Austin School For the Future: November 2011

Project Based Learning
Family Ties
Social Studies Kindergarten
Sample Lesson Plan

Title

Family Ties

Creator:

Source:

TLI 2009 PBL Plans

Project Idea:

After reading from an old journal, students will be inspired to learn more about their family and community from that era. Students will then keep their own journal so they can pass on information about their community. Students will interview grandparents and parents to collect data from their lives. Groups of students will use the computer to research their town and how it has changed through time (they will create a display). Students will collect data and create a timeline of their life from birth to age 5. End product will be an oral presentation with a map/model/or display.

Entry Event:

A journal was found in an old, dusty attic. A girl in your town wrote it in 1913. While reading the journal, I discovered how life was for her in a one-room school and in your town. I thought you might enjoy reading and discovering about life of children in your town a long time ago. After sharing the journal with the children, members of the local historical society and representatives from a nearby museum will be invited to speak to children about the importance of recording information concerning important events during your lifetime and keeping artifacts to corroborate these recordings.

Power Standard:

Students will collect data to compare and contrast characteristics of generations from past to present within their community.

Content Standards & Objectives:

Objectives Directly Taught or Learned Through Discovery	Identified Learning Target	Evidence of Success in Achieving Identified Learning Target
SS.O.K.5.1 collect data and sequence time, places, people and events as they relate to the student’s own life.	Collect data from their life events. Sequence events as they relate to student.	Students will gather data from the events in their lives by talking with parents. Individual Observation Daily Reflective Exit Slip Students will present gathered information as a timeline. Content Rubric Daily Reflective Exit Slip
SS.O.K.5.3 research the past through stories of people, heroes, pictures, songs, holidays, customs, traditions and legends and explain the differences in other people, time and cultures.	Research the past and explain differences in other people using photos, stories, and interviews with grandparents and parents.	Students will give an oral presentation of the differences in people from the past. Oral Presentation Rubric Project Checklist Interview Checklist
SS.O.K.5.4 identify characteristics of communities, families, and family life.	Compare and contrast the characteristics of communities past and present	Students will create a Venn Diagram of the characteristics of communities of the past and present. Group Observation
RLA.O.K.1.13 use reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of informational resources to support literacy learning (e.g., environmental print, signs, labels, electronic resources).	Use the internet and other resources to collect information of the community.	Students will use the Internet and other resources to collect information about their community to use in their final project. Individual Observation Daily Reflective Exit Slip

21st Century Skills	Learning Skills & Technology Tools	Teaching Strategies Culminating Activity	Evidence of Success
Information and Communication Skills:	21C.O.PK-2.1.LS2 - Student can accurately interpret and create simple visuals (e.g. charts, maps, graphs and models) and use this information to solve problems and communicate information. 21C.O.PK-2.1.TT4 - Student uses electronic drawing and paint programs to create graphics. Student participates in a group to locate and create pictures, clip art, graphs, tables and other appropriate objects and to insert into documents and presentations.	Give students guidance, information and necessary materials to construct maps or models of their assigned community. Give students guidance and information to programs and websites to locate pictures, clip art, and/or graphics to use for projects.	Group members will work cooperatively to create a map or model of their assigned section of the community and communicate information. Presentation Rubric Groups will collaborate and locate pictures, clip art, and/or graphics to insert into projects. Collaboration Rubric Group Observation
Thinking and Reasoning Skills:	No Data	No Data Entered	No Data Entered
Personal and Workplace Skills:	21C.O.PK-2.3.TT5 - Student demonstrates positive social and ethical behaviors when using technology. Student identifies appropriate and inappropriate use of computers and describes how to work collaboratively with others when using technology at home or in school.	Give guidance and directions for students to role-play positive and fair behaviors when using technology.	Students will show positive social and ethical behaviors while working cooperatively. Daily Reflection Exit Slip Individual Observation

Performance Objectives:

Know

How to collect data and sequence events

How and where to search for information

How to explain differences

How to compare and contrast

How to do a Venn diagram

How to interpret simple visuals

How to use the computer to find websites

How to show positive social and ethical behaviors

How to complete a K-W-L chart

How to work in groups

Create timeline

Work on the computer

Interview grandparents and parents

Oral presentation

Create a Venn diagram

Create a map or model

Collect pictures, clip art, or graphics from computer websites

Role-play

Contribute to group project

Driving Question:

How do past generations impact our community today?

Assessment Plan:

Major Group Products	Oral presentation with maps/ models/ displays (Presentation Rubric) Project Checklist
Major Individual Projects	Timelines Venn Diagrams Journal writing Daily Reflective Exit Slips

Assessment and Reflection:

Rubric(s) I Will Use:	Collaboration Collaboration Rubric	X	Written Communication Presentation Rubric	X
	Critical Thinking & Problem Solving		Content Knowledge Content Rubric	X
	Oral Communication Oral Presentation Rubric	X	Other
Other Classroom Assessments For Learning:	Quizzes/Tests		Practice Presentations
	Self-Evaluation Individual Observation	X	Notes
	Peer Evaluation Group Observation	X	Checklists/Observations Project Checklist Interview Checklist	X
	Online Tests and Exams		Concept Maps Venn Diagram Timeline	X
Reflections:	Survey		Focus Group
	Discussion		Task Management Chart
	Journal Writing/Learning Log Journal Entry	X	Other Daily Reflective Exit Slip	X

Map The Product:

Students will create an oral presentation with maps and/or models to compare and contrast characteristics of past generations to their present generation within the community. They will follow the criteria listed in the Presentation Rubric to complete the project.

Product: Oral Presentation

Knowledge and Skills Needed	Already Have Learned	Taught Before the Project	Taught During the Project
1. Behavior and consequences for group work	X
2. Gather information from various resources			X
3. Website navigation skills			X
4. Group responsibility and behavior		X
5. Read and construct timeline		X
6. Construct a K-W-L and a Venn Diagram	X

Resources:

School-based Individuals:

High school TV crew to talk about how they gather resources and presentations

School/County Technology Specialist will assist with finding websites

Technology:

Book-marked websites- local city and Historical Society websites, free clip art websites

Computer lab

Community: Newspaper

Historical society

Curator of local museumLibrarian of public libraryParents and Grandparents

Materials:

City Map

Art suppliesComputers, printers, Internet, data projector, screen or white boardChecklists Rubrics Research Folders

Manage the Process:

Entry Event: Locate or create an old journal/diary with entries that portray early life in the schools and community in which you live. With Kindergarten groups, you may want to pair an older student (4^th grade or up) with each student or group to help with the collection and recording of information. This project should be done during the end of the second semester of Kindergarten.

Step One: Invite members from the local historical society, representatives from a nearby museum, or librarian from the local library to speak about the importance of recording information concerning important events during their lifetime and keeping artifacts to corroborate these recordings. Students will be able to ask questions of the presenters and the presenters may give ideas on where and how to find information the students may need.

Step Two: The whole class will begin work on filling the K-W-L Chart before research is started. They will include things that they will need to know in order to complete the project. The students will explore websites that pertain to their city/area as a whole group activity using a computer with a data projector. Investigate the various websites for information needed for the students’ research. Discuss which items on the website menu will be helpful to them. Explain how to retrieve the information.

Step Three: Students will be divided into teacher assigned heterogeneous groups of four-five students. The teacher will remind students how to work in groups by reviewing the teamwork/collaboration skills necessary and discuss the Collaboration Rubric. Have high school TV crew visit and speak about how they gather information and how they present the information to others. Students will be able to ask questions of the high school TV crew. Assign one high school TV crewmember to each group to help as needed with gathering information during computer lab. Students will gather information about their assigned section of the community and locate pictures, clip art, and /or graphics for their projects. The materials will be placed into the research folder.

Step Four: Groups will use the information they collected to create a Venn Diagram of the characteristics of communities. These should be placed in the research folder.

Step Five: Students will collect data about their life from birth to age 5. Parents will help students collect data from home. Using the Content Rubric and the Timeline Template, groups will construct timelines. These will be placed in the research folder.

Step Six: Students will use the Interview Checklist to practice interviewing each other in the group and then will use the Interview Checklist to interview parents and grandparents about their past in school and the community. Parents will help students complete the interview checklist. Students will give an oral presentation of differences in people from the past using the Oral Presentation Rubric as a guide. The Interview Checklist will be placed in the research folder.

Step Seven: Each group should compile their research and decide on using a map/model/or display with their final project.

Step Eight: The students will practice their presentation to the class. The class will use the Presentation Rubric for the students to review before the final presentation.

Step Nine: Each student will present their final project to the class. Parents, Grandparents, representatives from local Historical Society, local museum, and the local library should be invited to attend the presentations.

Step Ten: The class will complete the “What I learned” column on the K-W-L Chart. Each student will complete a self-evaluation (Collaboration Rubric, Content Rubric, Presentation Rubric) about the project. The class will also discuss their experience with the PBL lesson.

Project Evaluation:

Students will complete a Daily Reflective Exit Slip. Students will write a journal entry weekly. At the end of the project, the class will discuss the project and how the community affects their lives (past, present, future). The class will also discuss these questions: How did the project go? Did you enjoy doing a project? Would you like to do another project like this one? Did you enjoy learning this way? The teacher should keep a journal as to how the project and the activities are going and how the students are doing throughout the time period of the project. Then, after the project evaluation, the teacher should compare his or her own journal notes with the comments of the students.

Resource Files Uploaded

Resource Files

UP3502WS2.doc
(http://wveis.k12.wv.us/Teach21/CSO/Upload/UP3502WS2.doc)
UP3502WS3.doc
(http://wveis.k12.wv.us/Teach21/CSO/Upload/UP3502WS3.doc)
UP3502WS4.doc
(http://wveis.k12.wv.us/Teach21/CSO/Upload/UP3502WS4.doc)
UP3502WS5.doc
(http://wveis.k12.wv.us/Teach21/CSO/Upload/UP3502WS5.doc)
UP3502WS6.doc
(http://wveis.k12.wv.us/Teach21/CSO/Upload/UP3502WS6.doc)
UP3502WS7.doc
(http://wveis.k12.wv.us/Teach21/CSO/Upload/UP3502WS7.doc)
UP3502WS8.doc
(http://wveis.k12.wv.us/Teach21/CSO/Upload/UP3502WS8.doc)
UP3502WS9.doc
(http://wveis.k12.wv.us/Teach21/CSO/Upload/UP3502WS9.doc)
UP3502WS10.doc
(http://wveis.k12.wv.us/Teach21/CSO/Upload/UP3502WS10.doc)
UP3502WS11.doc
(http://wveis.k12.wv.us/Teach21/CSO/Upload/UP3502WS11.doc)
UP3502WS12.doc
(http://wveis.k12.wv.us/Teach21/CSO/Upload/UP3502WS12.doc)
UP3502WS13.doc
(http://wveis.k12.wv.us/Teach21/CSO/Upload/UP3502WS13.doc)
UP3502WS14.doc
(http://wveis.k12.wv.us/Teach21/CSO/Upload/UP3502WS14.doc)

Hello,
I have decided to post our goals for each week as we develop AGS. Here you go......

Goals for November7-November 11, GO AGS!!!

As always tell as many people that will listen and post a minimum of 3 blog post each week!

Get sample schedules from schools that implement the project approach/Reggio

-what do we think of using a block schedule to allow for more time on each project, each day?

We are going to need some standards or what I would like to refer to as guidelines or goals for each grade level and subject. Do we want to take standards from different states and incorporate the ones we feel are most valuable? Do we want to find a private school with a list of standards? Start researching which ones are most progressive and what will support our vision the most.

How do we want to introduce reading and math concepts? Which programs or philosophies do we find most beneficial. Waldorf? Montessori? Etc.

Continue to look for churches, schools and large building for sale. Also for land.

Talk to a business expert about our plan to help us formulate our next step.

Begin developing personal wellness and spirituality programs. What are the concepts that we feel are important for children to learn at each grade level? How will we introduce these concepts and support them ?