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Each Internet
Field Trip highlights several Web sites which have been selected
and evaluated by teachers and educators. The selected sites all
serve to enrich the study of a specific curriculum theme or topic,
in the areas of language arts, math, science, social studies, children's
literature, and K2. Grade-specific Web sites are indicated
where applicable. Scholastic.com Internet Field Trips are designed
primarily as a lesson-planning tool for the teacher, but you may
also wish to consider using them as guided research for students
beginning to use the Internet independently.
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Internet Field
Trips can help students expand their knowledge and understanding
of the current topic of focus and their understanding of technology
as a resource. Specific field trips in each of the subject areas
will meet a variety of content standards for that area.
Learning with
the Internet Field Trips projects helps students meet the following
standards:
National Council
of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the International Reading Association
(IRA).
- Students
conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and
questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and
synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint
texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in
ways that suit their purpose and audience. (Standard 7)
- Students
use a variety of technological and informational resources (e.g.,
libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and
synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
(Standard 8)
Technology
Foundation Standards for Students
- Demonstrate
a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology
systems.
- Are proficient
in the use of technology.
- Develop positive
attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning,
collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.
- Use technology
tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote
creativity.
- Use productivity
tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models,
prepare publications, and produce other creative works.
- Use technology
to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of
sources.
- Use technology
tools to process data and report results.
- Evaluate
and select new information resources and technological innovations
based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
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Useful tips
to make the most of these activities include:
- Bookmark
Web pages for future reference.
- Return to
previous pages using Back or Go commands.
- Return to
the Curriculum index page using the curriculum title link at the
top of each page.
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In most cases,
the teacher will want to spend time reviewing the field trip and
planning curriculum correlations before presenting the Field Trip
or the specific Web resources to students. NOTE: All sites recommended
in Internet Field Trips have been reviewed by teachers and by Scholastic
editors. However, due to the nature of the Internet, following a
series of links from a recommended site may lead students far afield
to potentially inappropriate sites. Teacher supervision and school
appropriate-use policies are always recommended when students are
using the Internet independently.
Following are
three possible strategies for using Internet Field Trips in the
classroom or media center:
AS A TEACHER
RESOURCE: For many teachers, the most effective use of the Internet
Field Trips will be as a planning tool. Review the selected Web
sites for the topic and check for additional related Web sites as
recommended in the Scholastic Web Guide. Determine which of the
recommended sites are appropriate for use with your students. Bookmark
the site. Then create your own lesson plans using the Web, or simply
print out the available resources to supplement your current curriculum.
AS A CLASS
ACTIVITY: If you have a large-screen television or LCD display panel,
you may wish to follow the links in an Internet Field Trip as a
whole-class Internet-literacy activity.
- Open to the
selected Field Trip and read the text as a group.
- Show students
how you click on each link to access that site. Point out that
the links do not always take you to the home page of the site,
and that some links connect the user to different places within
the same site.
- Demonstrate
simple navigation strategies, such as clicking on the Home link
to discover the sponsor of each site. Discuss how this may help
you evaluate the reliability and validity of information found
on the Web.
- Explore with
students other areas within a site, in addition to the highlighted
features.
- Discuss how
the information in the featured Web sites relates to other information
on the topic that you have covered in textbooks or in the classroom.
FOR INDEPENDENT
STUDENT USE: Students who have some facility with online research
can use Internet Field Trips independently or in small groups.
- Allow online
time in the classroom, media center, or computer lab for students
to visit the recommended links.
- For students
just beginning to do online research, you may want to prepare
one or two questions to be answered at each site.
- Older or
more experienced students can create research reports. These can
be presented as written reports supplemented with images downloaded
and printed from Web sites, or could be created as HyperStudio
stacks or HTML pages.
- Allow time
in class for each student (or group of students) to present their
reports orally or in multimedia format.
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