Vignette based on the Dog Assignment. Please make suggestions,

[JCONSTANT@UMASSD.EDU]

                                                November 20, 1994
Dear LM_NET Colleagues:

The following unit was given to me at a workshop two weeks ago. I decided to
use it as the basis for a vignette which describes how the library media
center can be used to promote school reform efforts in our state.  I plan to
send the vignette to our stare curriculum frameworks committees for inclusion
in the frameworks. This is only my first draft, so it has a lot of
rough edges. (I just finished putting it together.) If you want to help me
improve it, I'll take all the help I can get. Email suggestions to
jconstant@umassd.edu
___________________________________________________________________________

6th Grade Dog Assignment
Language Arts, Math, Social Science, Art, Information Literacy


Sixth grade teacher, Mike Swenson, believes in project based learning for
many reasons. Projects allow his students to choose from among a variety of
activities that accomodate varied learning styles, and they also lend
themselves well to activities that promote cooperative learning and higher
order thinking skills.  Mike and his school library media specialist, Steve
Mikulski, have been given planning time to produce a unit called, The Dog
Assignment. This extended project includes activities required of all
students, but also allows students many options. While doing the assignment,
students learn to follow directions, budget their time, give oral
presentations, role play, and create puzzles, mathematical charts, models,
storyboards and scripts. Since none of these activities involve the textbook,
much of their works involves use of the school library media center resources
and staff.

Mike's class includes several mainstreamed bilingual and special needs
students. Library media specialist, Steve Mikulski, helps students to define
their information needs, and to select the most appropriate information
resources. One of Mike's students, Suzette, has recently emigrated from
Poland. For her 3-5 minute oral report, she has chosen the topic, Guide Dogs.
Steve helps her to list what she already knows about this topic, and what she
needs to find out for her report. In addtion to helping her obtain background
information from encyclopedias, he helps her to extract, analyze and
synthesize  relevant information from books and audio-visual materials in the
school library media center.

Each student in the class is required to read one of the fifty-six fiction
books listed in the bibliography prepared by the library media specialist,
and prepare a storyboard of at least fifteen frames for sharing with the
class. Mike really appreciates having all of these  books at different
reading levels available for his class. One of his mainstreamed special needs
students, Bill Geddes, has chosen to read and illustrate Sounder. Although he
is dyslexic, Bill's creative art work and engaging presentation capture the
attention and admiration of the class.

In addition to the above minimun requirements, students must choose two of
ten possible extended activities. Arleen has chosen to design a graph that
shows the average weight of each of nine different breeds of dogs. Piedade
has decided  to make a three dimensional model of a dog out of trash. Paul
will design a set of ten different types of puzzles that will help people
learn about dogs. Both teacher and library media specialist help students to
analyze and synthesize relevant information and to evaluate their
effectiveness of their  products and the efficiency of their information
seeking and presentation skills.

Several students have decided to complete a challenge assignment.  Mercedes
will learn about veterinary medicine. Library media specialist Mikulski helps
her not only to use the library resources, but also to obtain books and
periodical articles from other libraries. He also helps her to obtain the
mailing addresses of veterinary associations, and the email addresses of
Internet mentors. Mark is interested in animal rights, and uses both print
and online resources to obtain books and articles containing different points
of view. He also is assisted by Mikulski in obtaining mailing addresses for
various groups, and in contacting groups and experts via email.

Students doing the extra credit, challenge assignment must plan a lesson to
teach what they have learned to the rest of the class during "National Dog
Week". Library media specialist, Steve Mikulski, helps them to analyze and
synthesize information and choose an effective vehicle for presentation.
Mercedes has decided to videotape an interview with a local veterinarian, and
to produce several handouts created on a desktop publishing program.  Mark
has decided to photograph some of the materials sent to him by various
organizations and to import the digitized images into a computer hypercard
stack. He will use a large screen projection unit to show his stack to the
class. After the project, Mark's stack will become part of the library's
software collection.


Teacher Mike Swenson and library media specialist Steve Mikulski have
designated a special week in which students will present their extended and
challenge activities to the class. During this "National Dog Week" parents
have also been invited to participate in the festivities.  Student work has
been on display in the school library media center project area, and parents
have expressed their pleasure at the enthusiasm generated by the Dog
Assignment. Principal John Hammond is so pleased that he has agreed to give
Swenson and Mikulski time to plan a similar unit for the seventh grade next
year. Project based learning is catching on at Valley View Middle School!

_______________________________________________________________________
end of vignette

Please send suggestions for improvement to jconstant@umassd.edu