The ocean is a fascinating place - especially when third graders in 2 schools get to learn about it together via video conferencing! Students worked on this 5 month project on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8:55-9:35.

• To define the characteristics of oceans


• To describe the animals and plants that live in the ocean
  
  


• To describe the dangers of the ocean
  
  


• To identify ways in which sea creatures help each other to survive in the ocean
  
  


• To write a report describing the description, diet, habitat, and adaptions of a sea creature

long distance cart in each school; books, websites, reference materials; posters, charts, art supplies, globe, artifacts, powerpoint programs, video

1. The LMS from each school developed a rough plan via email. Agreed on a day after school to "test" the video conferencing equipment and to continue planning via video conferencing.

2. Students at McKinley-Brighton and Bellevue Elementary Schools met for the first time via video conferencing. Students shared a poem or song about the ocean.

3. Science teacher Catherine Miller-Hayes introduced the unit by discussing what the ocean looks like, sounds and feels like. Students looked at sand (in baggies) and discussed what they saw.

4. Science teacher Jackie Pitt discussed the coral reef. Beforehand she prepared notes on chart paper and a picture of the coral reef. She introduced the facts and used a globe so students could locate the equator.

5. LMS Monica Minion modeled notetaking. She used an article about angelfish from www.enchantedlearning.com and designed a notetaking worksheet. (see attached article and worksheet)

6. The next few weeks, students worked on gathering materials, reading, taking notes on plants and animals of the ocean. During this time students were introduced to Syracuse City School District databases and print encyclopedias.

7. Third grade teacher Stephanie Moch used websites to teach a lesson on the kelp forest. (see attached lesson plan)

8. The students continued notetaking in the library and learning content in the classrooms for the next 2 weeks (4 sessions)

9. Students viewed a video "Ocean Habitats: Light and Dark Zones." This video gives lots of examples of adaptation. (see attached lesson plan)

10. LMS Bonnie French taught students how to write a "bam" sentence. (A bam sentence is a 1st sentence that is so exciting that everyone wants to read the rest of the report.) Students and teachers worked as a group to help each student write a bam sentence. (see attached lesson plan & separate Word document with examples)

11. Students worked in individual schools to write their reports.

12. Syracuse University student Christene Gantos created a PowerPoint for 3rd graders on how to create a PowerPoint presentation. She did this while doing fieldwork for a graduate course. Note: It could also be used with adults! (see attached ppt.)

13. SUNY Albany intern Nadine Lont taught the students how to create a PowerPoint using a modified version of the PowerPoint presentation designed by Christene Gantos. This version includes an example of a completed ocean report. (see attached lesson plan and ppt)

14. Students worked in the libraries to create individual PowerPoint presentations. We created a template on a PC so the children could work on their ppt on either a PC or a Mac. (see attached ppt template)

15. Students shared their final projects with each other via videoconferencing.

Additional activities:



16. McKinley-Brighton students were able to take a field trip to the MOST (Museum of Science & Technology). They saw the iMax film "Coral Reef."

17. A 4th grade class wrote reports on various fish. A student videotaped the students reading their reports while standing in front of an ocean flannelboard and holding a model of their fish or wearing a crazy fish hat. The same student downloaded the film to iMovie and created an excellent video. This was shared with several classes as well as with parents.

18. Since the science teachers at McKinley-Brighton started teaching other grades about the ocean, we spent about a month teaching literature lessons with younger children. (Some of the lessons are attached.)

19. At McKinley-Brighton, students turned the library storytelling room into an ocean. They used florescent markers & paper on many items which really looked great when the black lights were turned on! Parents and their children were the first to see it during an evening event, then classes toured the ocean during library or science classes throughout the week. (see attached pictures in a 3 slide ppt.)

20. Assessment (see attached test)

21. One teacher told me her daughter was spending a few months in Australia. From that came a beautiful set of photos taken in the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia. This PowerPoint presentation was shown to classes at both schools. (See attached PowerPoint)

Classwork, Discussions, Notes, Report, PowerPoint Presentation, test.

Note: Classroom and science teachers will give grades for student work.

Monica Minion, LMS (Bellevue Elementary School)
Catherine Miller-Hayes, science teacher (McKinley-Brighton)
Jackie Pitt, science teacher (McKinley-Brighton)
Stephanie Moch, Gr. 3 classroom teacher (Bellevue)
Jane Janis, SU intern;
Nadine Lont, SUNY Albany intern;
Christene Gantos, fieldwork for SU;
Debra Abbott, SU intern;
Michele Romeo, SU intern;
Chuck Sniper, Gr. 3 classroom teacher (McKinley-Brighton)
Charina Turner, Gr. 3 classroom teacher (McKinley-Brighton)
Pat Rudney, Art teacher (McKinley-Brighton)
Paola Benevento, Henninger High School student;
Elizabeth Benevento, LeMoyne College student;
And a special thank you to Linda Walker, PreK teacher (McKinley-
Brighton) for lending us so many books, display items, puppets, etc.
And a special thank you to Marilyn Arnone, Ph.D., Research Associate
Professor, School of Information Studies (SU) for her artistic and technical assistance.