This lesson plan involves a project in which
high school senior students must incorporate research methods and a schedule
in order to locate information about their towns and the county in order to
produce a written report and oral presentation.
Rationale
I based this lesson on an exercise in the French IV text. The
original lesson was not quite as involved or detailed. Throughout the years,
I have changed the lesson based on the students within the class and the availability
of resources and time. One of the towns in our area just had their sesquicentennial
and therefore this project tied in well with community events this year.
This lesson integrates both history and technology in addition
to writing and research techniques. This lesson takes the students knowledge
and allows them to apply it in a "real world" situation and required
that they use critical thinking and problem solving skills. This lesson actually
took somewhat longer to complete than originally intended. Part of the reason
was the amount of interest demonstrated by the class and the number of interviews
that were arranged. Education research supports the inclusion of real world
activities as a means of improving student learning in particular this method
is seen as a method of improving students' critical thinking skills. Additionally,
the improvement of critical thinking and problem solving skills is one of
or school improvement goals.
This lesson included several "paths" to learning.
The lesson was introduced through lecture and questioning. Questioning and
discussion were used in order to ascertain student prior learning and to draw
them into the lesson. From this point, students used their technology skills
to conduct Internet research on the history of their county and towns. Students
also worked collaboratively as they shared information and research sites
that were of interest. Students decided to divide some of the tasks that needed
to be performed. There is a historical society exhibit home in one of the
towns and one student visited there. Another student contacted a teacher who
had received a grant to study the area's geographical changes. The students
established a list of local community members to contact and divided that
list and invited three individuals into the classroom. I conferenced with
students throughout the project and gave them ideas about the focus of their
research. Students wrote formal reports and discussions were held to evaluate
and bring together what they had learned. These methods also allowed me to
address the diverse needs of the students. In this case, the class included
a student from Germany who was not familiar with the area. Additionally, many
of the historical references and items needed special explanations.
The learning environment was important during this lesson.
Students needed to feel that they had the freedom to confer with other students,
and to bring in experts. In order to keep the environment open and flexible,
the students gave me updates as to their progress daily and an oral outline
of their plans. In my role, it was necessary for me to evaluate the progress
that each student was making and to determine where he or she needed to focus
their time.
The lesson addresses several Indiana Foreign Language Standards.
The exhibit lists those standards.
Self-Evaluation and Reflection
Through an evaluation of the methods and accomplishments of
this unit, I have determined that the environment was conducive to the project,
but at times could have been better structured. By this, I mean that I found
that there were times that the information discussed was redundant and therefore
caused time to be wasted.
I also found that the students did enjoy the lesson. This was
important to me because they need to carry the things that they learn out
of the classroom. They will be more willing to do this if they find what they
are doing enjoyable.
The methods used relied extensively on student motivation and
my need to be adapted as the group changes.
This lesson allowed me to address the Indiana learning standards
and to work on the goals of our school improvement plan goals.
How Observed and/or Verified
This project was observed by the staff, community and family
members who were interviewed by the students. Additional observations took
place as guests arrived and other staff members watched the interviews. Photos
were also take during some of the interviews. Two of those photos are included
in the exhibit. It was also necessary for the classroom guests to sign in
the building upon their arrival and to sign out when they left.
Validation of Student Learning
Student learning was validated through the reports that were
produced, journals, and discussions. Some of these discussions were video
taped and/or photographed.
Exhibit
Please click the link to go to the evaluation form for
Domain
Outcome 2.2
Please click link to go to the exhibit.
Exprimez-vous
P.31 #1
