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1. Lesson Description
2. Classroom and Time Management
3. Materials and Teacher Preparation
4. Assessment
5. Technical Skills Guide
 1. Lesson Description
Period of time required for lesson:
7 days, 55 minutes each day. (Plus two days of presentations.)
Overall goal of the lesson:
The goal of this lesson is to have students create a newsletter that explores the underlying influences on the growth of the United States. Students will discover how immigration, ethnicity and the economy impacted development of the states. Each student will write an article describing this impact and these articles will be presented in newsletters created by groups of students.
Rationale for the lesson:
This lesson is designed to meet the social science standard for the fifth grade, which states: "Students trace the colonization, immigration, and settlement patterns of the American people from 1789 to the mid-1800s, with an emphasis on economic incentives, the effects of the physical and political geography and transportation systems."
This lesson also meets the language arts standard in writing, which states: "Students write clear, coherent, and focused essays exhibiting the students¹ awareness of the audience and purpose. Essays contain formal introductions, supporting evidence, and conclusions."
Student academic outcome objectives:
| Students will be able to: |
| create organized text based on the three primary themes that formed the states |
| appraise and demonstrate how immigration, ethnicity and economics shaped the states |
| compare and choose one of the three primary themes that shaped the states |
| discuss the different geographical features that influenced the formation of the states and their capitals. |
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Student social outcome objectives:
| Students will be able to: |
| assume specific roles within a team and produce a newsletter |
| collaborate within those roles |
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Student technical skills outcome objectives:
| Students will be able to: |
| create a two-column newsletter |
| enter text and direct the cursor |
| format text by creating justified alignment |
| change font size and style |
| create number outlines |
| increase or decrease indentations |
| use spell check |
| create a text box for emphasis |
| import graphics from the Internet and StarOffice clip art |
| create a title for the newsletter using the tool bar to give a colored background |
| print a document |
| paginate and create page breaks |
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Prerequisite Social Skills:
| Students should know how to: |
| assume different roles and work together in a collaborative setting |
| share information that will contribute to the overall success of a group |
| listen to and understand other students¹ ideas about the final product |
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Prerequisite Technical Skills:
| Students should know how to: |
| recognize the basic interface features of StarOffice 5.1 |
| log on to their computer network |
| reboot in case of system failure |
| create a new text document and save it to the appropriate folder |
| open an existing document from the appropriate folder |
| print a document |
| navigate in a document by using the keyboard |
| use the mouse |
| use basic pull-down menu commands under File and Edit |
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 2. Classroom and Time Management
Group Management:
Students will work in heterogeneous groups, with each group choosing four or five states and handling overall layout of its newsletter.
Technology Management:
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| Students should have a common work folder where they have read and write privileges for collaboration |
| Students should work on one computer to collect graphics from Internet research, the newsletter will be formulated on one computer
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| Students will write their column using StarWriter |
| Students will decide which articles will go on the first page and how they are to be continued on subsequent pages |
| Students will decide which graphics they will incorporate in their columns and the placement of such graphics |
| Students will choose a name for their columns |
| Students will pick a title for and design their newsletter |
| Two students will be responsible for the content and format of pages 1 and 2 |
| Two students will handle the content and format of pages 3 and 4 |
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Time Management:
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Day |
Event |
| 1 |
Students form groups, decide on states, assign roles, and receive directions on research procedures. Students research the following aspects of their chosen states: when and why it was formed, past ethnic and economic breakdown, how it was impacted by immigration, one other interesting fact
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| 2-4 |
Students research, record and outline information using the
Internet and textbooks
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| 5-7 |
Students create newsletter using StarOffice 5.1 |
| 8-9 |
Students present newsletter to the class |
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 3. Materials and Teacher Preparation
As included with the Technical Skills Guide.
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 4. Assessment
Students will be graded on both their individual and group work.
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 5.  Technical Skills Guide -StarOffice(zipped - 452 Kb)
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