Jodie A. Bonnas
Electrified Education, http://electricityunit.wordpress.com/
This study was conducted to guide a student in creating a working circuit and discover items that conduct electricity, via inquiry-based instruction. The study took place in a public library, after school, over the course of several days. While at the public library, electricity lessons were implemented with the goal of amending the third grade student’s pre-determined misconceptions. Ansberry and Morgan, E. (2009) advocated that students in grades kindergarten through second grade should have a good grasp of what the electricity in a circuit does. Based on pre-assessments the third grade student did not have a solid conceptual understanding of electricity. Before exploring electrical concepts at a third grade level, this student needed to review previously taught electrical curriculum. The three implemented lessons were based on kindergarten through second grade electrical curriculum. The reported informational data was gathered using teacher observations, student interviews, rubrics, and post-assessments. The components of this study will be displayed in an interactive technology based presentation.
Kara A. Cartwright
Patterns In Kindergarten, http://kgeracecurriculum.wordpress.com/
This interactive web-based curriculum project is done as part of my master’s project and uses a web-based platform. I have based my project around the use of patterns in Kindergarten, how to implement lessons into the classroom and what ways your students will benefit from learning patterns at an early age. Throughout the research done on patterning and structures, it is evident that early developments of these skills are critical to young student’s ability to create abstract views and generalizations of mathematical concepts, ideas and relationships (Mitchelmore, Mulligan, Papic, Prescott, 2008.) Patterning involves the ability to recognize, extend create and copy patterns and demonstrates the process of discovering auditory, visual and motor regularities in young students (Waters, 2004.). There is a general consensus that patterning involves “observing, representing and investigating patterns and relationships in social and physical phenomena and between mathematical objects themselves (Mulligan and Papic, 2005, 609).” Thus, patterning and structure are at the heart of teaching and mastering mathematics and it allows students to make sense of their everyday world.
Lisa M. Henning
Planting a Seed In Young Minds: Primary Students Learn About Their Environment http://planteducationunit.wordpress.com/
This interactive, web-based elementary education curriculum project was designed to meet the New York State Common Core Standards. It was created in order to help first-grade elementary teachers who teach their young students about living things. Young elementary students can gain a more concrete understanding of living things and how they exist within their environment when their teachers are prepared to teach them. The overall purpose of creating this web-based, elementary curriculum project was to plant a seed in young minds, furthering their knowledge about living things. The components of this web-based curriculum project include an introduction concerning living things, a literature review of research findings addressing the topic of teaching and learning about living things for young students, a list of New York State standards that were used to create this project, printable lesson plans with formative assessments, a summative assessment, and a project summary.
Maria K. Horanburg,
Developing Basic Mastery of Mathematics For Elementary Students http://elementarymathedu.wordpress.com/
The purpose of this elementary education curriculum project was to create a user-friendly, web-based teaching unit that focused on mathematical notation and number value for young students and their teachers. It is important for young learners to feel confident and successful at the beginning stages of their education in order to build on prior knowledge and see future success. Mathematics notation and number value are two of the early concepts taught. The goal of this project was to create an interactive web site for elementary teachers so their students can master simple addition and subtraction problems. Once students are able to master these basic skills, they are given a much better chance to be successful in their future math education. This project addressed this question: What are effective ways of teaching and developing understanding of math notation and number value in the early elementary classroom?
Amanda S. Norton
Emergent Writing
http://www.nortonsemergentwriting.wordpress.com/
This multi-media, web-based curriculum project was designed using a six-week unit plan for Kindergartner students who are beginning to learn about the identification of the letters, sounds and written forms of the letters of the alphabet. The interactive curriculum unit is aligned with the Common Core Learning Standards. A detailed curriculum map is provided for the elementary teacher to use. The provided lessons focus on each of the letters of the alphabet using multi-modalities of learning and teaching. Each lesson represents a different letter of the alphabet along with the sound it makes as well as providing each letter with its upper and lower case for the student to see and write. After the students complete this web-based curriculum unit, the Kindergarten students ‘ability to identify each letter, make the sound of each letter and to write the letter can be assessed by multiple summative printable assessments that are included in the curriculum unit.
Emily J. Thiesen
An Inch and a Hop Into Life: Life Cycles
http://.msthiesensclassroom.wordpress.com/
Science is a content area within education and many schools that has slowly drifted into the background of curriculum. Reading and mathematics have been on the forefront of instruction. If science is taught, it usually is through strategies and techniques that have worked in the past. Educators are afraid to take risks. My project is based on the life cycles of butterflies and frogs in the first grade. I developed a three-week unit study on the life cycle of these two organisms utilizing inquiry based and hands on learning. My goal is to inform and instruct without having to rely on the traditional textbook approach. Research has proven that inquiry based learning and hands on materials benefits students. Early exploratory learning creates positive attitudes toward science and leads to a better understanding of scientific concepts studied in later grades. Science is meant to be explored and fun
Jessica C. Wild,
Primary Patterns
http://primarypatterns.wordpress.com/
This interactive web-based elementary education curriculum project focuses on the content area of patterns. Patterns are an important part of mathematics for students. Patterns serve as the foundation for future concepts to come. Patterns are seen all around us; not just as in geometric patterns but in numbers as well (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20). Patterns seem like such a simple concept that would be easy for students to learn but that is not always the case. Patterns are often overlooked in classroom curriculum plans, and as a result, children’s future math skills are impacted. The idea of patterns is not only specific to math. It spans through almost any school subject or elective class, such as gym, art or music. This web-based curriculum was created using the Common Core Mathematics Standards for elementary students. Included in this project is a curriculum map for teachers to use.
Kelly E. Wrzochul
Grade Five Mathematics: Interactive Web-Based Curriculum
http://wrzochulmathematics.wordpress.com/
The purpose of this elementary education curriculum project was to create a user-friendly, web-based teaching unit that focused on creative ways to teach fractions to elementary students, as well as to provide elementary teachers with instantaneous access to multiple mathematical teaching resources. This project integrated curriculum and web technology into a functional website that is easily accessible for teachers, students, parents and community members. The curriculum project was created using the Mathematics Common Core Standards and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards for elementary students. This interactive web site contains specific sections concerning the use of mathematical manipulative, teaching and learning about fractions with manipulates, the importance of using problem-based mathematics, a curriculum map to guide instruction and lessons with formative and summative lessons. The curriculum project site focuses on grade 5 mathematics, and in particular, the topic of fractions with manipulates.
Ashley M. Yaiser
The Water Cycle
http://3rdgradescience.wordpress.com/
This interactive curriculum web-based project concentrates on students in third grade learning about evaporation and precipitation. It is intended that the students will gain knowledge on how all water is recycled and the cycle water undergoes as it changes form. This project also provided elementary teachers with interactive teaching resources concerning the weather. Teachers and students can then examine different weather conditions that take place as water changes form. Some topics included in the interactive curriculum web site are about bad and good weather, different kinds of clouds with the weather they bring and the different kinds of seasons. Also included in the web site is a curriculum map that provides the contents of the curriculum unit with references to teaching and learning standards. The interactions of the kinds of clouds and information about the kinds of seasonal weather and temperatures can be interactively explored.
James M. Zacher II
Fifth Grade Moon Phasing: Curriculum Mapping
http://fifthgrademoonphasing.wordpress.com/
I’ve taught fifth grade for four years, and the one concept over the years that was the most difficult to teach due to the many misconceptions, is the moon. This interactive, web-based curriculum project focuses on effective teaching methods to teach about the moon. A curriculum map has been laid out based on research that identifies misconceptions on the Moon, or diagnosing the gray area, and coming up with a cure in the form of lesson plans that research has found, use effective strategies that will eradicate students ‘misconceptions. This unit on the Moon will correlate with standards and use effective assessment to drive the instruction. The pretest will identify students’ preconceptions or misconceptions, and help identify what concepts about the Moon have to be focused on more than others. The unit will last about two weeks, covering ten lessons that will include formative assessments to help drive instruction, while adapting it at the same time. It will conclude with a summative assessment used as data to identify whether students meet the standard by getting rid of their misconceptions about the moon. Students will identify the moon and its movement and relationship to other celestial bodies, such as the Earth and Sun. Students will identify what moon phases are, and more importantly what causes them. Finally, students will identify that the moon has gravity and the impact is has on Earth’s tides.