Lesson Plan

Dallas Petersen
Lesson Plan

Creating Your Magnum Opus

Standard 3:
Students will investigate the diffusion and interaction of cultures from the Classical Period through the Age of Discovery.
Objective 2:
Assess the influence of advancing technologies on the development of societies.
1) Identify the significant technological developments in Tang China.
2) Investigate key technologies that diffused to Europe from Asia; e.g., gunpowder, printing.
3) Explain the consequences of the cannon and the longbow on European warfare and society.
4) Analyze the impact of movable type printing on Europe
My lesson plan will give the students a better understanding of the interaction between Europe and Asia from the Classical Period to the Age of Discovery. This assignment is geared toward high school world history students.

The students will be required to make a five minute digital film presenting their research. A film will allow the students to use their creative energy in studying and presenting what can be referred to as “dry material”. Because the students are presenting their work to the class they will have a vested interest in learning the material. When I present the object of this assignment I will show the class an example of a film that I have made.
To help the students in their research I will give the teams a study guide so they will know the important points to touch upon in their film.

The students will spend four weeks working on a group project in which they will present to the class what they have learned about their assigned topic.
• The first week, students will be placed in groups and choose the topic they want to research. Over the course of that week they will be required to do all their research for their film. At the end of that week the teams will turn in a synopsis of what their research has uncovered.
• Over the second week the teams are to write a script and storyboard ideas for their films. I will spend part of the lecture time discussing the nature and purpose of storyboarding. The students will also learn how to use Mini-DV cameras and will begin filming over this second week. At the end of the week, students are required to turn in a script and their storyboards.
• The third week will be altogether consumed with filming. At the end of the week students will be required to submit a copy of some of the footage they have been filming.
• Over the fourth week the students will be using I-Movie to edit their visual masterpieces. Time will be devoted over the first three weeks to teach the students how to use the I-Movie software. On the last day of the fourth week and the first day of the fifth week the teams will present their films.

The films will be graded primarily on how well they covered their assigned information. Creativity and technique will also be under scrutiny. Throughout the course of these four weeks I will present PowerPoint lectures equipped with the requisite pictures and animations that will serve as a basic framework for the students’ research.


Grading Rubric
1) Two page synopsis of the research to be used for film: 20 pts
2) Completed script and storyboard of film: 20 pts
3) Present example of some footage shot over the week: 10 pts
4) Presentation of films:
a) Film covered the material – 25
b) Film displays creativity – 15
c) Shows adept film and editing techniques – 10

Teaching the Technology
Fortunately Mini-DV cameras are extraordinarily user friendly. During the first week of the project each team will be provided with a camera in which they can “play” with its functions and ask me any questions about its uses. I will also provide instructions on its proper use including its safe handling. I will show the students how to turn the camera on and off, load the film, and begin recording. I will also go over some of its ancillary functions such as the different color schemes that can be chosen as well as the several light and speed functions.

In teaching the students to use IMovie I will bring in the raw footage from the film I have made and show them out to edit the footage together. I will also show them the various supplementary functions of the program. I will spend more time with this technology as this can be a little more difficult to nail down. I will also provide the students an IMovie tutorial reference guide they can use on their own as they create their films:
IMovie Tutorial
http://etc.sccoe.k12.ca.us/i2000/00mod/l_mm/imov.html

This tutorial by Nona Weiner explains the steps required in using IMovie much more thoroughly and effectively than I ever could.

Lesson Plan Summary

Standard 3
Students will investigate the diffusion and interaction of cultures from the Classical Period through the Age of Discovery.
Objective 2
Assess the influence of advancing technologies on the development of societies.
• Identify the significant technological developments in Tang China.
• Investigate key technologies that diffused to Europe from Asia; e.g., gunpowder, printing.
• Explain the consequences of the cannon and the longbow on European warfare and society.
• Analyze the impact of movable type printing on Europe

My lesson plan will give the students a better understanding of the interaction between Europe and Asia from the Classical Period to the Age of Discovery. This assignment is geared toward high school world history students.

The students will be required to make a five minute digital film presenting their research. A film will allow the students to use their creative energy in studying and presenting what can be referred to as “dry material”. Because the students are presenting their work to the class they will have a vested interest in learning the material. When I present the object of this assignment I will show the class an example of a film that I have made.
To help the students in their research I will give the teams a study guide so they will know the important points to touch upon in their film.

The students will spend four weeks working on a group project in which they will present to the class what they have learned about their assigned topic.
• The first week, students will be placed in groups and choose the topic they want to research. Over the course of that week they will be required to do all their research for their film. At the end of that week the teams will turn in a synopsis of what their research has uncovered.
• Over the second week the teams are to write a script and storyboard ideas for their films. I will spend part of the lecture time discussing the nature and purpose of storyboarding. The students will also learn how to use Mini-DV cameras and will begin filming over this second week. At the end of the week, students are required to turn in a script and their storyboards.
• The third week will be altogether consumed with filming. At the end of the week students will be required to submit a copy of some of the footage they have been filming.
• Over the fourth week the students will be using I-Movie to edit their visual masterpieces. Time will be devoted over the first three weeks to teach the students how to use the I-Movie software. On the last day of the fourth week and the first day of the fifth week the teams will present their films.

The films will be graded primarily on how well they covered their assigned information. Creativity and technique will also be under scrutiny. Throughout the course of these four weeks I will present PowerPoint lectures equipped with the requisite pictures and animations that will serve as a basic framework for the students’ research.

Video Assignment

Bookends of War

Overview:
This is an example of technology integration in a 5th grade classroom setting. The video begins with the teacher giving a little background to how and why she uses technology in her classroom. Her comments were very insightful. She not only stresses the need for technology integration, but discusses the various training sessions she attending to help her integrate technology in her classroom. This is an important lesson for teachers to learn. The teachers must have an understanding of the technology that is superior or equal to that of the student’s understanding for true integration to occur.

The teacher then discussed the benefits of having the internet in her classroom. This was a little disconcerting because the benefits are obvious, but sometimes the finances are a little harder to come by. The video then gives an overview of this teacher’s current project. For this project the students will be completing a class website that will put into a competition. Competition is a highly motivating factor. The students are then broken up into groups and assigned different aspects of the website. These aspects range from students pictures, to Pearl Harbor research, to a virtual tour. The students appear to be enjoying the experience immensely.

Technology Integration:
For this project the students used a variety of technology. Among those shown in the video are: computers, the internet, creating a website, digital cameras, digital video cameras, animation, and virtual reality tours.

What I liked:
Above all, I liked that the children were enjoying the learning process. The children were able to be creative with their projects, which helps stimulate learning. This project also used a variety of technologies. This form of integration also encouraged collaboration among the students.

What I did not like:
The children were put into groups with one person in the group being taught the necessary technology skills to complete the project. I understand the viewpoint of the teacher, but if only one student learns the skill, will the other students in the group be motivated to also learn the skill, or will they rely on the one student?


Graphing

Overview:
This video is a 3rd grade math class studying different graphs and their uses.
The teacher uses an overhead to make a graph and teach the students about line graphs. The students then make a graph and collaborate with a partner.
3rd grade students studying graphs. Uses an overhead to teach line graphing.

Used m&ms and then made a spread sheet. Work with partner.


Technology Integration:
The teacher uses and overhead and then after the students have made their graph they use a spreadsheet program to plot their data. Using a spreadsheet is an invaluable tool which the students with find useful later in life. This also allows the student to play around with the figures of the graph and test data.


What I liked:
I liked the use of the spreadsheet, but especially the use of m&ms. This keeps the students interested. The students will want to work laboriously until the precious time that they may eat the m&ms. Of course using m&ms might not work with all students, especially those with certain health problems, and some over zealous students may start eating their m&ms too soon. But, if I had been taught the principles of graphing using m&ms, I still might remember how to do it.

What I didn’t like:
This wasn’t really a great example of technology integration in the classroom. The spreadsheet was used but that was about it. I don’t mean to criticize the teacher, who was good, but there was a serious lack of technology and the integration thereof.