Challenge 3 may be assessed for content and technology used. You could also assess with a pencil and paper test. This unit was designed for use in a fifth grade classroom. The teacher will provide some direct instruction during the Benchmark lessons, but will mainly serve as a facilitator during the Challenge portions. Guest speakers may be brought in as resources.
Students communicate between schools to share knowledge and debate issues.
The unit could be completed in a classroom with several computers with Internet connections, or in a media center, computer lab, and classroom with one Internet connection. Video conferencing software and hardware is necessary in order for children to communicate between schools. Field trips to Civil War battlefield sites are excellent ways to extend the unit and assist the transfer of knowledge from abstract to concrete. Henry and Ft. Students may take pictures with digital cameras and record information on eMate computers.