April 15
MarcoPolo
Home Page for MarcoPolo: http://marcopolo.mci.com/home.aspx
First we'll sign in at the Training Resource Center.
We'll start with a hands-on experience that models effective
teaching strategies that use the Internet to provide Content in the Classroom
by using MarcoPolo.
This lesson is an investigation into how historians reconstruct the past using
primary sources.
Go to The Great Chicago Fire and the Web of Memory: http://www.chicagohs.org/fire/
Read the Choose an entry in the Library from one section and your partner will
choose a Library item in the other section. "The Great Chicago Fire"
has information about the fire at the time and for the immediate years after
it. "Web of Memory" tells about how the fire has been remembered over
time.
Use the Written Document Analysis Worksheet found at: http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/
Compare the documents:
*Do the reporters agree in their descriptions of where the fire began and how
it spread?
*Do they mention the same landmarks of destruction and highlight similar incidents
of human drama?
*Do they contradict one another on any questions of fact?
*How might a historian use these two documents to construct a history of the
Great Chicago Fire?
*What are the advantages of having two accounts of the fire? To what extent
can they be combined? Are there points on which they can be set in contrast
or played off one another?
*What might account for stylistic and factual differences between the documents?
Are the writers aiming at different audiences? Offering different insights on
the significance of the fire?
Look in the Gallery at the visual documentation, such as photographs
of the destruction and engravings of dramatic scenes like the ones described
by the newspaper reports. Use the Photo Analysis Worksheet found at: http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/
*What might a historian draw from these sources in constructng a history of
the fire and its significance?
The underlying strategy for this lesson is fairly conventional:
students analyze and discuss selected documents using a worksheet. In this case,
however, the documents appear on the screen, via the Internet, rather than on
paper.
*How would you conduct the lesson in classroom with only one computer or with
no computers?
*What if the class was held in the media center, or was assigned for independent
study in the library?
The Internet is a flexible teaching resource, not a technology that imposes its own rules on the learning process. In fact, the Internet can have a powerful impact on learning even when Internet access is limited--but that impact depends on the quality of Internet content.
Internet Content in the Classroom
Quality content is the catalyst for teaching effectively with the Internet.
Authoritative
You have been working with content from the Chicago Historical Society, not
an unknown collector of historical memorabilia. The worksheek was developed
by educators at the National Archives.
Appropriate for Students
This lesson did not have links that might tempt a student to go on a shopping
spree or wander into one of the Internets more unsavory byways. Also, it has
been reviewed by experts to make sure it is not only suitable for students but
also presented in a way they can easily grasp.
Classroom Ready
A lesson plan at this site is titled "Evaluating Eyewitness Reports"
and can be found at: http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?ID=281
The lesson plan includes links to specific documents, detailed discussion points,
suggested assignments, and directions for extending the lesson to content on
other websites. A teacher can adopt the lesson plan, adapt it, or use it as
a model for designing a lesson of his or her own.
Worksheets for examining artifacts, cartoons, documents, maps, photograph, poster,
and sound can be found at: http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/
Compatible with Standards
This lesson plan includes an outline of learning goals and skills to help teachers
align the lesson with their own curricular standards. This lesson aligns with
standards that call for analysis of primary documents in the history curriculum
and for media literacy in the language arts curriculum. It is also relavant
to standards that pertain to research and critical thinking skills.
Tips for using MarcoPolo
1. MarcoPolo's Content Partners have produced seven discipline-specific, standards-based
Web sites geared toward K-12 teachers and students. Most lessons developed by
the Partners not only correlate to state and national education standards for
their discipline, but also provide cross-curricular connections with several
other subjects as well.
To promote cross-curricular use, MarcoPolo Partner lessons often refer to lessons
and resources created by other MarcoPolo Partners. Teachers who use the MarcoPolo
Search Engine to search on a specific topic often will find Partner lessons
that satisfy state and national standards across several disciplines.
2. There are many benefits to using a student-centered, hands-on
laboratory setting to present topics in a new light. Students generally gain
a deeper understanding by doing rather than watching. Additional benefits include
learning how to work in a group, employing deductive reasoning skills and having
a greater sense of ownership and accomplishment.
Many of the lesson plans developed by the MarcoPolo Partners include hands-on
classroom activities. Teachers can use MarcoPolo resources to combine Internet-based
research with in-class group work to ensure a greater rate of comprehension,
especially in a classroom with different learning styles or multiple intelligences.
Use hands-on experiments to increase comprehension in:
"Plasmolysis in Elodea Plant Cells" (9-12) from Science NetLinks,
American Association for the Advancement of Science: http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?BenchmarkID=5&DocID=106
3. Combining interactive technology with classroom discussion
can be an effective way to help students with varying skill levels learn and
synthesize new ideas. With the introduction of computers in the classroom, students
have ready access to interactive computer programs that can help them better
understand challenging concepts.
The MarcoPolo Partners often include some type of interactive computer-based
activity in their lesson plans. These programs can help students gain confidence
in their ability to understand new concepts -- such as the pros and cons of
the bartering system, how drawings supplement the written word, or the geometric
properties of lines or shapes.
Use the interactive applets in these lessons to engage students' interest:
"Interactive Geometry Dictionary -- Lines" (K-12) from Illuminations,
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics: http://illuminations.nctm.org/mathlets/IGD_lines/index.html
4. E-mail and the Internet provide the means for instant communications
-- sometimes even quicker than reaching someone on the telephone! The Internet
is home to thousands of online communities that bring together people with similar
interests from all over the world.
Many of the MarcoPolo Partner lessons encourage students and teachers to build
a community of users beyond the classroom walls. Students and teachers can collect
different perspectives about their surroundings by using the Internet to exchange
information with classrooms in another city or country.
Connect to an online community in:
"E-Pals Around the World" (6-8) from ReadWriteThink, International
Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English: http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=178
"What's the Problem With Digital TV?" (6-12) from EconEdLink, National
Council on Economic Education: http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.cfm?lesson=EM189&page=teacher
Suggested Additional Lessons
Business Card Book Reports: http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson143/PlanningSheetforBusinessCard.pdf
Change Is in the Air: http://www.marcopolo-education.org/MarcoGrams/Jan2004.html
On a cold day in December 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright changed history. Although
their Wright Flyer stayed aloft for only 12 seconds and ultimately crashed on
a subsequent attempt, they proved that man could build, fly and control an airborne
machine. Now there are about 30,000 airplane flights originating in the U.S.
each day, transporting people and packages all over the world. The Wright brothers
risked their lives to test their idea and ultimately changed the world. Use
the activities to encourage students to examine the kinds of changes that happen
in and around their world.
Creating Your Report: http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson126/report.pdf
Exploring American Indian and Alaskan Native Traditions: http://www.marcopolo-education.org/MarcoGrams/Nov2003.html
Idaho Forest Products Commission: http://www.idahoforests.org/
This website provides information on the Idaho Forest Products Commission. There
is information that can be used by both teachers and students, such as the tree
trivia section and downloadable lesson plans.
Investigating Local Ecosystems: http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/Lessons.cfm?DocID=80
The purpose of this Science NetLinks lesson is to use Internet resources to
investigate the habitats of local plants and animals; to explore some of the
ways animals depend on plants and each other.
Lewis and Clark: Corps of Discovery: http://www.marcopolo-education.org/MarcoGrams/May2004.html
My Own Business: A Free Internet Course On Starting a Business: http://www.myownbusiness.org/
The Nobel Prize: http://www.marcopolo-education.org/MarcoGrams/Dec2003.html
Oil and Water in the Middle East Region (6-8): http://www.marcopolo-education.org/mg/lesson140.aspx
Students use maps and satellite imagery to explore the historical and political
roles of oil and water in the Middle East.
Ready, Set, Goal!: http://www.marcopolo-education.org/MarcoGrams/Jul2005.html
There really is no substitute for the feeling of a goal accomplished –
in athletic competition or any endeavor. But goals don't just happen. It takes
planning, hard work and commitment to turn dreams into reality. Using lessons
and resources featured in this MarcoGram, students will reflect on their aspirations
and discover some valuable tools to help them reach their goals, both big and
small.
The Red Badge of Courage: A New Kind of Courage (9-12): http://www.marcopolo-education.org/mg/lesson132.aspx
Students explore the values of courage and patriotism in Stephen Crane's novel
about the Civil War.
Smart Money: http://www.marcopolo-education.org/MarcoGrams/Oct2003.html
Money. It burns holes in pockets, makes the world go round and is sometimes
the root of all evil. It can't buy you love, but if you put it where your mouth
is, you might get what you're looking for. This month, MarcoPolo features lessons
about making some hard-earned cash -- and spending it responsibly. Use the warm-up
activities below to encourage greater awareness about finance and economics,
then scroll down for links to more lessons and resources.
What's My Interest?: http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.cfm?lesson=EM377
In this EconEdLink lesson, students learn about interest and how and why banks
pay it. They will learn about the benefits of saving money. They will think
about a future career, find out how much it would pay, and figure out how much
interest they can earn.
Where Should I Build My Business? http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/11/g912/business.html
Interactive Sites
Journey North: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/
Journey North follows the spring as it progresses in the Northern hemisphere.
In the fall it becomes Journey South and follows plants and animals as they
prepare for winter.
Windows Into Wonderland: http://windowsintowonderland.org
Yellowstone National Park has developed an online series of electronic field
trips and associated curricula. the curricula have been written to meet the
National Science Education Standards and are offered free of charge. There are
also archived electronic field trips for history, art and other science subjects
on the site. The Park Servic anticipates bringing new field trips on line every
five or six months.
This site began in March 1998 by Janet Luch. This page was last
updated on
December 28, 2006
.
Email comments and questions to studyplans@yahoo.com.