TEC Lesson Plan
What is El Nino?



Contributor Information
Name: Michele Rissler
email address:
School: Tyrone Elementary
Pinellas County, FL
Date: June, 1999
Modified by: Kay Pravda
TEC writer

Standards

Sunshine State Standards
Strand(s): science, applied technology
Standard(s) and Benchmark(s):
Applied Technology
AT.2.1.2.1 The student demonstrates ability to work in cooperative groups/teams taking turns at managing making decisions.
AT.2.1.2.2 The student demonstrates ability to integrate planning and time management in the process of decision making within their teams.
AT.2.1.2.3 The student demonstrates ability to reflect on decisions and analytically report them.
AT.2.2.2.1 The student develops elementary media productions for school use.
AT.2.3.2.1 The student demonstrates understanding that there are different types of business ownership.
Science
SC.D.1.2.3 The student knows that the water cycle is influenced by temperature, pressure, and the topography of the land.
SC.D.1.2.4 The student knows that the surface of the Earth is in a continuous state of change as waves, weather, and shifts of the land constantly change and produce many new features.


NET Standards
Technology
T.1.2.1 1.Basic operations and concepts
1.Use keyboards and other common input and output devices (including adaptive devices when necessary)efficiently and effectively.
T.2.2.3 2.Social, ethical, and human issues
3. Discuss basic issues related to responsible use of technology and information and describe personal consequences of inappropriate use.
T.3.2.4 3.Technology productivity tools
4. Use general purpose productivity tools and peripherals to support personal productivity, remediate skill deficits, and facilitate learning throughout the curriculum.
T.4.2.6 4.Technology communications tools
6.Use telecommunications efficiently and effectively to access remote information, communicate with others in support of direct and independent learning, and pursue personal interests.

Lesson Plan

Title: What is El Nino: An Internet Exploration

Technology Resource Requirements:

A computer lab with Internet access and printing capabilities. Microsoft Word, or another word processing program , LCD Panel or other classroom presentation method
Extension: This lesson plan can be incorporated into a Unit of Practice (UOP) by adding information on tornadoes and hurricanes with databases, spreadsheets, and web sites.

Subject Area(s): science

Grade Level: 3-5

Short Description:

The students will have answers to basic questions about the weather phenomenon called El Nino. The students will use an Internet browser and a search engine or index called Yahooligans to find information about El Nino. The students will understand the cyclical nature of El Nino. The students will produce an El Nino report based on their Internet research.

Approximate Time Required: 4 day lesson (approximately 4 hours)

Gain Attention:

The teacher would open up a class discussion. The teacher would ask the students if they have heard of “El Nino.” Invariably, some of the kids will probably have heard it mentioned on the news last year. Together, the students and teacher will draft their 10 top questions about El Nino. These questions will become the backbone of the Internet research project.

Tasks:

As a large group, the class will cooperatively decide what the 10 most important questions about El Nino are. The teacher will then print out a copy of these questions for each of the students.

The students are then instructed that as “researchers” they will be hunting for the answers to these questions by using Yahooligans. The teacher instructs the students to double-click the Netscape icon on the desktop of their computers (or instruct whatever method you need in your situation). At the same time, the teacher pulls up Netscape on the LCD panel. The teacher then types in “www.yahooligan.com” into the address window and instructs the children to do the same on their own workstations. After the students successfully arrive at Yahooligans, the teacher then shows the students where to type “El Nino” to do a keyword search. When the web site links are displayed encourage the students to click on various links and explore the content of these sites.

The teacher, after about 15 minutes of this exploration time, will then give a couple of site suggestions that the teacher knows contains good progress by dropping hints to get them started. The teacher would then circulate helping kids who don’t seem to be making much progress by dropping hints to get them started. The teacher would also help the children understand charts or diagrams or help the students understand vocabulary terms used in the sites.

At this point, the teacher will hand out paper and pencil for note-taking purposes. The students are instructed to find at least 8 out of the 10 answers for the questions that were formulated by the class.

After the students have collected answers to 8 out of the 10 questions in their notes (This will take approximately one and a half hours.) they are then instructed to close Netscape and double-click the Microsoft Word icon.

Once inside the word processor, the children will type 2-3 paragraphs summarizing their findings. The teacher will then check the typed assignment to make sure the child has fulfilled the requirements of the assignment. If the requirements are met the teacher will print two copies of the report so that the student can take home a copy of their work.

At the end of each class the teacher will give the students five minutes to discuss any particularly good information they found that day. This kind of sharing gives the students a bearing on what kind of information is available and can also give other students good ideas for doing their research next time.

Interactions:

Students work alone or in pairs on the computer to access the Internet. The teacher leads the discussion on the information that was found.

Tools:

Assessments:

The teacher will check the printed Microsoft Word documents created by the students. The teacher will make sure that the student answered at least 8 out of the 10 questions on El Nino formulated by the class during the first class session of El Nino unit. See sample checklist rubric.