Lessons

=Lessons=

=//Show students examples of postcards//= ▫ Discuss what kind of information a postcard tells us. (Discussion will lead students to different places and communities.) ▫ Propose to the students: “What if Miss Fisk found a way that we could contact other schools across the United States? What could we do to teach other students about Delaware? What could we do to learn about where they are from?” ▫ (Teacher guides student discussion - to begin thinking about Delaware.) ▫ Brainstorm about great things in our community. What are essential characteristics of a community? - What makes DE special? - Students will research Delaware using the computer. (Discussion will lead to students formulating a plan and coming up with computer as the best tool to learn about Delaware) - Students will brainstorm this idea and or come up with it as a resource on their own. Teacher will have already assisted in teaching students how to navigate through a guided search. Links and pages to visit will be set up using [|ikeepbookmarks] as well as [|UDLib/SEARCH]. - Students will brainstorm/create a list of landmarks or special events that stand in our community from their research. - Students will use this list of items and information to design and create their own postcard.

=//Creating and making postcards//= ▫ Student will create content to add to their post card. - From prior lesson information students will design post card using traditional media (crayons, markers, etc.) - From prior lesson, students will write/type their descriptions of Delaware on the computer. - Students will scan their postcard and create a digital image of the postcard. - Students will print their digital image of their post card (publish) and get postcard ready for mailing. - Postcards include local history including main ideas and details (Details and post card contents will be assessed by a rubric created by the students)

=//Setting up communication link//= ▫ Students will collaborate on a way to post our information about our postcard project so that the classrooms we will be collaborating with will be able to interact with us. - Discussion will lead students to ask Miss Fisk to create a blog so information will be accessible to all via the internet. - Students will decide what information will be necessary on this blog. An example blog that the class uses regularly will be the [|homework blog]. (Students access this site to find information on current homework and exemplar homework.) // // =//Tracking our progress//= ▫ Class will begin to receive postcards from across America. Students will track these postcards via the blog and interactive map. This interactive map will have been used before in a lesson prior to this project. [|Visit Frappr - Map Example] - Students will locate information on the postcard to that is relevant to which we can add to our interactive map. - Students will copy postcards digitally and post them to the link on the interactive map. - Students will post digital copy of postcard received to blog and ask or answer questions we may have received on the postcard. - Students respond to the postcards. // // =//Postcards we’ve Received//= ▫ Visit the website addressed on the postcards - Students respond and answer the cards gather more information about the school, city and state ~ via tools used before in class (technology tools). - Explore research via internet more information about school if no web address is listed on postcard. (Teacher poses the question – what do we do if there is no information listed on the card? //

// =//Conclusion of the Project//= ▫ Students will send thank you cards to those we received cards from when project concludes. - Students will formulate ideas in how to thank those schools who participated. - Teacher will pose the question “How can we thank the schools who participated in the project?” - Students will create a way to tell the school what they have learned through participating in this project. - Students will have the opportunity to decide how they will do this.