Lesson Title
Fact Journey, On the Trail of the Iditarod!
Grades
4th-6th
Lesson Type
Standard Lesson
Learning Objectives
Comprehension, inquiry/research, digital literacy, writing factual information
Themes
Nonfiction, Social Studies
Keywords
Iditarod, nonfiction, research, persuasion, factual information, brochure, note taking, collaboration, investigation, organize information.
Brief Description
Students will learn about the Iditarod by researching factual information from several resources and applying that information to create a brochure to advertise the race.
Overview
To be able to create a factual and appealing brochure for the Iditarod, the students must first learn about the race. In this lesson, they will be reading and researching information about the Iditarod through an article and websites. Through an RWT online tutorial and guided questions, they will learn what facts are important to pull from nonfiction information. After they have completed their research, they will apply that knowledge to create a brochure to advertise and promote the race.
Featured Resources
The Story of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog.
This is an article on the story of the history of the Iditarod Trail Race.
The Official Website of the Iditorod.
(http://www.iditarod.com/learn). This website has information about the race, the mushers, and resources and ideas for teachers.
Read Write Think, Fact Fragment Frenzy
(http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/fact-fragment-frenzy)
This website is an online, interactive website that gives the student the opportunity to learn how to find important “fact fragments” in nonfiction passages.
From Theory to Practice
Barringer, M.D., Pohlman, C., and Robinson, M. (2010). Schools for All Kinds of Minds.
Retrieved from www.allkindsofminds.org/study-skills-taking-good-note-impact
· A teaching strategy for text comprehension is to help students learn how to pick out the salient, or important, information from class lectures and textbooks.
· The ability to take good notes is crucial for learning and succeeding in school. Students must listen or read actively, pulling out important details and attaching new information to prior knowledge.
· They must learn to record key facts, concepts, and relationships, so that they can recall this information when rereading their notes. Good note-taking also depends upon a student’s ability to convert information from the classroom lecture or textbook into a cohesive and meaningful written message.
· Learning to take good notes is a complex process requiring students to think critically, to organize and manipulate concepts, and to monitor the ongoing effectiveness of their note-taking strategies.
Standards
4, 7, 8, 12
Resources
Materials and Technology
Computers with Internet access
LCD projector
Assorted sizes of plain white paper and/or construction paper for brochure
Markers, crayons, colored pencils, scissors, glue
Map of Alaska with the Iditarod Trail marked
Collection of various brochures
Student Interactive
Read Write Think, Fact Fragment Frenzy. (www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/fact-fragment)
Printouts
KWL Sheet
Discovery Sheet Questions
The Story of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog.
Iditarod Brochure Rubric
Websites
The Official Website of the Iditarod. (http://www.iditarod.com/learn). This website has information about the race, the mushers, and resources and ideas for teachers.
Read Write Think, Fact Fragment Frenzy. (www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/fact-fragment) This website has an interactive activity that teaches students how to select important information from material and to take notes on it.
National Geographic for Kids. (http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/games/puzzles/quizyournoodle-idatarod)
This site has a quiz where the students can test their knowledge after they have completed
their research.
Estimated Lesson Time
Five 60-minute lessons
Student Objectives
Students will
· Demonstrate an accurate understanding of information.
· Interpret concepts or make connections through analysis, evaluation, inference, and/or comparison.
· Collect and analyze information relevant to the topic.
· Discriminate between relevant and irrelevant information.
· Access and use information from a variety of sources.
· Organize, synthesize, and paraphrase/summarize information.
INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN
Preparation
1. Visit the “Fact Fragment Frenzy” interactive lesson on Read Write Think to become familiar with how it teaches gathering and organizing facts from nonfiction selections. Bookmark this website on the computers the students will be using (or create a hyperlink from your website if you have one).
2. Preview the Official Website of the Iditarod and bookmark this site on the computers the students will be using (or create a hyperlink). This site provides extensive information the race. The sections the students will be using are linked under the tab “Learn About the Iditarod.” They will use the facts on this page and under the link “Iditarod Trivia and Facts.” Additionally they will look under the tab “For Teachers, Meet the 2011 Mushers.” (If you are unfamiliar with the Iditarod, you may want to spend some time on this site learning about what the students are going to research.)
3. Review the article and print copies for students of the article, The Story of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog.
4. Preview National Geographic Website quiz. This is an interactive activity that the students can use at the end of this lesson to check their knowledge on the Iditarod.
5. Print copies of the “KWL” graphic organizer and “Discovery Fact Sheet” for the students.
6. Gather materials for the students to make their brochures: construction paper, copier paper, makers, colored pencils, crayons, scissors, glue.
7. Check LCD projector
8. Gather various brochures to show students the design and purpose of a brochure.
9. Write brochure requirements on a poster or the board: a brief history of the race, 6-7 facts about the race, brief report on one musher and team, and the race route.
Instruction and Activities
Session 1:
1. Introduce the Iditarod by completing the KWL graphic organizer (KW columns) on the Iditarod with the students. Tell the students they will be doing three things. First, they will be learning about the Iditarod using several resources, including websites. Secondly, they will be learning how to take notes on the facts they learn. Third, they will be creating a brochure to advertise and inform others about the race. (Refer to the brochure requirements.)
2. Show the students the brochures gathered so they can get an idea of the purpose of a brochure. Discuss the fact that brochures are used by businesses to tell people about themselves. They are also used for advertisement to persuade people to visit or use their business or product. Tell them that to create a persuasive brochure, it is important to have key information. We will begin by learning how to get that information from several resources.
3. As a class, do the Demo on the Read Write Think interactive lesson,” Fact Fragment Frenzy” (www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/fact-fragment). On a computer with a projector, show the class the Demo lesson. Then choose one of the topics and model taking notes with the class, as demonstrated in the Demo. Then, pair the students so that they can work together to find facts on one of the other topics in Fact Fragment Frenzy. Print out their “notebook” pages from the activity for the students to review. When they have completed their notes, discuss what they learned and how they chose their facts.
Session 2:
1. Tell the students they will begin doing their research today for their brochures. Remind them how to pick out the important facts from their reading by using the tips they learned from “Fact Fragment Frenzy.” First, read the material. Then read it again, sentence by sentence to pull out facts. Don’t write down articles, prepositions, connecting words, and obvious facts. Write down facts that seem important to each sentence.
2. Give the students the article on “The Story of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog.” This article gives a brief history of the race’s origin. Read it to the students. Discuss unknown words. Discuss the article focusing on: the climate of Alaska, transportation and communication in the 1920’s, location of the trail, and heroes. Show them the trail on the map of Alaska.
3. Pair the students to read the article again. Tell them to take notes as they learned in “Fact Fragment Frenzy.” Circulate during this time to monitor the student’s notes and make suggestions as needed. Use this article as a springboard to develop background knowledge of the race.
4. Have the pairs join one or more pair and have students share their notes with each other. They can see if they need to revise what they have recorded and they can share their information and reflections with each other. Ask them to consider which historical facts they would include on their brochure.
Session 3:
1. Tell the students that they are going to continue their research today by using the internet. Tell them that they should continue to use their “Fact Fragment Frenzy” skills. In addition, they will be answering specific questions on the Iditarod.
2. Give the students the “Discovery Sheet” and read the questions to them. These are the questions they will need to answer in addition to finding facts. Tell the students how to get to the Official site of the Iditarod (http://www.iditarod.com/learn) on the computers. (On a hyperlink on the class website.) They will need to gather facts about the Iditarod as well as research one of the mushers. They will work in pairs, two to a computer.
3. On projector, give them specific directions and model how to navigate on the Official Site of the Iditarod (http://www.iditarod.com/learn). They will be using two tabs: “Learn About the Iditarod,” and “For Teachers.” Show them how to navigate to “Iditarod Trivia and Facts” on the “Learn About the Iditarod” tab and “Meet the 2011 Mushers” on the “For Teachers” tab. In pairs, they will answer the questions on the “Discovery Sheet” and take additional notes. Have them share their answers and notes with you when completed so you can check for accuracy. Have them do additional research as needed.
4. Have each student pair share with the class one answer to their “Discovery Sheet” questions or one fact they recorded. Ask them which facts they would include on their brochure.
Session 4:
1. Tell the students that today they can either continue their research if they feel they need more information, or they can begin to work on their brochure. They can work in their pairs or small groups, but each student will design their own brochure. Remind them the purpose of the brochure, to advertise and promote the race. Have the collection of brochures for the students to look over. Tell them the brochure should look appealing to get people’s attention. (Have the materials….paper, markers, etc. prepared.)
2. Tell the students that they will use the facts and information they have gathered to create their brochures. They can use any of the materials on hand. They should get on the Iditarod website to find pictures to either print or draw. The brochure needs to include the following: a brief history of the race, 6-7 facts about the race, brief report on one musher and team, and the race route. Have the brochure requirements printed on the board or poster for the students to refer to as they work.
3. Circulate to monitor the student’s information and progress and guide them as needed to revise or add. At this point, you can assist students who need additional information or are having trouble with taking notes or finding information. They can take home their work if they want to work on it for homework if they do not think they can have it completed by the next day.
Session 5:
1. The students will continue to work on and complete the brochure.
After they have completed their brochures, they can take the quiz on the National Geographic For Kids. (http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/games/puzzles/quizyournoodle-idatarod)
2. They can individually or in pairs. Complete the “L” column from the “KWL” sheet.
3. As a class discussion, review what they have learned about the Iditarod by reviewing their “L” columns on the “KWL.”
4. Let students who want to present their brochures to the class do so.
Extensions:
Complete the “Iditarod Scavenger Hunt” found on the Official Site of the Iditarod (http://www.iditarod.com/learn). Go to the “For Teachers” tab. Under “Resources,” go to “Language Arts,” then go to “Iditarod Scavenger Hunt.” The students will use their fact finding skills to locate additional information on the Iditarod for the “Scavenger Hunt.”
Student Assessment/Reflections
1. As part of the guided practice students will be asked to find fact fragments in sample nonfiction passages various topics. Students will print their finished product from the Fact Finding online activity. Review those for accuracy before asking students to find facts on the Iditarod.
2. Observations of notes taken from the “Story of Iditarod Trail Sled Dog” will help determine if students are learning the note taking skills. Some students may require more instruction on either the RWT tutorial or by the teacher.
3. As part of the guided practice students will be asked to find the fact fragments found in the articles on the “Iditarod” website and to answer questions on the Iditarod. Observe these to make sure concepts are accurate and notes are appropriate.
4. Observation and review of the “L” column on the “KWL” graphic organizer will be monitored to assess knowledge gained.
5. Observation of progress on the individual brochures will help determine if the students have taken sufficient notes and are able to synthesize and organize their knowledge.
6. Use the Brochure Rubric to assess the brochures accurateness and completeness of facts and organization.
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