CTAP Final presentation - Energy in the Earth’s System By: Brietta Straker 6th Grade Science

Introduction n This lesson is designed for 6th graders to use after completing a unit on renewable energy in Science. n Students will work on computers, follow step by step instructions, and complete tasks in order to prepare themselves for the culminating activity. n n Brietta Straker n 9500 Brooks Rd So n Windsor, CA 95492

Expectations of CTAP n I wanted to become familiar enough with web design to effectively design and instruct a lesson related to my teaching field. n I wanted to get personal attention and instruction from my CTAP teachers. n I wanted to learn PowerPoint so I could use it for demonstrations in my classroom. n I wanted to learn Excel because I like to make charts.

What Did I Learn? n I learned how to upload and download programs. n I learned how to create a website with lots of links. n I learned that there is a great deal of work involved in designing a website. n I learned that if you don’t properly upload, things you work on for hours, get lost. n I learned to use PowerPoint, Excel, Transmit, Fetch, Netscape Navigator, Netscape Communicator and MicroSoft Word.

Successes n I really enjoyed learning how to set up banners, change font size and style, select clip art from the Internet, set up backgrounds and linking pages to websites. n I enjoyed searching for educational websites related to my topic. n I completed a multi-page website of my very own (with lots of help). n I loved sharing my website with my students and hearing their responses and ah-has during the activity.

Shortcomings n It was difficult to work on my website out of the CTAP class because I don’t have a personal computer and I rarely have spare time. n I found it extremely frustrating to work on the official CTAP website after the mid-year upgrade. And it wasn’t just the Modules that changed, the programs used to access information changed as well! Yikes! n My Science class was ready for the Renewable Energy Unit, but my site wasn’t finished.

Student Data n I selected 4 students out of 90 to report on. n Students were given a pretest and a postest. n The Quiz Show score is the culminating activity.

Reflections and Revisions n The actual culminating website “Watt’s That?” could only be used once, then the correct answers were highlighted. This was definitely an obstacle to overcome as I brought 3 Science classes consecutively in to the computer lab. n After looking at the culminating activity scores, I noticed that they were lower than expected. So, I added an additional website link that was less challenging.

Conclusion If I had to do this all over again, I would have pushed myself to get it done during the summer. Then I would have added links throughout the year, revised wording, and checked for accuracy AFTER I had learned how to navigate around the programs.