Teacher(s) Name: Ms. Szakal
School: Crestview ES
Grade Level(s): Grade 4
Content Area(s): Science, Social Studies
Lesson Summary
Reach for the stars! Due to a lack of space and poor environmental conditions, we’re being forced into space. A new set of explorers has set out to create colonies on the planets in our solar system. Learning from the hardships the settlers of Jamestown faced, and how they ultimately learned to adapt and survive, students will design a new colony on another planet. Students will work in groups to research self-selected planets, taking into account necessary skills and provisions for survival on their chosen planet.
TIPC Ratings
Research & Information Fluency
Rating:Ideal – Explanation: Throughout the project the teacher facilitated the research being conducted by the student selected groups. Within the groups, the students chose roles and worked collaboratively to address the authentic task. The students selected their groups according to their research interests and selected the most appropriate digital tools to communicate and collaborate.
Communication & Collaboration
Rating: Ideal – Explanation: Throughout the project the teacher facilitated the students communicating and collaborating. The students justified their decision making throughout the process to their group members and the teacher in order to solve the open-ended authentic task. The students selected the most appropriate tools to communicate and collaborate regardless of time zone or physical distances, such as a variety of Google Apps and Padlet.
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
Rating: Ideal – Explanation: The students applied their learning using the appropriate digital tools to work through the authentic task of creating and recruiting for a new colony on another planet. The students were able to justify their decision-making and needed to problem-solve with their groups in order to complete the task.
Creativity & Innovation
Rating: Ideal – Explanation: Throughout the lesson the students needed to not only research and find new information, but they needed to synthesize information about Jamestown as well as information about the solar system. The students had the the opportunity to creatively address the authentic task while utilizing technology seamlessly into the activity. If the students needed to 3D print something for their project they were able to use Tinkercad and the 3D printer, the students were also able to creatively utilize 3D pens, Spheros, Ozobots, and other technology for this project.
Student Artifact
Lesson Materials
