 |
A Grade 4 Project |
 |
The
World Around Us!
Our
School Day
At
the Post Office
Mapping
our Neighbourhood
Buildings
in our Community
Canadian
Animals and Waterfowl
Communities
Around the World
Pioneer
Life
Wanna
Be a Canadian!
Welcome
to our Community
Our
Government
Stuffed
Animals, Sweaters and Sweat Shops
Community
Design Challenge
Researching
Natural Resources and Migration
Learning more about our wonderful country can be exciting and informative using the internet and Hyper Studio! Canada is an incredible country with many different physical features and interesting aspects. This project is designed for junior level students to develop their research and inquiry skills to follow the Ontario grade four Social Studies curriculum expectations.
Through some internet research and the use of other classroom resources, students will research various aspects of Canadian geography, people and cultural information and present their findings in a HyperStudio stack. The entire class will benefit from having access to these projects in order to learn more about Canada. Please take a look at our HyperCanada stacks by clicking on the text or this image!
Once this information is shared, it will be compiled in a multiple choice format in order to create a trivia game similar to the TV game show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" on HyperStudio which we called "Who Wants to be a Canadian?"
Activity
1: Introduction to Canada and its Provinces and
Territories
Review of ongoing information that has been taught
directly and indirectly in lessons and discussion regarding
the make-up of Canada. This includes some geographical
information, cultural information and other topics that
arise from current events through the school year.
Introduce the project as such:
- Researching provinces & territories for physical features, economies, governments, economy, cultural facts, report through a HyperStudio stack and synthesize into trivia game: Who Wants to Be a Canadian.
- Develop small groups (partners) working on separate projects/stacks. Project topics would be divided by the provinces and territories of Canada.
- Learn how to use the internet as a resource to search and find information about a specific topic related to a province or a region. Each student should prepare
Activity
2: Research on the Internet
Topics will be generated with students using a brainstorm
list of information they value.
Topics may include:
- famous/historical figures;
- government figures - Premier;
- levels of government;
- natural resources;
- main physical features;
In order to better focus your search, please be sure to fill in the "Internet Research Ready" form. (Downloaded in PDF format). Students should list their topics, key words and questions they have about the province or territory before beginning to search on the Internet.
Some key web sites that would be helpful in student research include:
- Canadian Information by Subject
- The Canada Site
- The Canada Information Office
- Provincial and Territorial Governments
- Provinces and Territories: The origins of their names
- Intergovernmental On-Line Information Kiosk: Provinces & Territories
- Government of Ontario - My OntarioWeb for Students
Activity
3: Compiling Relevant Information in HyperStudio
Students will sort and gather information from internet
and library research that is relevant to the specific topics
that they have selected. The information will be compiled on
paper and in the computer program Hyper Studio. The students
will synthesize the information into their "cards" on
HyperStudio. The information must be related to the topic
and conveyed appropriately for the grade four audience.
Download the Hyper Studio Planning Page (in PDF format) to help students plot their ideas before starting with HyperStudio.
Activity
4: HyperStudio Presentation Students present the
HyperStudio stack to the class in order to share information
about the particular area of Canada that they researched
with their partner(s). Please look at our HyperCanada
stacks!
Activity
5: Who
Wants to be a Canadian As a cumulating task,
the points of information gathered in student research will
be brought together as trivia to create a game "Who
Wants to be a Canadian?"
Assessment
and Evaluation
Students should complete the following self-assessment, and should be aware of the criteria in the rubrics prior to beginning their research projects. Click to download the Self-Assessment page to your desktop.
|
|
Research Rubric
Use this rubric in order to evaluate student
research and inquiry skills, understanding of concepts and
relevance of the material.
|
Criteria |
|
|
|
|
|
Inquiry/research skills and map and globe skills using the internet and other classroom resources to locate key information |
- applies few of the required skills and strategies |
- applies some of the required skills and strategies |
- applies most of the required skills and strategies |
- applies all (or almost all) of the required skills and strategies |
|
Reasoning in selecting appropriate information and vocabulary to be describe the key features of the province or territory |
- using a few simple ideas - inconsistently and with limited understanding |
- using a variety of simple and related ideas - consistently and with limited understanding |
- using ideas of some complexity - consistently and with general understanding |
- using complex ideas - consistently and with thorough understanding |
|
Application of concepts and skills in social studies |
- shows little understanding of connections between the information and the country in which they live |
- shows some understanding of connections between the information and the country in which they live |
- shows a good understanding of connections between the information and the country in which they live |
- shows thorough understanding of connections between the information and the country in which they live |
Presentation
Rubric
Use this rubric in order to
evaluate student presentations on Hyper Studio.
|
Criteria |
|
|
|
|
|
Communication of information |
- unclearly |
- with some clarity and some precision |
- clearly and precisely |
- clearly, precisely, and confidently |
|
Organization of ideas |
- ideas are incomplete and lacks organization |
- ideas are somewhat organized in a mechanical and sequential way |
- ideas are organized appropriately and logically |
- ideas are organized appropriately and in complex and logical ways |
|
Visual presentation using the techniques and effects of the computer to include graphics, diagrams, charts, sound and text |
- produces a visual presentation that is not clear |
- produces a visual presentation that is basically clear ial studies |
- produces a clear visual presentation |
- produces a clear and effective visual presentation that enhances the story |
