ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Needs Assessment/Rational

ANALYSIS RATIONALE: by Vivian Meiers
1. Fourth Grade students in the Levels of Service/Gifted and Talented program in the Bismarck Public School System are identified for access to the program with various criteria.  2. Analytical academic data made available comes from national standardized tests, adequate yearly progress measured with MAP Tests and ND State Writing and Reading Assessments.  3. The North Dakota State Assessment summary report for Grade 4 tested in 2004 in Bismarck, ND rated 23% of the students tested in Reading in the category as Advanced. 4. The same summary report rated 20% of the students at Miller Elementary as Advanced.  5. In May 2003, the Bismarck Public Schools district writing sample - grades 6-9 by school report indicated that Miller Elementary scored 22% Proficient and 0% Advanced with the remaining students included in Partial Proficient, Below Partial Proficient and Novice. 6. From June 26-July 9, 2004, on-line surveys were completed and submitted by parents and/or guardians of students within the Bismarck Public Schools district. 7. Key findings from this study need to be considered for the strategic planning process:  8. 76.44% of those agree or strongly agree that the curriculum is presented in an interesting format for the oldest child. 9.  When surveyed about subject areas, those surveyed felt the schools were doing well in the following ranks: 82% for language, 79% for science, 59% for arts, 52% for health, 30% for foreign language, 32% for technology, 79% for math, 71% for social studies, and 70% thought physical education is a subject the school is doing well in. 10. High RIT Scores and 91%ile rates in MAP testing indicate that the students referred to the LOS/GT Program need challenges and rich opportunities to advance.  11. These fourth grade students serviced by the LOS/GT Program are entitled to a year of academic growth and need to be challenged accordingly. 12. The information revealed above indicates that students that are placed in the Levels of Service/Gifted and Talented program need enhancement activities that nurture the Advanced skills that are described in the Reading State Assessment. 13.  In addition, these same students need to be exposed to advanced writing skills that would nurture their abilities and enable them to excel beyond Proficient in the 6th grade district writing sample. Standard 5: Write for a variety of purposes - Benchmark: different purposes require different forms will be my focus. As a teacher of Levels of Service/GT Program I have observed that these students enjoy challenges that “push the envelope” and require technology enhancements. This unit will be designed to address the need for my students to excel beyond the experiences they would have available to them in a regular classroom to eventually enhance their reading and writing skills.

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: 1. These fourth grade students that I service should be able to read resources that enable them to synthesize, analyze, and evaluate the information pertaining to the Lewis and Clark Expedition - the Route through North Dakota- in order to write and edit a play and create a iMovie of their masterpiece.  2. After spending time learning about the experiences that the Corps of Discovery had in our state, the students should gain an appreciation of the relationship the Corps had with the Mandan and Hidatsa Indians.  3. After reading about the plants and animals Lewis and Clark logged in their journal and analyzing experpts from the journal, students will realize this information about our state makes it unique and, in turn, realize an appreciation of our state of North Dakota.  4. I hope to establish a love of informaton about our state as a result of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Goal(s): 1. Students will learn about North Dakota history by reading books and using Internet Sites to obtain information. 2.  Students will learn how to interpret information and analyze characters in order to write and perform a play. 3.  Students will learn how to utilize iMovie to create an iDVD.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: 1. Which scenes from the Lewis and Clark story would you like to enact as we write our script?  2. What events happened that would be easy to write a scene about?  3. What do you think Lewis and Clark learned from the Native Americans when they stayed at Fort Mandan - and why was this an important element to their success?  4. How can you show this as you write your script?  5. What words would they use to relate to the Natives?  6. Why do you think Lewis allowed Sakakawea and Pomp to continue on the expedition?  7. What do you think she could contribute to their success? 8. How can you use the journal exerpts to write part of your script?
Objectives: 1. Students in the 4th grade at Miller Elementary will be able to interpret an event (the Lewis and Clark Expedition through ND) in ND in order to write and reenact scenes to a play that depicts the expedition’s route through ND. 2.  Students in 4th grade at Miller Elemenary will analyze 5 members of the Corps of Discovery by researching websites and books, writing 5 characteristics/events of each, and creating a character sketch on Appleworks slideshow. 3.  Students in 4th grade at Miller Elementary will write short narratives for one Corps Member for one scene.  4. They will practice script, memorize script, choose costumes. 5.  Students in 4th grade at Miller Elementary will utilize the Digital Video camera and iMovie to view their end product (iMovie) and articulate their descriptions to evaluate their own performance. 6.  Students in 4th grade at Miller Elementary will set up appointments with the fourth grade teachers and perform their play called “The Corps of Discovery - the Route Through ND”,  in a traveling show manner, they will perform in the front of each class.  7. Students in 4th grade at Miller Ele. will be expected to read material in order to write accurate scripts that depict accruate historical information. They will memorize 100% of their script (prompter provided) and perform in front of an audience.  8. TECHNOLOGY: 4th grade students will use Internet and Webquests of obtain and analyze information which will be depicted in Appleworks Presention Mode, iPhoto Classic books, and Appleworks report. Students gain base knowledge and sequence of order.  9. TECHNOLOGY: 4th grade students tape their play and use footage to produce an iMovie utilizing Ezedia to provide appropriate backgrounds. 10. Students will analyze their script, edit their footage, and produce a product that can be shared with an audience

Assessment

What quiz and test items (e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer)will provide evidence of understanding? 1. A webquest that allows students to understand the total Expedition throughout the US to compare that route to the route through ND.  2. Discussion questions and quiz pertaining the route Lewis and Clark took through ND which focuses on the the geography which eventually lead to major historical sites.  3. I will use “Who Wants to be a ND Millionaire”  template online to create interest.  4. Brainstorming with Insiration Software will help organize the students thoughts to produce an outline.
What academic prompts (e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding? 1. After reading a variety of books and analyzing 2-3 Internet sites to establish the atmosphere of the Expedition, students will choose favorite events that they will depict in scenes of a play.  2. They will choose their favorite Corps character and describe that character to eachother.
What performance tasks and projects (e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding? 1. Students will write scripts of scenes and come up with words they think the Corps would use to describe what is happening in the scene.  2. They will analyze excerpts from the Journal and interpret them into their own words. This work will be done in groups with students choosing favorite scenes. (for example: bear scene, Winter at Fort Mandan, Sakakawea & Pomp etc.)
What other evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect? 1. Students will tape each other and try to get inflections into their characters script.  2. Students will use resources (Internet, books, Journals) to write correct data reflecting the scenes. (correct dates, correct place in ND where their scene is taking place.)  3. A rubric will be designed with students and closely monitored.

Instructional Strategies

Project Based: Step 1: Reading information, participating in a webquest, answering quiz questions about the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and writing a short report about the members of the Corps of Discovery give students KNOWLEDGE AND COMPREHENSION - - the first steps of BLOOMS TAXONOMY. Step 2: Having student create and memorize lines of a play depiciting scenes of the expedition throught North Dakota will give students experience in ANALYSIS, SYNTHESIS, AND ASSIMILLATION - the next steps of BLOOMS TAXONOMY.  3. Next a rubric containing standards for performance and content will be created by the students for them to follow and check regularily. Step 4: Finally, taping and preforming the play to an audience will give the students experience in EVALUATION which is the last step of BLOOMS TAXONOMY.