Florida Research

Grade 4 Florida Research Project

Enduring Understandings:

  1. Studying history helps us to understand Florida today.
  2. Geography, location and climate affected the development of Florida.
  3. Florida was settled long before the Europeans arrived in 1492.
  4. European influence on Florida had a lasting impact.
  5. Good citizens work together to solve problems and to make a difference.

Guiding Questions

  1. Who were the first people of Florida and how did they use their environment to meet their basic needs?
  2. How have the different cultural groups in early Florida influenced our state?
  3. What are the characteristics of the geographic regions of Florida?
  4. Why is Florida’s location important culturally, politically, and economically?
  5. How has Florida’s physical geography and resources contributed to people’s decision to make Florida their home?
  6. How has Florida’s physical geography and resources contributed to people’s decision to make Florida their tourist destination?
  7. How do the citizens of the state work together to solve problems?
  8. How can citizens make a difference?

Resources

Student Products are on the class wiki: http://icsflorida.wikispaces.com/

An Anhinga dries its wings after fishing in a fresh water pond

 

Fact or Fiction – Internet Librarian

Be an Internet Librarian. Use the 5W’s and the tips on URL Detective to compare the following pairs of websites. Decide if the information on each website is fact or fiction. Keep track of the steps you take to evaluate each web site. You will have to provide an annotation, a statement explaining how you know the information is valid, reliable and true facts.

Topic 1: Endangered Species

  1. Blue Poison Frog
  2. Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus

Topic 2: Crops

  1. California Velcro Crop under Challenge (1993)
  2. Mandarin Orange

Topic 3: Early Explorers

  1. About Explorers
  2. Explorers

Topic 4: Weather

  1. Case Analysis of a Historic Killer Tornado Event in Kansas on 10 June 1938
  2. Tornadoes

Topic 5: Dogs

  1. Burmese Mountain Dog
  2. Redbone Coon Hound

Topic 6:  A Dangerous Chemical

  1. Ban DHMO: Dihydrogen Monoxide
  2. Facts about Dihydrogen Monoxide

Topic 7: The Mind

*** View ICS Digital Help Web Search Strategies ***

Several links above are from Kathy Schrock’s list

Website Planning using Bubbl.us

I used bubbl.us to plan the new ICS website. I’m reviewing what I planned and what is on the website now.

The plan was a good start, but I’m happy with the name changes to the top level links. Academics became Learning at ICS, Alumni was expanded to ICS Family, About Us became About ICS, Support became Giving, and we added the Our Church link.

I ended up adding a number of videos and slideshows that I had not planned for. I’m very happy with the Field Day video shown below. There are several other linked from various locations on the website.

ICS Field Day 2011 from Rhonda Carrier on Vimeo.

Sorakuen Garden, Japan using Animoto

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com. You must create a 30 second advertisement for ICS. Use your school email account to create the account on Animoto.

Plan the following before you create the media message:

  1. What is the target audience? potential students or parents (early childhood, elementary, or middle school)
  2. What creative techniques are used to attract attention? images and music
  3. How might different people understand this message differently?
  4. What values, lifestyles and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?
  5. Why is this message being sent?
  6. How does the advertisement address the ICS Mission statement?

Technical Aspects

  • number of shots (for a free account, the limit is 12 images)
  • length of each shot (no longer than 30 seconds total for a free account)
  • camera angle of each shot & location of the camera for each (use your best)
  • effects of close-up/medium/long shots (use your best)
  • framing (rule of thirds) (use your best – but crop if necessary)
  • backgrounds (choose slides with appropriate backgrounds)
  • lighting for each shot (use your best)
  • visual transitions (no control in a free 30 second video)
  • sound track (select 30 seconds of music – mp3 format)
  • special effects or animation (no control in a free 30 second video)
  • script/message (your images and  music create the message)

Tools:

Complete Assignments:

  1. You may work alone or in pairs.
  2. When you complete the 30 second advertisement for ICS (using Animoto), you or your partner must send the link to my email. Include in the email a summary of your answers to the 6 questions listed above.
  3. You will have today in class and next week in class to work on the assignment. It must be completed before midnight May 6.

Creating the Cover

BehindclosedDoors

The visually literate student evaluates the aesthetic and technical characteristics of images

Learning Outcomes: (from ACRL/IRIG)

  1. Evaluates how effectively an image achieves a specific purpose.
  2. Evaluates the use of visual signs, symbols, and conventions to convey meaning
  3. Assesses the appropriateness and impact of the visual message for the intended audience
  4. Analyzes the impact of image editing or manipulation on the meaning and reliability of the image

Target Audience Application

Assignment: Create different photographs of a peer using the same or similar techniques in the Schwarzenegger covers.  Photograph the same person to appeal to two different target audiences.

Be sure to use the Kodak Top Ten Tips for good photography.

Rules, Limitations, Procedures:

  1. Do not take photos of anyone younger than grade 7. Use a student in your class or older, if at all possible.
  2. Ask his/her permission to use both photos on a website or as part of a slideshow online.
  3. Do NOT take photos of anyone without permission.
  4. Provide the name and age of the person in the photography.
  5. Download the photos from your camera to a computer. Save them as jpeg or as gif or as png. (View Image File Formats for descriptions of each.) This link may help to save the files correctly. Windows Microsoft You can also use Zamzar to change file formats.
  6. Name each image with your name and audience (example: rcarrier fashion) or your name and audience2 (example: rcarrier business)
  7. Attach each image to an email and send it to me at my school email address.
  8. I must receive the email with the attachments before midnight Sunday, 5/1