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Grade Span Examples
Grades: Elementary
Age Level: 7-year-olds
Content Area: Science, Language Arts, Geography
Learning environment: Four laptops and four tablets per classroom
Technology: Computers and tablets
In this scenario, 7-year-old students prepare team projects they will use to teach classmates about biomes and habitats.
Students often get their first introduction to biomes and habitats at age 7. Children are typically fascinated with science at this age, but the vocabulary and breadth of the content can be overwhelming. Rather than expect each child to conduct an in-depth study of every biome included in the unit, a pair of primary teachers decided to approach this science unit in a different way.
They began by providing a brief overview of biomes to the entire class. This included an explanation of what biomes are and an introduction to the seven biomes they would be studying. Then their approach took a new turn. Understanding that even children this young prefer activities where they are creating something as opposed to memorizing basic information, the teachers asked their young students to: work in trios to conduct online research about one of the seven biomes; select a project idea from a list of suggestions; design and create their chosen project; and use that project to teach the rest of the class about their assigned biome.
Primary students typically need more instructional support than older elementary and secondary students. This entails more teacher planning time, but the children’s need for additional scaffolding does not preclude their abilities to take initiative, work collaboratively, think critically and demonstrate their learning through technology-supported learning activities. What does planning and implementation look like?
First, students needed a workspace for accessing links to digital research materials easy enough for them to use. The teachers opted to use an online curation tool they’d used with students previously to create an interactive Biomes & Habitats lesson. Students in each classroom had access to four tablets and four laptops. These devices were used to create or document the final student projects. Teachers also created a class workspace so students could easily turn in digital assignments. Since students were already familiar with these tools, no time was required to teach basic technology skills.
The online lesson included four questions each student team answered
The 2015 NETP report operates from the perspective that using digital learning tools is no longer an option; it is imperative if we are to prepare students for today’s world. related to its biome. The questions ranged from basic comprehension to analyzing information that was presented in the online lesson. Students took notes digitally or by using paper and pencil, making note of sources they’d used so they could cite these when they created their projects. Once they responded to the questions, student teams chose a project idea from a list provided at the end of the online activity. They were also permitted to pitch an original project idea to their teacher. Project suggestions included tasks like recording a podcast, writing an e-book and making diagrams or models. Technology tools were available, but not necessarily required.
As each team completed its project, one member turned in either the project itself or detailed photos of the project. On the final day of this unit, each team taught the rest of the class about the biome they studied, using their project as an instructional aid. Finally, student projects were posted online for ongoing reference.
What is the connection to the ISTE Standards for Students?
- The 2015 NETP report operates from the perspective that using digital learning tools is no longer an option; it is imperative if we are to prepare students for today’s world.Empowered Learner—The 7-year-olds are asked to either choose from a list of ideas for their projects or pitch an original idea to their teacher. This approach enables them to take responsibility for their learning and demonstrate that learning in a variety of ways.
- Digital Citizen—By noting and citing sources, students are learning to abide with copyright and fair use laws.
- Knowledge Constructor—With support from their teachers, these youngsters are learning to locate and evaluate information related to learning topics. The project requirement ensures students create one or more artifacts related to their learning.
- Creative Communicator—In the course of teaching peers about a biome, students are afforded opportunities to present knowledge based on information they have customized for a specific audience.
- Global Collaborator—As they complete their team projects, students are working collaboratively and contributing constructively to produce products they can share with classmates and learners from other backgrounds.
Age Level: 14- to 18-year-olds
Content Areas: Language arts, social studies, science
Learning environment: Classroom, computer lab, library/media center
Technology: Any device that can record video (digital camera, tablet, etc.), laptops
As part of their social studies and science coursework, high school students engage in long-term social action projects that address local and global issues. The culminating activity for these projects is a 3- to 5-minute video about each project.
Service learning that is grounded in either the social studies or science curriculum is a time-honored way for students to explore real-world issues and develop empathy and leadership skills by reaching out to help others. Over time, this idea has morphed from very short-term goals, such as a club-sponsored clothing drive, to projects that last one or two semesters. There are even programs where students are participating in multi-year social action projects. Students attending the high school featured here are transitioning from one to multi-year program commitments focused on local examples of global issues. The purpose of these activities is to encourage students to develop skills they need to become global citizen leaders. Broad project topics include: human rights, ethical issues, respect for law, the environment, the underprivileged, various disabilities, psychosocial issues, culture and heritage.
A critical piece of these projects is the underlying digital and communication skills students must acquire to be successful in implementing and sharing projects that have a global focus. Accurate research requires digital literacy. Communication with participants not readily available on campus necessitates online collaboration of one form or another. Project management must be facilitated through effective use of productivity tools. And the sharing of stories entails using various forms of social media to spread the word. For example, in the course of creating their 3- to 5-minute videos, in addition to learning how to point a camera to shoot video, students are learning how to develop ideas and organize their stories. They explore ways that scripting, acting and editing are used to communicate ideas and shape viewers’ opinions.
For students who want to participate, the high school hosts an annual film festival that spotlights the best of the videos submitted. Only those videos related to the social actions projects are accepted. The festival is a community effort with active participation from: faculty who advise students as they develop and implement their social action projects and assist with making the videos; parents who support their children during the process of creating their videos and then attend the festival event; and the students themselves who spend countless hours working on their entries. Past topics for videos have included: the Syrian refugee crisis; special needs that impact students including Autism and Down Syndrome; eating disorders; animal rights; nature preservation; and bullying.
What is the connection to the ISTE Standards for Students?
- Empowered Learner—Each student or team of students selects and pitches a topic for a social action project that will be the basis for a 3- to 5-minute video. Students are offered a great deal of autonomy in this learning process and also are encouraged to experience learning in formal and informal environments.
- Digital Citizen—The study of media literacy throughout this activity provides a platform for students to learn responsible use of language, acting and editing when presenting a case for something or making a point.
- Knowledge Constructor—Throughout this project, students explore real-world issues, pursuing answers or solutions. They are encouraged to plan and conduct effective research, and evaluate the resources they find, both print and digital. They use the information they gather to build connections and draw conclusions.
- Creative Communicator—Throughout this activity, students are creating an original work with the purpose of clearly communicating complex ideas. The final video presents content about their social projects in a manner designed to get their point across to parents, educators and fellow students.
- Global Collaborator—Learning skills that will enable students to function as global citizens is one of the foundations of this project. This is embodied in the collaborative nature of the projects and opportunities to examine issues from multiple points of view as students explore local and global issues.
Special consideration to Carolyn Sykora, ISTE Standards Director, and her team for their permission to include the above grade span examples.
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