For the past ten years or so, I have been doing a common core research project with fourth graders. The project has taken different forms and each year I try to improve it. The last couple of years I have used Schoology as the platform. Students choose from a list of people that was created by myself and a fourth grade teacher. The famous person has to have entries in a book, Pebble Go and an encyclopedia. Each card that goes with the source is a different color and they are guided notes. Fourth graders need guided notes. Next year, I will tweak the cards so that pebble go is just one side of a note and then they will find quotes by the famous person from the general internet. I will also have them work in teams from the beginning as the project dragged on longer than necessary.
I looked at the information on note taking. I especially liked the first article, Note Taking A Research Roundup by Jennifer Gonzalez. It reinforced what I have noticed, that kids, especially young ones who are new to typing and writing, are more efficient note takers on paper. I looked at the other articles and may refer back to them at another time, but in the elementary school, on-line note taking is not practical.
I always meet with the fourth grade teachers and we discuss what worked and what did not from the previous year. This year’s conversation resulted in a change of the famous people and the teachers shared how difficult it is to get the kids to write. Consequently, I added to my Schoology page and made a five paragraph essay writing template with notes from me in text as well as a Screencastfy they can access by clicking on the title. I also gave them a sample writing piece and rubric. Hopefully, they will use the material. Frankly, I couldn't do this project without using Schoology as otherwise it is just too many students to manage, but so far I have not been able to entice the fourth grade teachers to use it.
First students took a quiz to find out who they knew about and who they selected. Next they made a google slide with three pictures and three clues about their famous person. They then watched a brainpop about note taking and responded to me in the discussion forum of Schoology telling me one thing they learned about note taking from they video. They then took notes from a book, a database, and an encyclopedia. They then graded themselves and did a video in the discussion part of Schoology answering the question of who cares? I added the who cares part this year because I had found in previous years that after taking all of the notes, some kids still had no idea about what was so great about what their famous person did.
Grade Yourself - I respond using the same rubric in schoology
What a terrific plan!
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