Traveling to Mexico

Traveling to Mexico: A Technology Integrated Lesson Plan

Author:
Leslie Sering
Based on a Lesson by John Derr, NBCT, Central Elementary School
http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/story.php?itemID=368&version=175&pageID=352

Grade Level:
6th Grade

Timeframe:
10 days: 10 fifty minute writing blocks (8 hrs. 20 min.) and 4 fifty minute math blocks (3 hrs. 20 min.)

Lesson Description or Explanation
Students will research the country of Mexico and use the information they find to develop a travel brochure, travel budget, and Spanish/English dictionary. Research sources will include websites, an encyclopedia, and books. Pairs of students will develop a tri-fold brochure in Publisher that gives sightseeing and cultural information for their destination. Using Excel, students will then develop sample budgets for a trip to their destination. Using Windows Media Encoder, students will work in groups of four to help produce a communal Spanish/English dictionary with common words and phrases that are linked to sound files with the pronunciations for the Spanish words. The dictionary will be maintained on a class Wiki page. Students will share their works with the rest of the class by means of short presentations. The aim of this lesson is to broaden students’ cultural horizons while using language, math, and social studies content knowledge and skills.


Indiana Curricular Standards
Language Arts (Writing)
6.5.7 Write for different purposes (information, persuasion, description) and to a specific audience or person, adjusting tone and style as necessary. (Corresponding Lesson Component: students will write an informative travel brochure and a Spanish/English dictionary)

Language Arts (Listening and Speaking: Speaking Applications)
6.7.11 Deliver informative presentations that:
• pose relevant questions sufficiently limited in scope to be completely and thoroughly answered.
• develop the topic with facts, details, examples, and explanations from multiple authoritative sources, including speakers, periodicals, and online information.(Corresponding Lesson Component: students will compile the results of their research into a brochure and share their results during oral presentations)

Math
6.2.8 Calculate given percentages of quantities and solve problems involving discounts at sales, interest earned, and tips.
(Corresponding Lesson Component: students will calculate and budget tips as a percentage of food and lodging expenses; they will also calculate percentage of total budget devoted to airfare, lodging, food, and miscellaneous expenses)

6.3.2 Write and use formulas with up to three variables to solve problems.
(Corresponding Lesson Component: students will write formulas used to compute percentages and sums in Excel)

Social Studies (Geography)
6.3.3 Describe and compare major physical characteristics of regions in Europe and the Americas.
Example: The Alps in Western Europe, the fjords in Northern Europe, the Volga River in Eastern Europe, the Canadian Rockies in North America, and the Andes Mountains and Amazon River in South America(Corresponding Lesson Component: during the course of their research, students will learn about Mexico’s mountain ranges, lakes, and coastlines)

6.3.4 Describe and compare major cultural characteristics of regions in Europe and the Western Hemisphere.(Corresponding Lesson Component: during the course of their research, students will learn about Mexico’s diverse culture)


ISTE Standards
2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:
a.interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media(Corresponding Lesson Component: students will work in pairs to research and publish a travel brochure, prepare a budget spreadsheet, and develop a dictionary on the class Wiki)
b.communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats(Corresponding Lesson Component: pairs of students will design a travel brochure that includes photos and/or graphics; students will develop a Spanish/English dictionary using a class Wiki and audio software)
d.contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems
(Corresponding Lesson Component: students will work in small groups to compile Spanish/English dictionaries with words and phrases that they feel would be helpful for visitors to Mexico)

6. Technology Operations and Concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students:
a.understand and use technology systems(Corresponding Lesson Component: students will use a SMART Board and laptops, as well as a variety of software such as: a web browser, Wiki, audio software, spreadsheet program, and word processing software)
c. troubleshoot systems and applications(Corresponding Lesson Component: students will learn to troubleshoot the hardware and software they are using)

Assessments: Formative/Summative
Formative Assessment: Formative assessments will include whole class discussions and the guided practice segments of the mini-lessons. These conversations will give the instructor an idea of how the project is progressing and whether or not the students understand the material. While the students are working, the instructor should also circulate through the class to chat with students and observe them as they work. This will serve as another means of formative assessment.

Summative Assessment: Summative assessments will be based on the final brochures, Excel budget sheets, and oral presentations. Rubrics will be provided for the brochure (one possible rubric was developed by John Derr http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/galleryfiles/368/rubricjohn2.pdf) and the Excel sheet. Oral presenters should demonstrate an understanding of their work and should be able to explain their findings to classmates and field questions from peers.


Prior Knowledge
Curricular Knowledge or Skills: In the online lesson upon which this is based, the children had already studied Mexico as part of their social studies curriculum. They had watched videos, read their textbooks, learned a few Spanish words and phrases.

Technology Knowledge: Children will already know how to use a computer and calibrate a SMART Board. They will also have a working knowledge of web browsers and word processing software. According to Derr, specific skills should include:

• Basic keyboarding and use of the mouse
• Minimize and maximize screens to move back and forth among programs
• Save work
• Save a graphic from the Internet, copying and pasting into documents
• File management
• Safe use of the Internet

Pre-assessment Strategy: Students’ knowledge will be assessed and activated through a whole class discussion of what has been studied thus far. We can work together as a class to produce a KWL chart that shows what the students already know and what they want to learn. If there are gaps in the students’ understandings, these will be addressed. For the “W” part of the chart, we will brainstorm about things we would still like to know about Mexico and about particular areas of the country students would like to visit.


Technology
Internet Resources: (please list URLs):
http://www.elbalero.gob.mx/index_kids.html
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Places/Find/Mexico
http://www.visitmexico.com/wb/Visitmexico/Visi_Home?show=regions
http://www.humanities-interactive.org/splendors/
http://www.mexonline.com/index.htm
http://www.spanishdict.com/
Encyclopedia Britannica Online: Grade (K-8)

Hardware:
SMART Board
Desktop or laptop computers

Software:
Web Browser
Publisher
Excel with instructor-provided template for budget sheet
Windows Media Encoder
Wikispace account


Procedure

Day 1:
Writing Block Time
• Explain project: We will discuss how the students will research an aspect of Mexico they find interesting and write a travel brochure that relates to this. They will then use Excel to develop a budget for a trip to their chosen destination. Finally, they will write a community Spanish/English dictionary and post it to the class Wiki. At the end of the project, they will present their work to their peers.
• Review prior study of Mexico: Review and reactivate prior knowledge.
• Use SMART Board to introduce selected websites to the entire class. As a group, visit the web pages that have been selected for this assignment. Familiarize the students with the key features of each site to make it easier for them to begin their research.
• Students begin web exploration in pairs.

Day 2:
Writing Block Time
• Students gather as a group to discuss the results of the previous day’s research.
• Use SMART Board to access the Encyclopedia Britannica. Model for students how they can use it as a research tool and how they can search for information on particular topics.
• Students resume independent research.

Day 3:
Writing Block Time
• Students gather as a group to discuss the results of the previous day’s research.
• Mini-lesson on how to add an entry to the class Wiki. Introduce http://www.spanishdict.com/ as a resource.
• Students resume independent research.
• At the end of the work period, students gather to brainstorm possible areas of focus for their brochures (ex. visiting a particular city or state, ecotravel, visiting archaeological sites, etc.). Pairs then pick a subject for their brochure.

Day 4:
Writing Block Time
• Mini-lesson on creating a tri-fold document and planning a layout.
• Review rubric for brochure.
• Students begin work on brochure.
• At the end of the writing period, students meet as a whole class to discuss any questions that arose as they began writing.
• Each small group adds an entry to the Spanish/English dictionary on the class Wiki.

Day 5:
Writing Block Time
• Meet as a large group for a few minutes to touch base and see how the brochures are going.
• Students continue work on the brochure and are encouraged to finish up a first draft.
• Each small group adds an entry to the Spanish/English dictionary on the class Wiki.

Day 6:
Writing Block Time
• Meet as a large group for a few minutes to touch base and see how the brochures are going.
• Mini-lesson on using WordArt and a variety of fonts and colors to enhance your text.
• Students continue work on the brochure and are encouraged to finish up a first draft.
• Each small group adds an entry to the Spanish/English dictionary on the class Wiki.
Math Block Time
• Students use http://www.visitmexico.com/wb/Visitmexico/Visi_Home?show=regions to research travel costs to their chosen destination

Day 7:
Writing Block Time
• Mini-lesson on revision and editing.
• Students revise and edit brochures.
• Each small group adds an entry to the Spanish/English dictionary on the class Wiki.
Math Block Time
• Students enter travel budget data into spreadsheet

Day 8:
Writing Block Time
• Class meets as a whole to address questions that have arisen during revision and editing.
• Students finish up brochures.
• Each small group adds an entry to the Spanish/English dictionary on the class Wiki.
Math Block Time
• Meet with entire class to review what is expected in the spreadsheet.
• Students sum up how much is needed for airfare, lodging, food, tips, and miscellaneous expenses. They calculate each as a percentage of the entire budget.

Day 9:
Writing Block Time
• Tie up loose ends. Finish and print brochures.
• Each small group adds an entry to the Spanish/English dictionary on the class Wiki.
Math Block Time
• Finish spreadsheets.

Day 10:
Writing Block Time
• Students share their brochures and travel budgets.
• Class visits the Wiki on individual laptops to try out the class Spanish/English dictionary. We discuss the results as an entire class.

Differentiated Instruction

ESL
There are several ways that this lesson could be adapted to better serve the needs of English Language Learners. If there are children in the class with family ties to Mexico, they could serve as classroom “cultural ambassadors” who could share cultural artifacts, information about their family heritage, and/or personal anecdotes. Students who speak Spanish could also take the lead in constructing the Spanish/English dictionary on the class Wiki and could record the sound files for the pronunciations of the Spanish words. Supervising the construction of the dictionary would give these students the opportunity to showcase their knowledge of Spanish while learning more about English vocabulary.
Students from countries other than Mexico could choose to produce a brochure about their country of origin (for example, Chinland or Puerto Rico). The dictionary could be expanded into a multilingual dictionary that incorporates all of the languages spoken in the classroom. These options would give all ESL students the opportunity to share their linguistic and cultural knowledge while improving their English skills.


Challenge/Extend
Children who need to have additional activities to challenge and extend their learning can construct a class web page with information about the project. Travel brochures and budgets can be posted to the site. Students could also include links to the class Spanish/English or multilingual dictionary as well as links to the various sites that were used to research the project. The instructor who developed the lesson upon which this lesson plan is based constructed a classroom webpage which served as the inspiration for this idea (see http://www.d261.k12.id.us/Schools/central/Webkayjd/TEACHERPAGES/DERR/history_of_mexico.htm).


Special Needs
The use of pairs and small groups in this assignment is one aspect of the assignment that can be used to differentiate process. Students who may have trouble completing all or part of the assignment independently can collaborate with one or more of their peers. Instead of writing and budgeting in pairs, children could work as a trio to provide additional peer support. Additionally, because this project involves extensive laptop use, alternative input devices, Braille embossers, screen enlargers, and voice recognition software may be critical for individuals with visual and/or motor difficulties.
The end product could also be differentiated to accommodate a wider variety of learners. For example, students who have great difficulty with written work could choose to concentrate on images rather than text in their brochure, or they could create a video.