6_7_8+Strand+1


 * __ STRAND 1: CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION __**

Students:

 * ====Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.====
 * ====Create original works as a means of personal or group expression.====
 * ====Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues====
 * ====Identify trends and forecast possibilities”====

// Concept 1: Knowledge and Ideas - //// Use technology to generate knowledge and new ideas. // // PO 1. Analyze information to generate new ideas and products. (6) //

==== Overview: Students choose a reading book based soley on the picture or art on the cover. Describing the reason they were attracted to the cover's art, students will make a prediction on the book's theme before looking at the other information on the book cover. When done reading the book, they decide whether they feel the book cover art conveys the main elements of the book. Students then use an interactive tool to change the book cover to match their interpretation of the story. __ [] __ ====

=// PO 1. Analyze and evaluate information to generate new ideas, processes or products. (7-8) // Mathematics and Environmental Concerns (7th/8th grades) Overview: This activity has students use recyclable materials data to generate ideas to help the environment. Students gather information about aluminum can usage and graph their findings in a line plot. [] =

** Picture Books as Framing Texts: Research Paper Strategies for Struggling Writers (7th/8th grades) **
Overview: Students use picture books to help create structured research projects. Students will create a pattern to use for their own pages as they write rough drafts of their pages. Language usage is explored—similes, sentence variety, etc. and appied to their own writing. In the end, students edit and publish their pages, create a bibliography, and assemble the pages into a class book. []

// Concept 2: Models and Simulations -Use digital models and simulations to examine real-world connections, explore complex systems and issues, and enhance understanding. // // PO 1. Recognize and explain relevant interdependent elements of a digital model or simulation. (6) // Plant Growth (6th grade) Overview: Students watch a simulation and determine which variables would lead to the best plant growth of their sample. []

// PO 2. Explore and experiment with system variables using models or simulations. (6) //

** Exploring Pendulums (6th grade) **
==== Overview: Students will interact with the simulation to study the movement of pendulums, with a focus on the relationship between gravitational forces and the mass of objects, the changes in speed and direction of objects, and the distance between objects. ====

**[] **
=Friction=

Overview: Students can change the surface of a car raceway and discover which ones reduce or increase friction and affect the distance their car can travel. [] =Stop Disasters (6th grade)=

Overview: Students select from one of five different natural disasters. By altering their surroundings, tstudents create a situation that will allow the minimal amount of damage. [] // PO //// 3. Compare and contrast two systems using a digital model or simulation. (6) // Overview: Even wonder how air resistance affects projectile motion? Try shooting a Buick out of a caanon without and then with air resistance and see how the spped and the angle of your object changes. Included on this site are numerous teacher created lessons and activities to use with this simulation. []
 * Projectile Motion: Physics **

// PO //// 1. Summarize the relationship amongst interdependent elements of a digital model or simulation. (7-8) // // PO //// 2. Analyze system processes and outcomes using models or simulations. (7-8) // Overview: Students can use this simulation to create experiments to see what changes in reactions, concentrations and temperatures can make when atoms and molecules are made to collide. Several teacher created lessons and activities are included on the site. [] Energy **** Skate Park **** (7th/8th grades) ** Overview: A simulations stduents are sure to love! By designing a skate park with several variables that can be manipulated, students can see the kinetic energy, potential energy and friction as their skater moves. Great way to see how forces affect motion. Includded onthe site are numerous teacher created lessons and activities. []
 * Reactions and Rates: Chemistry ** ** (7th/8th grades) **

// PO //// 3. Analyze and apply understanding of how one system, digital models, or simulations operates by comparing it to another system of a different type that operates in a similar manner. (7-8) //

// Concept 3: Trends and Possibilities - //// Use technology to forecast trends and possibilities. // // PO //// 1. Identify patterns and trends to draw conclusions and forecast possibilities. (6) // Overview: Investigate the collapse of four ancient civilizations. Identifyt he trends and patterns that forecast the collapse of a civilization.. http://www.learner.org/interactives/collapse/ Natural Selection (7th/8th grades) ** []
 * Collapse: Why Do Civilizations Fall? (6th grade) **
 * Overview:** By changing the environment, students predict what genetic mutations need to occur in a population of rabbits to ensure their survival.

// PO //// 1. Identify patterns and trends to forecast possibilities from different perspectives. (7-8) //

// PO //// 2. Ask questions and investigate a problem from different perspectives and formulate inferences from known facts. (7) // Overview: students will model three patterns of human population growth. The simulation will involve the use of specifically-colored cubes to conduct the simulation. []
 * A Simulation of Population Growth (7th/8th grades) **

// PO //// 3. Draw conclusions that reflect clear and logical links between the trends and patterns and the interpretations made from them. (8) // Overview: Students will be given the chance to research global warming with global warming web sites linked to our lesson. Then students can put their knowledge to the test with either a classroom debate on global warming, or a written essay about the effects. []
 * Global Warming (7th/8th grades) **

// Concept 4: Original Works -Use technology to create original works in innovative ways. // // PO //// 1. Analyze information using digital creativity tools to create original works and express ideas. (6) //

Survey Monkey (6thgrade) Overview: A free survey generator to collect data to share in Power Point, Excel, etc. Available to all ages, teachers can set up an account that all students can access with the password he/she creates. Survey Monkey can be used to help students gather information to create graphs and charts on information the class wishes to survey. (could be used to gather data for science and math standards requiring interpretation adn cretion of a variety of graphs) Also can be used as a survey for different student ideas, parent input or by putting main topic questions for a unit ona survvey, it is a quick way to evaluate student learning. // [] // 

// PO //// 2. Use digital collaborative tools to analyze information to produce original works and express ideas. (6-8) // // [] // // PO //// 1. Create innovative products or projects using digital tools to express original ideas. (7-8) //
 * Our Nation (grades 6-8) **
 * Overview: ** Our Nation is an online environment where students are thrown into a past world. Divided into separate tribes of varying talents, they discuss and complete tasks to build and strengthen their nation. Students can present what they learned in various multimedia ways.

Overview: Easy to make Flash webpage tool to place project results online. Students can take a premade Flash web page and edit it by adding text and pictures to suit their project. Multiple pages can be created with preset links to them from the main page they created. Teacher will need to create an acocunt with a generic username and password that students can access. // [] // // PO //// 2. Use digital tools to collaborate with a group to communicate original ideas, products, or projects effectively in a creative or innovative style. (8) // // [] //
 * ( **//WIX: Easy Flash Web Page Builder (7th/8th grades)//
 * Springnote (8th grade) **
 * Overview: **** Springnote allows you to create pages, to work on them together with your friends, and to share files. ** Springnote is a great tool for group projects as it allows group members to easily log in and add information to a group project. This would work well as a way to take reserach information form different group members and place it in a place where all group members can work independently but still view information from all members or even the whole class. By working through the "group member" option, teachers can create the account and invite all students so they can access the site. The program features 2GB of ** FREE File Storage. **


 * LucidChart (8th grade) **

// [] //
 * Overview: ** Students can easily create flow charts similiar to Inspiration for the web or to print. Groups of students can work on a document at the same time. Changes appear immediately when students save. Fklow charts can be saved as a web page, PDF, or image. This is a free service. Teachers can set up an account with a basic user name and password and have all stduents use it. This product can be used for organizing prewriting, working on group research product, showing main ideas when summarizing, and creating flow charts for science experiments.