ELRN 750-Incredible last project

1. FINAL PROJECT
ELRN 750
TEACHING & LEARNING WITH DIGITAL TECH
Instructor:
DR. GREGORY M. FRANCOM
NORTHERN STATE UNIVERSITY
SPRING, 2012 By TRANG NGUYEN

2. Title:
Earth science
6-8th Grade
Summary:
The students are able to identify
and classify minerals and rocks.

3. Primary Core Objectives
The students learn that minerals are
different from rocks.
The students compare minerals and rock.

4. Primary Core Objectives
The students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop
innovative products and processes using technology. The students use models
and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
The students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. The
students evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the
appropriateness to specific tasks and then students process data and report
results related to the lesson.
The students use digital media and environments to communicate and work
collaboratively to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of
others. The students contribute to project teams to produce original works or
solve problems.
The students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.

5. Learning Outcomes
The students can select from given information (identify) and
assign to categories (classify):
- Naturally occurring, solid chemical compounds, that have a
crystalline structure and properties that include
luster, streak, fracture, cleavage, hardness, color, magnetism
and reactivity to acid (minerals)
- Naturally occurring materials composed of a mineral mixture
formed by sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic processes
(rocks).

6. The meaningful learning in the project
This project has three of the following meaningful learning
elements: constructive, authentic, and cooperative.
CONSTRUCTIVE
The students discuss and speak about what they have
accomplished in identification and classification of minerals and
rocks and reflect on it based on their observations and
observations of others. By reflecting on the puzzling
experiences, the students integrate their new experiences with
their prior knowledge about the geology.

7. The meaningful learning in the project
AUTHENTIC
In this lesson, the teacher will explain the different between
minerals and rocks and the connection between minerals and
rocks. The students review the characteristics of rocks and
minerals and they will find identification becomes easier with
practice. Everything in physics occurs in the real world.
Learning is more meaningful when tasks and situations are
based in real-world context. In this lesson, learning would be
embedded in real life.

8. The meaningful learning in the project
COOPERATIVE
The students work together to build knowledge and
learning, using each other’s skills and appropriating each
other’s knowledge in order to solve problems and perform
tasks. In this lesson, the students will be divided 4-5 groups.
Give each group of students a bag of minerals and rocks, the
teacher will instruct the students to group the specimens into
the 3 piles: rocks, minerals and specimens that the students
cannot tell classify. Conversation between learners would be
encourage as it is the most natural way of making meaning.

9. What learners will complete for the project?
The students will learned the
characteristics of rocks and minerals.
The students will find identification
becomes easier with practice by examining
the specimens of rocks and minerals. As
they discuss the differences, have the
students copy down the information.
Make sure students are aware that some
of the differences are hard to distinguish.
When they are finished, have them draw a
picture of a mineral and of a rock.

10. Materials Used by the Teacher
-Computer
-Rocks and Mineral kit
-Microscope or hand lends.

11. Materials Used by the Students
-Textbook, pen, paper
-Rocks and Mineral kit
-Microscope or hand lends

12. Technologies Used by the Teacher
Computer for online.
Provide a few online sites that
students would use for deeply
understand the lesson.

13. Technologies Used by the Students
Students can use the technology themselves to reinforce their
knowledge about rocks and minerals. The students’ activity is to
explore the following sites:
http://www.msnucleus.org/membership/slideshows/rockCycle2.html
http://www.johnbetts-fineminerals.com/jhbnyc/bestgall.htm
http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/online_field_journal/cp/cprk/cprkmain.html
http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow1/oct98/expert/index.html

14. Instructional Procedures
Please click on following site to see Instructional Procedures
http://www.storyjumper.com/book/index/5402022/Instructional-Procedure
The teacher also shows a video in class. The students would be able
to learn more about Rocks and Minerals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=s9lRrM
WjHQg

15. Assessment Plan
-The teacher observes during the students
group the specimens to recognize who is
understood.
-When the students examine the
specimens, the teacher stop and ask the
students if the specimens fit the
characteristics of rocks or minerals.
-The teacher grades the students when they
draw a picture of a mineral and of a rock.

16. Assessment Plan
Give the students a short test.
The question is:
Can you identify and classify rocks and
minerals?
The answer is:
Minerals: Naturally occurring, solid chemical
compounds, that have a crystalline structure and
properties that include
luster, streak, fracture, cleavage, hardness, color,
magnetism and reactivity to acid).
Rocks: Naturally occurring materials composed
of a mineral mixture formed by
sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic
processes).

17. Thank you
Trang Nguyen, 2012