Astronomy Web Pages
Luke Laurie
(This page is strictly text)
http://homepage.mac.com/mrlaurie/btcfolder/btc.html
Astronomy Web Pages
Luke Laurie
(This page is strictly text)
http://homepage.mac.com/mrlaurie/btcfolder/btc.html
A. Lesson/Unit/Project Title:
As part of the Beyond the Classroom project at UCSB, I created an Astronomy Web Pages Project for students in my Eighth Grade Science classes. In this assignment, students working in pairs, go online to research a particular type of object found in our universe, such as black holes, dwarf stars, or nebulae. Students then work to create web pages that have a rich appearance and accurate content. The idea is that students will combine language, science, and technology skills to complete one integrated assignment. The links students make will require web exploration and content discrimination. The final product will be a page listing many astronomy topics, with links to all of the students’ pages.
B. Topic or Focus Area
a. Science
Astronomy
b. Language Arts Literacy
Reading Comprehension and Research skills
c. Technology
Web inquiry and publishing
C. Subject and Grade
Eighth Grade Science
D. Duration
This project has been designed to take place over approximately 2 weeks in traditional 50 minute class periods, though it can be spread out during an astronomy unit.
E. Necessary Equipment and Instructional Materials (science, literacy, technology)
This unit requires the following equipment and software:
Several Computers with internet access, at least 1 per 2 students
Netscape or Internet Explorer
Netscape Communicator (includes composer and navigator), Adobe PageMill or other web page making software
Floppy disks or storage space on a network
Access to web space to upload the final products (I’m using iTools at Apple.com)
F. Necessary Technology Skills
a. Teacher
Capability to manipulate documents- save/copy/paste/organize
Capability and resources to upload work to the internet or to a disk/server (iDisk)
Facility with html and/or web publishing software such as Netscape Composer or Adobe PageMill/Netscape Communicator (Composer)
b. Students
Web navigation, discretion, and discrimination
Ability to copy, paste, save text files
Basic use of Netscape Composer, PageMill or other web page editing software
(all of these skills are optional for students. An effort will be made to teach, practice and reinforce these and other technology skills)
G. The Standards Addressed:
a. California State Science Standards
4. Earth in the Solar System
The structure and composition of the universe can be learned from studying stars and galaxies and their evolution.
Investigation and Experimentation
9. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful
investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the
other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations.
b. Language Arts Literacy Standards (California)
READING
2.0 Reading Comprehension (Focus on Informational Materials)
Students read and understand grade level appropriate material. They describe and
connect the essential ideas, arguments, and perspectives of the text by using their
knowledge of text structure, organization, and purpose.
Comprehension and Analysis of Grade Level Appropriate Text
2.4 Compare the original text to a summary to determine whether the summary accurately
captures the main ideas, includes critical details, and conveys the underlying meaning.
2.6 Use information from a variety of consumer, workplace, and public documents to
explain a situation or decision and to solve a problem.
WRITING
1.0 Writing Strategies
Research and Technology
1.4 Plan and conduct multiple step information searches by using computer networks and
modems.
1.5 Achieve an effective balance between researched information and original ideas.
c. Technology Standards from iste (International Society for Technology in Education)
(for grades 6-8)
6. Design, develop, publish, and present products (e.g. Web pages, videotapes) using
technology resources that demonstrate and communicate curriculum concepts to audiences
inside and outside the classroom. (4, 5, 6).
7. Collaborate with peers, experts, and others using telecommunications and collaborative
tools to investigate curriculum related problems, issues, and information, and to develop
solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (4, 5)
10. Research and evaluate the accuracy, relevance, appropriateness, comprehensiveness, and
bias of electronic information sources concerning real world problems. (2, 5, 6)
H . Student Learning Objectives
a. Instructional objectives for science and literacy
The intention is to provide students with a general familiarity with particular objects, by consulting a variety of electronic resources. The following specific instructional objectives delineate particular intentions. (Working in pairs...)
•Students will design searches for use on internet search engines and metasearch tools.
•Students will use search engines and Web pages to find referential information and media related to their object.
•Students will exercise discrimination in choosing which sites are the most appropriate to use as references.
•Students will create contextual links within their object description to link to the resources they have found.
-Students will create a minimum of 10 contextual links.
b. Technology objectives
•Students will use search engines and Web pages to find referential information and media related to their object.
•Students will copy and paste into text files to create a list of web pages and resources. (not bookmarks we want the list to be more dynamic)
•Students will use Netscape Composer to modify the existing text by creating contextual links within the text, creating a dynamic object description.
I. Instructional Design (Teaching and Learning Activities)
a. Teacher's Role
The instructor will need to guide student work as they write probing questions, use computers to Web search, and copy sites to a file to be saved. The instructor will teach and guide students through their work in creating a web page out of the text description. The instructor will upload the created pages to be linked to the master web page. The instructor will evaluate the work done by students.
b. Students' Role
Working in pairs, students will develop probing questions to guide research by studying their provided object. Students will use search engines and Web pages to find referential information and media related to their object. Students will exercise discrimination in choosing which sites are the most appropriate to use as references. Students will create contextual links within their object description to link to the resources they have found. Students will create a minimum of 10 contextual links.
J. Assessments
Students will be evaluated throughout their construction using performance based assessment.
A final assessment will be made of the final web page product. Pages will be classified as Exceeding Standards, Meeting Standards, and not Meeting Standards.
K. Evidence- collected student work samples
Web Pages drafts and final products:
http://homepage.mac.com/mrlaurie/btcfolder/btc.html