Duration of Lesson: 

This unit may be completed in part or as a thematic unit.  This unit can be easily adapted to any grade level.  Depending on grade level and computer experience these lessons may take 10-12 periods.

Goals:

To create awareness about the importance of lighthouses in our society through activities made exciting and challenging with the aid of modern technology.

Objectives: 

To know when and why lighthouses were originally created.
To understand how lighthouses have evolved through the years.
To be able to explain what a lighthouse is and give three reasons why lighthouses are important today.
To gain knowledge about the physical structure of lighthouses.
To know how lighthouses affect ocean life.
To be able to properly use various computer hardware and software.
To be able to start a software program.
To be able to type a web address to locate Internet sites.
To be able to navigate through a website.
To be able to gather pertinent information from a web site.
To complete a Lighthouse Fact Form.
To be able to create a new document.
To be able to save a file.
To be able to open a saved a file.
To be able to print a document.
To be able to type a report using a word processor.
To be able to use the shift key to make capital letters.
To be able to use the tab key to indent.
To be able to change the font, size, style and color of letters.
To be able to construct a three-dimensional model.
To be able to use various tools in a paint program to create an original drawing or design.
To be able to reverse a picture when printing using the flipped-horizontal option.
To use public speaking skills to present an oral report.
To actively participate in a virtual fieldtrip in an Interactive Television Studio.

Technology and Workplace Readiness:

This unit addresses the Cross-Content Workplace Standards as they are outlined in The New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards.  In this unit, students will be taught to use the Internet as a research tool.  Students will also present their completed report, t-shirt design, and model in the form of an oral presentation.  This is a successful way for students to demonstrate their public speaking skills.  Both of these applications have the potential to be very helpful in a school setting as well as in the future workplace.
 

This unit covers a wide array of topics associated with the curriculum, including, but not limited to, the following: Science - ocean life and building structure; Social Studies - communities, timelines, and history; Technology - Internet research, word processing, art/creativity, and distance learning; and Enrichment - enhancing and enriching student knowledge and understanding of historical structures and uses of technology in our society.

Cross Content Workplace Readiness:
2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.6, 2.8

Language Arts:
3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5

Visual Arts:
1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 1.6

Science:
5.1, 5.4, 5.6, 5.7, 5.9

Social Studies:

6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.8

Materials:
Handouts, Lighthouse Fact Form, various craft materials, transfer paper, t-shirts, disks 

Equipment:
Computers with Internet Connections, one computer with an all-in-wonder card for TV display,
color printers, digital camera, ITV Studio

Software:

Internet Explorer 5.0, Microsoft Word, Kid Pix, Crayola Print Factory

Summary of Unit:

Students will research United States Lighthouses using the Internet as a primary resource.  They will have guided practice extracting important information within web sites. Students will write and type a lighthouse report. Students will create their own three-dimensional lighthouse model. They will also create a two-dimensional original design of a lighthouse on the computer that will be printed on to transfer paper and ironed on to a t-shirt.  Finally, students will participate in a lighthouse tour via an Interactive Television Studio. Students will make an oral presentation discussing their reports, t-shirts and models. All student work from this unit will be displayed during Creative Arts Night.

Student Feedback and Assessment:
Teacher Evaluation
Completed Research Report
Completed T-shirt Design
Completed Lighthouse Model
Oral Presentation
Rubric Scoring
Student Participation
Classmate and Parental Comments

Details of Lessons:

Lesson 1: Internet
An overview of the entire lighthouse unit is given to the students.
Students will be given guided practice in searching and navigating through web sites using the Internet.
Students will be directed and taught to bookmark, save, and print information.
Students will be given the addresses for several Lighthouse sites to use to research interesting facts that will aid them in completing a Lighthouse Fact Form (see attachment 1). 

Lesson 2: Report
Students will be given a short review about proper keyboarding techniques and word processing skills such as using the shift key for capital letters, using the tab key to indent, and how to change fonts, sizes, styles and colors.
Students will use Microsoft Word to type a report about lighthouses using the Lighthouse Fact Form and other information previously found on the Internet.
Students will print the final report (see attachment 2).

Lesson 3: Three-Dimensional Model
Students will be guided through the process of making a model of a lighthouse.
They will be given a brief review of how to use the different painting tools in Kid Pix.
Students will then use Kid Pix to create a Lighthouse daymark (design) that will be wrapped around a cardboard cylinder, which will be the foundation for the lighthouse model (see attachment 3).
Students will complete and decorate lighthouse model using an array of objects and materials.

Lesson 4: T-Shirt Transfer Design
Students will use Kid Pix again to create and design an original lighthouse t-shirt transfer design/logo. 
Students will place their name and the year near their design.

Students will through guided practice be taught how to utilize flipped horizontal option when printing in order for text to appear correctly when transferred to the t-shirt.
Students will print their design on to transfer paper (see attachment 4).

The transfers will be ironed on to t-shirts by the teacher.
Pictures will be taken with a digital camera of each student wearing their t-shirt with their report and model. The picture will later be inserted in their lighthouse report. The pictures will also be printed and laminated to be displayed and eventually given to students to take home. In addition, a group portrait will be taken (see attachment 5).

Lesson 5: Presentation
Students will present their report, three-dimensional model, and t-shirt to the class through an oral report, utilizing public speaking skills previously taught.

Classmates will grade presenter using modified rubrics scoring.
Students will also have their projects on display for the public to see at Creative Arts Night. They will help with setup by cooperatively making banners and signs for identification using Crayola Print Factory.

Lesson 6: Interactive Television
The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts in cooperation with the Cape May Lighthouse Organization will give students a tour of a local lighthouse through Interactive Television.
Students will bring their models and t-shirts to display during the virtual tour. 
Once again this will allow students to use public speaking skills as they display and discuss their projects in the ITV room.

Additional Comments:

 Students were delighted and proud of their great accomplishments.  This was made evident by the enthusiasm and excitement in their presentations.  The Interactive Television tour of a local lighthouse was an excellent culminating activity. 

Once again students were amazed by modern technology and being able to interact with the television.  In addition, students worked cooperatively in small groups to create “Thank You” cards on the computer that were sent to the Cape May Lighthouse Keepers and several other parents, teachers and organizations that helped us to complete this wonderful project. 

As a member of the Delaware Lighthouse Keepers and Friends Association, I am thrilled at the enlightened awareness that my students now have about lighthouses due to the completion of this project.  Their knowledge and passion for lighthouses have been amplified by the research and activities that were completed in this unit.