.5.3.a.1 Students will investigate explorers from different European countries and map the areas of the Western Hemisphere where they explored including Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, Jacques Cartier, Pedro Cabral, and Vasco Nunez de Balboa.

SS.5.3.a.2 Students will map the key areas of the Western Hemisphere colonized by the English, Dutch, French, Portuguese, and Spanish comparing the location, relative size, and key resources of these regions.

SS.5.3.b Europeans encountered and interacted with Native Americans in a variety of ways.

View All