Goals:
1. To provide students with an introduction to the island Molokai.
2. To help students learn Internet skills and how to find information on a particular site. This site is well-linked and easy to follow.
3. Develop critical thinking skills by relating what they learn from the assignment to their own personal preferences.
Resources/Materials:
1. Map of Hawaii from Birnbaum's 95 Hawaii by Alexandra Mayes Birnbaum (1994). New York, N.Y.: HarperCollins Publishers (ISBN 0-06-278165-0)
2. Computers with Internet access. One computer for every student would be optimal, but approximately 2-3 students could work at one station for this exercise.
3. Study guide that covers the Molokai site containing 10 questions about the information.
4. Internet site http://visitmolokai.com/molokai.html
5. Print out of this site's home page.
Time:
This project will take about 1 hour.
Procedure:
1. This is the first lesson in the Molokai/Lanai unit, so we'll start by showing where these islands are located.
2. Distribute print out of site's home page and read together in class. This will give the students an idea of what the island is like, and we can discuss how Molokai will compare to the island they just came from.
3. Have students set up at their computers, log on and find the correct site. Explain that the information they are looking for is all linked to the home page and found in the upper left-hand corner. The students are expected not to stray from this site.
4. The students will have about 30 minutes to read through all the links and answer the questions on their study guides.
5. Once they are finished and hand in their study guides, they will have until the rest of the hour (approximately 15 minutes) to write a short essay about whether they would like to visit Molokai or not and why. If they have been to other islands, they can use their knowledge for comparisons. The teacher can either collect the study guides, or quickly correct them and hand them back so students can write their essay on the back.
Assessment:
1. Each student or group will have a completed 10-question study guide. Anyone who turns in a guide with more than one wrong will go back onto the site and find the correct answers. These papers will not be graded, but each student must have a completed effort.
2. The short essays will be assessed by the teacher on a 10-point scale (rubric included). Students are expected to incorporate the information from the web site and possibly from their other classes in giving their answers. (Criteria for success = 8pts out of 10.)
Curricular strands:
1. Social studies: Learning about location and general background of a new island.
2. Language arts: Developing a short essay, using new information and their personal experiences and preferences.
3. Math: A few worksheet questions involve numerical problem solving skills.
Possible extensions:
1. Have students put their comments about the site in the feedback section of the site and try to develop a back-and-forth conversation with the site's creators.
Go to Exploring Lanai
Go to Schedule of Lessons