SUBJECT: Geography
GRADE: 3rd
TECHNOLOGY: Internet
BY: Jennifer Gates

LEARNING ABOUT THE MIDWEST

Objectives: Students will use the internet to find out information about an assigned state in the Midwest region of the United States.

Concepts / vocabulary: internet, web browsers, internet address

Target rationale: This activity was chosen because many children in the third grade have been exposed to computers in their homes and enjoy using them. By using the internet for research, I am teaching them a new way to conduct research and also am furthering their technology know-how. The children will have enough guidance where this lesson will not be over-whelming at all.

Procedure:

Introduction: Take students to the computer lab in their school and help them all get into the internet. Give detailed instructions and have the children take notes so they can replicate the process at a later time. Handouts will not be given out because they will understand the process better if they read it later in their own words. Explain the internet as a source of information about most anything that you can think of, that is waiting on computer lines for when you want to use it.
Explain that just like there are different telephone companies to choose from,
There are also many web browsers. Just like telephone companies (like ATT, Sprint, etc.) the web browsers produce different choices to serve you. Just like how all phone companies have different plans and programs, web browsers are different too. However, they are different in that they present information in different ways, and sometimes contain very different information, similar to encyclopedias. Show the children where they can make the choice as to which web browser they want and then, allow them to choose the one that they want to use.

Developmental activities: Once they are in that browser, have them choose any topic that they would like to find more information about at a later time. After they type it in show them where they can find out how many ìhitsî they had. I will shoe children how to read the information and how to get back to the page that they are on to read other hits. Make the point that it is important to be specific because they will get too many sources otherwise. Show examples of some things that they may type in, to get the information that they need on their worksheet later on. After this, I will show the children how to print pages from the internet, although they wonít be printing today. Next, the children will start their research. They are researching a pre-assigned state in the Midwest and are filling out a worksheet as they go. They are to use the internet to find out the answers to as many questions on the worksheet as possible. Information, that they can not find, can be sound in books at a later date. We will find the first answer together (the state capital) by typing in for example, Virginia, capital. After this, they are on their own with my guidance. They will fill in their information to use later on to make a travel brochure for that state. If children find out all of their information, they can surf the net for the remainder of the time.

Closure: Tell anyone who is not finished, not to worry, that there are books in the room where they can find out more information. Have every child close their search and shut down the computers. Ask the children if they learned anything special about their state today and if they found any neat links on their state.
The children will be using this information for the next lesson in making a travel brochure for their state, trying to get people to go there.
Evaluation:

Formative: Observing children using the internet and seeing what information on the worksheet they could get done in their research.

Materials:
Computer, worksheet, pencil














































Name: ______________________________

Date: _______________________________

State: _______________________________

MY STATE

1.) My stateís capital is : _________________



2.) Important natural resources in my state are:





3.) Important industries in my state are:





4.) Neat places to travel in my state are:





5.) List good reasons to visit your state:







6.) List some very interesting facts about your state: