Islam Investigation! - Qur'an and Sunnah

Students investigate the history of the religion of Islam through a series of research and cross-curricular language arts and world geography activities on ThinkQuest.org (our online classroom).  For each sub-standard of the Islam 7.2 state standard, students visit an interactive page that guides them through related web sites, videos, maps, and more!  Then, students use their learning to participate in message boards and debates within each page.  Finally, students are challenged to create a final piece of their learning for that standard that exemplifies what they have learned! See examples of the process and final pieces below for 7.2.3 standard on the Qur'an and Sunnah:


7.2.3  Qur'an and Sunnah
Students learn the importance of the Qur'an and Sunnah in teaching the religion of Islam to Muslims through guided web sites and a PowerPoint presentation.  

Learn more about Islam here

Since the Qur'an and Sunnah are written in Arabic, students then share one Muslim rule they learned on a message board in both English and Arabic! Before they share, they must translate it into Arabic using Google Translate.

Students finally research in depth the Five Pillars of Islam and create a brochure showcasing what they have learned:

The student brochure above is an interactive brochure with links to websites for each picture.  If you click on the prayer picture it directs you to this link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salah

Islam Investigation! - Who was Muhammad?

Students investigate the history of the religion of Islam through a series of research and cross-curricular language arts and world geography activities on ThinkQuest.org (our online classroom).  For each sub-standard of the Islam 7.2 state standard, students visit an interactive page that guides them through related web sites, videos, maps, and more!  Then, students use their learning to participate in message boards and debates within each page.  Finally, students are challenged to create a final piece of their learning for that standard that exemplifies what they have learned! See examples of the process and final pieces below for 7.2.2 standard on Muhammad's life and teachings:


7.2.2  Muhammad's Life and Teachings
Students watch an introduction video on Islam and research the life of Muhammad.  Then, they discuss interesting things they learned and practice writing compound sentences in message boards:

Click here to learn about the life of Muhammad

Students then pretend to interview Muhammad and write a conversation using correctly punctuated dialogue:

Islam Investigation! - Arabian Peninsula

Students investigate the history of the religion of Islam through a series of research and cross-curricular language arts and world geography activities on ThinkQuest.org (our online classroom).  For each sub-standard of the Islam 7.2 state standard, students visit an interactive page that guides them through related web sites, videos, maps, and more!  Then, students use their learning to participate in message boards and debates within each page.  Finally, students are challenged to create a final piece of their learning for that standard that exemplifies what they have learned! See examples of the process and final pieces below for 7.2.1 standard on the Arabian Peninsula:


7.2.1 Arabian Peninsula
Students research the location, land, climate, nomadic and city life of the Arabian Peninsula:

Learn about the Arabian Peninsula here!

Students participate in cross-curricular message boards about adjectives and suffixes:

Students research the nomadic life of the Bedouins, compare and contrast their lives to Bedouins' lives, and create a postcard to send home as if they visited a Bedouin camp:

Learn about Bedouin life here!

Click here to learn more about the Bedouins!

D.A.T.A. Loves Data! - Benchmark Test Analysis and Reflection

Students spent class time today analyzing, reflecting on, and celebrating their Language Arts Benchmark scores from Quarter 1.  Miss Lukins returned to them their answer sheets with a small slip stapled to it printed from Illuminate (data assessment program used to grade benchmarks and give reports).  On the small slip students were able to see their number correct on the test, percentage, and performance band (Advanced, Proficient, etc.).  Students completed these tasks in order:

1. Highlighted their score and performance band.
2. Highlighted the standard in which they scored the lowest to help them focus on a standard to improve next quarter.
3. Celebrated each standard they mastered with a perfect score by raising their hands as Miss Lukins explained each standard.
4. Wrote on the back of their sheet, 3 sentences explaining why they received the score they received.  Here are the questions to help them with their responses:
5. Graphed their score using their percentage.
6. Wrote a goal for quarter 2 and three ways to achieve that goal.
7. With a partner, looked back at the benchmark test questions they missed and discovered why they missed them or how they would correct them.
8. Miss Lukins then showed students on the screen each question with the percentage correct and incorrect.  She showed actual questions that the whole class scored the highest in and the questions that were toughest for the class.
9. Celebrated success and willingness to improve! 
10. "100 % Club!" Way to go students! (above and below)
11. Celebration for a 100% Proficient and Advanced GATE class!

Descriptive "Dream House" Essays

Students practiced their descriptive writing skills by describing their "dream house" using imagery, similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia, personification, and more!  Students began brainstorming on a PDF form, which they typed their notes into to organize their essays.  Then, students typed away on their netbooks using the best detail, figures and speech, sentence variety, etc. to help the reader visualize their dream house.  Students encouraged each other with detail, some even exceeding 1,000 words!  Hooray writers!  Those who finished enjoyed creating picture collages of their dream house or creating an online floor plan using the web site:  http://www.homestyler.com/.  Miss Lukins "monitored" their writing use "DYKNOW Monitor" (classroom management software) and wrote encouraging messages to students on their screens (see last two photos).  See creative imaginations transformed into writing and artwork in the photos below!  


Brainstorming their essay:

Students use their brainstorms to type their essays:

Friendly competition for the most detail:

Designing online floor plans of their dream houses:

3D models too...

Teacher using DYKNOW software to read and send messages to students about their writing:

"Great detail, Madison!"

Students post their "Dream House" brainstorm, essay, and collage/floor plans on ThinkQuest.org for their classmates to read: