Surviving Superstorm Sandy – 4528

TIPC Ratings

This lesson falls in the ideal/target range for research and information fluency. Students constructed their own questions to guide their research using ActivEngage. They selected the best tools to conduct their research and recorded their research on a Google Doc. They then assembled information from the group’s research in order to address the authentic task of building a new zoo to house animals who were displaced after Super Storm Sandy.

This lesson falls in the ideal/target range for communication and collaboration. Students worked in multiple collaborative groups to conduct research, solve an authentic task, and share their projects with peers and parents. Students who constructed 3D models used flip cameras to share a tour of their zoo. Students who created their zoo in Pixie recorded their tour using the voice recorder in Pixie and exported their slideshow as a Quicktime video. Students used iMovie to edit their videos and uploaded them to Vimeo. The teacher then posted them on the class blog for other students and parents to view and comment on. The zoos are also on display in the library with QR codes that can be scanned using an iPod or iPad to see the virtual tour. After completeing the project, students were asked to reflect on the experience by determining what went well and what they would do differently next time.

This lesson falls in the ideal/target range for Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. Students were challenged to build a zoo that would house 24 different animals. They generated questions that would be used to determine what type of habitat each animal needed for survival. Students then had to build an appropriate habitat for each animal. Each group analyzed research to determine which animals could live together and which animals needed to be separated (predator and prey) within the various habitats. Students where challenged to think critically on what adaptations each animal might have that would affect their enclosure. For example, students discussed that artic animals would need an indoor enclosure where the temperature could be regulated. Lions and tigers would need enclosures with tall fences, rocks for climbing, and large areas for roaming. Birds would need enclosures with nets or dooms to prevent them from flying away. Finally, students used a rubric to reflect on their projects to determine if their solutions met or exceeded expectations. Students discussed what improvements could be made in the future.

This lesson falls in the ideal/target range for Creativity and Innovation. After synthesizing information from the group’s research, students created a plan to build a zoo that would safely house 24 different animals. Each group then began constructing their zoo using the given materials and paramaters. Students who created 3D zoos used paper towel rolls as trees, created shark tanks out of egg cartons, and aquariums out of clear plastic containers. Students who created a Pixie video used clip art, drawing tools, imported pictures, and various backgrounds to show the different areas of the zoo.