Lessons Integrating Information and Communication Technology within a Curriculum Area

Author

 Todd Symes

Title

Who am I ? (Mythological Figures)

Grade Level

Grade Nine

Subject Area

English / Language Arts, ICT Integration

Overview of unit/lessons/activities (assumptions of prior knowledge/learning)

Students select a mythical figure.  They use the internet, school library or classroom resources to research their selection.  Then, they construct an Inspiration concept web to organize their presentation and then a Powerpoint™  presentation supplying clues to the identity of their choice.  The class agrees on an evaluation rubric.  Other students tour the slide shows in order to guess the identity of the figures.

Prior Knowledge:  students would have basic information on selected branches of mythology (Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Native American, Celtic), be familiar with basic operations of Powerpoint™, experience using Inspiration, have internet searching skills and be aware of the schools Network Access and Use Policy

 

 

Who Am I (whole lesson)

 

 

 

 

Correlations to ICT and curriculum outcomes

Curriculum Outcomes:

English Language Arts

1.1     examine others ideas in discussion to extend their own understanding  
1.4     listen critically to assess the adequacy of the evidence speakers give to evaluate the integrity of information presented
2.1     participate constructively in conversation, small-group and whole-group discussion, and debate, using a range of strategies that contribute to effective talk  
3.3     demonstrate an awareness that spoken language has different conventions in different situations and cultures and use language appropriate to the situation
8.1     use a range of strategies in writing and other ways of representing to describe and evaluate their learning processes and strategies
9.1     demonstrate facility in using a variety of forms of writing to create texts for specific purposes and audiences, and represent their ideas in other forms (including visual arts, music, drama) to achieve their purposes
10.1   demonstrate an awareness of what prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading, and presentation strategies work for them with various writing and other representations
10.3   experiment with the use of technology in communicating for a range of purposes with a variety of audiences

ICT Learning Outcomes

SEHI 9.3 (relates to 6.7, 6.8) understand, model, and assume personal responsibility for the acceptable use of copyrighted and other information resources  
PTS 9.1 (relates to 6.3) use software to brainstorm, develop a thought web, outline, and map ideas under study with independence
PTS 9.5 (relates to 6.4, 6.5, 6.6) develop multimedia presentations, based on sound principles of design, with increasing confidence,  efficiency and independence
RPSD 9.2 (relates to 6.1, 6.2) create and use electronic charts, maps, tables, graphs, spreadsheets, and databases to collect, analyse and display data independently
RPSD 9.3 (relates to 6.1, 6.2) write and represent their research using the structures, features, conventions, and techniques of specialized publication and presentation formats with growing fluency
RPSD 9.4 (relates to 6.3, 6.4) assess the quality, comprehensiveness, biases, and perspectives of print, media and electronic resources for use in their curricular studies, with teacher guidance
RPSD 9.5 (relates to 6.1 – 6.4) critically evaluate how style, form, source, and medium influence the accessibility, validity, and meaning of information independently
RPSD 9.6 (relates to 6.3, 6.4) select and refine a research topic, according to teacher-provided criteria, to fulfill a curriculum requirement, with teacher assistance
RPSD 9.9 (relates to 6.5) accurately and independently cite information sources

Projected timeline for preparation and for carrying out activities

Preparation -  Sample Powerpoint, Instructional Hand-out, review of requirements - 1 40 minute period
Research selection – internet, library, reference material: 1 40 minute period  
Organizing information and Inspiration concept map: 1 40 minute period
Constructing Powerpoint -  2 to 3 40 minute periods
Evaluation – Construction of evaluation rubric, presentations and marking - 1 40  minute class

Equipment Requirements: (computers, software, etc)

3 or 4 classroom computers with Internet connection, inspiration (optional) and powerpoint.   

LCD projector (optional) for demonstration purposes

Teaching materials provided (Blacklines, worksheets, templates, teacher materials)

1.  Hand-out sheet entitled :  WhoamI_assignment.rtf  explains assignment and provides choices.

2. Sample Powerpoint presentation whoami_demo.ppt or whoami_demo.pdf  

3. Sample rubric (sample_rubric.pdf)

4. Blank rubrics for student-generated evaluation (blank_rubric.pdf)

5. Hand-out sheet entitled: evaluation helper.rtf

 WhoamI_assignment.rtf
  whoami_demo.ppt
whoami_demo.pdf 
sample_rubric.rtf
 blank_rubric.pdf
 evaluation helper.rtf

Resources available for teacher/student use (websites, references, etc)

For rubric creation:  Rubistar.com ,  teach-nology.com

 mythweb.com, timelessmyths.com, touregypt.net , Encyclopedia Mythica

Detailed instructions for each activity or lesson (teacher notes, activity information, learning strategies, teacher role, student roles)

Students will choose a mythological creature from the supplied list and construct a Powerpoint ™  presentation which is in the form of a riddle (see sample whoami.pdf). 

Guidelines: 
minimum of 6 clues to help reveal the identity of your selection
minimum of three pictures/drawings/clip-arts to help your presentation.
minimum of three slide transitions or custom animations within your Powerpoint™ presentation
last slide must reveal your selection to your viewer
Sources of information must be correctly cited in a bibliography/webliography.

 

Steps to Follow for Success:

                                                                                                                               Check here when completed

1.

Choose a god or goddess

~ try to pick one not well known or covered in class

 

2.

Find information about your selection using these websites (mythweb.com, touregypt.net, www.pantheon.org), or resources from the library or classroom.  Keep track of where you got the information from: you will be building a bibliography to include in your Presentation

 

3.

Make a concept web with Inspiration™ to organize your thoughts, arrange your clues and design your Powerpoint™  lay-out.

 

4.

Write out  your clues and plan your Powerpoint™ presentation:

~ don’t make your clues too obvious, find information that is less well-known but not too obscure.

~ build up your clues to gradually reveal the identity of your selection

 

5.

Build your Powerpoint ™

~go for content first, add bells, whistles and transitions later.  Make sure your last slide includes citations for the sources of your information

 

6.

Design  an Evaluation Breakdown

~use the blank rubric and answer the questions on the hand-out sheet to come up with a fair and reasonable way to mark your submission.

 

 

Student products expected

Powerpoint presentation, Inspiration brainstorm, list of clues to be used for riddle, completed rubric for assessment.

Samples (include teacher notes, assessment information, student work if available)

see files under teaching materials above

Logistics (organization, grouping, management issues, access to technology)

at least 3 classroom computers with Internet connection, inspiration (optional) and powerpoint. (scheduling will have to be juggled so that all students will have access over a period of days to do online research and to construct their powerpoint and inspiration webs.

LCD projector (optional) for demonstration purposes  

Use White Board to list and compile acceptable web sites to visit

Assessment information (e.g., rubrics for products and/or process)

Student generated rubrics, based on class discussion and results.  Students decide, based on looking at examples provided what criteria they will be evaluated on.  Students are provided with a blank rubric with five categories, with possible scores between 0 and 5.  The entire class decides which components they will be marked on, and designs an appropriate rubric. (categories could include: proper bibliographic citation, correct number of clues, attention to copyright, etc)

evaluation_helper.rtf
evaluation_helper.pdf
sample_rubric.rtf
blank_rubric.rtf
blank_rubric.pdf

Possible extensions

Compare / Contrast various gods chosen.
    Who would be Friends / Enemies

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