LEOs
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Title: A Lesson: My State Notebook by Brendalee K. Ashby for Grades 3 and 4 
Unit: Peer Reviewed by: Dutchess County BOCES
Topic: Writing Activity About American States through video presentations
Standard Level: Elementary
Grade:  Grade 3 Grade 4
Start - End Date:  There is no start - end date specified
This LEO was created by: Peggy Schlueter
Connected Rubric:

Learning Context:

Alpha and Omega School is a small privately owned school with a student population of twenty-five. The third and fourth grades are made up of six third graders and one fourth grader. The purpose of this learning experience was to help third and fourth grade students have a better understanding of how to research, gather facts and write about the different states of America. Then share their findings with their classmates through video presentations.

Third and four grade students were given a rubric for a state notebook where they needed to research, gather information about their individual states, write down information gathered and then present orally to classmates. Students also did commercials on their states for extra credit.
Associated New York State Learning Standards:
Standard Area: English Language Arts
Standard: Language for Information and Understanding
Students will read, write, listen and speak for information and understanding.
  • Students gather and interpret information from children's reference books, magazines, textbooks, electronic bulletin boards, audio and media presentations, oral interviews, and from such forms as charts, graphs, maps and diagrams.
  • Students select information appropriate to the purpose of their investigation and relate ideas from one text to another.
  • Students present information clearly in a variety of oral and written forms such as summaries, paraphrases, brief reports, stories, posters, and charts.
    • Standard Area: Social Studies
    Standard: History of the United States and New York
    Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.
  • Students explore different experiences, beliefs, motives, and traditions of people living in their neighborhoods, communities, and State
  • Students gather and organize information about the important achievements and contributions of individuals and groups living in New York State and the United States.
    • Standard Area: English Language Arts (2005)
    Standard: Language for Information and Understanding
    Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
  • Recognize and use organizational features, such as table of contents, indexes, page numbers, and chapter headings/subheadings, to locate information, with assistance
  • Maintain a personal reading list to reflect reading accomplishments
  • Listen respectfully and responsively
  • Compare and contrast information on one topic from two different sources
  • Apply corrective strategies, using classroom resources, such as teachers, peers, and reference tools
  • Recognize and discriminate among a variety of informational texts
  • Respect the age, gender, position, and culture of the speaker
  • Evaluate information, ideas, opinions, and themes in texts by identifying, with assistance
    • a central idea and supporting details
    • missing or unclear information
  • Acquire information by locating and using library media resources, with some assistance
  • Recognize and use organizational features, such as table of contents, indexes, page numbers, and chapter headings/subheadings, to locate information
  • Collect and interpret data, facts, and ideas from unfamiliar texts
  • Recognize the perspective of others
    • distinguish between fact, opinion, and exaggeration

    • Assessment Plan:
    Each student was given a My State Notebook rubric and a My State Notebook at the beginning of the project. The rubric assessed the student's ability to complete each section of the notebook by finding, gathering and writing down the correct information about their state and earning points as each segment of the book was completed. The highest point you could achieve was 105 - this included extra credit, and the lowest was 0 (see attached).

    Graphics:
    Rubric page 1
    Rubric page 2
    Student 1 Rubric
    Student 2 Rubric
    Student 3 Rubric
    No URL resources

    Student Work:

    Student 1: Is the distinguished student - he earned 105 points on his rubric (see attached). He completed the notebook correctly, neatly and on a timely basis.

    Student 2: Is the proficient student - he earned 82.5 on his rubric (see attached). He completed 80% of his notebook with some errors, and on a timely basis.

    Student 3: Is the developing student - he earned 60.5 on his rubric (see attached). The majority of the notebook was not completed. The student also could have been neater.


    Graphics:
    Student 1 Sample
    Student 2 Sample
    Student 3 Sample
    No URL resources

    Procedure:
    Teacher Directions:

    The students were given their individual state and notebook so they could research, gather and write down specific information about their state in their notebooks. They did this by using library books, encyclopedia CD roms, and the Internet. I as the teacher helped them find the site by researching it myself and guiding them to the site. They were allowed to work on their notebooks for at least 2 hours a week or whenever they had free time. After the notebook was completed, the students shared the information by doing oral presentations and commercials on their states. Using the Internet and using the encyclopedia CD roms made researching more interesting for the students. They were more enthusiastic about doing the research when using these tools to research than just reading library books.

    Time Required:

  • The project took approximately 3 months with students working on the project solely in class.
  • Students were given time to work on the project during either their 40 minute Social Studies class time or whenever they had free time.
  • Took a week after completion to assess the project.

    • Student Directions:

    Resources/Materials Needed:

    Student:

  • Library books on different states
  • A "My State Notebook"
  • A copy of a "My State Notebook" rubric
  • Computer
  • Encyclopedia CD Roms
  • Access to the Internet

    • Teacher:

  • Computer with Internet access
  • Video camera
  • www.50states.com
    		•
    No graphic resources
    http://www.50states.com

    Instructional/Environmental Modifications:
    There were no instructional modifications made. However, students were sent to another room to use computers.

    Time Required:
    (see Teacher Directions)

    Reflection:
    This learning experience was developed to give students the means to be able to understand how to research and gather information in a structured manner. The knowledge they gain will help them in their future academics. I found that by doing this learning experience and incorporating technology, the children were excited about being able to use the computers and at the same time acquire information on their specific state that they didn't know before.
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