Throughlines/Overarching Goals
Generative Topics
Understanding Goals
Understanding Performances
Ongoing Assessment

THROUGHLINES/OVERARCHING GOALS:

1. Understandings that water habitats are dynamic systems of change due to climate, topography, geography, and interactions/interdependencies of species populations including human impacts and habitat management actions;

2. Understandings that dynamic systems of change in water habitats can be documented, analyzed, and understood through longitudinal observations and data collection;

3. Understandings in using tools of technology (digital images, videotapes, multimedia software, e-mail, websites, and video teleconferencing) to: a) document, analyze, understand, and communicate understandings of water habitats; and b) collaborate with local to global school peers, teachers, communities, government agencies, and science experts on understandings and issues of water habitats;

4. Understandings in using math number sense and measurement tools in science to provide quantitative data to build understandings of the dynamics of water habitat environments;

5. Understandings in using literacy tools and skills to record, document, reflect upon, analyze, understand and share understandings of water habitats;

6. Understandings in using visual arts to record, document, reflect upon, analyze, understand and share understandings and knowledge about water habitats;

7. Understandings in using scientific inquiry and knowledge along with literacy, communication, and arts skills and knowledge to successfully initiate and implement positive community actions and services that restores and maintains local essential water habitats;

8. Understandings of how to use science, math, literacy, arts, and telecommunications skills and knowledge to make positive contributions from local to global environments.

GENERATIVE TOPICS

1. Because water habitats are dynamic living systems, students will learn about changes in a local fresh water pond habitat by learning and implementing uses of science, literacy, visual arts, and communication tools for collecting, documenting, and disseminating longitudinal data on:

a. changes in plants
b. changes in wildlife population and behavior
c. changes in water quality, temperature, and pH
d. changes in an island nesting site in the pond

2. Using non-fiction science books, websites, e-mail, along with real time video-conferencing, in-person, and telephone conversation and communication with resource people and collaborating school peers to, students will learn to:

a. research reasons for changes in the local pond habitat; and
b. determine if the changes are beneficial or detrimental

3. Using e-mail, websites, and video conferencing, the students will learn to compare and contrast their local pond water habitat with water habitats in other local habitats in regional, national, global locations.

4. Through online collaboration with peers and local to global community resource people on caring for water habitats, the students will develop a process for taking positive action to preserve and enhance their local water habitat while also supporting and encouraging others want to do so.

Why is this worth learning?

Students are motivated to develop skills and use science, literacy, visual arts, and communication tools when experiences with these tools are embedded in meaningful, hands-on lessons. The local pond water habitat near our school provides an excellent environmental education site where they can integrate science, literacy, visual arts, and communication disciplines. Because students often visit this site during after school, weekend and vacation times with families and friends, our classroom Teaching for Understanding Curricular Water Habitat work can be connected to students' ongoing outdoor recreational experiences. Because this site is a familiar recreational location with which students have experential ownership outside of school as well as in school, they are motivated to study it and become active participants in caring for the site.

Because changes in the water habitat are ongoing and students continue to visit the pond throughout their school years, this is a generative curricular project that provides them useful understandings for ongoing interest and care about a local water habitat even after they have left our primary classroom.

UNDERSTANDING GOALS (what students come to understand)

1. Students will understand that water habitats, such as the local pond habitat they study, are dynamic systems of changes and that these changes happen because of:

a. climate
b. topography
c. geography
d. interactions and interdependencies of species populations including human impacts and human management actions

2. Students will understand how to use literacy tools to document water habitat observations/data on longitudinal changes in water habitats using:

a. previously created documents on observations/data on water habitat by classes in previous school years
b. their own individual writing by hand and individually generated computer word processing documents
c. individual original artwork drawings/paintings and collaborative small group murals
d. collaborative small group generation of computer documents using digital images with descriptive text in written documents and on website pages.
e. collaborative small group editing and production of narrated and titled video tapes

3. Students will understand number sense in counting the species population at the water habitat study site.

4. Students will understand how to use traditional and non-traditional measurement tools to measure the dimensions of a water habitat.

5. Students will understand using number sense in taking quantitative water habitat data for water temperature and water pH.

6. Students will understand how to analyze and explain implications of longitudinal water habitat observations/data using student current and past student documents:

a. in whole class conversations/discussions
b. in small group conversations/discussions
c. in verbal and multi-media presentations to others

7. Students will understand how to do collaborative scientific inquiry e with local to global school peers/teachers, communities, government agencies, science experts on observations/data/issues of water habitats using e-mail, websites, videoconferencing and in-person face-to-face conversations/discussions.

8. Students will understand how to use e-mail, website, videoconferencing, and real time face-to-face presentations about their water habitat scientific inquiry observations/data/understandings to initiate and implement community action and service efforts that maintain and restore water habitats through.

UNDERSTANDING PERFORMANCES (what students do to develop and demonstrate their understanding)

Introductory Performances

1. At the pond water habitat site, students will learn how make and explain science observations at the local pond water habitat by:

a. participating in discussions about the changes in plants, wildlife population and behavior, water quality, and island nesting site;
b. taking and recording water pH, temperature and macro invertebrate samples The performances of Understanding will include being able to explain how they do the science observations and content of those observations.

2. Back in the classroom students will learn to effectively use tools of technology to create collaborative Photo Journals with digital images (taken by the teacher and students at the pond) and narrative that describes the images and their observations. Using the tool of a digital images slide show coupled with prior pond observation experiences, they will contribute to discussion on the reasons/explanations for their most recent observations and make connections between those recent observations and prior observations. In this process, they will use the present and past year's Photo Journals in reading groups for the purposes of "learning to read" and "reading to learn" about the water habitat. Reading past journals is a way of researching prior data. Performances of Understanding will include explaining how they use the technology tools and the understandings they have from the photo journal content.

3. Using writing software on classroom and computer lab computers, students will create individual writing documents on pond observations after each field trip. They will use the class "Bird Print Writing Process" (see link in "How the Unit Works".) to create their documents. They will watch and use a digital image slide show of the field trip to prompt their prewrite and draft documents. They will prepare and send their documents as e-mail messages to other schools who are also doing water habitat projects. When receiving mail messages in response to e-mail sent about water habitats, they will use their reading and communication skills learn and discuss the content of the e-mail replies. (Go here [Note: link will open in a new window.] and go to the "WRITE to Care Link" and the Water Habitat links especially the links to I*EARN Keynote Address, Observations of Great Blue Heron, and Response to Pond Flooding to read examples of local to global e-mail communication) They will make comparisons and connections between the observations of their local pond water habitat and the water habitat observations made and sent by e-mail from other schools. Performances of understanding will include explaining how they use the tools of technology and the understandings gained from the content of their writing and the exchange of e-mail messages

4. Using the tools of video editing, the students will work on making decisions on the order of video clips taken by the teacher on the pond field trip video clip. They will then decide on transition effects between video clips as well as titling and narration for video clips. The performances of understanding will focus on being able to create an accurate video story about the pond project. The performances of understanding will include demonstrating and explaining to others how they create the videotape and telling and re-tell the videotape story in their own words

5. Using the technology tools of website authoring, the students will work with the teacher in small groups to download and edit digital images for website pages about the pond project. Performances of understanding will include explaining how they use the tools of technology and their understandings of the content of the webpages.

6. Using the classroom library of both fiction and nonfiction pond water habitat books, the students will read and reflect on connections between content of the books and their own water habitat experiences in small group and whole class discussion. Performances of understanding will include writing write and sharing book reports with classmates and others to demonstrate their comprehension of the books and connections to their own first hand pond experiences. Performances of understanding will also include reading assessments of the text of books they have read for fluency, accuracy, rate and comprehension.

7. Using pencil sketches, crayons, watercolor paints, the students will create science artwork that documents pond observations. They will make decisions about where to use the artwork on pond website documents. Performances of understanding will include metacognitive reflections on their process of creating the artwork including what they learned from creating the artwork.

Guided Inquiry Performances

1. The students will have face-to-face meetings in person, through speakerphone conversations, and/or through video teleconferencing with the people who are science resources and with global peers who are also working on water habitats. Both the teachers and the science resource people will provide mentoring in guided inquiry on understanding the pond issues. They will also facilitate discussion with the students to ideate possible actions to take in response to their knowledge and understanding of the pond issues. Performances of understanding include preparing a presentation of their observation to be given in these conversations and preparing questions of further inquiry to be asked. After those meetings, they will collaboratively and/or individually generate written documents and collaboratively create websites that record and communicate what they have learned from those conversations.

2. Students will use interactive e-mail to science resource people and global peers as well as use information from science based websites to gain understandings of pond changes and issues. They will discuss verbally and document their growing understandings from these collaborative dialogues in written documents and website pages. (Go to the classroom Water Habitat website pages and go to First Meeting With Alan Davis.) Performances of understanding will include explaining their learning process in these activities and the content of the understandings they gained from these activities.

Culminating Performances

1. After making pond water habitat observations, creating photo journals, individual writing, websites, videotape, collaborative e-mail exchanges and collaborative real time conversations face-to-face, by telephone and/or by videoconferencing with global peers and science resource people to develop understandings about the pond habitat, the students will collaborate with local City of Pullman Parks and Recreation staff to decide on and implement actions on behalf of the pond water habitat. Performances of Understandings will include explaining the process if their action planning with the city and their understandings gained from these collaborations.

2. After implementing planned collaborative actions with the City of Pullman in response to changes in the pond and understandings of those changes, they will document their service learning actions and understandings from those actions in photo journals, individual writing, website pages, and added titled and narrated video clips to the already existing video tape of the pond water habitat project. Performances of understanding will include being able to describe the actions taken and explain the understandings they gained from those service learning experiences.

3. Students will prepare and give presentations/workshops for other school classes and district school board to share and educate others about the their learning progress and understandings from their Water Habitat Project. Performances of understanding will include assessment of preparation and presentation of their water habitat project.

4. The students will meet with the local press for interviews to explain their understandings about their pond water habitat project. Performances of Understanding will include teacher and student evaluation of those interviews.

5. Students will prepare a portfolio presentation of their pond water habitat project work. At Parent/Student Conference time, students will share their pond habitat project portfolio to explain what they have been doing, what they have learned, and what actions they have taken. Performances of Understanding will include student, parent, and teacher assessment of their portfolio presentation.

ONGOING ASSESSMENT (how teachers and learners monitor progress and plan for further learning)

Ongoing assessments include both quantitative and qualitative tools. The purpose of assessment is to:

1. inform the teaching and learning experiences; and
2. assess individual, small group and whole class student progress in understandings.

Science Assessments:

1. On whole class field trips to the pond, students will be assessed on:

a. learning engagement;
b. contributions of observations and comments; and;
c. efforts towards scientific inquiry at the field site.

This assessment will be recorded by the teacher as written anecdotal notes. (Click here for example)

2. On whole class field trips, students will be assessed on performance and understanding of taking and recording data for water temperature, pH, and measurements of pond dimensions.

Students will be assessed by:

a) checking accuracy of their data at the field site and
b) anecdotal notes on their engagement, participation, contributions and learning while doing the data collection as well as their verbal presentation of the data to the whole class at the site.

Back in the classroom, students will be assessed for quantitative accuracy in recording data in individual and whole class ongoing science data documents. They will be assessed on their performance in recognizing patterns in the data and being able to analyze the data. This assessment will be recorded as anecdotal notes by the teacher.

3. Assessment of Understanding Water Habitat Observations and Longitudinal Changes in the Water Habitat

a. Students will be assessed on their understandings of water habitat observations and longitudinal changes during their participation in class discussions about the data from current and past field trips. These assessments will be anecdotal observational notes on students engagement and contributions during whole class, small group and teacher/individual student discussions. Anecdotal notes will include students own metacognitive reflection on their understandings.
b. Students will be assessed on the quality and quantity of science content in their individual journal writing, e-mail, website, and presentation documents on the water habitat observations and longitudinal changes in the water habitat. Their science content will be assessed for accuracy. Assessment will include teacher quantitative checklists on the comprehensiveness of written observations as well as anecdotal notes on students' observations and understandings of changes in the water habitat.
c. Students will be assessed on their development and metacognition of their communication skills to share their water habitat understandings with others using e-mail, website publishing, video editing, videoconferencing, and in-person face-to-face presentations.

Writing Assessments

Written documents authored by students (Click here for example) in the Water Habitat project (including their individual journal writing, e-mail, website, and presentation documents on the water habitat observations and longitudinal changes) will be assessed with one or more of the following assessment tools:

1. Bird Print Writing Process assessments (Click here for example) (Note: Clicking this link will open new browser window)

2. Assessment of final publications for Six Traits of Writing (Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions) is being created. Developmentally appropriate rubrics are being established for each elementary grade level to address the following:

a. Ideas: How many ideas are presented and what is the quality/comprehensiveness of those ideas?
b. Organization: How is the content organized and what is the quality of that organization? How does the organization enhance communication and understanding?
c. Voice: What documentation of voice exists? How does the presence of voice enhance the communication and understanding of ideas?
d. Word Choice: How many examples are there of descriptive word choices that enhance communication and understanding of ideas? What are the exemplary choices of vocabulary use that enhance communication and understandings?
e. Sentence Fluency: Are sentences complete with noun verb agreement? How does sentence syntax influence reading fluency, comprehension of meaning, and understandings of ideas presented?
f. Conventions: What is the accuracy of spellings, capitalization, and use of punctuation? what is the quality of paragraph usage?

3. Students writing progress will be assessed during writing conferences through teacher anecdotal notes.

4. Students own metacognition about their writing progress and goals will be included for assessment.

5. Comments and reflections on students' writing from parents and local to global collaborators will be included for assessment.

Reading Assessments

1. Students will be assessed for accuracy, fluency, rate, use of integrated multiple strategies (semantic, syntax, and phonemic), retelling, and comprehension as they read the text of their own and others' written water habitat documents including photo journals, e-mail, websites, texts of presentations, and videotape texts.

2. Student reading skills level will be assessed using the DRA Reading Assessment.

3. Students will be assessed for accuracy, fluency, rate, and comprehension of text in children's literature about water habitats.

4. Student books reports on children's literature about water habitats will be assessed.

5. Students will be assessed on a developmental continuum of reading behaviors.

6. Students own metacognitive reflections on reading progress and goals will be included for assessment. This will include having them reflect upon and evaluate their reading progress when listening to their own tape-recorded readings that are recorded at several times during the school year.

7. Comments and reflections from parents on their children's reading behaviors and progress will be included for assessment.

Math Assessments

1. Students will be assessed for math measurement accuracy by checking the accuracy of their pH, water temperature, and use of linear measurements at the field site data readings and data recording at the field site and a they enter this data in the classroom water habitat data documents.

2. Students will be assessed on number sense and computation by the accuracy of their data observations as they count water birds and take other numerical data at the field site.

3. Back in the classroom, students will be assessed on their analysis of water habitat mathematical data including longitudinal patterns and changes in the data from month to month, year to year, and over the entire duration of the water habitat project.

4. Students will be assessed on their ability to understand and use math skills to:

a. edit digital image size and dimension relationships in word documents and webpages;
b. create tables when publishing webpages

5. Students will be given ongoing math assessments to document how their understandings of math number sense and computation is developing as they are using math skills within the water habitat project.

6. Students will be assessed through their own metacognitive reflections on their math skill goals and progress toward those goals.

Geography Assessments

Students will be assessed on their progress toward National Geography Standards as they use the exchange of written e-mail, artwork/images, and websites. Including:

1. Assessing students on their use of maps to identify the location, topograpahy and geography of the water habitats they are studying locally and learning about through local to global online collaboration. They will be assessed on their use of topographic maps and regions of Northern and Southern Hemispheres in relationship to the equator to understand climate.

2.Assessing students on their understandings of the environmental issues of their local water habitat as well as commonalities and diversities of connections to the issues of the global water habitats. Teacher anecdotal note and students verbal and written metacognitive comments will be used to document assessment.

Art Assessments

Students will be assessed for engagement and effort in use of art tools when creating artwork that illustrates and documents their understandings of the water habitat project.

Students' own reflective metacognition about their use of art skills and how the final product communicates water habitat understandings will be an important assessment tool.

As students exchange water habitat artwork and visual images online with local to global peers through websites and attachments to e-mail, they will be assessed on their engagement and contributions in class conversations about the artwork/images content, art materials, and design and style. Their reflections and responses to the artwork will be assessed through their written e-mail responses and journal writing about the artwork. Teacher's anecdotal notes and students metacognitive comments will be used to document assessment.

Technology Assessments

1. Students will be assessed in their skills and understandings of using computer software for writing and publishing (Type to Learn by Sunburst, Kid Works 2 by Davidson, Microsoft Works 3.0, Microsoft Word, Claris Homepage, Graphic Converter, and Avid Cinema). Teacher anecdotal notes, checklist for skills, and students metacognitive comments will be used to document assessments. (Click here for example)

2. Students will be assessed in the use of Netscape Navigator to preview authored webpages for editing and view websites. Teacher anecdotal notes, checklist for skills, and students' metacognitive comments will be used to document assessments.

3. Students will be assessed on their skills and understandings of using software (First Class and Eudora E-mail) to write, read send, receive, and reply to e-mail. They will be assessed on engagement and contributions during videoconferencing sessions. These assessments will include assessment of their understandings of 1) water habitats in local to global contexts and 2) understandings of building and learning within online collaborative communities. Teacher anecdotal notes. checklist for skills, and students' metacognitive comments will be used to document assessments.

Collaboration Assessments

Students will be assessed through anecdotal notes on their engagement and contributions to whole class and small group lessons within the water habitat project.

They will be assessed through anecdotal notes on their engagement and contributions to collaborations within the community and within online local to global telecommunications collaborations.

The students' own reflective metacognition on their participation, learning experiences, and accomplishments within the water habitat experiences will be important components of assessment.

Reflections and comments of parents and local to global collaborators will be important components of assessment.

Onto:

• The Standards