Lesson Title: Compare & Contrast European Countries to North Carolina
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts
Social Studies
Information Skills
Technology Strand: Keyboard Util./Desktop Pub./Word Processing
Multimedia/Presentation
Telecommunications
Grade Level: 6
 
Essential Question: How does the European country I researched compare to North Carolina?
 
A Activity Summary Students will compare the country they have researched with their own state of North Carolina. Comparisons will be made using the five thematic areas of geography and the interest data collected in the ePALS email activity.
C Curriculum English Language Arts
2.01 Explore informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:
-restating and summarizing information
-making connections to related topics/information

Social Studies
11.03 Compare characteristics of political, economic, religious, and social institutions of selected cultures, and evaluate their similarities and differences.


Information Skills
3.02 Collect and compare information about diverse cultures, environments, and peoples.
4.07 Organize and use information.
4.08 Credit sources of information.
4.10 Evaluate the product.
5.02 Produce media in various formats (print, graphical, audio, video, multimedia) appropriate to audience and purpose.
T Technology Keyboard Util./Desktop Pub./Word Processing
Multimedia/Presentation
Telecommunications

3.10 Select and use WP/DTP features/functions to design, format, and publish assignments/products 3.11 Use rubrics to evaluate multimedia presentations for elements (e.g., content, organization, accuracy, design, purpose).
3.12 Plan, collect, evaluate, interpret, and use information from a variety of resources to develop assignments about the Eastern Hemisphere, Europe, and Former Soviet Republics  
 
Activating Strategies
Students will work in pairs, taking the "Sequencing 1-2-3" activity cards and deciding the appropriate sequence for the cards based upon the content information.
(Suggestion: Duplicate each paragraph on an index card, making 15 sets of cards.)
Practice with this prerequisite thinking skill will help students determine the appropriate sequencing of information on their multimedia storyboard slides.
 
Technology Vocabulary: Multimedia Vocabulary
Detailed Technology Instructions:
 
Cognitive Teaching Strategies
Day 1 (45 minutes)
1. Students will have available the "A Tour of Europe" data sheets that they completed in doing research on their European country. Students will be provided a copy of the completed data sheet titled "A Tour of North Carolina".

2. Using both sheets, discuss with students several items of comparison between North Carolina and their European country.

Day 2 (30 minutes)
3. Students will complete the Country/State Comparison storyboard, listing the major SIMILARITIES and DIFFERENCES between their country and North Carolina.

4. Students will construct and add several additional slides to their European country multimedia presentations.

Students who have prior experience with creating charts in Excel should be encouraged to use chart wizard in PowerPoint to include comparative charts on their slides. To facilitate this students should choose a "new slide" template that includes a chart.
 
Summary Strategies
(15 minutes)
Students or student groups will then critique each other's presentations using the PowerPoint rubric provided. If working in groups, students must come to a consensus on the score for each aspect of the slide shows they are critiquing.
Students will then make the needed changes to their presentations before they are graded by the teacher.
The teacher will collect the scoring rubrics completed by the student groups. These can be used as the teacher assesses a final project grade for each presentation.
(Suggestion: The teacher may choose to use a more detailed rubric for assessing a final project grade using the "PowerPoint Rubric for Teachers").

Initiate a class discussion about the usefulness of having others critique your work.
 
Resources
Click for directions on how to download files on a Windows computer. 
"Sequencing 1-2-3" activity sheet for students and answer key (filename: Sequencing)
A computer with PowerPoint software loaded
A completed "Tour of North Carolina" data sheet (provided by teacher - filename: NCdatasheet)
A completed "Tour of Europe" data sheet (Students should have this for their country.)
"Comparison of North Carolina and Country" storyboard (filename: Comparison_Storyboard)
PowerPoint Rubric evaluation sheet (filename: PowerPoint_Rubric)

Microsoft Word Files
Sequencing.doc
NCdatasheet.doc
Comparison_Storyboard.doc
PowerPoint_Rubric.doc
 
 
Re-teaching and Enrichment Activities
Students may present their presentations to a larger peer group or adult audience.

This is the last lesson in the European Tech Connect series.

The concept for this lesson plan was submitted by
Gwen  Varsamis
Kiser Middle, Data last modified: 8/12/2006