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Units and Resources from DOTS III
Submitted by Sandy Lathem on Sun, 10/17/2010 - 10:44.
During the 2009-2010 school year, educators participating in 21st Century Classrooms: Connecting the DOTS III created units of study, movie trailers and web 2.0 resources that are now available to anyone via the VITA-Learn web site! The following tables will help you find this wonderful resources.
We'd like to thank the dedicated and committed educators who have contributed this work.
Math
| Title | Grade Level | Creators | Movie Trailer |
| Data and Me A four-week interdisciplinary unit on data in which students gather both categorical and numerical data on the human body and their community. |
4th | Katrina Rob Elizabeth McCarthy (Calais Elementary) |
Data and Me |
| No Representation Without Interpretation a sixth grade math unit dealing with basic economics and business success / failure. |
5th-6th | Nicole Laramee Hugh Handley (Derby Elementary) |
No Representation Without Interpretation |
| It's In the News Students select a current events item of interest and work in teams to extract the measurements embedded in the news reports. |
6th | Elizabeth Miller Maria Everett (Hardwick Elementary) |
It's In the News |
| Data Traveler The 5th grade data analysis goals will be meet through an integrated unit with social studies on immigration. Students will look at immigration data from various periods and predict what that tells us about settlement, jobs, reasons for immigration, how other current events impact immigration, what policy decisions come from data. Unit Presentation |
5th | Kathy McGown Gabi Martino (Rivendell) |
Data Traveler |
| Fantasy Baseball Students select a fantasy baseball team by analyzing the player’s statistics and using the data to make decisions about who would be a good fit on their team. |
7th-8th | Eric Matte Jon Morris (St. Johnsbury School District) |
Fantasy Baseball |
| Forensic Mathematics - Using Math to Solve Mysteries This mathematics unit designed for middle school students in the 7th and 8th grade examines the use of data and statistics to complete forensics investigations to solve mysteries of murder and mayhem. |
7th-8th | Leslie Ercole Jon Morris (St. Johnsbury School District) |
Forensic Math |
| Percent of My Impact Students change the world around them, understanding and increasing sustainability for the better by using percents to analyze their school's trash. |
7th-8th | Tammy Russell (Walden School) |
|
| Analyze This This 3 week statistics unit covering data analysis is for 8th grade. Students will develop an understanding of what data is and why it is necessary to record and collect it. |
7th-8th | Hollis St. Peter Jane Tolassi (Washington Central - U32) |
Analyze This |
| Modeling Life This unit is designed to provide students with the experience necessary to develop a deeper understanding of proportionality through the lenses of scaling and geometry. |
7th | Rachel Collier Jane Tolassi (Washington Central U-32) |
Modeling Life |
| A Real Power Tool This is a geometry unit focused on measurement, area, perimeter, surface area, volume, and scale drawings and models. Students work in groups of three to create scale drawings and a 3D model of a shed that the class will build. |
8th | Tracy Zaino Darcy Perry (Flood Brook Union) |
A Real Power Tool |
| Linear & Algebraic Functions Students will visit a local landfill and Windham Solid Waste in Brattleboro to discuss the amount of paper product dealt with on a daily basis. During these visits students will ask questions they have created regarding the amount of waste, its present disposal, future disposal and people involved. |
7th | Yolanda D'Alassio Anthony Daniels (Twin Valley Middle) |
Linear & Algebraic Functions |
Science
| Title | Grade | Creators | Movie Trailer |
| Human Body in Extremes By considering the limits of human endurance where the body is subjected to the most hostile environmental conditions; howdo we adapt to places wereally don’t belong? |
7th-8th | Shawn Willis John Synott Kimberly Musante (Essex Town School District) |
Human Body in Extremes (.wmv file download) |
| Ground Moving Phenomena This is an Earth Science unit focusing around the idea of uniformitarianism. |
9th | Michael Norkun Wes Vaughn (Bellows Falls High School) |
Plate Tectonics
Ground Moving Phenomena |
| Chemistry The purpose of this unit is to help middle school students understand the states of matter. |
7th-8th | Mary Lou Martin Emily Graves (Bellows Falls Middle School) |
Chemistry |
| May the Force Be With You The students will create and join the scientific community in which they will be able to discuss, reflect and learn. By using a formal structure of scientific inquiry students will engage in multiple experimental investigations as they learn about motion and gravity. |
5th-6th | Victoria Winokus Darcy Perry (Flood Brook Union) |
May the Force Be With You |
| Building of Balsa Wood Bridges This unit incorporates Social Science, Physical Science and Physics in the building of balsa wood bridges and their relationships to the social, political and economic impact on communities. |
5th-8th | Tom Fontaine Richard Long (Kurin Hattin School) |
Building Balsa Wood Bridges (download .wmv file) |
| Inheritance Students focus on how organisms reproduce and how the offspring will vary depending on the type of reproduction.The purpose for this study is for students to assist farmers and possibly people in low economic status to help improve their crop production and nutritional intake. |
7th-8th | Scott Diedrich Seth Bonnett (Manchester) |
Inheritance |
| Energy The unit is designed to have students progress from exploring relationships about energy through students exploring the consumption and conservation of energy. |
5th-6th | Kathleen Bacus Barb O'Callahan (Monument Elementary) |
Got Energy |
| This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land Students learn about and research ways in which land and natural resources are managed in VT and around the world. |
8th | Allison Brigham Dave Henson (Mt. Anthony) |
This Land is Your Land. This Land is My Land. |
| Exchange with the Environment The unit will explore the semi permeable nature of the cell membrane, and how the membrane allows for passage in to and out of the cell. Students will also investigate osmosis and diffusion, and relate those processes to movement of materials in to and out of cells. |
7th-8th | Charles Adams Melissa Kristiansen (Poultney High School) |
Exchange with the Environment |
| Green Up! Students will learn about regional natural resources and how they are currently used. There will be an emphasis on cycles and how humans can impact those cycles. A focus will be on recycling, trash, energy and making predictions for the future based on current uses. Students will be out in the community to see how trash and recycling are dealt with locally. |
7th-8th | Jessica Hammond Anthony Daniels (Twin Valley Middle) |
Green Up |
Literacy
| Title | Grade Level | Creators | Movie Trailer |
| The Grapes of Wrath & The Great Depression This unit will focus on the Great Depression in the U.S. from 1929 to 1941.The causes of the Depression will be studied,as well as the consequences, both societal and personal. |
9th | Chris Whalen Matt Henchen (Harwood Union) |
Grapes of Wrath & the Great Depression |
| Worth Fighting For? This unit will focus on the many challenges that people and groups face each and every day. Students will be asked to investigate these, make connections, and then determine how they can personally make a difference. |
9th-12th | Renee Berthiaume Marsha Middleton (North Country High School) |
Worth Fighting For? |
| Standing at the Crossroads This unit will focus on the choices people make and how those choices affect both themselves and others. Through a variety of literature and informational text, students will examine this topic, and make connections to their own lives and community. |
9th-12th | Colleen Healey Marsha Middleton (North Country High School) |
Standing at the Crossroads |
| 21st Century Media Literacy |
Melissa Piscitelli (Walden School) |
||
| Identity in Science Fiction This unit is intended to have students read two pieces of science fiction and consider how technology creates change in our world. Students may alos reflect on why some values stay the same and why some change both within ourselves and in the world around us. |
11th-12th | Tiffany Tobin Wes Vaughn (Bellows Falls Union High School) |
Identity in Science Fiction |
| Consider the Source: Understanding Bias in the Media Looking at the media’s messages with a critical eye is an essential skill for consumers of information. In this unit, students will analyze the way the media shares information. |
9th-12th | Holly Falzo Wes Vaugh (Bellows Falls Union High School) |
Consider the Source |
| Intolerance - What's the Difference? Students will understand that differences between and among people should enrich our lives rather than separate us from one another. |
7th-8th | Dennis Ladd Emily Graves (Bellows Falls Middle School) |
Intolerance |
| Biography and Community Heroes Connects reading and writing of biographies with community partnerships and recognizing local heroes. |
6th | Beth Ann Drinker Kate Kane (Grafton) |
Community Heroes |
| Our Place in the Universe A study of theme in language arts that includes music, art, reading and writing. |
7th | Matt Smithwick Seth Bonnett (Manchester) |
Our Place in the Universe |
| Destination: Information! Students explore information / expository texts and the relevance these texts have to their lives. Unit Presentation |
5th | Carrie Gardner Barb O'Callahan (Monument Elementary) |
Destination Information |
| Conflict, Courage, and Survival This grade 7 English unit explores themes of conflict, courage, and survival in varied texts, as well as plot structures of rising action, climax, and falling action. |
7th | Laurie Jameson Palmer David Hansen (Mt. Anthony) |
Survival & Courage |
| Are We Really in this Story? This unit focuses on making connections and the concept of theme in literature. |
7th-8th | Linda Paquette Melissa Kristensen (Poultney High School) |
Are We Really in this Story? |
Social Studies
| Title | Grade | Creators | Movie Trailer |
| Kingdom to Kingdom A study of the Feudal System during the Middle Ages that helps students understand the governing bodies, the hierarchy and logistics of this time period. |
6th | Jeanne Beaudry Hugh Handley (Derby Elementary) |
Kingdom to Kingdom |
| Making Connections Through the Crusades This unit looks briefly into what the Crusades were (European perspective) and what the impact of the clashing of cultures had on Medieval Europe. |
7th-8th | John Synott Shawn Willis Kimberly Musante (Essex Town School District) |
|
| Hardwick Heroes In teams, students will choose a Hardwick veteran and the conflict in which he/she has participated to investigate. |
5th | Carolyn Aiossa Maria Everett (Hardwick Elementary) |
Hardwick Heroes |
| Hurrican Katrina and the Social Contract | Nicolle Schaffer Matt Henchen (Harwood Union) |
||
| Close Encounters: Lessons from the Columbian Exchange In this unit, students will learn about the convergence of European and indigenous American cultures and its impact on both societies. Unit Overview |
6th-8th | Ellen Fischer Gabi Martino (Rivendell) |
Close Encounters |
| Transportation in Vermont Through the Years Through the study of many different media (photographs, oral histories, informational text, narratives, trade books, artifacts, field trips / museums, drawings, paintings, etc), and through interviews of Vermonters of different ages to find out how transportation affected their lives, students will research changes that have occurred over time with transportation in Vermont. Unit Presentation |
3rd-4th | Ruth Beecher Frank Spina (Robinson Elementary School) |
Transportation in Vermont Through the Years |
| World Geography The focus of this unit is on how the components of culture (or universals) develop differently from culture to culture depending upon physical environment. |
5th-6th | Peg Brakeley Frank Spina (Robinson Elementary School) |
World Geography |
| Witch Hunt in American History | 11th-12th | Matthew Willis Wes Vaughn (Bellows Falls Union High School) |
American Witch Hunt
American Witch Hunt |
| Ancient Mesopotamia Through Artifacts A civilization's geography and the resources provide it people not only with a means to live but also ways to create new technologies, some of which are still useful today. |
7th | Amy Moriarty Orion Hazzard (Mt. Anthony) |
Ancient Mesopotamia Through Artifacts |
Web 2.0 Resources
| Title | Creators |
| Comics in the Classroom A prezi presentation on Comics in the Classroom, highlighting various comic generators and examples of use. |
Elizabeth McCarthy & Kate Rob (Calais Elementary) |
| Google Apps for Education |
Hugh Handley, Jeanne Beaudry, Nicole Laramee (Derby Elementary) |
| Social Bookmarking | Kimberly Musante, Shawn Willis, John Synott (Essex Town School District) |
| Voice Thread A humorous presentation on Voice Thread. Presentation by the Hardwick Historionics. |
Maria Everett Elizabeth Miller Carolyn Aiossa (Hardwick Elementary) |
| Edu2.0 Learning Management System - edu20.org |
Matt Henchen Chris Whalen Nicolle Schaffer (Hardwood Union) |
| Visual Organizers A PowerPoint presentation that gives links to and an explanation of several online visual organizers, such as Freemind, eyePlorer, Mind42, Mindmeister, Visual Thesaurus, Cacoo, DropMind, Gliffy, Bubble.us, and text2mindmap. They are adaptable to all grade levels and all subject areas. |
Marsha Middleton Renee Berthiaume Colleen Healey (North Country High School) |
| Glogster Glogster Presentation in YouTube |
Gabi Martino Ellen Fisher Kathy McGowan (Rivendell) |
| Google Earth and Sky Links to resources/tutorials that will help the novice get started using this very robust Web 2.0 tool. |
Frank Spina Ruth Beecher Peg Brakeley (Robinson Elementary) |
| Timelines (Prezi presentation) |
Jon Morris Leslie Ercole Eric Matt (St. Johnsbury School District) |
| Web-Based Video Tools | Sigurd Anderson Melissa Piscitelli Tammy Russell (Walden School) |
| Screen Captures Using Jing | Jane Tolassi Hollis St. Peter Rachel Collier (Washington Central - U32) |
| Mind Mapping | Wes Vaughn Tiffany Tobin Michael Norkun (Bellows Falls Union High School) |
| Using SketchUp in the Classroom | Wes Vaughn Matt Willis Holly Falzo (Bellows Falls Union High School) |
| Using Wordle in the Classroom | Emily Graves Mary Lou Martin Dennis Ladd (Bellows Falls Middle School) |
| Twiddla & Skrbl | Darcy Perry Tracy Zaino Victoria Winokur (Flood Brook Union) |
| Google Earth | Kate Kane Beth Ann Drinker (Grafton Elementary) |
| Google Docs | Tom Fontaine Richard Long (Kurin Hattin School) |
| Social Bookmarking | Seth Bonnett Matt Smithwick Scott Diedrich (Manchester) |
| Glogster | Barb O'Callahan Carrie Gardner Kathleen Bacus (Monument Elementary) |
| Voice Thread | Dave Hansen Laurie Jameson Palmer Allison Brigham (Mt. Anthony) |
| You Tube | Orion Hazzard Amy Moriarty (Mt. Anthony) |
| Blogs, Twitter, and Skype - Oh My! | Melissa Kristiansen Linda Paquette Charles Adams (Poultney High School) |
| Screencasting | Anthony Daniels Jessica Hammond Yolanda D'Alessio (Twin Valley Middle School) |
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