Setting+&+Context

=The Setting and Context =

This unit will be completed at the Arts and Technology Academy Public Charter School (ATA), which is located in North East D.C. Lessons for the unit will primarily take place in the computer lab and the library. Both the computer lab and the library have Promethean boards and there are multiple laptop carts that could be utilized if the computer lab is unavailable during any lessons. The computer lab contains 27 brand new computers. This is the first year that the school has had a librarian, and the collection’s non-fiction section is not properly up-to-date. There are a limited number of titles on the solar system, and thus students will primarily be using online resources.

ATA is a title 1 school, and the students are mostly from low-income families and the school has an 80% FARMS rate. Most of the students do not have access to computers at home or mobile technology. Less than 50% of students in the fifth grade were reading on grade level at the beginning of the year, based on Terra Nova test scores. For the astronomy unit the school librarian will be working with all three fifth grade classes during their Language Arts block with Mrs. Fletcher. This is a positive because Ms. Fletcher can inform the librarian of various strengths and weaknesses of students. She is also an excellent educator. A challenge to collaboration with Ms. Fletcher may be scheduling a time to sit down and plan who will do what for each lesson. Collaboration on plans will likely occur before school because planning time for teachers is in the afternoons, and the librarian is only at the school in the mornings four out of the five days of the school week. Scheduling classes should not be an issue. Students will have three weeks to prepare their brochures. More time must be allotted because of a lack of home-computer access. Ms. Fletcher and the librarian have previously scheduled all three fifth grade classes on Mondays because the librarian has a completely open schedule on that weekday. Time is also available on Tuesday-Friday between 10:00 and 11:00am.

Students have scheduled technology classes with the technology teacher. All of the students have basic typing skills. All of the classrooms also have Promethean boards and the fifth grade classrooms have at least four desktop computers in each. All classes have access to laptop carts. In the past, the only subscription database that was utilized, however, was Discovery Education. Students thus have little experience searching for information using databases. Mrs. Fletcher has had Promethean board training and uses it on a regular basis. She has said she is “comfortable” using technology and wants to work to improve the student’s research skills. Research skills will be addressed and databases will be utilized through the brochure creation project.

There is a filtering system in the school, so each website will be tested before it is placed as a resource link within the pathfinder for the project. Social media will not be used besides Glogster, which will only be used as an optional organization tool for students. Students were purposely assigned a brochure as a way for students to be able to complete the assignment without relying completely on technology which most of them do not have access to at home. The brochure can be completed in paper format as well as digital format. Students will also be encouraged to utilize print sources in and outside of the school, from their classroom book collection, school library, and public library, in addition to databases and electronic sources.