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Project Description: “Come, See My Great State!” is a unit that allows students to imagine that they are a part of the state department of tourism and that they will be promoting their state for visitors.  They become experts in the geographic, economic, and historical aspects of their state in order to provide persuasive information to attract a specific audience.  The basic template is adaptable to include the range of states in the United States.

How it works: “Come, See My Great State!” is a unit that allows students to imagine that they are a part of the state department of tourism and that they will be promoting their state for visitors.  They become experts in the geographic, economic, and historical aspects of their state in order to provide persuasive information to attract a specific audience.  The basic template is adaptable to include the range of states in the United States.

To prepare persuasive information, students will choose sites according to a matrix which will include historical, economic, tourist, and national park information for 4 geographical regions of their state.  They will also decide on a specific audience for their presentation.  The audience may include:

School aged students
Businesses looking to expand into the state
Travel agents
Families
Retired travelers
Educators

Students will create a multimedia presentation (virtual tour) and present an oral presentation to their parents.  Virtual tours will be posted on the school web site.

Assessment: An assessment rubric is designed collaboratively at the beginning of the unit and rates presentations on style and content.  This rubric is posted in the room and referred to throughout the unit.  Final assessment is based on peer evaluation, each student’s personal evaluations on his or her project, and the teacher’s evaluation on the presentation.  Sample evaluation sheet is included.  Each section of the evaluation sheet is

Standards:

National Geography Standards www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/standards/matrix.html

How to Use Maps and Other Geographic Representations, Tools, and Technologies to Acquire, Process, and Report Information From a Spatial Perspective

The Characteristics and Spatial Distribution of Ecosystems on Earth’s Surface

The Patterns and Networks of Economic Interdependence on Earth’s Surface

History/Social Science Standards http://www.cde.ca.gov/board/pdf/history.pdf

Students place key events and people of the historical era they are studying in a chronological sequence and within a spatial context; they interpret time lines.

Students use map and globe skills to determine the absolute locations of places and interpret information available through a map's or globe's legend, scale, and symbolic representations.

Students identify the human and physical characteristics of the places they are studying and explain how those features form the unique character of those places.

English Language Skills Standards http://www.cde.ca.gov/cdepress/lang_arts.pdf

    State clear and interesting facts in the context of persuasive content

    Grade level appropriate writing conventions followed

    Presentations are focused, easy to understand, and show a understanding of the content presented

    Multimedia presentations are properly formatted within the guidelines given.

    Quote or paraphrase information sources, citing them appropriately.

    Use various reference materials (e.g., dictionary, thesaurus, electronic card catalog, encyclopedia, online information)    as an aide to writing.

Students must learn to (1) use organizational features of printed or electronic text to locate relevant information;(2) create simple documents, using electronic media and employing organizational features (e.g., passwords, entry and pulldown menus, word searchers, spell checks)

Estimated Number of Class Periods for Students To Complete Unit:  14 (30 – 45 minute sessions)

Software or Materials Used:

• Assignment Matrix handout

• E-mail capability is recommended for students to transfer project components between home and school. 

Keywords: robot, robotics, engineering, science, math, STEM, robochallenge, LEGO, Tug O' War, tug of war, sumo, competition, physical science, robotics science, robo science, technology, computers, computer programming, Mindstorms, NXT, MESA

The Students: Students of any age can build Tug O' War and Sumo robots, as demonstrated by the work that has been done in RoboChallenge since 2001. Even kindergartners have built basic robots, but these can also be great projects for high school seniors and even college age students. Robotics works best with cooperative groups of 2 to 4 students.

Working with very young students on building robots requires a much more active role on the part of the instructor. High school students can build robots like these with little guidance from an instructor, using the video and other resources.

8th grade curriculum is ideally suited for integrating robotics activities. Robotics projects such as these are well suited for extracurricular activities, but for several years, robotics Sumo and Tug O War have been a regular part of the curriculum in the Robotics Science Class at El Camino Junior High in Santa Maria.

Overall Value: I have been very excited about this unit because it takes the time honored “fifth grade state report” and updates it to help the students use current technology resources.  I feel that the students are not only learning about the complexities of a state, but they are learning how to use technology tools to become skilled information consumers.  This is a life skill that will help them throughout their lives. 

The basic format of this unit also lends itself to other areas of study.  For example at our school, fourth grade students learn about the State of California, and sixth grade students learn about ancient civilizations.  This unit can easily be adapted to these content areas. 

Subject Area: Science, Math

Grade Levels: This program is designed for fourth or fifth graders of average ability, but it can be adapted for higher grades. It works well for students that are second-language learners. Research, word processing, editing, and multimedia authoring skills are reinforced during this unit. The students in my class are fifth graders and about one quarter are English language learners. We have a computer lab at school of 32 desktop computers.  We also have 6 computers in our classroom, 3 that have internet access.  Most of the students have a good foundation in word processing skills although some need more practice improving their keyboarding skills.  I am a lead teacher in the Computers for Families program (www.sbcff.org) with which I am able to place internet capable computers in the homes any student in my class that does not already have a computer.  Classroom curriculum is linked to the students’ use of technology and personal access to these technology tools.

Homepage:

Tips for the Teacher: It is important for the students to become skilled consumers of information.  Students can easily access volumes of information that will be of little use to their overall presentation.  It is important to give the students the time to learn to evaluate their information and to gather links that are appropriate to their final project, their information goals, reading level, and relevant to the collaborative rubric.

It is also important for the students to focus on quality and not quantity in their presentations.  It is very easy for students to want to expand their projects far beyond the expectations.  It is important to keep the focus on content and quality and not on adding extra “special effects”