The Florida Everglades Ecosystem: An integrated Science, Language Arts lesson, and technology project that focuses on 21st

Century Common Core skills. This project will allow students to collaborate, research, and present a Powerpoint presentation on the Everglades ecosystem using technology, content, conventions, and media. Duration: 5 - 60 minute lessons Subject/Course: Science Teacher: Pagliughi Grade: 4th Other Subject Area: Technology, Language Arts, Reading Comprehension, and Writing Objectives: By the end of the lessons students will be able to describe the characteristics of the Florida Everglades ecosystem and describe how climate affects the environment. Overview and Procedures: Based on the state of Floridas Sunshine State Standards for 5th grade science, which requires that students are able to inquire about and analyze the ecosystems. It also requires students to be able to synthesize information related to the Florida water cycle. The ability to design professional electronic media presentations for college and career is included in the new national Common Core Standards. 5th grade students will research different aspects of the Florida Everglades ecosystem. Students will be divided into heterogeneous groupings of four. Students be given a topic to write a research and then collaborate with a group of 3 other students to build a presentation. Each group must prepare a minimum five-slide Powerpoint presentation. Students will use a class morgue (a student accessible file of photos of the everglades for students to use) to access copyright friendly photos and use classroom computers to research information to use in their presentation. Four master groups: The four types of venomous snakes found in the Florida Everglades. The Florida Alligator. The amazing Everglades environment. Students will each be assigned a laptop from the check-out cart. They will access the approved websites independently taking research notes in their academic notebooks based on their topic. They will also be writing down questions for the other two topics as they research to be used to inquire with the other two expert groups after the presentations. On the third day the students gather with their groups using one computer to build their presentation based on their research, they will have two days to complete the presentation. On the final day the teams will present to the class. Approved Web Sites for Project: Main website: http://www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm Video on cypress canopy: http://www.nps.gov/ever/photosmultimedia/cypresscathedral.htm Podcast: http://www.nps.gov/ever/photosmultimedia/alligatortales.htm History of the Park: http://www.nps.gov/ever/photosmultimedia/ee40th.htm

Webcam: http://www.video-monitoring.com/everglades/royalpalm/ Wildlife: http://www.nps.gov/ever/parknews/evergladeswildlifeimages.htm FDE Kids Page: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/secretary/kids/postcards/everglades.htm Culminating Activity: Students present their finalized presentations to the class. During the presentation the teacher will evaluate the presentation using the presentation rubric. After each presentation the students share their kind observations of the information they were given and how it was presented including questions posed to the group. Reflection Methods Whole Class Discussion: The instructor asks the learners to think of ways they could imagine using Powerpoint in the future. The students would then be allowed to perform a Rally Round Robin, where the teacher poses a question and the group pairs take turns writing down a possible answer until time is called then they share their answers with the group. The question would be, "What would happen to the Everglades if developers were allowed to build a Disney type theme park there?" The instructor grades the student work by completing the presentation rubric. Assessments: Oral Presentation, with rubric - Oral presentation rubric will assess knowledge, content, synthesis, creativity and appearance, writing process, and collaboration. Differentiated Instruction: The project is to work as a group and design a Powerpoint presentation students will get to use many different learning strategies. The strategies included are reading, writing, internet research or visual and auditory activities, group work with heterogenous groupings that provide peer-tutoring and support, and presentation, which aid in assisting many types of learning styles, ESOL, and ESE students. Resources: esearch Academic Notebook with Rubric Computers with Internet connection Web 2.0 Powerpoint Software Presentation rubric Sticky Notes Voice Enhancer for Presentation Library and media resources Standards: Sunshine State Standards Science

SC.5.L.15.1 Describe how, when the environment changes, differences between individuals allow some plants and animals to survive and reproduce while others die or move to new locations. Cognitive complexity: High SC.5.L.17.1 Compare and contrast adaptations displayed by animals and plants by animals and plants that enable them to survive in different environments such as life cycles variations, animals behaviors and physical characteristics. Complex complexity: Moderate

Common Core Standards - Reading RI.4.3. Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text. Common Core Standards - Writing W.4.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. W.4.8. Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources. W.4.6. With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting. 21st Century Skills - Common Core Anchor Standards College and Career Readiness for Reading: To build a foundation for college and career readiness, students must read widely and deeply from among a broad range of high-quality, increasingly challenging literary and informational texts. Through extensive reading of stories, dramas, poems, and myths from diverse cultures and different time periods, students gain literary and cultural knowledge as well as familiarity with various text structures and elements. By reading texts in history/social studies, science, and other disciplines, students build a foundation of knowledge in these fields that will also give them the background to be better readers in all content areas. Students can only gain this foundation when the curriculum is intentionally and coherently structured to develop rich content knowledge within and across grades. Students also acquire the habits of reading independently and closely, which are essential to their future success. College and Career Readiness for Writing: They need to be able to use technology strategically when creating, refining, and collaborating on writing. They have to become adept at gathering information, evaluating sources, and citing material accurately, reporting findings from their research and analysis of sources in a clear and cogent manner. They must have the flexibility, concentration, and fluency to produce high-quality first-draft text under a tight

deadline as well as the capacity to revisit and make improvements to a piece of writing over multiple drafts when circumstances encourage or require it. To become college and career ready, students must have ample opportunities to take part in a variety of rich, structured conversationsas part of a whole class, in small groups, and with a partnerbuilt around important content in various domains. They must be able to contribute appropriately to these conversations, to make comparisons and contrasts, and to analyze and synthesize a multitude of ideas in accordance with the standards of evidence appropriate to a particular discipline. Whatever their intended major or profession, high school graduates will depend heavily on their ability to listen attentively to others so that they are able to build on others meritorious ideas while expressing their own clearly and persuasively. College and Career Readiness for Speaking and Listening: New technologies have broadened and expanded the role that speaking and listening play in acquiring and sharing knowledge and have tightened their link to other forms of communication. The Internet has accelerated the speed at which connections between speaking, listening, reading, and writing can be made, requiring that students be ready to use these modalities nearly simultaneously. Technology itself is changing quickly, creating a new urgency for students to be adaptable in response to change. Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas 4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 5. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations. 6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. College and Career Readiness for Language: Conventions of Standard English 1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. 2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. Appendix: Presentation Rubric: See Attachment

http://www.stlucie.k12.fl.us/curriculum/i_scope_seq_Grade5.htm http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards