ErieCanalState-WideCollaborativeProject
2016
Forthelast7years,Monroe#1BOCEShasfacilitatedanexcitingstate-widecollaborationwith4th
gradestudentsabouttheErieCanal.Studentslearnaboutother
communitiesandhistoryneartheErieCanal,aswellasexploremore
aboutthehistoricalrelevanceoftheErieCanalontheircommunity.
ClassroomsparticipateinaMysteryThroughHistoryintheinitial
distancelearningconnection.Inafuturedistancelearningconnection,
studentstakeanactiverolebyworkingtogethertocreatean
interactivepresentationthataddressestheir“essentialquestion”about
theErieCanal.*Newthisyear!CompleteErieCanalUnitCommonCore
Alignedresourcesareavailableforeducators.
Purpose:ThepurposethisprojectistoaddressNYS4thgradeSocialStudiescurriculum
regardingtheErieCanal,transportation,andgeography.Educatorsandstudentswillparticipate
ina“teaching”session,titledMysteryThroughHistorypresentedbythefacilitatoroftheproject.
Classroomswillthencreatetheirownpresentationinwhichtheyaddresstheclass-created
EssentialQuestionabouttheErieCanal.Theentireprojectentailsthreedistance-learning
connections.Overall,nearly3000studentshaveparticipatedandlearnedfromtheErieCanal
project.
InstructionalFramework:Thepurposeofthesemodulesistobeasflexibleaspossiblein
meetingthevariedneedsofbothmultiplelearnersandmultipleeducators.Assuch,theywillbe
designedutilizinganumberofcurriculumframeworks:
•
CommonCoreAligned!
•
TheSScorecurriculumandstandardsfromtheNYStateLearningStandardswitha
focuson:
o "localcommunitieswithconnectionstoNewYorkState"
o Industrialgrowthandexpansion
§ Transportation,inventions,communicationandtechnology
§ Immigrationandmigration(howdidtheErieCanalfacilitatethis?)
§ TheimportantcontributionsofimmigrantstoNewYorkState(thosewho
workedonthecanalandthenstayedontoliveinvariouslocations)
§ Geographicinfluencesofindustrializationandexpansion(eg.Natural
resources,location):theinteractionsbetweeneconomicandgeographic
factors
•
The21stCenturystandards
CollaborativeSpace
ACollaborativeSpacewascreatedforeducatorstouseduringtheproject.
TheCollaborativeSpacewascreatedinMoodle,anonlinelearning
environment.ThefacilitatoruploadedaglossaryofErieCanalFactsfor
educatorstoutilize.Inaddition,therewerespacesforeachgroupto
communicateandshareresources.Frequentcommunicationwasdelivered
withinthespaceaswellasreferencedocuments.Finally,classroom
projectswereuploadedtothespacesothateducatorscouldviewother
group’spresentations.
Connection#1:Optionalinformationmeetingforeducators
only.Facilitatorshares“collaborativespace”(weused
Moodle–classroommanagementsystem),timeline,and
importantdatesforeducatorinput.Thisalsoactsasa
connectionandequipmenttest.Thisisrecommendedfor
firsttimeparticipants.
Connection#2:Thisisforeducatorsandstudents.
Facilitatorpresentstheinteractiveexperienceinwhich
studentshelpsolveaMysteryThroughHistoryaboutthe
ErieCanal.TheMysteryThroughHistoryshowcases4suspects(Businessman,Canalboat
Captain,Inventor,andCanalWorker).InspectorJ.leadsthestudentsthroughtheinterrogationas
studentsaskeachsuspectwheretheywereduringtherobbery,whattheydoonthecanalboat,
whyweretheyonthecanalboat,andiftheycanaddanythingtotheinvestigation.Witheach
questionthestudentsareabletogatherevidenceabouthistoricalinformationaboutjobs,lifeon
theErieCanal,economics,geography,immigration,andculturalinformationabouttheErieCanal.
Connection#3:Thisisforeducatorsandstudents.Classroomspresentaninteractive
presentationthataddressestheclassroom-createdEssentialQuestion.AnexampleofanEssential
Question:“HowdidtheErieCanalsparkinventions?”,“WhatcouldbethefutureoftheErie
Canal?”,“HowweredifferentgroupsofpeopleimpactedbytheErieCanal?”,and“Whatdo
pictures,songs,andstoriesaboutchildrentellusaboutthecultureontheErieCanal?”
ExamplesofClassroomPresentations:
1. PowerpointpresentationJeopardygame
2. Smartboard“ProgressivePoem”
3. GameShows
4. Debates
5. Reporterabouttown
6. VisittohistoricErieCanalTown
7. Canalboatridewithdetailsoflocalestablishments
8. Videoscreatedandnarratedbystudents
Witheachpresentation,classroomswereencouragedtocreateaninteractiveexperienceforother
classroomsparticipating.Manyclassroomsembeddedhintsorquestionswithintheir
presentationtoencourageinteraction.Otherclassroomsactivelyincludedtheotherclassroomsin
theirpresentation.Weencourageddigitalprojects,butthiswasnotmandatory.Finalclassroom
presentationshouldbe5minuteslongtoallowtimeforquestionsandinteractionfromother
classrooms.
Contactinformation:[email protected]