MS4+Activities+and+Resources

Joy Amon and Nancy Silverstein, Bridges Program, School wide project aligned with benchmarks.

Questions, Resources, Activities for Teachers and Students.

Teachers:

1. How do we get students to generate and understand questions relating to narrative, technical and persuasive passages across the curriculum? First we (staff) need to understand and find examples of each type of questions. Use district curriculum coordinator as a resource. Talk to gen. ed teachers in our building and use English Text book as a resource. writesource.com - examples of narrative, technical and persuasive passages written by students and divided by grade level. www.asa3.org -essay on critical thinking www.freeinquiry.com- essay on critical thinking

2. How to integrate projects throughout our school using all staff and up to date technology as resources as well as possibly use our electives as another resource? Talk to administrator and ask for team planning time possibly on a Wed. afternoon to present our idea to the staff: 21st Century Literacies, Challenge Based Learning and project with Benchmarks attached. We have a hand-out on 21st Century learning to give to each member of the staff. Possibly show a video:Sir Ken Robinson Direct staff to http://ali.apple.com/cbl for more information on Challenge Based Learning. Talk to teachers about helping with the planning and materials needed to get started. Possibly have elective classes tie into this (art class can make jewelry, and vocation may help us build a cabinet/counter for our "store". Talk to teachers and explain what we are trying to do and how the project will meet district and state standards as well as tie into the 21st century Literacies. Provide a list of standards that will be met during the project. Talk to administrator and put in a request for a technology specialist to update software and download applicable programs on our computers. Check to make sure we have all the media and technology equipment working effectively. Work with administration for the availability in incorporating e-mail, skype, and personal interviewing of businesses, and other areas for information and development of a business. Looking for projects view - edutopia.org 3. How do we (staff) define, question, determine and construct literal, inferential, evaluative, synthesizing and critical thinking skills across the curriculum? Go to http://kckact21.wikispaces.com. On left, click on 21st Century Literacy Then click on Learning and Innovation Skills link. Click on Critical Thinking and problem solving link for various resources. Many resources about critical thinking can be found on http://www.critical thinking.org/articles/index.cfm, and it is also on the http://kckact21.wikispaces.com

4. Can we design a project that can go right into the classrooms incorporating core curriculum concepts? (science/ math/ business/ consumer resources/ Language arts and world history? ) Yes. When this activity is completed, we will have a plan for starting a school store. We went through the state and district standards, as well as the 21st Century Literacies and found that that this project will teach students skills and standards across all curriculum areas at the middle school level. Online videos and project ideas are available at www.edutopia.org

5. How can we integrate Challenge Based Learning into our district curriculum, making it relevant to the students while aligning projects to district and state testing? As students work through the process, planning and implementation of this project, they will also be meeting state and district standards, as well as incorporating 21st Century Literacies in all core content areas. This will prepare the students for state and district testing. These standards and literacies can be found at : http://kckatc21.wikispaces.com. Click on KCK standards link for more information. Give each teacher a chart describing Challenge-Based Learning and 21st Century Learning and web sites for those concepts and perhaps a printed hard copy of those concepts.

Lessons and Activities for Students: 1. How do we get students to generate and understand questions relating to narrative, technical, expository and persuasive passages across the curriculum? Staff will need to introduce students to narrative, technical, expository and persuasive passages. Have students define and present examples of narrative, technical and persuasive passages across the curriculum. Have students work in small groups. Give each group a poster board and access to art supplies, computers and other materials they may need. Assign each group a type of question. Have guidelines posted, but have students determine who will do each "job". This may include but is not limited to: a definition, examples, pictures, quotes,. Within their cooperative groups, students will make their poster, present it to the class, and possibly hang the posters around the school. Have the students read the different types of passages and determine what type of passage (narrative,technical,expository,and persuasive) it is. This could be used as an assessment if needed. Have the students generate questions to ask each other about those passages. Students practice their writing skills on those forms of writing.

Resources for Students and Teachers for the activities: Language Arts textbooks presenting those forms of writing. Google those forms of writing passages for examples. Examples of writing can be found at writesource.com and at writingfix.com and readthinkwrite.org has interactive student activities.

2. How do students define, question, determine and construct literal, inferential, evaluative, synthesizing and critical thinking skills across the curriculum? Staff will teach students to identify and classify the higher level thinking questions. Divide students into cooperative learning groups. Each group will be given a category (literal, inferential, evaluative, synthesizing and critical thinking skills).Students will be given examples of those types of higher level thinking questions (literal, inferential, evaluative, synthesizing and critical thinking.) They will have to match the examples to the categories of questions. The students could instead while in their cooperative groups create their own questions 6-10 for each category. This will result in a chart which can be made into a template that students can put in a notebook to use as a reference. The charts will be typed by the Typing class and distributed to every student.

Resources for Students and Teachers for the activities: Students can learn information about critical thinking on a website- http://www.critical thinking.org/articles/index.cfm in which there is a section "Critical Thinking and Teaching Students How to Study and Learn". Examples of narrative, technical, expository and persuasive writing can be found at writesource.com. This site has examples of student writing divided by grade level. Student Language Arts Text book may be a useful resource. readthinkwrite.org has interactive student activities that students can do on the website. Additional teacher resources may be found at writingfix.com and school.discoveryeducation.com Both contain many links to resources, lesson plans etc. for writing projects. See the Thinking Questions pdf on the teacher resources #3. It gives examples of questions for the different categories.

3. Can we design a project that can go right into the classrooms incorporating core curriculum concepts? (science/ math/ business/ consumer resources/ Language arts and world history? Students will watch a video of a student developed business at edutopia.org Students are asked questions to initiate critical thinking about the feasibility about starting a student run business. As a teacher directed activity, students will go to www.khake.com/p31.html and click on links to starting your own businessand another website is http:www.entre-ed.org. Another resource that can be used is the Business Class text "Succeeding in the World of Work". Students develop a needs survey to present to staff and other students. (This will incorporate the types of questions the students will have to develop on the survey.) For enrichment each student will create a pretend business that they will develop, staff, and produce goods or services.

How this project can reach across the different curriculums! Math and Science -Students are learning how to solve Real World problems, using decimals, percents and graphs. They are also learning how to ask and evaluate research questions by gathering and analyzing data in a variety of formats. Social Skills- Students learn responsibility, improve their self confidence, work ethic, job skills and knowledge that could be transferred into the community as marketable skills.
 * English and Social Studies -Learning how to read, understand, and produce the different types of writing as stated in (1) will help the students write their proposals, advertise, send letters and create resumes. The questions in (2) will help students develop surveys, interview, understand material being taught in English, Science and Social Studies as well as learning how to solve problems.**
 * Business and Computer- Students learn how businesses are developed and maintained as well as learning other aspects in the business world like management, hiring, interviewing, resumes, surveys, advertising,**

In all the Students gain knowledge, pass benchmarks, develop marketable skills and learn to work cooperatively with their peers as well as teachers/administration.

4. How to integrate projects throughout our school using all staff and up to date technology as resources as well as possibly use our electives as another resource? Using internet resources, have students investigate other student run businesses. Use data from survey to determine what type of business we could run, and what would be sold. Analyze results and discuss in groups how to present the proposal to the administration. Learn how to use a spread sheet.(Graphs, data charts) Students will create role playing activities in order to practice good presentation skills. Students will present a preliminary proposal to the administration which includes data obtained from survey. A selected group of students (student board of directors for the business) will then collaborate with administration to work out further details. Working again in collaborative groups students will prepare a final proposal to present to administration and staff. The students will be able to use the e-mail, skype, and personally contact businesses to gain information, interviews, business news (Wall Street newspaper), get products to sell, learn techniques, advertising and learn about other elements concerning business.

5. How can we integrate Challenge Based Learning into our district to the students while aligning projects to the district and state testing? The students and teachers will be introduced to what Challenge Based Learning and 21st. Century Literacies are and what effect it would have on them, site http://ali.apple.com/cbl and on the wiki web site the computer. The staff will explain how their business project relates to the Challenge Based Learning, the districts benchmarks and state standards. The students will also be informed of the various benchmarks that are associated with this unit in English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Business courses.