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Learning Experience/Unit

5th Grade Health Newsletter

Subject

English Language Arts (2005)

Grade Levels

Intermediate, 5th Grade

Assessment

A number of assessment tools were used:

Observations
Group Discussions
Conferencing
Interaction with students
Peer Editing
Checklists
Rubrics

Learning Context/ Introduction

The objective of this learning experience was to allow the fifth grade students of Saint Anselm School to choose health related topics of interest to them, research the topics employing a variety of resources, and then produce a newsletter using the technology available to them. The topics selected are also part of the 5th Grade Health curriculum. The project integrated three curriculum areas: Health, Language Arts, and Technology. The project was funded through Title IID, and our Public School Learning Technology Grant partner for this undertaking was John J.Pershing, JHS 220.

Duration

Planning – This project took over three and a half weeks to plan.

Implementation -Two 5th grade classes participated in this project. The time frames indicated below are those provided for each class.

Three fifty-minute Health/Science class periods were used for Internet Research.
Three fifty-minute Language Arts periods were used to write, rewrite, and finalize documents.
Seven fifty-minute Computer periods were devoted to creating questions for research in outline form using Inspiration 7.0, preparing written work as MS Word Documents, transferring these documents to MS Publisher, scanning original art work into a digital format, creating digital artwork using MS Paint, creating word puzzles in MS Word using tables and creating a bar graph using MS Excel.
One fifty-minute Computer period was devoted to creating and playing a game based on student-created questions with students responding using a CPS (Classroom Performance System).

Assessment - ongoing throughout the project.

Essential Question

What health issues are most on the minds of 5th grade students?

Instructional/Environment Modifications

Students and desks were arranged in groups according to topics. Students were also grouped by topic in the Computer Lab.

Procedure

The Health teacher and Computer teacher researched and created a list of all the research articles for students on the Internet. Full text articles on each topic were printed for student use from the New York Public Library website. The Health teacher taught students how to access the websites using a SMART Board, laptop and projector while the students used laptops in the classroom. Assessment of students' reading and note taking skills was ongoing in all areas throughout the project.
The Language Arts teacher taught students how to take notes on index cards, and how to make and use an outline. Sample outlines were produced prior to official outlines. She also evaluated, edited and proofread students work with the use of laptops.
The Computer Teacher taught students to use graphic organizer software (Inspiration 7.6) to create questions outline, which became the basis for their research on the internet and in print articles. Students were also taught how to scan original artwork into digital form and insert this digital version into their MS Word documents. In addition, she guided students in the use of Microsoft Publisher to transform their MS Word into a web-ready MS Publisher page with appropriate graphics, fonts and backgrounds. She then worked with the students to create a follow-up “Jeopardy” style game using the Classroom Performance System (CPS) and student created questions based on their health topic research.
Students used their public library cards to access information online.
Students without public library cards were encouraged to apply for one. All students complied with this request. They also researched articles on the Internet, worked collaboratively on specific topics, took notes on index cards, and created outlines, first drafts, and then final drafts in MS Word. These documents were then transferred to Microsoft Publisher. They created and scanned original artwork and also created digital artwork for their newsletter. Finally, the students created and carried out survey regarding the project, its outcome and their experiences.

Reflections and Feedback

Students were provided with an opportunity to work in groups, contrary to their usual structured classroom setting. At the end of the experience, student reflections indicated that they thoroughly enjoyed working in groups and learned a great deal on the different topics that they researched.

The group setting allowed the students to choose a topic of interest to the group and share their findings and ideas after researching the topic.

The students were given the opportunity to select the means in which they would present their research findings such as an editorial, public service announcements, word puzzles, and research articles. This project also provided the students with the opportunity to experience a cross-curriculum project involving Language Arts, Health, Science and Technology.

It was definitely a positive experience for both faculty and students and, if the opportunity should arise again, all involved would be happy to participate in a similar project. The one main concern the faculty had was that the time frame allotted (six weeks) was not sufficient to provide time for all the related activities that could be generated from this project, such as more time to perfect the document (adjusting article/graphics layouts etc.) and a continuation of the creation of the student – generated game which would allow students to share their newly obtained expertise with other classmates in a more interactive manner.