Explorations of the quad cities

Bettendorf Elementary ELP 4th Quarter Volume 1, Issue 1

EXPLORATION OF THE QUAD CITIES

HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT WHERE YOU LIVE?

Did you know that Ashley Wilkes from Gone With surroundings, but to also learn some very critical
The Wind spent time in the prison located on skills and abilities.
Rock Island Arsenal? Yes? No? Either way we
live in an area that is rich in history and heritage.
Students today need to be exposed to the
amazing things located and discovered right here "I LIKE A TEACHER WHO GIVES YOU
in their very own backyard.
SOMETHING TO TAKE HOME TO THINK
This project has been designed and created to ABOUT BESIDES HOMEWORK." -- EDITH
help our students not only explore their ANN

A LITTLE MORE PLEASE!
This project has been designed to allow these students an opportunity for some real world learning and
problem solving. Each child is essentially going to pick one aspect of the Quad Cities to dig deeper. I hate to
use the word “research” because that instantly sends a negative vibe into the brains of the students.
However, some research is going to occur, but in a different way. We are going to ask them to branch out
beyond the internet and books. We want to them to go out and explore the locations, take pictures and
videos, talk to people, and just get out into the world for a hands on learning experience. Nothing is better
than to actually get involved physically and mentally. This is what we are after. Simply reading about things
on the computer is boring and leaves a bad taste in our mouth. I am so excited for this project to start. This
is going to be a six week project that will end in a showcase to all parents, teachers, families, and friends.
Let us get into the details of the project on the next page.

7 T H AND 8 T H GRADE MENTORS
To help the elementary students, we have partnered up with Mrs. Dierickx and her students. The 7th and 8th
grade ELP students will be coming into the classroom to act as a mentor. Their job will be to answer any
questions, help with research, offer advice, and just be a positive role model. They will also go with us on any
field trips to help the students learn what notes to take, photos to capture, etc. We think this will be a great
opportunity for all the students in the ELP program.

WEEK ONE
DISCUSS THE PROJECT AS WHOLE
FIELD Q AND A
TAKE A TOUR OF CITY TO GATHER IDEAS
BRAINSTORM POSSIBLE TOPIC

WEEK TWO
SUBMIT TOPIC FORM WI TH PARENT SIGNATURE
O INCLUDES THREE POSSI BLE TOPICS
O INCLUDES EXPECTATION S
O INCLUDES FINAL VISUA L PROJECT IDEA
BEGIN BASIC RESEARCH
O INTERNET
O BOOKS
O CLASS DISCUSSION

WEEK THREE
CLASS SHARE OUT
O STUDENTS WILL SHARE WHAT THEY HAVE LEARN ED SINCE LAST
CLASS
O MEET WITH 7 T H AND 8 T H GRADE MENTORS
O REFLECTION JOURNAL
O TEACH SPECIFIC SKILL S
CONDUCT FURTHER RESE ARCH
TAKE CARE OF ANY QUESTIONS
POSSIBLE FIELD TRIP TO…….

WEEK FOUR
CLASS SHARE OUT
CLASS
CONDUCT FURTHER RESE ARCH
TAKE CARE OF ANY QUE STIONS
POSSIBLE FIELD TRIP TO…….

WEEK FIVE
CLASS SHARE OUT
CLASS
BEGIN TO FINALIZE PR OJECTS, RESEARCH, AN D LAST MINUTE DETAIL S

WEEK SIX
BOTH GRADE S WILL MEET ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY TOGETH ER
BEGIN TO SET UP PROJ ECTS
RUN THROUGH HOW SHOW CASE NIGHT WILL OPER ATE
MAY 4 T H – PARENT NIGHT *
O 4 T H GRADE
O 5 T H GRADE
O 6 T H GRADE
O 7 T H GRADE
O 8 T H GRADE

* * TH IS W IL L B E OUR L A ST MEET ING AS A CLA SS. TH E LAST C OUPLE W EEK S G ET WAY
T OO H ECTIC W ITH AL L TH E EVENT S O F EL EMEN TAR Y BU ILD ING S AND I T JU ST IS NO T
PO SSIBL E T O G ET AN Y F INA L PRO JEC TS CO MPL ET ED .

INVESTIGATION REQUIREMENTS
GATHERING NECESSARY INFORMATION FROM BOO KS AND INTERNET TO
BUILD A BASIC KNOWLEDGE BASE OF TO PIC
EXPLORE RESOURCES OU T IN THE COMMUNITY T O LEARN MORE
INFORMATION BOTH IN AND OUT OF THE CLASSROOM
INTERVIEW A PERSON I N THAT PARTICULAR FI ELD
O INTERVIEW SHOULD LAS T MORE THAN 10 MINUT ES
O INTERVIEW SHOULD BE RECORDED VIA AUDIO O R VIDEO
PHOTOS AND VIDEO OF TOPIC WILL BE PART O F RESEARCH
IF TIME PERMITS A ON E PAGE MAGAZINE/NEWS PAPER WRITE UP ON
TOPIC THAT WE COULD USE TO MAKE AN ELEME NTARY ELP BOOK ON
WHAT THEY RESEARCHED ABOUT THE QUAD CITIE S
IF TIME PERMITS COND UCTING SKYPE VIDEO C ONFERENCES WITH OTHE R
QUAD CITIE S

THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO REQUIRE A JOINT EFFORT BETWEEN STUDENTS,
TEACHERS, AND FAMILIES. IN THE END IT SHOULD BE THE STUDENTS DOING THE
MJORITY OF THE WORK, BUT THIS PROJECT WILL NOT BE SUCCESSFUL WITH
PARENTAL/FAMILY HELP.

What is the 3-2-1 Contract?

_ Is a model for students to plan independent studies.
_ Encourages collaborative group work
_ Students are responsible for choosing, designing and completing contract work
_ Teacher provides some choices but allows student input for choice as well
_ Activities can be tiered to allow a variety of activities based on the same theme or objectives
_ May be used for individual students or for small groups.
_ Can be used with any age level for both specific objectives and for interest-based projects

Steps for using the “3-2-1 Contract” for Specific Objectives:
1. Select a specific curriculum objective
2. Create 6-7 possible activities for your students to choose from
3. Students brainstorm for 1-2 student choices to fill other contract choices
4. Groups are formed and leaders are appointed
5. Students discuss topic, choices and choose 3 activities to complete
6. Group leaders fill in the 3 choices decided upon as a group
7. Teacher provides completion date and any other checkpoint dates as needed
8. Students sign and teacher signs contract
9. Each student is given a copy of the contract for their notebook or portfolio

Steps for using the “3-2-1 Contract” for Interest-based Projects:
1. Students individually brainstorm for areas of interest
2. Create student groups according to common interest areas
3. Groups fill in the contract board with possible activities
4. The teacher may choose to give 1 or 2 generic ideas
5. The group discusses and contracts for 3 choices
6. Group members discuss roles and responsibilities for choices
7. Each student is given a copy of the contract for their notebook or portfolio

3-2-1 Contract
This contract verifies that both students and parents have read through the material and
understand the expectations of the project. This also verifies that both students and parents
understand that they will be expected to complete this project for our ELP Showcase night on
May 4th as well as meeting weekly expectations. This project will require work outside of class
in order for it to be completed at the high level of achievement capable by all students in the
program.

Student name #1 _____________________ Parent Signature ____________________
Student name #2 _____________________ Parent Signature____________________

Quad City Topic Choice #1 _________________________________________________
What will your final project look like if you get this topic?(Please describe below)

Remember it has to be visual and creative
Remember that it has to be self-explanatory in case you are not at your station when
others examine your project.

Quad City Topic Choice #2_________________________________________________


Quad City Topic Choice #3__________________________________________________


Directions: In the boxes below fill in possible activities for you and your group (if you decide to
work with a partner) that you could complete to help you learn and understand more about
your topic. Some boxes have been filled in already for you as these are required activities.

Interview somebody in Go on location to learn
the field of your topic. more about your topic
of interest. Take
pictures, videos, and
notes.

Create a final product
to showcase your
learning. This can be
anything of your choice,
but make it interesting
as it will be viewed by
many people on our
showcase night.

Possible Topics
This is simply a list. They are not required to choose from this list, but this list at least provides some food
for thought. Some of these are also not directly Quad Cities, but are still close enough to where we live to be
considered. Any other ideas are also accepted as long as they can fit the guidelines of the project.

Lock and Dam Centennial Bridge
Bald Eagles Fort Armstrong
Mississippi River Ragbrai
1st Bridge over Mississippi Naibi Zoo
Monuments in the area Airport
William Bettendorf Confederate Cemetery
Joseph Bettendorf Bix Beiderbecke
Col. Davenport Antoine Le Claire
National Cemetery Black Hawk
Grant Wood D.D. Palmer
Government Ronald Reagan
o Jobs Sports
o Duties Steamboats, barges, etc.
Arsenal History of anyone of the Quad
Figge Museum Cities that served a purpose
Tourism Wildlife
Train Civil War
Festivals Battle of Credit Island
John Deere Pop Culture
Farmers Bettendorf Airport
Factories Duck Creek
Museum of Natural History @ Atlatl
University of Iowa Pre-Historic Native Americans
Buffalo Bill Geology
Amana Colonies Gilbert and Lillienthal
Putnam Museum Plant Life
Government/Arsenal Bridge Bread Slicer

Common ?’s
What does the final project have to look like or be?
The final project is wide open. I don’t want to confine students to a certain type of
product. The final project should reflect all of their research and findings/discoveries.
I envision a museum type display with information presented along with artifacts,
objects, etc. I want the students to choose their approach to the project so that they
can utilize their strengths and create something that they can be very proud of. After
this year I will be able to compile lists of what students have done in the past, but
being the first year everyone is a test subject in this project.

Do students have to write a paper?
No, I am not requiring a research paper for this project. I am more focused on the
process of this project focusing on the real world skills being developed through
taking notes, going on tours, speaking with people in the field, etc. Their final project
should have their facts that they have gathered displayed in some manner, but I am
not asking them to write a paper on top of everything else. I feel that they have their
work cut out for them enough as is. If a student wishes to write a paper to include in
their display that is perfectly fine. The written word is a wonderful skill that some of
these students have in their toolkit.
When is the last day of ELP?
The last day of ELP will be May 4th which is the day of our showcase. Details on the
time and format of the showcase will come later once we see how things develop, but
this will sum up our year together. The last few weeks of the school year are just too
hectic trying to keep students on the same page and it is best for them to wrap up
their school year by staying in the elementary buildings.
Where can I go for more information?
I currently have a tab on http://coffeechug.wikispaces.com/ where students and
parents can go to see the journey documented. I will post updates, resources, photos,
and eventually the work of the students here. Depending on how things develop I
may move this to a new site devoted strictly to this project. However, at this time I
will keep things here on the wiki above. If you are interested in sharing information,
photos, etc. on the wiki please select the “join” option on the wiki and I will grant you

permission to upload and edit the wiki and you will be able to share out with everyone
as well. I think that would be an amazing thing if we had a collective effort of bridging
our learning in one location. This is just one more tool in our collaborative efforts to
bring students, parent, and teachers together to help our amazing kids.

Final Thoughts
(for now anyways)
I would just like to take this little opportunity to thank everyone in advance for the time and
effort that is going to go into this project. When it is all said and done we need to remember
that the students should be the ones doing more work than the rest of us. However, in order
for that to happen we all have to get involved. Remember when these students are trying to
track down an interview or take photos/videos that we want them to be the ones doing it all.
It may be rocky and not as perfect as we like, but that is how we learn. In class and outside
of class we will be working with them on how to conduct an interview, how to call someone
up, how to take notes when speaking with people in the field, and how to really immerse
themselves in the experience. I realize that none of this would be possible without the strong
foundation of great parents and families. I think that these students and us as teachers are
truly blessed to have such a great group of parents of families working with these students.
After the parent meeting I was even more excited about this project. My excitement grows
everyday as I continue to see the possibilities and opportunities unfold for these great kids.
Thank you again for all that you do and remember at any point that you have a question,
concern, problem, etc. feel free to contact us so we can work things out. Communication
and collaboration are the two major essentials for this project.

Thanks and let us get to exploring the great things about the Quad Cities.

Explorations of the quad cities

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