Discover America Project Overview Teacher Planning & Reflection Teaching Resources Assessment & Standards Classroom Teacher Guide Pre-service Teacher Guide Staff Developer Guide Office Training Resources Learning Areas Levels Objectives Software Description Language arts, geography, history, technology 9- to 12 -year-olds Students will discover what makes America unique through the exploration of historical sites. Students will research sites, travel routes and costs, and synthesize the information into a vacation plan. Students will create a travelogue, interactive map and brochure to share their journey with the class. Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word), Microsoft Internet Explorer, Encarta Reference Library, Microsoft Publisher Students plan a 20-day family vacation visiting six historical sites in the United States. They research a travel route and the historical sites, and manage a travel budget of $7,000. Duane Sisto and Randy Ross, Oak Harbor Elementary, Oak Harbor, Washington Documents Authors

Discover America Project Overview Teacher Planning & Reflection Teaching Resources Assessment & Standards Classroom Teacher Guide Pre-service Teacher Guide Staff Developer Guide Office Training Resources Teacher Planning, Teacher and Student Reflection Click the documents below to see work samples and reflections from the teachers and students: Background & Planning: A picture of the origin and objectives of the learning project, including the manner in which the project was planned and managed. Teacher Reflection: Thoughts and reflective comments from the teachers involved, including advice for future implementations. Student Perspective: Comments on how the students perceived the learning that occurred. Documents

Discover America Project Overview Teacher Planning & Reflection Teaching Resources Assessment & Standards Classroom Teacher Guide Pre-service Teacher Guide Staff Developer Guide Office Training Resources Teaching Resources Click the documents below to view the teaching resources used in this learning project: Work Sample: A sample project generated by the teacher. Excel Template: A template for the students to use for their map and budget. Student Project Overview: An overview of required tasks for students. Other Teaching Resources: A presentation for introducing the project to students, instructions for placing a background in an Excel spreadsheet, the US Map used for the background, Student Daily Checklist, Skill-level Modifications. Class Server Resources: Download teaching resources in Class Server format. Documents Project Introduction Sample Project

Discover America Project Overview Teacher Planning & Reflection Teaching Resources Assessment & Standards Classroom Teacher Guide Pre-service Teacher Guide Staff Developer Guide Office Training Resources Assessment and Standards Click the documents below to see the assessment rubrics and standards covered in this learning project: Assessment Rubric: An assessment rubric provided to students showing how the project was assessed. Mapping the Standards: Mapping this project’s learning objectives against curriculum standards. National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS): Performance indicators for technology-literate students. Documents

Discover America Project Overview Teacher Planning & Reflection Teaching Resources Assessment & Standards Classroom Teacher Guide Pre-service Teacher Guide Staff Developer Guide Office Training Resources Classroom Teacher Guide Click the documents below to learn from this project and create your own classroom project: The Starting Point: Questions to keep in mind when reviewing this project. Using the Tour Model: Questions to consider before you begin to create a technology-integrated project based on this Virtual Classroom Tour. Authentic Assessment: Understanding that assessment needs to move into the realm of authenticity helps to make learning more meaningful for students. Implementing a Project: Some questions to consider at the implementation stage of a learning project. Record Your Thoughts: A document in which you can record your comments and reflections as you create your own learning project. Documents

Discover America Project Overview Teacher Planning & Reflection Teaching Resources Assessment & Standards Classroom Teacher Guide Pre-service Teacher Guide Staff Developer Guide Office Training Resources Preservice Teacher Guide Click the documents below to learn from this project and create your own classroom project: The Starting Point: Questions to keep in mind when reviewing this project. Using the Tour Model: Questions to consider before you begin to create a technology-integrated project based on this Virtual Classroom Tour. Authentic Assessment: Understanding that assessment needs to move into the realm of authenticity helps to make learning more meaningful for students. Implementing a Project: Some questions to consider at the implementation stage of a learning project. Record Your Thoughts: A document in which you can record your comments and reflections as you create your own learning project. Documents

Discover America Project Overview Teacher Planning & Reflection Teaching Resources Assessment & Standards Classroom Teacher Guide Pre-service Teacher Guide Staff Developer Guide Office Training Resources Staff Developer Guide Click the documents below to learn from this project and create your own classroom project: The Starting Point: Questions to keep in mind when reviewing this project with your faculty. Using the Tour Model: Questions to pose as you assist others in creating a technology-integrated project based on this Virtual Classroom Tour. Authentic Assessment: Keys to promoting the understanding that assessment needs to move into the realm of authenticity in order to make learning more meaningful for students. Implementing a Project: Some questions to pose at the implementation stage of a learning project. Documents

Discover America Project Overview Teacher Planning & Reflection Teaching Resources Assessment & Standards Classroom Teacher Guide Pre-service Teacher Guide Staff Developer Guide Office Training Resources Microsoft Office Training Resources Click the links below to access training resources on Microsoft Office and other software: Microsoft Educator Network: The Microsoft Educator Network provides you with the latest classroom resources, professional development tools, and communities of practice and expertise. Tutorials: Learn to create rich learning experiences using Microsoft products and technologies. Productivity in the Classroom: Lesson plans with great ideas for integrating technology into teaching and learning. Office Tips for Teachers: Ready-to-use ideas that integrate Office programs into subject areas such as math, science, and language arts.

Discover America Project Overview Teacher Planning & Reflection Teaching Resources Assessment & Standards Classroom Teacher Guide Pre-service Teacher Guide Staff Developer Guide Office Training Resources Learning Areas Levels Objectives Software Description Language arts, geography, history, technology 9- to 12 -year-olds Students will discover what makes America unique through the exploration of historical sites. Students will research sites, travel routes and costs, and synthesize the information into a vacation plan. Students will create a travelogue, interactive map and brochure to share their journey with the class. Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word), Microsoft Internet Explorer, Encarta Reference Library, Microsoft Publisher Students plan a 20-day family vacation visiting six historical sites in the United States. They research a travel route and the historical sites, and manage a travel budget of $7,000. Duane Sisto and Randy Ross, Oak Harbor Elementary, Oak Harbor, Washington Documents Authors To use this tour: Read the overview information on this page. Click the Teacher Planning link to learn about the project. The documents contain background and planning information, and classroom images. Click the Work Samples & Reflections link to see examples of student work, as well as teacher and student reflection on the project. Click the Teaching Resources link to see the classroom resources used by the teachers. Click the Assessment & Standards link to see the how this project maps against standards. Click the Guides links to access guidance on using this tour to build your own learning project. Click to close

Discover America Brought to you by: [Teacher’s name]

Pieces of the Project Planning your route Doing the required research Choosing your tools Skills to learn or review Creating the Interactive Map Keeping a budget Presenting to the group Tools to help you

Planning Your Route 6 historical sites across the country Start in [your city] Fly back to [your city] 20 days of vacation Show progress on U.S. map

Required Research Answer who, what, when, why, and how questions about your city Rewrite in your own words Distance traveled from one city to another Costs involved in the travel –Hotels, fuel, food, etc. Dates and names for each site Resource given

Choosing Your Tools PowerPoint Video from Encarta or the Web Graphs from Excel Publisher Brochure Sound recording Speech Other? Check with a teacher

Skills to Learn or Review Graphing with Excel Embedding documents Storyboard development Note-taking Synthesizing information Organization

Tools To Help You Project Directions Project Outline Project Checklist Encarta Organizer Excel Map and Budget Assessment Tool U.S. Map Sample Projects –Group 1, Group 2, Group 3

Presentation Presentation to class and guests Will be graded Shared responsibility Burned onto a CD? Return to Virtual Classroom Tour