Breaking News: Revolutionary War Edition – 15ES607

This lesson is for : Grade 4:

Summary

Students will create a K,W,L Padlet to assess their working knowledge of the Revolutionary War battles. They will then using the information to work as partners to generate questions about a specific battles of the Revolutionary War. The questions will drive student research in which they will utilize a variety of print and online text to answer their queries. When the questions are answered, students will create a script for a news report and use the Dell Webcam in conjunction with the Tellagami app on the iPad to create their finished product.

TIPC Ratings

Research & Information Fluency

Rating: Ideal – Explanation: Students constructed their questions to guide research using the class Padlet wall. Students were provided with a variety of text and web based resources to utilize for research. Students also researched what needs to be included in a newscast by analyzing other broadcasts and commercials. They selected the most appropriate sources for their task and assembled their information collaboratively on a Google Doc. Students used the Dell Webcam and the Tellagami app to create an engaging newscast to report of their understanding of their Revolutionary War battle.

Communication & Collaboration

Rating: Ideal – Explanation: Students were paired based on their interest in the topic. Students generated their own questions and decided as a team how best to organize their notes in a Google Doc to collaborate on the research. Students collaborated on a Google Doc to generate a script to be used for the filming of their newscasts. They chose digital tools that they had available to select corresponding images and create a movie (OneSearch, Britannica, Dell Webcam, Tellagami, Windows Movie Maker). Finished newscasts were published to Vimeo and embedded on the class blog. Upon completion of the project students reflected on the product and process using a Google Reflection Form.

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

Rating: Approaching – Explanation: Students generated purposeful questions about their battle and conducted research. Students had to use problem solving skills to determine which information is most important to present in the newscast given the time constraint of three minutes. Students worked on summarizing and sequencing skills in the writing of their script to create an accurate portrayal of their battle. Students reflected on their role as critical thinkers and problem solvers and set goals for future growth.

Creativity & Innovation

Rating: Ideal – Explanation: Students analyzed a variety of commercials and newscasts to get an idea of what needs to be included in an effective newscast. Based on what they saw in other newscasts, they made predictions and generated their own ideas about about what should be included in their video clip. They created an original broadcast to showcase their research findings, and the finished videos were shared on the class blog. After completing the finished videos, students reflected on the creative process and set goals for future growth.

Student Artifact

News- Saratoga from Mindy Adamonis on Vimeo.

Lesson Materials

H21 Lesson Artifacts

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