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Date

TopicQuest Lesson Plan

Title of Lesson:
Having Fun with Fall

Primary Learning Outcome (PLO):
The primary learning outcomes to be achieved with this lesson include:
A. With teacher guidance students will be able to use the computer to research information on the Internet.
 

Assessed QCC:
A. Grade: K
Subject Area: Technology Integration
Strand: Research
10 Topic: Research
Standard: Uses basic research techniques with teacher guidance.

Materials and Equipment:
1. Paper plates
2. Orange and green construction paper
3. Scissors
4. Glue
5. Crayons
6. Pencil & paper (to make notes for lesson plan assessment and reflections)
7. Modification of a  lesson developed by Dr. Diane L. Judd
 

Technology Connection:
Technologies that will be used in this lesson include:

• Computer with Internet connection. 
• Students will use computers to research information on the Internet.  
• Copy of my TopicQuest Web page included with this lesson plan. 
• TopicQuest Web page Title: Having Fun in Fall   &  URL: http://www.valdosta.edu/~ambulloc/topic.html.

Procedures:
Step One: Introduction
Have a small group of students go to a computer.  Explain to students that you are going to use the computer to find out information about the season of fall.  List 2 or more questions that introduce students to topic of fall that establish a connection to students' prior knowledge by asking them: "Do you know what season it is?"  "Have you ever noticed that the leaves change color?"   Today we are going to learn about fall by visiting websites on the Internet and we will do a fun activity to learn more about fall.  I have made a special fall page for your class.  (During discussion have students turn around away from the computer to interact.)

Estimated Time for Step One:
5 minutes

Step Two Teaching the Primary Learning Outcomes:
(Have students sit at the computer where they can control the mouse and computer.)  (Explain to students the process of the lesson.)  After we visit several websites about fall then you will pretend to be a farmer and make a pumpkin from your pumpkin patch. 

Check for understanding
Have students explore and discuss the information in each of the 3 pre-selected websites.  Ask students guiding questions about the important concepts in each of the visited websites.  (Save "The Pumpkin Patch" website to use in Mission Project.)  List three or more questions.
1. What day does Daylight Savings Time end?
2.What is one saftey tip you should know about Halloween?
3. Who ate with the Pilgrams at their feast?

Practice and feedback related to the PLO
Read mission project to students.  Explain to students that they are going to be farmers.  Discuss farmers with students and tell them how a farmer harvests a pumpkin. Tell the students that the information that they will need to complete their mission project is listed and connected in the  mission activity.  Visit website for information for mission project, "The Pumpkin Patch."  Discuss the information in the linked website in the mission activity with the students to emphasize interesting and important information students will need to complete mission project.

[Students will write (or dictate to teacher) information to be included on the back of pumpkin and create pumkin for the mission project.  While students are completing mission project, teacher will observe students and give assistance when needed.]

Mission Activity Now that you have learned about Fall it is time for some fun!! Pretend that you are a farmer and you have a pumpkin patch. Before you continue, go to the website about pumpkins and refresh your memory about what they look like and  unusual facts. It is time to harvest your pumpkins.  You are going to make your pumpkin using a paper plate and contruction paper. Mission Steps 1) Take one piece of orange construction paper and tear into smaller pieces 2) Take the small pieces and glue them onto the paper plate 3) Make sure to cover the front of the plate with orange 4) Cut out of the green construction paper a rectangle using scissors 5) Glue the green rectangle on to the top of the plate NOW YOU HAVE A PUMPKIN FROM YOUR PATCH!! On the back of your pumpkins answer the 2 following questions about pumpkins: 1.) What color are pumpkins? 2.)Before the pilgrams came who ate pumpkins?

Step Three
Closure:
Have students discuss their mission project of their pumpkins and information they found on the Internet about fall.  Tell students that your topicquest page is on the Internet and they can visit the website at school or home to learn more about fall.  Explain to students that you are going to put the picture you took of their pumpkin on the Internet and they will be able to share their mission projects with their friends and family.  (If possible teacher should take brief notes during the lesson and concluding discussions to be added later to the assessment and reflections in lesson plan.)

Estimated Time for Step Three:
5 minutes
 

Assessment:
A. Technology Integration 
Student will be assessed through observation while using the computer with teacher guidance to do research and find information for the mission project.
Satisfactory: Student is able to use the computer with teacher guidance to do research and find information for the mission project.
Unsatisfactory: Student is not able to use the computer with teacher guidance to do research and find information for the mission project.
 

Accommodation:
Links for Accommodations for Special Students
1. Select one of your students that needs special attention.  Describe the student in your class with special needs. (Do not use the student's real name.  You could refer to the student as "the special student.")  The special needs student in my class that was paralyized from the waste down and is in wheelchair. The special needs student is able to transfer herself from her wheelchair to her classroom chair. She can also move around the classroom in her wheelchair without and problem.

2. Explain what you would add to this lesson plan to accommodate your special student?   I could assist the student by selecting an area with plenty of room for the special needs wheelchair to fit. I could also asist the student to transfer from the wheelchair to a normal chair. 

Reflections: (For Electronic Portfolio Standard #1 Knowledge of Subject Matter)
1. a. Describe and give examples of how your TopicQuest lesson created learning experiences and activities that made subject matter meaningful for your students.
    The students visited different websites about fall that were linked to my TopicQuest page. The students then made a pumpkin after viewing different pictures and     facts about pumpkins.

    b. Describe and give examples of how your TopicQuest lesson illustrated your understanding of content and tools of inquiry.
    By creating a website that contianed links to fun and informative websites demonstrates that I have the knowledege of how to use a computer and the internet.         The website also shows that I have a wide range of knowledge about fall.

    c. Describe and give examples of how students were engaged in learning and responded during your lesson.
    The students really enjoyed looking at the different websites. The students also wanted to stay on the computer and play the different games that were on the             websites. I would ask the students questions about the different topics for each website and they were very tentative.

  2. Describe and give examples of how the students achieved the assessment of your lesson. Give the achievement level (satisfactory or unsatisfactory) for each assessment for each of your students.
    A. Technology Integration:
Student assessed through observation while using the computer with teacher guidance to do research and find information for the mission project.  
        Student One:  Satisfactory:  Student is able to use the computer with teacher guidance to do research and find information for the mission project. The student         had great time creating her pumpkin.
       
        Student Two:  Satisfactory:  Student is able to use the computer with teacher guidance to do research and find information for the mission project. The student         made a very pretty pumpkin.
 

3. Describe what you would do differently and why if you taught this lesson again.

    The one thing I would have done differently was I would have checked the website on the schools computer before teaching the lesson. The internet provider that my school had did not display some of the links on my TopicQuest webpage. I also had a problem with the location of where I taught the lesson. I thought that going to the library would be more quiet than staying in the classroom. I found out that the library was actually louder.

(Three or more sentences of students' descriptions & comments) A kindergartner made a pretended to be a farmer and made a pumpkin to go in her pumpkin patch. On the back of the pumpkin she wrote that she learned about different costumes that people wear for Halloween. She also said that Halloween was her favorite part of fall.	(Three or more sentences of students' descriptions & comments) This is a picture is by a kindergartner.  She said that her favorite part of fall was when the leaves fall on the ground. She wrote that as a fact on the back of her pumpkin. She also loves the different colors of the leaves during fall.