Lesson Plans
Destination D.C. Web Quest
Teacher Lesson Plans
Grade Level: 7th Grade
Standards Addressed:
ISTE NETS for Students:
2. Communication and Collaboration - Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media
b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats
3. Research and Information Fluency - Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media
Common Core ELA:
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.3 Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1d Establish and maintain a formal style.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2b Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2c Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
· Recall & discuss key events from Social Studies class about the founding of Washington D.C.
· Conduct research using preselect websites
· Gather & organize relevant information & data from multiple non-fiction sources into a note taking document
· Create an informational digital tour guide for use on a class trip to Washington D.C.
Materials:
· Computer or mobile device with access to the internet (1 per student)
· Google Docs Account (1 per student)
· The following YouTube videos (recall & reactivation of background knowledge about Washington D.C.)
o Riddles in Stone: Secret Architecture of Washington D.C. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6tUbTslXtM
o Washington D.C. “CODE”, The Masonic City http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXlYHjQJZ4Y
o Washington D.C. Time Lapse (Empty America) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcB2Dkgsmf8
o Our History & Washington D.C. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwBDpZDl-1Q
· Post Project Reflection worksheet (1 per student)
Procedures:
I. Introducing the Topic & Web Quest
a. Suggested Time: one 45 minute class period
b. Warm up: Think-Pair-Share – What do you remember about Washington D.C.?
i. Play Washington D.C. Time Lapse (Empty America) video from YouTube
ii. Give students 3 minutes to list what they remember from prior classes / years on a piece of paper
iii. Give students another 2 to 3 minutes to share information with a seat partner & add any additional information to their lists that the students remember
iv. As a class, on the board or a piece of chart paper, have students take turns reporting their ideas à have student write their answers on the board / paper for greater engagement
v. Discuss results as a class
c. Play “Riddles in Stone: Secret Architecture of Washington D.C” or “Washington D.C. “CODE”, The Masonic City” for the class to build student engagement, then discuss as a class
d. Review the Introduction & Task components with the class as a whole
e. Break students into groups of 2 to 4 students & have students brainstorm what types of places they would find interesting to visit
II. Research & Note Taking
a. Suggested Time: Three to four 45 minute class periods
b. Review “Before they begin” from the Process Component of the Website. Allow time for completion.
i. Now that you understand the task ahead of you, you have some decisions to make. Decide who is going to be the technology leader of the group (the person who creates the Google Document template and shares it with the class), how you will manage your time (click here for some tips), and who will be responsible for which pieces of the research & brochure creation.
EVERYONE will work together on the same shared research AND brochure documents in Google Docs, so it is vital that you make those decisions now.
With those decisions out of the way, you may begin!
c. Students should complete Step 1: The Template
i. One person in your group must create a new Google Doc named “Washington DC Guidebook Research”.
ii. Type each group member’s names in the upper left hand corner of the document. Skip a line.
iii. Type the title, “Washington DC Guidebook Research”, on the next line of the document (centered).
iv. As a group, decide which style (format) of graphic organizer your group would like to use to take notes. Can't make up your? Check out these model styles below:
1. Cornell (two-column) notes
2. Outline
3. Matrix
v. Rename the document "Washington DC Guidebook Research"
vi. Share the document with the other members of your group and your teacher (make sure that they can edit the document). **Note - your teacher will be checking on your group's progress throughout the note taking stage**
d. Students should complete Step2: Choose your sites
i. Choose 10 famous sites, from the list below, that you and your group think are an absolute “must see” for the 8th graders going on the Washington DC trip. Place these sites as topics for each section / box in your note taking graphic organizer.
o Arlington National Cemetery
o Smithsonian Museums
o Lincoln Memorial
o Vietnam Memorial
o Korean War Memorial
o Union Station
o National Archives
o Jefferson Memorial
o FDR Memorial
o MLK Jr Memorial
o National World War II Memorials
o US Holocaust Memorial Museum
o White House
o The Old Post Office
o Crime and Punishment Museum
o The Pentagon
e. Students should complete Step 3: Conduct Your Research
i. Visit the Internet websites listed in the Resources section for each historical site that your group chose to include. While visiting these Internet websites, record the following information about each famous site into your research document.
1. Name of the site
2. Brief background about the site (5 facts minimum) – Consider Who, What, When, Why, How the site became so important
3. What visitors should expect to see:
a. Times the sites are open to visitors
b. Any restrictions for visitors
c. Expected behavior while at the site
d. What is available for visitors to see and do
e. Any costs associated with visiting the site (entrance fees, etc.)
f. 2 to 5 pictures of the sites
III. Brochure Creation
a. Suggested Time: Two to Three 45 minute class periods
b. Students should complete Step 1: Create the Template
i. As a group, choose which template you would like to use from this list of templates provided by Google Docs.
ii. Click "Use This Template"
iii. One person in your group must now rename this document “Washington DC Guidebook”.
iv. Share the document with the other members of your group and your teacher (make sure that they can edit the document).
v. **Note - your teacher will be checking on your group's progress throughout the note taking stage**
c. Students should complete Step 2: Create your Guidebook
i. Your group must now use the information and pictures that you have gathered during your research to create a guidebook for the 8th graders’ trip to Washington DC. Remember your division of labor in the previous part (who does what).
ii. Each site’s entry in the guidebook must contain:
1. Name of the site
2. Brief background about the site (5 facts minimum) – Consider Who, What, When, Why, How the site became so important
3. What visitors should expect to see:
a. Times the sites are open to visitors
b. Any restrictions for visitors
c. Expected behavior while at the site
d. What is available for visitors to see and do
e. Any costs associated with visiting the site (entrance fees, etc.)
f. 2 to 5 pictures of the site
iii. **Make sure that your guidebook has a cover page with the title of the book, a picture, and the names of your group members. **
IV. Reflection
a. Suggested Time: one 45 minute class period
b. Have students complete post project reflection worksheet
c. Questions for class discussion:
i. What is one thing you learned about Washington D.C. that you didn’t know before?
ii. Who is your audience? How did you choose information and media to capture your audience's attention?
iii. How would you change your project for a different audience?
iv. What will you do differently during your next multimedia project?
Assessment:
· Collaboration / Group Work Rubric
· Destination DC Brochure Rubric
· Teacher Observation of group work & class discussion
Special Needs Inclusion:
· Students with writing disabilities or vision impairment may use the Google Apps suite on iPad / iPod which allows the user to dictate the words to the device which will then place them in the Google Document at the selected location