A Visit to Asia

USA

USA001

Résumé, summary

Even though these centers are designed for use with my intermediate classes, I find that some of them can be adapted to meet the needs of some of the primary classes. They are designed for students to develop independent study skills as well as to promote working in cooperative groups. The students also learn to use the machines in the Library Media Center to access information and most importantly, they become more familiar with technology.

Discipline, subject :

langues Sprachen languages lingue mathématiques Mathematik mathematics matematica sciences de la terre Erdwissenschaft Earth sciences scienze della terra social studies études sociales

Public :

primaire Primarschule primary school primario

Contacts :

Carter, Debbie

Camp Taylor Elementary School, 1446 Belmar Drive
40213
LOUISVILLE

Tel : (502) 485-8222
Mail :
Fax : (502) 239-7433

Pédagogie, pedagogy :

This lesson is set up in centers with each center being different. In this way, it is hoped that all of the students learning styles are met as they rotate throughout the centers. Some involve very hands-on activities while others involve quiet listening and reading skills. I find that the children enjoy the center approach because it gives them some freedom in determining their learning and if they don¹t particularly care for an activity then they know that next week they will move to another one. If they really like an activity, then there is open library time that they can come to the library with a hall pass and work independently or bring their team members with them. The children become somewhat responsible for their own learning with the teacher acting as a guide.

Apprentissage, learning :

The students can learn basic techniques of research, problem solving, and skills building using technology. They will use data bases, various computer programs, and work cooperatively to develop a product. They will also become familiar with the various kinds of machines used in the Library Media center.

Enseignement, teaching :

The Library Media Center is set up with twelve Learning Centers. The Media Specialist introduces each center and shows the class how to open and/or operate each program. These directions are also placed at each center for the children to follow. There is a specific task for them to do at each center. The teacher then divides the class into teams of three to four students. The students rotate weekly through the centers during their library time. The teacher becomes the guide to help when needed at the centers. If a group does not finish a center during their library time, they can come during any flexible time and work at the center.

Technique :

Since the students needed more hands-on experience with computers, the Media Specialist created centers to provide that time. There was also a need to introduce new programs to let the children become familiar with a variety of software. In this way, the students will have a feel for the kinds of material available to them and it is hoped they will be able to use it across the curriculum.

Société, society :

Our school focuses on a different continent each year to learn about the countries and cultures of other areas of the world. We also have a partenership with the Louisville Zoo and we study animals with a focus on endangered species. The theory behind this is that in the six years a child attends elementary school, he will have heard about each continent, its people and the animals that are native to the countries there. We combine Antarctica with South America due to the penguin population that migrate between both areas thus giving us the six area of study.

Culture :

Even though each classroom has a computer, we felt that children needed more hands-on time. We have six computers in the Library Media Center that children can use during the day. Each computer has some kind of research available on it and each has a sign displaying what programs are available at that particular computer.

Institution :

Logistique :

The students need to know how to work cooperatively in groups and how to work independently. There is a great deal of planning that must be done by the Media Specialist to set up the centers and a cooperative arrangement needs to made between the classroom teachers and the Media Specialist so that the students see an importance and a correlation between their work in the classroom and the library.

Remarques, remarks :

I have tried to incorporate as much technology as possible into the centers along with other Audio-visual equipment that I feel the children need to know how to use. I also tried to include as many Asian countries as possible into the centers. The centers are as follows with a brief description of what the students are to do at each one. I went to the teachers to find out the kinds of skills that needed to be emphasized for the students. These were included in the centers. 1. Macintosh: ³The Diamond and the Heavy Hand² from the CD-ROM disk ³Folktales from Long Ago and Far Away I² from Queue, Inc. This is a folktale from Turkey. This disk has comprehension questions built into the program. The students are then asked to find synonyms for various vocabulary words the teacher chose from the story. 2. VCR/TV combination unit: ³Peachboy². This is a folktale from Japan. The students have a list of words from the story and as they listen, they are to decide the meanings of some of the unfamiliar words. 3. Cassette Listening / player: ³Su Lin and the Angry Prince². This folk tale from China emphasises following directions. As the children listen, they follow directions to fill in a puzzle sheet. After the lesson, the children use a laptop computer to design their own set of directions. 4. Sound Filmstrip machine: ³Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves².  The children listen and view this story from Persia. 5. Macintosh: The Paper Crane by Molly Bang. This story from Japan tells about origami or paper folding. The students listen and follow the story on cassette tape then use the computer program from Intellimation called ³Introduction to Origami² . This a a Hypercard program that teaches the students the art of paperfolding. 6. Macintosh: ³China--the Home of the Dragon². This is a CD-ROM program about China. It is divided by People, Geography, Arts/Culture, and Language. I have designed questions under each heading so that the students must search the databases in each area to find answers to their questions. 7. Macintosh: ³The Story of a Gazelle² from the disk ³Folktales from Many Lands II² from Queue, Inc. This story is from Arabia and emphasizes word meaning and comprehension. The program has questions built in. 8. Macintosh: China Research Center. The students have a grid. They start in the center and follow ordinal directions to fill in the squares. They have access to Grolier¹s Encyclopedia on CD-ROM to find the answers to questions for filling in the grid. 9. Cassette Listening Center: ³The Golden Slipper². This is a folktale from Vietnam. The children listen to the story and answer questions as they go along. 10. VCR/TV combination unit: ³The Tiger and the Brahmin². This is a folktale from India. The children have a list of characters that are mentioned in the story. As they listen, they are to decide what job each character has. 11. Cassette Listening Center: ³The Magic Amber² is a folktale from Korea. After the children have heard the story, they can use a laptop or pencil and paper and write a story about what they would do if they found a magic amber like the character in the story. 12. Macintosh: ³Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?² This computer program from Broderbund emphasizes following directions and problem solving. The children must work together to interpret the clues, find Carmen and thus solve the crime.