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Lesson Overview:
This lesson is the first lesson in the creation of the final product – a poster presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint slides. Students have been researching a habitat, animal and plant for approximately one month by the time they are ready to begin the PowerPoint portion of this project. They have collected information by taking notes on a habitat, an animal, and a plant. Students work in pairs, but each student has a different animal and plant so each PowerPoint presentation has 2 slides on the habitat, 2 slides on the animals and 2 slides on the plants. Students are reminded to take turns clicking, typing, and to share the responsibilities to complete the poster project.

In this first lesson, there is a lot of teaching. Students learn how to access a shared network folder that contains a twelve slide template for their project. They learn how to open it and save it to the h: drive (network drive). They learn the basics of Microsoft PowerPoint: how to move from slide to slide, use text boxes, change font, change font size, insert word art and insert pictures. This lesson spans many classes as they are constantly reminded how to do these tasks in PowerPoint

Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework
Life Science (Biology), Grades 3–5 Adaptations of Living Things 6. Give examples of how inherited characteristics may change over time as adaptations to changed in the environment that enable organisms to survive, e.g., shapes of beak or feet, placement of eyes on head, length of neck, shape of teeth, color.

Instructional Technology Standards
Standard 1. Demonstrate proficiency in the use of computers and applications as well as an understanding of concepts underlying hardware, software, and connectivity. 1.9 Collaborate with classmates and teacher to create a slide presentation with existing template.

Standard 3. Demonstrate ability to use technology for research, problem-solving, and communication. Students locate, evaluate, collect, and process information from a variety of electronic sources. Students use telecommunications and other media to interact or collaborate with peers, experts, and other audiences. 3.1 Explore and develop understanding of how to gather information from a variety of electronic sources, including teacher-selected Web sites, CD-ROM encyclopedias, and automated card catalog.

3.4 Collaborate with classmates and teacher in creating a multimedia presentation to communicate learning with others.

Language Objectives
Reading

R.3 Comprehension: Students will read English fluently and identify facts and evidence in order to interpret and analyze text.

R.3.3. Summarize information from a literary or an informational text that is read. (link to ELA 8.18)

R.6 Research: Students will gather information in English from a variety of sources, analyze and evaluate the quality of the information obtained, and use it to answer their own and others’ questions.

R.6.2 Summarize data gathered through research.

Writing

W.2 Writing: Students will write in English for a variety of purposes with clear focus, coherent organization, and sufficient detail.

W.2.2b Dictates sentences that give information.

W.5 Media: Students will use, analyze, and produce a variety of media in English, including audio, television, Internet, and emerging technologies.

W.5.3, W.4.2d Works collaboratively with peers when using technology in the classroom.

W.5.7 Creates presentations using computer technology.

Objectives for students
o Students will learn how to access shared folder stlab$ to retrieve and save a PowerPoint template o Students will learn how to use Microsoft PowerPoint basics: slide elements, text boxes, fonts, font size, insert word art, insert picture o Students will learn how to save their files to their H: drives o Students will begin typing information into the Habitat slides (2 slides)

Key Vocabulary Habitat, vertebrates, mammal, adaptation, food chain, environment, tundra, desert, rainforest, grasslands, savannah, temperate deciduous forest

How does this lesson Increase Comprehensibility?
Typing information students gathered into PowerPoint slides reinforces the topics researched: habitats, animals and plants. In order to type, they have to read over their notes and decide what is pertinent for the slides and what is not so important to include on the slides.

How does this lesson Increase Interaction?
Students work in pairs and with a variety of teachers. For some students, this is their first experience with PowerPoint, so when working with a partner they are able to help each other and teach each other basic tasks and skills.

How does this lesson Increase Higher Level Thinking Skills?
Students use the notes they collected from various sources and apply it to the final product – a poster project. Just like in the first lesson, they have to synthesize what they’ve read into meaningful language for the poster. The most challenging task for them is taking the information they gathered and turning it into complete sentences for the final product.

How does this lesson Build Connections to prior learning?
Students have been studying this topic for approximately one month when they begin work on the PowerPoint slides. They are very well versed in the science topics of habitats, animals and plants because while working on this research project they are covering various topics in science in the classroom. While some of the technology topics are new in PowerPoint, they make connections to prior experiences changing fonts and font sizes using Microsoft Word Kid Pix.

Materials: Computers with Internet and PowerPoint access, Books from classroom and library, Note-taking guide sheet, Sources/Works Cited sheet, pencils, clipboards

Graphic Organizer Attached: o Habitat poster template (.pdf)