The different lessons within this unit will focus on an Interdisciplinary Study of the effect of disasters on the communities in which they occur. We will deal with one natural disaster, the Carthage Fire of 1884, but the ideas could be adopted and adapted to any disaster; natural or man-made.
The students will be involved in a number of activities including direct historical research, analyzing information from a primary source, categorizing data to acquire a better understanding of historical knowledge, the development of critical thinking skills of interpreting evidence and drawing conclusions based on information, taking into consideration that personal involvement can color historical interpretation.
Students will use the material acquired through their research to construct Hyperstudio stacks and a web site that can be used by their peers and the general public to gain information on these subjects.
It is our intent to make these resources available to the public libraries, school libraries, Fort Drum Information Center and any other interested group.
This unit of study deals with the Carthage Fire of 1884 that destroyed more than 70 acres of the business and residential districts of this community of about 4000. This unit deals with the concepts of Change, Environment and Empathy. The students will produce a web site, providing research for others, with the cooperation of the Living Schoolbook Project of Syracuse University. It will incorporate: Social Studies, Language Arts and Technology.
(detailed at end of unit for easier reading)
English Language Arts:
1. Read, write, listen and speak for information and understanding.
2. Read, write, listen and speak for literary response and expression.
3. Read, write, listen and speak for critical analysis and expression.
4. Read, write, listen and speak for social interaction.
Mathematics, Science and Technology:
1. Use ... scientific inquiry ... to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.
2. Access, generate. process and transfer information using appropriate technology.
5. Apply technical knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs.
Social Studies:
1. Use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, them, developments and turning points in the history of the United States of America.
5. Use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; ... the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.
Goals and Objectives:
During the study of the fire students will:
· use primary and secondary historical sources to find out the impact of the fire on the community,
· collect old photos and take pictures of present day sites, and
· tour the boundaries of the fire.
· select a focus for their hyperstacks,
· design and plan a web page and participate in the construction of the page for the web site that fits with their focus,
· supply a narrative of an important landmark, event or hardship connected with the fire and
· help incorporate that into the design of the web site
Procedure:
Reading/Language Arts:
1. Read aloud (as an introduction) the chapter of They Called Me Chuckie wherein Charles Brownell describes the fire of 1884 as an eyewitness. (The book was written almost 50 years after the actual event).
2. Class reads The Town the Would Not Die by Laura Prevo and completes the accompanying Study Guide in their notebooks.
3. Students keep track of places named on their maps and annotate where appropriate.
4. Read letter by J.V. Shurts and use the Study Guide. (This account was written during the week of the fire)
5. Read newspaper accounts of the fire: that week, 40 years later, on the centennial of the fire. Compare the information, tone etc., of the articles.
Overview:
The students will be involved in a number of activities including direct historical research, analyzing information from a primary source, categorizing data to acquire a better understanding of historical knowledge, the development of critical thinking skills of interpreting evidence and drawing conclusions based on information , taking into consideration that personal involvement can color historical interpretation.
Procedure: After gaining an understanding of what constitutes a primary historical source or a secondary historical source, students will:
1. Listen to chapter 8 of They Called Me Chuckie, by Charles Brownell in which Mr. Brownell gives an eyewitness account of the Fire of 1884.
2. Read The Town That Would Not Die, by Laura Prevo. This book was written for the centennial of the fire.
3. Read three newspaper accounts of the fire: one written the week of the fire, one written 40 years after the fire and was written for the centennial.
4. Read the letter written by Rev. J.V. Shurts to the Presbyterian Synod in an attempt to raise monies for a new church. This letter was written the week of the fire.
5. Read the letter of Mr. Dickerman (from the Heritage room of the Carthage Free Library) in which he tells of his grandfather's experiences in the Great Fire. (second hand account)
6. Read the letter of Lyle S. Raymond (dated 11/11/96) in which he relates stories told to him by his father about the fire as related to the father by Erwin Cutler, a local farmer at the time of the fire. (third hand account)
7. Examine photographs taken by Ned Leach of Massena immediately following the fire and reprinted in the local papers. There are captions here containing additional information.
8. Look over other historical photos of the late 1800's and early 1900's to help understand the timeframe of the fire.
9. Using a Word Splash (attached), students write an account of the fire in their own words. They underline all words and phrases from the Word Splash also found in their writing
10. Class lists key facts about the fire and its aftermath then arranges them in chronological order.
11. Chart the key facts as they are found in each of the sources they have read and determine if, and why, some facts are present in some accounts and not others.
12. Determine, if possible, which accounts are probably most accurate. What are the reasons they feel this way?
13. Make a set of 6 to 12 index cards containing key facts; add as much information about each fact as they can remember.
14. Select one card and develop a story of two or three paragraphs on that key fact or event.
15. Word process the story using Microsoft Word; it should be spell checked and well edited.
16. Using Clickbook, put the students stories of a key event into book form: have a copy printed for each student.
Instructional/ Environmental Modifications:
·It will be necessary to have multiple copies of materials available (one set per cooperative group should be adequate).
·Study guides should be used for The Town That Would Not Die, the letter of Rev. Mr. Shurts and the first two newspaper accounts of the fire.
·Make a large display of the materials where students may study massed materials in relationship to each other; provide a map of the involved area as a central focus.
Materials and Supplies:
They Called Me Chuckie, by Charles Brownell
The Town That Would Not Die, by Laura Prevo
Newspaper accounts of the fire
Various letters related to the fire
Old photos
Study guides
Student notebooks
Word Splash
Computer access
Microsoft Works
Clickbook
Assessment Tools and Techniques:
· Teacher observation of class work (notes, study guide, participation)
· Rubric for Word Splash and Key Fact cards
Time Required: three weeks
Reflection:
Many children entered in the fall wondering if we were going to study "The Fire" and were excited when I told them we would be doing a web site for others to use. It has taken the better part of three months, but we are putting the finishing touches on the website now. We have, obviously, done other things - there have been continuing social studies units from the text to help put some of this information in perspective and other Language Arts assignments. We will be having the local historian in soon to review what we have done and offer suggestions. She has been our consultant or "guide on the side", but hasn't come in yet.
Overview:
The students will be involved in a number of activities including direct historical research, analyzing information from a primary source, categorizing data to acquire a better understanding of historical knowledge, the development of critical thinking skills of interpreting evidence and drawing conclusions based on information, taking into consideration that personal involvement can color historical interpretation.
Using this information, they will construct storyboards and then Hyperstacks focusing on one aspect of the Carthage Fire
Procedure:
1. Working in cooperative groups, students will decide on a key concept or theme for their Hyperstack.
2. Students will select photos and written material they deem suitable for their Hyperstack
3. If additional student work or pictures are needed, they will produce them within the cooperative group.
4. Using a map as the central focus (home card in the stack), students will prepare a storyboard, on a large sheet of cardboard, that represents the Hyperstack. They may have a maximum of six locations in addition to the map.
5. When the group agrees on the final construction, they present it to the class along with an oral report explaining each part of the storyboard.
6. The teacher then prepares the basic Hyperstudio stack, scanning in the materials the students have indicated, loading the photos they have selected for backgrounds and creating the links the group has indicated they want.
7. The stacks are placed on individual floppy disks (one per group), and the cooperative groups work with the stacks, adding text materials and noting changes (if any) that need to be made by the teacher.
8. When the group is satisfied with the stack, they ask another group to edit and critique their stack. They will do the same for a different group.
9. After the peer editing, groups will review their stacks and make any recommended changes.
Instructional/Environmental Modifications:
· Students need large working area - desks together in cooperative groups or sufficient floor space.
· Within the group there should be a mix of students so there is something for each to do. There should also be support for students with special needs.
·You really need one computer with Hyperplayer installed for each cooperative group. Or you need an excellent management system that ensures each group gets the amount of time they need to do their best job. No student should say, "We didn't have enough time on the computer to get it done".
Materials and Supplies:
· Computers
· Hyperstudio and Hyperplayer
· Multiple copies of photos, pictures, text material
· Large sheets of cardboard
Assessment Tools and Techniques:
· Rubric for Storyboard (attached)
· Rubric for Hyperstack (attached)
· Peer Review (form attached)
Time Required: about three weeks
Reflection:
This project took a great deal of classtime, but as it was interdisciplinary, I felt it was worth the time and effort involved. The computer experience gained was invaluable, but, when I do this project again, I would train one member of each group separately ahead of time. If each cooperative group had a "resident expert", things would go more smoothly (my other option would be to have myself cloned over the summer).
Objectives:
· Students will use the material acquired through their research and construction of hyperstudio stacks and produce a web site that can be used by their peers and the general public to gain information on on this subject.
· It is our intent to make these resources available to the public libraries, school libraries, Fort Drum Information Center and any other interested group.
Procedure:
1. Students will view a number of web sites and discuss what makes an effective site.
2. Students will brainstorm ideas for our web site.
3. Students will select focus and basic format for web site.
4. Teacher will take basic ideas and put them up on a server.
5. Using the Averkey connection, class will evaluate site, critique pages and offer suggestions.
6. After a lesson on html basics, students will be able to use the idea of hyper links in the next step.
Individual Project:
7. Using large sheets of oaktag, student will construct mock-up of page. He/she will indicate links if needed.
8. After attaching all pertinent data (including but not limited to: photos, pictures, maps, written commentary), student will present page to the class in an oral presentation.
9. Class will participate in joint sequencing of pages (you will need a large wall for this). Any hyperlinks needed should be specified.
10. Teacher will upload information.
11. Class will view and critique web site,
12. If changes are to be made, the students will suggest them and they will be carried out during class time, if possible. Otherwise, teacher will do them and return the product to the class for further work, if necessary.
Instructional /Environmental Modifications:
· You must have an internet connection available (in the classroom, Computer Lab or Media Center).
· The use of the Averkey or some other device so that the image can be shared with a large group is really important when viewing and (especially) editing the web site.
· A scanner is necessary to include pictures, photos, maps and some student work (some can be typed directly in or can be cut and paste
References, Materials and Supplies
Tech: Internet Access, scanner and Adobe Page Builder
Materials: Photos, pictures, newspaper articles, student writings,
Adobe Page Builder
Assessment:
Tools & Techniques: Rubric for web page
Responses to web page (families, peers and the general public)
Time Required: about three weeks
Reflections/Comments:
This has been very time consuming, but has offered a great many legitimate writing opportunities for the children. The Web, of course, is the hook to keep them involved.
Standards:
Standard Math, Science, and Technology 1. Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.
Math, Science, and Technology 1.Scientific Inquiry.1: The central purpose of scientific inquiry is to develop explanations of natural phenomena in a continuing, creative process.
Math, Science, and Technology 1.Scientific Inquiry.2: Beyond the use of reasoning and consensus, scientific inquiry involves the testing of proposed explanations involving the use of conventional techniques and procedures and usually requiring considerable ingenuity.
Math, Science, and Technology 1.Scientific Inquiry.3: The observations made while testing proposed explanations, when analyzed using conventional and invented methods, provide new insights into phenomena.
Standard Math, Science, and Technology 2. Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.
Math, Science, and Technology 2.Information Systems.1: Information technology is used to retrieve, process, and communicate information and as a tool to enhance learning.
Math, Science, and Technology 2.Information Systems.2: Knowledge of the impacts and limitations of information systems is essential to its effective and ethical use.
Math, Science, and Technology 2.Information Systems.3: Information technology can have positive and negative impacts on society, depending upon how it is used.
Standard Math, Science, and Technology 5. Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs.
Math, Science, and Technology 5.Computer Technology.3: Computers, as tools for design, modeling, information processing, communication, and system control, have greatly increased human productivity and knowledge.
Math, Science, and Technology 5.Management of Technology.7: Project management is essential to ensuring that technological endeavors are profitable and that products and systems are of high quality and built safely, on schedule, and within budget.
Math, Science, and Technology 5.Technological Systems.4: Technological systems are designed to achieve specific results and produce outputs, such as products, other systems.
Standard English Language Arts 1. Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.
English Language Arts 1.Listening and Reading.1: Listening and reading to acquire information and understanding involves collecting data, facts, and ideas; discovering relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and using knowledge from oral, written, and electronic sources.
English Language Arts 1.Speaking and Writing.2: Speaking and writing to acquire and transmit information requires asking probing and clarifying questions, interpreting information in one's own words, applying information from one context to another, and presenting the information and interpretation clearly, concisely, and comprehensibly.
Standard English Language Arts 2. Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression. Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances, relate texts and performances to their own lives, and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language for self-expression and artistic creation.
English Language Arts 2.Listening and Reading.1: Listening and reading for literary response involves comprehending, interpreting, and critiquing imaginative texts in every medium, drawing on personal experiences and knowledge to understand the text, and recognizing the social, historical and cultural features of the text.
English Language Arts 2.Speaking and Writing.2: Speaking and writing for literary response involves presenting interpretations, analyses, and reactions to the content and language of a text. Speaking and writing for literary expression involves producing imaginative texts that use language and text structures that are inventive and often multilayered.
Standard English Language Arts 3. Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will present, in oral and written language and from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.
English Language Arts 3.Listening and Reading.1: Listening and reading to analyze and evaluate experiences, ideas, information, and issues requires using evaluative criteria from a variety of perspectives and recognizing the difference in evaluations based on different sets of criteria.
Standard English Language Arts 4. Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.
English Language Arts 4.Listening and Reading.1: Oral communication in formal and informal settings requires the ability to talk with people of different ages, genders, and cultures, to adapt presentations to different audiences, and to reflect on how talk varies in different situations.
English Language Arts 4.Speaking and Writing.2: Written communication for social interaction requires using written messages to establish, maintain, and enhance personal relationships with others.
Standard Social Studies 1. Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.
Social Studies 1.History of the United States and New York.2: Important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions from New York State and United States history illustrate the connections and interactions of people and events across time and from a variety of perspectives.
Social Studies 1.History of the United States and New York.4: The skills of historical analysis include the ability to: explain the significance of historical evidence; weigh the importance, reliability, and validity of evidence; understand the concept of multiple causation; understand the importance of changing and competing interpretations of different historical developments.
Standard Social Studies 5. Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the U.S. and other nations; the U.S. Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and including avenues of participation.
Social Studies 5.Civics Citizenship and Government.1: The study of civics, citizenship, and government involves learning about political systems; the purposes of government and civic life; and the differing assumptions held by people across time and place regarding power, authority, governance, and law.
(Adapted from The National Standards for
Civics and Government)
Indicators:
Math, Science, and Technology 1.Scientific Inquiry.1: question the explanations they hear from others and read about, seeking clarification and comparing them with their own observations and understandings.
Math, Science, and Technology 1.Scientific Inquiry.1: develop relationships among observations to construct descriptions of objects and events and to form their own tentative explanations of what they have observed.
Math, Science, and Technology 1.Scientific Inquiry.2: share their research plans with others and revise them based on their suggestions.
Math, Science, and Technology 1.Scientific Inquiry.2: develop written plans for exploring phenomena or for evaluating explanations guided by questions or proposed explanations they have helped formulate.
Math, Science, and Technology 1.Scientific Inquiry.2: carry out their plans for exploring phenomena through direct observation and through the use of simple instruments that permit measurements of quantities (e.g., length, mass, volume, temperature, and time).
Math, Science, and Technology 1.Scientific Inquiry.3: adjust their explanations and understandings of objects and events based on their findings and new ideas.
Math, Science, and Technology 1.Scientific Inquiry.3: interpret organized observations and measurements, recognizing simple patterns, sequences, and relationships.
Math, Science, and Technology 1.Scientific Inquiry.3: organize observations and measurements of objects and events through classification and the preparation of simple charts and tables.
Math, Science, and Technology 1.Scientific Inquiry.3: share their findings with others and actively seek their interpretations and ideas.
Math, Science, and Technology 2.Information Systems.1: telecommunicate a message to a distant location with teacher help.
Math, Science, and Technology 2.Information Systems.1: access needed information from printed media, electronic data bases, and community resources.
Math, Science, and Technology 2.Information Systems.2: understand that computers are used to store personal information.
Math, Science, and Technology 2.Information Systems.2: demonstrate ability to evaluate information.
Math, Science, and Technology 2.Information Systems.2: describe the uses of information systems in homes, schools, and businesses.
Math, Science, and Technology 2.Information Systems.3: describe the uses of information systems in homes and schools.
Math, Science, and Technology 2.Information Systems.3: demonstrate ability to evaluate information critically.
Math, Science, and Technology 5.Computer Technology.3: use the computer as a tool for generating and drawing ideas.
Math, Science, and Technology 5.Computer Technology.3: identify and describe the function of the major components of a computer system.
Math, Science, and Technology 5.Computer Technology.3: control computerized devices and systems through programming.
Math, Science, and Technology 5.Management of Technology.7: speculate on and model possible technological solutions that can improve the safety and quality of the school or community environment.
Math, Science, and Technology 5.Management of Technology.7: participate in small group projects and in structured group tasks requiring planning, financing, production, quality control, and follow-up.
Math, Science, and Technology 5.Technological Systems.4: understand that larger systems are made up of smaller component subsystems.
English Language Arts 1.Listening and Reading.1: select and use strategies they have been taught for note-taking, organizing, and categorizing information.
English Language Arts 1.Listening and Reading.1: select information appropriate to the purpose of their investigation and relate ideas from one text to another
English Language Arts 1.Listening and Reading.1: gather and interpret information from children's reference books,magazines, textbooks, electronic bulletin boards, audio and media presentations, oral interviews, and from such forms as charts, graphs, maps, and diagrams
English Language Arts 1.Listening and Reading.1: make appropriate and effective use of strategies to construct meaning from print, such as prior knowledge about a subject, structural and context clues, and an understanding of letter-sound relationships to decode difficult words
English Language Arts 1.Listening and Reading.1: support inferences about information and ideas with reference to text features, such as vocabulary and organizational patterns.
English Language Arts 1.Speaking and Writing.2: include relevant information and exclude extraneous material
English Language Arts 1.Speaking and Writing.2: observe basic writing conventions, such as correct spelling, punctuation, and capitalization, as well as sentence and paragraph structures appropriate to written forms.
English Language Arts 1.Speaking and Writing.2: use a few traditional effect, and similarity and difference
English Language Arts 1.Speaking and Writing.2: use the process of pre-writing, drafting, revising, and proofreading ( the English Language Arts 1.Speaking and Writing.2: present information clearly in a variety of oral and written forms such as summaries, paraphrases, brief reports, stories, posters, and charts
English Language Arts 1.Speaking and Writing.2: select a focus, organization, and point of view for oral and written presentations
English Language Arts 1.Speaking and Writing.2: use details, examples, anecdotes, or personal experiences to explain or clarify information
English Language Arts 2.Listening and Reading.1: use inference and deduction to understand the text
English Language Arts 2.Speaking and Writing.2: observe the conventions of grammar and usage, spelling, and punctuation.
English Language Arts 3.Listening and Reading.1: recognize that the criteria that one uses to analyze and evaluate anything depend on one's point of view and purpose for the analysis
English Language Arts 3.Listening and Reading.1: read and form opinions about a variety of literary and informational texts and presentations, as well as persuasive texts such as advertisements, commercials, and letters to the editor
English Language Arts 3.Listening and Reading.1: make decisions about the quality and dependability of texts and experiences based on some criteria, such as the attractiveness of the illustrations and appeal of the characters in a picture book, or the logic and believability of the claims made in an advertisement
English Language Arts 4.Listening and Reading.1: recognize the kind of interaction appropriate for different circumstances, such as story hour, group discussions, and one-on-one conversations.
English Language Arts 4.Listening and Reading.1: take turns speaking and respond to others' ideas in conversations on familiar topics
English Language Arts 4.Speaking and Writing.2: read and discuss published letters, diaries, and journals to learn the conventions of social writing.
English Language Arts 4.Speaking and Writing.2: adjust their vocabulary and style to take into account the nature of the relationship and the knowledge and interests of the person receiving the message.
Social Studies 1.History of the United States and New York.2: distinguish between near and distant past and interpret simple time lines.
Social Studies 1.History of the United States and New York.4: consider different interpretations of key events and/or issues in history and understand the differences in these accounts.
Social Studies 1.History of the United States and New York.4: explore different experiences, beliefs, motives, and traditions of people living in their neighborhoods, communities, and State.
Social Studies 1.History of the United States and New York.4: view historic events through the eyes of those who were there, as shown in their art, writings, music, and artifacts.
Social Studies 5.Civics Citizenship and Government.1: explain the probable consequences of the absence of government and rules.
If you have plowed through all this and would like to let me know your reactions, you may contact me at:
lthorn@earthlink.net
I promise to answer all communications. ;-)
Lynn M. Thornton
Carthage Central Schools
January 1, 1999