Connecting Past and Present: A Local Research Project
Review Publish Date: 2021-05-04 08:05:17
Reviewer: INFOhio Reviewer
Rubric Version: Reviews Review Rubric Version 0.92
Endorsements
Flexible Learning Endorsement |
Summary: In this unit, students become active archivists, gathering photos, artifacts, and stories for a museum exhibit that highlights one decade in their school's history. When students make real-world connections between themselves and their community, they can participate in authentic communication activities based on issues that matter to them personally. In this activity, students research a decade in their school's history, with small groups researching specific topics. Within each group, students take on specific roles, such as archivist, manager, techie, or researcher. Students become active archivists, gathering photos, artifacts, interviews, and stories for a museum exhibit that highlights one decade in their school's history. The final project can be shared and displayed in your classroom, in the school auditorium or in the library.
This lesson plan was developed as part of a collaborative professional writing initiative sponsored by the Kennesaw Mountain Writing Project (KMWP) at Kennesaw State University.
Usability
Meets
Expectations
Flexibility and Adaptability
Meets
Expectations
Inclusive Teaching
Meets
Expectations
Research-Based Strategies
Does not Meet
Expectations
Usability : 3/6 Top
a. Materials follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
b. Material(s) are not overly resource intense that would require consistent high-speed internet access, such as large video files and multiple high-resolution photos.
Reviewer Notes: Read Write Think Notetaker - link is broken
Printing Press - requires Flash - try utilizing a different educational tool for the same learning outcome. c. The visual design of materials is clean and coherent, lending itself to ease of learning.
Reviewer Notes: Instructional material is arranged into 9 learning sessions, with opportunities for extension and reflection. Flexibility and Adaptability: 3/6 Top
d. Materials are flexible to allow students to access and complete work online or offline as needed.
e. Materials can support and/or facilitate learning in hybrid and/or online delivery methods.
f. Teacher supports, documentation, and/or guides for effective use are present.
Reviewer Notes: In Writing Our Communities: Local Learning and Public Culture, educators find these poignant questions:
How can students create rather than regurgitate knowledge that matters to them? How can they interact meaningfully with the community around them? How can the classroom become a real community, not a contrived one in which teacher and student are performing for each other? (xi).
These questions inspire this research unit, which works to instill excitement and interest among students who dread the annual research paper. Additionally, such authentic research projects greatly reduce the possibility of plagiarism and bought papers. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, this activity creates a classroom community of learners, based on the belief that "students need to engage in multiple communities that surround them and also that those communities benefit from the energy and enthusiasm that students bring to active citizenship, where citizenship means recovering, critiquing, and actively engaging the world around them" (Winter & Robbins, xi). After completing this research project, students will realize the broader connections they have with their school and community.
Further Reading
Winter, Dave, and Sarah Robbins. 2005. Writing Our Communities: Local Learning and Public Culture. Urbana, IL: NCTE. Inclusive Teaching: 4/6 Top
g. Content is presented with an objective view on topic and is free of bias.
h. Content creates student experiences that enable all children to reach empowering and rigorous learning outcomes regardless of their race or income.
i. Content cultivates an awareness and acceptance of a variety of ages, cultures, races, religions, and gender roles and identities.
Research-Based Strategies: 6/14 Top
j. Content builds on prior learning
k. Content leads to further learning by gradually removing supports and requiring advanced skills and concepts.
l. Content provides for authentic learning, application of literacy skills, student-directed inquiry, analysis, evaluation and/or reflection.
m. Content engages students through discussion questions and other supports that build toward independence.
n. Uses technology and media to deepen learning and engage students.
o. Content includes options for differentiation to meet needs of all learners.
p. Instructional approaches used are reflective of best practices and research on what works in education.
Reviewer Notes: NCTE/IRA NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
4.
Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
5.
Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
6.
Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
7.
Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
8.
Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
11.
Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
12.
Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information). |
Usability
Flexibility and Adaptability
Inclusive Teaching
Research-Based Strategies
|
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Endorsements
The Accelerating Learning endorsement indicates that the material meets or exceeds expectations for both the Standards Alignment and Research-Based Strategies indicators.