Fifth Graders Learn More About The Rainforest
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"I learned that Meg Lowman studied the entire Rainforest. But she studied the canopy the most, including using a blimp that was 250 feet up to get to the plants and animals in the canopy," said Washington Middle School fifth grader Leyondre Glover.
Leyondre explained just one of the many facts he and his classmates discovered as part of the English Language Arts Rainforest unit. The main ELA goals of the unit are summarizing informational text and comparing the overall text structure of two or more pieces of text so the students first read and learn about the Rainforest. Co-teachers Deb Rein and Priscilla Menzies decided to incorporate technology into the Rainforest study. Students used "CLIPS," which is an Apple computer program that inspires students to tell stories with engaging visuals.
"As teachers, it is our responsibility to complete our curriculum, but also to share the world with our students," said Mrs. Menzies and Mrs. Rein. "This includes the good and the bad. If we don't impress upon them the importance of the resources found in the rainforest and the human impact that changes them, they won't have the whole picture. Deforestation is just one-way humans are diminishing our rainforests and we could be losing valuable species. There are many species of plants and animals not yet discovered that need to be preserved for scientists to uncover their potential."
The CLIPS videos needed to include: what a rainforest is, the biodiversity of the rainforest, and what animals live in each layer. The students had very specific items to research. They also included how scientists study the rainforest and then share their work. The students began with an outline of what we expected to be in their projects, they researched and completed the piece. The teachers let the students use their creativity and imaginations to create a project in their own style.
"I like using CLIPS because it's different from just reading about something or seeing it on a video," said Washington Middle School fifth grader Samantha Hopkins. "It makes what we are learning so much more interesting and makes it come alive. We also get to be creative and decide how we want our project to look but still learning about it."
The teachers know the importance of utilizing technology to enhance student learning.
"Any time we are able to use technology as a tool for kids to show us what they learned, it's what we do because it engages the students in the task and increases their motivation to learn about the topic," said Mrs. Rein and Mrs. Menzies. "JJPS Technology Integration Specialist, Jason Kathman and Jeff Kresge, came in and introduced the students to CLIPS in December. We then used it for a Human Rights project, which was also a hit with our students. We think they learn the info better because the resources we use include real-life experiences with scientists who are in the field every day and their lives are exciting to fifth graders that spend their time in the city who may or may not have ever been to a zoo or real forest of any kind."