Teamwork
Growing Plants Unit
Lesson Four
Sharing Information
- Grade Level: Upper Elementary
- Subject Area: Science
Brief Description
Students will collaborate with another classroom via the Internet to
share data, questions, results, and check the validity of their testing procedures.
Objectives
Students will:
- Predict and observe plant growth over time.
- Gather and record data on plant growth.
- Collaborate with another class to share data on plant growth.
- Interpret data on plant growth.
- Apply and generalize data to other kinds of plants.
Materials and Resources
In developing our lessons and activities, we made some
assumptions about the hardware
and software that would be available in the classroom for teachers who visit the
LETSNet Website. We assume that teachers using our Internet-based lessons or
activities have a computer
(PC or Macintosh) with the necessary hardware components (mouse, keyboard, and
monitor) as well as software (operating system, TCP/IP software, networking or
dial-up
software, e-mail and a World Wide Web client program, preferably Netscape, but
perhaps
Mosaic or Lynx). In the section below, we specify any "special"
hardware
or software
requirements for a lesson or activity (in addition to those described above)
and the level of Internet access required to do the activity.
-
Special hardware requirements: None.
-
Special software requirements: None.
-
Internet access:Medium-speed (28,000 BPS via modem) or higher.
Pre-Activity Preparation
Locate another class that is willing to work
collaboratively with you on this project. You can use e-mail to post a message to a
list server, or visit a Website (see Internet Resources below), to find a collaborative
partner or classroom.
- Post to one of the listservs a message regarding your interest in a particular subject/idea
or project.
- Contact a school that is already on the Web for a list of teachers.
- For suggestion Websites to locate teachers for collaborative projects, or
see the Internet Resources below.
Activity Description
Contact your collaborative partner and share student data, questions,
and results. Check the validity of each other's testing procedures. Did your partner class remember to control variables? Did they get similar results?
Have students write their conclusions in their Science Journals.
Suggested Follow-up Activities
Have the students write a book, with illustrations, on "How To Raise a
Healthy Plant".
Design a web page sharing the information you gathered on plants.
Visit a local farm, nursery, garden or greenhouse.
Plan a garden feast where each student brings in a favorite food
prepared with plant products.
Internet Resources
Telecommunications
- ThinkQuest
Meeting Places
[http://io.advanced.org/thinkquest/mtg_places.html]
The ThinkQuest¬ team has put together several 'meeting places' for the contest
participants to meet other participants to form Teams and share ideas.
- Teacher Link
[http://www.cccnet.com/teacher/]
The Teacher Link is an international community of teachers on-line. To register as a
Teacher Link member, simply fill out the Teacher Link Membership Form. Once registered,
you can share ideas and gain valuable insights into educational practice from others.
Teacher Link members may also participate in SuccessMaker Online projects.
- (Intercultural E-Mail Classroom
Connections
[http://www.stolaf.edu/network/iecc/]
The IECC (Intercultural E-Mail Classroom
Connections) mailing lists are provided by St. Olaf
College as a free service to help teachers and classes
link with partners in other countries and cultures for
e-mail classroom pen-pal and project exchanges.
- Netpal List server
[http://whale.simmons.edu/archives/netpal/0000.html]
This listserv
will allow classrooms to locate other classrooms who wish to
collaborate and communicate via telecommunications.
- Classroom Connect's Teacher Contact Database
[http://www.classroom.net/contact/]
When you'd like to find other educators to do online projects with, keypal exchanges, etc., simply come here and
search through Classroom Connect's Teacher Contact Database.
- Global SchoolNet Foundation
[http://www.gsh.org/gsh/class/projsrch.htm]
The Global Schoolhouse Projects Registry database provides a comprehensive source for
Internet-based classroom projects. Anyone who visits the Global Schoolhouse can access the
registry and it is an ideal way to get the word out by registering your project.
The Global SchoolNet Foundation Internet Project Registry is for busy teachers searching for
appropriate on-line projects to integrate into their required coursework.
- Project Center
[http://www.hmco.com/hmco/school/projects/index.html]
This site, produced by Project Watch, is a good source to locate classroom projects involving
the Internet. The site is updated every week. Many of the projects included in Project Watch
come from Kidsphere or Classroom Connect mailing lists.
- Web66 International WWW School Registry
[http://Web66.coled.umn.edu/schools.html]
Web66 maintains the Internet's oldest and most comprehensive list of K12 WWW
servers.
CU-SeeMe Partners
- Global SchoolNet Foundation
[http://www.gsn.org/gsn/cu/cuseeme.k12list.html]
Global SchoolNet Foundation maintains a directory of K12 schools with the capability for using
CU-SeeMe.
- National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Scientist-on-Tap
[http://www.gsn.org/gsn/proj/sot.home.html]
Scientists from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the National Oceanographic Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) demonstrate the power of distance learning, by interacting with
students around world, from the comfort of their own offices!
- Ask An Expert Page
[http://njnie.dl.stevens-tech.edu/curriculum/aska.html]
New Jersey Networking Infrastructure in Education lists experts on-line by subject.
Back to Growing Plants Unit
LETSNet is © Michigan State University College
of Education and Ameritech