Example Technology Performance Assessment Task

 

Task # 2

Presentation of Research Project

Grade

5

Content Area

Social Studies

Unit Title/Theme

New World Explorers/Columbus

Task Developer/Author

Claire Reczek / Cindi Roberts

1.      Setting the context

During this three week unit on New World Explorers students will investigate and evaluate how events, people, and ideas (democracy, for example) have shaped the United

States and the world.   After reading the social studies text, selecting a New World Explorer of their own, reading three books about their explorer  at their reading level,  students will create a brochure about their explorer including text , map, and pictures that demonstrates how their explorer ‘s actions and ideas impacted the Americas (North and South America.) 

2. Grade Expectations/Standards

Technology

IT5-6:5  Students demonstrate use of technology for research by...

Digital Resources

·Locating information that is accurate, relevant and appropriate, using a variety of electronic resources including  digital encyclopedias, specialized CDs and the Internet.

Browser

Searching & Search Engines

·Preparing a search off-line without using a teacher-  prepared form/strategy.

·Implementing a search strategy using Boolean logic (e.g.,

and, or, not). 

 

IT5-6:4  Students demonstrate the use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences by...

Multi-Media

·Creating a linear or non-linear presentation including title  slide, graphics, text, voice, sound related to topic, scanned  or digital photo, animation, bibliography and table of con- tents. 

 

Content

 

H&SS3-4:7

Students communicate their findings by... 

Giving an oral, written, or visual presentation that summarizes their findings.

 

H&SS5-6:7

Students communicate their findings by...

Developing and giving oral, written, or visual presentations for various audiences.

 

H&SS7-8:8

Students connect the past with the present by...

· Investigating and evaluating how events, people, and  ideas (democracy, for example) have shaped the United  States and the world, and hypothesizing how different  influences could have led to different consequences (e.g.,  How did the ideals of Greek democracy impact the world? How has European colonialism influenced race relations

 

3. The Performance Task

Student will show, through use of a multi-media presentation, what impact Christopher Columbus had on the indigenous people of the Americas (North and South America.)  Was there a positive or negative impact?  Consider population numbers, incidences of disease, land holdings, and relocations. 

 

GOAL:  Develop a multi-media presentation to communicate Christopher Columbus’ impact on indigenous people.

ROLE:  Expert-collecting, explaining, and presenting evidence through use of multi-media presentation on Columbus’ impact on the indigenous people of the area.

AUDIENCE:  School Board

SITUATION: The school board is trying to decide on next year’s school calendar.  They are having trouble deciding to take Columbus Day off or not.  They are asking for help in making this decision.  Our class will create multi-media presentations to aid in their decision.  Each student will contribute by creating a multi-media presentation.  Then a consensus of the best parts of the students’ projects will be voted on by the class and the teacher.  A collaborative presentation or the best presentation can then be chosen to present to the board.

PRODUCT:   Presentation of Research Project

 


4.  Activities

These activities are part of a three week  5th grade Social Studies Unit On New World Explorers.  Other projects will be going on during this time period.  The multi-media presentation is a culminating project.

·        Teacher selected resource on Columbus’ impact on the indigenous people of the Americas (North and South America) After reading the article Surviving Columbus the student will prepare a search question using Boolean logic- using the words  AND and BUT. 

·        Research information on Columbus’ impact on the indigenous people.  After finding three relevant sources of information on the Internet they will bookmark and select the information supporting their chosen viewpoint, eliminating unreliable resources stating why they are unreliable.   Students will demonstrate copyright and fair use guidelines by including footnotes and a bibliography. Students will access specialized CDs and digital encyclopedias to collect further data.

·        Using this information, students will locate evidence including text, pictures, and excerpts from primary sources and save all data in a teacher identified project folder.

·        Students will use a visual organizer to create a storyboard to organize all data that justifies their viewpoint.

·        Students will prepare a multi-media presentation including title slide, graphics, sound/voice, text, scanned or digital photo, bibliography and table of contents.

5. Materials and Resources

Hidden HistoryColumbus & the Colonial Legacy http://www.newint.org/issue226/keynote.htm

Surviving Columbus

http: //www.runningdeerslonghouse.com/webdoc28.htm

 

Columbus and other New World Explorers

http://www2.worldbook.com/wc/popup?path=features/explorers&page=html/newworld.html&direct=yes

Computers, scanner, digital camera, internet access

Classroom library including picture books and non-fiction books on Columbus and New World Explorers

Digital Encyclopedias

Specialized CDS

Examples of visual storyboards (Visual Organizer)

6. Criteria/Rubric

 

Grade Expectation Technology

Not Met

Meets

Exceeds

Social, Ethical & Human Issues

Demonstrating an understanding of copyright and fair use guidelines for educational purposes.

 

 

 

Articulating and providing examples of relevant, reliable and unreliable Internet resources.

 

 

 

Productivity Tools

Illustrating a concept with topic and sub-topics, selecting different shapes and colors to differentiate various levels or processes ( e.g., concept map, web, bubble, flow chart).

 

 

 

Modifying a digital image using flip; rotate, resize, crop

 

 

 

Communication

Creating a linear or non-linear presentation including title slide, graphics, text, voice, sound related to topic, scanned or digital photo, animation, bibliography and table of contents.

 

 

 

Research, Problem Solving & Decision Making

Locating information that is accurate, relevant and appropriate, using a variety of electronic resources including digital encyclopedias, specialized CDs and the Internet.

 

 

 

Preparing a search off-line without using a teacher-prepared form/strategy.

 

 

 

Implementing a search strategy using Boolean logic (e.g., and, or, not).

 

 

 

Bookmarking sites relevant to their research and organizing sites into categories.

 

 

 

Identifying and justifying decisions made, (e.g. representing data, formatting, setting up formula,       selecting criteria for search, visual organizer)

 

 

 

 

 

Content

Grade Expectation History

 

Not Met

Meets

Exceeds

H&SS7-8:8  Students connect the past with the present by investigating and evaluating how events, people, and ideas (democracy, for example) have shaped the United States

Documentation of how events have shaped the New World

 

 

 

Documentation of how ideas have shaped the New World

 

 

 

Documentation of how people have shaped the New World

 

 

 

Make the connection between past and present

 

 

 

H&SS3-4:7

Students communicate their findings by...     (Assessed in Technology Rubric Above)

Giving an oral, written, or visual presentation

that summarizes

H&SS5-6:7

Students communicate their findings by...

Developing and giving oral, written, or visual

presentations for various audiences

7. Checklist

Students have been provided an introduction and practice in the following areas:

Reading teacher preselected site/artcle and preparing a search question using Boolean Logic.

YES  /  NO

Comparing and contrasting information found on the internet for relevancy, accuracy, and reliability

YES  /  NO

Selecting 3 appropriate , reliable, and relevant resources from the internet

YES  /  NO

Selecting  1 resource from a specialized CD

YES  /  NO

Planning and creating a storyboard using a visual organizer.

YES  /  NO

Soliciting teacher feedback.

YES  /  NO

Creating a multimedia presentation including title slide, graphics, sound/voice, text, scanned or digital photo, bibliography and table of contents.

YES  /  NO