A student created autobiographical booklet
Target Grade/Subject
The target population is a heterogeneous fourth grade class of twenty-one students. Students have mixed ability levels with ten gifted students (above grade level), eight at grade level students, and three below grade level. From prior instruction and class activities, students have basic word processing skills and drawing experience with KidPix Studio.
During this lesson, students will use Microsoft Word to create autobiographical booklets using an already written rough draft. In creating this booklet, students will utilize a scanner to integrate photos or drawings into their autobiographical booklet. Once the final products have been created and printed, students will share their projects with the class.
Fourth grade students are between the ages of nine and ten, at this age students have progressed to Piaget's concrete operational stage. It is during this stage that children acquire the ability to think logically about concrete objects. Concrete operational learners acquire reversible, organized mental operations that allow them to conserve, classify, and take alternate perspectives. This lesson is well suited for concrete operational students because it allows them to organize information, which expands their classification abilities.
Since students already have basic word processing skills and drawing experience, this activity is within their zone of proximal development. Dynamic assessment is essential in this activity because the teacher needs to provide appropriate scaffolding. This activity allows for dynamic assessment because the teacher can monitor the students' abilities to understand a task within the context of a realistic problem. This also allows for authentic learning because due to the nature of the activity, scaffolding can take place between the teacher and the students.
Objectives
Virginia Standards of Learning:
1.Given teacher instruction and assistance, students will use their rough drafts to create documents using word processing skills with 90% accuracy.
2.Given teacher instruction on the use of a scanner and teacher assistance, students will scan photos or drawings with 100% accuracy.
3.Given teacher instruction and assistance, students will integrate their scanned photos or drawn pictures into their word-processed document with 90% accuracy.
4.Given teacher instruction and assistance, students will print and compile their projects with 95% accuracy.
Materials
Lesson Description
1. Instruct students to gather their rough drafts and photographs or printed drawings from KidPix Studio and sit at a computer.
2. Instruct students to double click on the Microsoft Word icon while modeling this process for them on the projection screen.
3. Allow students to type their rough drafts while circulating to ensure understanding and provide assistance.
4. Remind students periodically to save their work.
5. Have students "buddy" with their neighbors in order to edit each other's work.
6. Have students come individually to the scanner while they are editing their documents.
7. Assist students with scanning their photos or drawings.
8. Have the students save and name their scanned photos or drawings in the class folder.
9. Using the laptop and projection system, model how to retrieve saved photos or drawings once all students have completed the editing and scanning processes.
10. Using the laptop and projection system, model how to insert a photo or drawing into a word-processed document.
11. Circulate throughout the computer lab in order to make sure students are not having difficulties retrieving and inserting photos or drawings and answer students' questions.
12. Remind students to save their final products.
13. Instruct students to print their documents when their name is called so not all documents are printing at the same time.
14. After the student has printed his or her document, have him or her put the pages in order and staple them together.
15. Allow student volunteers to share their newly created autobiographies.
Evaluation
Formative
While students are word processing, the teacher will assess their ability and skills. While the teacher is assisting students with the scanning process, the teacher will check for understanding and the ability to follow oral directions. As students are inserting their photos or drawings into their documents, the teacher will assess the students' abilities to follow oral directions.
Summative
The final product (autobiographical booklet with scanned photos or drawings) will be evaluated based on the attached rubric.
RUBRIC FOR EVALUATION OF AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL BOOKLET
Total Points Possible: 75
Criteria
Accuracy of word processed document (spelling, grammar, and punctuation) [25 points]
Clarity of document (overall flow and organization)
[25 points]
Alignment of photo or drawing and text [25 points]