Community Gardens
Students learn about the history of community gardens as far back as the
Great Depression, research the current need for such an enterprise in
their own or surrounding communities, then plan and carry out a community
garden project in collaboration with students at another site. They
prepare data in the form of research papers, spreadsheets and charts,
and a Web page presenting the project.
Creepy Critters
Students learn about what features are common among all insects, identifying
body parts and building models. They create their own insect collection
using insects from their own environment. Then, they use the Internet
to learn about insects from other parts of the world, email to communicate
with other elementary-age students around the world, and Web page development
software to create a Creepy Critters Web site to publish stories about
insects; to share spreadsheets and graphs that show how many insects
were found in which places; and maps to show the location of the partner
classrooms.
The Egg Came First
The classroom teacher constructs a Web site that tracks the 21-day development
of chicks. The Web site includes daily calendar updates and group reflection
sessions. Students explore the new Web links each day, record what's happening
to their eggs under the shell throughout the waiting period, dictate stories
that appear as part of the Web site, and finally publish their stories and
illustrations on the Internet.
In the News
Students construct a Web site that gives the background and breaking news for local,
national, and international events. Once the first few stories are successfully posted,
the teacher broadens the scope of the project by inviting students to identify world
news stories that impact them. These stories are treated in a similar fashion: research
for background, summarizing the story, polling the public if applicable, and predicting
the future. The resulting Web site is published for all to see.
KidArt Gallery
Students select a famous artist, learn about the artist's life and style of work,
then develop an online art gallery of famous artists. The gallery includes digital
images of work that students have created after the style of the famous artists.
Kids Consumer Guide
Students work together to select and investigate a consumer product, learn about
how their product is advertised, then create a consumer test and a market research
survey that are used with peers and online keypals to find out which brand is
preferred and why.
A Myth Is Born
Students select a classic myth from the school library or online sources.
Students analyze their myth, then create a modern day myth fashioned after
the classic myth. A class Web page is created introducing classic and modern
day myths to the rest of the school community.
Notable Book Club
Students participate in an extracurricular Book Club where they read new books,
develop book reviews, locate related sites on the Internet, and work with the
library-media person to plan and develop book review Web pages. The book review
site is posted where family and community members can access it and add their
own reviews using online forms.
The Birth of the Olympics
Students explore ancient and modern Greece, conduct mock interviews of famous
people then and now, collect and analyze statistics on Olympic events, and
develop a Web site on the Olympics, then and now.
Picture This Story
Students in separate schools write and illustrate creative stories about
animals found in famous artwork. The drawings and stories are published on a
Web site so all participating classes can enjoy and notice the variety of
interpretations. Sound clips are included on each page with student comments
on their partners' stories.
Touring the Solar System
Elementary school students work with their technology teacher to create an
interactive Web page tour of the solar system. Each small group is assigned
one planet to explore, creating a series of multimedia Web pages for their
planet that serve as a travel brochure.
Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood?
Students create original works of digital art, interviews, and stories about
neighborhood people such as the mail carrier, the fire fighter, the postal
worker, the school teacher, the grocer, the baker, and so on. The teacher
arranges for partner classrooms in other locations where students are also
learning about their neighborhoods, and creates a Web site with pages to
introduce each neighborhood helper.
