Newsletter Assignment
Exploring a Tree
A Mini-Lesson Integrating Technology into the Curriculum
ET605
NETS-S Standards: 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 2c, 3b, 6b
http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-for-students-2007-profiles
Science Standards (Grades K-4): A1, C3
You will be working in groups of three or four. Each group will be
given a leaf from a tree (or a picture of a leaf). To find out who is in your group and to
exchange files, go to the class Moodle site (via
https://moodle.loyola.edu/). Click on ET605 to get to our course. The
groups are listed under this week.
Find your group members in the physical classroom.
As a group, visit the Web site:
http://www.oplin.org/tree/index.html
Use the tools on this site to figure out from which tree your leaf
came. It is possible that some of the leaves are not listed on the
site. Do not panic. For this assignment, you can find the closest match
and use that (in your real classroom, you would want to be sure to use
leaves that are there).
Each member of your group will write approximately one article about
your tree based on the information you find at this site and other
sites on the Web. You may divide up the information any way you want,
but you might want to have one person write about the leaf, one person
write about the fruit, and one person write a general introduction. If
you are working in a group of four, you might have one person write a
short story about the tree. Be sure to cite the sources of the
information you use (http://www.apastyle.org/). Each article should be
approximately 200-300 words long (see the Short-Time Notice if we do not have much time). Note that some of the information at
the site is rather sparse so you will have to find outside resources.
When each member finishes writing the articles, each member should
transmit the article to the other members (via email, via Moodle, via
flash drive, etc.). Each member will now create his/her own two-page
newsletter (see Short Time Notice if time is short). Be sure that your newsletter meets the following criteria:
- The page is professionally presented, generally in a two- or
three-column format, with all graphic and textual elements
appropriately lined up, and tabs and/or tables are used to line up text
within an article.
- Appropriate pictures and graphics are chosen and are laid out in
an attractive way, creating an attractive visual display that enhances
the content.
- Interesting and consistent textual effects are used throughout
the newsletter with font, style, and size changes only made when
appropriate.
- Page numbers are included on all pages except the first.
- An interesting and attractive banner heading that includes the
newsletter title, the date of publication, and other appropriate
information is included. Interesting and enticing article titles are
chosen that are both appropriate and grab the reader's attention.
- All articles in your newsletter are presented professionally,
with correct grammar, spelling, and usage.
Hand in an electronic copy of the newsletter (not the articles file) by
going to Moodle, entering the course, and clicking on the Newsletter
Assignment listed under this week's class. Before you upload your file,
be sure the file name starts with your last name.
While some of you will finish your newsletters in class, everyone
should be sure that you have gotten your article(s) to your classmates
before you leave and that you have, at least, started to create the
newsletter. Note that this is just for practice, not a graded
assignment, so don’t spend too much time outside of class perfecting it.
| SHORT TIME NOTE: If we are running late and do not have a significant
amount of time to work on this in class, be sure to get your articles
to your group mates before you leave. However, make articles shorter
(about 100-150 words) and make the newsletter 1 page instead of 2. |
Return
to ET605 Home Page.
This page was prepared by: David
M. Marcovitz, Ph.D.
Last updated: December 19, 2012