Spring Hill Elementary School Action Plan Project Summary Students from three classrooms at Spring Hill Elementary School (ages 4-12) will participate in an interdisciplinary Weather Project using the Internet to collect and analyze weather data locally and worldwide. Access to the Internet will add other dimensions to computer use, give students ownership of a wider knowledge base and provide students and teachers with a link to the world. Curriculum Project In Room 10 (ages 4-5) the students will demonstrate knowledge of the following technical skills: �parts of a computer �proper care and maintenance of the computer �vocabulary necessary to use the computer �correct use of the keyboard and mouse �the computer as a communication device �the use of the Internet as a resource tool With these skills the students will be able to : �access MacWeather and document sky conditions, temperature and wind �graph daily local temperatures for morning and afternoon �use CAROLINE to locate books about weather topics �reproduce graphics and visual images of weather data collected from MacWeather, Blue Skies, and personal observations �use weather data in dramatic play to become meteorologists Implementation (Woods, Swartzentruber, Rogers, Sakanich): In the first reporting cycle (September - December) instruction around the project will focus on learning the mechanics of the computer and how to navigate the Internet. Utilizing the Everyday Math Program, children will be introduced to weather concepts. We will be gathering weather data as part of our daily opening exercises. Beginning in December, we will introduce MacWeather as a tool to gather weather data. As we move into the second reporting cycle (January - April) , we will evaluate the student's use of MacWeather to determine which students have the interest and ability to utilize CAROLINE and Blue Skies. A group of no more than 8 students will be involved in the Weather Project. During the morning block at learning centers all students will rotate through the computer center. Four students working in pairs will receive instruction on the computers for 15 minute blocks. Two of these blocks will be devoted to the Weather Project on a daily basis. Various pieces of software will be used to meet the above objectives. Students will independently use the computers in the afternoon. Evaluation Documentation of the students' work will be used to determine mastery of the material. At the end of the first reporting cycle the teachers will be using a checklist and observations of students' proficiency on the computers. The second and third cycles will be evaluated by samples of student work as well as a checklist and observations. Curriculum Project In Room 214 (ages 7-10) the students will demonstrate knowledge of the following technical skills: �all of the objectives of the 4-5 year olds �ethics policies pertaining to Internet use �the process of retrieving data from the Internet �familiarity with weather vocabulary and definitions With these skills, by January 1995, the students will be able to: �pull specific weather-related data from the Internet via MacWeather, BlueSkies, and Interactive Weather Maps and use that data in a cooperative learning project �graph daily temperature figures and weekly precipitation data for the city of Pittsburgh and a sister city (Rochester, NY and/or San Juan, PR) �print the daily weather forecast for Pittsburgh each morning and read it "on air" on in-school TV �compare the printed morning forecast with actual weather and temperature during the day �recognize standard weather symbols and use them to create weather graphic images to correspond with daily videotaped classroom weather forecasts �compare and contrast temperature data collected in Room 214 with Pittsburgh (Airport) weather information on the Internet Implementation (Bassett, Rogers, McLaughlin) Beginning in September, whole group instruction on the care and maintenance of classroom computers, procedures, Internet ethics policies, and weather vocabulary will occur for thirty minutes each morning. Four students, working in pairs, will receive instruction on the two classroom computers for an additional thirty minutes daily using weather-related software to reinforce and extend the morning discussions and instruction. By the second cycle (January 1995), these four students will become coordinators of small-group cooperative learning projects which will rotate weekly through the computer center. Students will be given additional time to work independently to meet weather objectives during the structured play period or center time. Computers will frequently be available during the afternoon for individual projects. Evaluation The teachers in Room 214 will use various methods to evaluate student learning outcomes related to the Weather Project. These will include formal and informal teacher observations of students' interactions and behaviors as well as student work samples: electronic portfolios, displays, presentations, and hard copies of their projects. Curriculum Project In Room 126 (ages 8-12) the students will demonstrate knowledge of the following skills: �use MacWeather and Blue Skies to collect weather data (precipitation, temperature, sky condition, wind speed) daily local, national, and international �measure the temperature inside and outside the building using interfacing probes �collect acid rain data and share the information with another site through the Internet �download weather maps from the Internet to compare weather conditions around the world �prepare charts and tables showing the relationship between collected data and observed weather (real-world situations) �create a survey to observe student behavior in regard to the weather �recognize MacWeather symbols and use them to create weather charts �use the Internet to collect flood data from the Allegheny County Area Implementation (Lyden, Yonek, O'Toole, West, Lesniewicz) By the end of the first reporting cycle a core group of 5 students will use their basic computer skills to collect weather data from the Internet and display it. By the end of the second reporting cycle the core group will be paired with another group of 6 students to train them in the weather collecting process on the Internet. By the end of the third reporting cycle, twelve students who are trained will be paired with classmates to teach the remainder of the class. Evaluation Teachers working in room 126 will write observations regarding the students' work on the Internet. The display of the data gathered will be evaluated for accuracy through use of a checklist. A task will be assigned for each student to complete once they have been trained on the Internet. The students will keep a computer journal writing their experiences using the Internet. Support Plan Technical assistance/support will be needed from the CK:P staff throughout the implementation of the project in the form of: �bi-weekly inservice training for the Weather Project staff on the basic use of the Internet �weekly on-site meetings with the CK:P staff and the Weather Project Team �assist with the parent component (backyard forecasting) by providing parents with an Internet presentation of weather on the Internet �assist with the development of a partnership with Channel 11 and the Carnegie Science Center and Spring Hill Elementary School �continued support and technical assistance with troubleshooting and maintaining the server and accessories