What Do We Share?
Rose
Batts
Beaufort Middle School
April 29, 2002
Subjects included in this lesson: Reading, Writing, Technology
Brief Description: Students are given charts and diagrams to record their answers for special questions pertaining to comparing and contrasting information about differences and similarities in communities.
Students prepare for this unit by learning the skills of compare-contrast and newspaper terms. They were told to use one local paper and one state paper. From the Internet, they were told to find at least one other newspaper using the site given by
teacher.
Approximate time required: One to two 45-minute “Remediation ELA classes”
Standard Course of Study Goals and Objectives:
English Language Arts:
Written Expression: 2.01: Respond to informational materials that are
read, heard, and/or viewed by charting and summarizing information.
Reading: 4.02: Develop (with assistance) and apply appropriate criteria to evaluate the quality of the communication by using knowledge of language structure and literary of media technique.
Technology:
1.2: Demonstrate an understanding of copyright by citing sources of copyrighted materials in papers, projects, and multimedia presentations.
3.3 Research, create, publish, and present projects related to content
areas using a variety of technological tools.
3.8 Evaluate the information from electronic sources as to validity,
appropriateness, content, and usefulness.
Lesson Goal /Objectives: Student will find appropriate items from the newspaper and
Internet cites to answer questions given. Student will also use correct Internet citation guidelines.
Materials/ Resources Needed:
- Internet -connected computers,
- overhead projectors,
- transparencies,
- newspapers:
“NC Newspaper in Education”,1989
- Internet "favorites"
resources:
http://www.msn
http://www.cnn
http://yahoonews
http://jobfactory.com/onnews.htm
Pre Activities:
- Students must have used the Internet before to find information on topics assigned.
- Students must have learned the skills “compare-contrast” and “VennDiagram use”.
- Teacher should create a set of “favorites” sites needed to get to
news quickly (see Materials/Resources).
- Students discuss and create criteria for
evaluating web sites for appropriateness, content and
usefulness.
Activities:
- Teacher will give directions for using the charts, diagrams and questions by modeling with overhead how assignment should be done.
- Teacher will give rubric for assessing the summary which will be written from the information received from organizers.
- A model of a bibliography will be given to use for citing sources used.
Guided Practice:
- Teacher discusses newspaper terms and explains differences and similarities in local and state newspaper circulations.
- Teacher explains directions for relating local and state papers found on internet cites.
Independent Practice:
- Teacher hands out list of questions to use for comparing and contrasting newspapers .
- Teacher has students get information from local and state papers using questions as guide.
- Teacher has students go to the Internet cite to begin their search for answers to
questions.
- Students supply answers on
charts.
- Students use answers to begin summaries.
- Students use the model of Internet citation written on board to list their bibliography on the back of their organizers.
Closure:
- Charts and summaries are read on information found from all sources.
- Class discusses the similarities and differences of where we live, and speculate on why the communities have these similarities and differences.
Assessment:
A rubric will be used to assess the assignment.
20%: Correct citation format
40%: Compare-contrast chart and diagram
40%: Summary
Teacher Note:
As I mentioned in my lesson plan, a
Venn-diagram and a comparison chart were given for students to organize
their information. The questions were used to guide them in answering the
questions and organizing them on the chart and diagram.
Questions:
Here are a few sample questions from the different categories:
- How long has this newspaper been
published?
- Doe this newspaper contain display
advertisements?
- What crops are grown in the area?
- What local industries are mentioned?5.
Are the comics the same or different from your local newspaper?
- What local event is the most important
in this issue? Is there a photo?
- How much space is given to weddings,
funerals, anniversaries. baptisms?
- From the town's location, would you
conclude that the weather is about the
same , somewhat different or very different from your home town?
- The categories on the comparison charts
that students used to classify their answers to questions were the
following:
- Name of Newspaper
- Cost
- Size (no. of pages)
- Number of Columns per page
- Location of Index
- Location of Nameplate
- Top News Story
- Regional Or Local Story
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