A Walk in the Woods

1. A Walk in the Woods Margaret Ashlee Reyes Tenorio ETEC 442, June 23, 2005

2. Learner The learners for this lesson are sixth grade students at the Concrete Operational Level as described by Piaget. They have experience in the use of computers. They are learning about nature and the woods.

3. Objective The sixth grade students will evaluate their reactions to a virtual nature walk in writing a journal noting one experience they liked, one challenge they faced, and one thing they would change. A (Audience) – the sixth grade students B (Behavior) – will evaluate their reactions to a virtual nature walk C (Condition) – in writing a journal D (Degree) – noting one experience they liked, one challenge they faced, and one thing they would change

4. Standards • Science • Domain I, Content Standard 1 – Doing Scientific Inquiry • Domain II, Content Standard 5 - Interdependence • Language Arts • Content Standard, Range 1. Write to reflect on learning • Educational Technology Content Standards • (5) Technology as a tool for research

5. Lesson using the Expanded Events of Instruction • Introduction • Gain Attention • Who has been on a walk in the woods? • What are some things you need to prepare before you go on your adventure? • What are some safety precautions you need to be aware of? • What are some things you would see in the woods?

6. Introduction continued • Establish Purpose • There are many things you can learn by going for a walk in the woods. You see something different and learn something new each time. • Arouse Interest and Motivation • Show students pictures of things they would see in the woods. • Have students explore with texture rubbings using crayons, paper, and a tree bark. • Preview the Lesson • Today we will be going on a virtual walk in the woods. We will be using the internet to do this exploration.

7. Body • Recall Relevant Prior Knowledge • What are some of the things we need to remember when working with computers? • What are some challenges we may come across? • What are some ideas of ways we can overcome these challenges • KWL – What we know, what we want to know, and what we learned. • Process Information and Examples • Review the use of internet • Focus Attention • Students get into groups of three and are assigned a computer

8. Body continued • Employ Learning Strategies • Review procedures/steps orally: • Step 1 – Turn the computer on • Step 2 – Open the web browser • Step 3 – Type in the URL • Step 4 – Clink on the link “A Walk in the Woods” • Step 5 – Follow guides • Step 6 – After completing the presentation, close your web browser • Step 7 – Properly shut down the computer • Practice • Turn computers on, open web browser, type in the following URL: • http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/kids/index.html • Evaluate Feedback (Lesson Closure) • Students will return back to a whole group and each will share: • One thing they enjoyed about their exploration • A challenge they encountered • And something they would do differently next time

9. Conclusion Summarize and Review (Follow Up) There are many aspects of nature. When we go for a walk in the woods we need to pay close attention to the details – the sound we hear, the smell of fresh air and trees, and the things around us. One important lesson we have to remember is to protect nature by leaving nothing but our footsteps behind. Transfer Learning Students will write a one page journal about their exploration Remotivate and Close Collect all journal pages and put them together as a class book “A Walk in the Woods Journal.”

10. Assessment • Assess Learning • Each group will be assessed in the following areas: • Teamwork – working as a team in completing “A Walk in the Woods”. • Completing the presentation. • Sharing their experience orally. • Writing a one page journal. • Evaluate Feedback and Seek Remediation • Complete KWL chart • Each student will receive a “Woods Walker Certificate”.

11. Resources • http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/kids/index.html • My personal Expanded Events of Instruction lesson plan for ETEC 602

12. Thank You Enjoy your next “Walk in the Woods”