School: Brookland Middle School
Instructor: Robert Helwig
Summary
Students have just begun studying classroom objects and their physical locations. For this lesson, students will complete a mini-project that asks them to collaborate and construct an interactive map of the classroom (with both written and oral descriptions) to aid Brookland’s brand new ESL students from Spanish-speaking countries. The maps will be based on pictures from actual classrooms that these ESL students attend. Their task is to describe the classroom in Spanish so that an ESL student using the map feels more comfortable when they arrive at Brookland.
Students will use group norms, that were previously constructed, to aid them in the completion the lesson.
TIPC Ratings
This lesson was not scored for Research and Information Fluency
Students have created norms to facilitate effective collaboration, are working together to create a product, and are communicating with an audience outside of the classroom. The teacher has modeled effective communication and provided an opportunity for students to connect with something on a larger scale than themselves.
The task is a problem and project-based assignment that encourages students to solve both an authentic and unique problem concerning ESL students who arrive to Brookland with little to no English capacity. Students are using technology to engage in an open-ended learning experience within a relatable context.
Through the lesson and its task, the teacher creates a student-centered environment that provides them with opportunities to collaborate, communicate, and think critically while also employing group norms to guide their work. The students are also applying existing knowledge to create a product independent of the teacher.
Student Artifact
