The Gift of Age is an English language arts unit that allows students to explore the reality of the process of aging while using research and interviewing methods. This project generates an understanding of elderly persons in our communities. It promotes mutual understanding among young and old individuals as they interact to learn more about themselves and others.

Independent Research  - Aging in Our Community

1.Selecting a topic. Identify a need, or needs, in the community related to the aging population. Examples include the need for recreational activities for senior citizens, health care needs, independent living resources, etc.

2.Once students have selected a topic, each student should think of three to five guiding questions, such as:
•What has been done in the past to address this need in our community?
•What are other communities doing to address this problem?
•What can we do?

While these examples are general, the student’s questions should be specific to the chosen topic. The questions should lead him/her to form individual research-based opinions. The student should also develop a hypothesis or some possible answers to the questions.
3.Creating a research proposal. Students should identify their topic, guiding questions, and possible resources.
4.Conducting the research. After the teacher has approved student proposals, each student begins using the resources he/she has identified and others he/she may encounter. During this stage, the student will need to keep a log, note cards, and/or resource process sheets for all the sources he/she uses and what he/she learns from each one.

Each student will write a letter to an appropriate person in the community or an article for publication (to a school newspaper, community newspaper through a letter to the editor, youth magazine, or an online journal) on the aging issue investigated. The letter or article should clearly describe the problem, the student’s proposed solution, and what makes the solution viable. Each student should attach a list of references or works cited.

The student will present to the class what he/she has learned. The student should speak persuasively about the solution to his/her identified problem. The audience should be given time for questions and answers.

FUTURISTIC SCHOOL

2008© A. Novak

(A guidebook will be provided for this project.)

Product: Make a blueprint of your FUTURISTIC SCHOOL then build a 3-D model of it. Include as many details as possible (school name, location, flag, mascot, class schedule, uniform, staff, web page, etc..)

Make a comparison of BES and your School of the Future.

Unit: Sybil the Scientist

The purpose of this unit is to introduce the
students to analytical thinking. They will meet Sybil, a scientist who loves
to classify and organize the information she collects. The students will
learn that in analytical thinking there are no pre-determined rules for
classifying. The scientist must classify data that has never been sorted and
organized before, and it is up to her to determine the rules for sorting.
There may be more than one equally correct way to sort data.

LINKS:

THINKING SKILLS:

http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/saishin-e.html - Optical Illusion

http://www.zoopz.com/index.html - HOTS (Hands On Thinking Skills)

http://www.microsoft.com/education/demos/schooloffuture/experience_the_school.html - Building blueprint

http://www.phila.k12.pa.us/offices/sof/logos.html - Logos

http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/games/magic-gopher-central.swf - Magic Math