Rough+Draft

toc =Group Final Project – Rough Draft=

Instructions: Please read, then make any revisions you feel should be made. You may highlight the changes or additions electronically and email the results to me, or you can simply state them in a post. (I will check both the wiki and the Walden sites, so feel free to post wherever you wish, just be sure to include your name). Please be very specific about any revisions, if you are not highlighting. That will make it easy for me to go to the spot in the draft, and make the changes. It will be very difficult if I have to hunt through the draft to find that to which you are referring. If you have any questions, please let me know. I will be happy to help you.

Reminder: Any changes or revisions are due by Thursday night, June 5th. I will then write a final draft by Sunday, June 8th, and post it for your final check. After your final check, I will make any other necessary corrections and have the final discussion posted by the end of week 7, as required.

Thank you, Jayne

Project Description
1. The names of our group members are: a. Neil Bahbah b. Chad Cauler c. Jennifer Deel d. Celisa Edwards e. Beverley Great f. Shannon Hassel g. Jayne Lawson h. Sonja Pace i. Jeanne Simpson j. Anthony Williams k. Bradley Wynn

2. The name of the project is “Daffodils and Tulips.”

3. This project is found on the iEARN (International Education and bResource Network) site, and its URL address is https://media.iearn.org/node/204.

4. This project involves multiple classrooms around the world planting daffodil and/or tulip bulbs at the same time. The chosen time is a week in November. Throughout the experiments, students will collect various data, such as temperature and growth. After blooms appear, students will share their observations with the other students in the various classrooms. Our classrooms will be able to use mapping skills, locating latitude and longitude; they will compare and contrast the metric and customary systems of measurement; they will practice charting and graphing skills, as well as scientific inquiry skills (observation, hypothesizing, collecting data, etc.). Students will also utilize their language arts skills as they compose letters, both handwritten and via email, to other students participating in this project. Additionally, art can be integrated as students illustrate the progress of growth of the plants, and send them to the other classrooms. The simplicity or complexity of this project is up to the individual teachers.

5. The collaboration involved in this project is intended to be international. One benefit from this is that as students share information with other classrooms, they can discover information about the culture and history of other nations. The scope of this project can also be limited to national, state, or local collaboration, zooming in as close as collaboration within one school, depending on the desires of the educator.

Project Evaluation
 **1. Why did you choose this project?**

Our group selected this project for several reasons. The first is that the simplicity of this project makes it easy to execute, as well as extend, which means that the scope of this project is only limited by our own classroom needs and desires. Second, it is easy to assimilate all four academic disciplines, as well as classes such as health (organ systems), art (illustrations), technology (email, Internet research, and other applicable software programs for charts and graphs), and careers (botany, meteorology, cartography, etc.). Third, the real world application of planting and growing, as well as noticing the impact of weather upon plant growth, makes this project meaningful for the students.

 **2. How, specifically, will this activity meet your learning objectives?**

The ingenuity of a teacher enables the students to incorporate almost any discipline with this project, due, primarily, to its simplicity. Incorporating art, music, careers, etc., can be accomplished by any educator by adding components to this project. For example, a careers teacher could do this project, then require students to research professions associated with growing flowers, such as a horticulturist, farmer, botanist, florist, etc. While this project is limited in its learning objectives only by the teacher and the scope of the lessons associated with it, the following are learning objectives for the four major academic disciplines and technology.

Math skills: collecting, charting, graphing data, converting metric to customary measurements and vice versa, determining and interpreting fractions, coordinate graphing, determining slope, calculating area, word problem creation Science skills: utilization of scientific inquiry (identifying a problem, collecting data, forming a hypothesis, performing a test, developing a conclusion), measurement skills, body systems, plant biology, meteorology, climatology Language Arts skills: written communication (responses to other groups regarding progress) via technical writing, expository writing, and narrative writing; literature associations with tulips or daffodils in the form of poetry or song Social Studies skills: exchange of cultural information with various classrooms in foreign nations (Israel is represented by one of the project creators), mapping skills (latitude and longitude, country locations) Technology skills: computer software programs (i.e., Excel and PowerPoint), Internet research, email, critical literacy

 **3. What do you feel are the strengths of the project?**

The main strengths of this project center around communication. The communication strength is two-fold. First, students must work collaboratively in their groups. They must have a dialogue between each other to share research findings and other data that is discovered throughout the project. Second, students learn to communicate via the world wide web. Using email, and other possible communicative resources, like a wiki or an instant messenger format, students learn the benefits of working via an online forum.

Another strength of this project is its easy adaptability to a wide variety of ages, grade levels, and disciplines. This project can be used in both primary and secondary classrooms, in almost any subject area.

This project is easy to implement, low cost, easy to maintain, and time efficient. The ease of which this project can be managed by teachers, as well as to each individual classroom situation, is another benefit of the Daffodil and Tulip project.

These strengths, coupled with the multiple resources that can be used with this project, make it a prime candidate for an initial adventure in Internet Networking. 
 * 4. In what ways does this project reflect Bloom’s principles?**

This project easily addresses, not only Bloom’s taxonomy, but also the theories of multiple intelligences, learning styles, as well as habits of mind. The opportunities for meaningful feedback continues throughout this project with each communication, whether student-to-student, or classroom-to-classroom. Students learn how to ask probing, third-level questions clearly and precisely, and also how to respond in like manner.

Regarding Bloom’s principles, students move from the base of the taxonomic pyramid, knowledge and comprehension, by conducting basic research on the planting of daffodil and/or tulip bulbs, or countries to which students are corresponding, to the higher levels of application and analysis, and synthesis and evaluation. In the mid-levels of the pyramid, students learn to make hypotheses regarding bloom date, while collecting and analyzing data. Finally, students formulate responses as they compare data from various sources, evaluate the data received from both research sites, and other classrooms, and determine courses of action based upon incoming data.

Throughout this project, students cultivate various habits of mind. Persistence is demonstrated through the systematic approaches used to analyze data from numerous sources. Precision of Language and Thought occurs when students share information with their collaborative group members, as well as those they have established links with via email. Flexibility of Thinking enables students to explore the varying results received from around the globe, determining the validity, as well as reaching the point where differences in data is appropriate during research.  Students utilize the senses of sight, smell, and touch as they observe plant growth, color, fragrance, and texture. The sense of hearing can be included as students write an interpretation of a musical piece associated with daffodils or tulips. Creative opportunities also are apparent with the inclusion of art and music activities, poetry writing, digital presentations, and journaling.

The four learning styles are evident throughout this project as well. The ST learner is comfortable with clear and precise instructions accompanying this hands-on activity. The NT excels in collecting, organizing, and evaluating data. The SF enjoys the collaborative setting, and works well with the international students. Lastly, the NF thrives in the “real world” experience, and offers creative extensions to the group.

Lastly, this project addresses all multiple intelligences. The verbal/linguistic learner enjoys the collaborative discussions, whether within the classroom group, or with the online community. Additionally, writing the reports and letters would definitely appeal to this type of learner. Through collecting, analyzing, and graphing the data, the mathematical/logical learner excels. This also will appeal to the visual/spatial learners who, furthermore, will shine as they create artwork to accompany the project. Bodily Kinesthetic learners will enjoy the hands-on aspect of this project, from the planting of the bulbs to the use of the computer. While this project does not immediately connect to the musical learner, a high-performing teacher would have no difficulty incorporating music through various classical pieces, such as “Waltz of the Flowers” by Tchaikovsky (Ewing, 2001). Students would interpret this music as it relates, abstractly, to the flowers in this project. Interpersonal learners become a key component of this project, in that they flourish in work that involves working with others. This particular project goes beyond the four walls of the classroom, and extends to a network of individuals around the world! The interpersonal learner will “blossom” during this project (yes, a pun was intended!) Through the journal writings, the intrapersonal learner strengthens his or her intelligence, and the naturalist learner revels as he or she gets down and dirty in the planting of the bulbs! This awesome project engages every type of learner in the classroom! (Silver, Strong & Perini, 2000).

 **5. Are there any constraints you will need to address?**

While our group has identified some constraints, at this time, they seem to be minor. The first constraint is the adherence to the time frame of bulb planting. The concern is that with one start time, there may be a conflict with the scope and sequence. Also, the “lag” time between planting and plant growth becomes a concern, if the countries involved have similar time periods for their growing seasons.

The establishment of an email, or perhaps a wiki, is a small constraint, but with the ease that Jeanne established our group wiki, this concern may be minimal.

Finding the time for students to use the computer as individuals/groups, and to interact with children around the globe may be difficult to arrange, with time zone differences, but could provide another interesting teaching moment or two!

Looking at this project as a whole, it is clear how beneficial this Internet Project would be for our students. It provides an incredible academic experience that fosters self-directed learning, while promoting tolerance and peace among the global community. As our students connect with others in the Middle East, Far East Asia, or Africa, they develop friendships with other students that may, some day, be the catalyst for world peace. After all, it is difficult to be enemies with a friend.

Respectfully submitted for our group, Jayne Lawson

References

Ewing, C. (2001). Waltz of the Flowers. Retrieved May 31, 2008 from http://courses.wcupa.edu/frichmon/mue332/spring2001/EwingTina/

Silver, H. F., Strong, R. W., & Perini, M. J. (2000). So Each May Learn: Integrating Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.