Digital Voice Awards 2009
Cultural Connections Winner, Elementary Whole Class


Project Information
Title:
Legend Of The Poinsettia
This project is:
Original
Category:
Elementary
Grade Levels:
3
Abstract:
The lesson objective was to take a piece of literature, in this case, Tomie De Paola’s “The Legend of the Poinsettia,” and extract important information to create a group Keynote presentation. Each student group put together 2-3 slides, which were later incorporated into a group presentation. The story analysis and the examination of a family's background and life in another country made this entry a winner for Cultural Connections.

Technology Strand
Technology Strand:
Multimedia Presentation, Podcast, or Web Page
Length:
3 minutes
Applications/Technology:
Keynote, Safari, iPhone Camera, Digital Camera, Photo Booth, Microsoft Word

Standards
Grade 3 English-Language Arts Reading 2.0 Reading Comprehension. 2.6 Extract appropriate and significant information from the text, including problems and solutions.


Learning Objectives and Assessment
Behavioral Learning Objective:
The learning objective in this lesson was to take a grade-appropriate reading literature piece to extract important information which was later used to create a group Keynote presentation. The students had to work collaboratively with their Keynote group and put together 2-3 slides which were later incorporated into a group presentation. The groups brainstormed on their design and the types of media that they would use collectively. The presentation was then broadcasted to the entire school as evidence of technology in each classroom as well as for instructional purposes for teachers and students.
How was this project assessed?
This project was assessed using a rubric which incorporated: graphic design of the slides, transitions, grammar and mechanics, personal voice, creativity, content accuracy, summarizing skills, and group cooperation skills.
Other information:
This Keynote presentation served various purposes in our classroom: as curriculum content to meet the California Literacy Standards, as an authoring tool, as a student collaboration tool, as well as technology instruction tool for the entire third grade. After this presentation by my students, more than 150 third graders became proficient in working with Keynote and other technology applications.

Teacher Information
Name:
Maritza Ordonez
District:
East Whittier City Elementary
School:
Laurel Elementary