They are incorporating stories about their community during World War I, photos of some of the community residents, photos of the community from that period of time and a table with community population figures. This report will go into each child's portfolio. Using the Internet, an international electronic communication network, students are sharing data from their own lake study project with students as far away as Russia They are also following an arctic training expedition, questioning and receiving information from the explorers. They are searching the school district online catalog, a database of statewide library resources and online historical magazine indexes and a laserdisc of resources from the Library of Congress. Among the resources selected by one student are primary source newspapers, a videotaped documentary, an audio recording of folk songs, along with books and magazine articles.
Electronic mail is used to request some items through interlibrary loan.
They collect the materials, plants, and animals based on their completed research. The teacher and library media specialist locate biological data through the Internet and students confer with the local experts via telephone interview and Internet e-mail. They group students, identify projects that will be completed, and suggest roles each will play in the study. The teachers and library media specialist review the requirements and identify resources necessary, the best information access points for each group, and the most efficient scheduling of time and resource use. The mentors guide students in projects and suggest sources with which to work.