Basics
- Project TitleFeels Like Home
- ThemeELA, Math, Science
- Submitted ByKathrine Watkevich
- OrganizationMount Wachusett Community College
- Brief DescriptionAutobiographical reflection, mathematical calculations, Punnett Squares exercises.
- Materials / ResourcesThe MCAS BIO, ELA and Math classes share most of their students, allowing for cross-curricular activity. The majority of the classes are an ELL population. After completing the reading selection "Narciso Rodriguez", discussion began about students‘ heritage and ‘home‘.
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View/Download File: /project497_753/g8ela(1).pdf
- Team membersSean Daley, Paul Parillo, Kate Watkevich
Key Questions
- Key QuestionsFor each unique individual, what qualifies as ‘home‘? How long would it take a person to walk from their ‘home‘ to our school? How are physical traits (phenotype) determined?
- Connections: How or why was this topic identified? Why is it meaningful?After completing the MCAS selection "Narciso Rodriguez", students began to share their own ‘blueprints‘. Our students (who are predominately ELL‘s) wanted to expand on the conversation, and so evolved into a series of ‘starter‘ writing prompts, math calculations and use of Punnett Squares to determine inherited traits.
- Family: Any opportunities to involve parent/guardians and other family members in this project?Students engaged in conversations with family members, involving them in the inquiry and information compilation, as needed.
Units / Activities
- "Narciso Rodriguez"
.5 class periods
‘Starter‘ Writing Prompts
5-10 minutes
Letter of Introduction
15-20 minutes
Completed reading selection packet. Asked students what qualities they consider that make a place ‘home‘; compiled a list.
Starters-Used at the beginning of class, throughout the quarter.
Students write a ‘letter of introduction‘, composing a rough draft, peer editing, then printing the final draft. Each student is photographed in front of our world map, pointing to the place of their ‘home‘. This image is attached to the letter of introduction, which is posted within the classroom. A much smaller image is affixed to the map, in that location. A length of yarn connects the students from their ‘homes‘ to our location on the map.
Attached:
MCAS selection
Sample ‘Starters‘
Letter of Introduction questions -
View/Download File: /project497_753/g8ela(1).pdf
View/Download File: /project497_753/starter prompts.doc
View/Download File: /project497_753/letter of introduction.doc
- How far is that?Students found out how far the place that they consider to be ‘home‘ is from our school, then calculated how long it would take them to walk the distance by using the short-cut through the woods.
The second project involved with this activity was the drawing and construction of miniature houses. The students had to use basic shapes to plan and draw the two-dimensional floor plan. After assembling the paper model, they had to cut and construct a three-dimensional model made from balsa wood. Once this was completed the students then had to figure the volume of their structure using the formulas we had studied earlier in the month.Supplies:
Balsa wood
Exacto knives
Wood glue
Graph paper
Pencils
Ruler
Colored pencils/markers
Paint (Optional) - Punnett SquaresWhile studying genetics, inherited traits and Mendel‘s Laws, students used Punnett Squares to learn about genotype and phenotype. Worksheets similar to those used are attached.
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Tags = career-pathways | career-pathways | Subject = ELA, Mathematics, Science | Grade Level = HS | Time Period = School Year | Program/Funding = | 596/597 |
Direct website link to this project: http://ContextualLearningPortal.org/contextual.asp?projectnumber=497.753
