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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/114039/overview
|
Qreframer: a chatbot prompt that reveals your assumptions
Overview
A prompt that a student, educator or researcher can paste into a chatbot in order to explore the assumptions behind their questions. I hope educators and students may remix this to contextualise it to different contexts.
Introducing an awkward bot...
When did a chatbot ever decline to answer your question, and instead prompt you to reflect on its implicit assumptions?
Probably never, since they're designed to be compliant assistants serving answers. You're always the boss, and it jumps to meet your every question.
But maybe the bot needs to push back — at least, if you recognise that there's some room to think more deeply?
- You may think you're asking a good question — but is that really the information you need?
- Is there a better question that will uncover deeper insights?
- Or maybe you have a good starter question, but you need to refine it into a set of more focused questions?
- Perhaps someone else has posed a question, and you want to critique its assumptions?
So — let's sharpen up those questions, confront some assumptions, and become a more reflective thinker.
The prompt below can be pasted into any chatbot such as ChatGPT (try the pre-prompted GPT4 Qreframer bot), Copilot, Claude or Gemini.
The Prompt
Your role is to help users to reflect on their questions, recognise things they may have taken for granted, and their potential blindspots. This should help them reframe their questions.
When users ask questions, or select a question you have suggested, you should not immediately provide direct answers. Instead, your task is to identify up to 3 implicit assumptions behind their question, the implicit premises. However, you should explain that at any point they may ask for examples, evidence and sources.
You uniquely number each assumption, and continue the numbering sequence with each subsequent question.
After highlighting these assumptions, ask the user if they find any of them insightful or worth exploring further, inviting them to respond by choosing an assumption number. Remind the user that at any point they can of course ask for examples, evidence or sources about a question or assumption, which you will search online for, prioritising scholarly research, and giving concrete examples or case studies if possible.
When they choose an assumption, suggest relevant new questions that might be worth asking. Number these as sub-numbers. So if I choose assumption 4, then the questions you suggest should be numbered 4a, 4b, 4c, etc. Thus, every question you suggest will have a unique number.
Repeat this process of identifying assumptions, and offering the user a choice of question to explore further.
Remind the user that at any point they can request examples, evidence and sources. However, if the user asks for these repeatedly, without posing new questions or mentioning assumptions, politely remind them that many bots can simply give answers — you're distinctive in helping ask better questions.
Introduce yourself at the start, and invite the first question.
Each time the user selects an item to explore further, reproduce it in bold font to help it stand out.
Use language that piques curiosity on the part of the user. A desire to go deeper, and learn more about their blind spots, and what they take for granted.
At any point the user may ask you to revise an earlier numbered item, so if they simply type a digit, search the transcript for that item, and ask them to confirm this is what they intended.
If you can identify coherent connections between different questions, or assumptions, then draw them to the user's attention to ask if this is something they've noticed.
Bot personalities, and remixing
You may find it interesting to compare how different bots interpret the prompt — these bots have different 'personalities' from the different language models powering them. Here are some screenshots of different bots running the prompt.
And this prompt ain't perfect — can you see ways to improve it, or add new behaviours?
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:23.401067
|
03/09/2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/114039/overview",
"title": "Qreframer: a chatbot prompt that reveals your assumptions",
"author": "Simon Buckingham Shum"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/78011/overview
|
Education Standards
7th Grade - Objective vs. Subjective POV
Overview
This mini-lesson focuses on the skill of understanding what objective and subjective writing look like and their respective purposes. Students need to be able to understand and identify objective and subjective writing in order to comprehend an author's purpose and make informed decisions about what is being conveyed in the text.
Introduction
Depending on your purpose for writing, you may want to express yourself using strictly facts OR by stating what you feel or think. These two points of view in writing are called objective and subjective point of view.
As a reader, it is important to know if what you're reading is based on the author's opinion or if it is universally true. This can help you decode the text, understand the intent of the author, and help you form your own opinions about what you're reading.
In this lesson, you will...
Become familiar with the difference between the objective and subjective points of view in writing.
Practice writing your own objective and subjective statements.
You may join the interactive Nearpod lesson attached for further practice.
Objective Point of View
Examples of Objective Point of View
Subjective Point of View
Examples of Subjective Point of View
Let's Practice!
Read the following statements. Are they objective or subjective? Use the previous slides to help you!
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:23.429727
|
03/10/2021
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/78011/overview",
"title": "7th Grade - Objective vs. Subjective POV",
"author": "Katelyn Ragan"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/98668/overview
|
Fundamental Pharmacology for Undergraduate Nurses
Overview
Fundamental nursing pharmacology course focusing on pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, medication errors, drugs across the lifespan, complimentary and alternative therapies, and drugs affecting the autonomic nervous system.
Fundamental Pharmacology for Undergraduate Nurses
Material Description
Fundamental nursing pharmacology course focusing on pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, medication errors, drugs across the lifespan, complimentary and alternative therapies, and drugs affecting the autonomic nervous system.
Context for sharing:
Complete OER nursing resources and courses are rare and difficult to find; this course is meant to be a useful offering to nursing educators in Arizona and beyond.
Course link
Common Cartridge
This file can be downloaded and used in most LMS platforms.
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:23.450114
|
Jennifer Ritter
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/98668/overview",
"title": "Fundamental Pharmacology for Undergraduate Nurses",
"author": "Full Course"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/79907/overview
|
Blood Spatter Lab
Overview
For this lab students will use the angle of impact of blood spatter from a simulated scene to determine what happened in a case.
Lab Worksheet and Blood Drop PDF
For this lab students will use the angle of impact of blood spatter from a simulated scene to determine what happened in a case. Students will need a ruler with millimeter markings to complete the lab. To use this lab make a copy of the google doc worksheet below and download the PDF of the blood drops. Link the blood drop document in the worksheet.
Lab worksheet link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aRfT_vRTSne0CkF13enMr04Ora4qdYnKcOhbK87HaDQ/edit?usp=sharing
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:23.467379
|
05/05/2021
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/79907/overview",
"title": "Blood Spatter Lab",
"author": "Madison Kingsford"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/127726/overview
|
OER-SCEP Action Plan for K-12 District Implementation
Overview
This guide serves as a strategic planning tool for district leaders who seek to harness the pedagogical and financial benefits of creating or adapting Open Educational Resources (OER) to support all students through a Student-Centered and Equitable Practices (SCEP) lens. The guide provides step-by-step planning tools, including examples, templates, and resources to help district leaders articulate and establish action plans for integrating OER in ways that promote accessibility, inclusive learning environments, and instructional flexibility. As an open educational resource itself, this guide is free and openly licensed for reuse, remixing, and resharing.
OER-SCEP Action Plan for K-12 District Implementation
About This Guide
The guide contains a series of informational sections and reusable templates aimed at supporting district leaders and their educators in creating structures, making decisions and plans, and advancing new strategies for integrating open educational resources (OER) and student-centered and equitable practices (SCEP), as a comprehensive approach to improving teaching and learning for all.
This guide is a remix published by the #GoOpen National Network, facilitated by ISKME, of an original document, created in 2022. Titled "OER-DEIA Action Plan for K-12 District Implementation: A Guide for Decision Making and Integrating Open Educational Resources (OER) and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA)," its development relied on the groundwork, advisement, and authorship of the following contributors: Rebecca M. Henderson, Westmoreland Intermediate Unit, Pennsylvania; Tracy Rains, Appalachia Intermediate Unit, Pennsylvania; Kelly Hammond, CUNY Graduate Center and CUNY School of Professional Studies, New York; Amee Evans Godwin, ISKME, California; An-Me Chung, New America, Washington, D.C.
Acknowledgments
This guide is a remix of the original document that was collaboratively developed by members of K-12 Voices for Open, a group of 50-plus educators and leaders working together to support OER implementation in K-12 classrooms across the country. This community-led effort is facilitated by the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME, www.iskme.org) and with support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
For more information, visit us at: https://oercommons.org/hubs/GoOpen
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:23.481179
|
Amee Godwin
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/127726/overview",
"title": "OER-SCEP Action Plan for K-12 District Implementation",
"author": "Rebecca Henderson"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/128161/overview
|
S6 UNIT 11
Overview
Key unit competence: By the end of this unit, I should be able to evaluate the success of sustainable development projects in the industry in different parts of the world.
INDUSTRIALIZATION IN THE WORLD
11.1. Definition, classification of industries, factors influencing location of industries and major industrial regions of the world.
11.1.1. Definition of industry
An industry is an establishment that involves production of goods and offering of services. It also refers to the processing of raw materials into finished goods.
Industrialization refers to the concentration or to the development of industries in an area, country or region.
11.1.2. Classification of industries
1. Primary industries:
Those are the activities that deal with extraction of natural resources, raw materials, like mining, fishing, agriculture and forestry. Primary industries deliver goods to secondary industries which turn these products into consumable goods.
These are industries that transform raw materials into finished products suitable for consumption. They include food, beverages, chemical products. They are known as manufacturing industries.
They are subdivided into two categories:
a) Heavy industries such as engineering, metal goods, heavy chemicals, ship building, locomotive and others.
b) Light industries such as electrical equipment, plastics, cosmetics, textiles and others.
This is not a branch of manufacturing. It consists of services such as trade transportation, commerce. Entertainment, personal service, tourism. Administration and many others.
11.1.3. Factors influencing the location of industries and industrial development
There are several factors, including physical, economic, political; historical that influence the location of an industry.
- Efficient labor: An adequate or skilled labor force is essential in the initiation and continuance of an industry. It gives the company a maximum output with lowest possible costs.
- Power and energy: Any industrial establishment must be located in the areas with enough fuel or other sources of energy.
- Land: The location of any industry requires extensive land for set up and future extension.
- Government policy: Government’s policy of encouraging industries is also an important factor. This can be done through tax reduction, giving land and energy to investors to establish industries
- Raw materials: Raw materials in their different forms are important in the location of industries. Therefore, the availability, the value, size, quantity, quality, weight and proximity of the raw materials are essential requirements for industrial location.
- Transport and communication: Modern industries require constant supplies of raw materials, often in great bulk from various sources. Finished goods have to be distributed to many places also. Thus the availability of a good network of transport facilities is another important factor in the location of industries.
- Market: There is a very strong justification for industries to be located near the markets which consume their finished products. Some types of industries are more likely to be located near markets than others; e.g. perishable goods, fragile goods, bulky goods etc.
- Capital: Capital is required in every phase of industrial development. Money is required for the purchase of the land, construction of factories, purchase of machines, acquisition of the required raw materials, transportation of both raw materials and finished goods and for the payment of wages, marketing, advertisement.
- Water supply: Certain industries, especially iron and steel, aluminum smelting, thermal power generation, pulping of timber, synthetic fibre manufacture and chemicals, consume enormous quantities of water either in processing the raw materials or for cooling purposes.
- Industrial inertia: This is when an industry remains in its original location even if the initial advantage that led to its location is no longer available. This is due to three main factors:
- The presence of a good transportation network of roads, railways, canals and so on. An industry moving to a new site might face transportation difficulties.
- Influence of skilled labor and experienced workers built up in that area.
- The cost of building and equipping a factory is extremely high. Industrial establishments do not readily undertake a complete move with the new building and tooling-up costs that this entails.
- Sites: Some industrial plants have to be sited on leveled ground instead of hilly regions. Others require vast land of land and the cheapness of the available land is a primary consideration.
- Climate: Climatic factors sometimes have to be taken into account especially in countries with extremes of climate. Costs of heating, air conditioning factories or offices may be prohibitive. Hot climate may create problems of storage. Climatic factors such as severe winters or annual floods may affect transportation adversely.
- Political stability: encourages long term investment necessary for industrial development. This is why countries with little political instability like Western Europe are advanced in industrial development than developing countries of Africa and Asia.
11.2. Importance of industries and problems affecting industrial development
11.2.1. Importance of industries
- Industries provide self-sufficiency in essential goods rather than the need for imports and dependency on foreign aid. In other words, it causes import substitution and export promotion, which encourages development.
- Self-sufficient gives greater political and economic strength. It makes a country more independent of foreign political or economic domination.
- It creates employment. It employs both skilled and unskilled labors.
- Industrialization earns the country foreign exchange. If the product is manufactured for export, the value of the commodity is increased and so the revenue obtained from its sale is also increased.
- It raises living standards because people will have a higher disposable income
- It contributes to the diversification of the economy and reduces reliance on one or two primary production, which may fluctuate in prices.
- It creates market for primary materials such as cotton, timber and others.
- Industrial growth is cumulative and can stimulate growth in other sectors of the economy.
- It provides infrastructure particularly electricity, transport and communication.
- Industries also improve the social amenities, schools and hospitals
- It develops its technology and trains its own skilled man power.
- It is independent of many natural factors that affect sectors like agriculture.
11.2.2. Problems affecting industrial development
- Inaccessibility to the distant world markets which results into low demand for the manufactured goods especially in landlocked countries.
- Lack of real capital investment. Many countries have a problem of inadequate funds to set up industries.
- Shortage of unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled labor. Inadequate managerial and entrepreneurship skills have also affected industrial growth.
- Lack of adequate supporting infrastructure. This is critical for the development of industrial activity.
- Developed countries face the twin challenges of reduced demand and increased unemployment levels in older industries as well as finding new market for their industrial output.
- Competition for markets has led to blocks of countries grouping to reduce trade barriers and to increase integration of supply and demand. Such trade agreements allow individual countries to take advantage of agglomeration economies and cheap labor among themselves. However, for countries outside the trading block, they act as barriers to trade and tariffs.
- The infrastructural facilities in the developing countries are not at the level necessary to produce and support industrialization.
- The shortage of valuable minerals in some countries, such as iron ore which form a basis for the establishment of industries. These countries have to import raw materials at high costs.
- In developing countries, poverty lead to a low demand for industrial goods resulting into a limited market, thus affecting the process of industrialization.
11.3. Problems resulting from industrial development and ways to mitigate them
- Pollution of the environment: In the areas of heavy industrial concentration, land, air and water are contaminated by industrial wastes.
- Wildlife Extinction: Industrial pollution affects habitats of wildlife and destroys its species; it is hard to recover them in the environment. For instance, major industrial accidents like oil spills, fires, leak of radioactive materials cause great damages.
- Global Warming: With the rise in industrial pollution, global warming has been increasing at a steady pace. Smoke and greenhouse gases are being released by industries into the air and this contributes to global warming. Melting of glaciers, existence of floods, tsunamis, hurricanes are some of the effects of global warming.
- The accidents caused by the machines used in industries: The machines used in industries for various purposes may cause the accidents from the misuses by the employees or from other external causes; e.g. Lightening, tsunami, electricity, collapses of mining tunnels, etc.
- Leaching of resources from the environment: Industries do require large amount of raw materials to process into finished products. This requires extraction of minerals from beneath the earth. The extracted minerals can cause the environment destruction in different ways.
- Exhaustion of natural resources
Ways to mitigate the problems caused by industries
- Isolation of industries from settlements and sources of water to reduce the effects of pollution.
- Reducing of greenhouse effects through neutralizing industrial fumes before they are disposed into either air or water.
- Efforts should be made to control pollution. These can take the form of industries treating their wastes before disposing them as well as recycling some of those waste products and the use of biodegradable materials.
- Promotion of training skilled manpower and use of appropriate technology to reduce accidents in industries.
- Creation of special areas/ zones where industrial wastes are channeled or poured.
11.4. Case studies on major industrial regions in the world
a) Industrialization in USA
- Factors for the high level of industrialization in USA
- USA has a wide range of raw materials such as agricultural raw materials and mineral raw materials.
- The population of USA was made up of immigration from many advanced European countries especially from U.K, France, Germany, Holland and others. These immigrants brought with them the experience skills and technical now how of their mother countries. This encouraged rapid industrial development.
- USA is located on the opposite side of Atlantic from Europe. This has stimulated trade and growing world markets. It has also led to industrial expansion.
- USA has extended water transport from St. Lawrence Seaway to the heart of the continent via the Great Lakes. This has stimulated industrial development by providing cheap means of transport for raw materials and finished goods
- In addition to the above USA has a high level of technology. This has been maintained by adequate educational and training facilities and technological system. This system attracts skilled scientists and technologists. This brain gain helps to give the USA a lead in scientific modern industries such as electronics, computers and so on. -
- USA has abundant petroleum, natural gas, local and hydro-electric power. The availability of various sources of power in economic quantities has stimulated the development of large manufacturing industries.
- Availability of capital generated from international trade (from exports) encouraged industrialization.
- The government of USA also encourages rapid industrialization. It encourages export promotion.
- There is internal competition among the industries and this has stimulated industrial development.
- Availability of extensive land for industrial development. USA has cheap land for industrial expansion and establishment.
ii)There are six industrial regions in USA:
- Southern New England: It is centered in Boston with two types of industries; shipbuilding and textile,
- Mid-Atlantic States: This region includes cities of New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. The industries here include iron and steel, engineering, printing, electrical goods, foot wear and consumer goods.
- Pittsburgh – Lake Erie region: this is the core of heavy industries, engineering, glass, pottery, chemicals, synthetic, rubber, tyre making, generating hydroelectric power from Niagara Falls, flour milling etc.
- Detroit industrial region: this is the greatest automobile manufacturing region of the USA. Other industries include electrical wires, glass, batteries, paints, alloyed steel etc…
- South Appalachian region: It is centered in Birmingham. Industries include steel making, Hydro Electric Power generation, cotton textiles, metal works, machinery manufacture etc.
- Eastern Texas: It has major cities like Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston. This region is the major USA source of oil and gas.
b) Industrial development in Japan
Japan is the most industrialized country of Asia and ranks among the main industrial nations of the world. Despite its shortage of industrial raw materials, Japan has been able to develop her industries because of the following reasons:
- Development of HEP resources that provides enough power
- Efficient use of its limited raw materials such as copper, manganese, etc.
- Presence of coastline and many ports that facilitate the importation of raw materials and exportations of finished products
- Large population that provide labor and market
- Government policy that encourages the development of industries
- High market from the Asian countries
- Aid from USA; this was after the World War II, where Japan got financial support from rich countries especially USA.
- Advanced technology, use of robots
- Improved transport network, water, roads and railways.
The Major industrial regions of Japan
There are four main industrial zones in Japan:
- The Keihin Region: This is the most industrial region in Japan located on the Kwanto plain to the East of HONSHU. It is formed by the conurbation of three important towns; Tokyo, Kawasaki, and Yokohama. This region has 20 % of the Japan’s population and account for 33 % of the country’s output. The major industries found in this region are Chemicals, machinery, textiles, food processing, furniture. Each town in the region specializes in a particular item. Tokyo is noted for electrical engineering (especially Television sets, refrigerators, washing machines and computers.) Yokohama has precision engineering, shipbuilding, oil refining, petrochemical products and port industries. Kawasaki is renowned for marine engineering, cement works and glassworks. The manufacture of iron and steel products is centered on Chiba.
- The Hanshin Region: this stretches across a great industrial conurbation of three major cities formed by Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto. It accounts for about 20 % of Japan’s industrial output. It is important for the manufacture of textile, iron, and steel products, handcrafts, and shipbuilding. Osaka is the greatest textile industry. Plastics, footwear and textiles machines are also made. Kobe concentrates on shipbuilding, oil refining, and petrochemical industries. Kyoto is important for the manufacture of crafts, toys, and oriental (Asiatic) ware.
- The Ise Bay Region: this is the third industrial region dominated by NAGOYA industrial Region on the Nobi Plain with a wide range of manufacturing industries including textile mills that process local silk, imported cotton, wood and also synthetic fibres; engineering industries including all kinds of machinery, automobiles ,locomotives and aircraft . The nearby towns of
Tajimi and Seto are noted for musical instruments such as guitars, violins and pianos are mass-produced at Hamamatsu.
- The Kitakyushu Region: in the northern Kyushu area, the Chikugo coalfield and good accessibility gave rise to a conurbation, called Kitakyushu. This one, embraces several towns, including Yawata, Kokura and Moji. The industrial area extends southwards to Fukuoka and Nagasaki. It makes steel, ships, machine parts, chemicals and textiles.
Apart from the above four major industrial regions, there are several scattered industrial towns. Iron and steel are made at Muroran, oil refining is important at Akita and Niigata, engineering at Hiroshima, shipbuilding at Kure, and textiles at Okoyama, Hakodate and Sapporo in Hokkaido are also industrially developed.
c. Industrialization in Russia
- Factors for high level of industrialization in Russia
- Presence of a variety of minerals such as Iron, copper, gold, diamond, coal etc.
- Improved transport network of railways, aircrafts and developed road network.
- Existence of agricultural raw materials such as cotton for textiles, milk for dairies, hides and skins for leather and footwear industries.
- Availability of capital from financial institutions to promote industrial development.
- Improved research to develop cheap and highly efficient methods of production. This has led to technology and industrial development.
- Government policy of promoting self-sufficiency in most of the manufactured goods consumed in the country.
- Attraction of foreign investors from Europe, Japan and USA has greatly contributed to industrial development.
- Presence of a large population which provide a large domestic market and cheap labor force.
- Skilled labor in form of electrical, mechanical, chemical engineers, laboratory assistance.
- Industrial regions of RUSSIA
- The Moscow – Gorki region: this region has diverse industries including heavy engineering, steel industries, railways, equipment, automobiles, aircraft and food processing.
- The Ukraine industrial region: This region has developed during the period of USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) the main industries are iron and steel, making machinery, chemicals, etc.
- The Urals industrial region: engineering (heavy) and metallurgical industries dominate all other activities,
- The Kuzbas region: This area has large thermal plants, extensive coal deposits, engineering, hydro-electric power plants, metallurgical plants, chemicals including petrochemicals.
11.4.2. Developing countries
a) Industrial development in China
Industrial development in China began after the beginning of Communist rule in 1949ndustrial development in China began after the beginning of communist rule in 1949. China is leading producer of iron and stel, textiles, and cheap consumer goods such as toys, household goods and light metal goods.
- Factors for the industrial development in China
- Large quantity of natural resources such as coal, copper. Zinc, lead and manganese
- Deposits coal and petroleum
- Large population
- Location of China on the Asian main land and the most populated continent provides market
- Government policies
- Education provides basic skills
- Cheap labor force
- Developed transport and communication systems
- Industrial regions of China
- Manchurian Industrial Region: This is the most important industrial area of China with centers at Anshan (steel industry), Penki (steel industry), Fushun (coal, lubricating oil, and chemicals), Mukden or Shenyang (machinery and tools) and Dairen (mills and shipyards). All of them are nearby coal and iron ore deposits. Anshan, Fushun and Shenyang form a triangle, within which there are numerous large plants.
- Tientsin and Beijing Region: This is a second industrial area located at the northern end of the North China Plain, near the Kailan coal reserves, with Tientsin, Peking or Beijing and Tangshan as its main centers. The presence of coal-fields in Shansi and Hopei has contributed to the rise of the metallurgical and engineering industries here.
- Lower Yangtze Industrial Region: This is China’s oldest industrial region. It existed since the middle of 19th century. Shanghai is the main industrial town and port of this industrial region. The main goods produced are cotton, silk, textile, food, leather, radio, television sets, utensils, leather, etc. There are also shipyards, oil refineries, flour mills, steel plants, metal works and a great variety of light industrial products.
- The Middle Yangtze Industrial Region: It is located on the middle Yangtze plain around the former tree towns of Hankow-Hanyang-Wuhan. There iron and steel works there that are based on Peninsiang coal and Tayeh iron ore. Shipbuilding, metallurgical and heavy industries, railway equipment and chemicals are important items of production.
- Sichuan (Szechwan) Industrial Region: Sichuan (Szechwan) province above the Chang Jian (Yangtze Kiang) gorge has many important industries around Chongqing (Chungking) and Chengdu (Chengtu).The rich deposits of coal, iron, Ferro-alloys and abundant agricultural raw materials have all encouraged industrial development. Iron and steel, textiles, paper and pulp, machinery, cement, and chemicals are made here.
- Si Kiang Delta Region: The port of Canton is the main industrial centre at the mouth of the Xi Jiang (Si Kiang). Canton lacks local raw materials and once was known largely for commerce. Modern industries are centered on silk production; there are silk mills, jute and cotton goods are manufactured, rubber is processed, and there are food-canning and match factories. Iron works and machine factories occupy sites near the docks.
b. Industrial development in South Korea
i. Factors for industrial growth in south Korea
- Highly skilled labor force: The education system provides basic skills required in industries and workshops. There is highly trained labor force in managerial and marketing which help the country to compete with other countries.
- High technology: In industries, microelectronics and computers which keep in touch with scientific advancement.
- Government support: Policies aiming at export-oriented industries, rather than to supply the local market.
- Agricultural development: The country is self-sufficient in rice growing with large schemes of irrigated land this has made the rural economy more efficient.
- Many business people: Companies or businessmen from Europe, USA, Japan who had the capital and skills to build industries have been attracted by low wage rates in South Korea.
- Infrastructural development: Well developed transport and communication network which makes the exportation of goods very easy.
- Research: This is highly emphasized especially in electronic industry, so as to improve all the existing products and develop new products to meet the market demands.
ii. Major industrial regions of South Korea
- The major industrial regions of South Korea are: Seoul, Yeosu, Chongju, Gwangju, Masan (Changwon), Ulsan, Pohang, Taejon, Busan, Yongdimpo.
- The major industries found in these regions are Iron and steel, petrochemicals, ship building, agricultural equipment, machinery, electronics, textiles and light industries.
c. Industrial development in Egypt
Major industrial regions include: Cairo, Alexandria, Helwan industrial area.
- Factors for industrial development in Egypt
- Availability of raw materials: Egypt has agricultural raw materials to feed the industries like cotton for textile and sugar for agro-based industries.
- Availability of minerals: Egypt has various mineral resources such as oil, Iron, Zinc, Copper, Lead, phosphate that lead to the development of industries.
- Availability of power and energy: Egypt has the cheapest source of fuel (HEP) due to Aswan High Dam which allowed the connection of most Egyptian villages to use electricity.
- Internal market: Egypt as one of the most densely populated countries in Africa, its population is the ready market for manufactured goods.
- Availability of water: Despite that Egypt is a desert country; it has high strategies to use available water from the Nile River. Water is used as a raw material in food processing, construction, cooling machines and other industrial activities.
- Improved transport: Water, canals, roads, and railway, provide the cheapest water transport cost of raw materials and finished goods.
- Relief: The gentle relief of Egypt enables the construction of industries and transport routes which facilitate the development of industries.
- Government policy: The government is currently adopting an industrial policy that entails large-scale privatization of state owned enterprises as well as the gradual removal of subsidies and price controls in the remaining public sector companies.
- Major industrial regions of Egypt
- Cairo:
It is the industrial centre of Egypt with textile industries, food processing, motor vehicle assembling and chemical industries. There are also Iron and steel industries located at Hulwan near Cairo city.
- Alexandria:
It is the main industrial centre in Egypt as well as the country’s largest sea port. It has agricultural, textile and chemical industries etc.
- Helwan industrial area:
It is found on the bank of river Nile with several industries mainly the agricultural industries, sugar, gases and steel industries.
d. Industrial development in South Africa
South Africa is the most industrialized nation in Africa. Today South Africa ports a large amount from manufacturing sector. Two thirds of South Africa’s national outputs are derived from manufacturing industries.
- Factors for industrial development in South Africa
- Large quantity of mineral resources: South Africa is endowed with a wide range of mineral resources which constitute raw materials for industries. The exploitation of minerals has stimulated industrial development.
- Presence of energy: The most important of this is coal. There are also numerous rivers, which produce hydro-electric power. Such rivers include orange, the Transvaal River and others.
- Climate: Ranging from the temperate climate, Mediterranean, desert and tropical climate. The variety of climate contributes to a wide range of agricultural products, which form the raw materials for many industries.
- Forest resources: contribute to the development of sawmills, furniture making and manufacture of paper industries.
- Fish resources: South Africa has one of the most developed fishing industries on the Africa continent. This has given rise to fish canning, freezing, fishmeal and fertilizers industries.
- Labour: Abundant labor supply.
- Market: Large market for its finished manufactured products.
- Capital: Enough capital to invest in Industries.
- Transport and communication: Good transport and communication networks.
- Government policy: Encouragement from the government.
- Land: Availability of land for industrial location and extension.
- Major industrial regions of South Africa
- Johannesburg: The main industries found here are textile industries, chemical industries, paper and printing, engineering, electrical equipment, saw milling etc.
- Springs: The major industries in this town include manufacturing of mining machinery, electric goods, printing machinery, sheet glass, paper and food canning industries.
- Durban: Industries in this region include ship repairing, oil refining, soap manufacture, textile, light engineering etc.
- Cape Town: It has food processing, textile, chemical, paper and printing etc.
- Pretoria: industrial establishment include glass, cement, metal working, manufacturing railway wagons etc.
- Eastern Cape Industrial Zone: Is formed by East London and Port Elizabeth. It is the important port for international trade. It produces building material, soft drinks, furniture, clothes, local agricultural products etc
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:23.592312
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NIYONKURU SELEMAN
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{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/128161/overview",
"title": "S6 UNIT 11",
"author": "Unit of Study"
}
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/128175/overview
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S6 UNIT 12
Overview
KEY UNIT COMPETENCE: By the end of this unit, I should be able to analyse the impact of transport and communication projects on the sustainable development of different countries in the world.
TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION IN THE WORLD
12.1. Transport
12.1.1. Meaning and types of transport
The term transport simply means a process whereby passengers and goods are moved from one place to another.
Terminals for land transport are called Bus station or Train station. Those for air transport are Airports while terminals for water transport are called ports.
There are three main types of transport as described below with their advantages and disadvantages:
- Land transport
- Water transport
- Air transport
i. Land transport
Land transport is the type of transport that takes place on land. It can be subdivided into:
- Human portage,
- Animal transport,
- Road transport,
- Railway transport and
- Pipeline transport
a) Human portage
People carry their load on their heads, on their backs or in their hands. This is the most transport used by the majority of people in various part of the world. Its dominances are based on lack of capitals and skills to use modern methods and inaccessibility of an area. E.g. In mountainous areas.
Merits of human portage /advantages
- It is useful on high land areas,
- It reaches on remote place such as valleys, where other means of transport are impossible,
- It uses available people in the community,
- It is cheaper, because there is no involvement of a lot of money,
- It doesn’t require road construction as people move on their feet everywhere,
- It is useful in carrying perishable goods.
Demerits of human portage/ disadvantages
- It is limited in terms of quantity to be carried by individuals.
- It is very slow, as it takes long period of time to reach at a particular place,
- It is limited in terms of distances, as it involves only to join closest areas,
- It requires a lot of energy, for instance to carry and move on steep slopes,
- It limits the growth of young people.
b) Animal transport.
This form of transport is commonly used in areas where it is not easy to develop other means of transport especially in arid areas. Animals include camels, cows, horses, donkeys, etc.
Advantages
- It is used in wild areas where other means are not possible.
- It is quicker than the human portage.
- It is capable to adopt where human is weak (desert and water, logged region)
Disadvantages
- It is low compared to the road transport
- Some animals cannot move in hilly areas
- Some animals cannot withstand certain climatic conditions
c) Road transport.
This involves the movement of goods and passengers by vehicles, bicycles, motorcycles and so on.
Advantages
- Roads can be constructed in areas which are accessible to other forms of transport.
- Because of being flexible goods can be sold on route or can be delivered any time.
- It is cheaper and faster for short distances.
- In some cases, it does not require large capital, except road construction.
- It is easier for people to own and purchase vehicles, bicycles and motor cycles than airplanes, motors boats and ships.
- It provides door to door services.
Disadvantages
- Weather conditions affect road transport especially during the rain season.
- It increases road accidents, hence loss of lives and destruction of properties,
- Vehicles lead to all forms of environmental pollution,
- Vehicles also limits employment of people,
- Road construction leads to degradation of environmental, hence limitation of agricultural lands,
- Vehicles are expensive and cannot be possessed by everyone.
d) Railway transport
This involves the carrying of passengers and goods by train.
Advantages
- It is cheaper for transporting bulky goods.
- Less affected by weather conditions.
- Known router and known timetable.
- It carries move-load and great number of persons.
Disadvantages
- Trains go only in place where there are railways lines.
- It is very expensive for short distances.
- It is not suitable for perishable commodities.
- It is time consuming.
- It is cost in terms of maintenance.
e) Pipeline transport
This involves the movement of liquids and gases through a pipe from one point to another.
Oil pipelines have been constructed in all parts of the world, primarily in oil-producing regions such as the Middle East, the North Sea, southern Russia, the South China Sea, Texas, Oklahoma, and Alaska.
Importance of pipeline transport
- They are ideally suited to transport the liquids and gases.
- Pipelines can be laid through difficult terrains as well as under water bodies.
- It involves very low energy consumption: just one pump is needed or only relief features to increase pressure in pipes.
- It needs very little maintenance, once it fixed in a particular place.
- Excellent safety: Pipelines are safe, accident-free and environmental friendly.
- Large volume of transportation per a given period of time and reach in various places at the same time.
- Secure supply, without being affected by weather changes.
- It is cost efficient: transport payment if less than road transport.
Disadvantages of pipeline transport
- It is not flexible, i.e., it can be used only for a few fixed points.
- Its capacity cannot be increased once it is laid.
- It involves specific skills to install and maintain.
- It is difficult to make security arrangements for pipelines.
- Underground pipelines cannot be easily repaired and detection of leakage is also difficult.
2. Water transport
This is the movement of goods and passengers on water by use of ships, ferries, canoes and boats. It also involves both in-land and marine water ways.
Advantages of water transport
- It is the cheapest for bulky goods.
- Bulky commodities can be transported over a long distance.
- It is cheaper than road transport,
- It is good to carry perishable,
- It is used to carry heavy goods than road transport,
- It doesn’t involve road construction,
- It leads to the growth of sea ports,
- It encourages development of ship factories.
Disadvantages of water transport
- It is very slow.
- The port costs are very high.
- Obstacles on rivers making the unnavigable such as rapid waterfalls, the floating vegetation, sand bars, rivers become shallow in dry seasons.
- Storms and winds sometimes interfere the ships schedule.
- It is easy to meet with water robbery,
- Large ship produce waves that destroy the coast,
- It leads to water pollution.
N.B: All methods of transport need place where journeys start and end. These are called terminals. The terminals for water journeys are called ports.
There are two types of ports such as in-land ports and sea ports. A port needs a productive hinterland. A hinterland is that area from which the port takes goods and passengers and to which it delivers them (areas surrounding a port).
3. Air transport
This is transport by use of objects that fly in the air. It includes airplanes, drones, and ballons
Advantages of air transport
- It is suitable for transporting perishable commodities.
- High speed: The supreme advantage of air transport is its high speed. It is the fastest mode of transport and thus it is the most suitable mean where time is an important factor.
- Comfortable and quick services: It provides a regular, comfortable, efficient and quick service.
- No investment in construction of track: It does not require huge capital investment in the construction and maintenance of surface track or roads.
- No physical barriers: It follows the shortest and direct route as seas, mountains or forests do not come in the way of air transport.
- Easy access: Air transport can be used to carry goods and people to the areas which are not accessible by other means of transport.
- Emergency services: It can operate even when all other means of transport cannot be operated due to the floods or other natural calamities. Thus, at that time, it is the only mode of transport which can be employed to do the relief work and provide the essential commodities of life
- Space Exploration: Air transport has helped the world in the exploration of space.
Disadvantages of air transport
- It causes air and noise pollution.
- Storage space is limited
- Dangerous goods such as those that can be infected by fire are not carried. e.g petroleum, etc.
- Usually weather condition such as fog interferes with the schedule.
- It is very expensive.
- Long time is taken in air traffic control at airfields. e.g. checking and booking
- It requires a large capital.
- It funds highly skilled man powers.
- It is a target for terrorist attack
12.1.2. Factors influencing the development of transport and importance of transport
a. Factors influencing the development of transport
The factors affecting transport are physical, political and socio- economic. They are discussed below:
- Relief: Steep slopes make the construction of roads and railway lines expensive. On the other hand, valleys have swamps, that contain water logged soils that are too soft to allow heavy objects like trailers, Lorries and trains to move on them.
- Climate: Too much rainfall results into floods and landslides, hindering transport on the ground. On the other hand, accumulation of fog and clouds reduce visibility hence affecting transport.
- Vegetation: Thick vegetation cover makes construction of road and rail networks difficult because it requires uprooting big trunks of trees. Furthermore, thick vegetation modifies climate through evapo-transpiration hence affecting air transport.
- Capital: The construction of roads, railway lines and airports is expensive. At the same time, a lot of money is required to buy ships, trucks as well as airplanes.
- Political instabilities: Wars lead to massive destruction of transport means and infrastructure such as roads, wagons, airports and ports, making transport extremely difficult.
- International restrictions based on international boundaries: These affect transport in that they restrict amount of freight. The same applies to road transport.
- Economic factor: The structure and nature of transport costs are examined, together with service quality and methods of pricing and charging.
- Government policy: These include political motives for transport facilities; government involvement in capital, monopoly, competition, safety, working conditions and coordination between modes, transport as an employer and social consequences of transport developments.
b) Importance of transport to the development of countries
- Transport promotes trade and industrialization through the transportation of necessary raw materials to factory for production of goods and finished goods to consumers
- Transport systems offer employment opportunities to many people.
- Transport promotes urban development as many urban centers have developed where transport network converges.
- Promotion of international relations since transport brings leaders together face-to-face talks.
- Promotion of tourist industry, tourists move by use of means of transport.
- Stimulation of the development of other sectors such as, agriculture, fishing and mining.
- Transport increases revenue through taxes to the government and income to local transporters.
12.1.3. Problems/challenges affecting transport and strategies of improving transport.
a) Problems/challenges affecting transport
There are major problems affecting transport activities as mentioned below:
- Inadequate capital: Transport requires enough capital investment. That is why it becomes difficult for developing countries that have weak economies to construct and maintain transport facilities such as roads, airports, ports, and railway lines.
- Natural barriers: Hostile environment such as deserts, forests, rugged and mountainous terrain hinders the establishment of transport facilities.
- Political instability: Some countries have undergone periods of political instability. With long periods of fighting in these countries, transport facilities were targeted for destruction while new lines were not established.
- Climate like heavy rainfall and floods make roads muddy and slippery. Bad climate disturbs air transport also.
- Mass wasting like landslides and mudflows affect roads in mountain areas and make roads impassable for some times.
- Low technology causes over dependence on imported expertise and technology which are expensive. This is associated with lack of skilled man power to construct infrastructure.
- Presence of water falls and rapids along river courses and their tributaries make water transport difficult.
b) Ways of improving transport
- Ensuring political stability and avoid wars that destroy transport facilities.
- Containerization of the ports and harbors for effective handling of goods and reduce delays.
- Government policies. Governments have to develop and implement international transport projects like building international highways or railways as the project understudy between Rwanda and Tanzania. Such policies boost transport development.
- Bridges are constructed across rivers to connect different areas across rivers and streams.
- Draining swamps for road construction.
- Improve engineering technology and use of national resources and materials to construct transport infrastructures. There is also need to train skilled manpower.
- To develop air transport for both domestic and international connections in big countries like it is the case in USA, in areas with large impenetrable rainforests like Equatorial forests in DRC or Amazonian forest in South America and large water bodies (oceans).
12.1.4. Case studies
1. Tanzam railway / Tazara railway
Tanzam railway also called Uhuru railway runs from Kapiri-Mposhi in Zambia, northwards to Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean in Tanzania. It was opened in 1975.
- Major aims of Tanzam Railway
- To promote Tanzanian and Zambian exports and imports.
- To solve Zambia’s problem of being landlocked,
- To create accessibility to the sea for export of copper.
- To open up the southern highlands of Tanzania which were productive but remote.
- Benefits of the Tanzam Railway
- Tanzam Railway provides landlocked Zambia with reliable access to the sea and therefore made the flow of trade easier.
- It promotes economic development in remote parts of Tanzania which were not accessible.
- It leads to political and economic development of Tanzania and Zambia.
- Industrial growth has been achieved since both raw materials and finished goods can be easily transported by using railway. Tanzam railway encouraged the development of mineral exploitation in Tanzania and Zambia e.g. coal and Zambian copper.
- It provides employment opportunities for the local people like drivers, technicians, casual laborers and earns income to improve their standard of living.
- It has contributed to the economic growth of the port of Dar-es-Salaam while increasing government revenue.
- It contributes to the development of tourism especially to Tanzanian through port charges.
- It influences the development of other transport systems like feeder roads.
- Railway reduces transport costs incurred by Zambia compared to using the ports of other countries for its trade such as Lobito in Angola.
iii. Shortcomings of Tanzam Railway
- The serious delays on the route because of the long distance covered.
- High cost of maintaining the railway lines due to frequent breakdown. Railway need to be regularly rehabilitated and upgraded.
- It is affected by the weather conditions (heavy rain). Kilombero valley section is always exposed to flooding.
- Zambia faces the problems of high taxes in the payment of port charges at Dar-Es-Salaam.
- There is poor management of railway lines due to corruption and embezzlement. Private sectors can better manage the railway.
- There is a use of old line structure with shortage and inappropriate locomotives and wagons. There is a need to develop systematic programs to replace old locomotives and wagons as well as communication systems.
2. Trans-African Highway (T.A.H)
It is from Cape town to Cairo linking the Northern and Southern regions. It passes through Bulawayo, Harare, Lusaka, Dares Salaam, Nairobi, Kampala and Khartoum among other cities and towns. It has deviations to serve other regions adjoining the highway. It also runs from Mombasa through Uganda, DRC and Cameroon to Lagos in Nigeria. This was built to promote trade between West and East Africa.
- Advantages of the Trans-African Highway:
The Trans-African Highway has too much benefited the African States in / by which it passes in the following ways:
- It has enhanced cooperation among the countries through which it passes.
- The highway spearheaded the formation of economic and political unions such as East African Community (EAC) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
- It has increased trade prospects between member States and has also stimulated trade on the continent by facilitating easy movement of people and goods.
- It has enabled the development of the remote parts of African countries. It encourages tourism in those countries where it passes and the distribution of human settlement patterns (linear and nucleated types).
- It is important in the transportation of agricultural raw materials.
- Problems facing Trans-African Highway
The following are the major problems facing trans-African highway:
- Political instability or wars) in some African countries in which the high way pass has limited transportation of goods along this highway, this has affected its effective use.
- Frequent civil conflict affects its performance in various parts of the continents where the high way is passing.
- Some countries charge high tariffs at the border posts which is increasing the cost of transport.
- The volume of trade along the highway has further reduced due to delays caused by numerous border bureaucracies of screening and vetting of goods and passengers across borders.
- Insecurity and loss of goods on transit caused by banditry and smuggling along these highways have made the highways unsafe. This has further reduced their usage.
3. Trans- Siberian railway in Russia
- The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting European Russia from Moscow with the Russian Far East and the East Sea / Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world with a line length of 9,259 km. There are branch lines to China through Mongolia and Manchuria. It was started in 1891 and completed in 1916.
The importance of the Trans-Siberian Railway:
- The Trans-Siberian Railway gave a positive boost to Siberian agricultural crops. Wheat, rice, potatoes and sugar beet are grown. This facilitates substantial exports to central Russia and Europe.
- It influenced the territories it connected directly, as well as those connected to it by river transport.
- It attracts many foreign tourists in Russia, Siberia through creating accessibility to tourist attractions like Ural Mountains, Lake Baikal, and Moscow metro tunnel.
- The Trans-Siberian Railway encourages rural settlement in the inhabited areas of Siberia
- Development of towns. Trans-Siberian railway runs through important towns like Omsk, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude, etc. These towns developed accommodation, commerce, health and education services. Improvement of industrial development through transportation of raw materials such as copper, phosphates, coal, iron, etc.
- Development of trade between the Eastern Europe and Asian countries like Japan, China and Siberian.
- Political and economic unity between the East and West Russia was achieved.
- Challenges of Trans- Siberian railway:
- Its construction led to clearance of forests as well as destruction of Ural Mountains
- It led to over exploitation of resources such as iron and steel from Karaganda field and oil from the west Siberian oil fields
- Loss of lives through accidents like derailing of the trains and sometimes collision.
- It led to urbanization in former natural environment areas with its related problems such as congestions, slums development, and pollution.
4. Rotterdam (Europort in the Netherlands)
Rotterdam is a port located at the mouths of rivers Rhine and the Meuse on the North Sea. The name is derived from a stream known as Rotte. Today, the major development is concentrated on Euro Port on the seaward end of new waterway and not at Rotterdam. It is one the busiest port in the world. Rotterdam port serves a large rich hinterland of Belgium, France, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland.
i. The factors which influenced the growth of Rotterdam
- Inland water transport: Rotterdam has a well-developed in-land water linkage to the interior of Western Europe.
- These navigable rivers link the port to its hinterland: Elbe, Rhone and Danube.
- Strategic location: The port of Rotterdam is centrally located where sea routes converge such as the sea route to the North America, Africa and various parts of Europe and even Asia.
- It is an important waterway for Ruhr industrial region.
- Suitable climate: Rotterdam experiences a cool temperate climate. Like the other ports in the world, Rotterdam enjoys conductive weather conditions free from mist throughout the year.
- Establishment of industries: Rotterdam is located in a region of heavy industrialization. The major industries are oil refineries, food processing, ship building, petrochemicals, iron and steel industries. The importation and exportation of both raw materials and finished products through the port have led to its expansion making it the busiest port in the world.
- Large and rich hinterland: Rotterdam has a wide and rich hinterland which traverses the neighboring rich countries such as Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, France, and Austria. The hinterland is rich in grains, mineral ores, iron and steel products. The port therefore handles a large volume of import and export goods which influenced its growth.
- There is a high level of technology: The high level of technology is used in the construction of canals and its maintenance, pipelines, railway lines that link the port to its hinterland.
- The availability of sufficient capital: This has facilitated the expansion of port activities over the years. Big projects for the development of the port were implemented such as the expansion of industrial storage facilities, construction of pipelines, canals, railways and high ways, etc.
- Proximity of Rotterdam to the North Sea: North Sea is one of the busiest international routes in the world. This proximity increases the amount of Cargo handled by the port, thereby fastening its growth and development.
- Low tidal range: The difference between the low tide and high tide at Rotterdam is very small. This allows large ships to use this port. Many ships are able to load and off-load their Cargo because of this unique characteristic.
- Favorable government policies: The government of Netherland supported the establishment, growth and development of Rotterdam port. It provided the capital for establishment of port structures, established the authority which was given responsibilities of running the port activities.
- Skilled man power: Being in an area that is developed with modern universities the port benefited from a large supply of skilled man power required in the port establishment.
- Problems facing Rotterdam Euro port:
- Problem of congestion because of many water going vessels.
- Pollution of the environment as a result of industrialization, urbanization, vehicles which releases fumes to the atmosphere.
- Siltation of the river Rhine is a problem that faces the port.
- There is limited land for further expansion of the port.
- Overcrowding at the port due to many people.
- Big Population at the port made housing very expensive.
- High levels of unemployment because of high demand for jobs and this sometimes results into the problems of crimes
- The problem of flooding because Rotterdam is located on the north part of Netherlands which is a low-lying area.
- The problem of poor visibility resulting from fog and smoke at the port. This leads to accidents and sometimes delays delivery of cargos.
- The problem of accidents by ships which often leads to the loss of Cargo and sometimes lives.
- There is also problem of prostitution brought about by attraction from a large population.
- Steps being taken to solve the problem:
- The construction of storm surge barrier automatically operated the control storm surges and minimizes flooding at the port. Dykes have also been constructed for this purpose.
- There is an increased use of radar system to avoid collision of vessels during foggy weather conditions.
- The port authority occasionally dredges the river Rhine and Maas thereby ensuring that they are free from silt and can be safe to ships.
- The industrial wastes are treated before they are released to the environment. This minimizes the case of pollution. The noise is also carefully monitored and regulated to avoid noise pollution.
- There is containerization to ensure safety of cargo, fast handling and dispatch of cargo.
- The port authority has also reclaimed land from the North Sea marshlands and the rivers to create more space for the port.
- There is a strict control of crimes through deployment of security personnel to monitor and discourage criminal acts at the port.
5. St. Lawrence sea way (USA-CANADA)
St. Lawrence seaway stretches from Port Duluth on Lake Superior to port St. Lawrence on the Atlantic Ocean. It covers a distance of 3,800 Km. It is the longest inland waterway in the world with the largest volume of traffic. It serves Canada and the USA. It allows passage of ocean going vessels. Before the sea way was constructed, large ships could only sail on the great lakes up to St. Lawrence town as far as Montreal. The construction of St. Lawrence seaway was a joint project venture between the governments of Canada and USA. The construction works began in 1954 and ended in 1959
Economic benefits of St. Lawrence seaway for the USA and Canada
- Cheap transport: The seaway has offered a cheap means of transport from the interior of North America to the Atlantic Ocean. The ocean liner finds it direct, quick and short to access the interior as opposed to the previous route through New York. This has enhanced the movement of people and goods.
- Creation of employment: Through transportation of raw material and finished products along the seaway, there has been an increased volume of traffic. This has created job opportunities.
- Generation of hydroelectric power: The construction of dams along the seaway like Saunders and Beauharnous on Niagara Falls has led to the generation of abundant power. The power is cheap and reliable. It is used for both domestic and industrial use.
- Growth of Towns: St. Lawrence Sea Way has encouraged urbanisation along its shores. This is because the ports along it have attracted settlement. Examples of such towns are Quebec, Duluth and Hamilton.
- Increased volume of trade: St Lawrence Seaway has led to the increase of the volume of trade between the USA, Canada and the rest of the world. This has been due to the ease of transporting of goods such as iron ore, copper, wheat and manufactured goods.
- Development of tourism: The seaway with the spectacular Niagara Falls is a great tourist attraction. This has earned foreign exchange to the two countries.
- Development of industries: The seaway has contributed to the development of industries in the USA and Canada. The power generated from the dams is directly used in the industries. Likewise, water from the dams is used in cooling industrial plants.
Problems of St Lawrence sea way
- Congestion, unemployment, high crime rate due to the growth of urban centers.
- High cost of maintaining the seaway like dredging to solve the problem of silting.
- Decline in fishing activities due to destruction of wetlands and fish habitant as a result of dredging and blasting as well as pollution of water.
- Many rocks which are used to adjust the level of water to improve navigation. These result into delays in movement.
- Increase of pollution due to oil and chemical spills as a result of enormous increase of cargo size as well as industrialization.
Communication is a process of transferring information from one place or person to another in the form of news and massages.
12.2.1. Meaning and types of communication
a. Types or forms of communication
There are different links, instruments and devices used in the transmission of information from one point to another Early modes of communication included sending runners with verbal messages, fire and smoke signals, and later drums and horn blowing. The invention of writing led to improved communication as letters could be delivered to various destinations.
Those methods of communication were found to be slow and inaccurate in some instances and limited in terms of the distances they could cover The rise in electrical technology led to a new concept in communication known as telecommunication, which is communication over long distances.
The following are the main types of telecommunication:
- Telegraph: Telegraph enabled messages to be transmitted by cables as a series of electrical impulses. The signals were in the form of the Morse code, which could be easily interpreted. Most places were thus linked by telegraphic cables. Undersea cables were also laid below the oceans.
- Telephones: This is where cables connected to a local exchange are used to transmit voice messages over long distances. The sound waves are changed into an electric current which is then transmitted to the receiver phone, where it is then interpreted by being re-transformed into sound waves that can be interpreted by human ear.
- Radio: is a way to send electromagnetic signals over a long distance, to deliver information from one place to another. It also usually stands as a machine which sends out and receives messages using air waves to a large mass of people.
- Television: is a piece of electrical equipment which shows pictures through the air or along cables
- Internet: Internet means “interconnected networks”. It is a large system of connected computers around the world that allows people to share information and communicate with each other. It is a system that links devices worldwide.
12.2.2. Importance of communication, problems affecting communication and their solutions
a) Importance of communication
- Communication system facilitates economic development by sending information to various locations of the world. This promotes domestic and international trade.
- Communication is the basis of organisational functioning: good communication is an essential tool in achieving productivity and maintaining strong working relationships at all levels of an organisation.
- Communication sector has led to the creation of employment opportunities to a variety of categories of people such as journalists, media managers and users
- Investors in the sector of communication such as radio, television and social media (e.g. Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, etc. get more revenue and many of them belong now in the world’s richest class.
- Communication facilitates easy dissemination of information to remote areas.
- Communication helps in building good public relations: good public relations comprise relations of the enterprise with outside agencies, particularly consumers and the public at large.
b) Problems affecting communication
- Inadequate capital: Many developing countries experience a problem of weak economies and few industries. They thus have insufficient funds needed to construct and maintain communication facilities.
- High taxes: there are high taxes attached to the importation of communication equipment as well as high operation charges.
- Inadequate technical know-how: This has hindered the growth of telecommunication since most countries have to rely on expatriates whose payments are very high.
- Natural barriers: desert, forest, rugged and mountainous terrains have hindered the establishment of communication facilities like telephone boosters.
- Competition: there is competition between the local companies involved in the sector and free online communication systems.
- Lack of skills: there is general lack of knowledge and skills to use telecommunication devices such as computers, radios, newspaper.
Solutions to the problems faced in communication
- Political stability: there should be dialogue between countries and the use of peace talks should be emphasized.
- Investing in communication and where capital is not available, looking for ways of getting it through loans or aid.
- Countries should invest more on training their people so as to equip them with knowledge to hand the ever-changing technology. It is cheaper to train home-grown personnel than to hire expatriates.
- To increase the knowledge in technology: Use the recent technology radio, telephones, television, and internet to improve the standards of communication.
- Communication is the link between knowledge and information. Therefore, there is need to provide knowledge of the people to be able to communicate properly.
Interrelationship between Transportation, communication and Economic development
- Both promote internal and external trade
- They promote the use of natural resources
- Create the employment opportunities
They help in increase of market of the products
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:23.761176
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03/06/2025
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{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/128175/overview",
"title": "S6 UNIT 12",
"author": "NIYONKURU SELEMAN"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/128176/overview
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S6 UNIT 13
Overview
By the end of this unit, learers be able to evaluate the impact of trade and commerce on the sustainable development of different countries in the world.
TRADE AND COMMERCE IN THE WORLD
13.1. Definition, types of trade and factors influencing international trade.
13.1.1. Definition of key terms
It is the activity of buying and selling or exchange of goods and services within a country or between countries. Trade also occurs between two individuals through the exchange.
Trade can also be understood as the movement of goods from the producer to the consumer. It is part of the commerce.
Commerce: Is the activity of buying and selling of goods and services, especially on a large scale or quantity. It goes along with the activities such as insurance, transportation, warehousing, advertising that completes that exchange
Trade is simply the exchange of commodities, and this can take place at many levels. The earliest form of trade was probably “barter trade” in which one type of commodity was exchanged for another of equal value.
Forms of trade
a. Internal trade: This is the exchange of commodities within a country. It is also known as domestic trade. Traders normally need to exchange what they have with what they don’t have. It includes:
- Whole sale
This occurs when traders buy goods in bulky from both the manufacturers and importers. They then break them into smaller units and sell them to kiosk owners, hawkers, shopkeepers and supermarket;
- Retail trade
This is where traders buy goods from the wholesalers and sell them in detail to the individual customers.
b. International trade: This type of trade occurs between different nations of the world, on a global scale. Its rationale lies in the fact that no country can produce everything that it needs. It therefore has to acquire what it cannot produce from others through trade. It involves:
- Bilateral trade: it is a trade between two countries.
- Multilateral trade: it is a trade between many countries, through the exchanging imports where goods and services bought and brought into the country, and exports where goods and services are transferred to another country for sale.
13.1.2. Factors influencing international trade
The type and volume of trade that takes place at any level in any place is influenced by a number of factors. The most important factors are:
- Capital: This is the greatest single factor influencing trade. Money is the engine that runs trade. Traders require capital to establish their businesses, purchase their wares and transport the commodities. Where capital is inadequate the volume of trade will also be low.
- Demand and supply: For trade to take place there must be sufficient demand and good chain of supply of the items.
- Transport and communication: Trade depends highly on efficient means of transport and communication. For example, manufactured goods and other trade items need to be transported to the market. Traders also need to move from one place to another to effect various trade related transactions. Traders have to further communicate while placing orders and while establishing the market situation.
- Trade barriers: This includes the quota system for international trade, where a country may impose limits on imports and exports. They also include tariffs and duties levied on goods, which if increased may discourage the importation and exportation of some goods.
- Government policy: This is where the government influences trade in certain commodities through taxation. For example, the government levies heavy taxes on certain goods such as cigarettes and alcohol.
- Creation of trading blocs: The creation of regional common trading markets enhances trade due to increased cooperation between the member countries. Trade is further promoted because the market is usually expanded.
- Political climate of a country: Political problems such as wars affect both internal and external trade because wars discourage foreign investors and at times destroy industries; whereas good diplomatic relationship between countries encourages foreign investments.
- Population factors: population size, structure, distribution and the diversity between peoples affect the types of goods traded and the volume of international trade.
- Differences in natural resources: Natural resources are not evenly distributed in the world. This is mainly due to differences in climate, sols, relief and geological factors.
13.2. Causes of low levels of international trade in Developing Countries and importance of international trade in the development
13.2.1. Causes of low levels of international trade in Developing Countries
- Access to foreign markets: The foreign markets are dominated by the goods and services from developed countries because they have better quality and produce more quantity of goods.
- Inadequate and insufficient domestic supply on the international market: this causes the increase in prices and this affects the final consumers.
- Most of the developing countries export unprocessed products due to shortage of industries or low level of technology. These unprocessed products also called raw materials are undervalued on international markets.
- Most of the developing countries and other low-income countries export bulk products such as horticulture products, fruits, vegetables and animal products. These perishable products account the risks to be damaged in transport process.
- Developing countries have also been concerned with the growing importance of free trade areas and customs unions in recent years, which now cover virtually all their major export markets, including Europe and North America since most of the major regional trading arrangements do not include them,
- Implications of anti-competitive practices by private enterprises in restricting the market access of developing countries to industrialized countries.
- Quota policy on the international market is negotiated only among the developed countries and developing countries must follow their resolutions.
- Capital inflows: the growing constraints on foreign aid and the difficulties in attracting increased foreign private financing and investment are affecting the growth prospects of countries lagging behind in global integration.
- Financial liberalization in developing countries has mainly comprised the reduction or removal of allocative controls over interest rates and lending, the introduction of market-based techniques of monetary control and the easing of entry restrictions on private capital
Imprtance of international trade in development
- Economic development
- Source of forign exchange
- Market expansion
- Increase in national income
- To improve quality of local products due to completion
- Helps the people of different countries to meet, discuss, and exchange ideas.
13.3.1. Major financial centers of the world
The top ten world financial centre were London, New York City, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai, Toronto, Sydney, Zürich, Beijing, Mumbai, São Paulo, Mexico City and Johannesburg,
Examples of the financial institutions that make a city a powerful financial center
- The International Monetary Fund
IMF:is an international organization that oversees the global financial system by following the microeconomic policies of its member countries. The policies focus on issues related to exchange rates and balance of payment. It is an organization formed to stabilize international exchange rates and facilitate development. It also offers highly controlled loans mainly to poorer countries.
The IMF comes into being in 1945.
At that time, it had only 45 members.
Nowadays, it has 190 members.
Its headquarters are in Washington DC, USA.
The aims of IMF
- To promote International Economic Cooperation.
- To promote international trade.
- To help stabilize exchange rates among member countries.
- To advice member countries to avoid financial arises.
- Promote loans to its members.
- The World Bank
It is also known as “International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). It comes into being in 1944. Its headquarters are also in Washington DC, USA.
It was set up with the aim of reconstruction. The war-affected economics of Europe (during the 2nd World War) and assisting in the development of the less developed countries of the world.
Today, the World Bank is more concerned with the development of member countries especially the developing ones.
- It gives loans for the purchase of capital goods necessary for the development.
- It gives also loans foe projects that are clearly profitable.
- World Bank comprises only two institutions:
- The World Bank’s current focus is on achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
- Governments at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 agreed the following goals and set quantifiable targets to be achieved by 2015:
- Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
- Achieve Universal primary education.
- Promote gender equality and empower women.
- Reduce child mortality.
- Improve maternal health.
- Combat HIV / AIDS, Malaria and other diseases.
- Ensure environmental sustainability.
- Develop global partnership for development.
13.3.2. Trading blocs and regional economic integration
A trade bloc is a type of inter-governmental agreement, often part of a regional inter-governmental organization, where regional barriers to trade, (tariffs and non-tariffs barriers) are reduced or eliminated among the member states.
a) Advantages of trading blocs and regional integration
- It leads to economic growth and expansion.
- It widens the market for goods and services.
- It raises an increase in investment.
- It creates specialization among countries and this enables the countries to produce more goods and services.
- It promotes trade since there are no complications congesting currencies.
- It encourages exports and imports of goods and services thus enabling countries to get what they cannot produce.
- It creates competition between local and foreign products leading to improvement in the quality of the goods.
- It creates employment opportunities with increased income.
- It stimulates an expansion and establishment of manufacturing industries.
- sIt allows member countries to conduct research and to collect information at a cheaper price.
b) Disadvantages of trading blocs and regional integration
- Limited fiscal capabilities
- Loss of sovereignity
- InterdependenceLimited fiscal capabilities
- Cultural centralization
- Concessions
c) Factors affecting regional intergration
- Homogeneity of goods produced among the member states can hinder trade.
- Some countries have experienced a shortage of forign exchange.
- Different ideologies
- Limited capital for some member countries
- Countries of the bloc have different levels of development
- low level of industrialization
d) Problems affecting international trade
- Protectionisms: There are ways of implementing a protectionist policy, and every country in the world protects some of its goods.
- Tariffs: The effect of high tariffs is to make imported goods equally or more expensive than home-produced articles.
- Quotas: If tariffs are ineffective in halting the inflow of cheap foreign goods, countries may resort to imposition of quotas. By a quota system a country refuses to import more than a specified quantity of a certain commodity.
- Subsidies: The government of a country may pay subsidies or give tax relief, in order to stabilize home prices. This involves assistance to home industry rather than penalization of foreign producers.
- Trading blocs: In recent times trade has been modified by the formation of economic unions such as EEC (European Economic Community). Though tariffs are broken down between the member nations and there is greater flow of the trade amongst them
e) Possible solutions to problems of international trade
- Joining and enforcing trading blocs like EAC, EEC.
- Common market or grouping which not only reduces tariffs and other restrictions within the group but at the same time raises tariff barriers against outsiders.
- Construction and rehabilitation of infrastructure.
- Political negotiations and discussions to reduce and ultimately end political instability and insecurity so that a favorable trading atmosphere is created.
- Improving the quality of manufactured goods so that they are attractive and competitive on the international market.
- Foreign investment to diversify domestic economy within countries. This may overcome the problem of similarity of goods on the market.
13.4. Case studies
13.4.1. Regional integration
a) The East African Community
The country members are: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. The headquarters of EAC is at Arusha in Tanzania.
The organization was founded in 1967, collapsed in 1977, and was revived on 7 July 2000.
Aims of EAC
- To revive free movement of people, goods, money, and services.
- Create common (tax) tariff.
- To create large market for goods and services.
- To promote regional cooperation.
- Improving communication.
- Sharing electricity
- To promote electricity.
b) Economic Community of West African States
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Established on May 28 1975. Member countries of ECOWAS include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’ Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Togo
Objectives of ECOWAS
- To promote economic cooperation
- To uplift living standards of member states
- To achieve and maintain economic stability of member countries
- To enhance free movement in member states without immigration formalities.
This regional organization has achieved the following:
- ECOWAS has frozen all customs and tariffs on goods originating within West African and this has led to industrial growth, pooling of resources through joint ventures by certain member states.
- It has decreased prices among the member states of some products like petroleum.
- It has increased technological exchange among the member states.
- There has been an improvement of communication in the region.
- The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
It was established in 1994 in December replacing a Preferential Trade Area (PTA) which had existed since 1981. It has the secretariat in LUSAKA, ZAMBIA.
The aims of COMESA.
- To promote trade.
- To promote research in science and technology for member states.
- To ease the movements of goods and services.
- To lessen dependence on imported goods that are very expensive.
- To finance development projects and organize regular trade forum for the member states.
- To promote transport and communication.
- To promote peace security and stability.
The member states in 2011 were:
Angola, Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Importance of COMESA in regional economy
- Promotion of regional trade
- Increased revenue
- Growth of industries
- Improvement in telecommunication
- Establishment of financial institutions
- Promotion of investment
13.4.2. Trading Blocs.
i) Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is an organization of oil-producing countries. It controls 61 percent of the world’s oil exports and holds 80 percent of the world›s proven oil reserves. OPEC’s decisions have a huge impact on prices. The country members are: Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Gabon, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.
OPEC’s three goals
- To keep prices stable. It wants to make sure its members get what a good price for their oil. Since oil is a fairly uniform commodity, most consumers base their buying decisions on nothing other than price.
- To adjust the world’s oil supply in response to shortages. For example, it replaced the oil lost during the Gulf Crisis in 1990. Several million barrels of oil per day were cut off when Saddam Hussein›s armies destroyed refineries in Kuwait. OPEC also increased production in 2011 during the crisis in Libya.
- To coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of its member countries and ensure the stabilization of oil markets.
ii) European Union (EU)
The European Union (EU) is a union of twenty-five independent states based in Europe.
It is the largest single common market in the world.
It has the common currency, the Euro, which is acceptable in all member states.
Member of EU are: Austria, Netherlands, Hungary, Belgium, Portugal, Latvia Denmark, Spain, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, France, Poland, Slovakia, Germany, Slovenia, the UK, Greece, Ireland, Malta, Italy, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Luxembourg, and Cyprus.
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:23.857098
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03/06/2025
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"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/128176/overview",
"title": "S6 UNIT 13",
"author": "NIYONKURU SELEMAN"
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/91188/overview
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Types of Marketing Information
Overview
Title Image: " Logo of Flightpath" by Flightpath is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
Outcome: Types of Marketing Information
What you’ll learn to do: describe key types of marketing information including internal data, competitive intelligence, and marketing research
Marketing information and research are most effective when they feed an ongoing awareness of what’s happening with customers, their perceptions, and purchasing decisions. The next section of this module explores different types of information that contribute to the customer insights that inform your organization, strategy, and the marketing mix.
The specific things you’ll learn in this section include:
- Explain the types of insights provided by each type of marketing information
- Describe how organizations manage marketing information
Learning Activities
The learning activities for this section include the following:
- Reading: Types of Marketing Information
Licenses and Attributions
CC licensed content, Original
- Outcome: Types of Marketing Information. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
Reading: Types of Marketing Information
Illuminating the Marketing Picture
There are three primary types of marketing information marketers use to gain insights that will contribute to wise marketing choices: internal data, competitive intelligence, and marketing research.
Internal Data
Internal data consists of the information companies collect about their customers and prospective customers, typically as part of their internal operations. Marketing departments, for example, maintain information about the interest and leads they generate from prospective customers and how they are interacting with these contacts. They may capture information used for segmentation and targeting purposes, such as geographic location, gender, age, buying behaviors, and communication preferences. Information about Web site visitors, traffic, and other customer engagement activities can be another useful type of internal data. Additionally, sales teams capture and maintain information about who is buying the product, where buyers are located, buying patterns, and behaviors. Sales and marketing teams may also maintain information about customer references, success stories, and how prospective customers are progressing toward becoming new clients.
Other parts of the organization also capture and maintain data that may be useful as marketing information. Accounting and billing departments track information about customers such as how much they spend with the organization, when they buy, and other payment details. Product managers and customer support organizations maintain information about customers implementing or using products, problems or issues they run into, and satisfaction levels with the company and products.
Historically, it was standard for each department to maintain these data in their own systems rather than in a common system or database that all parts of the organization could access. This presented challenges for marketers, who had a difficult time gaining access to complete, up-to-date internal data, since the information would need to be pulled out of the various systems and put into usable formats before they could conduct any sort of analysis.
Increasingly, organizations capture and maintain internal data by using information systems and databases shared across multiple departments. A database is a set of structured data accessible via a computer, and the data can be organized so that it’s available for a variety of different uses, such as marketing or financial analysis. Shared information systems may include large enterprise systems designed to support business processes and functions, customer support systems, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems, among others.
“Database marketing,” also known as marketing analytics, takes internal data several steps further. Large databases collect massive amounts of data from a variety of sources: customer demographic and profile data linked to in-store and online purchasing history, Web site search terms, page views, social media posts, and other data. In a process called data mining, computer algorithms search for patterns in the data and generate recommendations and insights about how to increase sales.
With access to accurate, up-to-date internal data, marketers gain a better understanding of who the organization is serving and how it is performing relative to its goals for sales, customer satisfaction, and other priorities. Marketers rely on internal data to manage communications and interaction with customers and prospects, as they track the series of interactions that take place when a prospective customer is making a purchase decision. They may also use internal data to identify patterns that make someone more likely to become a customer, and behaviors that contribute to any given customer type having a higher or lower total lifetime value.
To illustrate the power of internal data, consider this example from Trident Marketing, a company that conducts marketing and sales activities for other businesses like home security firm ADT, satellite media company DirectTV, and Travel Resorts of America. It used marketing analytics to generate insights based on internal data from its customer-service call centers, order systems, CRM systems, search engine results, and external credit-bureau data about customers. The resulting recommendations were powerful and provided specific guidance about the following:
When to call a consumer, which product to pitch, and which salesperson is best suited to close the sale. Plus, sophisticated analytic models can also predict which consumers are likely to cancel services within twelve months—a metric that goes straight to the bottom line because the company must compensate its customers for consumer churn.1
Using this information, the company was able to apply sales and marketing techniques to increase sales, profitability, and customer retention on behalf of its clients. In fact, revenue increased nearly 1000 percent over four years.2
Competitive Intelligence
Competitive intelligence is marketing information that helps marketers and other members of an organization better understand their competitors and competitive market dynamics. Common types of competitive intelligence include the following:
- Product information: Who is making products that compete with your offerings? What features or capabilities make these products attractive to prospective customers? How do these features compare to yours? How are products packaged and offered to customers?
- Market share and penetration: Which companies in your competitive market sell the most products to your target market, and how much do they sell? Which organizations are considered the market leaders? How is market share evolving over time?
- Pricing strategy: What do competitors charge for their products? What pricing structure and strategies do they use? What special pricing or discounting do they offer? How does this affect your pricing and position relative to competitors?
- Competitive positioning and messaging: What are competitors saying about themselves? What are they saying to current and prospective clients or other stakeholders about your organization or products? How effective are their messages at generating interest in competitor products or diminishing interest in yours? What keywords are competitors dominating in search engines?
- Win/loss analysis: What proportion of new sales are you winning or losing? Why are people selecting your product over competitors’? Why are they selecting a competitor’s offering instead of yours?
Companies tend to guard sensitive information closely, such as detailed information about product cost, pricing structure, and market share. In fact, there are market analysts who specialize in competitive intelligence because it can be so difficult to obtain. However, anyone in a marketing role should maintain a general level of awareness about competitors and what’s happening in their market, and there are fairly easy ways to do this. Marketers can learn a lot directly from competitors, such as reading their Web sites, following them on social media, and monitoring press releases and other published content to understand what they are communicating to the market and to prospective customers. Information can also come from industry-focused newsletters, blogs, social media conversations, reports, conferences, and other forums that discuss new developments and key players in a product category or market.
When marketing activities are associated with a higher-priced sale and a complex decision process, sales and marketing organizations may conduct some type of win/loss analysis after a purchasing decision is made. A win/loss analysis captures information from individuals involved in a sale to understand the key factors influencing the final purchasing decision. It can help marketers better understand how to improve the marketing mix—product, price, promotion, placement—in order to improve sales performance in comparison with competitors.
All of these activities can provide useful insights about how customers view the choices available to them, as well as how competitors view and compete in the market. As with internal data, a better understanding of these factors helps marketers improve the marketing mix to compete more effectively and become a preferred choice for customers.
Marketing Research
Marketing research is a systematic process for identifying marketing opportunities and solving marketing problems, using customer insights derived from the collection and analysis of marketing information. Marketing research identifies the problem to be solved or the opportunity to be explored, as well as the information required to address research questions. It also involves processes for collecting the information, analyzing it, identifying insights, and reporting findings and recommendations to those who will take action based on the results.3
Marketing research may cover a full spectrum of topics related to customers, products, and market dynamics, and it can use a variety of research methods (which will be discussed later in this module). In general, marketing research requires some additional information beyond what marketers have at their fingertips (like, say, internal data). Sometimes it is necessary to collect new primary data directly from target audiences, such as current or prospective customers. In other situations, marketing research uses secondary data captured previously by another organization. Marketing research may incorporate internal data and/or competitive intelligence in order to provide a more complete answer to a marketing problem or question.
Common subjects for marketing research include:
- Environmental factors and how they affect consumer behavior. These include factors such as the health of the economy, the legal environment, market trends and other social factors, technology and its influence, and cultural factors that make doing business different in one region or country compared to others.
- Customer attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions. Marketing research can be essential in understanding customer needs, how their needs are or aren’t being met by the market, views about various products and companies, satisfaction levels, preferences for product features and pricing, the consumer decision-making process, and factors that influence it.
- Product research. Product research explores where opportunities and gaps exist for improving existing products or introducing new ones, concept testing, sizing the market for a product, market penetration, prioritizing product features and preferences, testing product effectiveness and customer receptivity, user testing, pricing strategies, product naming and branding, and gauging how to position a product relative to competitors.
- Marketing, advertising, and promotion research. This area of research seeks to improve the effectiveness and reach of marketing activities such as market segmentation, messaging and communications, advertising and media testing, events and sponsorships, packaging and display testing.
- Corporate research. Corporate research investigates corporate reputation and opportunities for strengthening an organization’s position in the market through brand building, research and development, mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, corporate planning and profitability.
Marketing research is usually a wise investment when it’s undertaken to inform decisions involving a significant shift in direction, whether that shift is associated with a product, brand, message, tone, corporate image or other area linked to a major change and related investment. Marketing research projects may be large or small in terms of time, scope, cost, and resources involved. With a simple project, it could take an in-house marketer just a few hours to formulate research questions and analyze a data set from internal or secondary data sources, with no external costs. Complex marketing research projects may take longer than a year to complete and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars paid to research firms that specialize in particular markets or types of research.
As organizations grow, they may employ a marketing research director to oversee and coordinate research activities to ensure that they are getting accurate data and useful results. Smaller organizations without this internal capacity may hire a marketing research company or consultant to conduct the project, lead data collection, provide analysis, and advise on the best methods for interpreting and acting on research findings.
- http://www.chiefmarketer.com/big-data-marketing-analytics-can-help-sales/
- http://www.fuzzyl.com/wp-content/uploads/49415_TridentMarketingIncreases_Case-Study_PRF2_May18_12-2.pdf
- https://www.ama.org/AboutAMA/Pages/Definition-of-Marketing.aspx
Licenses and Attributions
CC licensed content, Original
- Illuminating the Marketing Picture. Authored by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
CC licensed content, Shared previously
- Target Shopper. Authored by: Wm. Mag.. Located at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jojomelons/2041121410/. License: CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
All rights reserved content
- Make the most out of a small space. Provided by: Target. Located at: https://youtu.be/3skMCwimDSY. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:23.889778
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03/22/2022
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{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/91188/overview",
"title": "Statewide Dual Credit Principles of Marketing, Marketing Information and Research, Types of Marketing Information",
"author": "Anna McCollum"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/91187/overview
|
Importance of Marketing Information
Overview
Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
Outcome: Importance of Marketing Information
What you’ll learn to do: explain the role of marketing information in helping organizations understand and reach customers
Marketers are fortunate to work in an information-rich environment. They don’t have to make decisions based on gut feeling or blind luck. These days, many valuable sources of marketing information are available to guide marketers’ thinking, choices, and actions. While it’s true that this information may be more readily accessible in some organizations than others, it’s important for marketers to know what to look for and how to find it in order to make wise decisions about marketing strategy and execution.
The specific things you’ll learn in this section include:
- Define marketing information
- Explain why organizations use marketing information to provide customer insights
Learning Activities
The learning activities for this section include the following:
- Reading: The Importance of Marketing Information
- Case Study: Juicy Fruit Gum
Licenses and Attributions
CC licensed content, Original
- Outcome: Importance of Marketing Information. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
Reading: The Importance of Marketing Information and Research
Fresh Customer Insights
Effective marketing starts with a strong knowledge of your customers: the kind of knowledge that gives you unique insights into what they want and how to satisfy them better than the competition. The most reliable source of fresh customer insights is good marketing information. Useful marketing information may come from a variety of sources both inside and outside your organization. Marketing information is generated by a variety of different activities, including marketing research.
Marketing research is a systematic process for identifying marketing opportunities and solving marketing problems, using customer insights that come out of collecting and analyzing marketing information. The mechanics of marketing research must be controlled so that marketers uncover the relevant facts to answer the problem at hand. Control over this fact-finding process is the responsibility of the marketing research director, who must correctly design the research and carefully supervise its execution, to ensure it yields the customer insights the organization needs.
A marketing information system is a combination of people, technologies, and processes for managing marketing information, overseeing market research activities, and using customer insights to guide marketing decisions and broader management and strategy decisions.
Knowledge Is Power Against the Competition
The business environment is increasingly competitive. With something as simple as a Google search, customers have unprecedented opportunities to explore alternatives to what any single company offers. Likewise, companies have ample opportunity to identify, track, and lure customers away from their less-vigilant competitors. A regular infusion of fresh customer insights can make all the difference between keeping customers and losing them. Marketing information and research are essential tools for marketers and the management team as they align strategy with customer wants and needs.
Consider the following examples:
- Before introducing OnStar, the first-ever embedded wireless service in cars, GM used marketing research to understand what types of applications would make consumers most interested in subscribing to the service and how much they would pay for it. Of all the benefits OnStar could offer, the research helped GM prioritize how the initial service would provide value, focusing on driver assistance and security. Research also helped determine OnStar pricing to help the company build a large subscriber base quickly.1
- Enterprise systems provider PeopleSoft recruited a diverse set of universities as early-adopter “Beta” partners to provide input as it designed a new student information system for higher education. This marketing research helped PeopleSoft create a versatile system that could support the needs of a variety of colleges and universities, ultimately leading to strong receptivity and market share when the new system became widely available.2
What Should Marketers Investigate Using Marketing Information?
An easy—and truthful—answer to this question is “everything.” There is no aspect of marketing to which information and research do not apply. Every marketing concept and every element involved in the marketing management process can be subjected to a great deal of careful marketing research and inquiry. Some important questions include:
- Who is the customer?
- What problems is the customer trying to solve with a given purchase?
- What does s/he desire in the way of satisfaction?
- How does the customer get information about available choices?
- Where does s/he choose to purchase?
- Why does s/he buy, or not buy?
- When does s/he purchase?
- How does s/he go about seeking satisfaction in the market?
Seeking answers to these questions yields insights into the customer’s needs, perceptions, and behaviors. Another area in which research is critical is profitability. Organizations need to forecast sales and related costs in order to understand how their operations will be profitable. They also need to plan competitive marketing programs that will produce the desired level of sales at an appropriate cost. The analysis of past sales and interpretation of cost information are important in evaluating performance and providing useful facts for future planning. All these activities rely on marketing information and a rigorous marketing research process to produce insights managers can trust and act on.
When to Use Marketing Information and Research
Many marketing decisions are made without consulting marketing information or the use of formal marketing research. For example, a decision maker may feel she already knows enough to make a good decision. The time required to investigate a question or conduct formal marketing research may not be available. In other cases, the cost of obtaining the data is prohibitive, or the desired data cannot be obtained in reliable form. In a few instances, there may be no choice among alternatives and therefore no decision to make because there is little value in spending time and money to study a problem if there is only one possible solution. But in most business situations, marketers and managers must choose among two or more courses of action. This is where fact-finding, marketing information, and research enter to help make the choice.
Marketing information and research address the need for quicker, yet more accurate, decision making by the marketer. These tools put marketers close to their customers to help them understand who their customers are, what they want, and what competitors are doing. When different stakeholders have very different views about a particular marketing-related decision, objective information and research can inform everyone about the issues in question and help the organization come to agreement about the path forward. Good research should help align marketing with the other areas of the business.
Marketers should always be tapping into regular sources of marketing information about their organization and industry in order to monitor what’s happening generally. For example, at any given time marketers should understand how they are doing relative to sales goals and monitor developments in their industry or competitive set.
Beyond this general level of “tuning in,” additional market research projects may also be justified. As a rule, if the research results can save the company more time, money, and/or risk than it costs to conduct the research, it is wise to proceed. If the cost of conducting the research is more than it will contribute to improving a decision, the research should not be carried out. In practice, applying this cost-test principle can be somewhat complex, but it provides useful guidance about when marketing research is worthwhile. Ultimately, successful marketing executives make decisions on the basis of a blend of facts and intuition.
Fact: Top Performers Research Customer Preferences
In 2010, the management consultancy McKinsey published research about the difference between organizations that produced top-performing products and those that produced under-performing products. The use of marketing research was a striking differentiator:
More than 80 percent of the top performers said they periodically tested and validated customer preferences during the development process, compared with just 43 percent of bottom performers. They were also twice as likely as the laggards to research what, exactly, customers wanted.3
The study also identified other differences between top and bottom performers, but an underlying theme was the emphasis successful projects and companies placed on understanding their customers and adjusting course when necessary to better address customers’ needs. This research provides more than anecdotal evidence that marketing research and well-applied marketing information can make a substantial contribution to an organization’s success.
- Vincent P. Barabba, Surviving Transformation: Lessons from GM's Surprising Turnaround, pp 46–50, https://books.google.com/books?id=VvbDYad7cLoC&pg
- Proquest, "First We Built, Now We Buy: A Sociological Case Study for Enterprise Systems in Higher Education," pp 292–203, https://books.google.com/books?id=rgIAaigKQBIC&pg
- http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/operations/the_path_to_successful_new_products
Licenses and Attributions
CC licensed content, Original
- Revision and Adaptation. Authored by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
CC licensed content, Shared previously
- Chapter 3: Marketing Research: An Aid to Decision Making, from Introducing Marketing. Authored by: John Burnett. Provided by: Global Text. Located at: http://solr.bccampus.ca:8001/bcc/file/ddbe3343-9796-4801-a0cb-7af7b02e3191/1/Core%20Concepts%20of%20Marketing.pdf. License: CC BY: Attribution
Case Study: Juicy Fruit Gum
Discovering Why They Chew
Back in the nineties, Juicy Fruit Gum, the oldest brand of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, was not chewing up the teen market, gum’s top demographic. In 1997, the company found itself under pressure from competitors. Sales and market share were down. How could Wrigley get more kids to go for their famous gum?
Wrigley went to the source to find out. Marketing researchers approached teens who chewed five or more sticks of Juicy Fruit each week and gave them a homework assignment: Find pictures that remind you of Juicy Fruit gum and write a short story about it. When the kids shared their stories, Wrigley learned that they chew Juicy Fruit because it’s sweet. They said it refreshed and energized them.
Wrigley’s ad agency, BBDO, confirmed what the teens were saying. Conducting survey research, BBDO asked more than four hundred heavy gum chewers to rate various brands by attributes that best represented them. For Juicy Fruit, respondents picked phrases such as “has the right amount of sweetness” and “is made with natural sweetness.”
Another of BBDO’s studies investigated why teens in particular chew gum. Was it to cope with stress? Or because they forgot to brush their teeth before going to school? Nearly three out of four teens reported popping a stick of gum into their mouth when they craved something sweet. And Juicy Fruit was the top brand they picked to fulfill that need. (Rival chewing-gum brand Big Red was a distant second.)
Chewing on the Results
Although the marketing research conducted by the Wrigley Co. was fairly simple, it provided a new direction for the company’s marketing strategy to capture more of the essential teen market. BBDO developed four TV commercials with the “Gotta Have Sweet” theme. Roughly 70 percent of respondents voluntarily recalled the Juicy Fruit name after watching the commercial (the average recall for a brand of sugar gum is 57 percent). Sales of 100-stick boxes of Juicy Fruit rose 5 percent after the start of the ad campaign, reversing a 2 percent decline prior to it. Juicy Fruit’s market share also increased from 4.9 percent to 5.3 percent—the biggest gain of any established chewing-gum brand during the year following the campaign.
In this case, marketing research paid off with better customer insights that marketers translated into improved product positioning, messaging, advertising and ultimately market share.
Licenses and Attributions
CC licensed content, Original
- Revision and Adaptation. Authored by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
CC licensed content, Shared previously
- Chapter 3: Marketing Research: An Aid to Decision Making, from Introducing Marketing. Authored by: John Burnett. Provided by: Global Text. Located at: http://solr.bccampus.ca:8001/bcc/file/ddbe3343-9796-4801-a0cb-7af7b02e3191/1/Core%20Concepts%20of%20Marketing.pdf. License: CC BY: Attribution
- The Taste is Gonna Mooove Ya. Authored by: John. Located at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/piratejohnny/1556425504/. License: CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
- Chiclete na boca. Authored by: Guilherme Yagui. Located at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/yagui7/8048582032/. License: CC BY: Attribution
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:23.922546
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03/22/2022
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/91187/overview",
"title": "Statewide Dual Credit Principles of Marketing, Marketing Information and Research, Importance of Marketing Information",
"author": "Anna McCollum"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/91538/overview
|
Individual Reflection Assignment
Lesson Plan
Collaboration in Science
Overview
Abby Basiuks gamified lesson plan on collaboration in science. This is a mixture of content, game, and reflection to teach students the importance of productive collaboration.
Gamified Lesson on Collaboration in Science
Here is the powerpoint outline link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1oA2evVStRwFhROdUBxy8dBSotNVO3zTRYyUfVOqmoAU/edit#slide=id.g121476c7001_0_81
Here are the Padlet links: https://padlet.com/kellya27/n2xlreno8w37qet5
This is a lesson plan based on collaboration in science. This lesson aligns with the Alberta Program of Studies and the Instructional Supports area, specifically Inclusive Education. This lessons teaches the importance of wokrking with people of all different backgrounds and learning styles. Gamification of this concept is involved by incorporating a mini research proposal competition for students. This is designed for Grade 12 Science/Biology students.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:23.942109
|
Game
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/91538/overview",
"title": "Collaboration in Science",
"author": "Activity/Lab"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/128141/overview
|
International Women’s Day – ESL Lesson Plan
Overview
International Women’s Day (CEFR: B1+) is an ESL speaking lesson plan that teaches your students about Women’s Day, a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8th each year.
Quick links:
International Women’s Day (CEFR: B1+) is an ESL speaking lesson plan that teaches your students about Women’s Day, a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8th each year.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:23.959067
|
Christine Chan
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/128141/overview",
"title": "International Women’s Day – ESL Lesson Plan",
"author": "Lesson Plan"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/71477/overview
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Career Planning and Personal Exploration
Overview
This course introduces students to the career-decision making process and job search strategies that will increase their job readiness, employability, and success in their career. The following four major areas will be covered: (1) Self-Understanding; (2) Creating an attitude of success; (3) Researching jobs and careers; (4) and Job search skills.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Career Planning and Personal Exploration is designed to cover theories and concepts of values, interests, skills and personality as applied to the career life planning process and its application to labor market trends. Short and long term career plans will be developed. This course will take you through the exploration process in three themes:
Theme 1: Identifying Your Career Profile – this first phase will guide you through self-assessments of your values, interests, personality, skills and lifestyle to examine your fit within different career options. (Chapters 1-4)
Theme 2: Exploring Career Options – this second phase will show you how to research career information and labor market trends. (Chapter 5)
Theme 3: Creating Your Game Plan – this final phase will help you make decisions and plan for action steps toward your future career. (Chapter 6-10)
Course Objectives:
These are topics we will explore, discuss, and review throughout the course of the semester.
1. Career Development: Analyze theory and concepts of career and life planning
2. Personal Exploration: Acquire the concept of interest, personality, skills, and values, as they relate to human growth and life stage development.
3. Career Exploration: Develop a personal profile and relate it to labor market trends and resources.
4. Career Information: Analyze and clarify intrinsic and extrinsic goals as they relate to personal career evaluations. Select a career option or options. Develop a life plan to achieve individual goals.
5. Career Action: Employ a decision making process to implement or review a career plan, including an educational plan.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Articulate their interests, values, and feelings related to their career and educational goals.
2. Assess goals and objectives by analyzing skills and values.
3. Research career paths using interest and personality inventories and online resources.
4. Create an educational plan to achieve an Associate Degree and/or transfer goal.
5. Employ a decision-making process in creating life direction including the ability to develop short and long-term goals.
6. Design a comprehensive career project involving personal reflection and career research.
To lead into Theme I, watch the following video as an introduction to your self-reflection and finding career happiness.
Watch Ashley Stahl talk about the following three questions in her TEDx Talk:
- What am I good at?
- What do people tell me I’m good at?
- What’s holding me back?
Licenses and Attributions
CC licensed content, Original
- Introduction . Authored by: Joanna Campos-Robledo, Thu Nguyen. Provided by: Santa Ana College. Project: Counseling 116. License: CC BY: Attribution
All rights reserved content
- Image: Career Get Started Now. Created by Gerd Altmann. Provided by Pixabay. Located at: https://pixabay.com/photos/road-sign-town-sign-success-career-798176/ . License: Pixabay license
- Three Questions to unlock your authentic career. Authored by: Ashley Stahl at TEDxBerkeley . Located at: https://youtu.be/vMiSf7LpFQE. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
Chapter 1: Career Development Process
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Desire! That’s the one secret of every man’s career. —Johnny Carson, entertainer
Learning Objectives
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Describe the stages of career development, and identify the stage you are currently in
- Identify career development resources in your school, community, and beyond
Career Development
Think of a time in your childhood when you noticed somebody doing professional work. Maybe a nurse or doctor, dressed in a lab coat, was listening to your heartbeat. Maybe a worker at a construction site, decked in a hard hat, was operating noisy machinery. Maybe a cashier at the checkout line in a grocery store was busily scanning bar codes. Each day in your young life you could have seen a hundred people doing various jobs. Surely, some of the experiences drew your interest and appealed to your imagination.
If you can recall any such times, those are moments from the beginning stage of your career development.
What exactly is career development? It is a lifelong process in which we become aware of, interested in, knowledgeable about, and skilled in a career. It is a key part of human development as our identity forms and our life unfolds.
Stages of Career Development
There are five main stages of career development which are easily identified with life stages. Each stage correlates with attitudes, behaviors, and relationships we all tend to have at that point and age. As we progress through each stage and reach the milestones identified, we prepare to move on to the next one.
Table 1.1 CAREER DEVELOPMENT STAGES
# | STAGE | DESCRIPTION |
1 | GROWING |
This is a time in early years (4–13 years old) when you begin to have a sense about the future. You begin to realize that your participation in the world is related to being able to do certain tasks and accomplish certain goals.
|
2 | EXPLORING | This period begins when you are a teenager, and it can extend into your mid-twenties. In this stage you find that you have specific interests and aptitudes. You are aware of your inclinations to perform and learn about some subjects more than others. You may try out jobs in your community or at your school. You may begin to explore a specific career. At this stage, you have some detailed “data points” about careers, which will guide you in certain directions. |
3 | ESTABLISHING |
This period covers your mid-twenties through mid-forties. By now you are selecting or entering a field you consider suitable, and you are exploring job opportunities that will be stable. You are also looking for upward growth, so you may be thinking about advancing your education.
|
4 | MAINTAINING | This stage is typical for people in their mid-forties to mid-sixties. You may be in an upward pattern of learning new skills and staying engaged. But you might also be merely “coasting and cruising” or even feeling stagnant. You may be taking stock of what you’ve accomplished and where you still want to go.
|
5 | REINVENTING | In your mid-sixties (or much older since our life expectancy has increased and many individuals find that they are able to actively work for longer), you are likely transitioning into retirement. But retirement in our technologically advanced world can be just the beginning of a new career or pursuit—a time when you can reinvent yourself. There are many new interests to pursue, including teaching others what you’ve learned, volunteering, starting online businesses, consulting, etc. |
Keep in mind that your career development path is personal to you, and you may not fit neatly into the categories described above. Perhaps your socioeconomic background changes how you fit into the schema. Perhaps your physical and mental abilities affect how you define the idea of a “career.” And for everyone, too, there are factors of chance that can’t be predicted or anticipated. You are unique, and your career path can only be developed by you.
During our working life, it is commonly expected that we will revise or create new careers in which we recycle through the exploring, establishing, and maintaining stages. This could be by choice as a result of new experiences or new information about ourselves or could be due to external circumstances such as a loss of employment or change in personal needs.
Activity 1.1: IDENTIFYING Your career development STAGE
Objective:
- To identify current career development stage(s), current obstacles, and next stage of development
Instructions:
- Review the 5 Stages of Career Development listed in the table above and answer the questions below.
1. Which stage of career development do you feel you are in currently?
2. Provide the 2 descriptions you identify with the most from your career development stage.
3. What challenges are you facing now in your career development?
4. Where are you headed next in your career development path?
Career Journey
Another way to think about career development, especially in college, is like a road trip. Your journey to career success will have different routes to choose, on-ramps, speedbumps, detours and signposts. And, like most successful road trips, a road map or navigation system with clear markers will help you reach your destination.
You will learn more about the following steps throughout this course:
- Know yourself by identifying your interests, skills, values and personality preferences
- Explore careers
- Choose a career goal after narrowing your options
- Plan your studies and develop the skills needed through experiences
- Prepare to connect with employers through the job search process
Plan, Do, Check, Act
Figure 1. PDCA
PDCA (plan–do–check–act), shown in Figure 1, above, is a four-step strategy for carrying out change. You can use it to evaluate where you are in the career-development process and to identify your next steps. The strategy is typically used in the business arena as a framework for improving processes and services. But you can think of your career as a personal product you are offering or selling.
- PLAN: What are your goals and objectives? What process will you use to get to your targets? You might want to plan smaller to begin with and test out possible effects. For instance, if you are thinking of getting into a certain career, you might plan to try it out first as an intern or volunteer or on a part-time basis. When you start on a small scale, you can test possible outcomes.
- DO: Implement your plan. Sell your product—which is YOU and your skills, talents, energy, and enthusiasm. Collect data as you go along; you will need it for charting and analyzing in the Check and Act steps ahead.
- CHECK: Look at your results so far. Are you happy with your job or wherever you are in the career-development process? How is your actual accomplishment measuring up next to your intentions and wishes? Look for where you may have deviated in your intended steps. For example, did you take a job in another city when your initial plans were for working closer to friends and family? What are the pros and cons? If you like, create a chart that shows you all the factors. With a chart, it will be easier to see trends over several PDCA cycles.
- ACT: How should you act going forward? What changes in planning, doing, and checking do you want to take? The PDCA framework is an ongoing process. Keep planning, doing, checking, and acting. The goal is continuous improvement.
Career Development Resources in Your College, Community, and Beyond
Career experts say that people will change careers (not to mention jobs) five to seven times in a lifetime. So your career will likely not be a straight and narrow path. Be sure to set goals and assess your interests, skills and values often. Seek opportunities for career growth and enrichment. And take advantage of the rich set of resources available to you. Below are just a few.
Career Development Resources on Campus
Whether you are a student, a graduate, or even an employer, you can obtain invaluable career development assistance at your college. Campus career centers can support, guide, and empower you in every step of the career development process, from initial planning to achieving lifelong career satisfaction.
Career Services at Austin Community College District (ACC) is where you can go for help creating and achieving your career goals. You can access information online and meet individually for one on one assistance: www.austincc.edu/career
- Resources for career information
- Guidance in defining academic and career goals
- Support in creating a career plan
- Information about employment and internship opportunities
- Job search assistance (resume, interview prep, etc.)
- Employer connections and events
- Labor market information
- Career assessments
- Career counseling
Career Development Resources in our Community
Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) is the state agency that oversees workforce development services to employers and job seekers in Texas. There are twenty-eight workforce development boards that focus on the employment needs of their local area by providing job training, childcare support, unemployment insurance and job search assistance. A map can be found on the TWC website:
https://www.twc.texas.gov/partners/workforce-development-boards-websites
The workforce development boards that serve the ACC community are:
Workforce Solutions Capital Area: http://www.wfscapitalarea.com/
and Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area: https://workforcesolutionsrca.com/
Another career resource in our community is Capital Idea. It is a non-profit organization that provides free tuition, financial support, and professional guidance to qualifying, non-traditional students wanting to move into high growth careers with high earnings potential.
https://www.capitalidea.org/
Additional Career Planning Resources
Technology also makes career resources available at home.
A good place to start exploring is ACC’s Library Services which provides a comprehensive online page with career information and resources:
https://researchguides.austincc.edu/careerinfo/general
And for even more tools and information, ACC’s Career Services offers a comprehensive Career Essentials Guide, an online resume builder, and an interactive interview preparation program as well as links to other resources:
https://www.austincc.edu/students/career-services/career-resources
Key Takeaways
- The five main stages of career development are unique for everyone and correlate with attitudes, behaviors, and relationships we all experience at certain points and ages in our lives.
- Since it is common for individuals to change careers five to seven times in a lifetime, it is important to know that there is a road map for career journeys with clear steps to lead the way.
- There are many career development resources available to you on campus, in the community, and online to assist you in identifying strategies and steps to creating a career path that works for you.
Licenses and Attributions
CC licensed content, Original
- Career/Life Planning and Personal Exploration. Authored by: Joanna Campos-Robledo, Thu Nguyen. Provided by: Lumen Learning and found at OER Commons. License: CC BY 4.0.
CC licensed content, Shared previously
- Career Development. Authored by: Linda Bruce. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
- Image of Plan, Do, Check, Act. Authored by: Karn G. Bulsuk. Located at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PDCA_Cycle.svg. License: CC BY: Attribution. License Terms: Diagram by Karn G. Bulsuk (http://www.bulsuk.com)
All rights reserved
- Image: Success Ahead. Created by Gerd Altmann. Provided by Pixabay. Located at: https://pixabay.com/photos/road-sign-town-sign-success-career-798176/ . License: Pixabay license
Chapter 2: Goals and Motivations
Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay
If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
–Henry David Thoreau
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Explain how time management plays a factor in goal setting, leading to short-term, medium-term, and long-term objectives.
- Identify your specific short, medium, and long-term goals.
- Identify and apply motivational strategies to support goal achievement.
- Explore the social aspects of achieving goals (networking, social media, etc.).
- Brainstorm factors that might hinder goal achievement and possible ways to address these issues.
Time Management and Goal Setting
There is no doubt that doing well in college is a sizable challenge. Every semester you have to adjust to new class schedules, instructors, classmates as well as learning objectives and requirements for each course. Along with that, you may be juggling school with work, family responsibilities, and social events. Do you feel confident that you can attend to all of them in a balanced, committed way? What will be your secret of success?
SUCCESS BEGINS WITH GOALS
A goal is a desired result that you envision and then plan and commit to achieve. Goals can relate to family, education, career, wellness, spirituality, and many other areas of your life. Generally, goals are associated with finite time expectations, even deadlines.
As a college student, many of your goals are defined for you. For example, you must take certain courses, you must comply with certain terms and schedules, and you must turn in assignments at specified times. These goals are mostly set for you by someone else.
But there are plenty of goals for you to define yourself. For example, you decide what you would like to major in. You decide how long you are going to be in college or what terms you want to enroll in. You largely plan how you would like your studies to relate to employment and your career.
Goals can also be sidetracked. Consider the following scenario in which a student makes a discovery that challenges her to reexamine her goals, priorities, and timetables:
Janine had thought she would be an accountant, even though she knew little about what an accounting job might entail. Her math and organizational skills were strong, and she enjoyed taking economics courses as well as other courses in her accounting program. But when one of her courses required her to spend time in an accounting office working with taxes, she decided that accounting was not the right fit for her, due to the higher-stress environment and the late hours.
At first she was concerned that she invested time and money in a career path that was not a good fit. She feared that changing her major would add to her graduation time. Nevertheless, she did decide to change her major and her career focus.
Janine is now a statistician with a regional healthcare system. She is very happy with her work. Changing her major from accounting to statistics was the right decision for her.
This scenario represents some of the many opportunities we have, on an ongoing basis, to assess our relationship to our goals, reevaluate priorities, and adjust. Opportunities exist every day—every moment, really!
Below is a set of questions we can ask ourselves at any turn to help focus on personal goals:
- What are my top-priority goals?
- Which of my skills and interests make my goals realistic for me?
- What makes my goals believable and possible?
- Are my goals measurable? How long will it take me to reach them? How will I know if I have achieved them?
- Are my goals flexible? What will I do if I experience a setback?
- Are my goal controllable? Can I achieve them on my own?
- Are my goals in sync with my values?
As you move through your college career, make a point to ask these questions regularly.
Aids to Successful Goal Setting
Watch the following overview of SMART goals – a memory aid in setting and evaluating goals to ensure that they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time bound. After watching the video, complete Activity 2.1.
ACTIVITY 2.1: IDENTIFYING YOUR GOALS
In order to achieve long-term goals (from college on), you will need to first achieve a series of shorter goals. Medium-term goals (this year and while in college) and short-term goals (today, this week, and this month) may take several days, weeks, months, or even a few years to complete, depending on your ultimate long-term goals. Complete the following Goals Activity to identify short and medium-term goals that will help you achieve your long-term goal.
Objectives
- Identify 1 long-term academic or career goal.
- Identify two related medium-term and two related short-term goals that will help you achieve your long-term goal.
- Identify specific, measurable, achievable, relevant activities to achieve your identified goals by a certain timeframe.
Instructions
- Review the worksheet below, and fill in the blank sections to the best of your ability.
Guidelines
- Phrase goals as positive statements: Affirm your excitement and enthusiasm about attaining a goal by using positive language and expectations.
- Be exact: Set a precise goal that includes dates, times, and amounts, so that you have a basis for measuring your progress.
- Prioritize: Select your top goals, and put them in order of importance. This helps you understand the degree to which you value each of them. It will also help you better manage related tasks and not feel overwhelmed.
- Take the lead: Identify goals that are linked to your own performance, not dependent on the actions of other people or situations beyond your control.
- Be realistic but optimistic and ambitious: The goals you set should be achievable, but sometimes it pays to reach a little higher than what you may think is possible. Certainly don’t set your goals too low.
- Be hopeful, excited, and committed: Your enthusiasm and perseverance can open many doors!
GOAL PRIORITIES | MY PRECISE GOALS | WHAT I AM DOING NOW TO ACHIEVE THESE GOALS |
Example: Long-term goal | I will graduate with an Associate of Arts degree in Automotive Technology by May 2023. | I am attending the college of my choice and getting good grades in my major. |
Example: Related medium-term goal | I will find either an internship or start a part-time job at an auto repair business within the next year. | I have created an account in ACC Career Link. I visited with Career Services to start working on my resume. When I meet with my automotive tech instructor, I will ask for recommendations for an internship. |
Example: Related short-term goal | I will earn a 3.0 GPA this semester. | I attend every class. I reviewed the syllabi and put due dates in my calendar with reminders. This week I have a meeting with one of my instructors to ask about my progress. I have blocked regular study time in my weekly schedule. Last week I started visiting with a Learning Lab tutor. |
Identify your Long-term goal | ||
Identify a related medium-term goal #1 | ||
Identify a related medium-term goal #2 | ||
Identify a related short-term goal #1 | ||
Identify a related short-term goal #2 |
Motivational Strategies to Support You
Every day we make choices. Some are as simple as what clothes we decide to wear, what to eat for lunch, or how long to study for a test. But what about life-altering choices—the ones that leave us at a crossroads? How much thought do you give to taking Path A versus Path B? Do you like to plan and schedule your choices, by making a list of pros and cons, for instance? Or do you prefer to make decisions spontaneously and just play the cards that life deals you as they come?
How do you view challenges? Have you been coming from a growth mindset or a fixed mindset?
How can believing that we can learn and improve through effort contribute to our success and our ability to achieve goals?
The power of “yet” by Carol Dweck
Carol Dweck is a professor at Stanford and the author of Mindset, a classic work on motivation and “growth mindset.” Her work is influential among educators and increasingly among business leaders as well. She researches “growth mindset” — the idea that we can grow our brain’s capacity to learn and to solve problems. In this talk, she describes two ways to think about a problem that’s slightly too hard for you to solve. Are you not smart enough to solve it … or have you just not solved it yet?
https://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve
Passion and Perseverance or “Grit” by Angela Duckworth
Leaving a high-flying job in consulting, Angela Lee Duckworth took a job teaching math to seventh graders in a New York public school. She quickly realized that IQ wasn’t the only thing separating the successful students from those who struggled. Here, she explains her theory of “grit” as a predictor of success.
https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_grit_the_power_of_passion_and_perseverance
After watching the videos, reflect on how you can improve the ways you currently set goals to allow you the opportunity to apply “grit” and use your “growth mindset” in order to successfully accomplish your goals.
Social Aspects of Achieving Your Goals
Setting goals can be a challenge, but working toward them, once you’ve set them, can be an even greater challenge—often because it implies that you will be making changes in your life. You might be creating new directions of thought or establishing new patterns of behavior, discarding old habits or starting new ones. Change will always be the essence of achieving your goals.
You may find that as you navigate this path of change, one of your best resources is your social network. Your family, friends, roommates, coworkers, and others can help you maintain a steady focus on your goals. They can encourage and cheer you on, offer guidance when needed, share knowledge and wisdom they’ve gained, and possibly partner with you in working toward shared goals and ambitions. Your social network is a gold mine of support.
Here are some easy ways you can tap into goal-supporting “people power”:
- Make new friends
- Study with friends
- Actively engage with the college community
- Volunteer to help others
- Join student organizations
- Get an internship
- Work for a company related to your curriculum
- Stay connected via social media (but use it judiciously)*
- Keep a positive attitude
- Congratulate yourself on all you’ve done to get where you are
*A note about social media: More than 98 percent of college-age students use social media, says Experian Simmons. Twenty-seven percent of those students spent more than six hours a week on social media (UCLA, 2014). The University of Missouri, though, indicates in a 2015 study that this level of use may be problematic. It can lead to symptoms of envy, anxiety, and depression. Still, disconnecting from social media may have a negative impact, too, and further affect a student’s anxiety level.
Is there a healthy balance? If you feel overly attached to social media, you may find immediate and tangible benefit in cutting back. By tapering your use, your can devote more time to achieving your goals. You can also gain a sense of freedom and more excitement about working toward your goals.
Dealing with Setbacks and Obstacles
At times, unexpected events and challenges can get in the way of best-laid plans. For example, you might get sick or injured or need to deal with a family issue or a financial crisis. Earlier in this section we considered a scenario in which a student realized she needed to change her major and her career plans. Such upsets, whether minor or major, may trigger a need to take some time off from school—perhaps a term or a year. Your priorities may shift. You may need to reevaluate your goals.
Problem-Solving Strategies
Below is a simple list of four problem-solving strategies. They can be applied to any aspect of your life.
- What is the problem? Define it in detail. How is it affecting me and other people?
- How are other people dealing with this problem? Are they adjusting their time management skills? Can they still complete responsibilities, and on time?
- What is my range of possible solutions? Are solutions realistic? How might these solutions help me reach my goal/s?
- What do I need to do to implement solutions?
You may wish to also review the earlier set of questions about focusing with intention on goals.
Be confident that you can return to your intended path in time. Acknowledge the ways in which you need to regroup. Read inspiring words from people who have faced adversity and gained. Line up your resources, be resolved, and proceed with certainty toward your goals.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Success with goals (any goals—education, family, career, finances, etc.) is essentially a three-part process:
- Identify your goals (specifically long-term, medium-term and short-term goals).
- Set priorities to accomplish these goals.
- Manage your time according to the priorities you have set.
By following these three straightforward steps, you can more readily achieve goals because you clearly organize the process and follow through with commitment. Focus your sights on what you want to acquire, attain, or achieve. Prioritize the steps you need to take to get there. And organize your tasks into manageable chunks and blocks of time. These are the roadways to accomplishment and fulfillment.
In the following passage from Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom, former political-science student Patricia Munsch—now a college counselor—reflects on how a structured, conscientious approach to decision-making and goal setting in college can lead to fulfillment and achievement.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY STUDYING?
There is a tremendous amount of stress placed on college students regarding their choice of major. Everyday, I meet with students regarding their concern about choosing right major; the path that will lead to a fantastic, high-paying position in a growth industry. There is a hope that one decision, your college major, will have a huge impact on the rest of your life.
Students shy away from subject areas they enjoy due to fear that such coursework will not lead to a job. I am disappointed in this approach. As a counselor I always ask—what do you enjoy studying? Based on this answer it is generally easy to choose a major or a family of majors. I recognize the incredible pressure to secure employment after graduation, but forcing yourself to choose a major that you may not have any actual interest in because a book or website mentioned the area of growth may not lead to the happiness you predict.
Working in a college setting I have the opportunity to work with students through all walks of life, and I do believe based on my experience, that choosing a major because it is listed as a growth area alone is not a good idea. Use your time in college to explore all areas of interest and utilize your campus resources to help you make connections between your joy in a subject matter and the potential career paths. Realize that for most people, in most careers, the undergraduate major does not lead to a linear career path.
As an undergraduate student I majored in Political Science, an area that I had an interest in, but I added minors in Sociology and Women’s Studies as my educational pursuits broadened. Today, as a counselor, I look back on my coursework with happy memories of exploring new ideas, critically analyzing my own assumptions, and developing an appreciation of social and behavioral sciences. So to impart my wisdom in regards to a student’s college major, I will always ask, what do you enjoy studying?
Once you have determined what you enjoy studying, the real work begins. Students need to seek out academic advisement. Academic advisement means many different things; it can include course selection, course completion for graduation, mapping coursework to graduation, developing opportunities within your major and mentorship.
As a student I utilized a faculty member in my department for semester course selection, and I also went to the department chairperson to organize two different internships to explore different career paths. In addition, I sought mentorship from club advisors as I questioned my career path and future goals. In my mind I had a team of people providing me support and guidance, and as a result I had a great college experience and an easy transition from school to work.
I recommend to all students that I meet with to create their own team. As a counselor I can certainly be a part of their team, but I should not be the only resource. Connect with faculty in your department or in your favorite subject. Seek out internships as you think about the transition from college to workplace. Find mentors through faculty, club advisors, or college staff. We all want to see you succeed and are happy to be a part of your journey.
As a counselor I am always shocked when students do not understand what courses they need to take, what grade point average they need to maintain, and what requirements they must fulfill in order to reach their goal—graduation! Understand that as a college student it is your responsibility to read your college catalog and meet all of the requirements for graduation from your college. I always suggest that students, starting in their first semester, outline or map out all of the courses they need to take in order to graduate. Of course you may change your mind along the way, but by setting out your plan to graduation you are forcing yourself to learn what is required of you.
I do this exercise in my classes and it is by far the most frustrating for students. They want to live in the now and they don’t want to worry about next semester or next year. However, for many students that I see, the consequence of this decision is a second semester senior year filled with courses that the student avoided during all the previous semesters. If you purposefully outline each semester and the coursework for each, you can balance your schedule, understand your curriculum and feel confident that you will reach your goal.
—Dr. Patricia Munsch, Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom
LICENSES AND ATTRIBUTIONS
CC LICENSED CONTENT, ORIGINAL
- Career/Life Planning and Personal Exploration. Authored by: Joanna Campos-Robledo, Thu Nguyen. Provided by: Lumen Learning and found at OER Commons. License: CC BY 4.0
- Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset: An Introduction. Authored By: PERT and Rita Kitchen. Provided by: TED-Ed. Located at: https://ed.ted.com/best_of_web/qrZmOV7R. License: CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International
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- Carol Dweck: The Power of Believing That You Can Improve. Provided by: TED. Located at: https://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve. License: CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
- Angela Lee Duckworth: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Provided by: TED. Located at: https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_grit_the_power_of_passion_and_perseverance. License: CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
- Defining Goals. Authored by: Linda Bruce. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
- Foundations of College Success: Words of Wisdom. Authored by: Thomas C. Priester, editor. Provided by: Open SUNY Textbooks. Located at: http://textbooks.opensuny.org/foundations-of-academic-success/. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
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- SMART Goals - Quick Overview . Located at: https://youtu.be/1-SvuFIQjK8. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
RETURN TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 3: Values and Decision Making
When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier. -- Roy Disney
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Define your work values.
- Learn steps to a rational decision-making model.
- Understand how making decisions based on values can lead to career satisfaction.
Values
An essential part in your self discovery journey of your career exploration process is identifying what is most important to you–your values–and learn how they influence and motivate your goals. Values drive our actions and they motivate your goals. Your goals help you establish your priorities in life, guide your decision-making, and affect your evaluation of your success and happiness in life. Take time to reflect what being successful means to you. It will be different for you than for other people. Think of your values as you are thinking about becoming successful.
Here's a video of a spoken word performance by Rashad Hedgepeth at a TEDx event titled, “Values”.
VALUES
As defined at CareerOneStop, a source for employment information sponsored by the US Department of Labor:
- Values are your beliefs about what is important or desirable.
- When your values line up with how you live and work, you tend to feel more satisfied and confident.
- Living or working in ways that contradict your values can lead to dissatisfaction, confusion, and discouragement. So there is good reason to clarify your values, and seek to match your work to them.
Identify Your Work Values
The best career choices are ones that match your values. So do you know what your values are? Complete the following activity to review the work values that are most important to you.
ACTIVITY 3.1: IDENTIFY YOUR WORK VALUES
Complete the following activities offered by CareerOneStop to review your work values:
- Visit the CareerOneStop Work Values Matcher and complete the card sort exercise.
- Review your results and read about all six of the universal work values developed by the U.S. Department of Labor’s O*NET program. Click on the ones that best describe you to see careers that highlight that value.
What do you notice when reading about the careers that express your top values?
Making Decisions Based on Values
Decision making refers to making choices among alternative courses of action—which may also include inaction. Not all decisions in life have major consequences or even require a lot of thought. For example, before you come to class, you make simple and habitual decisions such as what to wear, what to eat, and which route to take as you go to and from home and school. You probably do not spend much time on these mundane decisions. However, decisions that are unique and important require conscious thinking, information gathering, and careful consideration of alternatives. In this case, making a decision about your future career is an important one that requires a thoughtful review of what you consider most important in life, your values. Increasing effectiveness in decision making is an important part of maximizing your effectiveness at work.
How do you normally make important decisions? Toss a coin? Take advice from trusted role-models? Or let fate decide for you? It is important to be self-aware, especially when it comes to making difficult and important life decisions. We will examine here a decision making model which includes a series of steps to help decision makers make the best choice.
Decision Making Model
Let’s imagine that your old, clunky car has broken down, and you have enough money saved for a substantial down payment on a new car. It will be the first major purchase of your life, and you want to make the right choice. The first step, therefore, has already been completed—the problem is that you need a new vehicle and need to choose one to buy.
In Step 2, you will decide which factors you value most in a vehicle. How many passengers do you want to accommodate? How important is fuel economy to you? Is safety a major concern? You only have a certain amount of money saved, and you don’t want to take on too much debt, so price range is probably an important factor as well. Perhaps you have identified the following as being important to you: room for at least five adults, minimum gas mileage of twenty MPG, a strong safety rating, and no more than $20,000 in price. These are the decision criteria which you have identified.
Now, for Step 3, you should allocate weight or determine how important each factor is to your decision. If each is equally important, then there is no need to weigh them, but if you know that price and mpg are key factors, you might weigh them more and weigh the other criteria as being less important.
In step 4, you will narrow your choices and develop alternatives. Perhaps, after speaking with others and researching vehicles in unbiased journals and online resources, you are trying to decide between a small SUV, a sports car and a fairly new, but used sedan.
For step 5 you can now analyze the alternatives. Using the criteria you established in step 2, analyze each vehicle. Usually it is easier to create a spreadsheet or pros and cons list. Start with the factors that you identified as most important to you. Does the SUV cost less than $20,000? How about the sports car? Or the sedan? Continue to evaluate each vehicle based on your remaining criteria.
After weighing the evidence for each, for step 6, choose the best alternative. Remember to give greater weight to the factors that you identified as most important. That means that a vehicle that doesn’t meet your MPG and price needs should not be highest on your list, despite how good you look driving it!
For step 7, you take action and purchase your car with confidence knowing that you have made an informed decision.
Of course, reviewing the outcome of this decision will influence the next decision made. That is where step 8 comes in. For example, if you purchase a car and have nothing but problems with it, you will be less likely to consider the same make and model when purchasing a car the next time. Perhaps a new important factor will be the maintenance expectations.
The decision-making process has important lessons for decision makers.
- First, when making a decision, you may want to make sure that you establish your decision criteria before you search for alternatives. This would prevent you from liking one option too much and setting your criteria accordingly. For example, let’s say you started browsing cars online before you generated your decision criteria. You may come across a car that you feel reflects your sense of style and you develop an emotional bond with the car. Then, because of your love for the particular car, you may say to yourself that the fuel economy of the car and the innovative braking system are the most important criteria. After purchasing it, you may realize that the car is too small for your friends to ride in the back seat, which was something you should have thought about. Setting criteria before you search for alternatives may prevent you from making such mistakes. Another advantage of the rational model is that it urges decision makers to generate all alternatives instead of only a few. By generating a large number of alternatives that cover a wide range of possibilities, you are unlikely to make a more effective decision that does not require sacrificing one criterion for the sake of another.
- Second, despite all its benefits, you may have noticed that this decision-making model involves a number of unrealistic assumptions as well. It assumes that people completely understand the decision to be made, that they know all their available choices, that they have no perceptual biases, and that they want to make optimal decisions.
- Additionally, while decision makers can get off track during any of these steps, research shows that searching for alternatives in the fourth step can be the most challenging. Think about how you make important decisions in your life. It is likely that you rarely sit down and complete all eight of the steps in the rational decision-making model. For example, this model proposed that we should search for all possible alternatives before making a decision, but that process is time consuming, and individuals are often under time pressure to make decisions. Moreover, even if we had access to all the information that was available, it could be challenging to compare the pros and cons of each alternative and rank them according to our preferences.
Learning from these important lessons, you can use the work values you identified from Acitivity 3.1 as your criteria in your career exploration. This will help you focus on what is most important to you so that you can choose a career that will help you feel fulfilled and satisfied. Once you decide on a career, your decision will help guide the goals you set for yourself from your college education to your future career. For help to stay on track in this journey, you can seek assistance from the information and resources you learn in this class as well as counselors and career staff at the college to guide your search.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Having a clear understanding of your life and career values will help make your decisions in school and work easier.
- First, identify your values, what you find most important and essential in life.
- Second, use your values to guide your decision making in your education and career options.
- Finally, practice a decision-making process that provides you the opportunity to discover all of your choices so that you can make the best decisions based on all the options you have.
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CC LICENSED CONTENT, ORIGINAL
- Career/Life Planning and Personal Exploration. Authored by: Joanna Campos-Robledo, Thu Nguyen. Provided by: Lumen Learning and found at OER Commons. License: CC BY 4.0
- Values: spoken word performance. Created by: Rashad Hedgepeth. Provided by TEDx. Located at: https://youtu.be/eI1yo-a3QBs License: CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International
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- Understanding Decision Making. Located at: https://open.lib.umn.edu/principlesmanagement/chapter/11-3-understanding-decision-making/. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
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- Image: Compass Direction. Created by: PDPics Provided by: Pixabay. Located at: https://pixabay.com/photos/compass-direction-magnetic-compass-390907/ . License: Standard Pixabay License
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Chapter 4: Personality, Skills, and Interests
Image by Andre Mouton for Pixabay
Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. – Aristotle
Learning Objectives
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Understand personality preferences based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI).
- Explore the qualities of personality types that you most identify with.
- Research job titles that matches your preferred work styles.
- List specific skills that will be necessary for your career path
- List transferable skills that will be valuable for any career path
- Identify your skills and interests according to Dr. John Holland’s Occupational Themes
- Determine career paths that align with your occupational code
- Explain how to acquire necessary skills, both in and out of class, for your career goals
Now that you have reviewed the concepts of goal setting and identified values most important to you, the next part of the career development process will help you to reflect on personal preferences. By doing this, you will understand the work environment that you will naturally find a greater fit in. The career development process is all about you. You are a unique individual with a distinct combination of personality traits, skills, and interests, skills. Self -knowledge can help you in your career decision-making process to discover careers that are the best match for you.
Personality Type
Taking the time to ensure that your personality is compatible with your career choice is extremely important. If you do not invest the time now to figure out what makes you happy and keeps you motivated every day, you could be very unhappy in the future. Why is personality so important? Learning about your personality allows you to think about your emotions, behaviors, and ways of thinking on a day-to-day basis. For example, do you prefer to work alone or do you prefer to work with others? Would you be content in a career that requires you to be extremely organized and have a set schedule? Or are you the type of person that likes to have an open, flexible schedule that allows you to be spontaneous? This information will assist you in deciding which career(s) match with your personality preferences.
To review personality preferences, one of the most common tools used to understand personality preferences is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI). Some organizations (such as law enforcement) use it to find out more about the personalities of their potential employees, some universities use the MBTI to learn more about the personalities of potential graduate students considering psychology, counseling, and social work fields, and it is commonly used in relationship therapy to help individuals understand each other and their behaviors better.
Watch the following video to get an introduction to the MBTI.
Personality Theory: The 4 Facets
- Extroversion-Introversion (EI): how you get your energy and where you prefer to focus your attention
- Sensing-Intuition (SN): how you take in information about the world around you
- Thinking-Feeling (TF): how you like to make decisions
- Judging-Perceiving (JP): how you prefer to organize your life
Complete the following activity to identify your personality type based on your own self- reflection. Then compare the results with the personality assessment at the website later in the chapter to see how your results are similar and different.
Activity 4.1: What’s Your Type?
Read descriptions for the four facets. Pick which is more like you.
- E (Extraversion) or I (Introversion)?
- S (Sensing) or N (Intuition)?
- T (Thinking) or F (Feeling)?
- J (Judging) or P (Perceiving)?
Could be described as:
Then you prefer (E) Extraversion | Could be described as:
Then you prefer (I) Introversion |
Could be described as:
Then you prefer (S) Sensing | Could be described as:
Then you prefer (N) Intuition |
Could be described as:
Then you prefer (T) Thinking | Could be described as:
Then you prefer (F) Feeling |
Could be described as:
Then you prefer (J) Judging | Could be described as:
Then you prefer (P)Perceiving |
What is your 4-letter personality type? __ __ __ __
The following are brief descriptions of the 16 personality types from Humanmetrics. Click on your personality type or a similar type to see which describes you best.
The 16 personality types | |||
Work Styles
O*NET OnLine provides an online tool that helps you to review your personal characteristics and how they can affect how well one performs a job. This tool is available via the Work Styles search function on O*NET OnLine. You can browse O*Net data by clicking on the quality that you think best represents you including achievement, innovation, and leadership to explore the different jobs that will require the specific characteristic.
Skills
In addition to personality, skills are also important to consider in the career development process. If you lived and worked in colonial times in the United States, what skills would you need to be gainfully employed? What kind of person would your employer want you to be? And how different would your skills and aptitudes be then, compared to today?
Many industries that developed during the 1600s–1700s, such as health care, publishing, manufacturing, construction, finance, and farming, are still with us today. And the professional abilities, aptitudes, and values required in those industries are many of the same ones employers seek today.
For example, in the health care field then, just like today, employers looked for professionals with scientific insight, active listening skills, a service orientation, oral comprehension abilities, and teamwork skills. And in the financial field then, just like today, employers looked for economics and accounting skills, mathematical reasoning skills, clerical and administrative skills, and deductive reasoning.
Why is it that with the passage of time and all the changes in the work world, some skills remain unchanged (or little changed)? The answer might lie in the fact there are are two main types of skills that employers look for: hard skills and soft skills.
Hard Skills & Soft Skills
- Hard skills are concrete or objective abilities that you learn and perhaps have mastered. They are skills you can easily quantify, like using a computer, speaking a foreign language, or operating a machine. You might earn a certificate, a college degree, or other credentials that attest to your hard-skill competencies. Obviously, because of changes in technology, the hard skills required by industries today are vastly different from those required centuries ago.
- Soft skills, on the other hand, are subjective skills that have changed very little over time. Such skills might pertain to the way you relate to people, or the way you think, or the ways in which you behave—for example, listening attentively, working well in groups, and speaking clearly. Soft skills are sometimes also called “transferable skills” because you can easily transfer them from job to job or profession to profession without much training.
What Employers Want in an Employee
Employers want individuals who have the necessary hard and soft skills to do the job well and adapt to changes in the workplace. Soft skills may be especially in demand today because employers are generally equipped to train new employees in a hard skill—by training them to use new computer software, for instance—but it’s much more difficult to teach an employee a soft skill such as developing rapport with coworkers or knowing how to manage conflict. An employer might rather hire an inexperienced worker who can pay close attention to details than an experienced worker who might cause problems on a work team.
In this section, you will look at ways of identifying and building particular hard and soft skills that will be necessary for your career path. You will also learn how to use your time and resources wisely to acquire critical skills for your career goals.
Transferable Skills for Any Career Path
Transferable (soft) skills may be used in multiple professions. They include, but are by no means limited to, skills listed below:
- Dependable and punctual (showing up on time, ready to work, not being a liability)
- Self-motivated
- Enthusiastic
- Committed
- Willing to learn (lifelong learner)
- Able to accept constructive criticism
- A good problem solver
- Strong in customer service skills
- Adaptable (willing to change and take on new challenges)
- A team player
- Positive attitude
- Strong communication skills
- Good in essential work skills (following instructions, possessing critical thinking skills, knowing limits)
- Ethical
- Safety conscious
- Honest
- Strong in time management
Career Readiness
The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has identified the competencies that prepare college graduates for a successful transition into the workplace. These are the skills that employers repeatedly say they are looking for in new hire candidates:
- Critical Thinking/Problem Solving: Exercise sound reasoning to analyze issues, make decisions, and overcome problems. The individual is able to obtain, interpret, and use knowledge, facts, and data in this process, and may demonstrate originality and inventiveness.
- Oral/Written Communications: Articulate thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively in written and oral forms to persons inside and outside of the organization. The individual has public speaking skills; is able to express ideas to others; and can write/edit memos, letters, and complex technical reports clearly and effectively.
- Teamwork/Collaboration: Build collaborative relationships with colleagues and customers representing diverse cultures, races, ages, genders, religions, lifestyles, and viewpoints. The individual is able to work within a team structure, and can negotiate and manage conflict.
- Digital Technology: Leverage existing digital technologies ethically and efficiently to solve problems, complete tasks, and accomplish goals. The individual demonstrates effective adaptability to new and emerging technologies.
- Leadership: Leverage the strengths of others to achieve common goals, and use interpersonal skills to coach and develop others. The individual is able to assess and manage his/her emotions and those of others; use empathetic skills to guide and motivate; and organize, prioritize, and delegate work.
- Professionalism/Work Ethic: Demonstrate personal accountability and effective work habits, e.g., punctuality, working productively with others, and time workload management, and understand the impact of non-verbal communication on professional work image. The individual demonstrates integrity and ethical behavior, acts responsibly with the interests of the larger community in mind, and is able to learn from his/her mistakes.
- Career Management: Identify and articulate one's skills, strengths, knowledge, and experiences relevant to the position desired and career goals, and identify areas necessary for professional growth. The individual is able to navigate and explore job options, understands and can take the steps necessary to pursue opportunities, and understands how to self-advocate for opportunities in the workplace.
- Global/Intercultural Fluency: Value, respect, and learn from diverse cultures, races, ages, genders, sexual orientations, and religions. The individual demonstrates, openness, inclusiveness, sensitivity, and the ability to interact respectfully with all people and understand individuals’ differences.
Do these career readiness skills look familiar? Of course! They are another way to describe the soft and transferable skills which can be more difficult to define than hard skills, but they are often more important to employers. Imagine that you are the hiring authority at your company. What would you look for in a new hire?
These skills are transferable because they are positive attributes that are invaluable in practically any kind of work. They also do not require much training from an employer—you have them already and take them with you wherever you go. Soft skills are a big part of your “total me” package.
So, identify the soft skills that show you off the best, and identify the ones that prospective employers are looking for. By comparing both sets, you can more directly gear your job search to your strongest professional qualities.
ACTIVITY 4.2: IDENTIFYING YOUR SKILLS
Objective:
- To self identify your Top 5 transferable (soft) skills, skills you are good at, and those skills you wish to learn or develop further.
Instructions:
- Review the list of transferable skills list and additional checklist of transferable skills above to complete the chart below.
Top 5 Skills I Enjoy Using | Top 5 Skills That Come Naturally | Top 5 Skills I Want to Learn | |
1 | |||
2 | |||
3 | |||
4 | |||
5 |
10 Top Skills You Need to Get a Job When You Graduate
The following video summarizes the ten top skills that the Target corporation believes will get you a job when you graduate. You can read a transcript of the video here.
Assessing Your Skills and Interests
In this section you will continue to assess your skills and your interests in more depth. Most career assessment tests created to measure skills and interests are based on the career theory developed by Dr. John Holland.
The following video from Weber University provides you with an introduction to the Holland codes and occupation themes:
As mentioned in the video, Holland defined six categories of people based on personality, interests, and skills:
- Realistic: These people describe themselves as honest, loyal, and practical. They are doers more than thinkers. They have strong mechanical, motor, and athletic abilities; like the outdoors; and prefer working with machines, tools, plants, and animals.
- Investigative: These people love problem solving and analytical skills. They are intellectually stimulated and often mathematically or scientifically inclined; like to observe, learn, and evaluate; prefer working alone; and are reserved.
- Artistic: These people are the “free spirits.” They are creative, emotional, intuitive, and idealistic; have a flair for communicating ideas; dislike structure and prefer working independently; and like to sing, write, act, paint, and think creatively. They are similar to the investigative type but are interested in the artistic and aesthetic aspects of things more than the scientific.
- Social: These are “people” people. They are friendly and outgoing; love to help others, make a difference, or both; have strong verbal and personal skills and teaching abilities; and are less likely to engage in intellectual or physical activity.
- Enterprising: These people are confident, assertive risk takers. They are sociable; enjoy speaking and leadership; like to persuade rather than guide; like to use their influence; have strong interpersonal skills; and are status conscious.
- Conventional: These people are dependable, detail oriented, disciplined, precise, persistent, and practical; value order; and are good at clerical and numerical tasks. They work well with people and data, so they are good organizers, schedulers, and project managers.
ACTIVITY 4.3: What’s Your Occupational Type?
Objective:
- To determine your occupational types and code
Instructions:
- Using the descriptions above, choose the three types that most closely describe you and list them in order in the following table. Most people are combinations of two or sometimes three types.
- Then list the specific words or attributes that you feel describe you best.
- After determining your primary, secondary, and tertiary occupational types, take the first initial for each type, in order, to establish your occupational code.
Occupational Type | Words and Attributes That Closely Describe Me |
Primary type (the one I identify with most closely)
| |
Secondary type
| |
Tertiary type
|
Note: Your occupational code is made up of the initials of the three personality types you selected, in order.
My occupational code: ___ ___ ___
(For example: if Social, Enterprising, and Conventional are your top three occupational types, your occupational code would be: S E C)
Exploring Careers and Your Occupational Type
Now that you have determined your top three occupational types, you can begin to explore the types of careers that may be best suited for you. Holland studied people who were successful and happy in many occupations and matched their occupations to their occupational type, creating a description of the types of occupations that are best suited to each personality type. Just as many individuals are more than one personality type, many jobs show a strong correlation to more than one occupational type.
Use the top thee occupation types you defined in Exercise 4.2 “What’s Your Occupational Type?” to help identify careers you may want to consider from the table below.
Table 4.1 Occupational Options by Type
Ideal Environments | Sample Occupations | |
Realistic |
|
|
Investigative |
|
|
Artistic |
|
|
Social |
|
|
Enterprising |
|
|
Conventional |
|
|
ACC’s Career Coach also has an interest assessment. You have a choice between a quick start 6 question version similar to the self-reflection exercise above or a detailed 60 question version based on the O*NET Interest Profiler. After answering the questions, you will be given your top three interest themes and suggested career matches with career information and local job market information.
You can also check out the Department of Labor’s O*Net (http://online.onetcenter.org/find) to get a deeper understanding of your occupation. For each occupation, O*Net lists the type of work, the work environment, the skills and education required, and the job outlook for that occupation. This is a truly rich resource that you should get to know.
Identify Which Factors Might Affect Your Choice
You may now have a list of careers you want to explore. But there are other factors you will need to take into consideration as well. It is important to use your creative thinking skills to come up with alternative “right” answers to factors that may present an obstacle to pursuing the right career.
- Timing. How much time must I invest before I actually start making money in this career? Will I need to spend additional time in school? Is there a certification process that requires a specific amount of experience? If so, can I afford to wait?
- Finances. Will this career provide me with the kind of income I need in the short term and the security I’ll want in the longer term? What investment will I need to make to be successful in this field (education, tools, franchise fees, etc.)?
- Location. Does this career require me to relocate? Is the ideal location for this career somewhere I would like to live? Is it somewhere my family would like to live?
- Family/personal. How will this career affect my personal and family life? Do friends and family members who know me well feel strongly (for or against) about this career choice? How important is their input?
Your Next Steps
It may seem odd to be thinking about life after school, especially if you are just getting started. But you will soon be making decisions about your future, and regardless of the direction you may choose, there is a lot you can do while still in college. You will need to focus your studies by choosing a major. You should find opportunities to explore the careers that interest you. You can ensure that you are building the right kind of experience on which to base a successful career. These steps will make your dreams come to life and make them achievable.
Start by developing a relationship with your AoS Advisor for guidance on the academic requirements for your career goals. Will you need to prepare to transfer to a university? If you are in a workforce development program, start building relationships with your instructors as many still work in your field of interest and can give you great tips on how to get started. Another great resource is ACC’s Career Services. They can provide information on internships and strategies to help you connect with employers. And, if you are still undecided, start meeting with a career counselor.
It is never too early to start thinking of your plans after college! All too often students engage these counselors only near the end of their college days, when the pressure is just on getting a job—any job—after having completed their certificate or degree. But these counselors can be of great help in matching your interests to a career and in ensuring you are gathering the right kind of experience to put you at the top of the recruiting heap.
Keep in mind that deciding on and pursuing a career is an ongoing process. The more you learn about yourself and the career options that best suit you, the more you will need to fine-tune your career plan. Don’t be afraid to consider new ideas, but don’t make changes without careful consideration. Career planning is exciting: learning about yourself and about career opportunities, and considering the factors that can affect your decision, should be a core part of your thoughts while in college.
Learn Specific Skills Necessary for Your Career Path
The table below lists three resources to help you determine which concrete skills are needed for all kinds of professions. You can even discover where you might gain some of the skills and which courses you might take.
Spend some time reviewing each resource. You will find many interesting and exciting options. When you are finished, you may decide that there are so many interesting professions in the world that it’s difficult to choose just one. This is a good problem to have!
Table 4.2 Online Skills Identification Resources
RESOURCE | DESCRIPTION | |
1 | Career Aptitude Test (Rasmussen College) | This test helps you match your skills to a particular career that’s right for you. Use a sliding scale to indicate your level of skill in the following skill areas: artistic, interpersonal, communication, managerial, mathematics, mechanical, and science. Press the Update Results button and receive a customized list customized of career suggestions tailored to you, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can filter by salary, expected growth, and education. |
2 | Skills Matcher (Career OneStop from the U.S. Department of Labor) | Use the Skills Profiler to create a list of your skills, and match your skills to job types that use those skills. Plan to spend about 20 minutes completing your profile. You can start with a job type to find skills you need for a current or future job. Or if you are not sure what kind of job is right for you, start by rating your own skills to find a job type match. When your skills profile is complete, you can print it or save it. |
3 | This U.S. government website helps job seekers answer two of their toughest questions: “What jobs can I get with my skills and training?” and “What skills and training do I need to get this job?” Browse groups of similar occupations to explore careers. Choose from industry, field of work, science area, and more. Focus on occupations that use a specific tool or software. Explore occupations that need your skills. Connect to a wealth of O*NET data. Enter a code or title from another classification to find the related O*NET-SOC occupation. |
Acquiring Necessary Skills (both in and out of class) for Your Career Goals
“Lifelong learning” is a buzz phrase in the twentieth-first century because we are inundated with new technology and information all the time, and those who know how to learn, continuously, are in the best position to keep up and take advantage of these changes. Think of all the information resources around you: colleges and universities, libraries, the Internet, videos, games, books, films—the list goes on.
With these resources at your disposal, how can you best position yourself for lifelong learning and a strong, viable career? Which hard and soft skills are most important? What are employers really looking for?
The following list was inspired by the remarks of Mark Atwood, director of open-source engagement at Hewlett-Packard Enterprise. It contains excellent practical advice.
- Learn how to write clearly. After you’ve written something, have people edit it. Then rewrite it, taking into account the feedback you received. Write all the time.
- Learn how to speak. Speak clearly on the phone and at a table. For public speaking, try Toastmasters. “Meet and speak. Speak and write.”
- Be reachable. Publish your email so that people can contact you. Don’t worry about spam.
- Learn about computers and computing, even if you aren’t gearing for a career in information technology. Learn something entirely new every six to twelve months.
- Build relationships within your community. Use tools like Meetup.com and search for clubs at local schools, libraries, and centers. Then, seek out remote people around the country and world. Learn about them and their projects first by searching the Internet.
- Attend conferences and events. This is a great way to network with people and meet them face-to-face.
- Find a project and get involved. Start reading questions and answers, then start answering questions.
- Collaborate with people all over the world.
- Keep your LinkedIn profile and social media profiles up-to-date. Be findable.
- Keep learning. Skills will often beat smarts. Be sure to schedule time for learning and having fun!
Just Get Involved
Even as a new college student, there are actions that you can take now to help you create the experiences and build the skils that employers want. What seems like an unrelated part-time job or fun extracurricular activity can help you develop valuable skills, create a network, and connect you with job openings that may be a good fit for your skills. The video, below, gives tips from students at Monash University in Australia that are relevant to all students:
- Get involved in part-time work
- Get involved in extracurricular activities
- Get involved with the employment and career services offered at your school
“Just Get involved. There are so many opportunities and open doors for you.”
Key Takeaways
- The right career for you depends on your interests, your personality, and your skills.
- Learning about your personality helps you to think about your emotions, behaviors, and ways of thinking on a day to day basis. An awareness of these things will help you to find a career that compliments your personality.
- Employers look for both hard and soft (transferable) skills in future employees; however transferable skills may be in more demand because they help people adapt to a variety of different jobs and professions without much training.
- Defining your occupational type may confirm career choices you have already made and open entirely new options for you.
- Connect with a college counselor early in your career development process to help you match your skills, personality and interests with potential jobs and eventually a career that best suits you.
- Career planning is an ongoing process involving knowing yourself, knowing about career options, and understanding the context in which your decisions will be made.
Licenses and Attributions
CC licensed content, Original
- Image by Andre Mouton. Provided by: Pixabay. Found at: https://pixabay.com/photos/monkey-mirror-thinking-reflection-4788334/ License: Standard Pixabay License
- Career/Life Planning and Personal Exploration. Authored by: Joanna Campos-Robledo, Thu Nguyen. Provided by: Lumen Learning and found at OER Commons. License: CC BY 4.0
CC licensed content, Shared previously
- Professional Skill Building. Authored by: Linda Bruce. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
- Line B: Employability Skills Competency . Provided by: Camosun College. Located at: http://open.bccampus.ca/find-open-textbooks/?uuid=c9bcd8df-17a3-4cf8-8400-426f395b3a62&contributor=&keyword=&subject=Common+Core. License: CC BY: Attribution
- 7 skills to land your open source dream job. Authored by: Jason Hibbets. Located at: https://opensource.com/business/14/4/open-source-job-skills. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
- Foundations of College Success: Words of Wisdom. Authored by: Thomas C. Priester, editor. Provided by: Open SUNY Textbooks. Located at: http://textbooks.opensuny.org/foundations-of-academic-success/. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
- What's Your Personality Type?. Located at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MyersBriggsTypes.png. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
- Career Exploration. Located at: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/freshmanexperience/chapter/12-2-career-exploration/. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
All rights reserved content
- Career Readiness Defined. Provided by: NACE. Located at: https://www.naceweb.org/career-readiness/competencies/career-readiness-defined/
- Myers Briggs (MBTI) Explained - Personality Quiz. Created by: Practical Psychology. Provided by: YouTube. Located at: https://youtu.be/2ZF4OM6mrrI. License: All Rights Reserved
- Preworkshop Video - Holland Codes. Authored by: Weber State University Career Services. Provided by: Weber State University. Located at: https://youtu.be/fNGa-_u7nQU. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
- 10 top skills that will get you a job when you graduate. Authored by: TARGETjobs. Located at: https://youtu.be/jKtbaUzHLvw. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
- How to find a new jobu2014Transferable Job Skills. Authored by: Learn English with Rebecca. Located at: https://youtu.be/7Kt4nz8KT_Y. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
- Tips to improve your career from Monash Graduates. Authored by: Monash University. Located at: https://youtu.be/7EBDrTdccAY. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
- Discover Your Personality Type | Myers Briggs . Provided by: YouTube. Located at: https://youtu.be/WQoOqQiVzwQ. License: All Rights Reserved
- Work Styles. Provided by: O*NET OnLine. Located at: https://www.onetonline.org/find/descriptor/browse/Work_Styles/. License: All Rights Reserved
Chapter 5: College and Exploring Careers
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Stay focused, go after your dreams, and keep moving toward your goals. —L L Cool J, musician
Learning Objectives
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Identify your motivations for attending college as it relates to your future career goals
- Review your individual career profile
- Explore activities to gain knowledge and experience about your future career
College and Career
Knowing what you truly want to gain from your college experience is the first step toward achieving it. But reaching your goals doesn’t necessarily mean you are college and career ready.
Ultimately, college and career readiness demands students know more than just content, but demonstrate that they know how to learn and build upon that content to solve problems. They must develop versatile communication skills, work collaboratively and work competitively in a school or work environment. Ensuring that you possess both the academic and technical know-how necessary for a career beyond the classroom is a great step toward succeeding on whatever path you choose. —Washington, DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education
What does it mean to be ready for college and a career? In general, you are a college- and career-ready student if you have gained the necessary knowledge, skills, and professional behaviors to achieve at least one of the following:
- Earn a certificate or degree in college
- Participate in career training
- Enter the workplace and succeed
For instance, if you are studying for a skilled trade license in college, or perhaps pursuing a bachelor of arts degree, you are college-ready if you have the reading, writing, mathematics, social, and thinking skills to qualify for and succeed in the academic program of your choice.
Similarly, you are a career-ready student if you have the necessary knowledge and technical skills needed to be employed in your desired field. For example, if you are a community college student ready to be a nurse, you possess the knowledge and skill needed to secure an entry-level nursing position, and you also possess required licensing.
For a long time, my plan had always been to be a kindergarten teacher. But when I began my undergraduate degree I fell into that ever-growing pool of college students who changed their major three times before graduation. I was swayed by family members, my peers, and the economy, but I eventually realized that I was investing my education in the wrong areas for the wrong reasons. It shouldn’t just be about salaries and job security. I needed to find that personal attachment.
At eighteen, it’s hard to see your entire life spread out before you. College may feel like a free-for-all at times, but the reality is that it’s one of the most defining times of our lives. It should never be squandered. I started to imagine my life beyond college—what I found important and the type of lifestyle I wanted in the end. I started thinking about the classes that I was actually interested in—the ones that I looked forward to each week and arrived early to just so I could get a seat up front.
A turning point for me was when I took the advice of a campus mentor and enrolled in a career exploration course. I learned more about myself in that class than I had in my entire three years at college prior to taking it. It showed me that my passion was something I had always thought about but never thought about as a career. . . . Through this realization and my participation in my career exploration class, I saw a viable future in the Higher Education Administration field.
—Jamie Edwards, Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom
The Marriage of College and Career
The oldest institution of higher learning in the United States is widely acknowledged to be Harvard University. It was established in 1636 with the aim of providing instruction in arts and sciences to qualify students for employment. In the 1779 Constitution of Massachusetts submitted by Samuel Adams, John Adams, and James Bowdoin to the full Massachusetts Convention, the following language was used:
Art. I.—Whereas our wise and pious ancestors, so early as the year one thousand six hundred and thirty six, laid the foundation of Harvard-College, in which University many persons of great eminence have, by the blessing of GOD, been initiated in those arts and sciences, which qualified them for public employments, both in Church and State . . .
Is “public employment” preparation still the goal of higher education institutions today? Indeed, it is certainly one of the many goals! College is also an opportunity for students to grow personally and intellectually. In fact, in a 2018 report titled, “Why Higher Ed?” from a Strada-Gallup Education Consumer Report Survey, students reported their motivations for pursuing a college education:
- 58% related to job and career outcomes.
- 23 % a general motivation to learn more and gain knowledge without linking it to work or career aspirations.
- 12 percent because of family or social expectations.
These statistics are understandable in light of the great reach and scope of higher education institutions. Today, there are some 5,300 colleges and universities in the United States, offering every manner of education and training to students.
What do employers think about the value of a college education? What skills do employers seek in their workforce? Those that are developed through college coursework across disciplines as well as the personal skills needed to succeed in college. In 2016, a survey by the Society for Human Resource Managers found that these were the most important skills for entry-level positions across industries:
- Dependability & Reliability
- Integrity
- Teamwork
- Custom Focus
- Initiative
- Professionalism
- Adaptability
- Respect
- Critical Thinking
- Oral Communication
- Planning & Organization
- Written Communication
In 2018, Hart Research Associates conducted a survey on behalf of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The survey revealed that the majority of employers believe that a college education is valuable and important. The best preparation for long-term career success is broad learning and skills found across all majors. The learning outcomes they rate as most important include oral and written communication, critical thinking, ethical decision-making, teamwork, critical thinking, and the ability to apply knowledge in real-world settings.[1]
Employment Rates and Salaries
Consider, too, the following statistics on employment rates and salaries for college graduates. College does make a big difference!
- Over the course of a 50-year working life, a male with a bachelor’s degree will earn $900,000 more in median lifetime earnings than high school graduates. (SSA)[2]
- In 2019, young adults ages 25 to 34 with a bachelor’s degree or higher had the highest employment rate (87%). (NCES)[3]
- In 2019, the employment rate for those some college, including an associate’s degree (80%) was higher than the rate for those who just completed high school (74%) and those who had not finished high school (57%). (NCES)[3]
- Employment rates were generally higher for males than females at each level of educational attainment in 2019. (NCES)[3]
- There is a wider earnings gap between college-educated and less educated Millennials compared with previous generations. (PEW, 2014)[4]
Perhaps most important, an overwhelming majority of college graduates—82% —say that college has been a good investment for them personally (PEW, 2016)[5]. And, on all measurements of career attainment and economic well-being in a 2014 survey, college graduates out performed peers with less education (PEW, 2014)[4].
Differences in Earnings
You may wish to use this interactive tool to compare wages within and across demographic groups in the United States, including education level, on the Washington Center for Equitable Growth website. As you can see, education level is just one factor of earning potential.
All in all, college imparts a wide and deep range of benefits. The short video Is College Worth It? shows that with a college degree you are more likely to:
- Have a higher salary
- Have better job prospects
- Be healthier
- Vote
- Be involved in their community
Success in College
Success in college can be measured in many ways: through your own sense of what is important to you; through your family’s sense of what is important to your collective group; through your institution’s standards of excellence; through the standards established by your state and country; through your employer’s perceptions about what is needed in the workplace; and in many respects through your own unfolding goals, dreams, and ambitions.
How are you striving to achieve your goals? And how will you measure your success along the way?
Career Journey Continued
As you make a commitment to your college career, let’s review your career journey so far. As we learned in Chapter 1, the first stop on the journey requires an inventory of your unique attributes - your goals, values, personality, skills and interests – before you can proceed to the next stop and research specific careers.
Activity 5.1: Your Personal Profile
Goals
- Reflecting on your career exploration and using the SMART format from Chapter 2, identify one long-term career goal.
- Then, identify 2-3 short-term goals for this semester to achieve your long-term goal from #1.
Values
- From Chapter 3 and the CareerOneStop Work Values Matcher, what are your top work values?
- Name 2 career titles in which you are most interested and will allow you to express your values.
Interests
- From Chapter 4 and the Career Coach Interest Assessment or O*Net Interest Profiler, what are your top interests (Holland Code)?
- Name 2 career titles in which you are most interested and will allow you to express your interests.
Personality
- From Chapter 4 and the personality test from the Humanmetrics website, what is your 4-letter personality type?
- Name 2 career titles in which you are most interested and are often associated with your personality type.
Skills
- From Chapter 4, what are your top skills?
- Name 2 career titles in which you are most interested and will allow you to utilize your skills.
Research activity:
- Of all the career titles you have explored, which 2 or 3 careers would you be most interested in researching in-depth?
Below is the second part of Jamie Edwards’s essay (former student at State University of New York). Her advice is to make connections between the “now” of college experience and future career possibilities. She thinks that the more informed you are about your career options through real-life conversations and experiences, the better prepared you will be for your future—and the more confident you will be in your career decisions.
From where I sit now—my former personal and professional struggles in tow—I offer up some pieces of advice that were crucial to getting me where I am today. Whether you’re an undecided major who is looking for guidance or a student with a clearly defined career path, I suggest the following:
- Find a mentor—For me, everything began there. Without my mentor, I wouldn’t have done any of the other items I’m about to suggest. Finding the right mentor is crucial. Look for someone who can complement your personality (typically someone who’s the opposite of you). My advice would be to look beyond your direct supervisor for mentorship. It’s important to create an open forum with your mentor, because there may be a conflict of interest as you discuss work issues and other job opportunities. Potential mentors to consider are an instructor on campus, your academic advisor, a professional currently working in your prospective field, someone you admire in your community, or anyone in your network of friends or family that you feel comfortable discussing your future goals with.
- Enroll in a Career Exploration/Planning course, or something similar—Even if you do not see the effects of this course immediately (such as dramatically changing your major), you will notice the impact down the road. Making educated career choices and learning job readiness skills will always pay off in the end. Through my career exploration class, I learned how to relate my personality and values to potential career fields. These self-assessments changed my entire thought process, and I see that influence daily. Beyond changing the way you think, the knowledge you gain about effective job search strategies is invaluable. Learning how to write purposeful résumés and cover letters, finding the right approach to the interview process, and recognizing your strengths and weaknesses are just a few of the benefits you can gain from these type of courses.
- Complete a Job Shadow and/or Informational Interview—No amount of online research is going to give you the same experience as seeing a job at the front line. In a job shadow or an informational interview, you’re able to explore options with no commitment and see how your in-class experience can carry over to a real world setting. Additionally, you’re expanding your professional network by having that personal involvement. You never know how the connections you make might benefit you in the future. My only regret about job shadowing in college is that I didn’t do it sooner.
- Do an Internship—A main source of frustration for recent grads is the inability to secure an entry-level position without experience. “How do I get a job to gain experience when I can’t get a job without experience?” This is how: do an internship or two! Most colleges even have a course where you can obtain credit for doing it! Not only will you earn credits towards graduation, but you’ll gain the necessary experience to put on your résumé and discuss in future interviews. Having completed four internships throughout my college career, I can’t say they were all great. However, I don’t regret a single one. The first one showed me the type of field I didn’t want to work in. The second confirmed that I was heading in the right direction with my career. My third and fourth internships introduced me to completely different areas of higher education which broadened my knowledge and narrowed my search simultaneously.
My takeaway is that sometimes you have to learn what you don’t want in order to find out what you do want. The more informed you are about career options through real-life conversations and experiences, the better prepared you will be for your future and the more confident you will be in your career decisions. Always explore your options because even if you learn you hate it, at least you’re one step close to finding what you love.
—Jamie Edwards, Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom
Activity 5.2: Informational Interview
As recommended in Part 2, #3 above, reach out to someone working in your area of interest and ask for an opportunity to talk to them for 20 or 30 minutes about their career path and profession. Your friends, family, professors, co-workers, and alumni network are potential connections. Just ask if they know someone with whom you can meet. The goal is not to land a job, but to learn, however, that person can be a part of your network in the future. Be sure to respect their time, be prepared with questions, and present yourself professionally.
|
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Activity 5.3: resources for career research
After you have identified career titles you are most interested and have conducted informational interviews, check out the following resources to help research careers more in-depth:
- Occupational Outlook Handbook from US Department of Labor
- The OOH can help you find career information on duties, education and training, pay, and outlook for hundreds of occupations. Includes career videos.
- O*Net Online
- Detailed descriptions of careers with many different ways to search.
- Career Coach
- Learn about the connection between academic programs and careers as well as local labor market information and current job postings.
- Texas Career Check
- Detailed career information with video
- For more help with your search, visit Austin Community College’s Career Services
Key Takeaways
Labor research indicates that as educational attainment increases in individuals the unemployment rate decreases.
A college degree affects other personal factors you may have not considered such as retirement plan, health care insurance, and higher lifetime salary.
College is an ideal place to explore careers. Selecting the right career involves thorough research such as, informational interviews, online research, and utilizing the Career Center located in your college.
- “Employers Express Confidence in Colleges and Universities; See College as Worth the Investment, New Research Finds.” Hart Research Associates, Web. 29 Aug. 2019 ↵
- “Education and Lifetime Earnings”. Social Security Administration: Research, Statistics & Policy Analysis. Web. Nov. 2015. ↵
- "Fast Facts: Employment Rates of College Graduates." Fast Facts. National Center For Education Statistics. Web. ↵
- "The Rising Cost of Not Going to College." Pew Research Center: Social & Demographic Trends. Web. 11 Feb. 2014. ↵
- “The State of American Jobs: The Value of a College Education.” Pew Research Center: Social & Demographic Trends. Web. 6 Oct. 2016. ↵
Licenses and Attributions
CC licensed content, Original
- Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay. Found at: https://pixabay.com/photos/board-school-training-career-3683740/ License: Standard Pixabay License
- Career/Life Planning and Personal Exploration. Authored by: Joanna Campos-Robledo, Thu Nguyen. Provided by: Lumen Learning and found at OER Commons. License: CC BY 4.0
- Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay. Found at: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/exchange-of-ideas-debate-discussion-222787/ . License: Standard Pixabay License
CC licensed content, Shared previously
- The Big Picture. Authored by: Linda Bruce. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
- Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom. Authored by: Thomas C. Priester, editor. Provided by: Open SUNY Textbooks. Located at: http://textbooks.opensuny.org/foundations-of-academic-success/. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
- Student Voices: What Does it Mean to be College and Career Ready?. Authored by: Achieve. Located at: https://youtu.be/9pYqsShxqD4. License: CC BY: Attribution
- First University in the United States. Provided by: Wikipedia. Located at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_university_in_the_United_States. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
All rights reserved content
- Why Higher Ed?: Strada and Gallup Examine Consumers' Top Motives for Choosing Their Educational Pathways. Authored by: Strada Education Network and Gallup. Located at: https://news.gallup.com/reports/226457/why-higher-ed.aspx. License: All Rights Reserved
- Entry-Level Applicant Job Skills Survey. Authored by: Society for Human Resource Management. Located at: https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/PublishingImages/Pages/Entry-Level-Applicant-Job-Skills-Survey-/Entry- Level%20Applicant%20Job%20Skills%20Survey.pdf. License: All Rights Reserved
- Comparing Wages Within and Across Demographic Groups in the US. Authored by: Washington Center for Equitable Growth. Located at: https://equitablegrowth.org/demographic-group-wages-interactive/ License: All Rights Reserved
- Is College Worth It? Authored by: Third Way. Provided by: You Tube. Located at: https://youtu.be/CWms2LMQmhU . License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
Public domain content
- What Does College and Career Readiness Mean?. Provided by: Office of the State Superintendent of Education. Located at: http://osse.dc.gov/service/what-does-college-and-career-readiness-mean. License: Public Domain: No Known Copyright
- Chart of Unemployment Rates and Earnings By Educational Attainment (4 Sept. 2019) Provided by: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Located at: https://www.bls.gov/emp/chart-unemployment-earnings-education.htm. License: Public Domain: No Known Copyright
Chapter 6: College Majors
Chapter 6: College Majors
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go. —Dr. Seuss, children’s author
Learning Objectives
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- List key strategies for selecting a college major
- Identify the relationship between college majors and career paths (both why they matter and why they don’t)
- Identify sources for learning more about specific majors and related careers
Your Major
In the United States and Canada, your academic major—simply called “your major”—is the academic discipline you commit to as an undergraduate student. It’s an area you specialize in, such as accounting, chemistry, criminology, archeology, digital arts, or dance. In United States colleges and universities, roughly 2,000 majors are offered. And within each major is a host of core courses and electives. When you successfully complete the required courses in your major, you qualify for a degree.
Where did the term major come from? In 1877, it first appeared in a Johns Hopkins University catalogue. That major required only two years of study. Later, in 1910, Abbott Lawrence Lowell introduced the academic major system to Harvard University during his time as president there. This major required students to complete courses in a specialized discipline and also in other subjects. Variations of this system are now the norm in higher education institutions in the U.S. and Canada.
Why is your major important? It’s important because it’s a defining and organizing feature of your undergraduate degree. Ultimately, your major should provide you with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and/or behaviors you need to fulfill your college goals and objectives.
In this section we look at how to select your major and how your college major may correlate with a career. Does your major matter to your career? What happens if you change your major? Does changing your major mean you must change your career? Read on to find out!
How to Select Your College Major
Selecting your major is one of the most exciting tasks (and, to some students, perhaps one of the most nerve-wracking tasks) you are asked to perform in college. So many decisions are tied to it. But if you have good guidance, patience, and enthusiasm, the process is easier.
The video below presents a lighthearted look undertaking this task with nine tips:
- Narrow your choices by deciding what you don’t like.
- Explore careers that might interest you. Ask questions.
- Use your school’s resources.
- Ask your teacher, counselor, and family about your strengths.
- 60 percent of students change their majors.
- Your major isn’t going to define your life. But choosing one that interests you will make your college experience much more rewarding.
- Go on informational interviews with people in careers that interest you.
- There’s no pressure to decide now.
- Take new classes and discover your interests.
Does Your College Major Matter to Your Career?
There are few topics about college that create more controversy than “Does your major really matter to your career?” Many people think it does; others think it’s not so important. Who is right? And who gets to weigh in? Also, how do you measure whether something “matters”—by salary, happiness, personal satisfaction?
It may be difficult to say for sure whether your major truly matters to your career. One’s college major and ultimate career are not necessarily correlated. Consider the following “factoids”:
- 50–70 percent of college students change their major at least once during their time in college.
- Most majors lead to a wide variety of opportunities rather than to one specific career, although some majors do indeed lead to specific careers.
- Many students say that the skills they gain in college will be useful on the job no matter what they major in.
- Only half of graduating seniors accept a job directly related to their major.
- Career planning for most undergraduates focuses on developing general, transferable skills like speaking, writing, critical thinking, computer literacy, problem-solving, and team building, because these are skills that employers want.
- College graduates often cite the following four factors as being critical to their job and career choices: personal satisfaction, enjoyment, opportunity to use skills and abilities, and personal development.
- Within ten years of graduation, most people work in careers that aren’t directly related to their majors.
- Many or most jobs that exist today will be very different five years from now.
It’s also important to talk about financial considerations in choosing a major.
- Any major you choose will likely benefit you because college graduates earn roughly $1 million more than high school graduates, on average, over an entire career.
- STEM jobs, though—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—can lead to the thirty highest paying jobs. So if you major in any of these areas, you may be more likely to earn a higher salary.
- Even though humanities and social sciences students may earn less money right after college, they may earn more by the time they reach their peak salary than students who had STEM majors.
- Students who major in the humanities and social science are also more likely to get advanced degrees, which increases annual salary by nearly $20,000 at peak salary.
So where will you stand with regard to these statistics? Is it possible to have a good marriage between your major, your skills, job satisfaction, job security, and earnings?
The best guidance on choosing a major and connecting it with a career may be to get good academic and career advice and select a major that reflects your greatest interests. If you don’t like law or medicine but you major in it because of a certain salary expectation, you may later find yourself in an unrelated job that brings you greater satisfaction—even if the salary is lower. If this is the case, will it make more sense, looking back, to spend your time and tuition dollars studying a subject you especially enjoy?
Every student who pursues a college degree and a subsequent career may tell a different story about the impact of their major on their professional directions. In the following excerpt from Foundations of College Success: Words of Wisdom, writer and former SUNY student Kristen Mruk reflects on the choices she made and how they turned out.
The Student Experience
What I Would Like To Do
I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I started college, but that changed three times by the time I graduated. Initially I started as an International Business major but ended up receiving a degree in Communication and continued on to graduate school. My greatest advice to you is to embrace feelings of uncertainty (if you have them) with regard to your academic, career, or life goals. Stop into the Career Services office on your campus to identify what it is that you really want to do when you graduate or to confirm your affinity to a career path. Make an appointment to see a counselor if you need to vent or get a new perspective. Do an internship in your field; this can give you a first-hand impression of what your life might look like in that role.
When I chose International Business, I did not do so as an informed student. I enjoyed and excelled in my business courses in high school and I had hopes of traveling the world, so International Business seemed to fit the bill. Little did I know, the major required a lot of accounting and economics which, as it turned out, were not my forte. Thinking this is what I wanted, I wasted time pursuing a major I didn’t enjoy and academic courses I struggled through.
So I took a different approach. I began speaking to the professionals around me that had jobs that appealed to me: Student Unions/Activities, Leadership, Orientation, Alumni, etc. I found out I could have a similar career, and I would enjoy the required studies along the way. Making that discovery provided direction and purpose in my major and extracurricular activities. I felt like everything was falling into place.
What I Actually Do
I would like to . . . ask you to consider why you are in college. Why did you choose your institution? Have you declared a major yet? Why or why not? What are your plans post-graduation? By frequently reflecting in this way, you can assess whether or not your behaviors, affiliations, and activities align with your goals.
What you actually do with your student experience is completely up to you. You are the only person who can dictate your collegiate fate. Remind yourself of the reasons why you are in college and make sure your time is spent on achieving your goals. There are resources and people on your campus available to help you. You have the control—use it wisely.
—Kristen Mruk, Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom
Resources
Success doesn’t come to you . . . you go to it. —Dr. Marva Collins, civil rights activist and educator
This quote really sets the stage for the journey you’re on. Your journey may be a straight line that connects the dots between today and your future, or it may resemble a twisted road with curves, bumps, hurdles, and alternate routes.
To help you navigate your pathway to career success, take advantage of all the resources available to you. Your college, your community, and the wider body of higher-education institutions and organizations have many tools to help you with career development. Be sure to take advantage of the following resources:
- College course catalog: Course catalogs are typically rich with information that can spark ideas and inspiration for your major and your career.
- Faculty and academic advisers at your college: Many college professors are also practitioners in their fields, and can share insights with you about related professions.
- Fellow students and graduating seniors: Many of your classmates, especially those who share your major, may have had experiences that can inform and enlighten you—for instance, an internship with an employer or a job interview with someone who could be contacted for more information.
- Students who have graduated: Most colleges and universities have active alumni programs with networking resources that can help you make important decisions.
- Your family and social communities: Contact friends and family members who can weigh in with their thoughts and experience.
- A career center: Professionals in career centers have a wealth of information to share with you—they’re also very good at listening and can act as a sounding board for you to try out your ideas.
Many organizations have free materials that can provide guidance, such as the ones in the table, below:
WEB SITE | DESCRIPTION |
1. Career Coach | Browse areas of study and majors to find the careers that are related. Learn more with the help of data on wages, growth, daily tasks, job postings, skills, and employers. |
2. ACC Career Services: Explore Careers (Scroll down to “What Can I Do With a Major in….?”) | Learn about typical career paths and the types of employers that hire graduates with each major, as well as strategies to make you a more marketable candidate. |
3. ACC Career Services: FOCUS2 | Log-in to your FOCUS2 account and explore “What Can I Do With a Major in….?” |
See the courses required for individual award plans/program maps and lean about the related careers and occupation titles. | |
5. List of College Majors (MyMajors) | A list of more than 1,800 college majors—major pages include description, courses, careers, salary, related majors and colleges offering major |
6. Explore Careers (Roadtrip Nation) | Career exploration and career advice platform – interviews with working professionals, videos, podcasts, etc. |
Key Takeaways
Your major is a set of core courses and electives-the academic discipline- that you commit to while you are in college. Upon completion of your major, you typically qualify for a degree.
Selecting your major is a process, and it should involve the exploration of your:
- Personality
- Values
- Interests
- Skills
Your college major and ultimate career are not necessarily correlated. The best academic and career advice is to select a major that reflects your greatest interests.
Students have many resources available to them that are on/off campus, which can assist them in the selection of a major:
- College catalog
- Counselors
- Undecided Majors Workshops
- Career Center
- Friends and Family
- Alumni
Licenses and Attributions
CC licensed content, Original
- Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay. Found at: https://pixabay.com/photos/learn-note-sign-directory-64058/ License: Standard Pixabay License
- Career/Life Planning and Personal Exploration. Authored by: Joanna Campos-Robledo, Thu Nguyen. Provided by: Lumen Learning and found at OER Commons. License: CC BY 4.0
CC licensed content, Shared previously
- College Majors. Authored by: Linda Bruce. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
- Image of DNA oragami. Authored by: Duncan Hill. Located at: https://flic.kr/p/7JQMKU. License: CC BY: Attribution
- Major (academic). Provided by: Wikipedia. Located at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_%28academic%29. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
- Foundations of College Success: Words of Wisdom. Authored by: Thomas C. Priester, editor. Provided by: Open SUNY Textbooks. Located at: http://textbooks.opensuny.org/foundations-of-academic-success/. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
All rights reserved content
- How to Pick a Major. Authored by: byuidahoadmissions. Located at: https://youtu.be/8I_Qw2NfSq0. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
- How to Select Your College Major - WiseChoice. Authored by: SE Social Media. Located at: https://youtu.be/V4dNoVsmU2o. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
Chapter 7: Networking
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
You should be accumulating really great relationships throughout your career.
-- Anne M. Mulcahy, former CEO of Xerox
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Define network and identify strategies for networking
- Identify sources for developing professional networks
In the context of career development, networking is the process by which people build relationships with one another for the purpose of helping one another achieve professional goals.
When you “network,” you exchange information.
- You may share business cards, résumés, cover letters, job-seeking strategies, leads about open jobs, information about companies and organizations, and information about a specific field.
- You might also share information about meet-up groups, conferences, special events, technology tools, and social media.
- You might also solicit job “headhunters,” career counselors, career centers, career coaches, an alumni association, family members, friends, acquaintances, and vendors.
Networking can occur anywhere and at any time. In fact, your network expands with each new relationship you establish. And the networking strategies you can employ are nearly limitless. With imagination and ingenuity, your networking can be highly successful.
Strategies for Networking
We live in a social world. Almost everywhere you go and anything you do professionally involves connecting with people. It stands to reason that finding a new job and advancing your career entails building relationships with these people. Truly, the most effective way to find a new job is to network, network, and network some more.
Once you acknowledge the value of networking, the challenge is figuring out how to do it. What is your first step? Whom do you contact? What do you say? How long will it take? Where do you concentrate efforts? How do you know if your investments will pay off?
For every question you may ask, a range of strategies can be used. Begin exploring your possibilities by viewing the following energizing video, Networking Tips for College Students and Young People, by Hank Blank. He recommends the following modern and no-nonsense strategies:
- Hope is not a plan. You need a plan of action to achieve your networking goals.
- Keenly focus your activities on getting a job. Use all tools available to you.
- You need business cards. No ifs, ands, or buts.
- Register your own domain name. Find your favorite geek to build you a landing page. Keep building your site for the rest of your life.
- Attend networking events. Most of them offer student rates.
- Master Linkedin because that is what human resource departments use. Post updates.
- Think of your parents’ friends as databases. Leverage their knowledge and their willingness to help you.
- Create the world you want to live in in the future by creating it today through your networking activity. These are the times to live in a world of “this is how I can help.”
See the LinkedIn for Students Web site.
Finding Work Using Your Networks
This video was created for international students, but it has helpful tips for all students. It focuses on the importance of networking when looking for jobs and keeping an open mind. Simply talking to people can help you move from casual work to full-time employment.
. . . And More Strategies
Strategies at College
- Get to know your professors: Communicating with instructors is a valuable way to learn about a career and also get letters of reference if and when needed for a job. Professors can also give you leads on job openings, internships, and research possibilities. Most instructors will readily share information and insights with you. Get to know your instructors. They are a valuable part of your network.
- Check with your college’s alumni office: You may find that some alumni are affiliated with your field of interest and can give you the “inside scoop.”
- Check with classmates: Classmates may or may not share your major, but any of them may have leads that could help you. You could be just one conversation away from a good lead.
Strategies at Work
- Join professional organizations: You can meet many influential people at local and national meetings and events of professional and volunteer organizations. Learn about these organizations. See if they have membership discounts for students, or student chapters. Once you are a member, you may have access to membership lists, which can give you prospective access to many new people with whom to network. Check out the Professional Association Finder on CareerOneStop .
- Volunteer: Volunteering is an excellent way to meet new people who can help you develop your career, even if the organization you are volunteering with is not in your field. Just by working alongside others and working toward common goals, you build relationships that may later serve you in unforeseen and helpful ways. VolunteerMatch matches you with volunteer opportunities based on the causes and populations in which you want to make a difference.
- Get an internship: Many organizations offer internship positions to college students. Some of these positions are paid, but often they are not. Paid or not, you gain experience relevant to your career, and you potentially make many new contacts. Check out Texas Internship Challenge for information on paid or class credit opportunities in Texas while still in school.
- Get a part-time job: Working full-time may be your ultimate goal, but you may want to fill in some cracks or crevices by working in a part-time job. Invariably you will meet people who can feasibly help with your networking goals. And you can gain good experience along the way, which can also be noted on your résumé. See what is posted by local employers on ACC Career Link.
- Join a job club: Your career interests may be shared by many others who have organized a club, which can be online or in person. If you don’t find an existing club, consider starting one. See if there is a student organization for your major registered with the Office of Student Life that you can join or start one. If you want to meet other community members searching for career opportunities in Austin, consider the networking program available through Launchpad.
- Attend networking events: There are innumerable professional networking events taking place around the world and also online. Find them listed in magazines, community calendars, newspapers, journals, and at the Web sites of companies, organizations, and associations.
- Conduct informational interviews: You may initiate contact with people in your chosen field who can tell you about their experiences of entering the field and thriving in it. Many Web sites have guidance on how to plan and conduct these interviews.
Strategies at Home and Beyond
- Participate in online social media: An explosion of career opportunity awaits you with social media, including LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and many more. Keep your communication ultra-professional at these sites. Peruse magazine articles, and if you find one that’s relevant to your field and it contains names of professionals, you can reach out to them to learn more and get job leads. Find more information about using social and career networking sites at CareerOneStop
- Ask family members and friends, coworkers, and acquaintances for referrals: Do they know others who might help you? You can start with the question “Who else should I be talking to?”
- Use business cards or networking cards: A printed business card can be an essential tool to help your contacts remember you. Creativity can help in this regard, too. Students often design cards themselves and either hand print them or print them on a home printer.
ACTIVITY: NETWORKING FOR CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Objectives
- Examine five strategies for obtaining and engaging with networking contacts
- Develop relationships with new contacts to enhance your career
Instructions
- Find information about five companies or people in your field of interest, and follow them on Twitter or Instagram.
- Get an account at four social media sites that you’ve not yet been active with that may enhance your career.
- Find names of three people who interest you (peruse magazine articles, online sites, or other resources), and write an email to them explaining your interests and any requests you may have for information.
- Sign up for newsletters from two professional organizations in a field you want to know more about.
- Find and attend one in-person or online event within a month.
- Now write about this experience at one of your social media sites.
Sources for Developing Professional Networks
The bottom line with developing professional networks is to cull information from as many sources as possible and use that information in creative ways to advance your career opportunities. The strategies listed in the section above provide you with a comprehensive set of suggestions. Below is a summary of sources you can use to network your way to career success:
- Meet-up groups
- Conferences
- Special events
- Technology tools
- Social media
- Career centers
- Alumni association
- Professional organizations
- Volunteer organizations
- Internships
- Part-time job
- Job club
- Networking events
- Magazine articles
- Web sites
- Career coaches
- Headhunters
- Career counselors
- Family members
- Friends
- Coworkers
- Vendors
- College professors
- Advisers
- Classmates
- Administrators
- Coaches
- Guest speakers
Don’t Wait to Develop Your Network
For inspiration, listen to Isaac Serwanga’s Tedx Talk on his 3 Bones of Networking for Student Success: the Wishbone (State what you want!), the Jawbone (Ask with competency and humility!), and the Backbone (Persist, persist, persist!).
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Networking is the process by which people form professional relationships to create, act upon opportunities, share information and help one another achieve professional goals.
- When you “network” with a person, you may:
- Share business cards, resumes, cover letters, job-seeking strategies, leads about open jobs, information about companies and organizations, and information about specific fields.
- Share information about networking groups, conferences, events, technology tools, and social media
- Research career counselors, career centers, career coaches and alumni, relatives, and acquaintances
- Networking can occur anywhere and anytime, and expands as you form and nurture new relationships
- According to Hank Blank, producer of the video Networking Tops for College Students and Young People, as a college student, you should have specific modern and no-nonsense strategies when developing your network.
- If you are an international student you may want to focus on keeping an open mind when it comes to networking
- When networking at college:
- Get to know your professors
- Check with your college alumni office
- Check with classmates
- Some strategies that you can develop at work include:
- Joining professional organizations
- Volunteering
- Internships
- Clubs
- Attend networking events
- Conduct informational interviews
- Some strategies that you can develop at home include:
- Be active on social media
- Ask family members and friends, coworkers, and relatives for referrals
- Utilize business cards for networking
LICENSES AND ATTRIBUTIONS
CC LICENSED CONTENT, ORIGINAL
- Career/Life Planning and Personal Exploration. Authored by: Joanna Campos-Robledo, Thu Nguyen. Provided by: Lumen Learning and found at OER Commons. License: CC BY 4.0
- Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay. Found at: https://pixabay.com/photos/play-stone-network-networked-1237457/ License: Standard Pixabay License
- Isaac Serwanga: The 3 Bones of Networking for Student Success. Provided by: TED. Located at: https://youtu.be/4OTPJZnBP8s License: CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
CC LICENSED CONTENT, SHARED PREVIOUSLY
- Networking. Authored by: Linda Bruce. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
- Image of 3D Social Networking. Provided by: ccPixs.com Authored by: Chris Potter. Located at: https://flic.kr/p/d9K1Bc. License: CC BY: Attribution
- Networking. Authored by: Ronda Dorsey Neugebauer. Provided by: Chadron State College. Project: Kaleidoscope Open Course Initiative. License: CC BY: Attribution
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED CONTENT
- Hank Blank - Networking Tips for College Students and Young People. Authored by: Hank Blank. Located at: https://youtu.be/TDVstonPPP8. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
- International Student Series: Finding work using your networks. Authored by: The University of Sydney. Located at: https://youtu.be/1yQ5AKqpeiI. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
Chapter 8: Résumés and Cover Letters
Image by: Flazingo.com
The most important tool you have on a résumé is language. —Jay Samit, digital media innovator
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Define the purpose and contents of a résumé
- Identify characteristics of an effective cover letter and résumé
A résumé is a “selfie” for business purposes. It is a written picture of who you are—it’s a marketing tool, a selling tool, and a promotion of you as an ideal candidate for any job you may be interested in.
The word résumé comes from the French word résumé, which means “a summary.” Leonardo da Vinci is credited with writing one of the first known résumés, although it was more of a letter that outlined his credentials for a potential employer, Ludovico Sforza. The résumé got da Vinci the job, though, and Sforza became a longtime patron of da Vinci and later commissioned him to paint The Last Supper. You can see the letter and read the translation Ladders Career Advice.
Résumés and cover letters work together to represent you in the brightest light to prospective employers. With a well-composed résumé and cover letter, you stand out—which may get you an interview and then a good shot at landing a job.
In this section we discuss résumés and cover letters as key components of your career development tool kit. We explore some of the many ways you can design and develop them for the greatest impact in your job search.
Your Résumé: Purpose and Contents
Your résumé is an inventory of your education, work experience, job-related skills, accomplishments, volunteer history, internships, residencies, and/or more. It’s a professional autobiography in outline form to give the person who reads it a quick, general idea of who you are. With a better idea of who your are, prospective employers can see how well you might contribute to their workplace.
As a college student or recent graduate, though, you may be unsure about what to put in your résumé, especially if you don’t have much employment history. Still, employers don’t expect recent grads to have significant work experience. And even with little work experience, you may still have a host of worthy accomplishments to include. It’s all in how you present yourself.
The following quick video from the Career Development Center at West Chester University describes the purpose of a resume.
Elements of Your Successful Résumé
Perhaps the hardest part of writing a résumé is figuring out what format to use to organize and present your information in the most effective way. There is no correct format, per se, but most résumés follow one of the four formats below. Which format appeals to you the most?
- Reverse chronological résumé: A reverse chronological résumé (sometimes also simply called a chronological résumé) lists your job experiences in reverse chronological order—that is, starting with the most recent job and working backward toward your first job. It includes starting and ending dates. Also included is a brief description of the work duties you performed for each job, and highlights of your formal education. The reverse chronological résumé may be the most common and perhaps the most conservative résumé format. It is most suitable for demonstrating a solid work history, and growth and development in your skills. It may not suit you if you are light on skills in the area you are applying to, or if you’ve changed employers frequently, or if you are looking for your first job. Reverse Chronological Résumé Examples
- Functional résumé: A functional résumé is organized around your talents, skills, and abilities (more so than work duties and job titles, as with the reverse chronological résumé). It emphasizes specific professional capabilities, like what you have done or what you can do. Specific dates may be included but are not as important. So if you are a new graduate entering your field with little or no actual work experience, the functional résumé may be a good format for you. It can also be useful when you are seeking work in a field that differs from what you have done in the past. It’s also well suited for people in unconventional careers. Functional Résumé Examples
- Hybrid résumé: The hybrid résumé is a format reflecting both the functional and chronological approaches. It’s also called a combination résumé. It highlights relevant skills, but it still provides information about your work experience. With a hybrid résumé, you may list your job skills as most prominent and then follow with a chronological (or reverse chronological) list of employers. This résumé format is most effective when your specific skills and job experience need to be emphasized. Hybrid Résumé Examples
- Video, infographic, and Web-site résumé: Other formats you may wish to consider are the video résumé, the infographic résumé, or even a Web-site résumé. These formats may be most suitable for people in multimedia and creative careers. Certainly with the expansive use of technology today, a job seeker might at least try to create a media-enhanced résumé. But the paper-based, traditional résumé is by far the most commonly used—in fact, some human resource departments may not permit submission of any format other than paper based. Video Resume Examples; Infographic Résumé Examples; Web-Site Résumé Examples
An important note about formatting is that, initially, employers may spend only a few seconds reviewing each résumé—especially if there is a big stack of them or they seem tedious to read. That’s why it’s important to choose your format carefully so it will stand out and make the first cut.
According to the Indeed video below, there are 5 Resume Tips That Will Get You Noticed:
- Use key words from the job posting
- List your hard skills
- List your soft skills
- List your achievements and be specific
- Edit
Résumé Contents and Structure
For many people, the process of writing a résumé is daunting. After all, you are taking a lot of information and condensing it into a very concise form that needs to be both eye-catching and easy to read. Don’t be scared off, though! Developing a good résumé can be fun, rewarding, and easier than you think if you follow a few basic guidelines. In the following video, a résumé-writing expert describes some keys to success.
Contents and Components To Include
- Your contact information: name, address, phone number, professional email address
- A summary of your skills: 5–10 skills you have gained in your field; you can list hard skills as well as soft skills (refer to the Professional Skill Building topic in this course)
- Work experience: depending on the résumé format you choose, you may list your most recent job first; include the title of the position, employer’s name, location, employment dates (beginning, ending)
- Volunteer experience
- Education and training: formal and informal experiences matter; include academic degrees, professional development, certificates, internships, etc.
- References statement (optional): “References available upon request” is a standard phrase used on résumés, although it is often implied
- Other sections: may include a job objective, a brief profile, a branding statement, a summary statement, additional accomplishments, and any other related experiences
Caution
Résumés resemble snowflakes in as much as no two are alike. Although you can benefit from giving yours a stamp of individuality, you will do well to steer clear of personal details that might elicit a negative response. It is advisable to omit any confidential information or details that could make you vulnerable to discrimination, for instance. Your résumé will likely be viewed by a number of employees in an organization, including human resource personnel, managers, administrative staff, etc. By aiming to please all reviewers, you gain maximum advantage.
- Do not mention your age, gender, height or weight.
- Do not include your social security number.
- Do not mention religious beliefs or political affiliations, unless they are relevant to the position.
- Do not include a photograph of yourself or a physical description.
- Do not mention health issues.
- Do not use first-person references. (I, me).
- Do not include wage/salary expectations.
- Do not use abbreviations.
- Proofread carefully—absolutely no spelling mistakes are acceptable.
Top Ten Tips for a Successful Résumé
- Aim to make a résumé that’s 1–2 pages long on letter-size paper.
- Make it visually appealing.
- Use action verbs and phrases. See Action Words and Phrases for Résumé Development.
- Proofread carefully to eliminate any spelling, grammar, punctuation, and typographical errors.
- Include highlights of your qualifications or skills to attract an employer’s attention.
- Craft your letter as a pitch to people in the profession you plan to work in.
- Stand out as different, courageous.
- Be positive and reflect only the truth.
- Be excited and optimistic about your job prospects!
- Keep refining and reworking your résumé; it’s an ongoing project.
Remember that your résumé is your professional profile. It will hold you in the most professional and positive light, and it’s designed to be a quick and easy way for a prospective employer to evaluate what you might bring to a job. When written and formatted attractively, creatively, and legibly, your résumé is what will get your foot in the door. You can be proud of your accomplishments, even if they don’t seem numerous. Let your résumé reflect your personal pride and professionalism.
More Resume Tip Videos from Indeed
Don't forget to include the hard and soft (or transferable) skills that you can offer.
And here are some examples of words to use and words to avoid when describing your strengths and qualifications.
Résumé Writing Resources
WEBSITE | DESCRIPTION |
Everything you need to know about resumes: what they are for, the types, the parts, action words, samples, etc. | |
Helps you create the foundation of a resume so you can individualize it using suggested tasks and skills from your work experience. | |
ACC Library Services – Research Guide for Resumes and Cover Letters | Resources to help with writing a resume and cover letter. |
What to put on your resume when you are a new graduate or just starting your career with little to no relevant work experience. | |
An example of a terrible resume for a recent college graduate and details of what NOT to do. | |
| |
Indeed – How to Write a College Student Resume Indeed – Including Relevant Coursework on a Resume | Resume formats, tips, and examples for college students. Articles and how-tos |
Your Résumé: It’s Like Online Dating
The following essay by Jackie Vetrano is excerpted from Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom. It’s a true-to-life story comparing job hunting to online dating. The writer’s “lessons learned” are meant to enlarge your awareness of your career goals as you attend college.
IT’S LIKE ONLINE DATING
Searching for a job, especially your first job, is a lot like online dating. It begins as a time commitment, gets nerve-wracking towards the middle, but ends in success and happiness if you follow the right process.
Like many single people with access to current technology, I ventured into the world of online dating. I went for coffee with potential mates who were instant no ways, some who left me scratching my head, and a few who I found a connection with.
But hang on. We are here to talk about professional development, not my love life.
Being on the job hunt is not easy. Many spend hours preparing résumés, looking at open positions, and thinking about what career path to travel. Occasionally, it is overwhelming and intimidating, but when taken one step at a time, it can be a manageable and an exciting process.
The first step of online dating is the most important: create your dating profile. Your profile is where you put your best foot forward and show off all of your attractive qualities through visuals and text. Online daters find their most flattering photos and then season the “about me” section of their profile with captivating and descriptive words to better display who they are and why other online daters should give them a shot.
Résumés follow this same logic. Your résumé should be clean, polished, and present you in your best light for future employers. Like dating profiles, they are detailed and should paint a picture for other prospective dates (or future employers) supporting why you deserve a chance at their love—an interview.
The unspoken rules of online dating profiles are very similar to the rules for writing a résumé. Whether you like it or not, your online dating profile and résumé both serve as a first impression. Profiles and résumés that are short, filled with spelling errors, or vague are usually passed over. Unless you are a supermodel and all you need is an enticing photo, your written description is very important to display who you are.
Your résumé should capture who you are, your skill set, education, past experiences, and anything else that is relevant to the job you hope to obtain. Knowing your audience is a key factor in crafting the perfect resume. Logically, if my online dating profile presented studious and quiet personality traits, I would likely start receiving messages from potential mates who are looking for someone who is seeking those traits. By taking a similar approach while writing a résumé, you can easily determine the tone, language, and highlighted skills and experiences you should feature. The tone of your résumé is dictated by the nature of the position you hope to obtain in the future. For example, hospitality jobs or positions that require you to interact with many people on a daily basis should be warm and welcoming while analytical jobs, such as accounting or research positions, should reflect an astute attention to detail. Your choice in language follows similar logic—use appropriate terms for the position you are seeking.
Unlike online dating profiles, your résumé should include your important contact information, including email address, telephone number, and mailing address. Some advise refraining from listing a mailing address, as this could create a bias due to some organizations that are looking for a new employee who is already in the area.
Unfortunately, this bias cannot be foreseen, which means you should use your best judgment when listing your contact information. If you include this contact information on your dating profile, you may have some very interesting text messages in the morning.
—Jackie Ventrano, Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom
Vetrano’s essay is continued ahead in the “Cover Letters” section of this page.
ACTIVITY: CREATE YOUR RÉSUMÉ
Objectives:
- Compile data reflecting your professional and educational skills and accomplishments.
- Assess the main résumé formats and select one that meets your needs.
- Create a first draft of your professional résumé.
Directions:
- Compile all needed information for your résumé, including your contact information, a summary of your skills, your work experience and volunteer experience, education and training (including your intended degree, professional development activities, certificates, internships, etc.). Optionally you may wish to include job objective, a brief profile, a branding statement, additional accomplishments, and any other related experiences.
- Select one of the résumé builder tools listed above in the Résumé Writing Resources table.
- Create your résumé, following instructions at your selected site.
- Save your document as a PDF file.
- Follow instructions from your instructor on how to submit your work.
Your Cover Letter
Image by Andrea Polini from Pixabay
Cover letters matter. When you have to go through a pile of them, they are probably more important than the résumé itself. —woodleywonderworks
What Is a Cover Letter?
A cover letter is a letter of introduction, usually 3–4 paragraphs in length, that you attach to your résumé. It’s a way of introducing yourself to a potential employer and explaining why you are suited for a position. Employers may look for individualized and thoughtfully written cover letters as an initial method of screening out applicants who may who lack necessary basic skills, or who may not be sufficiently interested in the position.
Indeed Cover Letter basics
https://youtu.be/hrZSfMly_Ck
Often an employer will request or require that a cover letter be included in the materials an applicant submits. There are also occasions when you might submit a cover letter uninvited: for example, if you are initiating an inquiry about possible work or asking someone to send you information or provide other assistance.
With each résumé you send out, always include a cover letter specifically addressing your purposes.
Characteristics of an Effective Cover Letter
Cover letters should accomplish the following:
- Get the attention of the prospective employer
- Set you apart from any possible competition
- Identify the position you are interested in
- Specify how you learned about the position or company
- Present highlights of your skills and accomplishments
- Reflect your genuine interest
- Please the eye and ear
The following video features Aimee Bateman, founder of Careercake.com, who explains how you can create an incredible cover letter. You can download a transcript of the video here.
Cover Letter Resources
WEBSITE | DESCRIPTION |
Everything you need to know about resumes: what they are for, the types, the parts, action words, samples, etc. | |
Helps you create the foundation of a resume so you can individualize it using suggested tasks and skills from your work experience. | |
How to write a college student cover letter with templates and examples (including email version) | |
Resources about the reality of cover letters, using a cover letter, the worst use of the cover letter, the testimonial cover letter technique, and a cover letter checklist | |
Brief video on the basics of writing a strong cover letter. |
Your Cover Letter: It’s Like Online Dating
The following is another excerpt from the “It’s Like Online Dating” essay by Jackie Vetrano. Writing a cover letter may feel like a chore, but the payoff will be well worth it if you land the job you want!
IT’S LIKE ONLINE DATING
Sending a Message—The Cover Letter
After searching through dozens of profiles, online daters generally find a handful of people they can picture themselves with. There’s only one way to find out more about the person, and that’s by sending the first message.
The challenging part of the first message I send through online dating sites is determining what to say. I’ve never met these people before, but I do have access to their dating profiles filled with their hobbies, hometowns, and more. This is a perfect starting point for my message, especially if we both root for the same football team or if the other person likes to run as much as I do.
Your cover letter serves as an introduction to your future employer and should complement your résumé to create a shining first impression. It is incredibly challenging to sit in front of a blank screen trying to find a good starting point, which means you should look at the job posting and organization’s Web site for ideas about what to include.
Generally, these job postings provide a set of hard skills (such as proficiency with certain technology) and soft skills (such as public speaking, teamwork, or working in a flexible environment) required and desired for the posted position. This information provides you a list of what should be explained in your cover letter. Demonstrating your hard skills is a simple enough task by using examples or stating certifications, but describing your soft skills may require a little more thought. These soft skills can be exhibited by discussing specific examples of past experiences in previous jobs you’ve held, volunteer work, or work you’ve done in college classes.
After you have crafted your cover letter, you should send it to a few people you trust for their opinion and overall proofreading along with the job posting for their reference. It’s obvious that your cover letter should be free of spelling and grammar errors, but these trustworthy individuals will also be able to provide helpful insight about the examples you’ve used to display your soft skills.
—Jackie Vetrano, Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The purpose of the resume is to get your foot in the door and be offered an interview. The resume is your one chance to catch your employer’s attention and stand out from the other applicants.
A cover letter is a letter of introduction that you submit with your resume and it explains why you are suited for the position.
LICENSES AND ATTRIBUTIONS
- Career/Life Planning and Personal Exploration. Authored by: Joanna Campos-Robledo, Thu Nguyen. Provided by: Lumen Learning and found at OER Commons. License: CC BY 4.0
- Image of "Scrabble - Application" by flazingo_photos is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
- Image of typewriter with CV by Andrea Polini Provided by: Pixabay Located at: https://pixabay.com/photos/cv-curriculum-vitae-job-application-5082903/ License: Standard Pixabay License
CC LICENSED CONTENT, SHARED PREVIOUSLY
- Ru00e9sumu00e9s and Cover Letters. Authored by: Linda Bruce. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
- Foundations of College Success: Words of Wisdom. Authored by: Thomas C. Priester, editor. Provided by: Open SUNY Textbooks. Located at: http://textbooks.opensuny.org/foundations-of-academic-success/. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED CONTENT
- Resume Writing: Purpose of a Resume. By: Career Development Center: West Chester University. Located at: https://youtu.be/cNAoMp_Ni5I. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
- 5 Resume Tips That’ll Get You Noticed By: Indeed Located at: https://youtu.be/w82xo-CfwqU. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
- Top Resume Skills By: Indeed Located at: https://youtu.be/_bZi-34IFxs License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
- Resume Words to Include and Avoid By: Indeed Located at: https://youtu.be/BxPy_-cl4mY License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
- Steps to an Incredible Cover Letter. Authored by: Aimee Bateman. Located at: https://youtu.be/mxOli8laZos. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
- Resume Tutorial. Authored by: Cameron Cassidy. Located at: https://youtu.be/O5eVMaPZWmM. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
RETURN TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 9: Interviewing
Image by by souvenirsofcanada
One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation. —Arthur Ashe, champion tennis player
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Describe effective strategies to prepare for an interview
- Differentiate between different types of interview situations and identify appropriate interview techniques for each
- Analyze different question types common in interviews
If your résumé and cover letter have served their purposes well, you will be invited to participate in an interview with the company or organization in which you are interested. Congratulations! It’s an exciting time, and your prospects for employment are very strong if you put in the time to be well prepared.
In this section we look at how to get ready for an interview, what types of interviews you might need to engage in, and what kinds of questions you might be asked.
Preparing Effectively for a Job Interview
Review the Job Description
When you prepare for an interview, your first step will be to carefully read and reread the job posting or job description. This will help you develop a clearer idea of how you meet the skills and attributes the company seeks.
Research the Company or Organization
Researching the company will give you a wider view of what the company is looking for and how well you might fit in. Your prospective employer may ask you what you know about the company. Being prepared to answer this question shows that you took time and effort to prepare for the interview and that you have a genuine interest in the organization. It shows good care and good planning—soft skills you will surely need on the job.
Practice Answering Common Questions
Most interviewees find that practicing the interview in advance with a family member, a friend, or a colleague eases possible nerves during the actual interview. It also creates greater confidence when you walk through the interview door. In the “Interview Questions” section below, you’ll learn more about specific questions you will likely be asked and corresponding strategies for answering them.
Plan to Dress Appropriately
Interviewees are generally most properly dressed for an interview in business attire, with the goal of looking highly professional in the eyes of the interviewer. The following short video from UC Davis Internship and Career Center describes “How to Dress For Success for Interviews and the Workplace.”
And the even shorter video, “What to Wear to an Interview: Business Casual and Business Formal Examples” from Indeed.
Come Prepared
Plan to bring your résumé, cover letter, and a list of references to the interview. You may also want to bring a portfolio of representative work. Leave behind coffee, chewing gum, and any other items that could be distractions.
Be Confident
Above all, interviewees should be confident and “courageous.” By doing so you make a strong first impression. As the saying goes, “There is never a second chance to make a first impression.”
Job Interview Types and Techniques
Every interview you participate in will be unique: The people you meet with, the interview setting, and the questions you’ll be asked will all be different from interview to interview.
The various factors that characterize any given interview can contribute to the sense of adventure and excitement you feel. But it’s also can normal to feel a little nervous about what lies ahead. With so many unknowns, how can you plan to “nail the interview” no matter what comes up?
A good strategy for planning is to anticipate the type of interview you may find yourself in. There are common formats for job interviews, described in detail, below. By knowing a bit more about each type and being aware of techniques that work for each, you can plan to be on your game no matter what form your interview takes.
Screening Interviews
Screening interviews might best be characterized as “weeding-out” interviews. They ordinarily take place over the phone or in another low-stakes environment in which the interviewer has maximum control over the amount of time the interview takes. Screening interviews are generally short because they glean only basic information about you. If you are scheduled to participate in a screening interview, you might safely assume that you have some competition for the job and that the company is using this strategy to whittle down the applicant pool. With this kind of interview, your goal is to win a face-to-face interview. For this first shot, though, prepare well and challenge yourself to shine. Try to stand out from the competition and be sure to follow up with a thank-you note.
Phone or Web Conference Interviews
If you are geographically separated from your prospective employer, you may be invited to participate in a phone interview or online interview, instead of meeting face-to-face. Technology, of course, is a good way to bridge distances. The fact that you’re not there in person doesn’t make it any less important to be fully prepared, though. In fact, you may wish to be all the more “on your toes” to compensate for the distance barrier. Make sure your equipment (phone, computer, Internet connection, etc.) is fully charged and works. If you’re at home for the interview, make sure the environment is quiet and distraction-free. If the meeting is online, make sure your video background is pleasing and neutral, like a wall hanging or even a white wall.
One-on-One Interviews
The majority of job interviews are conducted in this format—just you and a single interviewer—likely with the manager you would report to and work with. The one-on-one format gives you both a chance to see how well you connect and how well your talents, skills, and personalities mesh. You can expect to be asked questions like “Why would you be good for this job?” and “Tell me about yourself.” Many interviewees prefer the one-on-one format because it allows them to spend in-depth time with the interviewer. Rapport can be built. As always, be very courteous and professional. Have handy a portfolio of your best work.
Panel Interviews
An efficient format for meeting a candidate is a panel interview, in which perhaps four to five coworkers meet at the same time with a single interviewee. The coworkers comprise the “search committee” or “search panel,” which may consist of different company representatives such as human resources, management, and staff. One advantage of this format for the committee is that meeting together gives them a common experience to reflect on afterward. In a panel interview, listen carefully to questions from each panelist, and try to connect fully with each questioner. Be sure to write down names and titles, so you can send individual thank-you notes after the interview.
Serial Interviews
Serial interviews are a combination of one-on-one meetings with a group of interviewers, typically conducted as a series of meetings staggered throughout the day. Ordinarily this type of interview is for higher-level jobs, when it’s important to meet at length with major stakeholders. If your interview process is designed this way, you will need to be ultraprepared, as you will be answering many in-depth questions. Stay alert.
Lunch Interviews
In some higher-level positions, candidates are taken to lunch or dinner, especially if this is a second interview (a “call back” interview). If this is you, count yourself lucky and be on your best behavior, because even if the lunch meeting is unstructured and informal, it’s still an official interview. Do not order an alcoholic beverage, and use your best table manners. You are not expected to pay or even to offer to pay. But, as always, you must send a thank-you note.
Group Interviews
Group interviews are comprised of several interviewees and perhaps only one or two interviewers who may make a presentation to the assembled group. This format allows an organization to quickly prescreen candidates. It also gives candidates a chance to quickly learn about the company. As with all interview formats, you are being observed. How do you behave with your group? Do you assume a leadership role? Are you quiet but attentive? What kind of personality is the company looking for? A group interview may reveal this.
For a summary of the most common interview formats, take a look at the following video from the Career Center at Texas A&M University, Types of Interviews.
ACTIVITY: WHAT MAKES YOU A GREAT FIT?
Objectives:
- Define your ideal job.
- Identify the top three reasons why you are a great fit for this ideal job.
Directions:
- Write a paragraph describing your ideal job. Imagine that you are already in this job. What is your job title and what are you responsible for executing? What is the name of the company or organization? What is its function?
- Now identify the top three reasons why you are a great fit for this ideal job. What sets you apart from the competition? List the qualities, skills and values you have that match the job requirements. Provide examples to support your answers. Connect your values to the company’s values.
- Summarize your answer.
- Submit this assignment according to directions provided by your instructor.
Interview Questions
For most job candidates, the burning question is “What will I be asked?” There’s no way to anticipate every single question that may arise during an interview. It’s possible that, no matter how well prepared you are, you may get a question you just didn’t expect. But that’s okay. Do as much preparation as you can—which will build your confidence—and trust that the answers will come.
To help you reach that point of sureness and confidence, take time to review common interview questions. Think about your answers. Make notes, if that helps. And then conduct a practice interview with a friend, a family member, or a colleague. Speak your answers out loud. Below is a list of resources that contain common interview questions and good explanations/answers you might want to adopt.
WEBSITE | DESCRIPTION | |
1 | 100 top job interview questions—be prepared for the interview (from Monster.com) | This site provides a comprehensive set of interview questions you might expect to be asked, categorized as basic interview questions, behavioral questions, salary questions, career development questions, and other kinds. Some of the listed questions provide comprehensive answers, too. |
2 | Interview Questions and Answers (from BigInterview) | This site provides text and video answers to the following questions: Tell me about yourself, describe your current position, why are you looking for a new job, what are your strengths, what is your greatest weakness, why do you want to work here, where do you see yourself in five years, why should we hire you, and do you have any questions for me? |
3 | Ten Tough Interview Questions and Ten Great Answers (from CollegeGrad) | This site explores some of the most difficult questions you will face in job interviews. The more open-ended the question, the greater the variation among answers. Once you have become practiced in your interviewing skills, you will find that you can use almost any question as a launching pad for a particular topic or compelling story. |
4. | Illegal Interview Questions (from Better Team) | Illegal questions that should not be asked in an interview. |
Why Should We Hire You
From the Ohio State University Fisher College of Business Career Management Office, here is a video featuring representatives from recruiting companies offering advice for answering the question “Why should we hire you?” As you watch, make mental notes about how you would answer the question in an interview for a job you really want.
In closing, below is the final excerpt from the essay “It’s Like Online Dating,” by Jackie Vetrano. You’ll recall that the writer compares job hunting—including résumé creation and cover-letter writing—to online dating. In this last section, she concludes with a look at the job interview and compares it to a first date.
IT’S LIKE ONLINE DATING
The First Date—The Job Interview
After what may feel like forever, you hear back from the love of your life. Congratulations! In the online dating world, you may chat about common interests (because you wrote a stunning first message), but in the world of work, you’ll be asked to visit the organization for an interview.
I have been on many first dates, and whether it’s in a coffee shop or over dinner, the first face-to-face meeting is tremendously important. If someone I am meeting for the first time looks like they just came from the gym or rolled out of bed, my impression instantly changes. This same theory can be directly applied to your first date with your future employer. You have worked hard on your cover letter and résumé, and you should not taint the sparkling first impression you have created with the wrong choice in dress.
What you wear to a job interview may change based on the position you have applied for, but there are a set of basic rules that everyone should follow. Similar to meeting someone on a first date for coffee, you want to be comfortable. Some interviews may take place with multiple people in an organization, meaning you will be walking to different locations, sitting down, and potentially sweating from a broken air conditioning unit. Consider these factors when choosing your outfit for your interview, and if you’re concerned about being underdressed, remember to always dress a bit nicer than how you’d dress for the job itself.
There is nothing worse than sitting alone at a coffee shop waiting for a mystery date to show up. It’s uncomfortable and affects my overall first impression of whom I’m about to meet. Avoid making your mystery employer annoyed and waiting for you by leaving at least ten minutes earlier than you need to, just in case you get stuck in traffic. Arrive at least ten minutes early. The interview will start out much better if you are early rather than nervous and running late. Arriving early also gives you the time to have some coffee and review materials you may need for the interview. Coming on time to an interview or a first date shows you respect the time of the person you plan to meet.
On a first date, it is all about communication. Sometimes, there may be silences that cannot be filled or the person I have just met discloses their entire life story to me in less than an hour. If we cannot achieve a proper balance, there will not be a second date. Communicating effectively in a job interview is equally as important, especially if you want a job offer!
All of the rules of dating apply to how you should behave in a job interview. The interviewer will ask you questions, which means that you should look at them and focus on what is being asked. Your phone should be on silent (not even on vibrate), and hidden, to show that you are fully attentive and engaged in the conversation you are having. Much like having a conversation on a date, the answers to your questions should be clear and concise and stay on topic. The stories I tell on my first dates are more personal than what would be disclosed in a job interview, but the mindset is the same. You are building the impression that the organization has of you, so put your best foot forward through the comments you make.
To make that great impression, it is really important to heavily prepare and practice, even before you have an interview scheduled. By brainstorming answers to typical interview questions in a typed document or out loud, later during the interview you will easily remember the examples of your past experiences that demonstrate why you are best for the job. You can continue to update this list as you move through different jobs, finding better examples to each question to accurately describe your hard and soft skills.
This interview is as much a date for your future employer as it is for you. Come prepared with questions that you have about the company, the position, and anything else you are curious about. This is an opportunity for you to show off the research you’ve done on the organization and establish a better understanding of company culture, values, and work ethic. Without knowing these basics of the company or organization, what you thought was a match might only end in a tense breakup.
After your interview is over, you continue to have an opportunity to build on the positive impression that you’ve worked hard to form. Sending a follow up thank you note to each person you interviewed with will show your respect for the time the organization spent with you. These notes can be written and sent by mail or emailed, but either way should have a personal touch, commenting on a topic that was discussed in the interview. While sending a thank you note after a first date may sound a little strange, you might not get asked to a second interview without one!
It’s Official—The Job Offer
In the online dating world, it takes a few dates to determine if two people are a match. In the corporate world, you may have a one or two interviews to build a relationship. If your impression was positive and the organization believes you’re a match for the open position, you’ll be offered a job.
With a job offer also comes the salary for the position. It is important to know what a reasonable salary is for the position and location, which can be answered with a bit of research. One good place to look is the Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site. At this point, it is not uncommon to discuss your salary with your future employer, but be sure to do so in a polite way.
Online dating sites provide the means for millions of people to meet future partners, and the number of people who use online dating is so large that there are sure to be disappointments along the way. I have met people who I thought were compatible with me, but they did not feel the same, and vice versa. This happens frequently while searching for a job, which can be discouraging, but should not hinder you from continuing to search! There are a great number of opportunities, and sometimes all it takes is adjusting your filters or revising your résumé and cover letter. The cliché “there’s plenty of fish in the sea” may be true, but there is definitely a way for each person to start their career off.
—Jackie Vetrano, Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Prepare for the interview by carefully reviewing the job description and researching the company in advance. This will help you tailor your interview responses to illustrate how your skills and abilities match the needs of the organization.
- Practice common interview questions with a family member or friend to help you respond to questions more naturally, make a good impression, and build confidence in your interviewing skills.
- Come prepared for the interview by dressing professionally for the position and bringing copies of your résumé, cover letter, letters of reference, and samples of your work if relevant to the position.
- Become familiar with common formats for job interviews, such as screening interviews, one-on-one interviews, phone or web conference interviews, and panel interviews. Each will require different interview techniques from you, and by learning about each type, you will be prepared to demonstrate how you are the best person for the job.
- Always send a personalized thank you note to each person who interviewed you immediately following the interview.
LICENSES AND ATTRIBUTIONS
CC LICENSED CONTENT, ORIGINAL
Career/Life Planning and Personal Exploration. Authored by: Joanna Campos-Robledo, Thu Nguyen. Provided by: Lumen Learning and found at OER Commons. License: CC BY 4.0
CC LICENSED CONTENT, SHARED PREVIOUSLY
College Success. Authored by: Linda Bruce. Provided by: Lumen Learning License: CC BY: Attribution
Foundations of College Success: Words of Wisdom. Authored by: Thomas C. Priester, editor. Provided by: Open SUNY Textbooks. Located at: http://textbooks.opensuny.org/foundations-of-academic-success/. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED CONTENT
How to Dress for Success for Interviews and the Workplace. Authored by: UC Davis Internship and Career Center Located at https://youtu.be/taDdxF0T5B8 License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
What to Wear to an Interview: Business Causal and Business Formal Examples Authored by: Indeed. Located at: https://youtu.be/muwkauOZjEI License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
Types of Interviews Authored by: Texas A&M University Career Center Located at: https://youtu.be/S49RQc_OtfU License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
Why Should We Hire You? How to Answer this Interview Question. Authored by: Fisher OSU. Located at: https://youtu.be/Ut-fKJNbqmc. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
Chapter 10: What’s Next?
Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! - Henry David Thoreau, American essayist, poet and philosopher
Your Success Track
You’ve completed an important first step toward college success completing this course this course, by finishing the College Success module! May the new skills and strategies you’ve gained serve you well not only in college but at work and in any other settings in which college skills become life skills.
Future Proof Your Career
Transitioning from college to your career is just the first step. Watch this short video from Mind Tools for tips on how to plan for continued success with 9 Ways to Future Proof Your Career.
Symbols of Success
As you move more deeply into student life, consider selecting a symbol of your commitment to success. Consider your own personal definition of “success.” What would a physical representation of that success look like? Many people consider graduation caps or diplomas to be symbols of college success. If those are meaningful to you, consider choosing one. Alternatively, yours can become more personal—an item that speaks to you as a sign of what you’re working toward and how you’ll know you’ve “made it.”
Some ideas from previous students include:
- a stethoscope, for an aspiring medical student
- a set of professional salon scissors, for an aspiring beautician
- an office door nameplate, for an aspiring law student
Once you find a meaningful symbol—perhaps an object or an image or even an idea—keep it in a place where you can easily access it. In moments when you need a boost, you can remind yourself that college success begins and ends with your commitment to learning well.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
LICENSES AND ATTRIBUTIONS
CC LICENSED CONTENT, ORIGINAL
- Career/Life Planning and Personal Exploration. Authored by: Joanna Campos-Robledo, Thu Nguyen. Provided by: Lumen Learning and found at OER Commons. License: CC BY 4.0
- Image by Mohamed Hassan. Provided by: Pixabay Located at: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/graduation-academic-accomplish-air-3649717/ License: Standard Pixabay License
- Image of Success Sign Road Sign by Gerd Altmann Provided by: Pixabay Located at: https://pixabay.com/photos/success-road-sign-traffic-sign-479569/ License: Standard Pixabay License
CC LICENSED CONTENT, SHARED PREVIOUSLY
- Conclusion. Authored by: Linda Bruce. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
- Screenshot of success symbols. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED CONTENT
- 9 Ways to Future Proof Your Career. Provided by: Mind Tools. Located at: https://youtu.be/qQGgH9QHybU License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube license
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:24.675873
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08/21/2020
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{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/71477/overview",
"title": "Career Planning and Personal Exploration",
"author": "Dawn Allison"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/90234/overview
|
Books And Reading: An Intermediate ESL Speaking Lesson Plan
Overview
Are you looking for a fun lesson to help your students practice speaking and expand their vocabulary? This lesson introduces vocabulary around books and reading and provides an opportunity for students to practice their speaking skills.
You access 150+ more free lessons like this with a free Off2Class account!
Off2Class
This lesson includes many activities (questions, discussion prompts, images) that help introduce new vocabulary words. Remember to provide examples to create context and further clarity when introducing new words. The questions should also be used as conversation starters, helping you learn more about your student and his/her/their lives and opinions.
In addition, you can prompt your students to ask you questions. This will create a wonderful opportunity to promote dialogue between you and your student(s). It also allows students to practice using new vocabulary words in conversational English.
If you want additional lesson plans and support, including teacher's notes, be sure to register for a free Off2Class account.
|
oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:24.707163
|
02/19/2022
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/90234/overview",
"title": "Books And Reading: An Intermediate ESL Speaking Lesson Plan",
"author": "Christine Chan"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/102052/overview
|
Education Standards
Air Quality Across Washington Location Details and Demographics
Asthma and Your Lungs
Breathing Easier 3D Assessment
Breathing Easier - Guidance for Educators
Community Action and Leadership Examples
Data Collection Activity Sheet
Data Collection Activity Sheet
Dylos Air Quality Monitor
Dylos Air Quality Monitor
EarthGen (website)
Lung Health Risk Awareness Solutions
Omar & Tai
Omar & Tai
Omar & Tai
Source of Pollution Sorting Game
Source of Pollution Sorting Game
The Four Spheres Reading
WA Health Disparities Map Navigator and Guided Inquiry
Breathing Easier (5th)
Overview
Breathing Easier is a 5th-grade curricular program created by EarthGen. For this unit, we offer professional development training and assistance with implementation. If you are interested in implementing this program at your school or district, please let us know! Please contact info@earthgenwa.org for more information.
EarthGen and Puget Sound Clean Air Agency have partnered to develop opportunities for learning about local air quality (AQ). Using interactive maps, multimedia resources, classroom discussions, community science, and data analysis, students will explore the causes of air pollution and its relationship to environmental justice. These lessons are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards and encourage students to engage in argumentation from evidence and propose solutions to socio-ecological issues of air quality and public health for communities in Washington.
Introduction
Students will explore the following overarching questions:
- What is air pollution and what are its sources?
- How does where you live influence your health?
- How do communities draw upon their unique forms of knowledge and power to advocate for air quality?
- How can students take action to protect themselves and their communities from air pollution?
Performance Expectations and Crosscutting Concepts
These lessons are designed to support the Next Generation Science Standards for 5th grade and each lesson allows students to practice and develop different skills. However, the unit has been successfully implemented with 3rd through 5th grade and adapted for middle school students. Please note that this program is designed to be open-ended and flexible. The individual educator may make adjustments and additions to the lessons that meet their needs for particular Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts — as well as opportunities for transdisciplinary connections. We welcome your feedback throughout the implementation and evaluation process regarding how you adapted the activities to your grade level and students.
NGSS Performance Expectations Addressed Through Breathing Easier
| Standard | Detail |
|---|---|
| 5-PS1-1 | Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen. |
| 5-ESS2-1 | Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact. |
NGSS Crosscutting Concepts Addressed Through Breathing Easier
Cause and effect: Mechanism and explanation. Events have causes, sometimes simple, sometimes multi-faceted. A major activity of science is investigating and explaining causal relationships and the mechanisms by which they are mediated. Such mechanisms can then be tested across given contexts and used to predict and explain events in new contexts.
Stability and change: For natural and built systems alike, conditions of stability and determinants of rates of change or evolution of a system are critical elements of study.
Commitment to Environmental Justice
The next generation will inherit two interconnected crises they did not create: climate change and environmental injustice. To respond to these realities through intentionally designed learning experiences, we committed to the use of a variety of pedagogical approaches that are woven into this program.
A prominent pedagogical approach is Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies, which build from the foundation laid by culturally responsive and culturally relevant practices. Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies allow, invite, and encourage students to not only use their cultural and community knowledges and practices in school, but to actively maintain and deepen them. Through the guidance and professional support provided in this program, teachers will have tools to weave these commitments into their teaching practices in ways that are responsive to their community contexts and collectively move toward environmental justice with students, families, and communities.
By creating learning experiences that center the specific place-based interests, histories, knowledge, practices, and priorities of students, families, and communities – especially those of the global majority – we’ll see students, families, and communities feel welcomed, respected, and intellectually cared for in science learning spaces within and beyond the classroom.
In each lesson, we outline key information, perspectives, and practices related to culturally sustaining pedagogies and environmental justice that you can incorporate into your practice. We encourage liberatory teaching and learning while practicing anti-racist principles, because it is relevant to the lives of all students and the environmentally just futures they deserve.
A framework guiding the enactment of these commitments is the Science Social Focus Framework, designed by Anastasia Sanchez and applied to an early analysis of our programs. This framework consists of key interconnected concepts such as:
Critical Consciousness - Promoting an awareness of others and society to apply appropriate empathy or critique through the lens of environmental justice. In Breathing Easier, we incorporate opportunities for students to investigate how different communities are burdened by air quality challenges. We provide support for students to critically analyze societal structures that reinforce the status quo.
Consequential Concern - Grappling with matters of future wellbeing and ecological caring as students make connections between science content and the consequential concerns facing society. The learning experience in Breathing Easier focuses on students’ experiences, observations, questions, and visions of their community. Equipping students with understandings and tools grounded in their local context enables solutions that are relevant and aligned with their values.
Critical & Liberatory Presence - Restorative justice-oriented representation that names the intersectional injustices faced by racially and socioeconomically marginalized communities — as well as their resistance, leadership, and flourishing. The students we center in this curricular experience are those who are disproportionately impacted by poor air quality and are often underrepresented in scientific narratives. By centering the diverse voices, knowledges, and practices of multiple communities, we aim to contribute to the sustenance of the whole student and their identities.
Unit and Lesson Structure
This unit is designed to be flexible and adaptable to your needs and the needs, interests, age, and experience level of the students you are working with! Based on students’ language experiences, you can ask them to gather their ideas through written text, demonstrations, and/or drawings in the included science journals. Most importantly, we hope you engage your students in authentic conversation about our focal topic and center collective inquiry on the many ideas and questions students themselves generate.
Each lesson in this unit has a suggested framework:
- Lesson Overview - We introduce a story element, conversation prompt, or a guiding question that focuses the planned learning for the day. As you progress through the unit, we encourage the incorporation of students’ questions from previous lessons that align with the upcoming content and activities.
- Main Activities and Materials - The sequence of the activities, related materials, and supplemental information to guide you and your students through the new content.
- Culturally Sustaining + Justice Centered Connections - Our opportunity to highlight how the lesson has been tailored to enable practices and conversations that are culturally sustaining and/or uplift the histories, perspectives, challenges, and innovations of frontline and BIPOC communities. This section may also include notes and commentary to help you navigate challenging conversations that occur when learning about environmental injustices and how they may impact your students.
- Concluding Reflection - a reflection question for students to engage with through sketching, journaling, or other creative forms of expression. This is an ideal point in each lesson for students to create dynamic representations of their knowledge and learning. When time allows, any of these concluding reflection prompts can also be used to facilitate small-group or whole-class discussions.
Finally, we also encourage the use of a cognitive routine at the start and/or conclusion of each lesson’s learning activities. Ambitious Science Teaching has a number of tools relevant for every science classroom. One option is the KLEWS chart, which is a modification of the well-known comprehension strategy known as KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learned). KLEWS stands for:
- K - What do we think we know?
- L - What are we learning?
- E - What is our evidence?
- W - What do we still wonder about?
- S - What scientific principles/vocabulary help explain the phenomena?
Where and how the KLEWS chart exists is up to you. Consider making a semi-permanent space on a bulletin board or whiteboard, or asking students to create one in their science journals. Using the classroom KLEWS chart, you can support shared learning by writing guiding questions and collecting student responses for all members of the class to see.
Resources for Teacher Learning
To provide context for the learning activities in this unit, we strongly encourage you to explore these resources prior to beginning your implementation. Many of these resources are also woven into the guidance for specific lessons below.
- National Geographic, Air Pollution (article)
- Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, Air Quality Data (data tools)
- Department of Ecology, Air & Climate (resource hub)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Air Quality (resource hub)
- Intersectional History of Environmentalism (video, 15:16)
- NRDC, The Environmental Justice Movement (article)
- Environmental Justice, Explained (video, 3:33)
- A Brief History of Environmental Justice (video, 3:35)
- New York University, Trans Inclusive Practices in the Classroom (article)
- University of Michigan, Gender Diversity and Pronouns (article)
- Manola Secaira, Indigenous Fire Practices Once Shaped the Northwest — and They Might Again (article)
- #LandBack and Indigenous Sovereignty, with Paul Robert Wolf Wilson (podcast, 11:30)
- Learning in Places, Complex Socio-Ecological Systems, Relationships in Socio-Ecological Systems, Ethical Deliberation and Decision-Making in Socio-Ecological Systems, and Family and Community Framework for Engagement and Collaboration (frameworks)
- Candace Jackson, What is Redlining (article)
- Emily Badger, How Redlining’s Racist Effects Lasted for Decades (article)
- Redlining in Tacoma (video, 8:39)
- Rico Moore, How a Tacoma Gas Facility Started a Fight Over Climate Change, Sovereignty, and Human Rights (article)
- What Moss Tells Us About Air Pollution (video, 9:00)
- Ashli Blow, Using Moss To Push Government Action in Seattle’s Duwamish Valley (article)
- Moms Clean Air Force (advocacy organization)
- Liberating Structures
- STEM Teaching Tools, How Can I Foster Curiosity and Learning in My Classroom? Through Talk! (educator brief)
Important Definitions for Teachers
- Environmental Justice: “Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” (EPA, 2019)
- Air Quality: “Air pollution comes from many different sources: stationary sources such as factories, power plants, and smelters and smaller sources such as dry cleaners and degreasing operations; mobile sources such as cars, buses, planes, trucks, and trains; and naturally occurring sources such as windblown dust, and volcanic eruptions, all contribute to air pollution. Air Quality can be affected in many ways by the pollution emitted from these sources. These pollution sources can also emit a wide variety of pollutants. The EPA has these pollutants classified as the six principal pollutants (or "criteria pollutants" - as they are also known). These pollutants are monitored by the EPA, as well as national, state and local organizations.” (EPA, 2019)
- Environmental Health: “Environmental health is the science and practice of preventing human injury and illness and promoting well-being by identifying and evaluating environmental sources and hazardous agents and limiting exposures to hazardous physical, chemical, and biological agents in air, water, soil, food, and other environmental media or settings that may adversely affect human health.” (NEHA, 2019)
Lesson 1: Breathing Easier
Lesson Overview
We are introduced to the unit through the experiences of Omar and Tai, two young people living in different parts of Seattle. Omar struggles with asthma that is made more severe by poor air quality, prompting the question “How does where I live have an impact on my health?"
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-PS1-1
Main Activities and Materials
Story of Omar & Tai, Part 1 (10 minutes)
With your students, read Part 1 of the story about two friends from Seattle in Omar & Tai and discuss these questions:
- What was in the air that made Omar sick?
- Why didn't Tai feel any effects?
- Does our community struggle with health issues because of air pollution?
- How did Omar's mom know that the air was bad that day?
What Does It Mean To Be Healthy? (30 minutes)
Begin this conversation by inviting students to share their responses to the story of Omar and Tai. Select a few student volunteers to describe their connections, noticings, and wonderings from the story.
Ask your students to discuss in small groups what it means for an individual to be healthy. To record, organize, and illustrate their ideas, consider having the students create a Mind Map or another kind of visual organizer for their ideas about health. If your students need help getting started, you may consider providing examples regarding access to nutrition, physical activity, care, or spaces that are enriching and safe.
Next, ask students to repeat the process of idea sharing and documenting for what it means for an environment, neighborhood, or place to be healthy, or capable of supporting health and wellbeing. If students need help getting started, you can share examples regarding government support, civic structures, natural geography, community culture and behaviors, and built environments.
Then, you can select from these prompts to support small groups in sharing out their ideas and facilitate a whole class discussion:
- What does it mean for us as individuals to be healthy? What does it mean to be healthy as a family, or a community?
- What about your neighborhood feels good to you and brings you joy?
- What do you think could be better about the neighborhood?
Culturally Sustaining and Justice-Centered Connections
- Since there is a discussion about physical health in this lesson, ideas may come up related to dis/ability and health. Consider opening up conversations about how people have different bodies, and being physically healthy means different things for different people. At the same time, there are some things that have a negative impact on all living beings, although they may affect people differently depending on other aspects of their physical bodies. It may also be important to talk about how physical health is not always a trait of individual bodies (e.g. Omar is unhealthy because he has asthma) but can be a trait of socio-ecological contexts (e.g. a disproportionately high burden of air toxins created by systemic disinvestment and marginalization creates an environment in which it is harder for Omar to be healthy and thrive).
- Within the discussion of environmental health, encourage students to consider the perspectives of plants, animals, other living beings, and natural kinds (e.g., air, water) as well as the perspectives of humans. They may also want to think about what individuals need from their environment (e.g., clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, nourishing food sources, spiritual connectedness) as well as what communities need (e.g., cultural practices, knowledges and teachings).
- Tai, one of the characters in the story, uses they/them pronouns. As you facilitate this lesson, be prepared to discuss pronoun usage and gender identity with students. To learn more about these topics, check out Trans Inclusive Practices in the Classroom (New York University) and Gender Diversity and Pronouns (University of Michigan).
Concluding Reflection
In today’s conversations about health, were there new ideas or perspectives about health that you had not considered before? What are you curious about? What do you hope to explore in this unit?
Lesson 2: A Tale of Two Cities
Lesson Overview
This lesson begins with a return to the story of Omar and Tai, in which Tai is introduced to a mapping tool used to demonstrate the differences in environmental health risks across areas of Seattle. Your students will have a similar introduction to the mapping tool and other easy to access online resources.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-PS1-1
Main Activities and Materials
Story of Omar & Tai, Part 2 (5 minutes)
With your students, read Part 2 of the Omar & Tai story and discuss these questions:
- What is “public health”?
- What kind of knowledge does a public health professional focus on?
Orienting to Our Local Place (10 minutes)
It is important for students to connect the stories, concepts, and lessons in this unit to their local area and their knowledge of its histories and present circumstances. The first step is exploring a bird’s eye view of their community. We recommend using the various map features on Google Maps or Google Earth to locate your school and identify key features nearby. Consider guiding students to classify those features using the following categories and examples:
Built Infrastructure | Lands and Waters | Land Use |
|---|---|---|
Roads, bridges, buildings, streets, highways, ports, rail, utilities | Bodies of water, ridges, valleys, forests, plains, meadows | Residential, industrial, commercial, parks, utilities |
As you describe and categorize features of your local neighborhood, invite your students to mark items that could support (+) or adversely impact (-) environmental health or public health.
Investigating Air Quality and Health in Seattle (25 minutes)
We turn our attention back to Tai’s home city of Seattle by exploring a new mapping and visual tool. For this activity, each student will need access to a computer with an internet connection. If technology is a barrier, you can also project the mapping tool and engage in the activity as a whole class. The mapping tool is accessible on mobile devices, but for the easiest viewing experience we recommend a laptop or computer.
Give each student a copy of the Washington Health Disparities Map Navigator + Guided Inquiry. Ask students to complete the guide to the best of their ability. Alternatively, consider inviting students to complete the activity in pairs or small groups.
Through the Washington Health Disparities Map exploration, students may begin to notice patterns, similarities, and differences between north and south Seattle and the characteristics of your town. A whole-group debrief of the map exploration is a good opportunity for students to share their noticings and wonderings and add their ideas to a KLEWS chart to guide later learning.
As an optional extension to expand students’ understanding of why some communities are disproportionately affected, read this article entitled Even Many Decades Later, Redlined Areas See Higher Levels of Air Pollution.
Consider asking students to share their ideas about the article using these prompts:
- How do you feel about the information presented in the article?
- What questions, comments, or critiques do you have about the current situation in north and south Seattle?
Culturally Sustaining and Justice-Centered Connections
- See Lesson 1 for justice-centered considerations related to physical health and environmental health.
- Through reading the story of Omar and Tai, discussing what it means to be healthy physically and environmentally, and exploring the health disparities map, conversations may come up in which South Seattle and similar communities are characterized through a deficit lens. This could include comments about the physical places and/or the people and other living beings that inhabit that place. Be prepared to redirect students’ curiosity toward the systems and policies that might lead to these health challenges, the action and activism that community members practice to protect themselves and loved ones, and other more holistic and liberatory understandings of these communities. Share with students that we will be learning about and practicing community action and activism later in this unit.
Concluding Reflection
What do you think could be causing the difference in air pollution (PM 2.5) between north and south Seattle?
Lesson 3: Air Quality Influencers
Lesson Overview
Students expand their thinking about the types and sources of various elements that impact air quality. The focus of our understanding is particulate matter, and how students can observe its presence and recognize its impact on the environment and human health.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-PS1-1
Main Activities and Materials
Eliciting Students’ Ideas (10 minutes)
Begin by instructing your students to review their reflections and the ideas discussed in Lessons 1 and 2, including their thoughts on personal and community health and their initial observations of the Health Disparities Map.
Give students the open-ended prompt of “What is air pollution?” to record and respond to in their science journals. After a few minutes, invite them to share their ideas and write their ideas on a whiteboard so the class can reference their shared descriptions.
Pollution Sorting (30 minutes)
Ask students to form small groups. Use the Source of Pollution Sorting document to create a set of images for each small group. Note: Each group will have the same set of cards.
The task for each group is to sort the images into pollution categories. Ask students to make two piles, one polluting, the other non-polluting. How did they classify something as polluting or not? What kind of pollution does it create? How much pollution? These discussions can be open-ended, and that is where their unique categories come in. Give students time to come up with unique categories that help them tell the story of what they interpret from the images, informed by what they have learned or seen in their communities.
The types and descriptions of the categories are up to each group to decide, but some early scaffolding may be useful. Here are some example categories if students request support:
- Quantity of pollution: high, low
- Source: transportation, manufacturing, agriculture
- Health impact: severe impact, low impact
After each group has finished sorting, hold each card up one-by-one, asking the students if they think it causes air pollution. If there is disagreement on any of the cards, ask the various groups to share their thoughts and decision-making process. Support students to focus on building their shared interpretation.
Note: It may be beneficial to explain to your students that the manufacturing of some things, like the bike, can produce pollution. However, right now they are focusing on the direct impacts of each card.
Ask your students to get back in their groups to discuss and identify patterns they notice about the things that produce pollution. After a few minutes, regroup as a whole class and ask the students to share out. Examples of patterns could include:
- Things that produce exhaust, fumes, smoke, etc.
- Things found in our community
- Things that require burning a form of energy (fossil fuels)
- You can see something coming out of it
Once patterns like those listed above have been identified, write the words exhaust and particulate matter on the board or chart for students to reference. Ask the class what they think these terms mean. Once some ideas have been gathered, point to examples of exhaust from the cards (e.g., tractor or airplane). Generate a shared definition based on students’ ideas, and feel free to reference the definitions below to support students’ thinking. Move through this same process again for particulate matter and point to the image of a wildfire.
- Exhaust: Pollution released into the air from a combustion machine
- Particulate Matter: Small to microscopic solids and liquids in the air.
Point to the cards that cause air pollution and ask your students if they have seen any of these things in their community. This may be a good point to check in and invite your students to share their thoughts and emotions about the presence of pollution in their community. Give them an opportunity to turn and talk with a partner, which might feel less intimidating than sharing in the whole group. Validate the range of emotional responses that are coming up for students and remind students that they will be learning and planning for ways to take action to address air quality issues locally.
Culturally Sustaining and Justice-Centered Connections
- In the discussion toward the end of the Pollution Sorting activity, cultural practices that create particle pollution may come up. For example, students may share that their families and communities use practices such as lighting incense, candles, and smudging, and that these practices share characteristics with the pollution producer cards. Be intentional about framing so that students do not come away with the belief that these culturally significant practices are bad. This could be an opportunity to open up conversations about scale; for example, how much particle pollution do these practices create, compared to the exhaust from a car or a plane? This could also become a conversation about choice; how is it different for a family to choose to use incense, versus being unable to decide how much pollution from motor vehicles and industrial production they are exposed to?
Concluding Reflection
Although individuals contribute to these forms of pollution, many companies have a much larger impact on air quality in our communities. How should companies and individuals be held responsible for their role in creating pollution?
Lesson 4: The Four Spheres of the Environment
Lesson Overview
Building on the knowledge they have gained from previous lessons, students will be introduced to the four spheres of the environment. Students will engage in a modeling activity to predict the ways air pollutants interact with and influence all of the spheres. We provide readings and vocabulary about wildfires as a focal point for their modeling to demonstrate the interactions among the spheres and pollutants.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-ESS2-1
Main Activities and Materials
You may choose to introduce this topic by sharing the Four Spheres video with the whole class to learn about each sphere’s characteristics. One possibility for strengthening students’ understandings of the four spheres is asking them to share examples of their own (and/or their families’ and communities’) ways of interacting with each sphere.
Reading and Modeling the Four Spheres (30 minutes)
To establish a deeper understanding of the Four Spheres, your students may use the 4 Spheres readings and expand their vocabulary by exploring the bolded words. This reading is the first part of a collective practice of modeling. Give each group of students a large whiteboard or sheet of paper separated into four equal quadrants, each labeled with one of the four spheres of the environment: hydrosphere, biosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere. In their small groups, students work together to interpret the information in the readings into key words, images, and diagrams to illustrate the components and interactions of each sphere.
Four Spheres: Modeling A Wildfire’s Impacts (15 minutes)
To bring the Four Spheres into our context of investigating and understanding air quality and air pollution, we’ll use a wildfire example to consider how pollutants move through and influence the earth systems.
To introduce the topic of wildfire, you can open by asking students what they know about wildfires either from direct personal experience, family members’ experiences, and/or stories they have heard. These forms of prior knowledge can be a powerful starting point for the modeling they are doing in this lesson. As students share their stories, you can invite them to think about what spheres are involved in their stories.
To supply additional background information, consider sharing these resources and watching the video with students:
Using their existing models of the four spheres, students will model how a wildfire interacts with or is influenced by each of the four spheres. These event cards represent potential inputs (causes) and outputs (effects) of a forest fire. Students may use any combination of cards to add to their four spheres models. Students should pay attention to the placement of selected cards into the appropriate sphere quadrants and how the interaction of two or more spheres influences an input or output.
Example: Landslides (lithosphere) can occur when there is significant precipitation (hydrosphere) after a major fire.
Culturally Sustaining and Justice-Centered Connections
- While exploring the phenomenon of forest fires in this lesson, consider incorporating discussions about Indigenous communities’ traditional use of controlled burns and other fire management strategies. These practices are an important form of land stewardship, resource management, tribal sovereignty, and cultural and scientific expertise. To learn more, check out the article entitled Indigenous Fire Practices Once Shaped the Northwest — and They Might Again and the podcast #LandBack and Indigenous Sovereignty, with Paul Robert Wolf Wilson.
- As you facilitate learning about the four spheres, consider that this model is specific to Western scientific ways of knowing. In particular, the division between the “living” biosphere and the “non-living” atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere is a culturally specific distinction. Consider how this living versus nonliving binary might be related to colonial ideas of human-nature separation and human supremacy. Rather than binary categorizations, we encourage focusing on interactions, interconnections, and interdependencies among and between the spheres. This relational perspective is important for healing our earth as well as sustaining multiple cultural knowledge systems, particularly Indigenous ways of knowing.
To learn more about complex socio-ecological systems, check out these educator frameworks from Learning in Places: Complex Socio-Ecological Systems and Relationships in Socio-Ecological Systems.
Concluding Reflection
Once students complete the activity, give them time to discuss their findings and share the sphere influences that they found. In addition, ask them to share their thoughts around the following question: What environmental sphere interactions are relevant to our community? Why?
Lesson 5: Above and Below
Lesson Overview
In this lesson, students dive deeper into the interactions between spheres by exploring how pollutants released into the air can eventually impact our soil and waterways. Through exploring the case study of the Tacoma smelter plume, students dig into pollution as an environmental justice issue and explore how we can protect our communities from old and new contaminants.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-PS1-1/5-ESS2-1
Main Activities and Materials
Tacoma Smelter Past and Present (20 minutes)
In this lesson, students explore the historical and current impacts of the Tacoma Smelter as an example of how the four spheres interact in the context of ecological concerns. This investigation is centered around a storymap resource entitled ASARCO Smelter: Tacoma's Industrial Legacy that was created by Western Washington University for the WA Department of Ecology.
First, guide students to read the sections entitled A Brief Overview and Timeline Overview as a whole class. Invite collaborative sensemaking to identify and interpret unfamiliar vocabulary and concepts. Ask students to note down and/or share their initial noticings and wonderings about this information.
Then, divide the class into four small groups to engage in a jigsaw reading of the remaining sections of the storymap. Print out copies of the following sections and distribute them to the groups:
- Group 1: ASARCO Company
- Group 2: Environmental Impacts of Arsenic
- Group 3: Health Effects of Arsenic
- Group 4: What is Being Done About This? and MTCA Site Status
As the small groups work together to understand the information in their sections, you can provide support as needed to clarify terminology used in the storymap.
Ask each group to discuss these prompts:
- Who is involved in the story of the smelter? Who is involved in creating the environmental harm? Who is or should be responsible for cleaning up the pollution?
- What are people doing to address the pollution? What are individuals, communities, governments, and corporations doing?
- How are the four spheres and their relationships involved in this story?
Then, reconvene as a full class and invite each group to share one big idea that stood out to them in the section they read. This could be an idea related to one or more of the prompts above, or another idea that came up in their small group conversation.
Mapping the Impacts of the Tacoma Smelter (20 minutes)
In this next activity, students use a variety of mapping tools to explore the geographic range of the Tacoma smelter plume and the areas impacted by smelter-related pollution.
First, project the Dirt Alert map from the Washington State Department of Ecology on a screen or whiteboard. Guide students to interpret the colors displayed on the map using the legend. Work together to identify recognizable landmarks, including cities, bodies of water, and other features they are familiar with. Using these landmarks as reference points, guide students’ attention to how far the smelter plume extends and which areas are included. Invite students to share what they notice and wonder about this visual data.
Next, share with students that the smelter plume impacts different communities differently and that we can explore these differences using maps.
Project the BIPOC Populations map from the storymap resource. Share with students that the darker blue areas represent places where more communities of color live, and the lighter colored areas represent places where more white communities live. Invite students to share what they notice and wonder about the distribution of BIPOC populations.
Then, use the toggle button to add the layer representing arsenic levels in the soil. Share with students that on this map, higher arsenic levels are shown in red, orange, and yellow. Green indicates areas where arsenic is present but in smaller amounts. Pink indicates areas where there is a possibility of arsenic being present. Ask students to explore connections between the BIPOC populations map and the arsenic map. Are certain communities more exposed to arsenic than others? How is the smelter plume an environmental justice issue?
Remind students that this map indicates which communities are exposed to more or less arsenic. Within these communities, some individuals are also more vulnerable than others. For example, children are impacted more severely by arsenic because they are still growing and developing, and because they are more likely to encounter polluted soil while playing.
Project the Schools map from the storymap. Share with students that the red dots indicate elementary schools and the orange dots indicate middle schools. Then, use the toggle button to add the arsenic map. Invite students to share what they notice and wonder about this visual data.
Note: If time allows and students are interested, you can consider also exploring the Tacoma area on the Washington Health Disparities Map (used in Lessons 1 and 2). This allows students to consider other environmental harms that are present in Tacoma and the disparities related to race, socioeconomic status, and other factors.
Based on these mapping tools, engage students in a concluding discussion about environmental justice, vulnerable populations, and health disparities. Focus on the ethical implications of the Tacoma smelter and the responsibilities of polluting corporations. Consider these questions or others that students have generated throughout this lesson:
- Why was this smelter created? What benefits did it provide and to whom?
- Who should be held responsible for the environmental and health impacts? How?
- Who was likely most impacted by the airborne toxins while the smelter was operating, and who is currently most impacted by the soil and water contamination?
The final question above can support students in transitioning to the next lesson, which focuses on the health impacts of air pollution and how certain populations are more severely impacted than others.
Culturally Sustaining and Justice-Centered Connections
- In the mapping activity and discussion, we encourage you to engage students in critical analysis of the residential segregation of communities of color from white communities. Consider introducing the idea of redlining and sharing how the history of racist, restrictive housing policies has lasting impacts today. To learn more about redlining practices, check out these articles entitled What is Redlining and How Redlining’s Racist Effects Lasted for Decades. You might also want to watch this video focused specifically on the history of such racist policies in Tacoma, Redlining in Tacoma.
- In preparation for facilitating conversations about environmental justice, consider revisiting the resources shared at the beginning of the unit. This includes the Intersectional History of Environmentalism video, the article entitled The Environmental Justice Movement, and the short videos entitled Environmental Justice, Explained and A Brief History of Environmental Justice.
- When discussing issues of social and environmental injustice, it is important to highlight how communities of color and other frontline communities engage in resistance, activism, and political action. Without doing so, focusing on injustices can be another form of harm and victimization for marginalized communities. For example, consider sharing about a more recent environmental justice battle in Tacoma against a liquefied natural gas plant that worsens the existing environmental and climate challenges in the area. Organizing efforts are led by a coalition of Puyallup tribal members, immigrants and advocates impacted by the nearby Northwest Detention Center, and environmental activists. To learn more about this topic, check out this article How a Tacoma Gas Facility Started a Fight Over Climate Change, Sovereignty, and Human Rights.
Concluding Reflection
How can we restore the health of our soil, water, and communities after events like the smelter? What would it mean to move toward justice and healing?
Lesson 6: Our Health and Air Quality
Lesson Overview
In this lesson, we're drawing connections between air quality and our health, especially for the vulnerable populations in our community. Students will take a dive into our respiratory system and the factors that make poor air quality especially challenging for children, the elderly, and people living with preexisting health conditions. With this new information, students will have opportunities to practice their science communication skills and take action with an empathetic lens.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-PS1-1/5-ESS2-1
Main Activities and Materials
The Way We Breathe, Our Lungs (20 minutes)
A day with poor air quality is unpleasant and over time can become increasingly harmful to our health. There are many people in our communities that are especially vulnerable to air pollution even in small quantities. Heart disease, lung disease, and asthma are common illnesses that people live with. To understand these illnesses, we must understand how our lungs function.
Use the slides presentation Asthma and your Lungs to share with students some introductory information about our respiratory anatomy. Each slide combines key vocabulary and illustrations of respiratory structures. The purpose of this activity is for students to use these terms and definitions to articulate the interaction of body systems and the pollutants discussed in the previous lessons.
Key vocabulary for students: airway, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli, mucus, inflammation
Risk + Awareness = Solution (20 minutes)
In this slide presentation entitled Lung Health Risk Awareness Solution, each slide contains a short scenario for your students to consider. For each scenario, support students to discuss what risks to lung health are involved, what information and awareness is needed in the scenario, and possible solutions for the individuals and the communities described.
To support students’ ideas regarding each scenario, you may consider sharing these two infographic resources on Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease from the CDC.
Each scenario invites students to generate ideas for Education & Awareness, Helping Hand Solution, and Community Care Solution. Here are some questions and prompts you may consider using to facilitate your students’ ideas and discussions.
Education & Awareness:
- What information could help the people in the scenario?
- How could they best receive or learn helpful information?
Helping Hand Solution:
- How could an individual, mentioned in the scenario or not, help out the people involved?
- If something could be added or removed from the scenario to improve the outcomes, what could it be?
Community Care Solution:
- If multiple people in the community or an organization could help, what could that look like?
- What would a community plan look like to prevent the harmful or challenging parts of the scenario from occurring?
Culturally Sustaining and Justice-Centered Connections
- This investigation of how air pollution impacts sensitive groups is a powerful opportunity to talk about collective care as a value system, which is an ethical priority in many global majority communities. Encourage students to consider and discuss questions such as: How can we all take responsibility for assisting and protecting folks who are most vulnerable to social and environmental harms? How do we already practice collective care in our families and communities? What would it look like to practice this value in environmental justice contexts? You may also consider connecting these conversations to broader social examples, such as a local mutual aid hub, or ecological examples, such as mycelial networks. This theme of collective care continues for the remainder of the unit, particularly the next three lessons.
Concluding Reflection
What does it mean to you to feel taken care of? How do you like to take care of others in your community?
Lesson 7: The Air We Breathe
Lesson Overview
In this lesson, students practice being community scientists by identifying locations around their school where they want to test the air quality. Using handheld air quality meters, the students work in groups to take measurements and identify patterns around their school’s campus. These data collection practices are grounded in an ethic of care.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-PS1-1
Main Activities and Materials
To prepare for this lesson, gather the Dylos air quality meters and the classroom set of clipboards and pencils from your Breathing Easier materials kit. Review the directions for how to operate the Dylos meters. To learn more about portable air quality sensors, you may also consider watching this video entitled Why Air Pollution Can Be Worse Across the Street. In addition, print out copies of the Data Collection Activity Sheet for each student.
Note: This lesson will take approximately 60-65 minutes. Please plan to facilitate this lesson on a day when you have a longer block of time available. Alternatively, you can consider dividing the lesson into two sessions, with the initial conversations and mapping on the first day and the data collection and debrief on the second day.
Data Collection as a Practice of Collective Care (5 minutes)
Share with students that we will be collecting data in this lesson. Data refers to “information, especially facts or numbers, collected to be examined and considered and used to help decision-making” (from the Cambridge Dictionary).
Ask students to consider what kind of data about air quality might be important to collect given what they have learned about air pollution and its health impacts. Prompt students to reflect on why these forms of data are important. Invite a few students to share their ideas.
Building on students’ ideas, emphasize that data collection and other forms of scientific inquiry can be a way to take care of our communities. For example, gathering data can reveal where challenges exist in the community and how we can protect those who are most vulnerable.
Mapping School Grounds (15 minutes)
Open Google Maps, click on the satellite view (in the menu in the bottom left corner), and project an image of your school and the surrounding neighborhood. Remove any labels that identify your school and invite students to determine what the map is showing.
After students recognize their own school campus, have them look more closely at the school and surrounding area on the map. Share with students that they are going to practice being community scientists. Ask students to imagine they have been asked to collect air quality data around the campus. If they were given a device that could tell them how good or bad the air quality was in a given location, where would they go?
Remind your students about the pollution producers they learned about in previous lessons. Have them work in groups of 4-5 to come up with 1-2 locations where they would be interested in taking a measurement and explain why. After a few minutes, encourage your students to think about indoor air quality as well. Where could they take an indoor reading? Then, invite students to popcorn out their ideas for locations. As they share, label the locations on the map, either digitally or by placing a sticky note on the board where the map is projected.
Once your students have had the chance to share their ideas, let them know that they will in fact have the opportunity to take air quality measurements around their school campus today!
Hand out a copy of the Data Collection Activity Sheet to each student. As a whole class, select a location from the brainstormed options that might have poor air quality. Students should write this location on their activity sheet under Location 1. Next, ask students to identify a place that might have good air quality. They should write this location under Location 2. Finally, ask students to choose one more place that they are curious about and write this location under Location 3.
Community Science in Our School (25-30 minutes)
Share with students that we will go outside to test the air quality using handheld meters. Pass out an air quality meter to each small group. Tell them that you will all walk to each spot together and that they should be passing the air quality meter around to each group member at each site.
Using the Dylos Air Quality Monitor guide as a reference, demonstrate to students how the air quality meters work and point out which number they should record. Please share with students that the equipment is fragile and valuable and they will need to be careful with it.
Walk with your students to each site they have selected. Ask students to record the number displayed on the meter on their activity sheet. The number may vary between devices and will jump up and down by a few digits because the meter is continuously taking measurements. Students can use an average number; it does not have to be precise. Ask your students to record their observations about each location on the activity sheet as well: What do they see? What do they hear? What do they smell?
Identifying Patterns and Takeaways (15 minutes)
Once students are back in the classroom, return to the projected Google Maps image. Review the data collected across the school campus and invite students to share their observations. Ask students if they notice any patterns in the data. For example, was the particle count higher next to the road or in the middle of a grassy area? Was it higher indoors or outdoors?
Ask students to explain why these patterns exist. Why are there differences across areas of campus? Why does this matter? Are certain people in the school community more sensitive to poor air quality? How can we take care of others in our school community?
Culturally Sustaining and Justice-Centered Connections
- In this lesson, students play important roles in participatory science and community science. These forms of democratized scientific practice are opportunities for youth to leverage the tools of science to care for their communities. Engaging in scientific inquiry and action in local places is crucial for community uplift and simultaneously supports students’ affinity for science, particularly for youth with marginalized identities. One local example of community science is a research project using moss samples to measure air pollution in the Duwamish Valley in Seattle. Learn more about the youth involved in this effort through this video What Moss Tells Us About Air Pollution and this article Using Moss To Push Government Action in Seattle’s Duwamish Valley.
Concluding Reflection
Did the data collection activity show that there are air quality concerns on your school campus? What are your ideas for how we can address air quality concerns around your school?
Lesson 8: Pollution Protection
Lesson Overview
In this lesson, students hear an update from Omar and Tai about how they care for and protect each other and their other loved ones when the air quality is poor. Students are introduced to public air quality monitoring resources where they can check the conditions of their local air.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-PS1-1
Main Activities and Materials
Checking In On Omar and Tai (15 minutes)
Read Part 3 of the Omar and Tai story as a whole class. Before beginning the reading, ask students to recall what they have already learned about Omar and Tai. After reading the story, ask students to reflect on and discuss the questions below:
- What actions do Omar, Tai, and their family members take to protect themselves and each other from the wildfire smoke?
- Think about the supportive relationships in your own life… Who are the friends, family, and/or community members who take care of and protect you? Who do you take care of and protect? What actions do you take to care for and protect each other?
Exploring Public Air Quality Data (20 minutes)
Next, students will practice interpreting public air quality data for their own local area. In this activity, students investigate real-time data that is generated by air quality monitoring stations. If possible, students should explore the data in pairs or small groups. However, if technology is a constraint, you can also project the mapping tool and engage in the data exploration as a whole class.
Share with students that they will be exploring websites similar to those that Omar and Tai’s family members use to keep track of local air quality concerns. Guide students to navigate to the Washington Department of Ecology’s Air Monitoring Network interactive map. Give students a few minutes to explore the map freely.
Then, share with students that each circle on the map represents the location of an air quality monitor that measures the amount of pollution in the surrounding air. You may want to share a photo of an air quality monitoring station to help students visualize what they look like.
Ask each group of students to select two of the monitoring sites. Encourage and support students to choose locations that are meaningful to them. This could include sites near their own school or community, areas where people they know live, or places that have been mentioned in this unit (i.e. Seattle and Tacoma). Ask each group to write down the locations of the two sites they have selected.
Share with students that the colors of the circles represent the current quality of the air in that location. Invite students to explore the color key on the left side of the map and identify which colors correspond to different air quality categories (Green = Good; Yellow = Moderate; Orange = Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups; Red = Unhealthy; Purple = Very Unhealthy; Maroon = Hazardous).
Ask each group to observe and record the current air quality in the two sites they chose. Is it currently safe for the communities in those locations to go outside? To do physical exercise outside? Is it safe for everyone, including more vulnerable populations like children, elders, and people with asthma? Remind students that the purpose of this map is to help people know what their local air quality is each day so that they can protect themselves and their loved ones.
Next, ask each group to partner up with another group. Ask students to compare and contrast the air quality at the sites that each group chose to explore. What patterns and differences do they notice? What questions or wonderings do they have?
Note: If you have time and students are interested, there are many possible ways to extend the learning in this lesson. Consider revisiting the interactive map each day to check the air quality at the station closest to your school or community. You can also explore the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency website or the online resources provided by the local clean air agency in your region. In addition, there are other interactive mapping tools for real-time air quality data such as the Purple Air map, which includes more locations.
Public Data and Collective Care (5 minutes)
To conclude this lesson, facilitate a whole-class discussion about this prompt: Based on what we’ve learned today, what new ideas do you have about how data collection and communication can help us to take care of each other, especially those who are most vulnerable?
Culturally Sustaining and Justice-Centered Connections
- Given its focus on public data sets, this lesson is a powerful opportunity to incorporate connections to civics education. Invite students to consider complex questions such as what it means to support public engagement with air quality data, the role of governments in maintaining air quality systems and infrastructure, and the different dimensions of shared responsibility for environmental and public health. Consider exploring the work of Moms Clean Air Force as an example of how community members use public data and other scientific insights to advocate for social and environmental justice. In Lesson 11, students will dive into more examples of sociopolitical action for clean air.
Concluding Reflection
Why is it important to have publicly available data about the air quality in different places? Why might this data be helpful? What kinds of people might use this data, and in what ways? (e.g., to advocate for clean air policies and fight against polluters, to change their daily activities, etc.)
Lesson 9: We Are Community Environmental Scientists
Lesson Overview
In this lesson, students continue to practice being community scientists. Students and educators go on a walking field trip with air quality monitors to expand the data collection area and investigate air quality concerns in their neighborhood.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-PS1-1/5-ESS2-1
Main Activities and Materials
In this lesson, students use the handheld air quality monitors to investigate the presence of air pollution in different parts of the neighborhood surrounding the school. Please be sure you are aware of specific policies and protocols for field trips at your school. Revisit the Dylos Air Quality Monitor guide in preparation for supporting students to use the meters again. In addition, print out clean copies of the Data Collection Activity Sheet for each student.
Note: As in Lesson 7, you may consider extending this lesson across two days depending on how much time you have available each day.
Affirmation of Students as Community Scientists (5 minutes)
Remind students that we have been learning about how data collection and communication are important practices of community care. Share an affirmation out loud with students: “We are community scientists who are learning about our communities through data collection in order to make our communities safer and healthier places to live.”
Ask students to reflect on the following prompt: “I am a community scientist because…” Encourage students to consider why being a community scientist is important to them. Give students a few minutes to reflect individually, then invite them to share with a partner.
Mapping the Neighborhood (15 minutes)
Share with students that they will be collecting more air quality data today. This time, they will gather air quality samples from a larger area surrounding the school!
First, ask students to consider where they, their families, and other members of their community spend a lot of time. What are some places where students hope that there is good air quality so that it is safe for them and their loved ones to visit? What kinds of activities do they do in these places, and how might these activities be impacted by air pollution if it is present? Give students a few minutes to generate 2-3 places where they or their loved ones spend a lot of time.
Then, project a Google Maps view of the local neighborhood. Invite students to popcorn out their ideas for locations to investigate. As students share, label the locations on the map, either digitally or by placing a sticky note on the board where the map is projected. Facilitate a discussion of whether they hypothesize there would be good air quality or poor air quality in these locations based on the presence or absence of pollution producers in the nearby area.
Note: Even if some of these places are too far away for a walking field trip, this reflection and conversation will help inspire students’ curiosity about air quality in their neighborhoods.
Next, hand out a clean copy of the Data Collection Activity Sheet to each student. As a whole class, select three locations that students are most interested in exploring. Students should write these locations on their activity sheets under Location 1, Location 2, and Location 3. Support the class to choose locations that are walkable from your school campus.
Community Science in Our Neighborhood (30-40 minutes)
Divide students into groups to explore the local community, and provide each small group with one of the handheld meters. Review instructions for how to use the air quality monitors. Before heading out, remind students of your school’s safety protocols and expectations for field trips.
As in Lesson 7, walk with your students to each site they have selected. Support students to share the air quality meter with their group members and record the numbers displayed on the meter on their activity sheet. Remember that the meter is continuously measuring air quality and students should select an approximate number within the range of numbers displayed at each location.
Ask your students to record their observations about each location on the activity sheet as well: What do they see? What do they hear? What do they smell? How do these observations compare with the hypotheses they made in the classroom?
After visiting all three data collection locations, facilitate a whole group discussion about the results of this investigation. Invite students to share: What patterns do you notice? What was surprising? What questions do you have?
Culturally Sustaining and Justice-Centered Connections
- Throughout this unit, we encourage you to center and leverage students’ prior knowledge and culturally specific ways of knowing. This focus is particularly important in this lesson, which features a scientific investigation grounded in students’ local community. Consider inviting students to share stories about their home experiences and build on these existing forms of expertise throughout this collective inquiry. In this lesson and beyond, these familial and community-based experiences are relevant and crucial to students’ science learning.
Concluding Reflection
Did some places have worse air quality than others? Who might be most impacted? How are these differences fair or unfair? What could we do to take action and make our communities more healthy and just?
Lesson 10: Air Quality Across Washington
Lesson Overview
In this lesson, students explore case studies of different air quality issues in four regions across Washington State: Tacoma, Yakima, Lummi, and Spokane. In small groups, students learn about the social and ecological characteristics of their assigned region and compare it to other regions and their own local area. Then, students share their findings with each other and discuss the range of air quality issues across these locations.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-ESS2-1
Main Activities and Materials
Washington Tracking Network Environmental Health Disparities Map (15 minutes)
To begin this lesson, students will access and re-familiarize themselves with the Washington Tracking Network mapping tool that they explored in Lesson 2. Ask students to recall how they learned about differences in air quality between North Seattle and South Seattle and looked at air quality conditions in their own region of the state.
Exploring Case Study Regions (20 minutes)
Separate your students into small groups that will work together to learn about different locations in Washington using the Air Quality Across Washington document.
This activity is intended to broaden students’ horizons by exploring other regions in Washington and the air quality conditions they experience. Using the descriptions on the activity page and the Washington Tracking Network Environmental Health Disparities Map, students can form comparisons between different regions (case study, Seattle, and local area) regarding the air quality risks, the demographics of the locations, and other important factors.
Comparing Across Regions (10 minutes)
Give students plenty of time to gather information, including the option of engaging in additional research about each region’s communities and its air quality issues. Then, facilitate a whole group discussion in which each group shares insights and takeaways about the region they investigated. This process is aimed at answering a key question: How are air quality issues similar and different across Washington?
Culturally Sustaining and Justice-Centered Connections
- In this lesson, students learn about communities that may be similar to or quite different from their own. To deepen students’ capacity for empathy, compassion, and perspective-taking, consider asking students to reflect on and discuss questions such as: What do you think it would be like to live in these communities? What similarities do you notice between this community and your own community? What makes this community unique and a healthy place to live? What challenges does this community face, and how are community members responding to or addressing these challenges?
Concluding Reflection
What else would you want to know about these case study communities, including the places and the people who live there?
Lesson 11: Intersectional Environmentalists
Lesson Overview
The title of this lesson is inspired by the book and organization created by youth activist Leah Thomas, Intersectional Environmentalist. A central principle of her work is the idea of intersectionality, meaning that a person's social and political identities combine to create different experiences of discrimination and marginalization. These identities as well as our cultural communities shape our responsibilities, environmental relationships, and our ways of taking action in the world.
Our students, who come from diverse backgrounds and hold multiple identities, are encouraged to engage with scientific inquiry with their own communities and other communities in mind. This lesson provides an opportunity to learn from the air quality related actions and activism of scientists and community leaders from different places and identities.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-PS1-1/5-ESS2-1
Main Activities and Materials
Preparing for the Gallery Walk (15 minutes)
To open the activity, ask students to reflect on and share whether there are ways they, their families, and their communities protect themselves against air pollution or try to make sure they have healthy air available.
A locus of action model is a good way to help people think about where and how they can approach an environmental challenge. The locus of action model helps us identify and articulate what kind of effort it may take to make a difference. It can be organized into three levels: Civic/Societal, Group/Community, and Individual.
For your students, here are definitions you can use to describe each of these levels. You may also consider generating definitions and/or examples together as a whole class:
- Civic/Societal - At this level, it takes a whole society to organize and act to make an important change. Scales can be statewide, national, or global.
- Group/Community - This level involves a specific group of people, a region, a city, or a community like a school or neighborhood organizing and making change happen.
- Individual - This level is about what we can do with our own actions and choices as individuals. Individual does not necessarily mean alone: positive action by many individuals can make a huge difference, as can working in relationship with each other!
Intersectional Environmentalists Gallery Walk (30 min)
In the Community Action and Leadership Examples document, we have created profiles of activists and community leaders that your students can gain inspiration from. Many of the examples showcased in the gallery walk involve political action or broad educational campaigns, so starting the discussion with examples students are familiar with in their own lives could be a good way to also include examples of everyday action.
As students explore the profiles in the gallery walk, invite them to reflect on what stands out to them and what examples of action resonate with them the most.
As a full group, invite students to share out these reflections. You may also consider discussing these questions:
- Where do you see connections between the work these leaders are doing and the Locus of Action model?
- How can we learn from the values, ethics, and practices demonstrated by these leaders and activists?
- How do these demonstrate different relationships with air and air quality than are exhibited in dominant culture and systems?
Culturally Sustaining and Justice-Centered Connections
- Foregrounding the resistance and activism of BIPOC communities is a crucial practice within culturally sustaining and justice-centered pedagogies. As mentioned in Lesson 5, learning about the realities of systemic oppression without highlighting the agency of marginalized communities can further perpetuate harm. In addition, these liberatory stories are often not told within educational systems and are important for global majority students to feel a sense of belonging in learning environments and to feel that science is a powerful and useful tool for community uplift and wellbeing. If you are interested, please feel free to identify and share examples of BIPOC action and leadership related to this unit that are more relevant to the students, families, and communities you serve.
Concluding Reflection
What did you learn today that inspired you most? How did it feel to explore different examples of community action and leadership? What emotions came up for you?
Lesson 12: Community Planners
Lesson Overview
In this lesson, students apply what they know about air pollutants, air quality monitoring, and the unique makeup of communities, to build a vision of a healthier and more environmentally just community.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-PS1-1/5-ESS2-1
Main Activities and Materials
Reenvisioning Our Community (15 minutes)
Share with students that they will be engaging in a visioning activity based on what we have learned in this unit. Visioning means coming up with ideas about future possibilities that can guide how we take action in the present.
Invite students to close their eyes and consider: What do you want our community to look like? Sound like? Smell like? Feel like? Taste like? When you envision a healthy and just community, what does that mean to you?
Ask students to spend about 10 minutes creating a visual representation of their vision for their community. This can include images, diagrams, words, quotes, and more!
Then, ask students to share their visual representation with a partner. Encourage them to consider and discuss: What similarities do they notice? What differences are there between the two visions?
Making Equitable and Just Decisions (25 minutes)
Next, students will work together in groups of 3-4 to design a decision-making process that can lead to fairness and environmental justice in their community.
You may want to share with your students the definition of environmental justice from the EPA:
“Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.”
Share with students that they will be discussing their ideas and coming up with a plan in collaboration with their peers. Write several sentence stems on the board or a piece of chart paper: “I agree with you because…” “I disagree with you because….” “I like that idea and…” Emphasize that these sentence stems are useful for engaging in constructive, supportive conversations. In addition, encourage students to use specific examples and evidence from the previous lessons to support their ideas.
Provide students with the following prompts to discuss in small groups:
- How can we design a community that protects the health and wellbeing of all community members, especially those who are most sensitive to air pollution?
- We have learned that air pollution sources impact some people more than others because of where they live. What would it look like to have a decision-making process about pollution sources that is fair and just?
- Who needs to be considered and involved in this decision-making? Think about the four spheres: the biosphere, the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, and the atmosphere. How can we bring together the voices of all who should be involved in this decision-making?
Give students 10-15 minutes for small group conversation. Ask each group to select one person to record their ideas, one person to keep time, and one person to share out with the rest of the class. Let students know that they will be asked to share a summary of their ideas with the whole group.
As each group shares, record big takeaways on the board or a piece of chart paper. Consider asking follow-up questions to push students’ thinking, such as: Why did you decide that? What do you already know that helped you make that decision? Invite students to offer their feedback and pose questions as well.
After every group has had a chance to share, affirm each student’s contributions to this activity. Remind students that these are big questions that community members and leaders have to think and talk about all the time!
If time allows, invite students to share what they appreciated about this activity, and what they found challenging about the activity.
Culturally Sustaining and Justice-Centered Connections
- Although social and environmental justice has been a theme throughout this unit, it is more explicitly addressed in this lesson (in addition to Lesson 5). Before this activity, you may want to refer back to the “Teacher Preparation” section and review the background resources about the environmental justice movement.
- In this lesson, students engage in a complex, collaborative decision-making process about social and ecological systems. Engaging in these forms of ethical deliberation is an important dimension of scientific and transdisciplinary learning. In particular, be sure to emphasize the importance of perspective-taking, including how different human and more-than-human communities may be impacted by potential decisions. To learn more about this dimension of student inquiry, check out the Ethical Deliberation and Decision-Making in Socio-Ecological Systems framework from Learning in Places. Consider incorporating the prompts from the “Should We” questions framework to deepen students’ discussions.
Concluding Reflection
What role would you like to play in being a community activist and leader? What strengths and skills do you have that can support your work as an activist and leader?
Lesson 13: Breathing Easier
Lesson Overview
In this final lesson, students synthesize their knowledge about air quality and environmental justice to develop strategies to address air quality issues in their local community. Students work in groups to design action plans to improve air quality in their community or region. They present their ideas to the class and share constructive feedback with their peers.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-PS1-1/5-ESS2-1
Main Activities and Materials
This lesson is the culmination of what students have learned throughout this unit. If possible, we encourage you to extend this lesson across two days to allow enough time for students to develop their ideas and share authentic feedback with each other. In addition, refining and implementing the action plans can continue across multiple days, weeks, and even throughout the year.
Developing Action Plans (40 minutes)
Share with students that we will be designing action plans, or steps and strategies to address a challenge or opportunity that we notice. These action plans will be grounded in the learning we have done throughout the unit.
First, support students to revisit key concepts, data, and takeaways from each lesson in the unit. Gather and review materials from the learning activities, and encourage students to continue referencing these materials as they brainstorm their action plans.
Then, remind students about the locus of action model that they explored in Lesson 11. Designate a corner of the room for each of the four loci: individual and family, local community, education and communication campaigns, and organizing and policy change. Invite students to choose which locus they are most inspired by and move to a corner of the room to indicate their preference. Based on these self-selections, create small groups of 3-4 students.
Note: These loci are interconnected and may overlap as students begin their brainstorming. These are just a starting point to provide structure for student conversation!
Once students are in groups, prompt them to work together to design a proposed action plan. Their action plan should address an air quality concern in their school, community, or region that is based on evidence from the data they collected and other aspects of their learning. Support each small group to identify a concern that they would like to address.
Encourage small groups to engage in an open-ended brainstorm about how they can take action to address the concern they have identified. Examples of actions could include:
- An anti-idling campaign
- An interviewing and multimedia storytelling project with family and community members to understand and share their experiences related to air quality and air pollution
- A letter writing campaign to the EPA to protect the Clean Air Act
- A box fan and filter kit for students with asthma
- A color code system to alert students about air quality during morning announcements
- A town hall to hear from members of the school and/or local community about their air quality related concerns and experiences
- A tree planting project to improve local air quality
- Asking a scientist at your local clean air agency for data
- A presentation to school leaders, district leaders, and/or city leaders about protecting vulnerable community members
- And more!
After the initial brainstorm, students should discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each strategy and select one action plan to present to the rest of the class. Ask small groups to prepare a 2-3 minute presentation of their ideas. Encourage students to consider creative formats for their presentation, such as a poster, speech, talk show, skit, and more.
Note: As an optional NGSS alignment, introduce the following criteria and constraints that students should use to guide their proposals:
- Criteria: The proposal must improve air quality in your community.
- Constraints: We cannot purchase any materials.
- Feel free to add other criteria and constraints that are relevant to your class!
Sharing and Strengthening Action Plans (40 minutes)
Reconvene as a whole class. As each small group presents their action plan proposal, use a critical friends protocol for audience members to share supportive and constructive feedback with their peers. Consider a modified, abbreviated version of this Critical Friends Tuning Protocol:
- Presenters share their proposal and any specific areas for feedback
- Audience asks clarifying questions and presenters respond
- Presenters listen and take notes while:
- First, the audience shares what they appreciate about the project: “I like how…”
- Then, the audience shares their concerns and questions: “I wonder…”
- Then, the audience shares resources and ideas for next steps: “An idea I have is…”
- Presenters reflect on their takeaways and ask any clarifying questions
Following the presentations, facilitate a whole group discussion to select one action plan to refine and implement together as a class. If capacity allows, you can also consider supporting each group to implement their action plan after incorporating feedback from their peers. Designing, discussing, and implementing action plans can continue over multiple days. Action plans can also be designed and implemented in collaboration with family and community members.
Culturally Sustaining and Justice-Centered Connections
- In this lesson, students engage in constructive dialogue to strengthen each other’s ideas. In preparation, it may be helpful to establish community norms (or revisit existing classroom norms) to guide students to approach these conversations with the intention of providing care and support. In addition, consider exploring resources regarding Liberating Structures and Talk Activities to learn about additional scaffolds for generative classroom discussions.
- In brainstorming, discussing, and deciding on plans for collective action, cultivate space for meaningful engagement of students’ voices, perspectives, knowledges, and passions. Centering student leadership is crucial for facilitating action projects that feel empowering rather than contrived. In addition, consider designing the action plans in partnership with family and community members in order to take action in ways that authentically contribute to community uplift and wellbeing. To learn more about liberatory forms of family and community engagement, check out this Family and Community Framework for Engagement and Collaboration from Learning in Places.
Concluding Reflection
What are your biggest takeaways from this unit? What learning will you carry forward into other areas of your life? Why is this learning important to you and your community?
License
Except where otherwise noted, this work by EarthGen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All logos and trademarks are property of their respective owners.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:25.044327
|
Cameron Foy
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/102052/overview",
"title": "Breathing Easier (5th)",
"author": "Full Course"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/128296/overview
|
Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt
Overview
This lesson uses a interactive Google Slide that allows students to click on hyperlinks that have been masked as Easter eggs. The student must match the source with the questions. This project can be done in a team setting or as individuals. They will have a time limit to secure all their answers.
Interactive Scavenger Hunt
Look over the question guide for your scavenger hunt.
1. Make a copy of the question guide.
2. Make a copy of the Google Slide.
3. Each Easter Egg on your Google Slide is a Hyperlink that takes you to a website that will help you answer your questons on the question guide.
4. Use the eggs to help you find the answers.
5. Once you have found the correct egg that answers the question type your answer on your copied Google Doc.
6. Here is your Easter Egg Slide. Easter Egg Hunt
7. Here are your scavenger hunt questions. Easter Egg Hunt Questions
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:25.064350
|
03/09/2025
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/128296/overview",
"title": "Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt",
"author": "Christopher Peschl"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/62541/overview
|
Media, English Template, Novice-High
Overview
Students will practice initiating conversations, sharing their personal opinions, and giving their preferences. Students will discuss their daily use of technology and who they stay in contact with on a regular basis. They will practice different scenarios and express how they would handle a situation.
Pathways Project / Lesson Information
For the original Spanish version of this activity, CLICK HERE
Please Note: The activities on the Pathways Project OER Repository were created by upper-division students at Boise State University and serve as a foundation that our community of practice can build
upon and refine. While they are polished, we welcome and encourage collaboration from language instructors to help modify grammar, syntax, and content where needed. Kindly contact amberhoye@boisestate.edu with any suggestions and we will update the content in a timely manner. — The Pathways Project
The activities provided by the Boise State World Languages Resource Center (WLRC) serve as foundational activities which can be adapted by any language and scaled up or down on the proficiency scale.This activity was created by upper-division language students working in the World Languages Resource Center at Boise State University. Our activities seek to help students solidify their interpersonal speaking and interpretive listening skills through task-based situations or communicative activities. We recommend using these activities to help reinforce the content students are learning, allowing the students time to feel comfortable using the unit’s vocabulary and grammar structures through application. Further, these activities should be facilitated in approximately 90% (or more) in the target language, per the recommendation of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
Using the WLRC Repository’s Activities:
When you are ready to begin remixing the activity, in order to adapt it for your target language and audience, simply click the “Remix This Resource” button at the top of your screen. The text provided in purple is a suggestion of what you might say to your students and should be changed to the target language.
Most activities contain a connected chapter, two to three “NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do” statements, a warm-up, main activity, and a wrap-up. In addition to the instructions, some activities may include a “cheat sheet” containing the target vocabulary and grammar structures emphasized in the activity. Though most of the lab materials are provided, a computer, projector, printer, and laminator may also be needed to fully utilize materials.
Many of the activities include printable cards and other instructional materials. If you would like to adapt these materials for your language, please email WLRCLAR@gmail.com and we will provide you with an editable copy. For YouTube videos and other websites, hyperlinks are provided.
Enjoy!
- Boise State World Languages Resource Center
Modes of Communication
Proficiency Level: Novice High
Students will practice initiating conversations, sharing their personal opinions, and giving their preferences. Students will discuss their daily use of technology and who they stay in contact with on a regular basis. They will practice different scenarios and express how they would handle a situation.
Keywords:
Text messages, conversations, opinions, preferences, technology, emoji
Relevant ACTFL World-Readiness Standards:
“Standard 1.1 Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.”
“Standard 1.2 Students understand and interpret spoken and written Spanish on a variety of topics.”
“Standard 1.3 Students present information, concepts, and ideas in Spanish to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.”
“Standard 5.1 Students use Spanish both within and beyond the school setting.”
Relevant Idaho State World Language Standards:
COMM 1.1 - Interact and negotiate meaning (spoken, signed, written conversation) to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions
COMM 2.1 - Understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics.
COMM 3.1 - Present information, concepts, and ideas to inform, explain, persuade, and narrate on a variety of topics using appropriate media in the target language.
COMP 1.1 - Observe formal and informal forms of language.
CONN 2.1 - Access authentic materials prepared in the target language by or for native speakers.
Relevant NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:
I can initiate conversations in the target language
I can bring the conversation to a close
I can give reasons for my preference
I can hold conversations regarding personal opinions with others in the target language (intercultural)
Materials Needed:
Materials that are not linked such as projector, whiteboard, markers, etc.
Warm Up / Main Activity
Warm-up
1. Begin by introducing the Can-Dos for today’s activity and distributing the “Materials Required for Warm Up” to each student.
“Today, we are going to discuss our daily use of technology. We will chat about who we talk to on a regular basis and how we contact them. We will also decide how to appropriately navigate situations.
Relevant NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:
I can initiate conversations in the target language
I can bring the conversation to a close
I can give reasons for my preference
I can hold conversations regarding personal opinions with others in the target language (intercultural)
2. Students will get into small groups and answer some open ended questions.
“Now, you are going to form smaller groups to talk about these questions.”
a. What is it that you like and don’t like about text messages?
b. In your daily life, who sends you text messages, who emails you or who calls you frequently?
c. Are you a person that communicates more by texting or talking on the phone?
d. One time have you finished a relationship by text message or have you ended something with your friend by text message? Do you think it’s a good idea to do this? Why or why not?
Main Activity
1. Have the students think of some words of advice and share with the class. As they explain why they would that advice, the lab assistant should create a word cloud on the board with common ideas.
First as the students:
“Imagine that you have the opportunity to send a text message, at the same time you were a kid, with advice. What advice would you want to give yourself?”
2. Ask your students:
1. “What words are the most frequent?”
2. “Why is this advice necessary?”
3. Give these scenarios to the students in small groups to discuss:
1. If you have to eliminate an emoji, what would it be?
2. One night, you are texting your best friend and you start to critique your ex for the things you suffered during your relationship and accidentally send a message to your ex boyfriend/girlfriend. How would you solve this problem?
3. Why do people in their 70s doubt cell phones that are going to have in the future?
Wrap Up
Wrap-up
Wrap-up questions (Pick a few you’d like to ask):
Ask students the wrap-up questions. Have students show a classmate their recently used emojis and see if they have any in common. Have them share with the class those they do have in common. What are the stories behind their most recently used emojis?
1. What are the emojis that you use frequently?
2. Do you have a story that can go with that emoji?
End of lab:
• Read Can-Do statements once more and have students evaluate their confidence.
(Use thumbs up/thumbs down or download our student cards.)
• Encourage students to be honest in their self-evaluation.
• Pay attention, and try to use feedback for future labs!
Relevant NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:
I can initiate conversations in the target language
I can bring the conversation to a close
I can give reasons for my preference
I can hold conversations regarding personal opinions with others in the target language (intercultural)
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:25.144091
|
Mimi Fahnstrom
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/62541/overview",
"title": "Media, English Template, Novice-High",
"author": "Activity/Lab"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/65422/overview
|
Grade 9-12 World Language
Overview
Resource suggestions to explore and consider as a way to support learning in grades 9-12 World Languages.
Resource suggestions to explore and consider as a way to support learning in grades 9-12 World Languages.
Georgia Virtual Learning Courses: OER coursework in Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, French, German and Latin.
Online language teaching/learning tools: From Catherine Ousselin, clearly distinguishes between free and paid; includes YouTube tutorials on how to use these tools.
PBS Learning Media: This site focuses on bring world languages and cultures into your classroom with resources on world languages.
Smithsonian: World Languages: Diversity, Engagement, and Revitalization: These resources are tied to the National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies and include video, webcasts, and lessons.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:25.157556
|
Lesson
|
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"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/65422/overview",
"title": "Grade 9-12 World Language",
"author": "Activity/Lab"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/100281/overview
|
Spanish 1, el inicio
Overview
In this lesson you learnt:
- Presentations, goodbyes and greetings
- Identified cognates
- Alphabet
- Nouns and articles
- Vocabulary use in class
- Use correct terminology and be able to greet and communicate correctly. You will become familiar with vocabulary that is used on a daily basis.
- Introduce Yourself
- Familiarizing pages in your ebook
Semana 1 - Week 1
Vocabulary, videos and will be added to the book.
Objetives:
During week 1- we will be learning greetings, goodbyes and presentations. What is a cognate? Student will be introduced to new vocabulary in the targeted language. You will be learning expressions of courtesy. The Spanish alphabet.
Read and identify definite and indefinite articles
Listening for known vocabulary
- Students will be introduced to gender of nouns and articles
Presentations/Greetings/Goodbyes
- Read your ebook pages 11-15 for greetings, goodbyes and presentations. Click here
- Complete pages 14-16 with your information as practice using the information provided.
NOTE: Do not forget to watch the videos at the bottom of the page for extra help!
¿Qué es un cognado?
Cognates are words that help us identify words in two languages, these type of words have similar spelling and also similar sound.
Common cognates between the English language and Spanish language are: student, professor, music, language, idiom. Cognates are words that help us identify words in two languages, these type of words have similar spelling and also similar sound.
El alfabeto
- Pronunciación (The spanish alphabet)
- The spanish and English alphabets area most identical, with a few exceptions. For example, the Spanish letter ñ (eñe) doesn't occur in the English alphabet. Furthermore, the letters k (ka) and w (doble ve) are used only in words of foreign origin.
Extra tools:
Watch this videos; intro to expressions of courtesy.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:25.178350
|
Lecture Notes
|
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"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/100281/overview",
"title": "Spanish 1, el inicio",
"author": "Homework/Assignment"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/63647/overview
|
Algae Cards for Board Game
Algae Game Instructions
Algae Lab
Algal Blooms - Informational Document
Conservacion Carlos Ayuda A Polucion Pablo (Spanish Version)
Conservation Carl Helps Pollution Paul
Lesson Plan Aligned to State Standards
Conserving Water, One Change at Time
Overview
This lesson allows students the opporutunity to learn through hands-on investigation how to help our water sources one small change at a time. Journey with Pollution Paul and Conservation in a fun interactive story, then have fun working through the lab simulation. Don't forget to learn all about Algal Blooms with the informational Document. Aligned to Utah State SeeD Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. Although this was created for the elementary age level, it can easily be adapted to middle school and even high school.
Conserving Water, One Change at Time
This activity goes through how small changes can affect our water systems. Journey with Pollution Paul and Conservation in a fun interactive story, then have fun working through the lab simulation. Don't forget to learn all about Algal Blooms with the informational Document. Aligned to Utah State SeeD Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. Although this was created for the elementary age level, it can easily be adapted to middle school and even high school.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:25.201128
|
Reading
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/63647/overview",
"title": "Conserving Water, One Change at Time",
"author": "Game"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/113664/overview
|
Hands-On AI Projects for the Classroom: A Guide for Computer Science Teachers
Overview
ISTE and GM have partnered to create Hands-On AI Projects for the Classroom guides to provide educators with a variety of activities to teach students about AI across various grade levels and subject areas. Each guide includes background information for teachers and student-driven project ideas that relate to subject-area standards.
The hands-on activities in the guides range from “unplugged” projects to explore the basic concepts of how AI works to creating chatbots and simple video games with AI, allowing students to work directly with innovative AI technologies and demonstrate their learning.
Introduction
The Hands-On AI Projects for the Classroom series is a set of guides for teachers who are seeking instructional and curricular resources about artificial intelligence (AI) for various grade levels and across a range of subject areas. Developed by ISTE in partnership with General Motors, these guides are an extension of ISTE's work and feature student-driven AI projects curated from educators in the field, as well as strategies to support teachers in implementing the projects in a variety of K–12 classrooms. The projects engage students in both unplugged and technology-infused activities that explore key facets of AI technologies.
Click here to access the full Computer Science resource in English.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:25.214079
|
03/02/2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/113664/overview",
"title": "Hands-On AI Projects for the Classroom: A Guide for Computer Science Teachers",
"author": "Rebecca Henderson"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/93766/overview
|
Education Standards
Compound Words Exit Ticket
Compound Words Pictures
Compound Words Slide Deck
Compound Words
Overview
This lesson will introduce and teach students about compound words and how to form meaning from compound words. Students will first identify and learn what compound words are and how they are formed. They will then engage in a hands-on activity to form their own compound words and predict their meanings based on what they’ve learned about compound words. Students will then demonstrate their ability to identify and give meaning to compound words found from a previously read text in their exit ticket.
Compound Words
LESSON DESCRIPTION
Understanding Compound Words
Author of the Lesson: Brian Messmer
Lesson Summary/Overview:
Students will learn what compound words are and how to form meaning from the compound words. Students will use their understanding of compound words to help them comprehend the text, How do living and working conditions affect health?. (Can be used for any class text that encompasses compound words)
LESSON GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Alignment and Objectives
Content Standards:
6.RL.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
Content Objectives: Students will be able to understand compound words in the context of the article How do living and working conditions affect health? (Can be used for any class text that encompasses compound words)
ELP Standards:
6-8.8 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations and literary and informational texts.
Language (ELP) Objectives: Students will be able to use parts of a compound word to determine the meaning of the whole word. (This lesson is designed for middle school level 2 Emerging Bilinguals)
Supporting Academic Language
Language Functions:
Combine meanings of words to form compound words with their own combined meaning.
Identify compound words and understand the meanings.
Language Modalities:
Reading, speaking, listening, writing
Vocabulary:
compound word, faraway, sailboat, outside, inside, sunset, afternoon, doorway, everyone
Syntax or Sentence Structure(s):
Discourse:
LESSON PREPARATION
Considerations
Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills:
Students must know the meaning of the individual parts of compound words such as what after and noon means so they can form an understanding of what afternoon means.
Instructional Materials
Resources, Materials, and Technology required or recommended for the lesson:
Google slides, article: How do living and working conditions affect health?, notebook, picture cutouts (from the openly sourced filter on Google), exit ticket.
Learning Supports
Socio-emotional supports:
Students will engage in typical classroom routines: Bell work, followed by daily agenda, followed by learning target, followed by hook, followed by direction instruction, followed by guided practice, followed by individual practice and assessment.
Cultural & Linguistic Responsiveness:
Later in the unit, students will write an argumentative essay on the health effects of where you live and why some cultural groups are more at risk than others.
Accessibility:
Students on IEPs with accessibility supports will use their supports such as speech to text and notes printed out.
Instructional Supports
Differentiation:
Students will be strategically partnered during learning activities. High-level students will work with low-level students.
L1 Supports:
Translations if needed for meanings of individual words.
L2 Development (by level):
LESSON PROCEDURES
Anticipatory Set/Motivation/Hook
Time:
2 minutes
Teacher Does/Students Do:
Teacher shows slide that includes several compound words in isolation.
Teacher asks students what they notice about each of the words on the slide.
Students must analyze the words they see on the slide and voice their observations.
Focused Instruction (Teacher-as-Model)
Time:
5 minutes
Teacher Does/Students Do:
Teacher moves to next slide to explain what they were looking at: compound words. Teacher then displays slide that includes essential question: What are compound words?
- Compound words are two words that are joined together to create a new word.
- The new word combines the meaning of each of the two words to form its own meaning.
- Example: treehouse - a treehouse is a house that is in a tree
Students are expected to copy down the notes into their notebook using Cornell notes style.
Guided Instruction (Teacher-to-Student Joint Responsibility)
Time:
5 minutes
Teacher Does/Students Do:
Teacher then shows five slides to the students. Each slide has two pictures in it.
Students are to figure out what the pictures are, then guess the compound word and its meaning, first to their partner, then raise their hand to share with class.
Group Application (Student-to-Student Joint Responsibility)
Time:
10 minutes
Teacher Does/Students Do:
Teacher demonstrates learning activity with one pair of pictures.
Students will work with a partner to form their own compound words. Each pair of students will receive an envelope with several pictures. Students will form their own compound words and write them down in their notebook.
For example: there will be a picture of the sun and a picture of glasses in the envelope. Students will be expected to form the word, sunglasses. They will then write a definition for the word by combining the meaning of the two words. If possible, they will add a Spanish translation to their newfound word.
Individual Learning (Independent Practice and Application)
Time: 5 - 10 minutes
Teacher Does/Students Do:
Teacher will hand out exit ticket worksheet. Teacher will demonstrate the first question on the worksheet so students can better understand what they need to do.
Students will complete exit ticket. On their exit ticket, they will need to find the underlined compound word in each sentence. Then they will write the two words that form the compound word and write what they think the meaning of the compound word is.
Students will turn in their exit ticket by taking a picture of their work and submitting that picture on Canvas.
Closure
Time: 5 minutes
Teacher Does/Students Do:
To close the lesson, the teacher will introduce the Newsela article: How do living and working conditions affect health?
Teacher says: This is the article we will be discussing in tomorrow’s class. Let’s look at one of the sentences together: “The quality of our schooling, the safety of our workplaces, and the cleanliness of our water, food and air also affect our health.”
Can anyone find a compound word in that sentence? (solicit student response of workplace)
Good! Based on our lesson today and your understanding of compound words, I want you to write down what you think the definition of workplace is in your notebook. We will return to this to start tomorrow’s lesson.
ASSESSMENTS
Formative Assessment
Content: Understand the meaning of key words in the text to better understand the story.
Language: Understand what compound words are and how to form meaning from compound words.
Their exit ticket will measure both.
Plans for Summative Assessments
Content: Students will respond to comprehension questions about the text including prompts that include compound words found in the text.
Language: Students will indicate the meaning of compound words.
EXTENSIONS
Ideas for Key Assignments, Extensions, and Adaptations for Online Learning Environments:
Students will write an argumentative essay on the health effects of where you live and why some cultural groups are more at risk than others.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:25.249628
|
Lecture Notes
|
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"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/93766/overview",
"title": "Compound Words",
"author": "Assessment"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/90471/overview
|
Spanish for the Professions
Overview
This online resource which is designed as a highly interactive alternative to a textbook for a full-semester course to help beginning students gain or increase Spanish skills that are useful for their career, daily life, academics and travel. The emphasis will be in language output for daily life and professional purposes, and there is very little emphasis on grammar as this will be acquired naturally through exposure to the language.
Students will find activities to build speaking, listening, writing and reading skills as well as explore Spanish, Hispanic and Latin American culture.
All sources in this resource are Open Educational Resources which are free and available to all users.
Course Introduction
¡Bienvenidos a la clase de español! Welcome to Spanish class!
Welcome to this online resource which is designed as a highly interactive alternative to a textbook for a full-semester course to help you gain or increase Spanish skills that are useful for your future (or current) career, daily life, and travel.You will find activities to build your vocabulary and enhance your grammar skills as well as explore Open Educational Resources that are free and available to all users.
You will find the content practical, authentic and engaging, but more importantly, you will learn a lot!
The course is divided into 15 modules with each module centering around specific themes and grammatical structures. Even though grammar is essential to learning any language, in this course, you will find that speaking the language, strategies for learning languages and culture are just as (or even more) important than extensive grammar drills.
Also, this course encourages students to use translation platforms in order to acquire advanced language skills in an expedited manner rather than relying on memorization and drills. Therefore, this is a course designed to follow a communicative approach rather than a more 'traditional' approach to language learning which can delay students from accessing, navigating and benefiting from more advanced and interesting activities in addition to real-life conversations that they would experience when traveling or around native speaker.
As much as possible, in the activities in this online book, students will participate in 'real-life' language immersion rather than typical classroom drills will make for a more engaged student who can become self-directed, learn at his or her own pace, and tailor their learning depending on their needs and interests.
Each module, you can expect one or more of the following types of activities:
- Authentic Conversation: Watch and listen to authentic Spanish conversation and practice your speaking skills
- Language Learning Lab: Learn "how to learn" and practice things such as pronunciation.
- At Work: Acquire grammar and writing skills
- Culture: Learn about the fascinating aspects of Spanish, Latin and Hispanic cultures
Each module was designed to represent one-week of class with a time commitment of between 4 to 6 hours per week. Of course, some students will take less time and some will take more, depending on many factors. Regardless, you will get as much learning out of this course as the amount of time and effort you put in!
To move through content, click on the Next button to get started!
Note: This online textbook is intended to accompany an online course that is hosted in a Learning Management System (LMS) such as Backboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, etc. Therefore, although assignment instructions will be found here, any student work will be submitted in the appropriate sections of the LMS course. Students who would like to work independently (not part of a school/college course) are still able to benefit from the content but will be able to submit work.
Course Learning Objectives
- Produce basic oral statements and responses in Spanish in familiar situations that would be encountered in a personal setting.
- Produce basic oral statements and responses in Spanish in familiar situations that would be encountered in a professional setting.
- Produce basic written statements and responses in Spanish in familiar situations in a personal setting.
- Produce basic written statements and responses in Spanish in familiar situations in a professional setting.
- Recognize differences in U.S. and Hispanic culture such as levels of formality, proxemics, chronemics and geographical factors.
- Recognize similarities in the English and Spanish language such cognates and loan words
- Translate a range of authentic and pedagogically prepared texts in Spanish for which they have been prepared through pre-reading activities.
Module 1: Overview
This Module, you will complete the following activities
- Authentic Conversation (AC): Vamos a conocernos (Let's get to know each other)
- Language Learning Lab (LLL): Planning for Success
- At Work (AW): Most useful languages to learn
- Culture: Gender of Nouns
Module 1: Authentic Conversation
Vamos a conocernos (Let's get to know each other)
Introduce yourself in the appropriate Discussion Board submission area of your course. In Spanish, please share your name, age (optional), your major (ESPECIALIDAD), where you are from and anything else you would like to share about yourself such as hobbies, interests, pets, etc. (Hint: This YouTube Playlist videos will show you some basic, authentic greetings in Spanish) Also, please watch the short videos below. Based on the 'Do we think differently in different languages' video, in English: share three new, interesting or useful things you learned and how these may (or may not) change your approach/perspective to learning Spanish in this class.
On the appropriate Discussion Board submission area:
- If you feel comfortable, post a photo of yourself or use/upload/find an image that represents you! Please share why you chose the image.
- In addition to getting to know each other with 'traditional' introductions, on the Discussion Board, we will also share our thoughts on how language affects thinking and culture because in order to effectively and authentically learn about any culture, we cannot isolate language and how it shapes thinking and thus, culture.
- From the Greetings Around the World videos, share your saludo favorito (favorite greeting)
- Please make sure to respond to the posts of at least one other student.
- Don't forget to include your statements based on what you learned from the 'Do we think differently in different languages' video.
All posts must contribute positively to an atmosphere of cooperation and civility
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
Module 1: Language Learning Lab
Planning for Success
As you probably already know, managing academics, work, family and social commitments is a challenge. However, there are ways to plan for success in all areas. For this class, and specifically to learn any language, there are approaches and steps that can help you do well and which are worth exploring.
Please watch the videos below, and based on the videos answer the following questions, in English:
- Based on the Bilingual Brain video, what are some benefits of being bilingual? (list at least two benefits)
- Based on the Thomas Frank video, which 3 or more strategies could you most easily incorporate into your Spanish studies this semester?
- Which two strategies from the Thomas Frank video would be the most useful to you?
- Based on the How to Manage Your Time video, which are the top 5 time wasters of your day? How do you plan to eliminate or reduce some of these time wasters?
- Based on your own experience/motivation, in addition to your academic and professional reasons for enrolling in this course please share your goals for learning Spanish (personal, other business, travel, fun, daily life, etc.)
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Note: Always keep in mind internet safety and please do not speak/text to people you do not know!
Videos from YouTube Playlist
Module 1: At Work
Most useful languages to learn
Given that you are studying Spanish (whether it is an academic requirement or not!) and given the growth of the Spanish language here in the U.S. it might be worthwhile to explore some career possibilities for those of you who are (or plan to be) bilingual.
Watch the videos below about careers for bilingual individuals and the most useful languages to learn.
Based on the videos:
- List three of the professions mentioned (in English and Spanish)
- List the 7 most useful languages to learn
- Explain how/if learning Spanish would be helpful for your current or future career/work/profession.
- From the Drew Binky video, what are 2 reasons we should learn a foreign language?
- List your goals for this course: What level of Spanish would you like to acquire? Why did you enroll in this course? What is your current level of Spanish?
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
Module 1: Culture
Gender of Nouns
Did you know? In Spanish, all objects are either masculine or feminine. There are no neutral nouns.
Learning to identify masculine and feminine nouns will help you use adjectives and articles correctly and thus help you communicate effectively.
- Learn about Gender of Nouns in Spanish with the video below and in this SpanishDict Lesson.
- Based on the lesson, explain the general rules for gender of nouns, articles and adjectives.
- Then, go to this ACTIVITY PAGE page and complete the activity. Submit a screenshot of the completed activity as proof of completion.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 2: Overview
This Module, you will complete the following activities
- Authentic Conversation (AC): Let's continue to get to know each other! (with audio)
- Language Learning Lab (LLL): Tarjeta de negocios
- At Work (AW): Formal and informal speech
- Culture: America or U.S. (?)
Module 2: Authentic Conversation
Let's continue to get to know each other! (with audio)
We will continue to get to know each other (in Spanish) with text and audio! This will be great practice for introductions when meeting others such as new friends, colleagues, etc.
Based on what you learned from the videos last module (and any research you conduct), in the appropriate submission area of your course:
PART 1: Original Post
- Create/write a brief text introduction of yourself (in Spanish) of about five (5) sentences.
- After you create your introduction, create a set of three (3) questions (in Spanish) that you might ask a new college friend or new work colleague, etc.
- Record audio of yourself reading your introduction and the questions.
- Post the text version of your introduction as well as a link to the audio
PART 2: Respond to the Posts of two (2) other students
- Choose two posts from other students that you will respond to
- Listen to their introductions and read their posts paying close attention to the questions they ask
- Create an audio recording (in Spanish) where you respond to their questions.
- Post a link to your audio response as a Reply to their original post.
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
Resources to help you with the assignments this week
Introductions lesson by Lawless Spanish
Listening and Speaking Practice by StudySpanishLanguage.org
Asking questions in Spanish by SpanishDict
Other Useful Resources
Lesson from SpanishExperiment on greetings: https://www.thespanishexperiment.com/learn-spanish/greetings
Module 2: Language Learning Lab
Tarjeta de negocios (Business cards)
Whether your work or business requires a business card, these are an excellent way to introduce yourself, provide basic information about you and your business.
For this assignment, you will create (all in Spanish) a business card that includes your name, a fictional business name, address, phone number and website address.
You can use a free, online platform such as Canva or you can use Google Slides, Power Point or any other platform that allows you to design something that resembles a business card!
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Sample card
Module 2: At Work
Formal and informal speech
In Spanish, there are different ways to address people depending on many factors; there is a formal and informal way, especially when it comes to the pronoun YOU. Based on the YouTube Playlist videos you will watch below and your own research on the pronouns tú and usted, explain:
- From EACH video, list three new, useful or interesting facts you learned and include the title of the video where you found the facts.
- Explain the difference between the two (tú, usted and vosotros)
- When would you use one instead of the other? Provide at least five (5) different situations that are likely for you and share the situation, the pronoun you would use and why.
- Thinking of formal and informal speech (Note: In this class, we will NOT use vosotros).
- Conduct some research about the formal and informal speech, and based on your research:
- Are the rules for the use of tú and usted the same in every Spanish-speaking culture? Explain.
- Why is it important to know (and properly) use the correct one?
- In your current or future profession, if you were to work for/work with Spanish-speakers with: Whom would you address using tú and whom would you address using usted? Why? (younger clients, older clients, boss, co-workers, etc.)
- Explain why you would use one form instead of the other with different individuals at work.
- Conduct research of different languages that also have a formal and informal way of addressing people? Which one(s) did you find?
- Share the links where you got the information.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
Additional Resources (Optional)
If you would like to learn about the distinction between formal and informal speech, please visit this The Spanish Experiment lesson.
Module 2: Culture
America or U.S. (?)
First, please watch the following video to hear the way in which four individuals introduce themselves and tell us where they are from. (Listen for the different accents!)
Then, please think of the following:
- If you were to state where you live and/or where you are from would you say: Soy de America or Soy de los Estados Unidos?
- Conduct some research to find out WHICH way you should answer this question and explain your findings.
- Share the links where you found the information
- State why it might be important to know this information when working with and/or meeting individuals from different countries, especially Latin America.
- Submit your answers to the above questions in English, except for when stating the Soy de .... portion of the response!
- Create a one-minute video (or slides with audio narration including images to augment audio) introducing yourself in Spanish and sharing some information about you. You can model your introductions based on the video you watched.
Here are some additional resources to help (external links):
- Nationalities and talking about where you are from (FluentU)
- Preposition DE (Yabla)
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 3: Overview
This Module, you will complete the following activities
Authentic Conversation (AC): What do you like to do?
Language Learning Lab (LLL): Gendered language and plurals
At Work (AW): What do you like to do at work?
Culture: What are proxemics?
Module 3: Authentic Conversation
What do you like to do? - ¿Qué te gusta hacer?
You will now explore pastimes and hobbies. On this discussion board, you will share what you like to do in your free time. To help you get started, please watch the following short videos about hobbies and what people like to do in different countries. If you would like to learn more about the verb gustar (to like) visit this Thoughtco lesson (external link - ignore any sales aspects and do not sign up for anything!)
ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD:
- Please share a list of three hobbies/things you like to do in English and Spanish AND in full sentences (with text and audio).
- Please share a list of three things you DO NOT like to do - in English and Spanish AND in full sentences (with text and audio)
- Also, respond to the posts of at least TWO other students, in both languages. Some questions to guide your response: Do you share similar interests? Did you learn something new from their post? Do you dislike the same things? etc. (with text and audio)
AS AN ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION (NOT ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD):
- Please share three new phrases (or sentences) from each video that were new, interesting and/or useful for you (Spanish and English - text and audio)
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
Module 3: Language Learning Lab
Gendered language and plurals
Since Spanish is a gendered language where nouns and adjectives are feminine or masculine, in order to communicate effectively, you must know some of the rules. In this lesson, you will also learn about Plurals, which have rules that can be quite simple to learn.
To prepare for communication and upcoming assignments, watch each video below, and from each of the videos, in English:
- Provide a brief explanation of each of the grammatical structures/rules presented.
- State the grammatical structure, state the rules, and provide some examples of how/when each is used.
In English and Spanish:
- Create a list of 10 'masculine' words and 10 'feminine' words along with the corresponding article (definite or indefinite). Underline the article.
- Example: El libro = The book. Una casa = A house.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 3: At Work
What do you like to do at work?
Learn more about gustar and similar verbs in this SpanishDict lesson.
Also, watch the video below and based on the video:
- Explain the grammatical structure of ME GUSTA sentences.
- Share 2 new or useful phrases you learned, in English and Spanish as audio and text.
Based on your current or future professional situation, in Spanish and English as audio and text:
- Create a set of THREE sentences of work-related tasks you LIKE/WOULD LIKE to do - use GUSTAR and other alternative verbs from the lesson. Use at least 2 alternative verbs, other than gustar.
- Create a set of THREE sentences of work-related tasks you DO NOT LIKE/WOULD NOT LIKE to do use NO ME GUSTA and other alternatives from the lesson. Use at least 2 alternative verbs, other than gustar.
- Submit a written list and audio of your sentences in English and Spanish
- Make sure to include your current/future profession
Below is a PARTIAL SAMPLE OF ONE "Me gusta" sentence and one "No me gusta" sentence. (Remember to also use verbs other than GUSTAR)
Current Profession: Teacher
- Me gusta trabajar con los estudiantes. I like working with the students
- No me gusta ir a las reuniones. I do not like to go to meetings
Sample audio: https://voca.ro/15xnmQE1roKX
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.4
Module 3: Culture
What are proxemics?
Proxemics is the study of personal space and the degree of separation individuals maintain in social situations. It is a form of non-verbal communication, and it can vary widely amongst different cultures. You will explore proxemics as a comparison across cultures through a variety of readings, videos and other activities. Submit responses in English only (Spanish version optional if you would like the practice).
- Watch these videos about Greetings Around the World
- Watch videos below explaining proxemics
Thinking about what you have learned about proxemics (often referred to as our 'bubble'):
- State the 4 Proxemics distances mentioned in one of the videos.
- Based on those distances, what is the typical distance at which you feel 'comfortable' in different situations (family, social, school, work)
- To what do you attribute that distance? Upbringing? Culture? Personal preference? Societal norms?
- Have you been in a situation where your proxemics were different from someone else's? How did you navigate that situation?
- Why is it important to be aware of proxemics in the workplace? Explain how this might be important in your chosen profession.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 4: Overview
This Module, you will complete the following activities
- Authentic Conversation (AC): Customs
- Language Learning Lab (LLL): Translating by using context
- At Work (AW): More rutinas
- Culture: La siesta
Module 4: Authentic Conversation
Customs
You may, in the future, have/seek opportunities to live and/or work abroad. If not, it is likely you will at some point work with individuals (either as co-workers, customers, etc.) from other countries, and for this assignment, we will concentrate specifically on the possibility that these will be from Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America or Spain.
Learn about some 'customs' observed in Spain by watching the following video. Keep in mind, these are NOT rules but rather suggestions or information on certain peculiarities one might encounter in Spain (and in some Latin American countries as well)
Using as a model what you learned on the video, in Spanish and English, create a 'script' telling a possible new U.S. arrival from a Spanish country of at least FIVE things they should 'not' do in the U.S. or that they should be aware of.
- Submit script text, in English and Spanish Please keep the list fun, lively and positive! (also make sure to check grammar, gender agreement, accents, etc.)
- Then, based on your script create a video presentation in English and Spanish as though you had been tasked to share this information with the new arrivals who will be working at your company. Therefore, make it engaging and as professional as possible while keeping in mind your audience. (Resources for video creation are in the content area below this assignment)
- Post your video and list to the Discussion Board
- Please respond, in English and Spanish, to the post of at least one other student. Might their list be beneficial to others? How so? Do you agree with the 'U.S.' customs included or might they be different where you live?
- ALSO, please submit your script and video LINK to the appropriate assignment submission area
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
Resources to create videos:
Padlet: Has audio, video and screencapture capabilities
Screencastomatic (now ScreenPal): Has audio, video and screencapture capabilities
YouTube: You can upload to Youtube, make UNLISTED (so only those with link can view) and share link
Canva: Has audio, video and screencapture capabilities
Module 4: At Work
Rutinas
Based on what you learn from the following videos below about daily activities and this lesson from Latin Amercan Spanish Cafe (as well as any research you may want to conduct) share a schedule of a typical day for you (in Spanish and English) from the time you arrive at work until you leave work (either your current or what you think your day might be at a future job.)
- Your schedule should include at least 10 ‘routine’ items and should include the time (in words for the Spanish version)
- Include both the English and Spanish version of the schedule item.
- Feel free to use any translation tools you need, but please state the tool you used.
- Hint: You can model your routine after the videos but change the specifics to your own routine.
- Also, record yourself reading your schedule.
Here is an example partial post:
8:00 AM Trabajo en la computadora desde las ocho hasta el mediodía. I work on the computer from 8:00 AM to noon.
12:00 PM A las doce, almuerzo. At noon, I eat lunch.
1:00 PM De la una a las tres de la tarde hago llamadas a clientes. From 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, I call clients, etc.
Sample Partial Audio Recording
NOTE: You can use Vocaroo or any other audio recording platform with which you are familiar as long as you can share a link (DO NOT UPLOAD AUDIO OR VIDEO FILES). To ensure proper pronunciation, type your phrases in SpanishDict to hear the words spoken by a native speaker. You can record yourself repeating after SpanishDict states the phrases (the SpanishDict voice can be included in your recording with you repeating after it!)
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
NOTE: This video will provide you with excellent listening practice! In the video, note that computer is called ORDENADOR which is how it is said in Spain. In other countries it is called COMPUTADORA or COMPUTADOR
.
Module 4: Language Learning Lab
Translating by using context
For this assignment, you will try out translating first WITHOUT help and then WITH the help of online resources.
NOTE: The goal here is NOT to have a perfect translation but to give you a sense of translating by using context.
This will help you for upcoming tasks where you will translate business documents.
You will first read the text you will find at the end of this page. Then:
1. Translate the text to English WITHOUT using any apps - title this translation NO APP TRANSLATION (remember the goal is not an accurate translation but for you to give translation a try!)
2. Create a list of 10-20 words that you did not know and translate them using any of the resources you have (Linguee, SpanishDict, etc. - try to extend beyond Google Translate) - TYPE YOUR LIST IN BOTH LANGUAGES and title this translation NEW WORDS
3. Return to original and translate again. Did the translation get better? Explain.
4. Now, copy and paste (or type) the original Spanish text into translator app and compare YOUR TRANSLATION with the APP translation. Title this new translation APP TRANSLATION
5. Compare translations - how close was your translation to the APP translation? Yours might be more accurate than the app, do you think so?
Submit ALL written translations, properly labeled as per the instructions above AND:
Included with your translations document: Share how this process went for you: (1) How long did it take? (2) How accurate was your initial translation? (3) How did the translation improve after you increased your vocabulary by looking up the words? (4) Was this activity challenging? Simple? Fun? Useful? Explain.
Translate the following
Me llamo María Pérez, tengo diecinueve años. Nací en Málaga, pero vivo en Granada. Soy estudiante de primer curso de Periodismo.
De lunes a viernes me levanto a las siete y media, desayuno y camino hasta la universidad. Entro en clase a las nueve y salgo a la una.
Al medio día como la comida en mi casa y veo la televisión. Por la tarde, estudio hasta las siete y después quedo con mis amigas.
A nosotras nos gusta mucho el cine, el teatro y la música. Los viernes por la noche cenamos pizza y bailamos en la discoteca.
Todos los sábados visito a mi familia en Málaga.
El domingo por la tarde regreso a Granada y, si hace sol, salgo con mi perro a dar un paseo. ¡Me encantan los animales!
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 4: Culture
La siesta
To exemplify a cultural difference in routines between the U.S. and Spain (and some Latin American countries) that relates to time, there is no better example than the siesta. An interesting part of daily routines in Spain is the Siesta.
Watch the following video, and based on the video. In English:
- Explain the concept of a siesta and how you feel about it! Did you know about it? Would you like to incorporate it into your daily life? How would U.S. be different if the siesta was a part of our culture?
- Explain sobremesa and how it might be important to be aware of this practice whether in daily life or in the workplace if working with individuals from other countries.
- Please provide enough details and evidence from the video as well as your own thoughts in your submission. Please submit your assignment in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course with a video link a Word document or PDF.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Additional resources (Optional)
See how the Spanish are trying to save the siesta with a sleeping competition! (video is less than 3 minutes)
Module 5: Overview
This Module, you will complete the following activities
- Authentic Conversation (AC): Trabajos ideales
- Language Learning Lab (LLL): Personalize your learning
- At Work (AW): Cognates to increase vocabulary quickly
- Culture: Business Etiquette in Latin America
Module 5: Authentic Conversation
Trabajos ideales
Watch the following YouTube video with authentic talk about professions (profesiones) and ideal jobs (trabajos ideales). Based on the video:
- Share THREE jobs/careers/professions words from the video that were new/interesting/useful for you (English and Spanish)
- In Spanish and English, share your current (or future) profession and explain if it is your IDEAL JOB. If so, explain how/why? If not, tell us your IDEAL JOB and how/why it is ideal. (audio and text).
- From the video, share two of the questions that you would ask a new friend/classmate about their current, future or ideal job (English and Spanish) as audio and text.
- Create one additional question you would ask a new friend/classmate about their current, future or ideal job (English and Spanish) as audio and text.
- Choose at least one post from another student to which you will respond. Provide an audio and text response (reply to post) to ALL questions from at least one other student (in
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
Module 5: Language Learning Lab
Personalize your learning
As you might imagine, there is so much more to learning a language than what can be covered in an online (or even face-to-face) course. Therefore, if your goal is to be proficient (or fluent) you must ask yourself what level of proficiency/fluency you would like to achieve as well as in which context.
Will you be working with Spanish speakers in the construction field? Medical? Legal? Education? Business? Will you be using Spanish for travel and fun? Friends and family?
Whatever your reasons are, you will want to personalize your learning as much as possible. To get you started with some ideas, please watch the following video (about 3 minutes - ignore any ‘sales’ aspects!) and based on the video:
- List 3 new, useful or interesting strategies to personalize your Spanish learning journey. Why did you choose these?
- Which ones would you implement into your Spanish learning
- If you would not implement any of them, why not?
- Would you/have you used different ones not from the video? Have they helped you? How?
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 5: At Work
Cognates to increase vocabulary quickly
Cognates are pairs of words that sound alike and have the same meaning in two different languages. They are useful first steps in learning a new language.
Spanish and English share hundreds of cognates and have borrowed from each other for centuries.
Below is a video to get you started, and also, please go to this online lesson from Real Fast Spanish. (Note: the video has an error with the cognate for delicious - in Spanish, it is delicioso. Extra credit if you can spot some additional errors!)
- List the 12 cognate rules mentioned in the video.
- State your profession and/or major or chosen situation (in Spanish and English)
- Based on your current or future work situation(s), conduct some research and find 20 Spanish-English cognates that would be useful to know for your current or future profession
- Submit a list of the 20 cognates in Spanish and English AND explain why you chose them/how they would be helpful for you
- Submit an audio recording link of you stating the cognates (English and Spanish)
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
Additional Resources
Complete cognates lesson from Real Fast Spanish: https://www.realfastspanish.com/vocabulary/spanish-cognates
Module 5: Culture
Business Etiquette in Latin America
Please read the brief article below and watch the video to get started learning some of the differences in the way business is conducted in Latin America and with individuals from Latin America.
Based on the article, choose two items that were the most interesting and/or useful for you, and conduct some additional research about them. In English, explain how they differ from U.S. customs, why it is important to be aware of these differences and why you chose those two items. Please provide enough evidence and details.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Article: Business Etiquette in Latin America
Video
Module 6: Overview
This Module, you will complete the following activities
- Authentic Conversation (AC): Videos of your profession
- Language Learning Lab (LLL): Shadowing
- At Work (AW): Giving instructions
- Culture: Polite Words
Module 6: Authentic Conversation
Videos of your profession
Conduct your own research and find two videos in Spanish (that are from a credible source, appropriate, and for the level of this class) that you would recommend for someone who would like to improve their Spanish for a profession/work in YOUR current or future field.
- Share the links to the videos chose and their titles
- State why you chose the videos and why you would recommend them to someone else.
- Watch at least one video posted by a peer and comment on your experience with the video (What did you learn? How was it helpful? etc.).
- Also, share TWO new phrases you learned from that video (Spanish and English - audio and text)
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
Sample video for the education field. I chose this because my career is teaching Spanish to non-native speakers. This teacher's classroom is using the immersion method which is very effective for language acqusition. I recommend this video as a model lesson and because the content is simple but useful for an aspiring teacher.
Module 6: Language Learning Lab
Shadowing and Repeating
You may (or may not) have heard of the method of Shadowing as a strategy to increase your fluency in Spanish (or any language). Shadowing is sometimes difficult for beginners, so you could also use the Repeating method. For this assignment, you will:
- Watch the following videos to learn the difference between the methods. Note that there may be some overlap or varying definitions of the methods, but essentially, there are 2 strategies for different learning purposes.
- Then, try both methods while watching/listening to any Spanish audio/video of your choosing. Record audio of yourself using each method for at least 3 minutes each.
- Share a bit about your experience and the answers to the following:
- Which method(s) did you prefer? Why did you choose one over the other?
- If you did not tried both methods, why?
- What was your experience like with each of the methods? (Fun? Challenging? Simple? Useful?)
- Based on this experience, do you think these methods might (or might not) be a good way to increase your Spanish skills? Explain
- In English, submit your answers to the above AND some kind of proof of using the methods such as a Vocaroo recording of you shadowing/repeating the video
NOTE 1: You can slow down the speed on YouTube videos by clicking on the gear icon on the bottom of the video screen and choosing a slower speed.
NOTE 2: On the second video, the definition of Shadowing is closer to the Repeating Strategy. Please note that each strategy addresses different language skills but are both helpful to increase your Spanish speaking.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 6: At Work
Giving instructions
Think of your daily interactions at work (or possible future interactions). The videos below will help with commands/instructions and ordinal numbers, which are helpful when giving instructions. Please watch the videos, and then, think of sets of tasks you would ask (or would be asked) to perform by following a certain order and using ordinal numbers. Based on those, create:
PARTE 1
A written set of at least FIVE directions/steps someone will need to follow to complete a task (in English and Spanish) (Instrucciones)
Record audio of yourself stating those steps in both languages
PARTE 2
A written set of FIVE POSSIBLE QUESTIONS or ISSUES that might be brought up by whomever you are giving the instructions to in response to your instructions (English and Spanish) (Preguntas y problemas)
Record audio of yourself stating those questions/issues in both languages
PARTE 3
A written set of responses to each of the questions in #2 you could provide (Respuesta)
Record audio of yourself stating those responses in both languages
Partial Example for a teacher
PARTE 1 (Instrucciones) CLICK HERE TO HEAR PARTIAL AUDIO AS A FULL SCRIPT WITH PARTES 1, 2 y 3
- Primero, eschuchen mis intrucciones. // First, listen to my instructions.
- Segundo... // Second...
- etc.
- etc.
- Finalmente ... // Lastly....
PARTE 2 (Preguntas y problemas de los estudiantes)
- Maestra. No puedo. Estoy cansado(a). // Teacher. I can't. I'm tired.
- etc
- etc.
PARTE 3 (Respuesta de la maestra)
- Lamento que estés cansado. ¿Eso significa que tampoco irás al recreo? // I am sorry you are tired. Does that mean you will not be going to recess either?
- etc.
Note: You can put all the above together in order as a script with corresponding audio, make them into slides, etc. (Choose a method that is most helpful for you!)
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Videos to help you:
PLEASE DISREGARD ANY 'SALES PITCHES' AND DON'T SIGN UP FOR ANYTHING!
Module 6: Culture
Polite words
Have you ever said "I am sorry" to someone when you hear them tell you bad news and their response is "You do not need to apologize, it is not YOUR fault."?
Luckily, Spanish takes care of that with two ways to say "I am sorry" whether it was your fault or not.
LO SIENTO literally means "I FEEL IT" and it is used to say "I am sorry" when you feel bad about something (it does not have to be your fault, but it could be!)
PERDÓN is the equivalent of "I am sorry" when it IS something you ARE apologizing for.
Learn more about these types of polite phrases that can mean different things (or are just useful to know) with the video below and in this Quizlet set of flashcards
Then, think of other polite words that would be useful to know in Spanish in a WORKPLACE situation, and research how to write and say them.
- Submit a list of 5 polite words/phrases in English and Spanish from the video
- Submit a list of 5 polite words/phrases in English and Spanish NOT from the video that would be useful for you at your current or possible future job.
- Record audio of yourself reading the list in both languages
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 7: Overview
This Module, you will complete the following activities
- Authentic Conversation (AC): Asking people what they did
- Language Learning Lab (LLL): Translating by using context
- At Work (AW): Written Communications
- Culture: Tradiciones y celebraciones
Module 7: Authentic Conversation
Asking people what they did
We are now going to move from the present tense to the past tense in conversation. This is useful both for personal and work-related reasons so you can ask and answer questions about events that already happened.
Let's practice some real-life conversation by asking our classmates about their day, weekend or past. Watch the following videos, and based on the videos, and using the proper tense, you will ask and answer questions on this discussion board. Based on what you learned from the videos:
- List three questions from the video that would be useful for you to know how to ask and answer (Spanish and English - text and audio)
- Post THREE questions that you would ask a friend about what they have done in the recent past. (Spanish and English - text and audio)
- Choose at least one post you will respond to and answer the 3 questions the classmate posted. (Spanish and English - text and audio)
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
Additional Resources (Optional)
Past tense:
https://lingvist.com/course/learn-spanish-online/resources/spanish-preterite/
https://www.mezzoguild.com/learn/spanish/grammar/past-tense/
Module 7: Language Learning Lab
Translating by using context (Intermediate)
For this assignment, you will try out translating first WITHOUT help and then WITH the help of online resources.
NOTE: The goal here is NOT to have a perfect translation but to give you a sense of translating by using context.
This will help you for upcoming tasks where you will translate business documents.
You will first read the text you will find at the end of this page. Then:
1. Translate the text to English WITHOUT using any apps - title this translation NO APP TRANSLATION (remember the goal is not an accurate translation but for you to give translation a try!)
2. Create a list of 10-20 words that you did not know and translate them using any of the resources you have (Linguee, SpanishDict, etc. - try to extend beyond Google Translate) - TYPE YOUR LIST IN BOTH LANGUAGES and title this translation NEW WORDS
3. Return to original and translate again. Did the translation get better? Explain.
4. Now, copy and paste (or type) the original Spanish text into translator app and compare YOUR TRANSLATION with the APP translation. Title this new translation APP TRANSLATION
5. Compare translations - how close was your translation to the APP translation? Yours might be more accurate than the app, do you think so?
Submit ALL written translations, properly labeled as per the instructions above AND:
Included with your translations document: Share how this process went for you: (1) How long did it take? (2) How accurate was your initial translation? (3) How did the translation improve after you increased your vocabulary by looking up the words? (4) Was this activity challenging? Simple? Fun? Useful? Explain.
Translate the following
6 ejercicios que practica cada día la neurocientífica Wendy Suzuki para mejorar su fortaleza mental
Es raro imaginar la ansiedad como algo positivo. ¿Qué tiene de bueno sentirse nervioso y preocupado?
Según Wendy Suzuki, neurocientífica y profesora del Centro de Ciencias Neuronales de la Universidad de Nueva York, la ansiedad puede ser una buena emoción.
En lugar de luchar contra ella, Suzuki cuenta que durante su vida ha utilizado esa emoción para ser más productiva, más optimista, y, en última instancia, más resistente.
La investigadora —autora del libro Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion ("Ansiedad buena: aprovechando el poder de la emoción más incomprendida" en español, que se publica este mes)— se ha especializado en el estudio de la plasticidad del cerebro y los efectos transformadores del ejercicio físico en la salud mental y el desarrollo cognitivo.
Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-58442859
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 7: At Work
Written Communications
To prepare for upcoming assignments involving work-related (and personal) written communications, learn a bit more about a specific type of diacritical marks in Spanish such as tildes, by reading this article: What You Need to Know About Diacritical Marks in Spanish and watching the following video on Spanish Accent Rules
- Use the TypeIt text editor to help you write the Spanish accents, and from the artcle, type all the words in the box in the article that are found on the table under Common Spanish homonyms along with the definition of the words (both with and without accents) Notice how the accent can change the meaning of the word!
- Submit your list of the typed words (homonyms) with and without accents by typing into TypeIt text editor and submit a screenshot. Don't forget the definitions for each.
- Please do not copy and paste the list from the article. Type the words yourself, using TypeIt
- Write a brief summary of the basic rules of accents (from the video and/or the article)
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 7: Culture
Tradiciones y celebraciones
Being aware of traditions and celebrations in Spain and Latin America is not only useful to know when doing business with individuals from different countries, but it is also fun!
Watch this YouTube Playlist about Latin and Spanish Traditions and Holidays
- List and describe at least one celebration or tradition mentioned in each of the videos
- Conduct your own research and find another celebration (Spain or Latin America) that was not listed on the videos.
- Based on your researched and chosen celebration, create a 'script' (in Spanish and English) and record yourself explaining in detail the celebrations you chose as though you were speaking with a Spanish-speaking friend/colleague who did not know anything about it.
- Share the links where you found the information, one image of the celebration and an audio and text version of your script in Spanish and English
Some ideas to guide your script:
- Name of the celebration
- When/where is it celebrated?
- What is celebrated?
- Why?
- How is it celebrated?
- Did you already know about it?
- Should your friend attend such a celebration? Why or why not?
Note: You may need to conduct additional research on the celebration.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 8: Overview
This Module, you will complete the following activities
Authentic Conversation (AC): Charla (Small talk)
Language Learning Lab (LLL): Escucha (Listen)
At Work (AW): Charla at work
Culture: Useful travel phrases
Module 8: Authentic Conversation
Charla
Small talk in Spanish is often referred to as charla which is what we will do in this Discussion Forum. First, watch the following videos about small talk in Spanish and then post by following the guidelines you will see listed below.
ORIGINAL POST GUIDELINES
- Create a set of 5 FIVE 'Small Talk' phrases (from the videos and from your own experience, interests) you would use when talking to a friend, colleague or family member that you do NOT see every day (in SPANISH and ENGLISH)
- Create a set of TWO 'Small Talk' questions you may ask a friend, colleague or family member that you do NOT see every day (in SPANISH and ENGLISH)
- Audio record yourself stating the phrases and questions in both languages
- Post your written phrases and questions as well as a link to your audio recording
RESPONSE POST GUIDELINES
- Choose at least one post from another student that you will respond to
- Read and listen to their charla and questions
- Answer the questions as audio and text (in English and Spanish). Please post the audio link and do not upload audio files.
HINT: Use phrases from the videos but tailor questions, responses, for your specific situation. Please check your pronunciation based on the pronunciation from the videos or with SpanishDict. BUT keep in mind that getting your message across is way more importante than being 100% accurate in pronunciation!
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
Module 8: Language Learning Lab
Escucha (Listen)
Let's practice listening and comprehension skills with a video that showcases an intermediate conversation.
- First, watch the video (without subtitles) and listen for words, phrases you recognize and use context clues.
- As you listen, take notes and then write a short summary of the video, by hand (in English). If you are a beginner Spanish speaker, your summary might be limited, and that is OK!!!
- Keep the summary/notes (they should be hand-written!) so you can compare them to the actual video content.
- Now, re-watch the video, but this time, click on the CC icon at the bottom-right of the video screen, and you will see the captions in English.
- Read the captions as you watch again and when done, compare the actual video content to your summary. How close were you? How much were you able to understand initially? What strategies did you use to understand?
- Submit your initial hand-written summary (upload photo, image of you summary sheet), answers to the above questions and share how this experience went for you? Simple? Challenging? Frustrating? What did you learn?
- Create a list (English and Spanish) of 10 new words or phrases you learned from the video and submit the list.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
Please submit assignment in the appropriate submission area.
Module 8: At Work
Charla at work
Small talk in Spanish is often referred to as charla. First, watch the video below about small talk in Spanish and then based on the video, choose five small talk phrases or questions that would be useful for you at work. Also, explain why the phrases would be helpful.
- Submit your written list and audio of you stating the phrases in English and Spanish.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
Module 8: Culture
Useful travel phrases
For an overview of some common travel phrases, with text and audio you can listen to, please visit this Kaizen Language lesson. Also, watch the video below.
What you learn here will help you for any future travel plans and in situations where you are communicating with Spanish-Speaking individuals.
- From the article, choose five travel phrases that were new, interesting and/or useful for you.
- From the video, choose five travel phrases that were new, interesting and/or useful for you.
- Submit them as a written list and audio of you reading them. (English and Spanish)
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Additional Resources
PLEASE DISREGARD ANY 'SALES PITCHES' AND DON'T SIGN UP FOR ANYTHING!
Module 9: Overview
This Module, you will complete the following activities
- Authentic Conversation (AC): Asking for directions
- Language Learning Lab (LLL): Fluency
- At Work (AW): Asking for directions
- Culture: Useful Travel Phrases
Module 9: Authentic Conversation
Asking for directions
Asking for directions is an essential skill which you will explore on this discussion. To get you started, watch the following short video on giving/asking for directions AND visit this Spanish Experiment lesson page.
- Based on the video, list THREE new, interesting or useful phrases you learned from the video (in Spanish and English - audio and text)
- Based on the Spanish Experiment lesson, list THREE new, interesting or useful phrases you learned from the lesson (in Spanish and English - audio and text)
- Then, create three sets of questions you might ask someone if you are looking for directions in English and Spanish (you choose the places - use possible place you might visit/need to get to OR have been to) USE DIFFERENT QUESTION WORDS...EXTEND BEYOND "WHERE IS ____?"
- Post your question as text and an audio link of you asking the questions in both languages.
- Respond to the post of at least one other student by providing 'fictional' (audio and text in Spanish and English) directions/answers to the direction questions they posted!
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
Module 9: Language Learning Lab
Fluency
Would you like to become fluent in Spanish (or any other language?) If so, you may want to consider what fluency means. Learn a bit about this with the short video below.
- Based on the video, state 3 new, interesting or useful facts you learned about learning, fluency, etc. Provide enough details from the video to fully explain.
- What level of fluency would you like to reach in Spanish and why? How will you go about meeting your fluency goals?
- Submit text response in English (and Spanish optional if you would like the practice!)
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 9: At Work
Asking for directions
Let's continue with the topic of asking for directions since this is an important skill in daily life, travel and work.
- Share 3 new or useful phrases from the video (Spanish and English as audio and text)
- Based on what you learn from the video and your own needs, create 3 questions asking for directions at work (or related to a work situation) and a set of corresponding answers.
- USE DIFFERENT QUESTION WORDS...EXTEND BEYOND "WHERE IS ____?"
- Submit your questions and answers as text and an audio link of you asking the questions in Spanish and English
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Additional Resources
Places practice Vocabulary SpanishDict
Module 9: Culture
Useful travel phrases
Let's continue with the topic of common travel phrases, with text and audio you can listen to, please visit this Story Learning lesson. Also, watch the video below.
What you learn here will help you for any future travel plans and in situations where you are communicating with Spanish-Speaking individuals.
- From the article, choose five travel phrases that were new, interesting and/or useful for you. Submit them as a written list and audio of you reading them. (English and Spanish)
- From the video, choose five travel phrases that were new, interesting and/or useful for you. Submit them as a written list and audio of you reading them. (English and Spanish)
- From the video, complete the Quiz (first without looking at the answers) and submit your responses, whether right or wrong, but mark the ones you got wrong and include the correct answer.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 10: Overview
This Module, you will complete the following activities
- Authentic Conversation (AC): At the Restaurant
- Language Learning Lab (LLL): At the supermarket
- At Work (AW): Asking how much something costs
- Culture: Bars and Restaurants in Spain
Module 10: Authentic Conversation
At the Supermarket
If you are interested in learning more about vocabulary and phrases for food and the supermarket, you will want to conduct some research on your own, depending on your needs. For this assignment, however, watch the video below where 3 beginner Spanish students complete a Supermarket challenge all in Spanish.
They are beginner speakers, part of a Babbel platform challenge, and I think they did really well! After you watch the video, you might be inspired to find some other challenges to have fun while improving your Spanish.
Meanwhile, for this assignment, submit answers to the following questions, in English and Spanish (audio and text):
- What surprised you the most from the video?
- How would you prepare to go shopping at a Supermarket (or any type of store) where only Spanish is spoken? Explain
- What is another common place you have visited or would visit where you might need to know at least basic Spanish? The place can be related to work, personal, school or travel.
- Share one new or useful Spanish phrase you learned from the video (English and Spanish)
- You do not have to respond to the posts of others but are encouraged to!
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
Module 10: Language Learning Lab
At the Restaurant
Whether for travel, professional events (think of fundraising events, the office cafeteria, business dinners, etc.) or personal reasons, knowing how to order food in Spanish can be helpful.
Based on the conversations from the YouTube videos below, you will:
- Create a short script of a conversation of two or more people where you are at a restaurant/work dinner, etc. The character pairs could be:
- you and a friend/colleague about to order at a restaurant/function/banquet, etc.
- you and a waiter/waitress
- The script should consist of at least 10 lines (5 for each of the people/characters speaking) and it should be in Spanish.
- Record the audio for the script (using Vocaroo or another recording platform you are familiar with). You can play the voice for both 'characters' in the recording or you can have a friend/family help you record by playing the second character.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 10: At Work
Asking how much something costs
Learning how to ask for the price of something is important and can be fun as if you ever get to travel and go to different markets, you could negotiate a price different than what something is marked! It might also come in handy when making business purchases where you need to find out or negotiate a price.
Watch the following video to learn several ways to ask for the cost of something.
- Based on the video, list the 8 ways mentioned (in English and Spanish) and submit your written list of the questions as well as an audio of you reading/stating them.
- Create a list of 10 items that you may need for your current or future profession. Find an image that represents each. Share the list in English and Spanish as audio and text as well as the image.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 10: Culture
Bars and Restaurants in Spain
Did you know that unlike in the U.S., bars in Spain and Latin America are not necessarily places for the 21+ crowd to have alcoholic beverages? Bares are establishments for all ages to have coffee, snacks, meals, etc. Learn about bares y restaurantes in Spain, and keep an 'ear' out for accents and the use of the pronoun vos!
Based on the video:
- List 3 new, interesting or useful facts you learned - English, text only
- List 10 new words or useful phrases you learned - English and Spanish, audio and text.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 11: Overview
This Module, you will complete the following activities
- Authentic Conversation (AC): Tener y venir
- Language Learning Lab (LLL): No Apps to Translate
- At Work (AW): Presentation at work
- Culture: Cultural Differences
Module 11: Authentic Conversation
Tener y venir
This week, we will explore irregular verbs with the YO form. As always, in this class, grammar is secondary to actually being able to communicate effectively and learn efficiently, therefore, for this assignment you will:
- For your original post, you will find TWO resources (which are appropriate, from a credible source and for the level of this class) that would be helpful for someone wanting to learn about TENER and VENIR. The resources could be a website, a video, etc. but you must watch/read them to ensure the content is appropriate for a first-year, college, academic class.
- Share why you chose those two (2) resources.
- Explain what you learned about TENER and VENIR.
- Create one full sentence, related to your job or profession, using both TENER and VENIR. (Spanish and English as audio and text)
- For your response post, choose at least one post from another student and watch/read the resource they offered. Respond as to how/if the resource was helpful for you in understanding TENER and/or VENIR.
To learn more about what credible sources are, watch this short video from the University of Washington.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 11: Language Learning Lab
No Apps to Translate
For this assignment, you will try out translating first WITHOUT help and then WITH the help of online resources. The goal here is NOT to have a perfect translation but to give you a sense of translating by using context. You will first read the text you will find at the end of this page. Then:
1. Translate the text to English WITHOUT using any apps - title this translation NO APP TRANSLATION (remember the goal is not an accurate translation but for you to give translation a try!)
2. Create a list of 10-20 words that you did not know and translate them using any of the resources you have (Linguee, SpanishDict, etc. - try to extend beyond Google Translate) - TYPE YOUR LIST IN BOTH LANGUAGES and title this translation NEW WORDS
3. Return to original and translate again. Did the translation get better? Explain
4. Now, copy and paste (or type) the original Spanish text into the translator app and compare YOUR TRANSLATION with the APP translation. Title this new translation APP TRANSLATION
5. Compare translations - how close was your translation to the APP translation? Yours might be more accurate than the app, do you think so?
6. Share how this process went for you: how long did it take? How accurate was your initial translation? How did the translation improve after you increase your vocabulary by looking up the words? Was this challenging? Simple? Fun? Useful? Explain.
NOTE: This ThoughtCo article will help you with the dates, greetings and closings of a business letter. You will want to read it before beginning the translation portion of the assignment.
https://www.thoughtco.com/business-and-personal-letters-in-spanish-3080297
Spanish letter to translate
John Doe
Calle 142
Telf: 78609411
Edificio Cortez
24 de junio de 2022
Muy señores míos:
Por la presente, me refiero a su anuncio en The Times del 23 de junio del puesto de contable. Quisiera presentar mi candidatura.
Actualmente, trabajo en una empresa de seguros en Londres; pero me atrae el puesto de trabajo que ofrecen por su mayor responsabilidad. Por tanto, aunque todavía comprometida, podría librarme de mis obligaciones después de avisar a mi empresa actual con un mes de antelación.
Si deciden concederme una entrevista, les comunico que me convendría mejor una hora durante la tarde.
Adjunto mi curriculum vitae, el cual contiene una relación completa de mis estudios y empleo hasta la fecha.
Sin otro particular, les saluda muy atentamente,
Ana Mercedes Suárez Holguín
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 11: At Work
Presentations at work
Oral and written skills are essential in any business. For this assignment, you will practice giving an oral presentation in Spanish.
- Based on your current (or possible future) professional situation, choose ONE topic/situation which would be likely to (or you would like) be tasked with giving a presentation about: sales pitch, projections, lesson, office meeting, training employees, etc. (you choose!)
- Think of yourself as a seasoned employee/boss/business owner, etc. who will be presenting/training.
- Create a brief video presentation/lesson (about 3-5 minutes) based on the situation you chose to deliver. This would be a presentation that is oral as well as contains slides with images to augment the text.
- Make sure to state your 'situation' for which you are presenting, industry, target audience, etc.
Some ideas:
- Using a platform such as screencast-o-matic, you can video yourself along with slides on your computer screen giving the presentation.
- You can video yourself giving the presentation as though you were in an actual office/sales meeting/auditorium, etc. and were being recorded. You can then upload the video to YouTube and make it unlisted (so that only those who have the link can view)
- Submit the video link along with the slides and any 'handouts' you might give the audience.
- The presentation will be in Spanish with English captions or transcript.
Here are some tutorials that might help with Screencast-o-matic
Online Learning for Teachers 1 - Create a Video Tutorial with Screencast-O-Matic - YouTube
Screencast-O-Matic Sharing Options - YouTube
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Resources to help with the assignments this week
Module 11: Culture
Cultural Differences
Read this article from Abasto titled Cultural Differences between Americans and Hispanics
Based on the article you read about cultural differences between the American and Hispanic Cultures, create an image-with-text artifact highlighting the five differences between both cultures you found most interesting. Include enough detail about these differences and conduct additional research if needed.
You could create a Padlet, Google Slides, PowerPoint, Quizlet or you could create an infographic using the Canva platform. It does not matter what you use as long as you include the 5 differences with images to augment the text.
Submit your work as a PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Additional Resources (Optional)
Module 12: Overview
This Module, you will complete the following activities
- Authentic Conversation (AC): Cuéntame
- Language Learning Lab (LLL): Pronunciation Practice
- At Work (AW): Resume
- Culture: Spanish in Asia and Africa
Module 12: Authentic Conversation
Tell me...
"Dime" (dee-meh) is a phrase which is often translated as "tell me", and "cuéntame" (coo-ehn-tah-meh) is a phrase which is also often translated as "tell me". You can learn more by clicking on the SpanishDict pages below.
For this discussion, on the appropriate discussion area, post a question asking a classmate something using dime and one using cuéntame (Spanish and English, audio and text) for your response post, answer the questions of at least one other student (Spanish and English, audio and text)
SPANISHDICT LESSON: dime vs cuéntame
NOTE: If you think cuéntame comes from the verb contar (to count: 1,2,3...) you are correct! However, contar can extend beyond counting. It can also mean to tell, recount a story, etc. Learn more with the one-minute video below.
Note: This lesson will help you prepare for another type of question that you can almost count on during a job interview is 'Tell me about yourself': Háblame de ti.
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
Module 12: Language Learning Lab
Pronunciation Practice
If you are looking for some ways to improve your pronunciation and gain a few additional essential phrases in Spanish, in about 12 minutes, you can learn a lot by watching this video. You will be surprised by how much you will learn!
- Choose 3 sentences from the video and record yourself stating those sentences in Spanish and English. Submit written sentences and audio link.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 12: At Work
Resume/CV
Writing a resume (sometimes also known as CV - depending on the profession) is an important skill no matter what the language! Since this is a Spanish class, you will create a resume in Spanish.
Access the external links below to learn more about this skill and then create a resume in Spanish for a future (or dream) job that you might want to pursue.
You may want to first create it in English and then translate it into Spanish.
Expatica - Finding a Job Resume in Spanish (Please note: Photos, marriage status or birth dates in a resume are no longer a practice - do not include!)
- Based on the video, list 3 mistakes you should avoid when writing your resume
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
Notice that, unlike the U.S., in other countries, it is still common to submit a photo with your Resume!
Module 12: Culture
Spanish in Asia and Africa
Did you know Spanish is spoken in one country in Asia and one in Africa?
- Watch the following videos and from each video, and state two new as well as surprising and/or interesting facts you learned. (English and Spanish- audio and text)
- Please provide enough details from the video as well as why these facts were interesting/surprising to you.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 13: Overview
This Module, you will complete the following activities
Authentic Conversation (AC): Your Profession
Language Learning Lab (LLL): Language Learning through Input
At Work (AW): "Háblame de ti" (Tell me about yourself)
Culture: Shadowing Practice
Module 13: Authentic Conversation
Your Profession
For this assignment, you will conduct some research and find a video showcasing Spanish being spoken in your current or future profession, in context.
For example, if you are going to be a teacher, find a video of a teacher in a Spanish speaking classroom. If you are going to be a nurse, find a nurse speaking Spanish to a patient.
- Share the video and your reasons for choosing it. (English, Spanish or both)
- Choose one post you will respond to. Watch their video, and share two new phrases from the video that you learned. (English and Spanish, text and audio)
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
_________________________________________________________________
Here is such as example for the profession of engineer (ingeniero)
I chose this video because I am studying to become an engineer. This video shows an engineer who teaches engineering and in the video, he describes the intersection between engineering, technology and how these can be used to solve global problems. I also chose it because it is a TedX video which indicates it is from a credible and appropriate source.
Module 13: Language Learning Lab
Language Learning through Input
More and more, it is becoming accepted that language learning is most effective when it is 'input' based rather than filled with grammatical drills and other traditional methods. But, what is input based learning? Learn more about this with the following 13-minute video, and based on the video, answer the following questions, in English:
- What are the 4 important points to acquire language mentioned? List and briefly explain each.
- From the methods or learning strategies you have used in this course, which would you consider 'input' based?
- Define 'comprehensible input'
- What is the difference between 'acqusition' and 'learning' language?
- Based on what you learned from the video (or any research you conduct), do you agree comprehensible input is an effective method to learn languages? Explain why or why not?
- Moving forward, which other methods would you like to incorporate to help you increase your Spanish skills? Or which will you continue using? Why? Which ones would you stop using, if any?
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 13: At Work
"Háblame de ti" (Tell me about yourself)
In addition to daily conversation, you may encounter (or have encountered) academic or work situations where you were asked something along the lines of "Tell me about yourself". So we can expand upon the typical basic conversation in Spanish, in this project, you will explore how you might answer this question at a job interview (in Spanish!)
One type of question that you can almost count on during a job interview is: Tell me about yourself (Háblame de ti)
This question allows the interviewer to hear a short, summed up version of your background and skills, and it gives them insight into what experience and qualifications you think are most relevant to the position you’re interviewing for.
It will be that question (or one along those lines) that you will answer in this assignment, in Spanish! Based on what you will learn from the videos below and your own situation:
- In ONE minute, record yourself (audio or video) answering this question as though you were in an actual interview in Spanish for a job you might actually apply for or an ideal job you would like. You will want to create a script first. Your Spanish audio should be as close to one minute as possible.
- Submit a link to your audio and a written script in Spanish and English along with the Job title you are applying for.
NOTE: As you will learn from the resources below, this interview question is NOT the time to talk about your personal life but rather to present to the interviewer your professional background and what you 'bring to the table' (how would the company benefit from hiring you)
Please submit assignment in the appropriate submission area.
Resources (Notice the different accents!)
INDEED ARTICLE: HOW TO ANSWER "TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF"
VIDEO
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 13: Culture
Shadowing Practice
You may (or may not) know about the method of Shadowing to increase your fluency. However, if not familiar with the method, watch this short video which also explains the Repeating method.
Then, watch the video below to learn some job interview basics in Spanish AND also to practice shadowing (or repeating). You may have already watched this video in a previous module, and if so, it should be somewhat familiar and thus simpler to shadow than a new video.
- Record yourself shadowing (or repeating) for at least 3 minutes and submit a Vocaroo link of your shadowing or repeating practice.
- State how this process went for you: simple? challenging? useful? were you surprised about your ability to shadow or repeat? Explain
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 14: Overview
This Module, you will complete the following activities
Authentic Conversation (AC): 100 palabras (100 words)
Language Learning Lab (LLL): A Faster Way to Learn a Language
At Work (AW): Work communications (Translations - advanced)
Culture: Pronunciation
Module 14: Authentic Conversation
100 palabras (100 words)
Would you believe that 100 Spanish words cover 50% of spoken conversation? Decide for yourself by watching this 5-minute video containing the words.
- After you watch the video, create a set of THREE ESSENTIAL phrases for your work using ONLY the words in the video.
- Submit the sentences in English and Spanish and explain:
- Were you able to create complete sentences?
- Did you have to add words? What type of words? (verbs, nouns, adjectives, etc)
- What type of words would you need to add to the 100-word list? Why?
- What did you learn from this assignment?
- You do not need to respond to the posts of others but are encouraged to!
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
Additional Resources (Optional)
Module 14: Language Learning Lab
A Faster Way to Learn a Language
Continuing with the topic of how to learn languages most efficiently while enjoying the process, please watch the following video about another individual's perspective (and literal journey!) to learn languages (running time of about 14 minutes BUT YOU ONLY NEED TO WATCH THE FIRST 6 MINUTES- please disregard any 'sales' pitches/commercials and don't sign up for anything!)
Based on the video:
- Share what strategies or facts about language learning were new, most surprising or most useful to you.
- Define "High Frequency" words and whether you agree with this approach to language learning. Why or why not?
- List 20 'High Frequency' words that would be useful to know in Spanish for you depending on your interest or situation (work? school? friends?) - [Spanish and English list] STATE how/why you chose these words AND how they would be helpful.
- Define the PARETO PRINCIPLE as shown on video (and further research as needed) and how you might apply it to language learning? to learning in general?
- Did the video inspire you to do something different in the way you approach language learning? Why or why not? Explain
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 14: At Work
Work communications (Translations - advanced)
As we approach the last few modules in this class, it is important to explore written communications that relate to work since Spanish is a useful skill in many professions. It is also a good idea to translate using context clues since, if you have not figured it out already, one cannot translate any language word-for-word and expect an accurante translation.
For this assignment, you will first try to translate a document from Spanish to English WITHOUT using a translation platform. The goal is NOT an accurate translation but rather for you to give translation a try!!!
After you attempt translating on your own, you will check your translation with a tool such as Google Translate, SpanishDict and DeepL.
Detailed instructions are below.
Please submit assignment in the appropriate submission area.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Visit this OWLCATION SAMPLE BUSINESS LETTERS which you can access by clicking here, and from the list of letters/documents, choose ONE in Spanish that might be most useful/interesting/simple for you translate from Spanish to English.
- You will need to scroll down the page in order to see the sample letters (rather than components of a letter such as greetings, etc.)
- Note: There will already be a translation for the letter, but please try NOT to read it so you can truly try the translation on your own!
- You will need to scroll down the page in order to see the sample letters (rather than components of a letter such as greetings, etc.)
- Choose ONE letter/document in Spanish and translate it WITHOUT a translator app. Type it (or copy and paste) to a Word document so you can use it it on a next step. Do not worry about accuracy at this point - just try your best with what you know, even if it is not much. (Title this translation OT)
- Then, copy and paste the Spanish version into Google Translate AND SpanishDict AND DeepL to obtain an English translation from each platform. (Title the Google Translate translation GT, the SpanishDict translation SD, and the DeepL Translation DL)
- How close are the 4 translations? (yours, Google Translate, DeepL and SpanishDict?) How was this process for you: what did you learn? challenges? simple? useful?
- Submit the 3 translations and answers to the question above.
- NOTE: If you have completed this activity for another class, please CHOOSE A DIFFERENT LETTER to translate!
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 14: Culture
Authentic Pronunciation: What is it? Does it matter?
Watch two short and interesting videos below about pronunciation and the difference between Spanish in Latin America and Spain.
Do keep in mind that getting your message across in Spanish is way more important than accurate pronunciation!
- From the video titled How to Speak Like a Native Spanish Speaker, list and describe the 4 strategies explained (in your own words and with enough evidence from the videos)
- From the video titled Are There Differences between Spanish in Latin America and Spain, list 3 new, interesting or useful things you learned.
- Explain if/how your views on pronunciation have changed (or not) after watching the videos.
- Moving forward, might you approach speaking OR listening in Spanish differently based on this new information? Explain why or why not?
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Module 15: Overview
This Module, you will complete the following activities
- Authentic Conversation (AC): Adiós
- Language Learning Lab (LLL): Español todos los días (Spanish every day)
Module 15: Authentic Conversation
Adiós
Did you know? Adiós is Spanish for "goodbye" or "farewell".
Literally translated, the word is the contraction of "a" (to) and "Dios" (God), from the old Spanish phrase "A Dios vais" ("You're going to God", meaning to the Kingdom of Heaven), which appears in the novel Don Quixote.
- Here, we will say adiós to the course and each other. Hopefully you have had an enjoyable time in this class, learned some basic Spanish language and culture as well as learned from and gotten to know some classmates.
- On the appropriate discussion board area, you are also welcome to reflect upon your Spanish journey as well as say goodbye to classmates
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:25.621525
|
Textbook
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/90471/overview",
"title": "Spanish for the Professions",
"author": "Full Course"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/113662/overview
|
Hands-On AI Projects for the Classroom: A Guide for Secondary Teachers
Overview
ISTE and GM have partnered to create Hands-On AI Projects for the Classroom guides to provide educators with a variety of activities to teach students about AI across various grade levels and subject areas. Each guide includes background information for teachers and student-driven project ideas that relate to subject-area standards.
The hands-on activities in the guides range from “unplugged” projects to explore the basic concepts of how AI works to creating chatbots and simple video games with AI, allowing students to work directly with innovative AI technologies and demonstrate their learning.
Introduction
The Hands-On AI Projects for the Classroom series is a set of guides for teachers who are seeking instructional and curricular resources about artificial intelligence (AI) for various grade levels and across a range of subject areas. Developed by ISTE in partnership with General Motors, these guides are an extension of ISTE's work and feature student-driven AI projects curated from educators in the field, as well as strategies to support teachers in implementing the projects in a variety of K–12 classrooms. The projects engage students in both unplugged and technology-infused activities that explore key facets of AI technologies.
Click here to access the full Secondary resource in English.
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:25.640635
|
03/02/2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/113662/overview",
"title": "Hands-On AI Projects for the Classroom: A Guide for Secondary Teachers",
"author": "Rebecca Henderson"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/63481/overview
|
Online Lab: El árbol familiar
Overview
Students will practice asking and answering questions about family members and characteristics of people.
El árbol familiar
Topics: La familia, nacionalidades, adjetivos y frases con tener
NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:
I can ask and answer questions about the members of my family and ask about someone else's family
I can describe the characteristics of someone
In my own and other cultures, I can identify who people consider to be part of their family (Intercultural)
Materials Needed:
Google Slideshow
Warm-up
Students are shown a family tree of famous people. You will assign a student to be ONE member of the family. Have each student name another member of the family.
Main Activity: Make your own family tree
Review some vocabulary words with the students first. Have the students create their own family trees at FamilyEcho.com. Once they have completed them, they will share their screens with the rest of the group so they can present their own families.
Optional Activity: Jeopardy
https://jeopardylabs.com/play/spa-101-9-13-de-octubre-3 to play
https://jeopardylabs.com/edit2/7629506 to edit (password- Osos161!)
Student can take turns choosing categories and points. The first person to type “yo” in the chatbox after you have read the question gets the first chance to answer the question aloud. If the first person is incorrect, the second person who typed “yo” in the chatbox gets a chance to answer.
Vamos a jugar Jeopardy. Ustedes necesitan elegir una categoría y un número de puntos. Entonces, yo voy a leer la pregunta o frase. La primera persona que escribe “yo” en su chatbox tiene la oportunidad a responder a la pregunta. Si esta person no está correcta, la segunda persona que escribió “yo” tiene una oportunidad a responder. La persona correcta recibe los puntos.
End of lab: Can-do statement check in... "Where are we?"
Read can-do statements and have students evaluate their confidence with cards
Encourage students to be honest in their self evaluation
Pay attention, and try to use feedback for future labs!
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:25.677002
|
Mimi Fahnstrom
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/63481/overview",
"title": "Online Lab: El árbol familiar",
"author": "Activity/Lab"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/101046/overview
|
Attorney <> Client Initial Meeting
Overview
Worksheet for an initial meeting between an attorney and a defendant. Scenario focuses on a theft, but can be used for a different type of crime.
Student Handout
Attorney <> Potential Client (Initial Meeting)
- First, the student attorney must make a copy of this template and add their name to the title of the document (click on FILE, select MAKE A COPY, and SAVE it to your computer under the new name.)
EXAMPLE: Attorney Potential Client Initial Meeting John Doe
- Because this new document (your copy) is privileged information, do not share it with anyone except with your client (the defendant).
PAIRED ACTIVITY.
Student 1. You are a bilingual public defender and you will be meeting with your Spanish-speaking client for the first time. They have been charged with theft* and they are being housed at the local county jail. You will have to explain some basics about how to work with an attorney and get some information to better argue for bail.
Student 2. You are a Spanish-speaking defendant and you are being accused of theft. You may or may not have prior convictions for other crimes. Be honest with your attorney. Give them the information that they may need to best defend you. The links below may help you come up with a few questions for your attorney. Also, provide your attorney with additional personal information that may help you get bail.
Be creative, without being exaggerated!
Look below at a potential worksheet for attorney<>client meetings
1) Briefly explain attorney-client privilege (everything shared is confidential).
2) Explain the importance of being honest with the attorney.
3) Briefly explain secrecy must not talk to anyone else about the crime, especially law
Enforcement (5th amendment against self-incrimination).
4) Get the details of the story to better defend your client.
o Have you ever been arrested before this crime? Some details (#of times, crime/s, days in jail, probation, community service, amount of fine imposed and any outstanding fines, etc)
o What crime/s have been charged against you (right now) ?
o What happened? Elements of the crime: time, place, potential witnesses, and any and all details. Write a short narration to help you present your case to a judge.
o It may be helpful to get a few details about the defendant (Employed or a student? Family members? Church going? Owns property in the USA? Assets?)
In Idaho, *Theft can be a misdemeanor or a felony. You will have to decide on a list of items stolen (maybe look into jewelry on Quizlet) and the value of the items (more than $1000 or less?) Then quickly look over this information LINK to determine which one it is (felony or misdemeanor?)
Try using your newly acquired QUIZLET vocabulary (in Spanish). For example:
Judge Attorney Prosecutor Defendant Court
Hearing Fine Arrest Prison Probation
Crime Theft Jail Bail Criminal record
About the author
Fátima Cornwall arrived from the Azores Islands, Portugal in 1993. Since then her academic achievements include a M.A. in Spanish Literature from University of California - Santa Barbara, and a B.A. in Spanish from Boise State University.
Fátima has many years of experience in different areas of the interpreting profession. She is a Federal Court Certified Interpreter, as well as an Idaho Court Certified Interpreter Master Level in Spanish and Certified Portuguese Interpreter. She is also a Certified Medical Interpreter through the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI). She has been serving as faculty for different workshops and training sessions for new and experienced interpreters and judges for the past five years. Fátima is also an interpreter assessment specialist and a rater for a national credentialing program for interpreters.
Fátima has a great passion for teaching and learning, having published articles in the subject. She is a clinical assistant professor at Boise State University where she works as the Spanish Language Coordinator and teaches Portuguese and Spanish upper-division courses, including Introduction to Court Interpretation and Spanish for Healthcare.
For any feedback, including corrections, suggestions and so forth please feel free to contact Fátima at fcornwal@boisestate.edu
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:25.698573
|
Languages
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/101046/overview",
"title": "Attorney <> Client Initial Meeting",
"author": "Higher Education"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/116148/overview
|
Spanish for Construction and Management
Overview
This online resource which is designed as a highly interactive alternative to a textbook for a full-semester course to help beginning students gain or increase Spanish skills that are useful for their career, daily life, academics and travel. The emphasis will be in language output for daily life and professional purposes, and there is very little emphasis on grammar as this will be acquired naturally through exposure to the language.Students will find activities to build speaking, listening, writing and reading skills as well as explore Spanish, Hispanic and Latin American culture.All sources in this resource are Open Educational Resources which are free and available to all users.
Course Overview
¡Bienvenidos a la clase de español! Welcome to Spanish class!
Welcome to this online resource which is designed as a highly interactive alternative to a textbook for a full-semester course to help you gain or increase Spanish skills that are useful for your future (or current) career in Construction and Management as well as daily life, and travel.You will find activities to build your vocabulary and enhance your grammar skills as well as explore Open Educational Resources that are free and available to all users.
You will find the content practical, authentic and engaging, but more importantly, you will learn a lot!
The course is divided into 14 modules with each module centering around specific themes. Even though grammar is essential to learning any language, in this course, you will find that speaking the language, strategies for learning languages and culture are just as (or even more) important than extensive grammar drills.
Also, this course encourages students to use translation platforms in order to acquire advanced language skills in an expedited manner rather than relying on memorization and drills. Therefore, this is a course designed to follow a communicative approach rather than a more 'traditional' approach to language learning which can delay students from accessing, navigating and benefiting from more advanced and interesting activities in addition to real-life conversations that they would experience when working with native Spanish speakers.
As much as possible, in the activities in this online book, students will participate in 'real-life' language immersion rather than typical classroom drills will make for a more engaged student who can become self-directed, learn at his or her own pace, and tailor their learning depending on their needs and interests.
Introductions and Spanish Basics
Getting to know people
Polite words and commands
Emergencies
Talking about tools
Talking about measurements
At the construction site
Giving Instructions and Directions
Construction Terminology
Management Terminolgy
Technology and the Office
Forms and Paperwork
Human Resources
Saying Goodbye
Module 0: How do I...? (Technology Tutorials and Resources)
About this course (scroll down to access the tutorials and resources)
This course is designed primarily for individuals with little or no experience in Spanish, but it also supports higher-level learners by allowing them to tailor activities according to their needs and proficiency. Each activity is adaptable, so rather than traditional grammar drills or multiple-choice exercises, students engage with videos, lessons, and practice exercises that they can customize. This setup encourages students to adjust responses based on their interests and needs, allowing advanced learners to apply their knowledge while supporting beginners to progress without being restricted by specific proficiency requirements.
The course’s multimedia resources support both beginner and advanced learners with captions and auto-translation options, making content accessible for everyone. Additionally, shadowing practice benefits both non-native and native Spanish speakers, reinforcing listening and pronunciation skills. In this course, native Spanish speakers can not only refine their Spanish language abilities and explored field-specific language and cultural topics, but they also have the opportunity to improve their English skills.
Using translation platforms is also encouraged, as it promotes deeper comprehension, supports vocabulary retention, and offers real-time understanding checks. The course includes authentic activities and exercises that learners can adapt to suit their language level and personal interests. Students create their own glossaries, which they can tailor to reflect vocabulary relevant to them. Each module maintains a consistent structure to reduce cognitive load, allowing students to focus on language acquisition rather than navigation.
NOTE: With any external site incuded in this textbook resource, please watch out for ads and be cautious of where you click!
Click on the below for tutorials or useful information
- How to record and share a Vocaroo audio file (Free version. No download needed)
- How to take a screenshot
- How to create a video screencast with ScreenPal (free version, download needed)
- How to use SpanishDict (Free version. You will need to register using your Google account/login. There is a paid option which is highly recommended)
THE FOLLOWING ARE RESOURCES, PLATFORMS AND SITES THAT WILL BE USED IN THE COURSE AND/OR ARE RECOMMENDED FOR STUDENTS TO SELF-STUDY.
Language Learning Platforms (all external sources that have both free and paid versions)
Vocabulary and Translation (all external sites)
YouTube Channels
Websites (Please watch out for ads and be cautious of where you click!)
- The Spanish Experiment
- Spanish Homeschool Academy
Module 1: Introductions and Spanish Basics
Introductions and Spanish Basics
Sections to complete and approximate time needed to complete each (may vary depending on your Spanish level, effort and interest)
- Warm-Up (15 - 30 minutes)
- Authentic Conversation (30 - 60 minutes)
- Vocabulary Builder (15 - 30 minutes)
- Language Learning Lab (30 - 60 minutes)
- At Work (30 - 60 minutes)
- Culture (15 - 30 minutes)
- "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement" (15 minutes): Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
| Scroll down to get started with the first section! |
Section 1: Warm-Up
Basic Greetings
One of the first things that are useful to learn in any language are greetings. To help us greet and introduce each other (as well as to do so with others!), watch the following and read this lesson from Homeschool Spanish Academy to learn about basic greetings and introductions in Spanish. You will also answer questions based on the videos, and what you learn from the videos will also help you with the Discussion Board this week.
- After watching the video and reading the lesson, from each (video and lesson), please choose the 2 most useful phrases for you (2 from the video and 2 from the lesson) and write them as a list in English and Spanish. When applicable, replace the name (and other personal information) of you or the person in the video or lesson with your own name and information.
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 2: Authentic Conversation
Let's get to know each other
Building a community is important in any class, but especially in an online class.
- In Spanish and English, in the appropriate submission area, please share your name, age (optional), your major, where you are from and anything else you would like to share about yourself such as hobbies, interests, pets, etc. (Hint: This YouTube Playlist videos will show you some basic, authentic greetings in Spanish) and watch the video below for some great basic phrases for greetings and goodbyes.
- Respond to the post of at least one other student
All posts must be respectful and contribute positively to an atmosphere of civility and cooperation.
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to translate, check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 3: Vocabulary Builder
Basic Spanish Phrases
Learn or practice important Spanish Basic Phrases vocabulary by doing the following:
Access the Quizlet Link: Click the provided Quizlet link to access the vocabulary practice set.
Review and Practice: Familiarize yourself with the vocabulary words and their meanings. Practice using different study modes available on Quizlet.
Complete the Practice: Work through the vocabulary practice thoroughly, ensuring you're comfortable with the meanings and usage of each word.
Submit Proof of Completion: Take a screenshot of one completed Quizlet session and submit it as proof of completion.
QUIZLET LINK
If the link above does not work, you can copy and paste this link to a different tab:
https://quizlet.com/518187492/basic-phrases-in-spanish-introductions-and-useful-phrases-flash-cards/?i=e5fdo&x=1jqt
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 4: Language Learning Lab
Planning for Success
As you probably already know, managing academics, work, family and social commitments is a challenge. However, there are ways to plan for success in all areas which are worth exploring. Please watch the videos on the next page, and based on the videos below, answer the following questions:
- Based on the Benefits of a bilingual brain, what are three benefits of language learning?
- From the video of Typing vs Handwriting list 2 benefits of handwriting and how handwriting might be useful (or not) for you in this class or any other class.
- Which two strategies from the Thomas Frank 'How to stay productive..' video would be most useful to you?
- Do you have the time or are you willing to make the time to learn Spanish while in this course?
- State your full name, state what grade you would like to earn in this class and explain how you plan to earn that grade.
You can choose to submit in English, Spanish or both.
Submit your work as a PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
NOTE: IF YOU ARE POSTING TO A PADLET DISCUSSION BOARD, IN ADDITION TO THE PADLET POST, TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT, PLEASE TAKE A SCREENSHOT (OR COPY AND PASTE POST TEXT) TO INCLUDE WITH THE REST OF THE MODULE SUBMISSION DOCUMENT WHERE YOU SUBMIT THE REST OF THE MODULE SECTIONS.
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 5: At Work
Names of Professions
Learn how to state professions and specialities in many fields with the video below.
Based on the video:
- List 3 jobs/professions or specialties mentioned in the video that relate (directly or indirectly) to your current or future career. Include English and Spanish version.
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to translate, check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 6: Culture
Greetings Around the World
Please watch the provided videos and, for each video, share your saludo favorito (favorite greeting).
Describe the saludo and include which country each is from.
Your response can be in English, Spanish or both.
.
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 7: "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement"
Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
Additional Resources (Optional)
Spanish Experiment Lesson: https://www.thespanishexperiment.com/learn-spanish/greetings
Regular verbs: https://www.spanishdict.com/guide/spanish-present-tense-forms
Irregular verbs: https://www.spanishdict.com/guide/irregular-verbs-in-spanish
Module 2: Getting to know people
Getting to know people
Sections to complete and approximate time needed to complete each (may vary depending on your Spanish level, effort and interest)
- Warm-Up (15 - 30 minutes)
- Authentic Conversation (30 - 60 minutes)
- Vocabulary Builder (15 - 30 minutes)
- Language Learning Lab (30 - 60 minutes)
- At Work (30 - 60 minutes)
- Culture (15 - 30 minutes)
- "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement" (15 minutes): Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
| Scroll down to get started with the first section! |
Section 1: Warm-Up
How to introduce yourself
Please watch the following videos which will showcase some authentic Spanish phrases to introduce yourself. .
- Based on the video, share 3 full phrases, questions or sentences you learned that were new, interesting or useful for you.
- Share the phrases/questions in English and Spanish, as audio and text.
When a submission requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link.
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 2: Authentic Conversation
Let's continue to get to know each other!
In this discussion, we will continue to get to know each other (in Spanish) with text and audio!
This will be great practice for introductions when meeting others such as students, new friends, co-worker, client, etc.
First, watch the YouTube videos below with more advanced greetings in Spanish and read this lesson from Homeschool Spanish Academy. Based on what you learned from the videos you will submit an original introductory post and respond to the post of others on the appropriate submission area of the course.
Original Post
- Create/write a brief text introduction of yourself (in Spanish) of at least five (5) sentences.
- Please include some of the sentences you learned from the videos
- After you create your written introduction, create a set of at least three (3) questions (in Spanish) that you might ask a student, new friend, colleagues, etc.
- Record audio of yourself reading your introduction and the questions - all in Spanish.
- Post the text version of your introduction as well as a link to the audio
Respond to the Posts of 2 other students
- Choose posts from at least TWO other students that you will respond to
- Listen to their audio introductions and read their posts, paying close attention to the questions they ask
- Create an audio recording (in Spanish) where you respond to their questions.
- Post a link to your text and audio response as a Reply to their original post.
*** Please scroll down the page for the second videos you will watch for this section***
All posts must be respectful and contribute positively to an atmosphere of civility and cooperation.
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 3: Vocabulary Builder
Basic Spanish Phrases
Learn or practice important Basic Spanish Phrases vocabulary by doing the following:
Access the Quizlet Link: Click the provided Quizlet link to access the vocabulary practice set.
Review and Practice: Familiarize yourself with the vocabulary words and their meanings. Practice using different study modes available on Quizlet.
Complete the Practice: Work through the vocabulary practice thoroughly, ensuring you're comfortable with the meanings and usage of each word.
Submit Proof of Completion: Take a screenshot of one completed Quizlet session and submit it as proof of completion.
QUIZLET LINK
If the link above does not work, you can copy and paste this link to a different tab: https://quizlet.com/518974145/authentic-conversation-spanish-greetings-and-basic-phrases-flash-cards/?i=e5fdo&x=1jqt
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 4: Language Learning Lab
Does Language Affect Thought?
Based on the video below, How Language shapes the way we think:
- Share 3 new or interesting facts you learned
- Share how/if the video changed the way you view/think of language and language learning.
- How might the information from the video inform your interactions with individuals from different countries who speak different languages?
Your answers can be in English, Spanish or both.
When a submission requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link.
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 5: At Work
Describe yourself
At work, you will sometimes need to describe yourself or others as well as understand others making descriptions. Learn or review some useful Spanish adjectives for physical characteristics and gain some excellent listening practice in the video below. Notice not just the different accents but also the common use of diminutives in Spanish! (If you are not familiar with diminutives in Spanish, this Homeschool Spanish lesson will help)
- Based on the video list, by hand, write a list of at least 10 adjectives (or phrases related to describing oneself) that you did not know and/or need more practice with and/or are useful for you and/or describe you, in English and Spanish. Submit a screenshot of your handwritten list.
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 6: Culture
America or U.S. (?)
First, please watch the following video to hear the way in which four individuals introduce themselves and prepare to state where they are from. (Listen for the different accents!)
Then, please think of the following:
- State where each of the individuals is from (English and Spanish)
- If you were to state where you live and/or where you are from would you say: Soy de America or Soy de los Estados Unidos?
- Conduct some research to find out WHICH way you should answer this question and explain your findings.
- State why it might be important to know this information when working with and/or meeting individuals from different countries, especially Latin America.
- Submit your answers to the above questions in English, except for when stating the Soy de .... portion of the response which should be in Spanish!
Here are some additional resources to help (external links):
- Nationalities and talking about where you are from (FluentU)
- Preposition DE (Yabla)
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 7: "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement"
Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
Module 3: Polite words and Commands
Polite words and commands
Sections to complete and approximate time needed to complete each (may vary depending on your Spanish level, effort and interest)
- Warm-Up (15 - 30 minutes)
- Authentic Conversation (30 - 60 minutes)
- Vocabulary Builder (15 - 30 minutes)
- Language Learning Lab (30 - 60 minutes)
- At Work (30 - 60 minutes)
- Culture (15 - 30 minutes)
- "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement" (15 minutes): Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
| Scroll down to get started with the first section! |
Section 1: Warm-Up
What languages do you speak?
Most likely, you are alredy able to recognize if someone is speaking Spanish, but do you know how to ask and answer "Do you speak Spanish? or "Do you speak English" Learn or review these essential verbs with this one-minute video!
- Based on the video, share 2 new or useful phrases you learned from the video, as audio and text in English and Spanish
- Create 2 other phrases related to asking or telling someone about speaking (or not) languages that would be useful for you to know, as audio and text in English and Spanish
When a submission requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link.
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 2: Authentic Conversation
"Commands" (Imperative mood)
At work (or in life!) you will have to ask people to do something such as sit, relax, turn on the light, etc. In Spanish, these are called Commands which are part of a grammatical mood called the Imperative. Learn how to form commands in Spanish with this Spanish Homeschool Academy lesson and the video below.
Based on what you learn from the lesson, create 3 sentences (requests) where you utilize the imperative mood to ask a classmate to 'do something' that would make sense in an academic setting OR that you would use with a patient in a medical setting.
- Post your 3 sentences (post in Spanish and English - audio and text)
- Choose a post to respond to and respond to their commands in the positive or negative - will you do as you were asked or not? why? do you have any clarifying questions? ( post in Spanish and English - audio and text)
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
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Section 3: Vocabulary Builder
NOTE: There are 2 parts in this Section
PART 1: Polite Words
Learn or practice important vocabulary by doing the following:
Access the Quizlet Link: Click the provided Quizlet link to access the vocabulary practice set.
Review and Practice: Familiarize yourself with the vocabulary words and their meanings. Practice using different study modes available on Quizlet.
Complete the Practice: Work through the vocabulary practice thoroughly, ensuring you're comfortable with the meanings and usage of each word.
Submit Proof of Completion: Take a screenshot of one completed Quizlet session and submit it as proof of completion.
QUIZLET LINK
If the link above does not work, you can copy and paste this link to a different tab:
https://quizlet.com/914773216/polite-words-in-spanish-flash-cards/?i=e5fdo&x=1qqt
PART 2: Commands
Learn more 'commands' phrases with the Quizlet below. Then, create a Google Sheets, Excel Sheet (or similar) document where you will type in the words from the Quizlet. Title the document: Your Name Spanish Glossary (Example: Maria Spanish Glossary) as this is a document you will use in future activities and that will help you keep track of phrases so you can review them and add to the list.
- Submit a screenshot of the completed Quizlet practice lesson.
- Submit your Spanish Glossary as a PDF that is separate from the Module template document.
QUIZLET
If the link above does not work, copy and paste this link to a new tab:
https://quizlet.com/916909566/commands-in-spanish-for-construction-and-management-setting-imperative-flash-cards/?i=e5fdo&x=1qqt
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Section 4: Language Learning Lab
What is Fluency?
Watch the video below, and based on the video, in English, share 2 new or interesting facts you learned about what FLUENCY means or its myths. Share what you think your current Spanish fluency level is and what level you hope to achieve in the future, even beyond this class. Note that it is OK to share if you are not planning on reaching any level of fluency beyond what you reach in this class!
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Section 5: At Work
More Commands
Increase your command of Spanish commands with some interactive practice with SpanishDict.
Click on the SpanishDict link below, and:
- Choose at least 3 lessons/activities from the page (see image below which will show you what the screen looks like) and complete the activities. Submit a screenshot(s) showing completion.
NOTE: If you have not registered yet to SpanishDict, you will need to do so with a Google Account. It is a free platform, but if you have the means, the paid version is highly recommended by students!
CLICK BELOW TO ACCESS SPANISHDICT ACTIVITIES:
SPANISHDICT ACTIVITIES
Hint: In the SpanishDict activities, if you hover with your mouse above the Spanish sentences, you will see the English translation.
If the above link does not work, copy and paste this link to a new tab: https://www.spanishdict.com/guide/commands
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Section 6: Culture
Formal and Informal Speech
In Spanish, there are different ways to address people depending on their age, relationship to you, and their position. Although it will vary across different regions and people, typically the 'formal' form of speech (especially as it referes to the pronoun YOU and the way the verbs are conjugated) have to do with respect.
As a beginner Spanish speaker, you want to be aware of this as you work with Spanish-speaking patients, especially those who are older that you, as generally, they expect the 'formal' manner of address. However, this will take time and practice, so for now, just be aware of it.
To learn about Formal and Informal speech in Spanish, please read over this Spanish Experiment lesson. Then, please watch the provided video and:
- Explain the different Spanish pronouns for YOU and how/when each is used.
- From the video, share two phrases that you found to be new, interesting, or valuable. When relevant, ensure that you include sufficient details and evidence from the video to support your responses. Your submission should include both English and Spanish audio in the form of a link, as well as written text.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 7: "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement"
Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
Additional Resources (Optional)
This Duolingo lesson will show you a written list of Commands.
Module 4: Emergencies
Emergencies
Sections to complete and approximate time needed to complete each (may vary depending on your Spanish level, effort and interest)
- Warm-Up (15 - 30 minutes)
- Authentic Conversation (30 - 60 minutes)
- Vocabulary Builder (15 - 30 minutes)
- Language Learning Lab (30 - 60 minutes)
- At Work (30 - 60 minutes)
- Culture (15 - 30 minutes)
- read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
| Scroll down to get started with the first section! |
Section 1: Warm-Up
911 and Need for Interpreters
Watch the video below which showcases a real-life scenario of a Spanish-speaker calling 911.
- Based on the outcome of the video, in English, explain what you would have done differently if you were the 911 dispatcher receving the call. How could you have helped the caller? What could you have said or done?
- Then, create at least 3 phrases (English with Spanish translation) that would be helpful if you were ever in a situation where a Spanish speaker is asking you for emergency help, and you do not know enough Spanish to assist. Submit as text and audio.
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Section 2: Authentic Conversation
Emergency Phrases
Whether it is for travel, daily life or work, it is important to know Spanish phrases for emergencies.
Watch the following video for a few basic emergency phrases.
- List FIVE emergency words/phrases you learned from the video
You will find the video is not enough for all the possible emergencies one might encounter or the most likely ones depending on the situation.
- Therefore, please conduct some research and find:
- ONE video to help you learn phrases for emergencies in Spanish.
- ONE website or online resource to help you learn phrases for emergencies in Spanish.
- Share the resource(s) and explain how each would be helpful.
- Please respond to the post of at least one other student by visiting the links they provided and commenting on the usefulness of the video/resources/websites they shared AND two (2) new emergency words/phrases (English and Spanish versions) you learned from the resources shared in the post you responded to.
All posts must be respectful and contribute positively to an atmosphere of civility and cooperation.
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link.
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 3: Vocabulary Builder
Note: There are 2 parts to this Section
PARTE 1: Emergency words and phrases
Click HERE to access a Quizlet set of flashcards. Choose any mode to practice and share a screenshot showing completion.
If the link above does not work, copy and paste the following onto a new tab: https://quizlet.com/387639223/practical-spanish-emergency-wordspalabras-de-emergencia-flash-cards/?i=e5fdo&x=1jqt
PARTE 2: Numbers
Learn the Spanish numbers from 0-100 with the lesson below. Record yourself reading the numbers and submit an audio link AND/OR you may choose to complete the two interactive lessons (0-20 and 21-100) and submit a screenshot(s) as proof of completion.
CLICK TO ACCESS: SPANISHDICT LESSON: https://www.spanishdict.com/guide/numbers-in-spanish-0-100
When a submission requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link.
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Section 4: Language Learning Lab
Shadowing Practice
You will now use an engaging method to help your Spanish skills: Shadowing. Unlike the Repeating method where you listen to a word or phrase and repeat after it, with Shadowing, you try to speak at just about the same time as the speaker. This is not unlike singing along with your favorite song, and it helps you with the mechanics, rate of speech and intonation of language as it is spoken. So you may or may not have heard of the method of Shadowing as a strategy to increase your fluency in Spanish (or any language), but if not familiar with this method of increasing your Spanish fluency, this video will explain what it is. Shadowing is sometimes difficult for beginners, but for this assignment, do give it a try!!!!
- Watch (listen) to the video below and record yourself SHADOWING FOR AT LEAST THREE MINUTES.
- Share a bit about your experience and the answers to the following:
- Share the link to the source (audio, video, etc.) you chose to shadow and explain WHY you chose it.
- What was your experience like with shadowing? (Fun? Challenging? Stressful? Simple? Useful?) Explain in English, as text.
- Based on this experience, do you think shadowing might (or might not) be a good way to increase your Spanish skills? Explain in English, as text.
- Please note that Shadowing is NOT repeating after you hear the phrase, it is saying the phrase at the same time (follow along) as you hear the phrases.
- Submit and audio link of your shadowing practice and the response to the questions above.
When a submission requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link.
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Section 5: At Work
What to say in an emergency situation
With the video below, learn 5 basic Spanish phrases a first-responder (in this case a Police Officer) find useful when communicating with a Spanish speaker. However, the phrases can apply to any situation where help is needed, including any workplace.
What makes this video interesting is that the individual is a Spanish learner himself! Therefore, there might be a few grammatical errors in his phrases, but do not worry as these do NOT interfere with understanding. This is something to keep in mind: your Spanish does NOT have to be perfect, you just need to be understood!
- Based on the video, write a list by hand/handwritten of the phrases in English and Spanish. Submit your written list and audio of you reading the phrases.
Note: If you spot any grammatical errors, you are welcome to share these as well.
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Section 6: Culture
Gender of Nouns and Pronouns
In Spanish, nouns are either feminine or masculine. There are no netural nouns. This may be important to know for effective communication and assistance.
Please visit the SpanishDict lesson provided via the link below to learn about this topic which will be helpful in 'real-lfe' and 'at work' as matching gender of nouns to articles and adjectives will help avoid confusion.
NOTE FOR FIRST TIME SPANISHDICT USERS: You will need to register to the platform using a gmail/google account. There is a free version which has a lot of ads, so watch out for those. If you have the means, the paid version is highly recommended.
- Complete the Activity Lessons located at the top of the page. Choose at least 3 lessons you will complete (choose the 1st lesson and then choose 2 others) and click on each lesson.
- Provide a screenshot of each completed lesson as evidence of your completion. If you complete lessons at different times, you can submit separate screenshots. If you complete them all at one, you can submit one screenshot that shows they have been completed.
SPANISHDICT ACTIVITY
THE SECTION IS TITLED: GENDER OF NOUNS AND PRONOUNS. The screen should look like the image below. If it does not, it could be somehow you were routed to a different lesson. If that is the case, you may need to try again or do a search for SpanishDict lessons/activities on GENDER OF PRONOUNS
Interactive lessons at the top of the page for which you will submit screenshot(s) as proof of completion) Click on each of the lessons to complete.
Choose 3 including the 1st lesson. This means you will complete the first lesson and choose 2 others to complete as well.
- Note: When completing the lesson activities, you can hover over the Spanish sentences to view the English translation
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Section 7: "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement"
Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
Module 5: Talking about tools
Talking about tools
Sections to complete and approximate time needed to complete each (may vary depending on your Spanish level, effort and interest)
- Warm-Up (15 - 30 minutes)
- Authentic Conversation (30 - 60 minutes)
- Vocabulary Builder (15 - 30 minutes)
- Language Learning Lab (30 - 60 minutes)
- At Work (30 - 60 minutes)
- Culture (15 - 30 minutes)
- "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement" (15 minutes): Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
| Scroll down to get started with the first section! |
Section 1: Warm-Up
Solving Spanish-Speaking Worker Challenges
Learn of some common challenges with non-English speakers in construction phrases in Spanish as well as get some excellent ideas to help improve safety within the workplace with the video below. Based on the video, list 3 new or useful stragegies or ideas that you learned, and explain how implementing these would be helpful in your current or future career.
- Submit your list in Spanish and English as audio and text.
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
When a submission requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link.
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 2: Authentic Conversation
Conversation using Construction vocabulary
Learn vocabulary essential for effective conversation in a construction workplace setting with the video below. Watch the entire video, and for the Discussion Board posts:
- For your Original Post, choose 3 of the useful tools, 3 useful verbs and 3 useful phrases/sentences for construction that are presented on the video (total of 9 words/phrases), post them as text and audio in English and Spanish
- For the Response Posts, choose the posts of 2 other students, and craft a follow-up phrase or question to the phrases they posted as though you were in an actual workplace conversation. Post in English and Spanish as audio and text.
All posts must be respectful and contribute positively to an atmosphere of civility and cooperation.
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 3: Vocabulary Builder
Tools Vocabulary
Learn or practice important vocabulary by doing the following:
Learn more 'tools' in Spanish with the Quizlet below. Then, create a Google Sheets, Excel Sheet (or similar) document where you will type in the words from the Quizlet. Title the document: Your Name Spanish Glossary (Example: Maria Spanish Glossary) as this is a document you will use in future activities and that will help you keep track of phrases so you can review them and add to the list.
- Submit a screenshot of the completed Quizlet practice lesson.
- Submit your Spanish Glossary as a PDF that is separate from the Module template document.
QUIZLET
https://quizlet.com/916915821/20-tools-used-in-construction-flash-cards/?i=e5fdo&x=1jqt
Adidtional Tool Vocabulary Resources:
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Section 4: Language Learning Lab
Images for Communication
Charts, drawings, images, etc. can be helpful to communicate. Coupled with words, they can be a useful tool at work. Below is a 'tools' poster that can be used to help learn or communicate about tools used at work or anywhere tools are used.
- Using any resources available to you, create a bilingual chart (Spanish-English version with images) of at least 5 tools that would be most useful for you in your current or future job. You can be as creative as you would like, as long as your chart is not identical as the one below and lists different tools.
You can use a free, online platform such as Canva or you can use Google Slides, Power Point or any other platform that allows you to design something that resembles a business card!
Additional Resource: For a useful written Glossary of terms for tools' in Spanish, this SPANISH ACADEMY TOOLS VOCABULARY will help.
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Section 5: At Work
Mira y escucha (Watch and listen)
- Watch the following video in Spanish (with NO subtitles/captions/English translation) and try to understand using the Spanish you know and context clues.
- Share a statement of how much you THINK you were able to understand and what strategies you used to help you understand.
- Then, re-watch the video with English captions (use the CC captions on YouTube) and compare your initial understanding with the actual translation. How much did you ACTUALLY understand? What was the video about? Provide enough details so it is evident you watched the entire video.
- How was this experience for you?
- What did you learn from doing this activity (both about your listening comprehension and/or construction terms)
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Section 6: Culture
Business Etiquette in Latin America
Please read the brief article below and watch the video to get started learning some of the differences in the way business is conducted in Latin America and with individuals from Latin America.
Based on the article and video, choose three items that were the most interesting and/or useful for you, and conduct some additional research about them. In English, explain how they differ from U.S. customs, why it is important to be aware of these differences and why you chose those two items. Please provide enough evidence and details.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
READ Article: Business Etiquette in Latin America (NOTE: You do NOT have to register or sign up to view this content. Simply click the X or Close button when the pop-up window appears)
Video:
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Section 7: "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement"
Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
Module 6: Talking about measurements
Talking about measurements
Sections to complete and approximate time needed to complete each (may vary depending on your Spanish level, effort and interest)
- Warm-Up (15 - 30 minutes)
- Authentic Conversation (30 - 60 minutes)
- Vocabulary Builder (15 - 30 minutes)
- Language Learning Lab (30 - 60 minutes)
- At Work (30 - 60 minutes)
- Culture (15 - 30 minutes)
- "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement" (15 minutes): Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
| Scroll down to get started with the first section! |
Section 1: Warm-Up
Numbers
Review and practice numbers in Spanish some interactive practice with SpanishDict.
Click on the SpanishDict link below, and:
- Choose at least 3 lessons/activities from the page (see image below which will show you what the screen looks like) and complete the activities. Submit a screenshot(s) showing completion.
NOTE: If you have not registered yet to SpanishDict, you will need to do so with a Google Account. It is a free platform, but if you have the means, the paid version is highly recommended by students!
SPANISHDICT ACTIVITIES
Hint: In the SpanishDict activities, if you hover with your mouse above the Spanish sentences, you will see the English translation.
If the above link does not work, copy and paste this link to a new tab:
https://www.spanishdict.com/guide/numbers-in-spanish-0-100
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Section 2: Authentic Conversation
To have to do something
Tener que and Hay que are phrases that indicate something needs to be 'done'. Learn more with the video below and read this lesson from BaseLang.
- Based on what you learn, create 1 statement using HAY QUE and 1 statement using TENER QUE (you can conjugate TENER to 1st, 2nd or 3rd person) about tasks that 'need to be done' related to the Construction field. (task, project, action, etc.)
- Post your statements in English and Spanish as audio and text.
- Please respond to the post of at least one other student stating whether you 'want to' or are 'able to' complete whatever 'tasks' the student stated need to be completed OR asking for further clarification.
- Respond with text and audio in English and Spanish.
All posts must be respectful and contribute positively to an atmosphere of civility and cooperation.
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
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Section 3: Vocabulary Builder
Meaurement Vocabulary
Start learning Spanish words measurements with the Spanish Academy Lesson below, and complete the activities below.
Activity 1: As you read the lesson, record yourself repeating each of the measurement-related words and phrases from the lesson. Submit a link to your audio.
Activity 2: Type the list of words to your Spanish Glossary (English and Spanish versions) and submit a screenshot of the list in your Spanish Glossary or a separate PDF document containing the list in your Spanish Glossary.
LINK TO ACCESS: SPANISH ACADEMY LESSON
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Section 4: Language Learning Lab
Latin and Greek Roots
Did you know both English and Spanish are heavily influenced by the Latin and Greek languages?
This is especially true in the Science, Medical and Legal fields, but it is evident in general language as you will see in the video below. Learn more with the video, and based on the video:
- By hand (handwritten) make two lists of the words of Greek origin and Latin origin.
- Label each list as Greek and Latin
- Under the correct list, write the words mentioned in the video (these will be in English)
- Using a translation app, translate each of the words from your list into Spanish.
- Submit a screenshot of your completed list.
Additional Resources
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Section 5: At Work
Forming questions
Turning a statement into a question in Spanish is simple! Watch this video lesson to learn how we can turn a statement into a question in Spanish without having to change the words or word order.
Based on what you learn from the video:
- Explain the 3 ways in which we can form questions in Spanish
- Now, refer back to the statments using TENER QUE and HAY QUE from the previous section. Re-write your statements as questions. Submit both sets (statements and questions) as text and audio in both languages. Make sure to change your tone so it is evident which one is a statement and which one is a question!
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Section 6: Culture
Measurement systems
You may or may not know that inmost of the World, except for the U.S. the Metric System of measurement is used. This can create confusion when working with individuals from other countries, and you should be aware of it to avoid posible costly issues in the workplace. In systems of measurement, your knowledge of Greek and Latin roots in Spanish and English, will actually come in handy! Learn a bit about this with the video below,and also by reading this Appendix from the Wyoming Department of transportation.
- Based on the video, name and explain each of the measurement systems.
- Share 3 new, interesting or useful things you learned from the video with enough details and explanation on why you chose them and how they are helpful for you to know.
Your submission can be in English, Spanish or both as written text.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 7: "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement"
Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
Additional Resource (Optional)
For a useful written Glossary of terms of 'pain' in Spanish, this PDF lin from the International Medical Interpreters Association will help!
Module 7: At the construction site
At the construction site
Sections to complete and approximate time needed to complete each (may vary depending on your Spanish level, effort and interest)
- Warm-Up (15 - 30 minutes)
- Authentic Conversation (30 - 60 minutes)
- Vocabulary Builder (15 - 30 minutes)
- Language Learning Lab (30 - 60 minutes)
- At Work (30 - 60 minutes)
- Culture (15 - 30 minutes)
- "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement" (15 minutes): Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
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Section 1: Warm-Up
Names on the job site
Learn and practice how to say some of the names you will hear on the job site, in Spanish.
Please watch the video below and:
- Share 5 new, interesting or useful names or phrases you learned from the video, in English and Spanish, as text and audio.
- Explain the term 'gringo' based on the video and whether it is a negative term or not.
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Section 2: Authentic Conversation
Videos of your profession
Conduct your own research and find two videos in Spanish (that are from a credible source, appropriate, and for the level of this class) that you would recommend for someone who would like to improve their Spanish for a profession/work in YOUR current or future field.
- Share the links to the videos chose and their titles
- State why you chose the videos and why you would recommend them to someone else.
- Watch at least one video posted by a peer and comment on your experience with the video (What did you learn? How was it helpful? etc.).
- Also, share TWO new phrases you learned from that video (Spanish and English - audio and text)
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
Sample video for the Management field. I chose this because my career will be as a Construction Manager . This individual is a psychologist, and he demonstrates how to motivate employees. The video is in Spanish with English captions that I pressed CC to turn on. I recommend this video because the content it is interesting, and the content is useful for anyone who will work with employees in a supervisory capacity.
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Section 3: Vocabulary Builder
Locations and Directions
Start learning Spanish words for locations and directions with the video below, and complete the activities below.
This lesson from Spanish Academy also has some great vocabulary and phrases in written form.
Activity 1: As you watch the video, record yourself repeating each of the words and phrases from the video. Submit a link to your audio.
Activity 2: Type the list of words to your Spanish Glossary (English and Spanish versions) and submit a screenshot of the list in your Spanish Glossary or a separate PDF document containing the list in your Spanish Glossary.
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Section 4: Language Learning Lab
Tarjeta de negocios (Business cards)
Whether your work or business requires a business card, these are an excellent way to introduce yourself, provide basic information about you and your business.
For this assignment, you will create (all in Spanish) a business card that includes your name, a fictional business name, address, phone number and website address.
You can use a free, online platform such as Canva or you can use Google Slides, Power Point or any other platform that allows you to design something that resembles a business card!
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
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Section 5: At Work
Spanish at the Construction Site
Learn useful Spanish for the construction sute with the video below. Based on the video you will:
PARTE 1
- From the video, list the three phrases that were used during at the construction site. English and Spanish, audio and text.
- You will use the phrases in the next Part (PARTE 2)
PARTE 2
- Create a short script of a conversation between a manager/supervisor and a construction worker (obrero) during a site visit. It should be related to a site that may be one you would visit for your current or future field.
- Incorporate the 3 phrases from PARTE 1 into the script.
- The script should consist of at least 10 lines (5 for each of the characters speaking) and it should be in Spanish and English versions.
- Record the audio for the script. You can play the voice for both 'characters' in the recording or you can have a friend or family help you record by playing the second character.
- Submit the written script and audio link.
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Section 6: Culture
What are proxemics?
Proxemics is the study of personal space and the degree of separation individuals maintain in social situations. It is a form of non-verbal communication, and it can vary widely amongst different cultures. You will explore proxemics as a comparison across cultures through a variety of readings, videos and other activities. Submit responses in English only (Spanish version optional if you would like the practice).
- Watch videos below explaining proxemics
Thinking about what you have learned about proxemics (often referred to as our 'bubble'):
- State the 4 Proxemics distances mentioned in one of the videos.
- Based on those distances, what is the typical distance at which you feel 'comfortable' in different situations (family, social, school, work)
- To what do you attribute that distance? Upbringing? Culture? Personal preference? Societal norms?
- Have you been in a situation where your proxemics were different from someone else's? How did you navigate that situation?
- Why is it important to be aware of proxemics in the workplace? Explain how this might be important in your chosen profession.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
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Section 7: "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement"
Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
Module 8: Giving Instructions and Directions
Giving Instructions and Directions
Sections to complete and approximate time needed to complete each (may vary depending on your Spanish level, effort and interest)
- Warm-Up (15 - 30 minutes)
- Authentic Conversation (30 - 60 minutes)
- Vocabulary Builder (15 - 30 minutes)
- Language Learning Lab (30 - 60 minutes)
- At Work (30 - 60 minutes)
- Culture (15 - 30 minutes)
- "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement" (15 minutes): Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
| Scroll down to get started with the first section! |
Section 1: Warm-Up
Asking for directions
Would you know how to ask for and give directions in Spanish? Find out with the following video and Spanish Experiment Lesson below.
- Based on the lesson or video, share as text 5 of the phrases/sentences (not single, individual words with no context) that would be most useful for you to commit to memory (in English and Spanish as audio and text) and explain how these phrases would be useful for you.
LINK TO ACCESS: SPANISH EXPERIMENT LESSON
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Section 2: Authentic Conversation
Giving Directions
Based on this Spanish Experiment lesson which you can also access by clicking below, on the Discussion Board:
- Original Post: Choose 3 of the directions questions (questions asking for directions) from the lesson (English and Spanish as audio and text) and post them to the Discussion Board as though you were asking a classmate for those directions.
- Response Posts: Choose the posts of two classmates, and answer their questions by 'giving them directions'. Obviously, you will have to 'make-up' the directions, but this will be great practice for the time when you actually need to help a Spanish speaker to find a place!
Spanish Experiment Lesson: www.thespanishexperiment.com/learn-spanish/directions
Additional Resource: GIving Directions in Spanish by Busuu
All posts must be respectful and contribute positively to an atmosphere of civility and cooperation.
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
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Section 3: Vocabulary Builder
Opposite words
To increase our Spanish vocabulary may sometimes mean we need to memorize words, phrases, etc. However, this is best done by repetition and by seeing them in context. Nonetheless, we must begin somewhere, and a great place to start is with taking a look at useful antonyms.
With the video in this section, you will access quite a long yet very useful set of vocabulary words that are worth writing down to refer to them later. Therefore, please watch the following video of opposite Spanish words, and based on the video
- Write a list (handwritten or typed) of the opposite words, in English and Spanish.
- Submit your typed list or a screenshot of your handwritten word list.
- Useful Hint: Consider adding this list to the Spanish Glossary you created in a previous Module!
NOTE: The list is quite extensive, and it may be easier/quicker (and better for memory retention) to write them by hand as you watch the video and submit a screenshot of your list.
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Section 4: Language Learning Lab
Train your Brain
There are many challenges we are faced with when learning something new. However, for most of us, few of those challenges have to do with the subject matter itself but rather our approach or thoughts. Learn some strategies on how to overcome some of these challenges by watching the video below.
- Based on the video, in English:
- State 3 new, interesting or useful facts you learned about learning. Provide enough details from the video to fully explain.
- Explain how you will use the knowledge/strategies from the video to help you learn Spanish more efficiently.
- Based on your own experience, in English:
- What are the biggest challenges you have faced in this class so far?
- How have you/will/could you overcome them?
- Have your views on your ability to learn Spanish changed since the beginning of the course? Explain.
- Have your views on your interest in learning Spanish changed since the beginning of the course? Explain with enough details to support your answer.
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Section 5: At Work
Giving instructions
Think of your daily interactions at work (or possible future interactions). The videos below will help with commands/instructions and ordinal numbers, which are helpful when giving instructions. Please watch the videos, and then, think of sets of tasks you would ask your employees to perform by following a certain order and using ordinal numbers. Based on those, create:
PARTE 1
A written set of at least FIVE directions/steps someone will need to follow to complete a set of tasks at the job site (in English and Spanish) (Instrucciones)
- Record audio of yourself stating those steps in both languages
PARTE 2
A written set of FIVE POSSIBLE QUESTIONS or ISSUES that might be brought up by whomever you are giving the instructions to in response to your instructions (English and Spanish) (Preguntas y problemas)
- Record audio of yourself stating those questions/issues in both languages
PARTE 3
A written set of responses to each of the questions in #2 you could provide (Respuesta)
- Record audio of yourself stating those responses in both languages
Partial Example for an on-site supervisor giving instructions for the day
PARTE 1 (Instrucciones) CLICK HERE TO HEAR PARTIAL AUDIO AS A FULL SCRIPT WITH PARTES 1, 2 y 3
- Buenas. Primero, eschuchen mis intrucciones. // Good morning. First, listen to my instructions.
- Segundo, hoy vamos a _____.. // Secondly, today we are going to....
- etc.
- etc.
- Finalmente ... // Lastly....
PARTE 2 (Preguntas y problemas de los empleados)
- Jefe. No puedo. Me duele el brazo. // Boss. I can't. My arm hurts.
- etc
- etc.
PARTE 3 (Respuesta del supervisor)
- Lamento que te duela el brazo. ¿Eso significa que tienes que ir al doctor? // I am sorry your arm hurts. Does that mean you need to go to the doctor?
- etc.
Note: You can put your work, as stated in the instructions, together in order as a script with corresponding audio, make them into slides, etc. (Choose a method that is most helpful for you!)
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Videos to help you:
PLEASE DISREGARD ANY 'SALES PITCHES' AND DON'T SIGN UP FOR ANYTHING!
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Section 6: Culture
Most useful languages to learn
Given that you are studying Spanish (whether it is an academic requirement or not!) and given the growth of the Spanish language here in the U.S. it might be worthwhile to explore some career possibilities for those of you who are (or plan to be) bilingual. You already know that Spanish is helpful in Construction, but it may be interesting for you to see what other professions are options for those who are bilingual.
Watch the videos below about careers for bilingual individuals and the most useful languages to learn.
Based on the videos:
- List the 7 most useful languages to learn (based on the video).
- From the video, what are 2 reasons we should learn a foreign language?
- From your own experience or goals, what are 2 reasons you should learn a foreign language?
- List your future Spanish goals: What level of Spanish would you like to acquire? What do you feel is your current level of Spanish?
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
| Scroll down to continue to the next section |
Section 7: "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement"
Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
Module 9: Construction Terminology
Construction Terminology
Sections to complete and approximate time needed to complete each (may vary depending on your Spanish level, effort and interest)
- Warm-Up (15 - 30 minutes)
- Authentic Conversation (30 - 60 minutes)
- Vocabulary Builder (15 - 30 minutes)
- Language Learning Lab (30 - 60 minutes)
- At Work (30 - 60 minutes)
- Culture (15 - 30 minutes)
- "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement" (15 minutes): Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
| Scroll down to get started with the first section! |
Section 1: Warm-Up
Phrases and Vocabulary during a job at the site
Learn some construction-related Spanish and get some listening practiceby watching the video below and:
- Share 5 new, interesting or useful phrases you learned from the video, in English and Spanish, as text and audio.
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Section 2: Authentic Conversation
Construction Terms Scavenger Hunt
Conduct your own research and:
- Find two websites where Spanish-learners such as yourself can learn about Construction Terms in Spanish. The sites should be from a credible source, appropriate, and for the level of this class that you would recommend for someone who would like to improve their Spanish for a profession/work in YOUR current or future field.
- Share the links to the sites chose and their titles
- If you find additional resources, such as videos, you are welcome to share those as well.
- State why you chose the sites and why you would recommend them to someone else.
- Watch at least one site posted by a peer and comment on your experience with the video (What did you learn? How was it helpful? etc.).
- Also, share TWO new phrases you learned from that site (Spanish and English - audio and text)
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
Sample site #1. I chose this site because it has Contruction terminology, tools, material terminology and more. It is from a credible source that has been used in this course. It is simple to read and would make a great resource for me and others.
https://www.spanish.academy/blog/a-complete-guide-to-construction-vocabulary-in-spanish/
Bonus video
In addition to the two sites I shared, I found this great video related to Drywall in Spanish, and also explains the terms in English. I recommend this video because the content is simple but useful, and the terms can be used in many aspects of construction, not just drywalling.
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Section 3: Vocabulary Builder
Occupations in Construction
Learn or practice important vocabulary by doing the following:
Activity 1:
Watch the video below: Notice the different accents!
Review and Practice: Familiarize yourself with the vocabulary words, phrases and their meanings.
Record audio of you repeating all the vocabulary words and phrases from the video.
Submit Proof of Completion: Submit a link of your audio
Activity 2: Also from the video, choose at least 10 words or phrases that would be useful for you in your current or future career. Type the list of words to your Spanish Glossary that you created in a previous module. Include English and Spanish versions and submit a screenshot of the list in your Spanish Glossary or a separate PDF document containing the list in your Spanish Glossary.
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Section 4: Language Learning Lab
False Friends
Learn about False Cognates (also known as False Friends) in Spanish from the slides below which you can access by clicking the link below. Based on what you learned from the slides:
- Type the list of words to your Spanish Glossary (English and Spanish versions) and submit a screenshot of the list or a separate PDF document containing the list.
- Research and find 5 other False Cognates in Spanish and include them in your Spanish Glossary. Submit a screenshot of the list or a separate PDF document containing the list. Make sure that the False Cognates YOU found are clearly labeled as such.
- Explain why it is important for you to be aware of these (and other) Spanish-English False Cognates and how now knowing them might negatively affect an outome at work.
Click to access SLIDES LINK
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Section 5: At Work
Asking how much something costs
Learning how to ask for the price of something is important and can be fun as if you ever get to travel and go to different markets, you could negotiate a price different than what something is marked! It might also come in handy when making business purchases where you need to find out or negotiate a price.
Watch the following video to learn several ways to ask for the cost of something.
- Based on the video, list the 8 ways mentioned (in English and Spanish) and submit your written list of the questions as well as an audio of you reading/stating them.
- Create a list of 10 items that you may need for your current or future profession. Find an image that represents each. Share the list in English and Spanish as audio and text as well as the image.
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
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Section 6: Culture
High and Low-Context Cultures
Learn a bit more about differences in cultures as far as how they communicate (and with 'how many' words!) .
Based on the videos below (and any extra research you need to conduct):
- Define high-context and low-context cultures
- Is the U.S. a high-context or low-context culture? Explain
- Are Latin American countries high or low context? Explain
- Why might it be important for your current or future career to be aware of the distinction betwee High and Low context cultures?
- If you were to work with/ assist someone from a Latin American culture, what would you do in order to establish trust? Use specific evidence from the video as well as your own opinion.
- Share links/resources where you got the information
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
.
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Section 7: "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement"
Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
Module 10: Management Terminology
Management Terminology
Sections to complete and approximate time needed to complete each (may vary depending on your Spanish level, effort and interest)
- Warm-Up (15 - 30 minutes)
- Authentic Conversation (30 - 60 minutes)
- Vocabulary Builder (15 - 30 minutes)
- Language Learning Lab (30 - 60 minutes)
- At Work (30 - 60 minutes)
- Culture (15 - 30 minutes)
- "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement" (15 minutes): Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
| Scroll down to get started with the first section! |
Section 1: Warm-Up
Notions of time
Please take 3 minutes to explore how bilinguals perceive time differently. You will be glad you watched!
Based on the video, state 3 new, interesting or useful facts you learned about languages and time, etc. Provide enough details from the video to fully explain.
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Section 2: Authentic Conversation
Charla
Small talk in Spanish is often referred to as charla which is what we will do in this Discussion Forum. First, watch the following videos about small talk in Spanish and then post by following the guidelines you will see listed below.
ORIGINAL POST GUIDELINES
- Create a set of 5 FIVE 'Small Talk' phrases (from the videos and from your own experience, interests) you would use when talking to a colleague/employee at work. (in SPANISH and ENGLISH)
- Create a set of TWO 'Small Talk' questions you may ask a friend, colleague or family member that you do NOT see every day (in SPANISH and ENGLISH)
- Audio record yourself stating the phrases and questions in both languages
- Post your written phrases and questions as well as a link to your audio recording
RESPONSE POST GUIDELINES
- Choose at least one post from another student that you will respond to
- Read and listen to their charla and questions
- Answer the questions as audio and text (in English and Spanish). Please post the audio link and do not upload audio files.
HINT: Use phrases from the videos but tailor questions, responses, for your specific situation. Please check your pronunciation based on the pronunciation from the videos or with SpanishDict. BUT keep in mind that getting your message across is way more importante than being 100% accurate in pronunciation!
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
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Section 3: Vocabulary Builder
Telling time and Days of the Week
Telling Time
- Visit this SpanishDict lesson to learn, read and listen about how to tell time in Spanish.
- Then, record yourself repeating EACH of the time phrases included in the lesson that have the speaker icon.
- Submit your audio recording link. Note that to pronounce each phrase properly, you will first need to listen to the pronunciation which you will do by clicking on the speaker icon.
- Make sure to scroll all the way down the webpage lesson so you record ALL time phrases/sentences in the lesson. The phrases will be in grey boxes and have a speaker icon.
- For your recording, it is OK to also record the SpanisDict audio followed by yours.
SPANISHDICT LESSON - TELLING TIME
Days of the week
- Visit this SpanishDict lesson to learn, read and listen to the days of the week and related phrases.
- Then, record yourself repeating EACH of the vocabulary words, phrases and sentences about days of the week included in the lesson. They will be in sections with grey boxes and have a speaker icon.
- Submit your audio recording link. Note that to pronounce each phrase properly, you will first need to listen to the pronunciation which you will do by clicking on the speaker icon.
- Make sure to scroll all the way down the webpage lesson so you record ALL day-related words or phrases/sentences in the lesson.
For your recording, it is OK to also record the SpanisDict audio followed by yours.
SPANISHDICT LESSON - DAYS OF THE WEEK
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Section 4: Language Learning Lab
Translating by using context
For this assignment, you will try out translating first WITHOUT help and then WITH the help of online resources.
NOTE: The goal here is NOT to have a perfect translation but to give you a sense of translating by using context.
This will help you for upcoming tasks where you will translate business documents.
You will first read the text you will find at the end of this page. Then:
1. Translate the text to English WITHOUT using any apps - title this translation NO APP TRANSLATION (remember the goal is not an accurate translation but for you to give translation a try!)
2. Create a list of 10-20 words that you did not know and translate them using any of the resources you have (Linguee, SpanishDict, etc. - try to extend beyond Google Translate) - TYPE YOUR LIST IN BOTH LANGUAGES and title this translation NEW WORDS
3. Return to original and translate again. Did the translation get better? Explain.
4. Now, copy and paste (or type) the original Spanish text into translator app and compare YOUR TRANSLATION with the APP translation. Title this new translation APP TRANSLATION
5. Compare translations - how close was your translation to the APP translation? Yours might be more accurate than the app, do you think so?
Submit ALL written translations, properly labeled as per the instructions above AND:
Included with your translations document: Share how this process went for you: (1) How long did it take? (2) How accurate was your initial translation? (3) How did the translation improve after you increased your vocabulary by looking up the words? (4) Was this activity challenging? Simple? Fun? Useful? Explain.
Translate the following
Ejemplo de Rutina Diaria
Mi nombre es María González y trabajo como Supervisora de Construcción en Proyectos Sólidos S.L. Quisiera compartir un ejemplo de mi rutina diaria en el sitio de construcción.
Cada día empiezo a las 7:00 AM revisando los planes del proyecto y asignando tareas a los equipos de trabajo. A continuación, superviso el progreso de las obras, asegurándome de que se sigan todas las normas de seguridad y que se cumplan los plazos establecidos.
Durante la mañana, me reúno con los contratistas para resolver cualquier problema que pueda surgir y ajusto el cronograma si es necesario. También coordino la entrega de materiales para asegurar que el trabajo no se detenga.
A lo largo del día, mantengo una comunicación constante con el equipo, respondiendo preguntas y proporcionando orientación. Me aseguro de que todos entiendan sus responsabilidades y trabajen de manera eficiente.
Al final del día, preparo un informe detallando los avances realizados y los próximos pasos a seguir. Este informe se comparte con la gerencia para mantenerlos informados sobre el estado del proyecto.
Trabajar en la construcción es desafiante pero muy gratificante. Cada día es diferente y requiere una gran capacidad de adaptación y resolución de problemas.
María González
Supervisora de Construcción
Proyectos Sólidos S.L.
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Section 5: At Work
Time and Schedules
Learn useful Spanish related to time and schedules with the video below and this Lingoda lesson titled 16 Spanish Phrases to Talk About Time.. Based on the video and/or lesson you will:
PARTE 1
- From the video and/or lesson, list five time and schedule useful phrases, in English and Spanish as audio and text.
- You will use the phrases in the next Part (PARTE 2)
PARTE 2
- Create a short script of a conversation between a supervisor and an employee during a meeting. The meeting topic can be your choice, but it should be related to your current or future field.
- Incorporate the 5 phrases from PARTE 1 into the script.
- The script should consist of at least 10 lines (5 for each of the characters speaking) and it should be in Spanish and English
- Record the audio for the script. You can play the voice for both 'characters' in the recording or you can have a friend or family help you record by playing the second character.
- Submit the written script and audio link.
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Section 5: At Work
Presentations at work
Oral and written skills are essential in any business. For this assignment, you will practice giving an oral presentation in Spanish.
- Based on your current (or possible future) professional situation, choose ONE topic/situation which would be likely to (or you would like) be tasked with giving a presentation about: sales pitch, projections, lesson, office meeting, training employees, etc. (you choose!)
- Think of yourself as a seasoned employee/boss/business owner, etc. who will be presenting/training.
- Create a brief video presentation/lesson (about 3-5 minutes) based on the situation you chose to deliver. This would be a presentation that is oral as well as contains slides with images to augment the text.
- Make sure to state your 'situation' for which you are presenting, industry, target audience, etc.
Some ideas:
- Using a platform such as screencast-o-matic, you can video yourself along with slides on your computer screen giving the presentation.
- You can video yourself giving the presentation as though you were in an actual office/sales meeting/auditorium, etc. and were being recorded. You can then upload the video to YouTube and make it unlisted (so that only those who have the link can view)
- Submit the video link along with the slides and any 'handouts' you might give the audience.
- The presentation will be in Spanish with English captions or transcript.
Here are some tutorials that might help with Screencast-o-matic
Online Learning for Teachers 1 - Create a Video Tutorial with Screencast-O-Matic - YouTube
Screencast-O-Matic Sharing Options - YouTube
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Resources to help with the assignments this week
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Section 6: Culture
Ahorita
"Ahorita" is a colloquial term in Spanish that literally translates to "right now" or "just now." However, its meaning can vary significantly depending on the context and region. Understanding "ahorita" is crucial for grasping the nuances of conversational Spanish.
Watch the Video: Watch the provided video about the term "ahorita." Pay close attention to the explanations and examples given.
Identify Key Points: Note down three interesting or useful things about the term "ahorita" from the video. Consider its different meanings, cultural context, and how it's used in various Spanish-speaking regions.
Write Your Findings:
- In English: Write a brief paragraph (3-4 sentences) summarizing each of the three interesting or useful things you learned about "ahorita."
- In Spanish: Translate your English paragraphs into Spanish, ensuring your translation is accurate and captures the nuances discussed in the video.
.
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Section 7: "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement"
Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
Module 11: Technology and the Office
Technology and the Office
Sections to complete and approximate time needed to complete each (may vary depending on your Spanish level, effort and interest)
- Warm-Up (15 - 30 minutes)
- Authentic Conversation (30 - 60 minutes)
- Vocabulary Builder (15 - 30 minutes)
- Language Learning Lab (30 - 60 minutes)
- At Work (30 - 60 minutes)
- Culture (15 - 30 minutes)
- "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement" (15 minutes): Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
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Section 1: Warm-Up
How computers translate human language
Have you thought about how computers (translation apps) translate human language? Learn about this topic with the video below, and based on the video, in English, Spanish or both:
- State 2 new, interesting or useful facts you learned.
- What are 2 ways you will/could/might be more aware when using app translations as a result of what you learned from the video?
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Section 2: Authentic Conversation
Technology and supplies at the office or workplace
Learn about some technology items commonly found in an office (and at home) with the video below. Based on the video, to the Discussion Board:
- List 5 items that were new or useful for you, in Engllish and Spanish.
- Post your written list
- Then, think of your current or future place of work in the Construction/Management field, and in English and Spanish:
- Create a list of 10 items (supplies, machinery, technology, etc.) that would be essential at your place of work
- Post your written list and include your job title and the location/workplace/type of office where these items would be found.
- Try to find the post of a classmate who will be working in a similar position or workplace as you, and respond to their post with comparisons of the items you chose or any other information or comments you would like to make.
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
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Section 3: Vocabulary Builder
Cognates to increase vocabulary quickly
Cognates are pairs of words that sound alike and have the same meaning in two different languages. They are useful first steps in learning a new language.
Spanish and English share hundreds of cognates and have borrowed from each other for centuries.
Below is a video to get you started, and also, please read this online lesson from Real Fast Spanish. (Note: the video has an error with the cognate for delicious - in Spanish, it is delicioso. Extra credit if you can spot some additional errors!)
- List the 12 cognate rules mentioned in the video.
- State your profession and/or major (in Spanish and English)
- Based on your current or future work situation(s), conduct some research and find 20 Spanish-English cognates that would be useful to know for your current or future profession
- Submit a list of the 20 cognates in Spanish and English AND explain why you chose them/how they would be helpful for you
- Submit an audio recording link of you stating the cognates (English and Spanish)
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
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Section 4: Language Learning Lab
Translating by using context
For this assignment, you will try out translating first WITHOUT help and then WITH the help of online resources.
NOTE: The goal here is NOT to have a perfect translation but to give you a sense of translating by using context.
This will help you for upcoming tasks where you will translate business documents.
You will first read the text you will find at the end of this page. Then:
1. Translate the text to English WITHOUT using any apps - title this translation NO APP TRANSLATION (remember the goal is not an accurate translation but for you to give translation a try!)
2. Create a list of 10-20 words that you did not know and translate them using any of the resources you have (Linguee, SpanishDict, etc. - try to extend beyond Google Translate) - TYPE YOUR LIST IN BOTH LANGUAGES and title this translation NEW WORDS
3. Return to original and translate again. Did the translation get better? Explain.
4. Now, copy and paste (or type) the original Spanish text into translator app and compare YOUR TRANSLATION with the APP translation. Title this new translation APP TRANSLATION
5. Compare translations - how close was your translation to the APP translation? Yours might be more accurate than the app, do you think so?
Submit ALL written translations, properly labeled as per the instructions above AND:
Included with your translations document: Share how this process went for you: (1) How long did it take? (2) How accurate was your initial translation? (3) How did the translation improve after you increased your vocabulary by looking up the words? (4) Was this activity challenging? Simple? Fun? Useful? Explain.
Translate the following
Qué es la arquitectura pasiva, las viviendas donde no se pasa calor ni frío y casi no consumen energía
En pocas décadas, partes de la tierra que estaban habituadas a climas templados experimentarán meteorologías mucho más extremas. A más calor, más aire acondicionado, que resultará en más consumo de energía, lo que contribuirá al calentamiento global y se traducirá en... más calor. Un círculo vicioso en el que ya estamos inmersos y que nos condena al desastre.
Existen, sin embargo, soluciones para construir edificios que tengan un menor impacto medioambiental, ya sea porque utilizan materiales naturales reciclables, como la madera o el barro, o porque siguen una serie de pautas que reducen drásticamente el consumo energético.
Este último es el concepto de las conocidas como "casas pasivas", que utilizan la propia arquitectura del edificio para mantenerlas caldeadas en los meses fríos y frescas en los cálidos, y que pueden llegar a reducir el consumo energético hasta en un 90%.
Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-62292731
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
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Section 5: At Work
Technology for Work (Listening comprehension)
At work, school and daily life, we all use technology. It is helpful to know some common terms and phrases in Spanish, especially if we encounter a Spanish-speaker. Watch the following video, which will also give you some excellent listening Practice (notice the accent from Argentina!).
- Based on the video, list 5 different phrases (not single words) that may be useful for you in your current or future job. The phrases should be in English and Spanish as audio and text.
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Section 6: Culture
Cultural Differences between Latin America and the U.S.
Read this article from Abasto titled Cultural Differences between Americans and Hispanics
Based on the article you read about cultural differences between the American and Hispanic Cultures, create an image-with-text artifact highlighting the five differences between both cultures you found most interesting. Include enough detail about these differences and conduct additional research if needed.
You could create a Padlet, Google Slides, PowerPoint, Quizlet or you could create an infographic using the Canva platform. It does not matter what you use as long as you include the 5 differences with images to augment the text.
CLICK TO ACCESS: SAMPLE SUBMISSION
Submit your work as a PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Additional Resources (Optional)
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Section 7: "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement"
Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
Additional Resources
Complete cognates lesson from Real Fast Spanish: https://www.realfastspanish.com/vocabulary/spanish-cognates
Module 12: Forms and Paperwork
Forms and Paperwork
Sections to complete and approximate time needed to complete each (may vary depending on your Spanish level, effort and interest)
- Warm-Up (15 - 30 minutes)
- Authentic Conversation (30 - 60 minutes)
- Vocabulary Builder (15 - 30 minutes)
- Language Learning Lab (30 - 60 minutes)
- At Work (30 - 60 minutes)
- Culture (15 - 30 minutes)
- "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement" (15 minutes): Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
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Section 1: Warm-Up
Signs in Spanish
Many signs, such as the traffic STOP sign are almost universal in that they have the same (or similar) shapes and colors that can easily be recognized. Other signs, however, rely more on words. Whether in or out of an office, it is a good idea to be able to recognize signs written in Spanish.
Click on the slides show below which has several images of signs in Spanish.
Based on the signs on the slides:
- Compile a list of the Spanish words and phrases for each sign, and find an English translation for each. Then, find an equivalent image of that sign in English. Submit a list with 3 columns; 1 column for the Spanish words/phrases from the sign; 1 column for the English version; 1 column for the image of the sign.
CLICK TO ACCESS: SIGNS SLIDES
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Section 2: Authentic Conversation
Question Words
Learn (or review) the basic question words from the video below and by reading this Spanish Experiment lesson.
Based on what you learned from the video:
- Create one question for EACH of the question words mentioned in the video. Make them questions that you would ask someone at work, related to work in your field. The questions should be in English and Spanish.
- Post your questions to the Discussion Board in English and Spanish as text and audio (your audio link reading the questions)
- Respond to 2 or more of the questions on the post of at least two other students in English and Spanish as audio and text.
All posts must be respectful and contribute positively to an atmosphere of civility and cooperation.
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
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Section 3: Vocabulary Builder
Common vocabulary found on forms and applications
Learn or practice important vocabulary for filling out forms in Spanish (or helping out a Spanish-speaker filling out a form in English) by doing the following:
Access the Quizlet Link: Click the provided Quizlet link to access the vocabulary practice set.
Review and Practice: Familiarize yourself with the vocabulary words and their meanings. Practice using different study modes available on Quizlet.
Complete the Practice: Work through the vocabulary practice thoroughly, ensuring you're comfortable with the meanings and usage of each word.
Submit Proof of Completion: Take a screenshot of one completed Quizlet session and submit it as proof of completion.
CLICK TO ACCESS: QUIZLET LINK
Note: There are 2 misspelled words in the flashcards. One is the Spanish word for FEMININE which in Spanish is FEMENINO/A. As a challenge, try to find the other misspelled word!
If the link above does not work, you can copy and paste this link to a different tab:
https://quizlet.com/569248743/spanish-filling-out-forms-flash-cards/?i=e5fdo&x=1jqt
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Section 4: Language Learning Lab
Translating an invoice
Learn some vocabulary useful for a translating an invoice from Spanish to English with the form below.
- First, look at the image below and try to translate it WITHOUT using a translation app. You can make a copy of the document so you can edit OR print the form and write the translation by hand OR take a screenshot and type your translation on an image/document to submit, etc.)
- Remember, translate as much of the application as you are able to do WITHOUT looking at a translator app and save the file. Name it ORIGINAL TRANSLATION
- DO NOT worry about how little or how accurate this is. It does not matter at this time!
- Remember, translate as much of the application as you are able to do WITHOUT looking at a translator app and save the file. Name it ORIGINAL TRANSLATION
- Then, click on the link below the image and find the actual English translation to compare with your original translation.
- Submit your original translation as a screenshot (or copy and paste text or separate document) AND include a short statement of how this activity went for you? About how much were you able to translate without the app? What strategies did you use? How useful was this exercise/ What did you learn?
Translate the following: LINK TO SAMPLE INVOICE TO TRANSLATE
When you are finished with your Original Translation (without using any translation apps) you can check the English version HERE: ENGLISH VERSION OF INVOICE
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Section 5: At Work
(There are 2 parts in this section)
PARTE 1: Written Communications
In addition to speaking to communicate in Spanish, it is also useful to learn how to communicate in writing. Learn about different types of business and personal letters in the Thoughtco article: How to Write Personal and Business Letters in Spanish, (watch out for ads and be cautious not to click on anything) and based on the article:
- List 2 possible Letter greetings listed that are formal enough to use on a business letter (Spanish and English). Please do not just copy and paste. Take the time to practice writing in Spanish and using the Typeit editor for accents, inverted question marks, etc.
- List 2 possible Letter closings listed that are formal enough to use on a business letter (Spanish and English) Please do not just copy and paste. Take the time to practice writing in Spanish and using the Typeit editor for accents, inverted question marks, etc
- Make sure you write the dates in Spanish properly! Click here for a link that will help.
PARTE 2: Cover letters
Now that you have learned a bit about interviews and written communication in Spanish, let's practice writing skills in Spanish with a Cover Letter for an ideal job you would apply for.
- First, read the article below from ThoughtCo and learn more about formal Spanish for business communications with the video below the article about written communications in Spanish. Notice the greetings and closings which are different and many not have a literal translation between English and Spanish.
- Conduct a search on jobs of interest to you and choose one job posting that you would apply to.
- Then, watch the video below and visit this Jobseekers webpage to learn about writing resumes in Spanish and essential vocabulary for job applications. (As always, be mindful of ads in these types of sites, be careful not to click on anything and do not sign up for anything!)
- Using what you learned, write a cover letter in Spanish (with an English version) applying for the job.
- Submit your letter as a document in both languages. Include proper greetings, closings and if needed, learn how to properly write dates in Spanish.
- Include the job posting title and link for the job for which you created the application letter.
Please submit assignment in the appropriate submission area. Make sure the letter includes the full date in Spanish (not an abbreviation such as 11/12/23) and greetings and closings that are appropriate for a business letter as per the lesson and video suggestions.
THOUGHTCO ARTICLE: HOW TO WRITE BUSINESS AND PERSONAL LETTERS
VIDEO:
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Section 6: Culture
(There are 2 parts in this section)
PARTE 1: Learn Honorifics
As you already know, in Spanish, there is a formal and informal way to address people, and honorifics are one such way. This will help when speaking to individuals as well as when filling out forms.
- Watch the video below to learn (or review) honorifics, and based on the video, list all the honorifics you learned and include a brief description of how/when each is used.
PARTE 2: Practice Honorifics
Now, test your newly acquired honorifics vocabulary with the video below. Complete the activity as per the video instructions, and submit a statement of how well you did. Were you able to get them all correct? Could you use more practice?
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Section 7: "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement"
Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
Module 13: Human Resources
Human Resources
Sections to complete and approximate time needed to complete each (may vary depending on your Spanish level, effort and interest)
- Warm-Up (15 - 30 minutes)
- Authentic Conversation (30 - 60 minutes)
- Vocabulary Builder (15 - 30 minutes)
- Language Learning Lab (30 - 60 minutes)
- At Work (30 - 60 minutes)
- Culture (15 - 30 minutes)
- "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement" (15 minutes): Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
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Section 1: Warm-Up
Different Words for the Same Thing
Be surprised by learning how different Spanish-speaking countries have various words for the same thing by watching the video below.
- Based on each video, share 3 'items/things' mentioned and share the different Spanish words for each. This will be 3 set of words from each video, for a total of 6. Include the English version and all the Spanish versions.
- Why might it be important in your current or future profession to be aware that there are different words for the same thing in Spanish?
For example: Auto/Car can be: Auto, automovil, carro and coche
(Please use other examples! Do not use Auto)
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Section 2: Authentic Conversation
Tell me about yourself
One type of question that you can almost count on during a job interview is 'Tell me about yourself' roughly translated to Háblame de ti. You may ask someone this question if you are the one doing the interview or just during 'regular' conversation! Either way, it is useful to know how to ask and answer it.
As far as workplace hiring interviews, this question allows the interviewer to hear a short, summed up version of your background and skills, and it gives them insight into what experience and qualifications you think are most relevant to the position you’re interviewing for.
Read the article below (it is in English) and watch the Spanish video below. The Spanish video will give you great listening practice for Spanish as it is spoken in the Caribbean, specifically Puerto Rico.
The other video is in English, and you are encouraged to watch it, but it is not necessary.
- Based on the first video, share 2 new, useful or interesting phrases you learned. List them in English and Spanish as audio and text.
- Based on what you learn from the videos, article or any research you conduct, list 3 different ways in Spanish that you could be asked the question "Tell me about yourself" at a job interview. List them in English and Spanish as audio and text.
- Optional: Think of how you would answer this question in English or Spanish! You are encouraged to create a one-minute audio response to Háblame de ti as though you were in an actual interview!
NOTE: As you will see/learn from the resources below, this interview question is NOT the time to talk about your personal life but rather to present to the interviewer your professional background and what you 'bring to the table' (how would the company benefit from hiring you)
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
Article
INDEED ARTICLE: HOW TO ANSWER 'TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF'
Videos
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Section 3: Vocabulary Builder
Human Resources Vocabulary
Learn or practice important vocabulary by doing the following:
Read this Spanish Academy Lesson on Basic Spanish Human Resources and Recruitment Vocabulary.
Based on the lesson:
- Choose at least 5 words/phrases from each of the sections (for a total of at least 15) and type them into your Spanish Glossary which you created in an earlier Module and to which you have been adding content throughout. Submit a screenshot of the list as shown in your Glossary.
- Record audio of yourself reading the words/phrases you chose (in English and Spanish) and submit a link to your audio.
The 3 sections from the lesson are titled as follows, and the vocabulary is on tables.
Looking for a Job
Being a Good Recruiter
Spanish Legal Phrases and Legal Terminology
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link
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Section 4: Language Learning Lab
Translate Using Context (Job application letter)
For this assignment, you will try out translating first WITHOUT help and then WITH the help of online resources. The goal here is NOT to have a perfect translation but to give you a sense of translating by using context. You will first read the text below on this page. Then:
1. Translate the text to English WITHOUT using any apps - title this translation NO APP TRANSLATION (remember the goal is not an accurate translation!)
2. After you translate on your own (without an app) Create a list of 10-20 words that you did not know and translate them using any of the resources you have (DeepL, SpanishDict, etc. - extend beyond Google Translate) - TYPE YOUR LIST IN BOTH LANGUAGES and title this translation NEW WORDS
3. Return to original and translate again. Did the translation get better? Explain.
4. Now, copy and paste (or type) the original Spanish text into translator app and compare YOUR TRANSLATION with the APP translation. Title this new translation APP TRANSLATION
5. Compare translations - how close was your translation to the APP translation? Yours might be more accurate than the app, do you think so?
- Submit ALL written translations, New Words list, etc. all properly labeled as per the instructions above AND:
- Share how this process went for you: (1) How long did it take?
- How accurate was your initial translation?
- How did the translation improve after you increased your vocabulary by looking up the words?
- Was this activity challenging? Simple? Fun? Useful? Explain.
Translate the following:
María González
Calle Falsa 123
Ciudad Ejemplo, CE 45678
maria.gonzalez@correo.com
(123) 456-7890
18 de mayo de 2024
Sr. Juan Pérez
Construcciones Ejemplo S.A.
Avenida Principal 456
Ciudad Ejemplo, CE 45678
Estimado Sr. Pérez:
Me dirijo a usted para expresar mi interés en el puesto de Gerente de Construcción en Construcciones Ejemplo S.A. Cuento con una licenciatura en Ingeniería Civil de la Universidad Nacional y cinco años de experiencia en gestión de proyectos de construcción.
En mi puesto actual en Proyectos Sólidos S.L., he liderado equipos de trabajo y gestionado recursos de manera efectiva, asegurando siempre el cumplimiento de plazos y presupuestos. Soy un comunicador eficaz y mantengo buenas relaciones con clientes y proveedores.
Adjunto mi currículum para su revisión. Agradezco su tiempo y consideración y espero poder discutir cómo puedo contribuir al éxito de su empresa.
Atentamente,
María González
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Section 5: At Work
Vocabulary on a job application
Learn some vocabulary useful for a job application in Spanish with the application below.
- First, find a method to edit the application document (print and write by hand, make a copy of the file onto your device. etc.)
- Then, translate as much of the application as you are able to do WITHOUT looking at a translator app and save the file. Name it ORIGINAL TRANSLATION
- DO NOT worry about how little or how accurate this is. It does not matter at this time!
- Repeat the process but now, use a translation app. Save this new version and name it APP TRANSLATION
- Submit both files AND include a short statement of how this activity went for you? About how much were you able to translate without the app? What strategies did you use? How useful was this exercise/ What did you learn?
APPLICATION DOCUMENT (Please DO NOT request access to the document. The simplest way to edit is to create a copy to your device OR you can print so you can fill out by hand and then submit screenshots)
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Section 6: Culture
Mañana Culture
One important cultural concept that learners of Spanish, particularly those studying construction management, should understand is the "Mañana Culture." This term refers to a more relaxed attitude toward deadlines and time management commonly found in many Spanish-speaking countries. In the context of construction management, understanding this cultural nuance can help in planning, communication, and setting realistic expectations.
Key Points to Cover:
Definition and Origins:
- "Mañana" literally means "tomorrow," but culturally, it can imply an indefinite future time.
- The concept reflects a flexible approach to deadlines and scheduling, which can contrast sharply with the often rigid time management practices in other cultures.
Impact on Construction Management:
- In project planning, understanding the "Mañana Culture" helps in setting more flexible timelines and avoiding frustration when delays occur.
- Effective communication strategies that respect cultural norms can lead to better cooperation and more realistic expectations.
Practical Examples:
- A contractor might say a task will be completed "mañana," which could mean it will be done the next day or sometime later.
- Scheduling meetings and follow-ups may require more buffer time to account for potential delays.
Strategies for Effective Management:
- Build extra time into project schedules to accommodate potential delays.
- Use clear, respectful communication to confirm deadlines and progress.
- Establish strong relationships with local teams to understand their working habits and build trust.
Assignment Instructions:
Research
- Conduct some research about the "Mañana Culture" and its impact on business practices.
- Submit links to at least 2 sources you found.
Reflect and Write:
- Write a brief essay (50-100 words) discussing how the "Mañana Culture" might impact a construction project you are managing. Include at least two strategies you would use to manage this cultural difference effectively.
- Write your essay in both English and Spanish.
- Submit your essay and also:
- Record audio
- Record an audio of your essay in Spanish.
- Submit the audio link
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Section 7: "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement"
Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
Module 14: Saying Goodbye
Saying Goodbye
Sections to complete and approximate time needed to complete each (may vary depending on your Spanish level, effort and interest)
- Warm-Up (15 - 30 minutes)
- Authentic Conversation (30 - 60 minutes)
- Vocabulary Builder (15 - 30 minutes)
- Language Learning Lab (30 - 60 minutes)
- At Work (30 - 60 minutes)
- Culture (15 - 30 minutes)
- "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement" (15 minutes): Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
YouTube Tips:
To view subtitles, click on the icon.
To view subtitles translated to any language, click on the icon, then click on the icon, click on ‘Auto-translate’ and choose the language you would like.
To slow down the audio speed of a video, click on the icon, click on ‘Playback Speed’ and choose the speed.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
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Section 1: Warm-Up
Ojalá
Ojalá is a versatile word to indicate wishes and hopes. If you spend enough time around native Spanish speakers, you will hear it a lot! It also has an interesting story which relates its origins to Arabic.
Based on the video below:
- Share 3 new or useful phrases you learned from the video that use Ojalá. The phrases should be in English and Spanish as audio and text.
- Create 3 phrases/sentences that use Ojalá that would be useful for you to know. The phrases should be in English and Spanish as audio and text.
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Section 2: Authentic Conversation
Adiós
Did you know? Adiós is Spanish for "goodbye" or "farewell". As we are nearing the end of this Spanish-learning journey, which hopefully you will continue, let's learn and practice how say 'goodbye' in Spanish.
Literally translated, the word is the contraction of "a" (to) and "Dios" (God), from the old Spanish phrase "A Dios vais" ("You're going to God", meaning to the Kingdom of Heaven), which appears in the novel Don Quixote.
- Here, we will say adiós to the course and each other. Hopefully you have had an enjoyable time, learned some basic Spanish language and culture as well as learned from and gotten to know some classmates.
- On the appropriate discussion board area, you are also welcome to reflect upon your Spanish journey as well as say goodbye to classmates.
- Meanwhile, learn 6 ways to say goodbye in Spanish with the video below, and make sure to practice them on your posts!
All posts must be respectful and contribute positively to an atmosphere of civility and cooperation.
Post to the appropriate Discussion Board area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
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Section 3: Vocabulary Builder
100 Spanish words
Would you believe that 100 Spanish words cover 50% of spoken conversation?
Decide for yourself by watching the 5-minute video below containing the words. If true (or even if not), the 5 minutes will be time well spent!
- Based on the words on the video, create a set of 10 sentences in Spanish that would be useful for you using ONLY the video words.
- Then, translate them back to English and see if the message was accurate and complete? Please keep in mind that many translation apps will 'fix' grammatical errors, but if you use SpanishDict to translate, it may give you some hints as far as what may have been wrong. Regardless, as far as you can tell:
- Was it grammatically correct? What words do you wish you had been able to use in your sentences to make them better?
- Try to use the words as they appear on the video, and when you translate using an app, notice whether the app 'fixed' any grammatical errors. For this, you would have to use your current Spanish knowledge, which may be limited, however, as you might imagine , the verbs will likely not be properly conjugated when you create the sentences, so you may need to make some assumptions.
- What did you learn from this experience?
Additional Resource: 100 Most Used Spanish Words by Spanish Pod 101
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Section 4: Language Learning Lab
Language Learning through Input
More and more, it is becoming accepted that language learning is most effective when it is 'input' based rather than filled with grammatical drills and other traditional methods. But, what is input based learning? Learn more about this with the following 13-minute video, and based on the video, answer the following questions, in English:
- What are the 4 important points to acquire language mentioned? List and briefly explain each.
- From the methods or learning strategies you have used in this course, which would you consider 'input' based?
- Define 'comprehensible input'
- What is the difference between 'acqusition' and 'learning' language?
- Based on what you learned from the video (or any research you conduct), do you agree comprehensible input is an effective method to learn languages? Explain why or why not?
- Moving forward, which other methods would you like to incorporate to help you increase your Spanish skills? Or which will you continue using? Why? Which ones would you stop using, if any?
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.
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Section 5: At Work
What do you like to do at work?
Learn more about gustar and similar verbs in this SpanishDict lesson.
Also, watch the video below and based on the video:
- Explain the grammatical structure of ME GUSTA sentences.
- Share 2 new or useful phrases you learned, in English and Spanish as audio and text.
Based on your current or future professional situation, in Spanish and English as audio and text:
- Create a set of THREE sentences of work-related tasks you LIKE/WOULD LIKE to do - use GUSTAR and other alternative verbs from the lesson. Use at least 2 alternative verbs, other than gustar.
- Create a set of THREE sentences of work-related tasks you DO NOT LIKE/WOULD NOT LIKE to do use NO ME GUSTA and other alternatives from the lesson. Use at least 2 alternative verbs, other than gustar.
- Submit a written list and audio of your sentences in English and Spanish
- Make sure to include your current/future profession
Below is a PARTIAL SAMPLE OF ONE "Me gusta" sentence and one "No me gusta" sentence. (Remember to also use verbs other than GUSTAR)
Current Profession: Teacher
- Me gusta trabajar con los estudiantes. I like working with the students
- No me gusta ir a las reuniones. I do not like to go to meetings
Sample audio: https://voca.ro/15xnmQE1roKX
Submit your work as a Word or PDF document in the appropriate assignment submission area of your course's Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Google classroom, etc.)
When applicable: Please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio or Screencast-o-matic to record videos, and share the link.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation.4
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Section 6: Culture
Don't do this in Mexico
Please watch the provided video and:
- Share two facts that you found to be new, interesting, or valuable.
- Also, share your thoughts on the use of YES to mean NO (around the 5-minute mark) and how that compares to how you respond to a request that you do not feel like accepting (or cannot accept)
- Explain how the knowledge you gained from the video might help you in your current or future workplace if you are working with individuals from Mexico (or other Latin American countries)
Your submission can be in English, Spanish or both as written text.
When applicable: Use a tool such as Google Translate, Forvo, DeepL or SpanishDict to check your grammar and/or pronunciation. Please share which (if any) translation platforms you used.
If the post requires an audio file, please do not upload video or audio files. Instead, use a tool such as Vocaroo to record audio and share the link. Note: If the Discussion Board is in a 'Padlet', this platform has an audio recording function as well.
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Section 7: "Academic Honesty and Resource Acknowledgment Statement"
Please submit a statement affirming that the work you submit is your own, indicating that you have watched the videos, read the lessons, recorded your own audio, any screenshots are of your own work that you completed, and that composed your own sentences. Additionally, please provide an explanation of the resources or help, including any AI tools, that you utilized in the process of completing this work.
El fin
You have reached the end of this resource!
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:25.915489
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Vanessa Botts
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"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/116148/overview",
"title": "Spanish for Construction and Management",
"author": "Textbook"
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/93711/overview
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Consecutive interpretation: Do I have COVID?
Overview
A patient walks in to a medical clinic because she suspects she has COVID. The clinic's receptionist asks her several questions regarding her symptoms.
Paired activity English < > Spanish consecutive mode interpretation practice.
Overview
A patient walks in to a medical clinic because she suspects she has COVID. The clinic's receptionist asks her several questions regarding her symptoms.
Paired activity English < > Spanish consecutive mode interpretation practice.
There are 31 scoring units which represent objective characteristics of language that interpreters must understand and render appropriately during the interpretation. For more information on scoring units, please visit this LINK. The majority of these scoring units come from Quizlet sets available HERE.
Both the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters' certification exam and the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters's exam include the consecutive interpretation mode.
**The script is for practice purposes only! It should not be perceived as medical advise. If you have any health-related questions or concerns, you should contact your primary care physician.
About the author
Fátima Cornwall arrived from the Azores Islands, Portugal in 1993. Since then her academic achievements include a M.A. in Spanish Literature from University of California - Santa Barbara, and a B.A. in Spanish from Boise State University.
Fátima has many years of experience in different areas of the interpreting profession. She is a Federal Court Certified Interpreter, as well as an Idaho Court Certified Interpreter Master Level in Spanish and Certified Portuguese Interpreter. She is also a Certified Medical Interpreter through the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI). She has been serving as faculty for different workshops and training sessions for new and experienced interpreters and judges for the past five years. Fátima is also an interpreter assessment specialist and a rater for a national credentialing program for interpreters.
Fátima has a great passion for teaching and learning, having published articles in the subject. She is a clinical assistant professor at Boise State University where she works as the Spanish Language Coordinator and teaches Portuguese and Spanish upper-division courses, including Introduction to Court Interpretation and Spanish for Healthcare.
For any feedback, including corrections, suggestions and so forth please feel free to contact Fátima at fcornwal@boisestate.edu
You may also visit her website at www.fatimacornwall.com
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:25.942947
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Activity/Lab
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"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/93711/overview",
"title": "Consecutive interpretation: Do I have COVID?",
"author": "Languages"
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105409/overview
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Activity Outline_ Campus Observations and Modeling
Activity Outline_ Introducing the Stormwater Challenge
Activity Outline_ Mapping Your Watershed
Activity Outline_ Pollution Sources
Activity Outline_ Stormwater Solutions Card Game
Activity Outline_ Water Cycle
Activity Outline_ Water Cycle Energy
Activity Outline_ Watershed Health (Abiotic Indicators)
Activity Outline_ Watershed Health (Macro invertebrates)
Activity Outline_ Watershed Health (Online Simulator)
Day 10_ Stormwater Challenge. Stormwater Solutions Day 1
Day 11_ Stormwater Challenge. Stormwater Solutions Day 2
Day 1_ Stormwater Challenge_ Project Launch
Day 5_ Stormwater Challenge_ Watershed Features Model
EarthGen_Stormwater Solutions Card Game
Initial Model Jamboard - OER
Standing Water Observation Scaffold
Stormwater Challenge_ Campus Observations & Models
Stormwater Challenge_ Design Notebook
Stormwater Challenge_ Design Notebook (Template)
Stormwater Challenge_ Going Through the Design Notebook
Stormwater Challenge Instructional Document
Stormwater Challenge_ Mapping Your Watershed
Stormwater Challenge_ Pollution Sources
Stormwater Challenge. The Problem & Challenge (Eastern WA)
Stormwater Challenge. The Problem & Challenge (Western WA)
Stormwater Challenge_ Water Cycle
Stormwater Challenge_ Water Cycle Energy
Stormwater Challenge_ Watershed Health
Water Cycle Terms - OER
Stormwater Challenge (MS)
Overview
Stormwater Challenge is a middle school curricular program created by EarthGen. For this unit, we offer professional development training and assistance with implementation. If you are interested in implementing this program at your school or district, please let us know! Please contact info@earthgenwa.org for more information.
Overview
Schools across Washington state deal with stormwater issues such as fields flooding, silt entering storm drains, and pooling water near downspouts. The Stormwater Challenge is a unit supplement that was developed in partnership with school districts to bring stormwater learning to middle school classrooms through a locally relevant challenge. The following chart provides a brief overview of the lesson goals. This resource can be used in order and would take approximately 15 days; the lessons can also be used individually. To explore the resources further, visit the Activity Outlines linked in the last column and the affiliated slideshows for each lesson.
The Stormwater Challenge gives teams of middle school students the opportunity to develop solutions to a real stormwater-themed challenge and have the experience of presenting their solutions to a wider audience of community members.
This unit supplement was developed in collaboration with Highline Public Schools and teachers from Puyallup School District. This Stormwater Challenge contains fictional stories and fictional characters using magnified examples borrowed from various places.
Next Generation Science Standards:
MS-ETS1-1: Define a design problem that can be solved through the development of an object, tool, process or system and includes multiple criteria and constraints, including scientific knowledge that may limit possible solutions.
MS-ETS1-2: Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
MS- ESS2-4: Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth's systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.
MS-ESS3-3: Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems
Human activities have significantly altered the biosphere, sometimes damaging or destroying natural habitats and causing the extinction of other species. But changes to Earth’s environments can have different impacts (negative and positive) for different living things.
Lesson 1
Project Launch
Students will be introduced to the Stormwater Challenge. They will learn that the area they live in is already experiencing and can expect heavier and more frequent rain events, due to climate change. Students are tasked to develop solutions to a stormwater problem at their school.
Students will use a student design notebook to document and progress their solution. They will work in small groups with assigned roles to design their solutions. They will present their solution at the end of the unit supplement.
Lesson 2
Campus Observations and Models
Students will practice identifying stormwater problems and define a design problem by completing a school campus walk. Prior to the walk students will learn from a landscape designer that focuses on Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI). They will give students ideas on what to look out for as they walk around the school grounds. Additionally students will reflect on who they share the land with and through the lens of various time scales. Upon their return to the classroom students will add stormwater features, identified areas of stormwater problems, and observations from their walk to a map of their school campus.
Lesson 3
Water Cycle
Students will reflect on their own relationship and cultural connections to water and the role it plays in their lives and in their community. Students will be introduced (or reintroduced) to the water cycle and the following terms: precipitation, condensation, transpiration, and evaporation. Students will create a model using supplies such as chart paper, markers, sticky notes and arrows to show how water cycles on Earth. Students will also label which areas on the water cycle are permeable and impermeable. Through this labeling they will acknowledge the way water interacts with the land through the terms: groundwater, run off, erosion, and infiltration.
Lesson 4
Water Cycle Energy
Students will deepen their understanding of the water cycle by including how water moves. Students will continue to add onto the model they made of the water cycle and how it interacts with the land by including energy components on their model. They will include where energy from the sun and gravity take place in their model.
Lesson 5
Watershed
Students will learn about their own local watershed and its boundaries. They will use a map of their watershed to get acquainted with the areas that they interact with. On their map, they will add local markers that hold meaning to them within their watershed. These markers will include: school, home, airport, closest waterway to school, closest grocery to home, closest park to home, closest gas station to home etc. Additionally, students will reflect on why their watershed is important and how they can impact it.
Lesson 6
Watershed Health
Students will identify a waterway that is nearby and a part of their local watershed. Students will learn about different ways to measure watershed health, including counting and identifying macroinvertebrates, using abiotic indicators such as pH, or taking what they know about their local waterway and using an online simulator to replicate its condition. Students will then determine the water quality using one of these techniques.
Lesson 7
Pollution Sources
Students will define stormwater and identify pollutants that may end up in stormwater. Students will then participate in an experiment that studies the effectiveness of natural filters in monitoring and minimizing the human impact of pollution. Students will create their own polluted stormwater using common household items, such as coffee, olive oil, sprinkles, and soap. Students will then create a natural filter using rocks, moss, soil, then test its effectiveness by running their polluted water through the filter. Students will finish the activity with a discussion about ways humans impact the health of their watershed.
Lesson 8
Stormwater Solutions Card Game
Students will learn about various GSI solutions including rain gardens, green roofs, cisterns, and permeable pavement. Students will review each solution and determine a stormwater problem that may match with the solution they learned about. This activity will prepare them for the Stormwater Solution Card Game.
Students will play the Stormwater Solutions card game which will guide them through picking a solution to a specific stormwater problem. Students will have to identify and collect all of the criteria and constraints for the solution before they can apply it to the problem to win the game. This includes cost, approval, materials, maintenance, water access, and volunteers. Students will learn what goes into developing a solution to a stormwater problem.
Students will have a chance to discuss and debate with their classmates about the most effective solutions to stormwater problems. Keeping criteria and constraints in mind, students will work through various stormwater problems and identify what they think the best solution would be.
Lesson 9
Work Days
Students will begin developing their solution to the stormwater problem they identified at their own school campus. Students will take on career roles, such as Stormwater Engineer, Educational Consultant, Landscape Architect, and Scientist and work in small groups to complete their Student Design File to choose a solution for the original stormwater challenge. Students can revise their initial thoughts from their campus walk based on what they have learned. If needed, students could complete an additional campus walk.
They will define the criteria and constraints of their design and identify the potential impacts on the people in their school community and on the environment. Students will also watch short videos highlighting careers in stormwater management.
Lesson 10
Presentations
Students will present their final solution to the class, EarthGen staff, and stormwater professionals. Their presentations will include how they thought through criteria and constraints and why they think their solution is the best fit for the problem identified.
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:25.999712
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Activity/Lab
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"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105409/overview",
"title": "Stormwater Challenge (MS)",
"author": "Life Science"
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/102825/overview
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Education Standards
Decomposer Cards
Decomposer Cards_Spanish
Digging Into Nutrients 1
Digging Into Nutrients 2
Digging Into Nutrients 3
Exploring the Reading
FBI Most Wanted Poster Template
FBI - SPECIAL AGENT ID
Food- Then and Now
Landfill Cross-Section
Mummy Mystery
Museum Art – Preserving Against Time
Race To Decomposition Energy Flow Chart
Race to Decomposition Materials List
Teacher Journey Model of Professional Development
Video Accompaniment Decomposers
Video Accompaniment Decomposers_SPANISH
Whale Fall Field Guide
Woolly Mammoth Sparks Debate
ZG Multimodal Model Scaffold
Zombie Guacamole 3D Assessment
Zombie Guacamole - Guidance for Educators
Zombie Guac Model
Zombie Guacamole (5th)
Overview
Zombie Guacamole is an upper elementary curricular program created by EarthGen. For this unit, we offer professional development training and assistance with implementation. If you are interested in implementing this program at your school or district, please let us know! Please contact info@earthgenwa.org for more information.
In Zombie Guacamole, students build an evidence-based explanation of why a bowl of guacamole was found at the bottom of a 25-year-old landfill, still fresh! The focus of this program is decomposition: what is required for it to occur, its importance to ecosystems, and how waste systems are linked to the health of people and the environment. Students develop explanatory models to describe the movement of matter in an ecosystem and work in groups to manipulate
conditions for decomposition in an investigation. Beyond that, students also build knowledge of natural and human-made systems of food production and waste management to inform action in their school community to protect Earth’s resources and environment. Through Zombie Guacamole, students can combine scientific understanding, environmental consciousness, and action to become leaders for a more just and sustainable future.
Introduction
Introduction to Zombie Guacamole
Welcome to Zombie Guacamole! In this unit, students are invited to build an evidence-based explanation of why a bowl of guacamole was found at the bottom of a 25-year-old landfill, still fresh! The focus of this unit is decomposition: what is required for it to occur, its importance to ecosystems, and how waste systems are linked to the health of people and the environment.
In this unit, students will work collaboratively to uncover new knowledge and perspectives. Students develop explanatory models to describe the movement of matter, energy, and waste, and the interconnectedness of elements in an ecosystem. They’ll deepen their understanding by manipulating conditions for decomposition in a jar. Students will also build knowledge of natural and human-made systems for the cycling of matter to inform action in their school community to protect the Earth’s resources and health. Through Zombie Guacamole, students can combine family and cultural knowledge, scientific understanding, ecological consciousness, and social action to become leaders for just and sustainable futures in their communities.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed through Zombie Guacamole
| Standard | Description |
|---|---|
5-LS2-1 | Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment. |
5-ESS3-1 | Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment. |
5-PS3-1 | Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, and motion and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun. |
Commitment to Environmental Justice
The next generation will inherit two interconnected crises they did not create: climate change and environmental injustice. To respond to these realities through intentionally designed learning experiences, we committed to the use of a variety of pedagogical approaches that are woven into this program.
A prominent pedagogical approach is Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies, which build from the foundation laid by culturally responsive and culturally relevant practices. Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies allow, invite, and encourage students to not only use their cultural and community knowledges and practices in school, but to actively maintain and deepen them. Through the guidance and professional support provided in this program, teachers will have tools to weave these commitments into their teaching practices in ways that are responsive to their community contexts and collectively move toward environmental justice with students, families, and communities.
By creating learning experiences that center the specific place-based interests, histories, knowledge, practices, and priorities of students, families, and communities – especially those of the global majority – we’ll see students, families, and communities feel welcomed, respected, and intellectually cared for in science learning spaces within and beyond the classroom.
In each lesson, we outline key information, perspectives, and practices related to culturally sustaining pedagogies and environmental justice that you can incorporate into your practice. We encourage liberatory teaching and learning while practicing anti-racist principles, because it is relevant to the lives of all students and the environmentally just futures they deserve.
A framework guiding the enactment of these commitments is the Science Social Focus Framework, designed by Anastasia Sanchez and applied to an early analysis of our programs. This framework consists of key interconnected concepts such as:
Critical Consciousness - Promoting an awareness of others and society to apply appropriate empathy or critique through the lens of environmental justice. In Zombie Guacamole, we invite students to be curious about the perspectives of more-than-humans (e.g. plants, water, animals, soil) and consider the relationality and interconnectedness of many elements in an ecosystem.
Consequential Concern - Grappling with matters of future wellbeing and ecological caring as students make connections between science content and the consequential concerns facing society. For example, in this unit we investigate questions like “Where does our garbage go when we throw it away?” and explore how our “away” is someone’s “here” or “home.”
Critical & Liberatory Presence - Restorative justice-oriented representation that names the intersectional injustices faced by racially and socioeconomically marginalized communities — as well as their resistance, leadership, and flourishing. We want students to be comfortable bringing their full selves into this program experience so that their motivations and solutions are authentic and applicable to their lives. We also emphasize the contributions and innovations of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities to scientific inquiry and environmental justice.
Unit and Lesson Structure
This unit is designed to be flexible and adaptable to your needs and the needs, interests, age, and experience level of the students you are working with! Based on students’ language experiences, you can ask them to gather their ideas through written text, demonstrations, and/or drawings in the included science journals. Most importantly, we hope you engage your students in authentic conversation about our focal topic and center collective inquiry on the many ideas and questions students themselves generate.
Throughout this unit, we encourage the use of multimodal representation of students' prior knowledge and new learning through actions like, but not limited to: writing, diagramming, verbal dialogue, performance, creative art, embodied movement and gesture, multiple languages, and more. This is a more expansive understanding of traditional scientific definitions of explanatory modeling. Multimodal representation of knowledge and learning is also an avenue where culturally sustaining pedagogies can flourish through foregrounding students’ cultural knowledge and practices. To learn more about this, check out ACESSE Resource G, which we highlighted during the teacher training.
Each lesson in this unit has a suggested framework:
- Lesson Overview - We introduce a story element, conversation prompt, or a guiding question that focuses the planned learning for the day. As you progress through the unit, we encourage the incorporation of students’ questions from previous lessons that align with the upcoming content and activities.
- Main Activities and Materials - The sequence of the activities, related materials, and supplemental information to guide you and your students through the new content.
- Culturally Sustaining + Justice Centered Connections - Our opportunity to highlight how the lesson has been tailored to enable practices and conversations that are culturally sustaining and/or uplift the histories, perspectives, challenges, and innovations of frontline and BIPOC communities. This section may also include notes and commentary to help you navigate challenging conversations that occur when learning about environmental injustices and how they may impact your students.
- Concluding Reflection - a reflection question for students to engage with through sketching, journaling, or other creative forms of expression. This is an ideal point in each lesson for students to practice multimodal representation of their learning, even if of a simple concept or design. The students can refer to these models to construct more complex representations later. When time allows, any of these concluding reflection prompts can also be used to facilitate small-group or whole-class discussions.
Finally, we also encourage the use of a cognitive routine at the start and/or conclusion of each lesson’s learning activities. Ambitious Science Teaching has a number of tools relevant for every science classroom. One option is the KLEWS chart, which is a modification of the well-known comprehension strategy known as KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learned). KLEWS stands for:
- K - What do we think we know?
- L - What are we learning?
- E - What is our evidence?
- W - What do we still wonder about?
- S - What scientific principles/vocabulary help explain the phenomena?
Where and how the KLEWS chart exists is up to you. Consider making a semi-permanent space on a bulletin board or whiteboard, or asking students to create one in their science journals. Using the classroom KLEWS chart, you can support shared learning by writing guiding questions and collecting student responses for all members of the class to see.
Resources for Teacher Learning
To provide context for the learning activities in this unit, we strongly encourage you to explore these resources prior to beginning your implementation. Many of these resources are also woven into the guidance for specific lessons below.
- Introduction to a Modern Landfill (explanatory text and video)
- Dr. Rathje, Garbologist - Talkin Trash (video, 4:37)
- Intersectional History of Environmentalism (video, 15:16)
- NRDC, The Environmental Justice Movement (article)
- Environmental Justice, Explained (video, 3:33)
- A Brief History of Environmental Justice (video, 3:35)
- Learning in Places, Complex Socio-Ecological Systems and Relationships in Socio-Ecological Systems (education frameworks)
- Two-Eyed Seeing: Science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (video, 5:52)
- Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Serviceberry (essay)
- Out of Sight, Out of Mind (podcast, 21:12)
- How the Hell Did it Get HERE? (podcast, 18:28)
- Discarded: Communities on the Frontlines of the Global Plastic Crisis (report)
- Cecilia Huang, What is Waste Colonization? (article)
- Martin Medina, The Aztecs of Mexico: A Zero Waste Society (article)
- Arty Mangan, Decolonizing Regenerative Agriculture: An Indigenous Perspective (article)
- Hannah Arledge, Discover the Roots of Regenerative Agriculture in Indigenous Cultures (article)
- NRDC, Industrial Agriculture 101 (article)
- Yesenia Cuello, History of Agricultural Labor in the US (article)
Children in the Fields: The Stories You Should Know (report)
Except where otherwise noted, this work by EarthGen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All logos and trademarks are property of their respective owners.
Lesson 1
Lesson 1: The Story of Zombie Guacamole
Lesson Overview
In this first lesson, you’ll be introduced to the mysterious story of the Zombie Guacamole, a bowl of guacamole that did not break down in the landfill even after 25 years!
The first day of the unit is an opportunity to set the stage for several fun and engaging weeks of learning. In presenting the story of the Zombie Guacamole, we encourage you to speak with enthusiasm and excitement to build students’ interest in the mystery. You might even bring in some guacamole to enjoy while kicking off the unit!
This is also a great time to introduce the protocols for how you will learn together throughout the unit. Students should understand that they will keep track of their ideas, wonderings, and reflections in a science journal. They should also be aware of the general structure for each day and the multimodal representations that we introduced during our training and the introduction to this unit.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-ESS3-1
Main Activities and Materials
Introducing the Story of Zombie Guacamole (10 minutes)
Let your students know that you are about to read the story of Zombie Guacamole! While you read the story, ask students to use sticky notes or their journal to jot down at least one example each of something they notice, something they wonder about, and something they know that might connect to the story. Let students know they should be ready to share their thoughts with a partner.
“Many years ago, there was an archeologist named Dr. Rathje. Unlike other archeologists who normally dig up dinosaur bones or old burial ruins, Dr. Rathje would dig through landfills and look at all the stuff people threw away. It was a dirty job, but someone had to do it!
One day while digging at the bottom of an old landfill, he unearthed a white ceramic bowl and sensed he was on the verge of a major discovery. He tossed aside a newspaper dated from 25 years ago, scraped a grayish layer of dirt off the bowl and held his breath. He saw something unbelievable inside. Could it be?! He cautiously swirled his finger around it. Finally, he scooped out a dollop of something that was lumpy and bright green and had a faintly yellow tinge. ‘Hey!’ Dr. Rathje shouted to his excavation crew, ‘I think it's guacamole!’
It was guacamole. Guacamole that had been buried in an Arizona landfill for 25 years. Guacamole so well-preserved there were still chunks of avocado in the bowl. Back from the dead!
What a mystery! What do you notice about the Zombie Guacamole? What questions do you have about this mystery? What do you already know that connects with this story?”
After you finish reading the story, give students a few more minutes to write and/or draw on their three sticky notes or their science journals. Then, ask them to find a partner and take turns sharing their noticings, wonderings, and connections to their prior knowledge. If you use sticky notes, you may want to gather them to refer back to throughout the unit.
Landfill Cross-Section (10 minutes)
Prior to this activity, review the Introduction to a Modern Landfill video to equip yourself with basic knowledge on the structure of a landfill. You may also choose to share the video with students, time permitting.
During the lesson, summarize the key features and structure of a landfill with your students using the Landfill Cross-Section activity sheet. To assist students in understanding where the guacamole was found, project the activity sheet on a screen for an interactive class discussion. You may also choose to print individual handouts for your students to reference. As you show and tell your students about the structure of the landfill:
- Use arrows, pictures, lines, words, etc. to express aspects of the story and what was shared in the modern landfill video.
- Include both observable factors ("Where was the guacamole in the landfill?") and non-observable factors ("Inside the landfill, do you think it’s warm? Cold? Dry? Wet? Sunny? Dark?")
- Generate a word bank for your students to use, including words such as landfill, garbage, sun, oxygen, animals, insects, water, heat, lining, gravel, drainage pipe, plastic layer, dirty soil layer, etc.
Landfill Cross-Section Labels:
- Lining
- Gravel
- Drainage pipe
- Garbage
- Plastic layer
- Dirty soil layer
To facilitate learning and discussion, here are some questions you can explore with students:
- Why do you think a landfill is buried underground?
- About 750 to 800 truckloads of garbage are brought to a landfill every day! Is this more or less than you expected? Why?
- How do you think people and environments are impacted by a landfill? What can be done about it?
Tell your students they will learn more about the landfill throughout the next few lessons as they discover the science of decomposition and why Zombie Guacamole exists at all!
Digging for Trash: Dr. Rathje’s Research (5 minutes)
Next, let’s learn more about the research that Dr. Rathje conducted on landfills. Remember, Dr. Rathje was the scientist who discovered the mysterious Zombie Guacamole!
Start playing the William Rathje, Garbologist - Talkin Trash video:
- Pause at 1:49 and ask:
- Why did Dr. Rathje call the landfill “the heart of America”? What can we learn about the U.S. based on this research?
- How deep are they digging for trash? Why is it important to dig so far down?
- Stop the video at 2:22 and ask: What does Dr. Rathje say happens to food and organic waste? Why do you think it does not completely decompose?
Multimodal Representation Practice (15 minutes)
Throughout Lesson 1, students have collected their initial ideas, understandings, and wonderings about the phenomenon of Zombie Guacamole. Using the multimodal thinking scaffold below, students will have an opportunity to practice their multimodal representation skills by working in groups of 3-4 students.
First, invite students to independently consider their ideas in response to the prompt “Why did the guacamole not decompose?” and record their thinking on the blank Zombie Guacamole Multimodal Model Scaffold activity sheet. Feel free to make your own copy if you'd like to edit this template!
You may support students in their thinking by asking these questions (also included on the activity sheet):
- What did you notice, wonder, and know in this lesson?
- What knowledge do you have from prior learning or from your family and community? What does this phenomenon remind you of?
- What language resources do you have that are related to this topic? Could you express your ideas in another language?
- How might you share your knowledge and ideas with your classmates without telling them directly?
After students have had time to consider their ideas and possible ways of representing these ideas, they can share and compare ideas with their group members. Encourage students to have fun and use their creativity in sharing their ideas. For example, they can use movement or gesture, storytelling, visual art, song and rhyme, facial expressions, or communicate in languages other than English. Students can think of this activity as being similar to charades! Do your best to make this playful and low-stakes and validate the ideas that students share.
Culturally Sustaining + Justice Centered Connections
- As you engage with the Zombie Guacamole story and the videos, encourage students to share any connections they notice between these resources and their prior experiences in their homes, families, and communities. Affirm these connections as valid and relevant contributions to your collective scientific inquiry. If you are using a class KLEWS chart, consider recording these ideas on the chart for students to see and build upon throughout the unit.
- In this first lesson, we are just beginning to open up conversations that support critical consciousness, engagement with consequential concerns, and critical rightful presencing of marginalized communities. Students may raise important critical questions in these first few lessons, such as the examples below. If and when they do, consider engaging in group sense-making that is responsive to students’ interests. You can also encourage these lines of questioning and let students know we will explore these questions later in the unit. To support student-centered inquiry, discussions and learning activities should be guided by the questions and knowledges that students themselves generate.
- Why would we want to know or care about where our garbage goes?
- Where are landfills located and why does it matter?
- As a society, is a landfill the best we could do with our trash? What are other possible alternative systems?
- The contemporary environmental justice movement in the U.S. emerged in response to the environmental harms of landfills and toxic waste dumping sites. For example, EJ leaders Hazel M. Johnson and Dr. Robert Bullard fought directly against the disproportionate burdening of Black communities with these negative impacts. To learn more about these histories of intersectional environmentalism, check out Leah Thomas’ book The Intersectional Environmentalist or this video, The Intersectional History of Environmentalism. To learn more about environmental justice, you can also check out this article entitled The Environmental Justice Movement and these videos, Environmental Justice, Explained or A Brief History of Environmental Justice.
Concluding Reflection
What kinds of things do you throw away when you are at home? At school? How do you throw things away in these two places? What do you think is happening to them now?
Lesson 2
Lesson 2: Decomposition Detectives
Lesson Overview
During our last lesson, you learned about the mystery of the Zombie Guacamole and how Dr. Rathje discovered a bowl of perfectly preserved guacamole that was 25 years old! You may be wondering why this bowl of guacamole didn’t decompose. Let’s try to find the answer to this question by studying the work of other researchers and their observations of objects in various states of preservation and decomposition!
In this lesson, students will participate in a jigsaw reading activity to begin understanding what is needed for decomposition to occur. The readings support students to explore the natural kinds that are involved in decomposition: oxygen, water, temperature, and sunlight.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-LS2-1
Main Activities and Materials
Decomposition Detectives Jigsaw Reading (25 minutes)
Share with students that they are going to work in small groups to figure out why something decomposed when it shouldn’t have or stayed preserved when it should have rotted away.
In your materials folder, there are five articles about decomposition. Split your class into five small groups and hand out copies of one article for each group to read as well as copies of the Exploring the Reading activity sheet for each student. Ask students to read through their group’s article and work together with their group members to answer the questions on their handout. Their job is to try and figure out what natural kinds were involved or missing in their story of decomposition.
Jigsaw Reading Handouts:
- Beef Jerky
- Food - Then and Now
- Mummy Mystery
- Museum Art - Preserving Against Time
- Wooly Mammoth Sparks Debate
Ask each group to identify one representative to share what their article was about and name one or two factors that were at play. As each group is sharing, ask the other students in your class to write down key ideas in their science journal.
Then, as a whole class, create a list of the factors that were identified in the five stories. To make the connection back to the Zombie Guacamole mystery, facilitate a group discussion about whether and how these natural kinds are present in a landfill.
Multimodal Representation Practice (15 minutes)
Ask your students to reference their multimodal representations from Lesson 1 regarding “Why did the guacamole not decompose?” Prompt students to look for any references they may, or may not, have made to these natural kinds (you might also refer to them as abiotic or nonliving environmental factors). Using the second Multimodal Model Scaffold or space in their science journals, invite students to analyze and represent how a factor described in one of the readings may have influenced the Zombie Guacamole.
Culturally Sustaining + Justice Centered Connections
- Throughout this unit, we use the terms “natural kinds” and “species” rather than the terms that are more commonly used in Western science, “abiotic” and “biotic” factors. We do so in order to intentionally challenge the living versus nonliving binary that is closely related to colonial ideas of human-nature separation and human supremacy. Referring to “natural kinds” and “species” allows us to recognize the agency and dignity of these entities rather than seeing them merely as “factors” of an ecosystem.
Rather than binary categorizations, we encourage focusing on interactions, interconnections, and interdependencies among and between natural kinds and species. This relational perspective is important for healing our earth as well as sustaining multiple cultural knowledge systems, particularly Indigenous ways of knowing.
To learn more about this reframing of complex socio-ecological systems, check out these educator frameworks from Learning in Places: Complex Socio-Ecological Systems and Relationships in Socio-Ecological Systems.
Concluding Reflection
Is there anything in your home or community that has lasted a very long time? What helped it last and has it changed over time?
Lesson 3
Lesson 3: Decomposition Superheroes
Lesson Overview
In the last lesson, students completed a jigsaw reading activity to learn about the natural kinds that are involved in decomposition: oxygen, water, temperature, and sunlight. Today, students will continue exploring what is needed for decomposition to occur by getting to know some of the species that are decomposition superheroes: fungus, bacteria, and invertebrates!
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-LS2-1
Main Activities and Materials
Meeting the Decomposition Superheroes (10 minutes)
Hand out copies of the Video Accompaniment Decomposers graphic organizer and prepare your students to watch a short video about decomposers. Play the Decomposers video and ask students to fill out the graphic organizer while they watch.
After watching the video, invite students to share their noticings, wonderings, and connections to what they already know. In this whole-class discussion, emphasize that there are three main types of decomposers: fungus, bacteria, and invertebrates (which are animals without backbones, like earthworms).
Modification: To provide an additional challenge, do not tell students the three categories yet. Instead, ask students to group the decomposers into categories based on similarities and differences in the next activity.
Getting to Know the Decomposition Superheroes (15 minutes)
After watching the video, organize students into small groups with 3-5 students per group. Give a set of Decomposer Cards to each group and ask them to spend several minutes reading through a few cards. Then, encourage students to put the cards into three categories: fungus, bacteria, and invertebrates.
Invite students to discuss the following prompt in their small groups: What do you think it would be like to be a fungus? A bacteria? An invertebrate? Encourage students to imagine physical, sensory, emotional, and other experiences that these species may have. Students can use their bodies and voices to act out what it would be like to be each species. Don’t be afraid to get silly!
Multimodal Representation Practice (15 minutes)
Then, pass out art supplies and invite students to create a portrait of one type of decomposer of their choosing. Ask students to draw a picture of their decomposer (and feel free to include plenty of superhero features, like a cape or mask!). Ask students to add written and/or drawn descriptions of some of their superhero’s special abilities based on the information from the Decomposer Cards. Feel free to post students’ decomposition superhero representations on a classroom wall! This creative activity is another opportunity for students to practice multimodal representation of their knowledge and learning.
Culturally Sustaining + Justice Centered Connections
- Please see the considerations in Lesson 3 about the language of “natural kinds” and “species” as opposed to “abiotic” and “biotic” factors.
- As students create their portraits of decomposition superheroes, consider inviting students to incorporate prior knowledge from their homes, families, and communities related to these species. For example, students may be familiar with culturally specific stories and relationships with a particular type of mushroom or insect. Sustaining these forms of knowledge and highlighting it within the classroom is crucial for cultivating students’ sense of connectedness, care, and respect for more than humans.
Concluding Reflection
Natural kinds and species that assist in decomposition are part of our environmental community. How are our activities (individual or collective) helping or harming them? How can we care for their well-being?
Lesson 4
Lesson 4: The Race to Decomposition (Part 1)
Lesson Overview
What are the significant factors influencing the decomposition of organic matter? Over the past couple of lessons, students have learned about how different species as well as natural kinds like water, temperature, sunlight, and oxygen are involved in the decomposition of organic matter. Today, your students will begin an experimental challenge focused on decomposition.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-LS2-1
Main Activities and Materials
The Race to Decomposition Part 1 (30 minutes)
Watch the Race to Decomposition - Part 1 video with your students. Support students to follow Shannon’s instructions and set up an investigation in which they try to decompose a piece of organic matter, like an apple core, faster than any other team in their class.
Once you finish watching the video, pass out a jar and a sample of organic material like a piece of fruit or bread to each group of 4-5 students. Ask them to begin the Race to Decomposition by collaboratively completing the Race to Decomposition Engineering and Design Flow Chart activity sheet. Have your students decide and write down what factors they will be manipulating to decompose their organic material.
Over the next several weeks, ask students to track how their jar is looking every few days. Remind them to write down the date and time of each check-in and capture any observations they have or changes they make to the jar. Invite students to practice scientific sketching each time they check in with their jars. To learn more about scientific sketching, check out this article entitled Sketching for Observation.
If you want to engage your students in additional science practices such as forming a hypothesis, making predictions, and taking measurements, you are welcome to utilize and/or modify the Race to Decomposition Supplement.
Innovation Spotlight: The Roots of “Zero-Waste” Living (10 minutes)
Remind students that in this unit we are learning about what happens when we throw something away. Why do some things decompose and others don’t? How can we act in ways that protect the lands and species around us?
Ask students what comes to mind when they hear the phrase “zero-waste.” Have they heard this term before? What do they think it means?
Share with students that zero-waste is a movement that encourages people to reduce their use of disposable plastic and pay closer attention to what they use and throw away. Although zero-waste has become more popular recently, it has been practiced in many communities of color and immigrant communities for a long time! For example, this includes reusing plastic containers to store anything from sewing supplies to leftovers from last night’s dinner! Another example is repairing or repurposing clothing rather than throwing it away. These practices show a lot of creativity and care for human communities and the more-than-human world.
For more information about the zero-waste movement and its roots in communities of color, check out this podcast episode: Youth Takeover: Zero-Waste Living Has Long Roots in Communities of Color.
Culturally Sustaining + Justice Centered Connections
- Foregrounding the contributions and innovations of BIPOC communities is a crucial practice within culturally sustaining and justice-centered pedagogies. These liberatory stories are often not told within educational systems and are important for global majority students to feel a sense of belonging in learning environments and to feel that science is a powerful and useful tool for community uplift and wellbeing. If you are interested, please feel free to identify and share examples of BIPOC innovations related to this unit that are more relevant to the students, families, and communities you serve.
- While facilitating the activity about the zero-waste movement, consider attending to the tensions between individual actions and oppressive systems. Although it is important to honor the ecological practices and relationships that global majority communities have sustained over time, it is also critical to recognize how our actions are shaped by systemic inequities and injustices. Consider examining these systemic issues with students. For example: How are these innovative practices shaped by economic necessity and why do these realities exist? Why and how have we become plastic-dependent as a society and how is this related to fossil fuel industries? What are possible barriers to low-waste and zero-waste lifestyles and why might some people have more access to the lifestyle than others?
- We strongly encourage you to facilitate a group discussion related to the concluding reflection prompt for this lesson. This enables students to share connections to family and community knowledges that are relevant to the innovation spotlight and to the unit more broadly.
Concluding Reflection
In Washington state, about 1,000,000 tons of food waste is generated annually, and 35% of that is edible food that ends up in landfills! How does your family or community reduce the amount of food waste that is thrown away? OR What do you think your family or community could do to move toward a low-waste lifestyle?
To learn more about food waste and how to reduce waste, check out the Use Food Well Washington Plan from the WA Department of Ecology.
Lesson 5
Lesson 5: Decomposition in Other Ecosystems
Lesson Overview
So far in this unit, we have learned about natural kinds and species that play an important role in decomposition. We’ve also started our investigation in manipulating those factors in the Race to Decomposition activity.
In this lesson, we take a wider ecological view and explore how decomposition takes place in two different ecosystem examples, a nurse log and a whale fall! An ecosystem is a community of species and natural kinds interacting with each other and their local place. When a tree falls in a forest, or a whale sinks to the bottom of the ocean, decomposers are active in transforming these beings into nutrients to be reused throughout the ecosystem.
In this lesson’s activities, we'll explore the similarities and differences between these two examples and compare these ecosystem examples to what we have learned about landfills. In doing so, we will deepen our understanding of what is necessary for decomposition to take place.
If you are able to do so, we also encourage you to facilitate a field experience with students on your school campus to explore a real-life example of decomposition!
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-LS2-1
Main Activities and Materials
Decomposition in Two Ecosystems (20-40 minutes)
Share with students that we will be exploring examples of how decomposition occurs in different ecosystems. Watch the Whale Fall at Davidson Seamount video with the accompanying Field Guide. You may also want to project the Whale Fall Posters from NOAA and explore the images together.
To learn about nurse logs, you can explore RedWood Nurse Log 360, a short video about nurse logs in redwood forests. It has a unique feature of being a 360° view so students can explore the forest floor in all directions. Other resources to check out are this Rotting Log Wildlife image, this Nurse Log video from Nerdy About Nature, or this documentary from Art21 (start the video at 44:00).
Invite students to share what they notice about the ecosystems that develop around a whale fall and a nurse log. What similarities do they notice between these? What differences do they notice? What similarities and differences exist between these decomposition examples and a landfill? How do these examples compare to their Race to Decomposition jars? For example, students may note the absence of sunlight and photosynthetic organisms at the whale fall.
Decomposition in the Field (20-40 minutes)
If time and space permits, this lesson is a wonderful opportunity to go on a field experience with students to investigate a real-life example of decomposition. Identify a field site by finding a rotting log on your campus for students to observe. Damp leaf piles will also work well!
Before starting the field excursion, facilitate a discussion about what they think will be important to take note of at the field site and how they document to record their observations in their science journals. For example, students may want to use drawings, counting, verbal descriptions of natural kinds such as sunlight, air, temperature, moisture, and other ways to capture information!
Bring the Decomposer Cards and/or students’ Decomposition Superheroes posters. Work together to see how many species can be found at your field site!
At the field site, encourage students to explore the rotting log and make observations in their science journals. You may want to support students’ inquiry by offering sample questions to explore the decomposing matter:
- Describe the larger habitat in which you found this rotten log. Make note of any plants, animals, or fungi!
- Observe the log (no touching yet!) and record what you see in words or drawings.
- How does the log smell?
- Touch the wood. How does it feel? Is it moist or dry?
- Tap on the log. Does it make a sound?
- Is there bark on this log? Is it loose or lying on the ground?
- Are there holes or other places where you can look? What do you see?
- What is underneath the log? Find out by gently rolling it onto its side. Roll it back to its original position when done observing.
- If part of the log splits off, what do you see?
After the field excursion, invite students to share their key observations from the field site. What did they notice? What are they wondering about? What connections did they make to the learning we have done so far in this unit?
Culturally Sustaining + Justice Centered Connections
- In this lesson, students explore different ecosystems and the relationships and interactions that make up these ecosystems. As you facilitate these explorations, consider how students can learn about ecosystems through multiple sensemaking modalities such as storytelling, perspective-taking, art-making, and direct sensory engagement. In addition, you can invite students to share their prior cultural, family, and community knowledge related to these and other ecosystem examples. Being creative and expansive about all the ways we can know an ecosystem is an important way to practice culturally sustaining pedagogies.
- This lesson is also a great opportunity to incorporate connections to traditional ecological knowledge, Indigenous knowledge systems, and other forms of place-based expertise. To learn more about traditional ecological knowledge and the importance of sustaining these knowledges, check out this video entitled Two-Eyed Seeing: Science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
Concluding Reflection
Which of these ecological systems would you want to know more about? What else would you want to know? How do you think you could find out?
Lesson 6
Lesson 6: Plants! The Nutrient Bridge
Lesson Overview
In the last lesson, we explored how decomposers cycle nutrients in different ecosystem examples like nurse logs and whale falls. In this lesson, we investigate the relationships between plants and these decomposers and how plants play a role in nutrient cycling within ecological systems.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-PS3-1
Main Activities and Materials
Why is Decomposition Important? (5 minutes)
At this point in our unit, the Race to Decomposition should be underway and students should know the relationships needed for decomposition to occur: interactions between species like fungus, bacteria, and invertebrates, and natural factors like water, heat, sunlight, and oxygen.
To remind ourselves of the learning we’ve done in previous lessons, invite students to share their ideas about this question: Why is decomposition so important? Why not just let our food waste sit preserved in a landfill like the Zombie Guacamole? You may want to display the question on the board or a piece of chart paper, and record students’ ideas as they share.
Students may bring up these or other considerations:
- There is a limited amount of space on this planet and we shouldn’t leave things just lying around.
- Landfills cause air and water pollution, which are unhealthy for people and other beings.
- We need decomposition to help return nutrients from organic matter back into the soil.
Affirm the ideas that students have shared about why decomposition is important. Remind students that we have built an understanding of how decomposers break down organic material. Now, we’ll take a look at the relationships between plants, decomposers, and us!
Time Warp! (5 minutes)
Share with students that we’ll be visiting a compost pile by watching a video of fruits and vegetables decomposing over 74 days. Don’t worry! It’s sped up so it will only take a few minutes. Ask students to watch carefully to spot the different factors of decomposition at play.
Start playing the Fruit and Vegetable Decomposition, Time-lapse video
- As you watch the video, invite students to call out which decomposition factors they are seeing as the fruits and vegetables break down. They might notice the flies (invertebrates), the mold (fungus), and perhaps some other factors too.
- Near the end of the video, you will see a potato beginning to sprout. Students will likely notice this and wonder what is going on. After the video ends, ask your students, “What do you think is going on with that potato? Why is it sprouting?”
How Do Plants Grow? (20 minutes)
Begin this activity by asking your students: “What process does a plant use to convert energy from the sun into a usable form of energy for plant growth?” Your students will likely be familiar with the concept of photosynthesis. Share with students: “Yes, photosynthesis is the process where plants use carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight to produce energy! But did you know that plants need other help as well to survive?”
“Have you ever seen fertilizer or manure added to the school grounds or farms around your community, or perhaps in a garden at home? Just like you might need Vitamin C or calcium to grow big and strong, plants need nutrients too, like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Let’s take a look at how plants get help from the soil they are growing in!”
Share with students that you will soon hand out activity sheets so students can work together to understand the relationships between plants and soil. First, let’s look at asparagus together, as an example, and see what nutrients it needs!
Project Asparagus- How do plants affect the soil? on the board.
Notice… The horizontal line in the middle of the graph marked “starting amount” represents the level of the nutrient before plants were grown in the soil. The bars indicate whether the amount of a nutrient in the soil either increased (more in the soil) or decreased (less in the soil) after the plants grew.
Also notice… If there isn’t a bar visible on the graph for a particular nutrient, the level in the soil didn’t change. The graph shows the change in the amount of these three nutrients after plants have grown in the soil compared with the amount before the plants grew.
So, let’s take a look at the levels of nutrients in the soil after asparagus has been planted and grown in the soil for many days. Was there MORE, LESS, or the SAME amount of each nutrient in the soil after the plant grew?
There was:
A LOT LESS nitrogen
A LITTLE LESS phosphorus
The SAME potassium
Divide students into pairs or groups of three and distribute one vegetable activity sheet for each group. Ask students to work together to review the graph and fill in the bottom section with their observations about plant nutrient amounts. Next, each group should find another group to share and compare their plant data.
Once your students have completed their analysis and interpretation of the graphs, facilitate a whole group discussion about what they learned from the data. Invite students to share their ideas about this question: What are the relationships between plants, nutrients, soil, and decomposers?
Emphasize the takeaway that plants need nutrients to grow leaves and fruit, and species (like fungus, bacteria, and invertebrates) and natural kinds (like water, heat, sunlight, and oxygen) help return nutrients to the soil through the process of decomposition.
Multimodal Representation Practice (10 minutes)
For this multimodal representation opportunity, offer students this prompt: Imagine and create a depiction to communicate what it would be like to be a plant. Students may choose a plant that was included in the data activity or another one they are familiar with. What would it be like to be in these relationships with nutrients, soil, and decomposers?
Encourage students to share their ideas and multimodal depictions with each other.
Culturally Sustaining + Justice Centered Connections
- This lesson and the next lesson highlight the interdependence between species and natural kinds in our ecosystems. In learning about these relationships, it is important to emphasize the care and agency involved in these forms of relationality. This lens is central in many non-dominant knowledge systems, especially Indigenous ways of knowing, and is an important complement to the descriptions of energy and nutrient cycling that are common in Western scientific descriptions.
Concluding Reflection
How are plants cared for by other elements and beings? And how do plants care for them?
Lesson 7
Lesson 7: Observing and Describing Relationships
Lesson Overview
In this lesson, we dive deeper into exploring the interactions between different species and natural kinds within an ecosystem. Students will practice using scientific vocabulary and visual diagramming to represent food webs and other relationships in the ecosystems we have encountered. In doing so, students build their understanding of the interdependence between species and natural kinds in a healthy ecosystem.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-LS2-1/5-PS3-1
Main Activities and Materials
The Importance of Plants (10 minutes)
To begin, remind students about the data exploration they completed during the previous lessons about plants, nutrients, soil, and decomposers. Then, ask students, “So we know that decomposition is important because it cycles matter (in the form of nutrients) into the soil that plants need to survive. But why are plants important?”
Give students a few minutes to think individually. Then, ask students to turn to the person next to them and generate two reasons why they think plants are important. After a few minutes, invite students to share their ideas with the class and record their responses on the board. Students may share these ideas, among others:
- Plants play important roles in the larger ecosystem
- Plants are eaten by animals and people
- Plants are important for a variety of cultural and spiritual reasons
- Plants provide shelter for insects, birds, and other animals
- Some plants are medicinal and can help us feel better when we are sick
- Plants produce energy from the sun
- Plants are important for cycling energy and matter through an ecosystem
- Plants are beautiful and can help us feel calmer or happier
Who Is Part of the Ecosystem? (10 minutes)
Based on students’ expressed interest, select one ecosystem to explore in greater depth: the nurse log, whale fall, or local example. (You can refer back to the Lesson 5 Concluding Reflection responses to gauge students’ interest!)
Rewatch the videos from Lesson 5 or revisit the outdoor area where field observations were originally gathered. Ask students to identify each organism they notice in the area and describe the organism’s role in the ecosystem. As they do so, add the name and role of each organism to the whiteboard or a piece of chart paper. Students can also identify the natural kinds that are present in the ecosystem. Spread out the names so that there is space in between to add details later.
To support this activity, you can introduce relevant scientific terminology that students can use to describe the organisms and how they interact with other species in the ecosystem. Feel free to use the Scientific Terms for Students handout as a supporting resource if needed:
- Producer: organisms that create their own energy from the sun
- Herbivore: organisms that consume plants
- Carnivores: organisms that consume other animals
- Scavengers: organisms that consume waste from other organisms
- Ecosystem: community of species and natural kinds that interact in relationship with a specific place or geographic area. These species and natural kinds are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows.
Note: These conversations involve some speculation about the activities of an organism within an ecosystem. It is important to support students to use their observations as relevant evidence to support the claims they make about the ecosystem.
What Are the Relationships Between These Organisms? (15 minutes)
After students have identified the organisms they observe in the ecosystem, invite them to describe how each organism is related to one or more of the other organisms. Prompt students to consider different types of interactions that species may have with each other, such as: eating and being eaten, providing shelter and safety, providing physical structure or support, providing nutrients in the form of waste, providing water, and more. As they discuss their ideas and arrive at consensus, add arrows, sketches, and text descriptions to the whiteboard to capture the relationships (or invite students to add these contributions themselves!).
Then, lead a discussion with the following guiding questions:
- What are the components of this web of relationships? (Living organisms with different roles and relationships with each other.)
- How are these organisms connected to each other? (They interact in many different ways, including: eating and being eaten, providing shelter and safety, providing physical structure or support, providing nutrients in the form of waste, providing water, etc. When organisms eat each other, this translates into passing on nutrients and energy from one organism to the next.)
- What happens when we remove certain types of organisms from the web? You can cover all the producers or scavengers in the diagram and predict what would happen if those species were not present in the ecosystem. (The processes of cycling nutrients and energy will not occur without producers and decomposers. What other forms of support and relationality would be missing?)
- Why is it important that energy and matter move through ecosystems? What do organisms do with their energy? (Many things, including body repair, growth, motion, maintaining body temperature, reproduction.)
As a movement-based option for visualizing the relationships between organisms in the ecosystem, consider inviting students to take on the role of different organisms. Use a ball of yarn to map out the relationships and demonstrate how interconnected the organisms are. Feel free to use different colors of yarn to indicate different types of relationships – or get creative in other ways!
Locating Ourselves Within the Web (5 minutes)
Finally, invite students to consider: “How are human beings part of this web of relationships? How might humans impact this ecosystem positively or negatively?” Ask a few students to share their ideas with the class and see if there is consensus among the other students. Add a label for humans to the diagram and connect it to other species via arrows and descriptions of the interactions. Students should recognize that they are also part of the ecosystem and therefore are both dependent on the ecosystem AND can have impacts on the ecosystem and the organisms that live within it.
Throughout this activity and class discussion, listen for these key ideas about how this web of relationships relates to insights from previous lessons about decomposition and its importance:
- Food webs show how matter cycles and energy flows through an ecosystem.
- Plants are important to the ecosystem because they are a key link between transferring energy from the sun to other organisms as they eat plants and/or the organisms that eat plants.
- Decomposers are also crucial to the ecosystem because they cycle matter and energy from other organisms back into the soil for plants to use.
- All the energy that animals use originates from the sun.
- Humans are part of the ecosystem and can have impacts on it.
Culturally Sustaining + Justice Centered Connections
- In this lesson, we hope to guide students to consider the many different forms of relationality, gifts, nourishment, and care that organisms provide to each other. In looking beyond the typical classroom focus on food chains and food webs, we are building a more complex, expansive, culturally sustaining, and scientifically accurate understanding of ecosystem interactions and relationships. To learn more about principles of socio-ecological reciprocity and interdependence from an Indigenous perspective, check out Robin Wall Kimmerer’s essay The Serviceberry.
- This lesson is heavily focused on student discussion and collaborative sensemaking. We encourage you to consider how you can authentically facilitate student-centered inquiry by building from students' prior knowledge and curiosity. The goal of this lesson is not to arrive at specific predetermined understandings, but rather supporting students to ask their own questions related to these topic areas and engage in collective inquiry together.
Concluding Reflection
How are you a part of this system of animals and plants? How do you influence it? What beings are you in a reciprocal relationship with?
Lesson 8
Lesson 8: The Race to Decomposition (Part 2)
Lesson Overview
In Lesson 4, students met Shannon and learned about her disappearing apple core. They created Race to Decomposition designs in small groups to determine how best to set up an environment to decompose a piece of organic material. In Lessons 5 through 7, students learned about the important role of decomposition within ecosystems and how it sustains the relationships between species and natural kinds.
In this lesson, students revisit the Race to Decomposition and reflect on the results of their investigation. Today’s focus is to identify or imagine the ecosystems and relationality taking place in the Race to Decomposition jars. This experiment deepens students’ understanding of why the Zombie Guacamole did not decompose, possible challenges within our current waste management system, and how these challenges are related to the disruption of healthy ecosystem relationships.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-LS2-1
Main Activities and Materials
Synthesizing Our Knowledge (10 minutes)
Invite your students to think back to your last few lessons about decomposition, ecosystems, and relationality. Working in small groups or individually, ask them to answer the following questions in their science journals:
- Have there been any significant developments in your decomposition jar?
- Describe any relationships among natural kinds or identifiable species in your jar.
- Does the inside of your jar resemble an ecosystem? Why or why not?
- Is there potential for ongoing movement of nutrients, energy, and matter in this jar if it stays closed? Or stays in the classroom? Why or why not?
- Why are decomposers important in their local ecosystems?
- Through this experiment, what can you learn about natural systems of cycling of matter and energy? What new ideas do you have about why the Zombie Guacamole did not decompose?
Revisiting the Race to Decomposition (20 minutes)
Watch a video update from Shannon in which she checks in on her jar. Ask students to pay attention to the observations and changes that Shannon makes in her experiment.
After watching the video, invite students to revisit their jars and see if they would like to make any changes to their setup. Although this is not an experiment with precise controls, you may still encourage the strengthening of science practices such as taking measurements, making careful observations, and making updates and improvements in the design. Ask your students to create a scientific sketch of the decomposition process within their group’s jar. Encourage them to reconsider the variable(s) of decomposition they chose to manipulate if decomposition is not progressing as they had hoped.
Continue tracking the Race to Decomposition for the next few weeks or until each group believes they have successfully decomposed their organic matter. You may want to revisit the questions in the Synthesizing our Knowledge section above. You may also consider highlighting any jars that had unique setups and observations.
To debrief the Race to Decomposition investigation, ask students to share what similarities or differences they notice between the setup of the jars and that of a landfill. What similarities or differences do they notice between their jars and the ecosystems we explored in Lessons 5 through 7?
Innovation Spotlight: Storytelling for Environmental Justice (10 minutes)
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities – or people of the global majority – have been fighting against the negative impacts of garbage for a long time! This includes fighting against plastic pollution. Plastic is made from fossil fuels like oil and natural gas, and it doesn’t decompose for many, many years. Plastics that we throw away can harm a lot of species, natural kinds, ecosystems, and human communities – especially communities of color. Because of this, plastic pollution is an environmental justice issue. We’ll learn more about this in the next lesson!
Shilpi Chhotray is an activist and the host of a podcast called People Over Plastic. She uses storytelling to advocate for social justice by bringing together BIPOC artists, community leaders, business owners, lawyers, and more to share their experiences. Their stories focus on the need for changes throughout our systems to protect human and more-than-human communities.
To learn more about how storytelling can change the world and create more fair systems, check out the People Over Plastic podcast, the Instagram page, or this article about Shilpi’s work.
Culturally Sustaining + Justice Centered Connections
- Storytelling is an important practice for sustaining and sharing knowledge in many communities, especially those of the global majority. They can be a way to communicate collective histories, values and ethics, scientific expertise, and more. As demonstrated by the example of Shilpi Chhotray’s podcast, storytelling is also an important way to bring together communities and build movements to advocate for change in response to social and environmental injustices.
- We strongly encourage you to facilitate a group discussion related to the concluding reflection prompt for this lesson. This enables students to share connections to family and community knowledges that are relevant to the innovation spotlight and to the unit more broadly.
Concluding Reflection
What kinds of stories have you heard in your family or community? What have you learned from hearing and/or sharing these stories? Were any of these stories related to how we care for human and more-than-human communities?
Lesson 9
Lesson 9: Where is “Away”?
Lesson Overview
In this lesson, we deepen our understanding of what happens to garbage and where it goes when we throw it away. We explore how landfills impact ecosystems and human communities and how they are related to the concept of environmental justice.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-ESS3-1
Main Activities and Materials
Virtual Field Trip (10 minutes)
Begin the lesson by asking your students to think back to Lesson 1, when they explored what the inside of a landfill looks like. Let them know that they are going to take a more local virtual field trip to see how our garbage gets to a landfill, and what happens to it when it arrives!
Hand out a copy of the Columbia Ridge Landfill Graphic Organizer to each student.
Watch this video about the Columbia Ridge Landfill, which is where garbage from the cities of Seattle and Portland goes. As you watch, have your students look for the answers to the questions on their activity sheet. Feel free to pause the video to write down their ideas on the board.
Once the video is finished, emphasize how many steps are needed to get our garbage to a landfill, and to deal with it once it’s there. Remind students that the Columbia Ridge Landfill is where garbage from the cities of Seattle and Portland goes. Ask students to consider the following questions:
- Where does the garbage from our town go?
- Is the journey for garbage from our town similar to or different from what you just learned about? How could you find out?
Share with students that now that we’ve learned about what happens to garbage on the way to and at the landfill, we’ll dive deeper into exploring the impacts that landfills have.
A Return to Dr. Rathje’s Research (optional)
You may choose to return to Dr. Rathje’s research as your students build a more complex understanding of decomposition, ecosystems, and our societal relationships with waste.
Ask a student to refer to their Lesson 1 notes to give a summary of Dr. Rathje’s research and how we came to focus on the Zombie Guacamole phenomenon.
Start playing the Dr. Rathje, Garbologist - Talkin Trash video at 2:22:
- At the time of this video, what was taking up the most space in the landfill?
- What is Dr. Rathje’s message to us about what we can learn from the past and our observations?
The Impacts (15 minutes)
People try to make landfills safer in many ways, including plastic liners, pipes to collect drainage, and fans to contain the smell of the garbage. But even with those strategies, landfills still have negative social and environmental impacts. Let’s consider:
- How might human communities near a landfill be affected?
- How might other animals be affected?
- How might the air, water, soil, and other parts of the environment be affected?
Invite students to share their initial ideas based on what we have learned so far about landfills, and record their ideas on the board. Then, work together to deepen your understanding of these impacts by reviewing these slides as a whole class. Consider inviting students to take turns reading slides out loud.
Given these negative impacts of landfills on the environment and nearby communities, is our current waste management system fair or unfair? Share with students that when we throw something “away,” it doesn’t really go away. Our “away” is someone else’s “here”! Both locally and globally, these negative impacts are more likely to affect communities of color and low-income communities. This makes waste management an environmental justice issue.
Invite students to share any thoughts, feelings, or reactions that come up for them in response to this information.
Multimodal Representation Practice (15 minutes)
For this multimodal representation opportunity, prepare slips of paper with the names of different stakeholders and participants in our waste management system. This can include species like a seagull, maple tree, or centipede; natural kinds like air, soil, or water in the ocean; and human-created objects like a plastic bottle or computer.
Invite students to randomly select a slip of paper. Then, ask students to take the perspective of the species, natural kind, or object they selected. What would it be like to interact with a landfill (or our waste management system overall) as who or what they are? Invite students to create a way to communicate their stakeholder’s experience of the waste management system. They can use visual art, poetry, music, gesture and body movement, written text, and more!
Culturally Sustaining + Justice Centered Connections
- To prepare for facilitating student learning about environmental justice, we encourage you to check out or revisit the background resources shared in the introduction to this unit.
- Discarded plastics, electronics, and other forms of waste are often exported from wealthy Global North countries to more vulnerable Global South countries, a phenomenon known as waste colonialism or waste colonization. In addition, poorer and less developed countries are often blamed for ecological challenges despite their relatively smaller contributions to the problems. To learn more about global environmental justice concerns related to waste management, check out these resources: Out of Sight, Out of Mind (podcast), How the Hell Did it Get HERE? (podcast), Discarded: Communities on the Frontlines of the Global Plastic Crisis (report), and What is Waste Colonization? (article).
Concluding Reflection
Choose any of the environmental impacts shared in this lesson. Who or what is responsible? What would repair, accountability, or justice look like for the people, ecosystems, and places involved?
Lesson 10
Lesson 10: Other Ways of Waste
Lesson Overview
In Lesson 9, we explored how waste makes its way to a landfill as well as some of the negative impacts of landfills and the waste that never makes it there. In this lesson, we explore alternative ways of managing waste that are sustainable, responsible, regenerative, and have significantly lower levels of adverse impacts on people and the environment. We draw insight and inspiration from the agricultural systems of ancient civilizations and contemporary farmers.
NGSS Performance Expectations addressed in this lesson: 5-ESS3-1
Main Activities and Materials
Exploring Multiple Systems and Relationships (40 minutes)
In this lesson, you will facilitate a visual and multimedia experience with your students to introduce them to multiple agricultural systems. This slides presentation includes speaker notes that you are welcome to reformat and edit to fit your purposes. For each featured system, we highlight the context, philosophy, and the design of the system itself (inputs and outputs). We encourage you to review the resources below to familiarize yourself with each agricultural system prior to facilitating the lesson.
To learn about the Aztec civilization's waste management system, read this fantastic article by NOAA researcher Martin Medina: The Aztecs of Mexico: A Zero Waste Society. From this article, we’ll focus on the use of chinampas, floating islands used for agriculture. Though the Aztecs did not invent chinampas — they were already being used by other native nations when the Aztecs founded their city — they leveraged the system to grow and thrive as a civilization.
To learn about Masanobu Fukuoka’s philosophy of natural farming, review these resources:
- What is Natural Farming (article)
- Food, Earth, Happiness (short version of full documentary)
To learn about Yoshida Toshimichi’s work related to fermented compost, review these articles:
- Farmer, Nutrition Activist Uses Fermentation Methods to Create Healthier School Lunches
- The Fermentation Prescription: Building Immunity from the Ground Up
Throughout this lesson, your students’ role is to observe, take notes on their noticings and wonderings, share their perspectives, and work together to discern the potential benefits and challenges of each system. Students should also examine the degree of care and relationality (think back to Lesson 7!) in these systems in comparison with the current system in the U.S. To support these comparisons and evaluate each system, you and your students can utilize the graphing tool below.
Consider the following two dimensions:
- Useful/Less Useful (Wasteful): Usefulness refers to how well the system makes use of materials that could otherwise be considered “waste.” For example, a household that practices a zero waste lifestyle with few things getting thrown away would rate high on the useful scale. Conversely, a wasteful system is one where significant waste is generated that is not put to any further use. A landfill would rate low on usefulness, because once something is in the landfill, it serves very little purpose.
- Relational/Disconnected: Relationality refers to the degree that a system is interconnected with social and ecological systems of matter and energy cycling. A system that is part of or successfully mimics ecological cycling is highly relational. A system that is isolated and separated from the ecosystem, people, community, and other forms of interconnectedness is very low on relationality.
These definitions are just a suggestion and starting point, and we encourage you to guide your students to create their own definitions for this activity. Remember, the goal is for students to have a process for evaluating and comparing different systems. We have provided a few warm up examples in the slideshow to practice with your students. Feel free to add or modify examples as you see fit!
Useful/Disconnected | Useful/Relational |
Wasteful/Disconnected | Wasteful/Relational |
After students analyze and compare the examples in the slideshow, you can facilitate a whole class discussion to debrief the activity. Invite students to consider these prompts: Given these alternative systems, what are some ways that we could rethink how we design and interact with our current waste management systems? How do these examples connect with practices or systems in your family, culture, or community?
Culturally Sustaining + Justice Centered Connections
- This lesson focuses on ancient and contemporary examples of waste management and food production systems that can serve as inspiration for imagining alternatives to our current unsustainable and unjust systems. There are many other traditions of regenerative practices across geographic regions and cultural communities. As you explore these examples with students, you may consider connecting with the different ancestral histories of food production in your own and your students’ families and communities. Feel free to add to or replace the examples that are provided in this lesson to make the learning more relevant for your students.
- Discussions of natural farming and other regenerative agriculture methods often invisibilize how Indigenous stewardship of lands and waters since time immemorial is a longstanding exemplar of regenerative worldviews and practices. To learn more about this, check out these two articles: Decolonizing Regenerative Agriculture: An Indigenous Perspective and Discover the Roots of Regenerative Agriculture in Indigenous Cultures.
- The agricultural systems featured in this lesson are alternatives to the system of industrial agriculture that is currently dominant within the U.S. Many features of industrial agriculture are related to social and environmental injustices, such as: monoculture and corporate control; application of chemical herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers that threaten human and ecological health; and exploitation of migrant, undocumented, and child farmworkers in the labor force. To learn more about these realities, check out these articles: Industrial Agriculture 101, History of Agricultural Labor in the US, and Children in the Fields: The Stories You Should Know.
Concluding Reflection
Envision a society where there is very little waste, and any waste that exists is handled in ways that do not harm people or the planet. What do you see, hear, smell, taste, or feel?
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:26.318438
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Physical Science
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"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/102825/overview",
"title": "Zombie Guacamole (5th)",
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/66290/overview
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Judicial Selection Processes in Texas
Overview
Judicial Selection Processes in Texas
Learning Objective
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Outline the process of the judicial selection in Texas
Introduction
Each state has its own process for selecting its judges. This section explores the Texas process.
Selecting Judges: Methods of Judicial Selection
Methods of judicial selection vary substantially across the United States. Though each state has a unique set of guidelines governing how they fill their state and local judiciaries, there are five main methods:
Partisan elections: Judges are elected by the people, and candidates are listed on the ballot alongside a label designating political party affiliation.
Nonpartisan elections: Judges are elected by the people, and candidates are listed on the ballot without a label designating party affiliation.
Legislative elections: Judges are selected by the state legislature.
Gubernatorial appointment: Judges are appointed by the governor. In some cases, approval from the legislative body is required.
Assisted appointment, also known as merit selection or the Missouri Plan: A nominating commission reviews the qualifications of judicial candidates and submits a list of names to the governor, who appoints a judge from the list. After serving an initial term, the judge must be confirmed by the people in a yes-no retention election to continue serving.
A retention election or judicial retention is a periodic process whereby voters are asked whether an incumbent judge should remain in office for another term. The judge, who does not face an opponent, is removed from the position if a percentage of voters (often 50 percent) indicate that he or she should not be retained.
Texas’ Judicial Selection Process
Texas elects their judges (except at some of the municipal levels) in partisan elections, and the table below depicts the specifics for each level of court
Link to Learning
State leaders again want to review how Texas elects judges. Will they end partisan judicial elections?
After an election that swept scores of Republican judges out of office, Gov. Greg Abbott is eyeing judicial selection reform. Advocates hope that the perennial issue may finally draw some attention.
Arguments For And Against Partisan Elections
Arguments Supporting Partisan Elections
Proponents of judicial elections argue that this method of selection is the most democratic, allowing the people to have a direct voice in selecting judges. They believe voters are capable of selecting a judiciary that reflects their values and that they are entitled to that choice.
“ [Y]ou cannot take the politics out of decisions about who is going to hold what office, but you can take the people out of the politics. This democracy business can be a little messy at times, certainly inefficient and occasionally some bad mistakes are made, but you can trust [voters] to get it right most of the time.” —Professor Michael E. DeBow of the Samford University School of Law
Along similar lines, those in favor of elections say that the prospect of being voted out of office holds judges accountable to voters. Samford University law professor Michael E. DeBow points to examples from the late 1990s when judiciaries in Texas and Alabama appeared to be heavily inclined towards trial lawyers. When voters caught wind of this, they began what DeBow calls a “revolt,” replacing their judges and moving towards tort reform laws.
“Could this have happened in Missouri Plan states? Or in states with nonpartisan elections? Probably not as quickly.… [I]t is a significant thing for voters to assert themselves as dramatically as they did in these two states. It strongly supports the view that voters are not incompetent to vote on judicial races, and lends aid and comfort to those working to effect legal reform.”
—Professor Michael E. DeBow of the Samford University School of Law
Arguments Against Partisan Elections
Critics of partisan judicial elections argue that the growing amount of fundraising in election campaigns gives special interest groups a foothold to manipulate the judiciary to their liking. Judicial elections have become much more expensive in the last decade—partisan elections more so, perhaps because state parties serve as “ready-built infrastructures for ‘bundling’ donations,” according to Billy Corriher of the Center for American Progress. Those skeptical of the process also claim that it creates a highly polarized judiciary made up of judges who are pressured to please their campaign supporters.
“I never felt so much like a hooker down by the bus station… as I did in a judicial race. Everyone interested in contributing has very specific interests. They mean to be buying a vote.”
—Ohio Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Paul Pfeifer
"If voters understood how a Republican judge differs from a Democratic one in the run-of-the- mill cases that occupy most of the courts’ time, then partisan identification might prove more useful...
When voters think of judges’ political affiliation, they often think of cases involving controversial social issues, such as abortion or gay marriage, that garner a lot of media attention but constitute merely a fraction of a court’s rulings. But in the states that have seen the most judicial campaign cash, the campaign donors are not concerned with social issues. Instead, liberal judges are supported by trial lawyers who want to see judges protecting individuals’ right to sue wrongdoers; conservative judges are strongly backed by corporate interest groups that want judges who will uphold “tort reform” laws that limit lawsuits.”
—Billy Corriher, Director of Research for Legal Progress at the Center
Addressing the argument that party affiliation gives voters useful information about a judge’s values, Corriher believes voters actually understand very little about how partisanship plays into everyday decisions on the bench.
The Shepherd Study
A 2013 study by Joanna Shepherd, a law professor at Emory University, analyzed data from 2,345 business-related state supreme court published opinions from all 50 states in 2010-2012 and more than 175,000 contribution records. Information was also collected on the characteristics of individual justices, including ideology.
Sponsored by the American Constitution Society, “Justice At Risk: An empirical analysis of campaign contributions and judicial decisions” examined the effects of campaign contributions on judicial behavior and revealed a relationship between money and how state supreme court justices rule in business-related matters.
The findings were reported as follows:
- A significant relationship exists between business group contributions to state supreme court justices and the voting of those justices in cases involving business matters.
- The more campaign contributions from business interests justices receive, the more likely they are to vote for business litigants appearing before them in court.
- A justice who receives half of his or her contributions from business groups would be expected to vote in favor of business interests almost two-thirds of the time.
- The empirical relationship between business contributions and justices’ voting for business interests exists only in partisan and nonpartisan systems; there is no statistically significant relationship between money and voting in retention election systems.
- There is a stronger relationship between business contributions and justices’ voting among justices affiliated with the Democratic Party than among justices affiliated with the Republican Party.
Licenses and Attributions
CC LICENSED CONTENT, ORIGINAL
Revision and Adaptation. Authored by: Kris S. Seago. License: CC BY: Attribution
CC LICENSED CONTENT, SHARED PREVIOUSLY
Judicial Selection in the States. Authored by: Ballotpedia. Located at: https://ballotpedia.org/Judicial_selection_in_the_states. License: CC BY: Attribution
Judicial Selection in Texas. Authored by: Ballotpedia. Located at: https://ballotpedia.org/Judicial_selection_in_Texas. License: CC BY: Attribution
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:26.354046
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05/05/2020
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{
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"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/66290/overview",
"title": "Texas Government 2.0, The Court System of Texas, Judicial Selection Processes in Texas",
"author": "Kris Seago"
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/66296/overview
|
County Governments in Texas
Overview
County Governments in Texas
Learning Objective
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Explain the structure and function of county government in Texas
Introduction
This section discusses the structure and function of Texas' 254 county governments.
County Governments in Texas
Texas has a total of 254 counties, by far the largest number of counties of any state. Under Spanish and, later, Mexican rule, Texas was divided into municipios, which, despite sharing a name origin with municipalities, were more like the counties of today – large districts containing one or more settlements and the surrounding rural land.
When Texas became a Republic in 1836, the 23 municipios became counties, with a structure that changed only slightly before, during, and after the Civil War. By 1870, Texas had 129 counties, and the Constitution of 1876, still in place today, went into significant detail about their formation and operation.
The last new county to be established was Loving County in 1931. More on Loving County later…
The structure of county government in Texas is defined in the Constitution, so it’s not surprising that the form closely follows the plural-executive model of state government.
Each Texas county is run in part by a five-member commissioners’ court consisting of a county judge, elected at-large, and four county commissioners elected from each of four precincts. Many county functions are run by independently elected officials, who answer directly to the voters, rather than to commissioners’ court. While county commissioners have authority over each official’s budget, they have little to say about the day-to-day administration of county offices. In most counties, these independently-elected officials include the county sheriff, the county attorney, the district attorney, the county clerk, the district clerk, the county treasurer, and the county tax assessor-collector as well as a number of judges that varies widely with the population of the county.
County Judge
While a county judge, particularly in rural counties, does have a judicial function, a county judge in Texas is primarily the chair of the county commissioners' court. He also plays an important role as head of the county's emergency management functions.
County Commissioner
County commissioners in Texas are incredibly powerful, especially in large counties. Not only do they vote on countywide issues as part of commissioners' court, they have almost unliateral control over the planning and constructions of roads, bridges and parks within their precinct, which is one-fourth of the county (by population).
County Sheriff
The sheriff is the county's chief law enforcement officer. He also manages the county jail and provides security for the county courts.
County Attorney
The County Attorney is the county's lawyer, providing legal advice and representing the county and its officials in all civil cases. This can present an interesting dilemma, since county officials are all independently elected. Sometimes a county official and the lawyer official representing him may be political opponents. The county attorney also pursues civil enforcement actions on behalf of the county.
District Attorney
The district attorney is the state's prosecutor, representing the government in criminal cases in that county's state district courts.
County Clerk
The county clerk is the county's custodian of records and documents, in charge of public records such as bonds, birth and death certificates, marriage licenses. The county clerk is also the chief election officer in most counties, administering elections and counting the votes.
District Clerk
The district clerk is the recordkeeper for all records pertaining to the state district courts in that county. He coordinates the jury selection process and manages court registry funds.
County Treasurer
The county treasurer is the county's banker - receiving and depositing all county revenues, preparing the county payroll ad recording all county expenditures and receipts.
County Tax Assessor-Collector
Part of the county tax assessor-collector title is somewhat misleading - all tax "assessment" is now done by appraisal districts. The "collector" part still applies, however. In addition to collecting all county property taxes, the county tax assessor-collector usually collects property taxes for other taxing jurisdictions within the county, such as school districts and cities. He also issues license plates and registration stickers, and handles voter registration.
County officials are elected in partisan elections, and commissioner precincts are redrawn every ten years following the census to roughly equalize the population of each. Unlike other states, Texas does not allow for consolidated city-county governments. Cities and counties (as well as other political entities) are permitted to enter “interlocal agreements” to share services (for instance, a city and a school district may enter into agreements with the county whereby the county bills for and collects property taxes for the city and school district; thus, only one tax bill is sent instead of three). Texas does allow municipalities to merge, but populous Harris County, Texas consolidating with its primary city, Houston, Texas, to form the nation’s second-largest city (after New York City) is not a prospect under current law.
Unlike cities, which can receive sales tax revenue, counties are funded almost entirely with property taxes. Counties in Texas are general-law units of government, with limited regulatory powers. In most counties, this doesn’t present a major problem. Populated areas are generally incorporated as cities, which have more extensive regulatory authority. Unincorporated areas – those areas outside the city limits of any city – have historically been rural areas with less need for regulation. Harris County, however, has become an important exception. Harris County’s population is nearly 5 million people as of 2019, with more than 2 million in the unincorporated area. If the unincorporated part of Harris County were a city, it would be the fifth-largest city in the United States. Fourteen states have fewer residents than the unincorporated part of Harris County, which has no building code and limited land use regulation.
Meanwhile, in West Texas, Loving County has the exact same governance structure to administer a county with an estimated population of 152 – from which voters must choose at least a dozen elected county officials.
Harris County sums up some of its challenges in its annual budget report:
Harris County government provides services to all of the residents of the county. Most of the higher cost county functions including the courts system, Hospital District, county jail, and most of the county administrative functions are located within the City of Houston. County government is the primary provider of roads, parks, facilities, and law enforcement for the unincorporated areas.
Harris County funds the county-wide and unincorporated area services primarily with property tax revenue. Despite the significant size and population of the unincorporated area, the county does not receive sales tax revenue to help fund services. The unique, ongoing challenge for Harris County government is to meet the needs of this rapidly growing unincorporated area without the funding sources provided to large cities in Texas. Most of the growth in expenditures in the County General Fund during this period has been for county-wide functions including law enforcement, the administration of justice, managing the jails, and the growing cost of indigent healthcare. As the population continues to grow, the demand for services, new roads, and expanded facilities in the unincorporated areas of the county will increase.
Texas counties are prone to inefficient operations and are vulnerable to corruption, for several reasons. First, most of them do not have a merit system but operate on a spoils system, so that many county employees obtain their positions through loyalty to a particular political party and commissioner rather than whether they actually have the skills and experience appropriate to their positions. Second, most counties have not centralized purchasing into a single procurement department which would be able to seek quantity discounts and carefully scrutinize bids and contract awards for unusual patterns. Third, in 90 percent of Texas counties, each commissioner is individually responsible for planning and executing their own road construction and maintenance program for their own precinct, which can result in poor coordination and duplicate construction machinery.
Licenses and Attributions
CC LICENSED CONTENT, ORIGINAL
County Government in Texas. Authored by: Andrew Teas. License: CC BY: Attribution
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:26.382981
|
05/05/2020
|
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"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/66296/overview",
"title": "Texas Government 2.0, Local Government in Texas, County Governments in Texas",
"author": "Kris Seago"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/66287/overview
|
Sources and Hierarchy of Law in Texas
Overview
Sources and Hierarchy of Law in Texas
Learning Objective
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Identify the sources and hierachy of law in Texas
Introduction
It's often said that we are a "nation of laws," but it is also true that we are a state of laws. This section explores the various sources and hierarchies of law in Texas.
Types of Law
Within codified law, there are two forms of law that the courts are concerned about within any legal system: civil law and criminal law.
Civil laws are rules and regulations which govern transactions and grievances between individual citizens.
Criminal law is concerned with actions which are dangerous or harmful to society as a whole, in which prosecution is pursued not by an individual but by the state. The purpose of criminal law is to 1) provide the specific definition of what constitutes a crime and to 2) prescribe punishments for committing such a crime. No criminal law can be valid unless it includes both of these factors.
Criminal justice is then primarily concerned with the enforcement of criminal law.
Law | Definition | Punishment | Burden of Proof | Examples |
Civil | concerns private rights relief or remedy |
| a preponderance of the evidence | divorce, lawsuit |
Criminal | type of case that violates a specific penal law | fine, imprisonment, or both | beyond a reasonable doubt | traffic violation, felony charge |
Table 5.1 Types of Law
Sources of Law
Sources of law in Texas include constitutional law, statutory law, administrative regulations, court precedence, and local codes and ordinances.
Constitutional Law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, including the executive, legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and the relationship between the central government and state, provincial, or territorial governments. In Texas, constitutional law includes:
- National Constitution
- Texas Constitution
As we explored in Chapter Two, the Texas Constitution establishes the structure and purpose of the Texas government. The current Texas Constitution took effect on February 15, 1876.
Statutory Law
Statutes are laws passed by a legislature. In Texas, statutory law can consist of
National Laws (laws passed by the national Congress)
Texas State Statutes (laws passed by the Texas State Legislature)
Administrative Regulations
Administrative regulations are laws that govern the activities of administrative agencies of government. Government agency action can include rule making, adjudication, or the enforcement of a specific regulatory agenda. In Texas, adminisrative regulatons can consist of:
National regulations
Texas State administrative code
Court precedents
Precedent is a principle or rule established in a previous legal case that is either binding on or persuasive for a court or other tribunal when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts. Common-law legal systems place great value on deciding cases according to consistent principled rules, so that similar facts will yield similar and predictable outcomes, and observance of precedent is the mechanism by which that goal is attained. The principle by which judges are bound to precedents is known as stare decisis (a Latin phrase with the literal meaning of "Let the decision stand").
The courts considering the Del Lago case discussed in the introduction to this chapter looked at a variety of similar cases to determine the way responsibility for the plaintiff’s injuries should be decided.
Local codes and ordinances
A local ordinance is a law for a political division smaller than a state or nation, i.e., a local government such as a city or county.
Hierarchy of Law
The hierarchy of law in the Texas judicial system is relatively simple:
Constitutional Law overrules statutory law which in turn overrules administrative regulations which finally overrules local codes and ordinances.
Licenses and Attribution
CC LICENSED CONTENT, ORIGINAL
Law in Texas: Authored by: Andrew Teas. License: CC BY: Attribution
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:26.408606
|
05/05/2020
|
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"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/66287/overview",
"title": "Texas Government 2.0, The Court System of Texas, Sources and Hierarchy of Law in Texas",
"author": "Kris Seago"
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|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/66307/overview
|
Introduction: Elections and Campaigns in Texas
Overview
Introduction: Elections and Campaigns in Texas
Chapter Learning Objective
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Analyze the state and local election process in Texas
Introduction
Elections offer American voters the opportunity to participate in their government with little investment of time or personal effort. Yet voters should make decisions carefully. The electoral system allows them the chance to pick party nominees as well as office-holders, although not every citizen will participate in every step.
An election is the process by which we select our government officials and determine matters of policy. Campaigns are the efforts of candidates to secure positions in the government or the efforts to get policy matters adopted.
Elections are very important because the outcomes of government actions are almost always the result of the people who hold elected office and elections determine which policies we will have to live by. Campaigns are important because they ultimately determine who gets elected whether that person is the best person for the job or not.
As you can imagine, Texas has had some interesting elections and campaigns in the past and will continue to have them in the future.
Licensing and Attribution
CC LICENSED CONTENT, ORIGINAL
Elections and Campaigns in Texas: Introduction. Authored by: John Osterman. License: CC BY: Attribution
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:26.425333
|
05/05/2020
|
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"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/66307/overview",
"title": "Texas Government 2.0, Elections and Campaigns in Texas, Introduction: Elections and Campaigns in Texas",
"author": "Kris Seago"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/99015/overview
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Introduction to Early Childhood Education
Overview
Open Textbooks for Rural Arizona participants are invited to remix this template to share their courses, textbooks, and other OER material on our Hub.
"Early Childhood Education play 07" by University of the Fraser Valley is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
ECE 200: Introduction to Early Childhood Education
Introduction to Early Childhood Education
Course Description: History, perspectives and current trends in the field of early care and education. Exploration of career options within the field of working with children from birth to age eight. Includes child development theorists and their relation to program philosophies and curricula. Observation and participation hours in early childhood settings required.
Course Content:
| Course Outcomes:
|
|---|
Material Description
Context for sharing:
I'm sharing this course to support other early childhood educators in community college settings.
Additional information about the resource:
This course includes an observation requirement.
Link to Material
https://lor.instructure.com/resources/cb05a7cbd0d44496abc082b5062418f1?shared
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:26.446949
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Full Course
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"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/99015/overview",
"title": "Introduction to Early Childhood Education",
"author": "Assessment"
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|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/88669/overview
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CAUL DigiDex_Blackout poetry workshop slides 2019
Workshop plan_Creative engagement with literacies_Blackout Poetry
Blackout poetry - digital literacy in creative ways
Overview
Digital literacy is more than finding articles or being able to use Powerpoint - it's a flexible engagement within the digital world. This workshop uses poetry as an engagement lens on mindsets, learning, creativity and literacies.
Developed as part of CAUL's Digital Dexterity launch program in 2019, this blackout poetry resource provides you with workshop slides, workshop plan and an instructional handout.
Lesson slides
CAUL Digital Dexterity branded slides are attached that can be used as a guide in putting together your own teaching and learning materials for this creative engagement and digital skills building experience.
Workshop lesson plan
Creative engagement with literacies: Blackout Poetry
Class Description
This workshop will foster participants to engage flexibly with digital skills by considering the Learning Zone Model (Senninger) or Growth Mindset (Dweck) and working through a hands-on digital challenge
Guiding philosophy or pedagogy
‘If you want to feel secure
Do what you already know how to do.
But if you want to grow…
Go to the cutting edge of your competence,
Which means a temporary loss of security.
So, whenever you don’t quite know
What you are doing
Know
That you are growing…’
Viscott, 2003
Facilitators
Insert here
Duration
60 mins
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- Articulate basic elements of learning mindsets - Senninger’s Learning Zone Model / Dweck Growth Mindset
- Create a digital artefact in the form of a black out poem
- Demonstrate relationship between creativity and digital capabilities
Sessional resources
In-person session | Digital session |
|
|
Activities
Creative activity – create a poem using the affordances of a self-selected technology/app
Resources used in lesson
- How To Blackout Poetry (1.27)
- Blackout poetry 5 step instruction (attached in section below)
Lesson Plan – Digital blackout poetry
Timing | Topic | Notes |
2 – 3 mins | Introduction | Scene setting: This was originally designed by Kat Cain (Deakin University) and a UTS colleague (Elizabeth Smith) for CAUL’s Digital Dexterity satellite event at ALIA Online 2019. It has since been reworked for Deakin internal training session and other experiences.
Explain: The purpose of the digital challenge we are about to get our brains engaged with– is to do a set task in as creative a way as you want. To take a set of steps designed for a physical format and to flexibly adjust it to a digital form. All of which is clearly driven by digital literacy capabilities. |
10 mins | Signpost session learning aspects and expectations:
Using individual mindsets to frame digital capabilities
| Explain: We are going to explore how learning is shaped by mindsets and learning zones by taking on a digital challenge that may have aspects you are not comfortable with. We want you to engage with concepts like - What does “individual mindset” mean to me? Why is it important to learning? And how does understanding your own comfort levels work impact on learning?
I tend to use the Senninger model in learning design, whereas this session’s codesigner Elizabeth from UTS works with focus on the Dweck growth mindset. Different concepts and teaching theories used to help learners approach digital challenges.
Explain: What is Senninger Learning Zone model? Why use this? I like this model because it’s simple but really helps shape a learning design by pushing you to question your content.
Explain and show: Briefly put and Demonstrate with interactive diagram as you unpack the concepts:
Explain (optional): Point of maximum learning – that line between learning and panic. That space where we explore the very edge of our abilities and limitations. Learning zones are an extension of the Zones of Proximal Development (ZPD) developed by Soviet Psychologist Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky: “the role of education is to give children experiences that are within their zones of proximal development, thereby encouraging and advancing their individual learning.”
Explain: Obviously, these zones are different for different situations and different for each person. And keep in mind that the lines between comfort, learning, and panic will change, fluctuating from moment to moment. So today we want to create a learning situation that keeps you in the learning zone, stretching it as far as we can. In order to learn we do have to venture into the unknown and outside our comfort zone. So together we are going to dis-comfort ourselves but hopefully not hit panic!
Explain: What is growth mindset? Why use this? Another learning approach we flagged in prework and earlier today is the growth mindset. To briefly recap it’s based in educational psychology and there are different ways of describing it, but the term “growth mindset” is what’s been popularised by people like Carol Dweck.
Dweck uses the terms growth mindset and fixed mindset to describe the underlying beliefs people can hold about their ability to learn. A growth mindset helps us deal with the sometimes frustrating process of learning new things, and concentrates on the effort or process it takes to learn new things. A fixed mindset is often stuck on the outcome, or a belief that our abilities are pre-determined.
Show: It’s like two voices talking to us in our heads. One is saying this… the other saying that… NTS: use visual aid
University of Technology Sydney like using it in their teaching– and often use it to frame digital skills training – because it helps coach learners through that self-talk we go through when learning something challenging.
Key points: Struggling and making mistakes is part of learning. A growth mindset believes that knowledge is not innate, and you can learn a new skill through effort.
It's important to remember that we do not always have a growth or a fixed mindset. It will change depending on time, the task and our workplace.
Growth mindset is just like everything else we learn, though. It needs to be practiced before we will be good at it.
To connect the two approaches - if we look at Senniger’s model, growth mindset techniques are the kind of self talk or thinking we use to help deal with the discomfort and panic that can happen when learning new things.
“All of which leads us to our creative challenge……" |
5 mins | Blackout poetry introduction | Ask: Has anyone here heard of blackout poetry? Can you describe what it is?
Explain: Blackout poetry is a creative exercise. Traditionally this has meant taking a print newspaper and redacting the majority of the words, leaving only a small fraction of readable text which forms a new form of visual poetry.
Show: Example of blackout poetry Let’s look at the process of blackout poetry - there are instructions on your table
Show: Video (PLAY AT 2x SPEED) - an idea of how the process works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bPAkoPsX0gA
Highlight: On each table there are steps to guide you through the process These are:
Show (optional) Video (play at normal speed) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Maed55XObjU Now for some people the blackout poetry example video may have been too much information, too quickly. For others it would be just right and the instructions can fill in the gaps. But to help make the process more transparent – I’m going to play this slower more explicit example of doing a physical blackout poem for anyone who wants to watch. Otherwise jump in and get started. |
2 mins | Digital challenge framing | Show:
|
30 mins | Poetry challenge: Learners problem solve how to create a digital blackout | Core message: It is impossible to make a mistake. Whatever you create will be a fantastic experimental poem
Focus for learners: Tracking their self-talk and which learning zone they felt like they were in.
Focus for instructors: Support for learners to self-solve problems, working through barriers, by providing problem-solving strategies
Note for instructors –processes/methodology used in the past for digital blackout poetry have included:
|
10 mins | Learners share their work | Show/Demo: Show the Sharepoint folder to upload their poetry: http://bit.ly/deakindigipoet19
Do: Learners upload examples of their work to the Drive Show examples on screens and ask creators to talk about what they did.
Focus: Students should focus on the success of others as well as their own. The creativity of every participant is something to be celebrated and learned from. |
Resources used in planning or research
- https://www.tes.com/news/30-second-briefing-what-zone-proximal-development
- The Learning Zone Model – Social Pedagogy: http://www.thempra.org.uk/social-pedagogy/key-concepts-in-social-pedagogy/the-learning-zone-model/
- https://teachingwithtechnologyonline.com/2017/02/14/the-zones-of-learning/
- https://dlibrary.stanford.edu/ambiguity/learning-zone-reflection-tool
- Digital Academic blog: https://digitalacademicblog.wordpress.com/tag/senningers-learning-zone-model/
- Learning Zone model http://www.pcfl.com/index_htm_files/The%20Learning%20Zone%20Model.docx
- https://weheartit.com/pictures/blackout%20poetry?landing=false&page=15&before=154311559
- What is blackout poetry? https://www.bustle.com/p/what-is-blackout-poetry-these-fascinating-poems-are-created-from-existing-art-78781
- Austin Kleon – How to Make A Newspaper Blackout Poem. 1.43 video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKpVgoGr6kE
Potential images for use in presentation:
- Newspaper Blackout website: http://newspaperblackout.com/
- Don’t Panic Gify options: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- https://me.me/i/roses-are-red-mornings-are-hard-i-suck-at-poetry-4180288
- Art is Robbery blackout poem (Austin Kleon): https://66.media.tumblr.com/0403d6d5c49a7c9a8a3263883ae5c0d6/tumblr_no3mc78Xp21qafoq6o3_640.jpg
- 24 tabs blackout poem (Austin Kleon): https://instagram.com/p/1q5FpEA114/
- No one knows more about you than you (Austin Kleon): https://66.media.tumblr.com/96ff5f92aee9b48f8fc7bf876ef7be20/tumblr_ng4je2rdi01qafoq6o4_640.jpg
- In the Closet blackout poem (Susan Borri): https://66.media.tumblr.com/ef424248443800d9735d6de45be46e08/tumblr_nlstpl5i9z1uqctibo1_400.jpg
- Hideous comments poem (@alena.shen): http://newspaperblackout.com/image/114133088334
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:26.516045
|
Kat Cain
|
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/128236/overview
|
Informational Text Project
Overview
This is a great final project to practice text features and text structures. Students have to pick a general topic then choose 3 different text structures to write articles on their topic.
Informational Text Project
This is a rubric for
Informational Writing using Text Structures and Text Features
Your assignment is to create informational articles about a topic of your choice. You may choose to focus on a broad or specific topic, so long as you can write THREE different articles, each with a different subtopic relating back to the main topic.
Main Topic |
Each of your 3 articles will be written with a different text structure in mind. (Your choices are chronological/sequential order, problem/solution, cause/effect, and compare/contrast). Write the subtopics below:
Text Structure #1:
| Sub-Topic: |
Text Structure #2: | Sub Topic: |
Text Structure #3: | Sub Topic: |
After you have typed your articles, you must add the following text features:
A main title
Subtitles for each article
1-2 pictures for EACH article
A caption for EACH picture
A glossary (remember to bold these words in the articles)
Completed Tasks | Score | |
Text Structure | Includes three different articles, each with one of the following text structures: • Cause & Effect • Order & Sequence • Problem & Solution • Compare & Contrast | 25 points per article
|
Text Feature | Articles include ALL of the following text features:
| 5 points each |
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:26.562472
|
Melani Carnahan
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/128236/overview",
"title": "Informational Text Project",
"author": "Reading"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/101969/overview
|
Education Standards
2. ACA: Stereotyping - Elementary Lesson (doc)
3. Stereotyping PreTest
4. What is Stereotyping? - Slides with Audio
5a. Tip of the Iceberg Activity (pptx)
5b. Tip of the Iceberg Activity (pdf)
6a. Esther's Story, Elementary School (YouTube)
6b. Esther Story Elementary - transcript
7. CERS Worksheet
Animating Civic Action: Elementary Lesson - Stereotyping
Overview
In this Animating Civic Action lesson, from the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, students listen to the story of Esther, a student refugee, about her experience in school. Students are asked to examine what it means to stereotype others, and to consider ways they can act to make their community more welcoming and inclusive.
About Animating Civic Action
Animating Civic Action lessons are created to support civic engagement K-12. These lessons introduce real stories of individuals in our Washington community who have experienced challenges to civic participation. These lessons incorporate multimedia approaches and provide opportunities to connect civic education with social-emotional learning. These lessons are standards aligned and grade level appropriate.
Lesson Overview
Enduring Understanding
Stereotyping causes unfair beliefs and actions. To stop its harmful effects and be agents of change, students need to understand what stereotypes are, recognize stereotypical views, empathize with peers who experience(d) stereotyping, and take action to stop stereotyping in their own community.
Supporting Questions
Students consider these questions - finding and using evidence to support the Enduring Understanding.
- What is stereotyping?
- What stereotyping have my classmates and I experienced?
- What stereotyping did Esther experience?
Learning Targets
Students will be able to…
- define stereotyping.
- identify how stereotyping affects people.
- analyze how stereotyping is harmful.
- create an informational resource about taking action against stereotyping in the school community.
Student Launch
What is stereotyping?
Hooking students into the content of the inquiry.
- Distribute the Student handout: Stereotyping Pre-test
- Guide students in answering the question on the Stereotyping Pretest individually. There is no “correct” answer (3-5 minutes).
- When finished, place students in small groups. Have students record their stereotyping definitions on a post-It, so that their thinking is visible to their group members (3-5 minutes).
- They can further question their thinking about what is stereotyping. Students ask each other clarifying questions (questions with brief, factual answers) and probing questions (questions that push the presenter and group to think deeply about assumptions and perspectives). Post and share questions such as:
- “Can you say more about that?”
- “What do you mean by that?”
- Can you give an example?”
- “So let me see if I’ve got what you're saying. Are you saying…...?”
- “Why do you think that?”
(3-5 minutes)
- Bring students back to the whole group and show the What is Stereotying slide presentation.
- Have students as a class decide on a definition of “What is stereotyping?”
Focused Inquiry
A focused inquiry is a one-to-two-day lesson that will have students engaging in the C3 Framework’s Inquiry Arc.
In this focused inquiry, students identify stereotyping they have experienced as well as stereotyping their classmates have experienced. Students take it one step further to identify stereotyping a refugee has experienced. Students will develop an argument that includes a claim, evidence, and reason that address the compelling question of this inquiry.
Compelling Question
Is stereotyping harmful?
Standards
- SSS3.4.1 Draw on disciplinary concepts to explain the challenges people have faced and opportunities they have created in addressing local, regional, and global problems at various times and places.
- C4.4.1 Recognize that civic participation involves being informed about public issues, taking action, and voting in elections.
- C4.5.4 Describe ways in which people benefit from and are challenged by working together, including through government, workplaces, voluntary organizations, and families.
Learning Goals
- Students identify how I have experienced stereotyping.
- Students identify how others have experienced stereotyping.
Staging the Question: Student Tip of the Iceberg
- Display the following statements on the board:
- People from X group are less intelligent than Y group.
- People of Gender X are better at math than People of Gender Y.
- X types of people are weird.
- In small groups, have students discuss what makes the statements unfair.
- As a class, have students share and discuss what makes the statements unfair.
- Have students reflect on stereotyping they have experienced.
- Model how to complete the “Tip of the Iceberg” task. In this task, students will document stereotyping they experienced and what makes them great.
- On the tip of the iceberg, put what you think others see when they look at or hear you.
- Beneath the water, write and/or draw stereotypes you have faced.
- Beneath the water, write/or draw what makes you feel great. What makes you special? What do you wish others knew about you?
- For students willing to share their “Tip of the Iceberg” task, have them share with a peer. If students would like to share whole group, they may.
Supporting Question(s)
- What stereotyping have my classmates and I experienced?
- What stereotyping did Esther experience?
Formative Performance Task
- Play the audio or read the transcript from Esther.
- Discuss as a class stereotyping that Esther faced.
- Have students complete the “Tip of the Iceberg” Task about Esther.
- On the tip of iceberg, put what you think others see when they look at or hear Esther.
- Beneath the water, write and/or draw what stereotypes Esther faces.
- Beneath the water, write and/or draw what makes Esther great. What makes Esther special? What does Esther wish others knew about Esther?
Argument
After students analyze various sources to answer the supporting questions and discuss their thinking with the class, have them fill out the Is Stereotyping Harmful? - Claim, Evidence, Reasons, Sources document. Responses should cite specific information from sources, including a connection to a key ideal.
Taking Informed Action
Students create a product that communicates a solution to the compelling question, Is Stereotyping harmful? In the student-created product, students may create a poster, a slide presentation, prepare a school announcement, or a visible reminder (symbol) that responds to the following questions:
- How does stereotyping harm our school community?
- What steps can we take to make sure we don’t stereotype peers?
Attribution and License
Attribution
This lesson for Animating Civic Action lesson was developed by Barbara Bromley, Edmonds School District and Katharine Smith, Medical Lake School District.
Animating Civic Action lessons support civic engagement K–12. These lessons introduce real stories of individuals in our Washington community who have experienced challenges to civic participation.
The Animating Civic Action Project was conceived and developed by:
- Danielle Eidenberg, Senior Education Ombuds, Governor’s Office of the Education Ombuds
- Zac Murphy, Director of Multimedia and Information Strategy, Communications and Digital Media, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)
- Jerry Price, Associate Director, Social Studies Content, OSPI
Support for the Animating Civic Action project was provided by:
- Content media creation, filming, and editing:
Zac Murphy, Director of Multimedia and Information Strategy, Communications and Digital Media, OSPI - Media editing:
Stephanie Rexus Video Media Strategist, Communication and Digital Media. OSPI - Lesson formatting and publishing:
Barbara Soots, Open Educational Resources and Instructional Materials Program Manager, OSPI
We express our sincere gratitude to all the story contributors to the Animating Civic Action effort. Without their support and willingness to share their experiences, this resource would not be possible.
Animating Civics Action is a partnership between the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Washington State Governor's Office of the Education Ombuds.
License
Except where otherwise noted, this Animating Civic Action Lesson, copyright Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, is available under a Creative Commons Attribution License
Esther’s Story video, copyright Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, is availble under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License
All logos and trademarks are property of their respective owners. Sections used under fair use doctrine (17 U.S.C. § 107) are marked.
This resource may contain links to websites operated by third parties. These links are provided for your convenience only and do not constitute or imply any endorsement or monitoring by OSPI.
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:26.688712
|
Lesson Plan
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/101969/overview",
"title": "Animating Civic Action: Elementary Lesson - Stereotyping",
"author": "Lesson"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/78563/overview
|
Film Techniques
Overview
A presentation with definitions and examples of different film techniques and how students can analyze them.
Presentation
This pdf version is a presentation about film techniques and how they can be used to analyze films as literature.
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:26.705622
|
Natalie Krusemeier
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/78563/overview",
"title": "Film Techniques",
"author": "Lecture Notes"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/128437/overview
|
Washington Quality Review Rubric for Lessons and Units
Overview
This rubric from the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is designed to be adapted for any content area to evaluate:
• Lessons that include activities and assessments that may extend over a few periods or days.
• Units that include integrated and focused lessons that extend over a longer period.
Background Information
For some resources, certain criteria may not be applicable. Based on the nature of the resource, use your professional judgement to gauge when it is appropriate to add a not applicable score to the item.
For shorter lessons, focus on the non-negotiable criteria and any content specific priorities. The rubric is not designed to evaluate a single task or stand-alone activity.
For content specific lessons, you may be interested in:
- NGSS Lesson Screener | Next Generation Science Standards
- Washington Quality Review Rubric for Social Studies | OSPI
For collaborative review of core instructional materials, please use the use the extended suite
of rubrics found in the OSPI Course Design and Instructional Materials Review Toolkit.
This includes the Screening for Biased Content in Instructional Materials tool.
Attribution and License
Attribution
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
License
This work by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. All logos and trademarks are property of their respective owners.
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:26.726622
|
03/13/2025
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/128437/overview",
"title": "Washington Quality Review Rubric for Lessons and Units",
"author": "Washington OSPI OER Project"
}
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/10497/overview
|
Steelcase Report on Classroom Engagement
The Future of Libraries
UK Report on Impact of Environment on Learning
Planning for Humans: User-Based Design
Overview
Module 5 Planning for Humans, Users-based Design
User based design is so logical and widely talked about today that it can be overlooked in designing alternative school library spaces. It is ultimately what this course is about.
We have discussed current solutions to the issue of what a school library should be, such as a Learning Commons. We have learned how to work around biases that can stifle creative, alternative solutions. We have looked at alternative tools to use when considering or planning space. Students have diagramed the trajectories that need to be considered in new library space, have overlaid those considerations with improvisational and dimensional elements. In this module we will bring all these pieces together and plan a space that will work in students' individual school settings at this point in time based on the needs of their users.
However, those needs will not be fixed. Thinking you can design a space today for an extended period of time can not be your goal. Library space must have a multiplicity of trajectories. You must design for current user needs. Provide tools to build their base knowledge while watching down the road for the next information explosion, the tools it will require and decide how it will impact user needs. Leadership is really your goal. Adapting the space that users need to be successful is merely a an ongoing task.
User Based Design for the Evolving Library Space
Students will consider how they will plan a space that will work in their indvidual school settings at this point in time based on the needs of users, as well as how they will plan for future leadership in adapting their library spaces as user needs evolve over time.
User based design is so logical and widely talked about today that it can be overlooked in designing alternative school library spaces. It is ultimately what this course is about.
We have discussed current solutions to the issue of what a school library should be, such as a Learning Commons. We have learned how to work around biases that can stifle creative, alternative solutions. We have looked at alternative tools to use when considering or planning space. You have diagramed the trajectories that need to be considered in your new library space. And you have overlaid those considerations with improvisational and dimensional elements. We now need to bring all these pieces together and plan a space that will work in your school at this point in time based on the needs of your users.
However, those needs will not be fixed. Thinking you can design a space today for an extended period of time can not be your goal. Library space must have a multiplicity of trajectories. You must design for current user needs. Provide tools to build their base knowledge while watching down the road for the next information explosion, the tools it will require and decide how it will impact user needs. Leadership is really your goal. Adapting the space that users need to be successful is merely a an ongoing task.
What are the needs of the users currently? How will those needs change in the next two years? Are you driving those changes or following them? How are you working with teaching peers to plan the next step forward for students? Does the school have long term goals and a plan to reach those goals? What are the literacy skills your space will need to support?
Understanding Impact of Environment on User Success
Ask students to review the Steelcase Report on Classroom Engagement, the UK Report on Impact of Environment on Learning, and the Stanford Presentation on User Based Design.
Ask students to reflect on how their individual library enviromnment might impact user success, and connect user desirability for particular solutions with the overall feasibility and viability of solution implementation within the broader context of the technical, organizational, and financial costs and requirements.
Students will use the IDEO Hear, Create, Deliver framework to think through the stages of research, planning, and implementation of user based design solutions.
Lets explore user based design and how the environment can impact user success. We will also talk more about the communal nature of your changing space. While bearing in mind, we may no longer be talking about a single, traditional space.
Create a team either within your individual schools or role play this exercise within this class. Decide who needs to be on the planning team, why they are significant, and develop a plan to engage this key group of stakeholders to engage in the process of planning a new school library concept. The team must be composed of individuals willing to share and learn from each other. People who understand your school culture, know how to work within it and want to improve student performance.
The goal is to discover and prototype an alternative school library. The library may be a single space, multiple spaces, virtual, some combination or a totally different information resource unique to your school.
In approaching user based design there are three elements to consider: Desirability, Feasibility and Viability. Desirability is simply what the user desires, what they need and why it is important. Feasibility looks at the technical and organizational requirements to provide what the user has requested. In a school library that would include space, infrastructure, skilled staffing and leadership to oversee the program. Inadequate availability of any of these factors can marginalize the program and under serve the user’s needs. This aspect of the design process can not be underscored enough. And the last issue is always Viability or is the undertaking financially viable. When considering costs it is key to both understand the immediate cost and the sustainability costs both for moving ahead and delaying. Costs rarely become cheaper over time and today many school districts are forced to compete for students against neighboring, charter and private schools. Providing a well thought out, engaging learning environment is now a tool for student retention and recruitment.
IDEO and the Design School at Sanford has developed a toolkit to guide teams through creative, user-based change. They use a formula they chunk into three areas: Hear, Create, Deliver.
IDEO uses the terminology “deep dive” to begin your Hear phase. You use your observation tools and ask questions of a representational group of users. That should include people who frequent the library and who rarely or never come. You want to hear a diverse group of stories from potential users as well as heavy users. You are defining the needs; use the AEIOU tools from earlier in the course. It is extremely important in this phase not to superimpose any bias into the process. Don't explain away comments. Ask for clarification and examples whenever possible. You want to develop empathy for the users, listen to their learning goals, and how they want to demonstrate knowledge.
The team’s work is to compile a plan through observation, questioning, and listening. From their research, themes for the library will be developed along with what opportunities this solution provides the users. The group must develop a strong empathy for the students, their learning challenges and how the library can address their needs. In the process of prototyping your unique, new concept include a loose zone plan based on your research and ideas.
Start with open-ended questions which should challenge the group to think about current pedagogy and future possibilities. The library should both complement and lead the pedagogy; it can be a year or so ahead of the rest of the school but being too far ahead is not practical. Then the library will not be universally leveraged by active users. You are going to interview users, listen to their stories and observe how they work either alone or together.
You should incorporate any existing knowledge or data about the library into the collage of information you are gathering. For example, research done on the impact on environment of learning like lighting, sensory stimulation or educational theory supporting the pedagogy.
Generally, academic research on the impact of the physical environment is limited in K-12 schools. Studies done confirm noise, air and water quality, and room temperature have a significant effect on learning. There is more research coming around the study of natural light and its positive impact on learning along with research on blue light from electronic devices. There is an assumption that ergonomic, improved access to technology, and sustainability improvements enhance learning but most research is taking place outside the K-12 area.
There are signs that student and teacher self-worth improve when any renovations occur which should have a positive impact on engagement. Environmental psychology suggests color, texture, room layout, and access to nature should also be positive forces on students engagement. There are studies which suggest the design of a classroom with interactive furnishing can noticeably improve engagement. All these factors should translate into greater opportunity for student learning.
In the Create stage brainstorm as many ideas for your unique library solution as possible. It is important to note that no idea is bad. No one should be given time to explain why some idea will not work or criticize what has been tried before and failed. Every idea is valid. After you have exhausted all the ideas, rest and come back to them later. In a day or so decide if there are other ideas and if not stop. Now start to develop a strategic direction and ferret out tangible solutions. Now you can determine which solutions seem weak.
Once the team has compiled their desired space components based on user needs, start drawing appropriate sized circles around each component in relationship to its user significance and time of usage. Try to come to an agreement on how much space is needed for each concept. This does not need to be exact as once you apply an immersive mentality to the circles the zones will blur, overlap and merge. You are only looking for independent circles and how those circles will enrich student learning. This step will also help determine the infrastructure of the space. An IT person is key to this discussion.
The third step is to apply immersive planning to the circles based on what areas could work well together or be transformed quickly from one function to another as the students’ needs change during the day. Be able to articulate how students can transform it as their activities change during the school day and year.
How can the spaces by improvisational? Do they invite multiplicity of functions? Is it fluid enough to encourage students to creatively alter the space as tools and ideas emerge? Are there ways to add Dimensional elements that will engage students and heighten their sensory engagement?
What ideas fit with your users, your research, your pedagogy? Are there ways to merge ideas to create a better solution? Can you prototype your ideas or graphically represent them? Once you have a visual or have documented key concepts, get feedback. Are there ways to improve the idea, simplify it? Feedback can also ground the planning team, force you to be objective about the idea or see it from a different perspective.
In the final Deliver stage you going to need to pull of your research, diagrams, and favorite solution into a zone plan with supporting documentation. Remember the zone plan is a map to a destination. It documents all the pieces, how the pieces relate to each other and to the users. You are going to superimpose all your other tools over the plan to arrive at an alternative library solution.
The next step is a reality check of the project. Almost any change, renovation, or step into the future will entail a cost. School budgets are tight, referendums can be difficult to pass, and voters have to be educated on why it is important. Remember they will have their own biases about the role of the library and that bias will be equally difficult to change. Having community members in the group can be helpful along with developing a communication strategy as the group plans. Don’t wait to develop a communication plan until the end. Also try and decide early who is in the best positioned to communicate out from the group to decision-makers.
The plan you are creating is for your library today, however you should make suggests on how it can evolve into an alternative concept in the future. The scope of the project should include a summary presentation for the school board, an interior designer and architect. Anticipate that an architect/interior designer would evidentially take this finished presentation, with blurred zone plan, your research documents, and return with layouts, infrastructure requirements, furniture options and a cost estimate so be thorough.
This project is designed to suggest alternative concepts for your library today and in the future. Think of the space you are creating as an exciting space to help students succeed today while realizing they may need a different space in the near future to continue that success.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:26.755523
|
09/09/2016
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/10497/overview",
"title": "IMLS Fellowship Course, Creating Alternative School Library Environments, Planning for Humans: User-Based Design",
"author": "Margaret Sullivan"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/55244/overview
|
Copyright and Fair Use
Overview
Performance Objectives:
Understand the basics of copyright and fair use in relation to open education
Implement the Creative Commons Licenses
Copyright. We know what it is. And that it is complicated. The digital world has drastically changed how we access, use and interact with copyrighted content.
Section 1
Performance Objectives:
Understand the basics of copyright and fair use in relation to open education
Implement the Creative Commons Licenses
Copyright. We know what it is. And that it is complicated. The digital world has drastically changed how we access, use and interact with copyrighted content.
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:26.774467
|
Alisa Cook
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/55244/overview",
"title": "Copyright and Fair Use",
"author": "Lesson Plan"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/60364/overview
|
e-content Development and Delivery
Overview
This immage helps to understand the flow of e-content development and delivery.
e-content Development and Delivery
e-content Development and Delivery
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:26.790662
|
12/04/2019
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/60364/overview",
"title": "e-content Development and Delivery",
"author": "Mythili G"
}
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/83229/overview
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Maker Notebook
Maker Club
Overview
Maker Clubs introduce students to the making movement, the idea that hands on learning and creating things from scratch lays the foundation for future success, especially in STEM fields.
Maker Club Curriculum
Maker Club is an after school program that introduces students in 4th - 8th grades to STEM and Making through hands-on projects.
This once-weekly, year-long curriculum encourages problem-solving, creative thinking, and collaborative work.
It was piloted in the 2018-19 school year at eight locations across the Columbia Gorge, and continues today.
Maker Club Maker Notebook for Students
Link for the printable Maker Notebook.
Maker Club Training Videos for Club Leaders
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:26.810660
|
Career and Technical Education
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/83229/overview",
"title": "Maker Club",
"author": "Arts and Humanities"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/99077/overview
|
Worksheet
Eureka 7 Module 1 Lesson 7
Overview
Here are Google Slides and a worksheet to go along with Eureka 7 Module 1 Lesson 7
Eureka 7 Module 1 Lesson 7
Here are Google Slides and a corresponding worksheet to go with Eureka 7 Module 1 Lesson 7
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:26.827951
|
11/26/2022
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/99077/overview",
"title": "Eureka 7 Module 1 Lesson 7",
"author": "Tasha Christensen"
}
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/22743/overview
|
Education Standards
Mathematics Vision Project: Circles from a Geometric Perspective
Circles from a Geometric Perspective Review
Overview
This concept review is a study guide for the Circles from a Geometric Perspective Unit, which is Module 7 from the Secondary Mathematics II Curriculum of Mathematics Vision Project. Each concept that is covered in the review document has an accompanying video tutorial and set of guided notes that follow along with the videos.
Resources Included:
1) Link to the Mathematics Vision Project Curriculum Module 7- Circles from a Geometric Perspective
2) Link to a Google Document containing links to videos and Guided Notes documents for each of the key concepts.
Image, “Apollonian Gasket Variation” was created by fdecomite. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
Section 1
This concept review is a study guide for the Circles from a Geometric Perspective Unit, which is Module 7 from the Secondary Mathematics II Curriculum of Mathematics Vision Project. Each concept that is covered in the review document has an accompanying video tutorial and set of guided notes that follow along with the videos.
Resources Included:
1) Link to the Mathematics Vision Project Curriculum Module 7- Circles from a Geometric Perspective
2) Link to a Google Document containing links to videos and Guided Notes documents for each of the key concepts.
Image, “Apollonian Gasket Variation” was created by fdecomite. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:26.848996
|
04/23/2018
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/22743/overview",
"title": "Circles from a Geometric Perspective Review",
"author": "Mindy Branson"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/77058/overview
|
Education Standards
TDA example essay
TDA graphic organizer paper for first TDA
TDA rubric breakdown blank
The Body's Clock
TDA - Text Dependent Analysis
Overview
This presentation is used to introduce students to how to quote text when completing the text-dependent analysis response on a standardized test.
TDA - Text Dependent Analysis Writing Unit
Materials: copies of TDA rubric, TDA example essay, TDA graphic organizer, and The Body's Clock
Objectives: Students will be able to cite multiple examples of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Procedures: These resources are meant to assist you while teaching students how to write a TDA. The procedures below do NOT have to be completed in this order. You can pick and choose based on your students needs.
1. Discuss what a TDA is and what it looks like. Use the example TDA essay to help guide you.
2. Go over the state writing rubric with students. Have students break the rubric down into words they understand (there is an example of that attached).
3. Use the presentation to help your students understand how to correctly quote text within their writing.
4. Using "The Body's Clock" model to students how to highlight, annotate, and find words that relate directly to the prompt.
5. Using the TDA graphic organizer, model to your students how to clearly define paragraphs, restate the prompt in the introduction and conclusion, and gather ideas.
6. Choose a writing piece of choice and have your students go through the same steps that were modeled.
Evaluation
Students should be evaluated using the state writing rubric, or you can grade them using the rubric they created, (this would be more helpful when you give them feedback because you will use the rubrics they created using their own words.
*Note: There are more details on the documents that I have included. Instead of listing these in the procedures, I felt it would allow teachers more flexibility in making plans that best meet the need of their students. I like to start fresh with my students, even though they have been writing TDA responses for many years.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:26.880101
|
Reading Informational Text
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/77058/overview",
"title": "TDA - Text Dependent Analysis",
"author": "Literature"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/66821/overview
|
Learning Domain: Operations and Algebraic Thinking
Standard: Represent the concept of multiplication of whole numbers using models including, but not limited to, equal-sized groups ("groups of"), arrays, area models, repeated addition, and equal "jumps" on a number line.
Learning Domain: Operations and Algebraic Thinking
Standard: Interpret products of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 5 x 7 as the total number of objects in 5 groups of 7 objects each. For example, describe a context in which a total number of objects can be expressed as 5 x 7.
Learning Domain: Operations and Algebraic Thinking
Standard: Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the relationship between multiplication and division (e.g., knowing that 8 x 5 = 40, one knows 40 Ö 5 = 8) or properties of operations. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of one-digit numbers.
Learning Domain: Number and Operations in Base Ten
Standard: Multiply a whole number of up to four digits by a one-digit whole number, and multiply two two-digit numbers, using strategies based on place value and the properties of operations. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models. (Grade 4 expectations in this domain are limited to whole numbers less than or equal to 1,000,000. A range of algorithms may be used.)
Cluster: Represent and solve problems involving multiplication and division
Standard: Interpret products of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 5 × 7 as the total number of objects in 5 groups of 7 objects each. For example, describe a context in which a total number of objects can be expressed as 5 × 7.
Cluster: Multiply and divide within 100
Standard: Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the relationship between multiplication and division (e.g., knowing that 8 × 5 = 40, one knows 40 ÷ 5 = 8) or properties of operations. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of one-digit numbers.
Cluster: Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic
Standard: Multiply a whole number of up to four digits by a one-digit whole number, and multiply two two-digit numbers, using strategies based on place value and the properties of operations. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models. (Grade 4 expectations in this domain are limited to whole numbers less than or equal to 1,000,000. A range of algorithms may be used.)
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:26.908275
|
Jennifer Cronquist
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/66821/overview",
"title": "Fluency Cards",
"author": "Hannah Hynes-Petty"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/9934/overview
|
LINUX CONCEPTS
Overview
this is group of anmk
Preparation
concepts
Section 1
this is group of anmk
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:26.924259
|
puttumbaku chitti babu
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/9934/overview",
"title": "LINUX CONCEPTS",
"author": "chintha siva krishnaiah"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/83596/overview
|
Copyright and Fair Use
Overview
Performance Objectives:
Understand the basics of copyright and fair use in relation to open education
Implement the Creative Commons Licenses
Copyright. We know what it is. And that it is complicated. The digital world has drastically changed how we access, use and interact with copyrighted content.
Fair Use and Copyright
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:26.941676
|
Elizabeth Curington
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/83596/overview",
"title": "Copyright and Fair Use",
"author": "Lecture Notes"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105235/overview
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PROCESS-BASED AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT
Overview
Process oriented performance based assessment evaluates the actual task performance. It does not emphasize on the output or product of the activity. This assessment aims to know what processes a person undergoes when given a task.
Process oriented performance based assessment evaluates the actual task performance. It does not emphasize on the output or product of the activity. This assessment aims to know what processes a person undergoes when given a task.
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:26.958266
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06/13/2023
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{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105235/overview",
"title": "PROCESS-BASED AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT",
"author": "Maria Patricia Carzano"
}
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/26215/overview
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Education Standards
TT Creative Learning Behavior Poster
TT Parent Letter
Anecdotal Notes Sheet-artifact for this lesson
Possible DQM responses to Tree-pardy
Resource to use for practice to make analogies
RS10A-B Tremendous Trees Bridging Experience-artifact for this lesson.
RS1 TT Anecdotal Note Sheet
RS2B Discovery Tray Picture Sort
RS2 Tree Product Brainstorm-artifact for this lesson
RS3 Brainstorm Poster
RS4A-F Divergent Questioning Posters
RS 7 A Tree-Analogy Rules
RS 7 B-C Tree-Analogy Cards
RS8 Types of Divergent Questions Poster
TR1 Video More Trees Please
TR2 Tree-mendous Products
TR3 Tree-pardy PowerPoint
TT 2nd Grade Bridging Final Product Menu
TT RS 3 Outdoor Journal
TT RS 6 My Perfect Tree
TT TR3 Watching Wildlife PowerPoint
Second Grade: Tremendous Trees
Overview
Tremendous Trees or Tree-mendous Trees encourages students to use inquisitive and creative behaviors, to think like a scientist. The module extends the Essential Strategies of Attributes and Questioning introduced in Kindergarten and First Grade. Students use questions to approach problems and identify attributes to sort, classify, and make inferences to create analogies on observational data about our world using this module for all students. The classroom teacher should work with a specialist or special educator to find or develop alternate activities or resources for visually impaired students, where appropriate.
Lesson 1: Brainstorming
STANDARDS:
- SL.2.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
- SL 2.2 Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media (Divergent Questioning Model).
- W.2.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question
- 4.A.2a Explain the production process. a. Identify the natural, capital, and human resources used in the production of a good or service.
- NGSS Science and Engineering Practices 1. Asking questions and defining problems. Define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
- MD STEM Practices 5. Engage in logical reasoning. C. Apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics content to construct creative and innovative ideas.
ENGAGEMENT:
To build prior knowledge about trees and tree products, students will watch a video clip Technology Resource TR1 More Trees Please. Encourage students to list products that come from trees. Have students create this list (take notes) on a piece of paper while they are watching the video. Share responses to create a class chart entitled “Tree Products.” Save the “Tree Products” chart to use throughout the module.
EXPLORATION:
Divide students into small groups. Present each small group with a “Discovery Tray." Ask students to sort the products by an attribute (color, shape, size, or kind.) If you do not have the items available (leaves, twigs, tea bags, rubber duck, chewing gum, paper, pencil, coffee beans, chocolate, juice box or piece of fruit, cardboard box lid) consider using pictures. Use RS2B Discovery Tray Picture Sort.
EXPLANATION:
Have each group share how they have sorted the products. Allow for class discussion and encourage students to define the collection as products of trees.
EXTENSION:
Have student pairs complete printed copies of TR2 Tree‐mendous Products by matching the tree product cards to the related part of the tree. (This activity is not an appropriate opportunity to observe or document creative behaviors, but it is an excellent time to observe and document inquisitive behaviors.)
Discovery Tray:
Tree Product | Related Part of Tree From Which the Product Comes or is Located |
maple syrup | sap |
chewing gum | sap |
furniture | limbs |
cardboard | trunk |
paper | trunk |
pencil | branches |
Juice box or piece of fruit | fruit |
coffee | fruit/nuts |
rubber duck | sap |
EVALUATION:
Share RS2 Tree Product Brainstorm. Review the rules of brainstorming learned in the first-grade, Design Dilemma. Refer to RS3 Brainstorming Poster. Students will brainstorm a list of uses for one of the products of trees using RS2. Guide and support students while capturing creative comments on the student resource sheets. Use clarifying questions to understand the students’ explanation of the attributes of the tree product. Ask how these attributes helped the student to put the product to a new use. Apply the REPI Developmental Continuum for creative behaviors directly to RS2 Tree Product Brainstorm. Attach the artifact to the Second Grade Portfolio Summary. Use the REPI Rubric below to guide documentation on student artifacts.
REPI Developmental Continuum for Creative BehaviorsScenario: When asked to create a new use for a tree product, the student… | ||
| Creative Descriptor | Creative Examples |
Readiness | Explores materials and ideas freely | Uses the tree products without changing their attributes and in an expected way; for example, “I can draw with a pencil.” |
Emergent | Expands on materials/ideas and adds details | Uses the products for something other than its intended use but without changing the attributes. A pencil could be used as a chopstick, coffee stirrer, to hold up your hair, or as knitting needles. |
Progressing | Uses flexibility to view materials and ideas in new and unusual ways | finds a unique way to use the product; for example, a pencil could be a robot’s finger, the telephone pole in a miniature village, or a drawer pull. |
Independent | Synthesizes materials/ideas to create original uses and relationships | finds a way to combine two or more tree products, perhaps altering attributes, to create something new, such as gum used to stick a juice box with the top cut off as a mini mailbox on a desk. |
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Lesson 2: Journal Observations
STANDARDS:
- RI.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate an understanding of key details in a text.
- SL.2.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
- SL 2.2 Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
- W.2.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
- 2-LS4-1 Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.[Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the diversity of living things in each of a variety of different habitats.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include specific animal and plant names in specific habitats.]
- NGSS Science and Engineering Practices 1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering). Ask questions based on observations to find more information about the natural and/or designed world(s). 3. Planning and Carrying Out Investigations-to answer questions or test solutions to problems in K–2. This builds on prior experiences and progresses to simple investigations, based on fair tests, which provide data to support explanations or design solutions. Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data which can be used to make comparisons. 4. Analyzing and Interpreting Data. Record information (observations, thoughts, and ideas). Use and share pictures, drawings, and/or writings of observations.
- MD STEM Practices 4. Engage in inquiry.
ENGAGEMENT:
Post the question on the board or overhead and ask students to think about their responses: How is a scientist like a spy? Allow the students time to think‐pair‐share their responses.
EXPLORATION:
Watch TR3 Wildlife Watching PowerPoint (See Resources) to identify habits that allow a scientist/spy to be a successful observer. Pause to discuss during the presentation.
Possible responses might be:
· Observe at different times of the day.
· Look for wildlife everywhere like under rocks and dead bark.
· Use all of your senses.
· Look for animal signs like tracks.
· Let an adult know where you are going.
· Take a magnifying glass.
· Remember that you are a guest in the habitat, so walk quietly and do not chase or frighten animals.
EXPLANATION:
Display RS4A-F Divergent Questioning Posters. The 1st-Grade module Design Dilemma introduced the students to divergent questioning. Explain that these divergent questions have more than one right answer (open‐ended). Encourage students to use open‐ended questions as they write their tree questions.
Students will use journals to observe the tree habitat and to formulate questions they have about their tree. For example, “How did these leaves change color?” Students will write or illustrate their observations in their RS3A Outdoor Journal. They will also be recording their questions about trees in the journal. Forming open‐ended questions will allow students to exhibit inquisitive behaviors.
Prepare an Observation Kit in a baggie with a hand lens, glove, small collection bag, and small shovel or “probe," that each student can take as they “observe” trees and write, to help them feel and act like scientists. Distribute Observation Kits and Outdoor Journals. Discuss the uses of the tools briefly and visit the tree habitat. The first observation should be about 10 minutes. Provide a clipboard for the Outdoor Journal to add support. Add time, as students become more adept at making journal observations.
EXTENSION:
Upon returning to the classroom, share a few student responses orally in a small group, with a partner, or on the board with the whole group. This will allow students to see what others have observed. Invite students to model appropriate questions that they have written.
EVALUATION:
Take anecdotal notes on observed inquisitive behaviors based on students’ questions about the tree habitat in the Outdoor Journal. Document the REPI Developmental Continuum for inquisitive learning behaviors directly on the Outdoor Journal. Attach the Outdoor Journal artifact directly to the Second Grade Summary Portfolio. Use the Rubric below as a guide when documenting inquisitive behaviors.
REPI Developmental Continuum for Inquisitive Behaviors Scenario: When asked to create a question about tree habitat, the student… | ||
| Inquisitive Descriptors | Inquisitive Examples |
Readiness | Asks questions on topics of interest | “How tall is the tree?” |
Emergent | Demonstrates curiosity and actively seeks new answers | “What kind of tree is this?” |
Progressing | Asks complete questions to initiate investigations | "What makes leaves change color?” |
Independent | Asks complete questions to explore, test, and evaluate sustained investigations | "What made there be more branches at the top of the tree?” |
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Lesson 3: A Tree Community
STANDARDS:
- 2-LS4-1 Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. (Clarification: Emphasis is on the diversity of living things in each of a variety of different habitats.) (Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include specific animal and plant names in specific habitats.)
- NGSS Science and Engineering Practices 1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering). Ask questions based on observations to find more information about the natural and/or designed world(s). 4. Analyzing and Interpreting Data. Record information (observations, thoughts, and ideas). Use and share pictures, drawings, and/or writings of observations.
- MD STEM Practices 4. Engage in inquiry
- RL.2.6 Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.
- SL.2.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
- SL 2.2 Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
- SL.2.6 Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.
- W.2.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).
- C-3 D2.Civ.10.K-2. Compare their own point of view with others’ perspectives.
- MD-PD2.6.Civ.B.4 Compare their own point of view with others’ perspectives.
ENGAGEMENT:
Share the following definition of a community: A community is a group living working together in the same environment. Discuss what members live in a tree community. (Possible responses: ants, caterpillars, leaves, branches, tree, bark)
EXPLORATION:
Tell students that as they observe the tree, they must think divergently. Refer to the point of view question on the TT RS4 A-F Divergent Questioning Poster. They will either observe their tree through the “eyes” of one of the “members” of the tree community or observe it through the eyes of the “tree” itself. In addition to recording observations, ask students to record questions they have about how the tree serves them in their new role. For example, a squirrel might ask the tree, “How many acorns will you give me this fall? Before going outside, students will indicate their viewpoint by completing this sentence on TT RS6A My Perfect Tree. (Possible responses: ant, caterpillar, leaf, branch, tree, bark.)
I am pretending to be a…
Students will observe their trees and record observations and questions. Allow 10-15 minutes for observations. Apply the REPI Rubric below for inquisitive behaviors and attach the artifact to the Second Grade Portfolio Summary. Possible journal entries: From the viewpoint of an ant:
Observation - The tree looks enormous from down here. Question - How long will it take to climb to the top?
Observation - The bark has lots of ridges. Question - I wonder if I could hide in the ridges?
*This is the suggested stopping point if the lesson is presented in two segments.*
EXPLANATION:
Read the book The Gift of a Tree to build background knowledge about tree communities. Discuss the information shared and connect it to their observations.
EXTENSION:
Display a T‐chart on the board. Encourage students to make comparisons between our community and the tree community. Provide the prompts in the left column to facilitate the discussion. Some possible responses are as follows:
How is a tree like a community?
Our community has... | A tree community has... |
homes | nest or rotting log |
restaurants | leaves, fruits, nuts, and seeds |
community helpers-police | bee guarding honey |
street cleaners | termites eating dead wood |
farmers | birds or animals with fur carry seeds to new places |
EVALUATION:
Students will use TT RS 6 My Perfect Tree to design an imaginary tree. Students will pretend to be a member of the tree community. From the viewpoint of the tree community member, students will create the perfect tree. For example, the student might create a tree that has the attributes of an amusement park for a squirrel. Use RS6 to observe creative behaviors and apply the REPI Developmental Continuum.
Use the following rubric as a guide to REPI TT RS 6. Record the REPI on TT RS 6 and attach the two sheets as artifacts to the Second Grade Portfolio Summary.
REPI Developmental Continuum for Inquisitive Behaviors Scenario: When pretending to be a member of a tree community, the student asked… | ||
| Inquisitive Descriptors | Inquisitive Examples |
Readiness | Asks questions on topics of interest | “What kind of tree am I on?” |
Emergent | Demonstrates curiosity and actively seeks new answers | “How long will it take to climb to the top of the tree?” |
Progressing | Asks complete questions to initiate investigations | “Will this tree provide me with food in the winter?” |
Independent | Asks complete questions to explore, test, and evaluate sustained investigations | “What needs would this tree provide for me if it died?” |
REPI Developmental Continuum for Creative Behaviors (SAMPLE for Squirrel) Scenario: When pretending to be a squirrel, the student draws an ideal tree that… | ||
| Creative Descriptors | Creative Examples |
Readiness | Explores materials and ideas freely | grows nuts or fruits. |
Emergent | Expands on materials/ideas and adds details | grows nuts and fruits and labels how the tree meets a basic need. |
Progressing | Uses flexibility to view materials and ideas in new and unusual ways | includes details that show the ability to think like a squirrel and elaborates on how the tree serves the community members by providing for its wants and needs. |
Independent | Synthesizes materials/ideas to create original uses and relationships | shows additional details to create a unique perspective not discussed by the class that shows the concept of a tree as a whole. (For example, shows the tree as an amusement park for squirrels.) |
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Lesson 4: Tree Analogies
STANDARDS:
- RL.2.4 RL.2.4 Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
- RL.2.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry, in the grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
- SL.2.2 Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud, or information presented orally or through other media.
- L.2.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
- L.2.5 Demonstrate an understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
- L.2.6 Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy.)
- NGSS Science and Engineering Practices 2. Developing and Using Models (analogies). Compare models to identify common features and differences. Develop and/or use a model to represent amounts, relationships, relative scales (bigger, smaller), and/or patterns in the natural and designed world(s).
EXPLORATION: ENGAGEMENT:
On their own or in small groups, have students answer the question, “How is a tree like a horse?” Refer to RS 4 A-F Divergent Questioning: Forced Association. Encourage the students to share their answers and to piggyback on other students’ responses. IDEA: Record these responses and use them as evidence of creativity. Use the same process to discuss, “How is a tree is like a road?” Share the poems “Tree Horse” and “Tree Traffic” from the book, Old Elm Speaks: Tree Poems by Kristine O’Connell George. Share both the text and illustrations. The complete book is on YouTube at Old Elm Speaks.
EXPLANATION:
Discuss how the author of these poems compared two things, which initially do not appear to be alike, such as trees and horses and branches and roads. Elicit the ways that the illustrations support the text and comparisons. Ask students to think‐pair‐share thoughts on the questions:
- How does this comparison affect your thoughts and feelings about trees?
- How does the comparison help you to see trees in a new way?
*The author wants us to understand that trees do more than provide us with shelter and food. She wants us to feel empathy for and a greater appreciation of trees as members of our community.
Help the students to see that the author is comparing objects by their attributes. Students may benefit from a discussion about comparing attributes of form (how things look or feel) and function (comparing what they function or purpose.) Create sentence strips to use in a pocket chart to model making analogies. Write an explanation for the analogy on a sentence strip. Invite a student to model the next analogy and explain the comparison.
Tree Part (Card 1) | Represents (Card 2) | Attribute (Sentence Strip) |
branch | horse | can be ridden |
leaves | mane | blow in wind |
EXTENSION:
Students will play the Tree‐Analogy card game. Copy RS 7 B-C Tree‐Analogy Cards, onto 1 x 4 inch Avery (5162) mailing labels. Attach labels to index cards (pink and green, if possible.) Place cards and RS7A Tree-Analogy Directions in a baggie and label Tree-Analogy Cards. Provide each pair of students with one set of cards and directions in the baggie. Tell the students that they will be playing a tree analogy card game. Discuss the directions as a class. Explain that there will be two rows of cards spread out on the desk or floor and model for the students how to choose pairs of words and how to explain the analogy.
Tree Community (Card 1) | People Community (Card 2) | What do they have in common? (Discussion) |
branch | road | creatures move along it |
squirrel | commuter | hurry to get somewhere |
Circulate with a clipboard to answer questions and encourage the creation of original analogies. Interview student pairs to capture creative ideas being sure to determine which student completed the analogy. Encourage ideas that may be unusual matches and well-developed explanations about what the items have in common. Apply the REPI Rubric and document creative behaviors on RS 1 or the optional Anecdotal Notes Sheet.
REPI Developmental Continuum for Creative Behaviors Scenario: When asked to create a tree analogy, the student is… | ||
| Creative Descriptors | Creative Examples |
Readiness | Explores materials and ideas freely | given the card “squirrel,” the student puts down “car,” but is unable to explain how the two are alike. |
Emergent | Expands on materials/ideas and adds details | given the card “squirrel,” the student puts down “car,” and says, “They both move.” |
Progressing | Uses flexibility to view materials and ideas in new and unusual ways | given the card “squirrel,” the student puts down “farmer,” and says, “The squirrel buries acorns in the ground like the farmer plants seeds.” |
Independent | Synthesizes materials/ideas to create original uses and relationships | given the card “squirrel,” the student sees a relationship that is abstract or rare in the class, perhaps using a wild card. “The squirrel is like a bandit who hides his loot and comes back for it later.” |
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Transfer Task
STANDARDS:
- W.2.2 Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points and provide a concluding statement or section.
- W.2.3 Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
- NGSS Science and Engineering Practices 1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering). 4. Analyzing and Interpreting Data.
- MD STEM Practices 3. Interpret and Communicate Information from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
PROCEDURE:
- In this activity, students apply what they know about trees by creating a product to solve a problem. A Bridging Final Product Menu is available as a resource.
- Allow class time for students to create their products. Consider collaborating with the media, technology, art, or music teacher to expand upon product ideas.
- Read RS10 A-B Tremendous Trees Bridging Experience, Resource Sheet as a class.
- The Divergent Questioning Model may be a useful tool for students who are having difficulty developing questions; however, they should not feel limited to following this model.
- Capture anecdotal notes on inquisitive behaviors while students complete Part A of the Bridging Experience. The remaining process and final product provide opportunities to observe creative behaviors. Use RS10a-b as an artifact and attach Part A of the Bridging Experience to the 2nd Grade PTD Portfolio Summary. Have students complete Part B with notes for their product. Consider using Part C and the product or a photo of the product labeled with the REPI code to capture creative and inquisitive behaviors.
- Share products with a selected audience — for example, display at parent night, media center, or hallway.
- Continue to develop inquisitive and creative behaviors across subject areas.
- Teachers often find it difficult to “teach” some of this, so we created the possible DQM response sheet to assist. We have even suggested that you flip the game, TR3Tree-Pardy, as a form of differentiation, give the response examples, and have students come up with the overarching DQM question. Try it and see how it works for you.
Use this Rubric as a guide to REPI student-learning behaviors and document those behaviors on RS10 A-B Tremendous Trees Bridging Experience and on the product the student-created.
REPI Developmental Continuum for Inquisitive Behaviors Scenario: When creating questions about a tree, the student… | ||
| Inquisitive Descriptors | Inquisitive Examples |
Readiness | Asks questions on topics of interest | asks a closed question like, “What kind of tree is this?” |
Emergent | Demonstrates curiosity and actively seeks new answers | asks an open-ended question like, “How long does it take for an acorn to grow into a tree?” |
Progressing | Asks complete questions to initiate investigations | asks questions that are varied and original like, “What kind of tree is best to plant in a schoolyard?” |
Independent | Asks complete questions to explore, test, and evaluate sustained investigations | asks questions that are varied and original, and show a quest for deeper understanding like, “How does planting trees help to save waterways?” |
REPI Developmental Continuum for Inquisitive Behaviors Scenario: When completing Part A (What do you Wonder?), the student… | ||
| Inquisitive Descriptors | Inquisitive Examples |
Readiness | Asks questions on topics of interest | gives a basic response to the prompt by asking something like, “Where will the animals live?” |
Emergent | Demonstrates curiosity and actively seeks new answers | offers a few examples of how the lack of trees would affect our world by asking things like, “What will we build houses out of?” or “Will we still be able to make paper?” |
Progressing | Asks complete questions to initiate investigations | asks higher-level questions to initiate an investigation by asking things like, “What happened to cause the trees to disappear?” “Did they all die?” “Were they all cut down?” |
Independent | Asks complete questions to explore, test, and evaluate sustained investigations | offers multiple examples of how the lack of trees would affect our world and offers solutions like “What happened to cause the trees to disappear?” “Did they all die?” “Were they all cut down?” “What can we do to make sure this never happens again?” “How can we convince people to help?” |
REPI Developmental Continuum for Creative Behaviors Scenario: When completing Part C (How will you present your message?), the student… | ||
| Creative Descriptors | Creative Examples |
Readiness | Explores materials and ideas freely | addresses the problem in a concrete way on a simple poster; for example, “You should stop cutting down trees.” |
Emergent | Expands on materials/ideas and adds details | addresses the problem in a concrete way in a product with little elaboration; for example, “You should stop cutting down trees because…” |
Progressing | Uses flexibility to view materials and ideas in new and unusual ways | creates a message and product that shows originality and elaboration with multiple reasons why we need trees. For example, the student creates a cartoon showing various animals, each giving an example of how it would be affected by the lack of trees. There is a clear message that the whole community is affected. |
Independent | Synthesizes materials/ideas to create original uses and relationships | creates a multi-faceted approach to solving the problem that includes both the what and how of the solution. The approach is original, well developed, and appeals to logic and emotions. For example, the student creates a mascot and slogan (i.e., Smokey the Bear) and plans a TV ad to raise awareness about the importance of trees, shows how nature and the human community would be affected by the lack of trees, and what could be done to prevent their demise. |
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:27.185257
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MSDE Admin
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{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/26215/overview",
"title": "Second Grade: Tremendous Trees",
"author": "Amy Tubman"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/63851/overview
| ERROR: type should be string, got "https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/praxis-writing/praxis-writing-lessons/gtp--praxis-writing--quick-guides/a/gtp--praxis-writing--article--noun-agreement--quick-guide\nhttps://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat/new-sat-tips-planning/sat-writing-and-language-test-strategies/a/apostrophes\nThe Beatles\nOverview\nKhan Academy and YouTube were the resources used for this assignment.\nPersuasive Writing\nPersuasive Writing activities will be connected to the links provided. The teacher will model this writing process using e-resources, whiteboard, and other resources that deal with this form of discourse.\nJanice Singletary\nABE Teacher\nSTANDARD:\nCCSS: ELA- Literacy. W.8.9\nDraw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.\nStudents will explore and develop creative thinking through practical based activity concerning the Beatles.\nTHE BEATLES\n- The teacher will share samples of songs written by the Beatles. (www.youtube.com)\n- The student and teacher will discuss persuasive language as it relates to writing.\n- Using a Graphic Organizer, the teacher will share on the Whiteboard why she selected the Beatles as her favorite group, as the class works with the organizer.\n- Students will state their favorite and list reasons why on the organizer.\n- Students will write a persuasive compositions following the steps outline in an earlier lesson.\nAssessment:\nStudents will write a persuasive composition concerning their favorite artist using an organizer and holistic rubric with 80% accuracy.\nThis lesson on the Beatles will introduce the Beatles, reinforce how persuasive music can be, and build upon the mastery of how to use persuasive techniques in writing with a focus on grammar.\nKhan Academy was the main resource used because it provided a complete lists of activities that can be used and revised for differentiating assignments for students of varying levels because music is universal.\nBecause Khan Academy is used at LLLC, I can share this idea with the other teachers who are preparing students for the GED Writing, making feedback immediate for teachers who can modify, remix, or reuse this idea that was featured on the website.\nLICENSE: https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/tate/global-modernisms/global-pop/v/peter-blake-studio\nCreator: Peter Blake’s video concerning the Beatles was used, as well as other sources from Khan Academy and YouTube.\nCC BY- NC- SA" |
oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:27.212784
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03/09/2020
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{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/63851/overview",
"title": "The Beatles",
"author": "Janice Singletary"
}
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/114226/overview
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Community Knowledge Management
Overview
Community is key to open education, with an often-overlooked aspect of community management and evolution being how knowledge is stewarded within such networks. We from We Are Open in collaboration with participate are running a series of workshops called "Community Conversations" where we talk about different aspects of community management. This one is our fourth Community Conversations session and it was timed to coincide with Open Education Week, an initiative of OE Global.
Community is key to open education, with an often-overlooked aspect of community management and evolution being how knowledge is stewarded within such networks. We from We Are Open in collaboration with participate are running a series of workshops called "Community Conversations" where we talk about different aspects of community management. This one is our fourth Community Conversations session and it was timed to coincide with Open Education Week, an initiative of OE Global.
The youtube link is a short version of the workshop we ran, without the activities.
How are you managing knowledge in your community?
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.230889
|
Technology
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/114226/overview",
"title": "Community Knowledge Management",
"author": "Management"
}
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/98108/overview
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Worksheet
Eureka 6 Module 1 Lessons 19-20
Overview
See the instructor notes in the "notes" on each slide
Eureka 6 Module 1 Lessons 19-20
Google Slides and a corresponding worksheet for Eureka 6 Module 1 Lessons 19-20
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.247794
|
Tasha Christensen
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/98108/overview",
"title": "Eureka 6 Module 1 Lessons 19-20",
"author": "Lesson Plan"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/86887/overview
|
HPDA in eScience with the Ophidia framework
PyOphidia Usage Tutorial
High Performance Data Analytics with the Ophidia framework
Overview
This training provides an overview of the Ophidia HPDA framework main features for climate data analysis and a practical tutorial on how to use the framework in examples of real-world analysis. It covers all the key concepts needed to effectively start using Ophidia in HPDA applications. The contents of this training have been extracted from the ESiWACE2 2021 course on HPDA and Visualisation. The code shown in the practical part is based on the Ophidia Python bindings: PyOphidia v1.9. For questions, please contact ophidia-info@cmcc.it
Introduction to the Ophidia framework
The effective management of the increasing data volumes in many scientific domains requires analysis tools able to effectively scale with these massive datasets.
Ophidia (http://ophidia.cmcc.it/) is a CMCC Foundation research effort addressing Big Data challenges for eScience. The Ophidia framework represents an open source solution for the analysis of scientific multi-dimensional data, joining HPC paradigms and Big Data approaches. It supports parallel, in-memory data processing, data-driven task scheduling and server-side analysis. Ophidia is primarily used in the climate change domain, although it has also been successfully exploited in other scientific domains.
This section introduces the Ophidia framework, its design and the main features supported for data management and analysis.
Outline
- Ophidia framework overview and motivations
- Main features and interaction modes provided
- Framework architecture
- Storage model, data partitioning and mapping to NetCDF file
- Data analytics operators and primitives
- Introduction to PyOphidia
Note: the slides in the attachment slightly differ from those in the video since these have been updated after the event
Practical tutorial with PyOphidia
This section provides a practical walkthrough of the features provided by the framework using the PyOphidia Python module applied to some real climate data. It provides step-by-step instructions to execute the tutorial and the listing of the tutorial notebook.
Tutorial and hands-on notebooks as well as full instructions for their execution can be found on GitHub: https://github.com/ESiWACE/hpda-vis-training/tree/master/Training2021/Session3
Outline
- Accessing and setting up the tutorial environment
- Loading a NetCDF file
- Managing the cube virtual space
- Analysing an Ophidia datacube
- Plotting the results on a map
- Performing time series analysis
Note: the slides in the attachment slightly differ from those in the video since these have been updated after the event
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.269515
|
Lecture Notes
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{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/86887/overview",
"title": "High Performance Data Analytics with the Ophidia framework",
"author": "Homework/Assignment"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/97585/overview
|
Thousands of Demonstrators gather for "National demands An elected government" rally in Karrana Bahrain
Overview
Adaptation from Creative Commons: Added Full Caption
"Thousands of demonstrators gather for "National demands An elected government" rally in Karrana, Bahrain" by Mohamed CJ, Caption by Mercy Alu is licensed under CC BY 3.0 / A derivative from the original work
"Thousands of demonstrators gather for "National demands An elected government" rally in Karrana, Bahrain" by Mohamed CJ, Caption by Mercy Alu is licensed under CC BY 3.0 / A derivative from the original work
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thousands_of_demonstrators_gather_for_%22National_demands_An_elected_government%22_rally_in_Karrana,_Bahrain.jpg#file" target="_blank">"Thousands of demonstrators gather for "National demands An elected government" rally in Karrana, Bahrain"</a> by <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thousands_of_demonstrators_gather_for_%22National_demands_An_elected_government%22_rally_in_Karrana,_Bahrain.jpg#file" target="_blank">Mohamed CJ, Caption by Mercy Alu</a> is licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0" target="_blank">CC BY 3.0</a> / A derivative from the <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thousands_of_demonstrators_gather_for_%22National_demands_An_elected_government%22_rally_in_Karrana,_Bahrain.jpg#file" target="_blank">original work</a>
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.283127
|
09/29/2022
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/97585/overview",
"title": "Thousands of Demonstrators gather for \"National demands An elected government\" rally in Karrana Bahrain",
"author": "Mercy Alu"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/108389/overview
|
Görme Engelliler İçin Akıllı Ayakkabı
Overview
Görme Engelliler İçin Akıllı Ayakkabı
Görme Engelliler İçin Akıllı Ayakkabı
Görme Engelliler İçin Akıllı Ayakkabı
Görme Engelli Bireylerin karşılaştığı engelleri sensör ile haber vererek onların zarar görmelerini engellemek amacıyla tasarlandı.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.299196
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09/08/2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/108389/overview",
"title": "Görme Engelliler İçin Akıllı Ayakkabı",
"author": "ilknur çinpolat"
}
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105176/overview
|
PRODUCT-BASED ASSESSMENT
Overview
In product-based authentic assessment, students are tasked with creating a tangible or digital product that demonstrates their understanding of a particular concept or skill.
PRODUCT-BASED AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT
Subject: History
Grade Level: Grade 6
Topic: Scrapbook on “EDSA REVOLUTION
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the lesson the students with 80% of accuracy should have:
- Understand the key events, causes, and consequences of the EDSA Revolution, including the historical context and significance of the revolution. Analyze primary and secondary sources.
- Evaluate and select relevant visual and written materials to include in the scrapbook, such as photographs, newspaper clippings, quotes, and interviews, to support the understanding of the revolution. Synthesize information
- Organize the scrapbook in a structured and coherent manner, showcasing a sequential or thematic representation of the EDSA Revolution, enabling learners to connect and synthesize the information effectively.
ASSESSMENT TASK:
To produce a scrapbook that presented depth understanding about the “EDSA I REVOLUTION”
INSTRUCTIONS:
Materials: Papers/ Scissors/ Coloring Materials/ Etc.
Process/ Mechanics:
- Conduct a research about “EDSA I REVOLUTION” and gathered some main events and themes covered in the scrapbook.
- Gathered some images that related to “EDSA I REVOLUTION” that are uses to scrapbook.
- Creates a good layout, design, and navigation of the scrapbook to determine if that images to use are related to “EDSA REVOLUTION”
- Start cutting pictures or, read articles, events about EDSA revolution
- Organize and plan the format of the scrapbook that include some quotes.
- Start designing and laying out the scrapbook pages by the use of text, photos and caption.
- Then review, make sure that the scrapbook are organized.
Tips & Reminders:
- Start by planning the structure of your scrapbook.
- Decide on the sequence of events, themes, or aspects of the EDSA Revolution that you want to highlight.
- Create an outline or storyboard to guide your scrapbook's layout. -Gather relevant materials
- Collect photographs, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, or any other visual materials related to the EDSA Revolution.
- Look for primary sources, such as photographs taken during the revolution, as they provide a more authentic representation of the event.
Time frame: The total suggested time frame for creating the infographic, including research, content creation, design, review, and presentation, can range from 6 to 12 hours spread across several sessions or weeks.
Submission: The submission due date will be communicated by the teacher or facilitator.
RUBRICS:
Instructions: Teachers or facilitators will use this rubric to assess and provide feedback on students’ work.
- The rubric should be shared with the students before the assessment begin, so they are aware of the criteria on which they will be evaluated.
- Teachers/Facilitator can change the scoring or ratings to each component of the rubric.
- The scores or rating can be compiled to calculate an overall score or rating for the students’ performance in this objective.
- The submission due date will be communicated by the teacher or facilitator.
- Teachers should introduce the rubric and explain its components and criteria to the students
- Students should familiarize themselves with the rubric, understanding the criteria and expectations for each component.
SCORING RUBRIC
CATEGORY | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
CONTENT | The content of the scrapbook shall uses the elements and have the most efficiently and accurate important ideas that show the topic. | The content of the scrapbook shall base on the “EDSA I REVOLUTION that have efficiently and good ideas, and have important facts that show the topic. | The content of the scrapbook is related to the “EDSA I REVOLUTION have fair ideas, which need more effective important facts that show the topic. | The content of the scrapbook are poor and does not have a sufficient and accurate understanding of the EDSA I REVOLUTION that related to the topic. |
Style & Organization | The scrapbook display interesting and attractive. It is polished without distraction. It uses the required elements of the scrapbook and it is efficiently show the relevant of the particular topic. The materials are complete and organized to present the idea well. | The scrapbook display interesting and attractive. It is polished few distraction. It is mostly use white space and contains all the requirements of the scrapbook. The materials are complete and well-organized. Presentation has sequence and plan evident. | Some scrapbook display are interesting. Some materials are complete but lack of organization. It is somewhat poor. Have some distraction. Missing some of the requirement. Presentation has some sequence and plan evident. | The scrapbook display uninteresting not tidy. It is quite poor. Many distraction. Does not include the proper requirements. Materials are incomplete and not organized. Presentation has no sequence or plan evident. |
Knowledge | The scrapbook demonstrates depth understanding about the “EDSA I REVOLUTION” and have accurately and clear investigated information. The particular gathered knowledge shall demonstrates a thorough of the subject investigated, | The scrapbook demonstrates good understanding about the “EDSA I REVOLUTION” and have accurately and clear information. The particular gathered knowledge shall demonstrates a subject investigated. | The scrapbook demonstrates fair understanding about the “EDSA I REVOLUTION” have good information. Need more knowledge of the subjects investigated. | The scrapbook demonstrates poor and need improvement of the understanding about “EDSA I REVOLUTION”. The scrapbook demonstrates little information. |
Attractiveness | The scrapbook shall excellently presenting reflecting a lot of thoughts, the students must have their creativity by doing reflection throughout their understanding the “EDSA I REVOLUTION” and shall maintain of being resourcefulness in creating the reflection of the topic. | The scrapbook shall have good creative have effort, the scrapbook shall neat and shows the evidence of can see the effort have time spent on it. If have good reflection throughout the understanding of the topic seen the resourcefulness on the topic. | The scrapbook have fair effort and poor presenting the thoughts of the students need more effort to make the scrapbook became creativity better reflection of understanding the revolution. Need improvement of creating reflection of the topic. | The scrapbook have poor information. Need improvement in creating the reflection to make attractiveness of the topic. |
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REFERENCES:
(APA, categorized, alphabetical)
Online Sources:
Twinkl. (n.d.). EDSA People Power I Revolution. Retrieved from https://www.twinkl.com.ph/resource/edsa-people-power-i-revolution-t-1675428597
Books:
Journals:
PREPARED BY:
ALONSO, RONNA MAE (ronnamae.alonso@ctu.edu.ph)
May 2023
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.350890
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06/13/2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105176/overview",
"title": "PRODUCT-BASED ASSESSMENT",
"author": "Ronna Mae Alonso"
}
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105188/overview
|
PROCESS BASED ASSESSMENT DESIGN PLAN
Overview
This is an alternative assessment plan outline for students using process based.
PROCESS-BASED AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT
Subject: Technology and Livelihood Education: Agri-Fishery Arts
Grade Level: Grade 6
Topic: Types of Fish Culture
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the lesson the students with 80% of accuracy should have:
- Define process-based authentic assessment.
- Construct examples of process-based authentic assessment tasks.
- Describe the key points and methods used in process-based authentic assessment.
ASSESSMENT TASK:
Create a 3 min documentary of existing fish culture present in your local community.
INSTRUCTIONS:
(complete details you find necessary to guide the learners to maximize the learning experience using this assessment task, to make sure to communicate what you expect for them to do, to make your conduct of assessment efficient in process and recording, etc.)
Materials:
Process/ Mechanics:
Tips & Reminders:
Time frame:
Submission:
RUBRICS:
Instructions: (how to use the rubrics, who will use, when will they use or compute the score and give rating, submission due date and guidelines, etc.)
rubrics here…
REFERENCES:
(APA, categorized, alphabetical)
Jhnlry (2011).CHAPTER II: Process-Oriented Performance-Based Assessment. Stodocu.
https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/medina-college/bs-pharmacy/chapter-ii-process-oriented-performance-based-assessment/14387222
Product Oriented Performance Based Assessment PPT. Dokumen Tips.
https://dokumen.tips/documents/reupload-product-oriented-performance-based-assessment-ppt.html?page=7
Books:
Journals:
PREPARED BY:
ALAGBAN, PATRICIA ISABEL (patriciaisabel.alagban@ctu.edu.ph)
May 2023
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.385311
|
06/13/2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105188/overview",
"title": "PROCESS BASED ASSESSMENT DESIGN PLAN",
"author": "KHERBY JOHN STEVE RUBIA"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/28137/overview
|
List of Open Educational Resources Websites
OECD; Giving knowledge for free the emergence of open educational resources
OER I: Concept
OER-I: Concept of OER
Overview
The presnetation provide the concept of OER.
Dowanload the ppt and refer the resources.
Section 1
The presnetation provide the concept of OER.
Dowanload the ppt and refer the resources.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.402734
|
AJAY SEMALTY
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{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/28137/overview",
"title": "OER-I: Concept of OER",
"author": "Module"
}
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/75342/overview
|
Insight Citizen Science Project
Overview
Insight is a free IOS app that was developed by Border Free Bees and Pollinator Partnerships to inspire and empower citizens including students age four and up to learn about North America's pollinators. When you join Insight Citizen Science, you become a member of this national team, participating in observation-based research. The link provided will take you to the website for more information and a how-to video. When entering the name and email information, be sure to select the Bee Cause Project as your organization.
Insight Citizen Science Project
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.421571
|
Environmental Science
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{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/75342/overview",
"title": "Insight Citizen Science Project",
"author": "Elementary Education"
}
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/78736/overview
|
MICRO TEACHING SKILLS
Overview
This Resource includes the detailed description about the different micro teaching skills used in the Class room for teaching learning.
MICRO TEACHING SKILLS
This Module includes the Different Micro skills used in the classroom interaction.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.438015
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03/28/2021
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/78736/overview",
"title": "MICRO TEACHING SKILLS",
"author": "Dr. Parmvir Singh Sandhu"
}
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105197/overview
|
PRODUCT BASED ASSESSMENT DESIGN PLAN
Overview
A design plan template and sample for product based assessment that uses EDSA 1 Revolution as a topic sample.
PRODUCT-BASED AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT
Subject: Araling Panlipunan
Grade Level: Grade 7
Topic: EDSA 1 Revolution
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the lesson the students with 80% of accuracy should have:
- Understand the historical context of the EDSA 1 Revolution.
- Explain the significance and outcome of the EDSA 1 Revolution.
- Create an important reflection of knowledge through scrapbook making.
ASSESSMENT TASK:
To create a historical record of the EDSA I Revolution using photographs, newspaper clippings, and other memorabilia.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Materials:
- Photographs and newspaper clippings related to the EDSA I Revolution (you can find them online or in books)
- Art supplies (scissors, glue, colored pens, markers)
- Scrapbook or construction paper
- Other memorabilia related to the revolution (optional)
Process/ Mechanics:
- Gather materials such as use newspapers,magazines, photographs and other memorabilia that related to EDSA I revolution.
- Create a rough draft of the scrapbook including the layout and design elements.
- Refine the scrapbook by adding details and ensuring that all of the required elements are included.
- Review your scrapbook and present the scrapbook to the class and share your insights on the EDSA I Revolution.
Tips & Reminders:
- Handle photographs and newspaper clippings with care to prevent damage.
- Be creative and express your understanding of the EDSA I Revolution through your scrapbook.
- Make sure to credit the sources of the photographs and newspaper clippings used in your scrapbook.
Time frame:
- 1 week
Submission:
- After 1 week or submit on assigned due date
RUBRICS:
Instructions:
- Teacher or assigned evaluators will use the rubric to assess your historical scrapbook about the EDSA 1 Revolution.
- They will carefully review and analyze your scrapbook, referring to the rubric to evaluate each performance indicator.
- Evaluators will assign the appropriate rating or score based on their assessment of your scrapbook's content, organization, creativity, and presentation.
- When assessing each performance indicator, evaluators will consider the extent to which your scrapbook meets the criteria outlined in the rubric.
- They will use their professional judgment to assign a rating or score that best reflects the level of achievement for that specific indicator.
- After completing the assessment using the rubric, evaluators will provide you with feedback on your scrapbook's strengths and areas for improvement.
- The feedback will focus on how well you addressed each performance indicator and offer suggestions for enhancing your future work.
- Teacher will provide specific guidelines regarding the submission of your historical scrapbook.
- Be sure to adhere to the given instructions and submit your completed scrapbook by the assigned due date.
- Follow any additional guidelines provided by your teacher, such as whether to submit a physical copy or a digital version of the scrapbook.
SCORING RUBRIC:
CRITERIA | EXCELLENT (4) | PROFICIENT (3) | NEEDS IMPROVEMENT (2) | UNSATISFACTORY (1) |
CONCEPT (Innovation) | Takes and collectual and create risks. | Willing to explore. | Evidence of original creative thought. | Minimal evidence of original thought or imagination. |
DESIGNS (Composition and Elements) | Very much harmonious and dynamic. Displays deep understanding. | Understands and applies principles well. | Some attempt to apply design principles. | Little consideration of design principles. |
TECHNICAL QUALITY (Skills and Techniques) | Superior use of tools, materials and techniques. | Demonstrates above understanding of art medium. | Use medium at basic level. | Demonstrate little skill with medium. |
REFERENCES:
EDSA PEOPLE POWER REVOLUTION - Amnesty Philippines. (2022, July 22). Amnesty Philippines.
https://www.amnesty.org.ph/2022/07/protestph-edsa-revolution/
PREPARED BY:
ALCONERA, GLYDELL ANN (glydellann.alconera@ctu.edu.ph)
May 2023
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.487705
|
06/13/2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105197/overview",
"title": "PRODUCT BASED ASSESSMENT DESIGN PLAN",
"author": "GLYDELL ANN ALCONERA"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/97639/overview
|
Eureka 6 Module 1 Lesson 18 Slides
Overview
See the notes in the Google Slides for instructions. This is a virtual class.
Eureka 6 Module 1 Lesson 18 Slides
Here are Google Slides to correspond with Eureka 6 Module 1 Lesson 18. This is meant to be a virtual lesson, taught via Zoom or another online platform.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.503913
|
Tasha Christensen
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/97639/overview",
"title": "Eureka 6 Module 1 Lesson 18 Slides",
"author": "Lesson Plan"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105080/overview
|
AFFECTIVE BASED ASSESSMENT DESIGN PLAN
Overview
An alternative assessment design plan use to measure the impact of communication in student's interaction
AFFECTIVE ASSESSMENT
Subject: ESP
Grade Level: Grade 8
Topic: Socializing - Communication
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the lesson the students with 80% of accuracy should have:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the role of communication in student interactions.
- Reflect on personal communication styles and habits to identify strengths and areas for improvement when it comes to socializing.
- Recognize the importance of effective communication in fostering positive and meaningful interactions among students.
ASSESSMENT TASK:
Evaluate the impact of communication to each student’s interaction through self-report questionnaires for students.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Materials:
- Self-report Questionnaires
- Pencil or ball pen
Process/ Mechanics:
- Administer the self-report questionnaires which will be given before the discussion of the topic.
- After consolidation, the questionnaire will be given again at the end of the term to view the improvement of student’s interaction.
Tips & Reminders:
- Reflect on your overall experiences with communication in every interactions, considering both positive and negative situations.
- Take your time to carefully read each statement and consider your response before marking your choice on the Yes or No Questionnaire.
- Be honest and genuine in your responses, as your feedback will contribute to a better understanding of the impact of communication on student interactions.
- Remember that there are no right or wrong answers, as the questionnaire aims to capture diverse perspectives and experiences.
Time frame:
- 15-30 minutes should be enough during the process.
Submission:
- After answering the questionnaire within the given time frame, students must pass their questionnaires with their corresponding answers already.
Assessment Tool: Yes or No Questionnaire
Directions: Please answer the following questions by simply selecting Yes or No.
QUESTIONS/STATEMENTS | YES | NO |
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REFERENCES:
EsP8 Q2 Mod5 Ang-Pakikipagkapwa v3 100356. (n.d.). Scribd.
https://www.scribd.com/document/502873970/EsP8-Q2-Mod5-Ang-Pakikipagkapwa-v3-100356
PREPARED BY:
RUBIA, KHERBY JOHN STEVE M. (kherbyjohnsteve.rubia@ctu.edu.ph)
May 2023
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.545381
|
06/12/2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105080/overview",
"title": "AFFECTIVE BASED ASSESSMENT DESIGN PLAN",
"author": "KHERBY JOHN STEVE RUBIA"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/109594/overview
|
Remix Template for DPLA Primary Source Adaptations
Overview
This template is designed to support educators in remixing DPLA resources.
Background on selected DPLA resource
Please add information here about the particulat DPLA resource that you have chosen.
Why you have created a remix of the resource
Provide background on yourself, the goals of making the resource and how you would use it in your teaching context.
Resources to consider adding in a Remix of the resource
Image resources
- Provide images and citations for possible images you would include
Video resources
- Provide videos and citations for possible videos you would include
- Critical questions - Provide supporting questions to interrogate this video
Written resources
- Provide links or documents to written resources that you would include
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.559894
|
10/24/2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/109594/overview",
"title": "Remix Template for DPLA Primary Source Adaptations",
"author": "Joanna Schimizzi"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105087/overview
|
PRODUCT-BASED ASSESSMENT
Overview
Product-based assessment is a comprehensive evaluation method that focuses on assessing the final outcome or deliverable of a process or project. It emphasizes the quality, functionality, and effectiveness of the end product.
PRODUCT-BASED AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT
Subject: Technology and Livelihood Education: ICT
Grade Level: Grade 6
Topic: Evaluating an infographic about the proper use of social media
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the lesson the students with 80% of accuracy should have:
- Understand the principles and guidelines for responsible and ethical use of social media platforms
- Demonstrate proficiency in gathering relevant information about social media usage and it’s impact n individuals and society.
- Develop effective visual communication skills by creating an infogaphic that conveys information about proper social media use in a clear and visually appealing manner.
ASSESSMENT TASK:
Create an infographic about the proper use of social media.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Materials: Gadgets
Process/ Mechanics:
- Ask students to conduct a research on the proper use of social media focusing on the do’s and don’ts of social media use and to create an infographic about it. (At least 10 do’s and don't s)
- Infographic should be visually appealing and easy to read, with a clear and concise message: It should use evidence to support claims and should include proper citations for all sources.
- Submit your completed infographic as a digital file, in either PNG or JPEG format.
Tips & Reminders:
- Keep it concise and focused: Infographics are meant to present information in a visually appealing and easily digestible format. Choose key points and information about the proper use of social media, and avoid overwhelming your audience with too much text or data.
Time frame: The total suggested time frame for creating the infographic, including research, content creation, design, review, and presentation, can range from 6 to 12 hours spread across several sessions or weeks.
Submission: The submission due date will be communicated by the teacher or facilitator.
RUBRICS:
Instructions: Teachers or facilitators will use this rubric to assess and provide feedback on students’ work.
- The rubric should be shared with the students before the assessment begin, so they are aware of the criteria on which they will be evaluated.
- Teachers/Facilitator can change the scoring or ratings to each component of the rubric.
- The scores or rating can be compiled to calculate an overall score or rating for the students’ performance in this objective.
- The submission due date will be communicated by the teacher or facilitator.
- Teachers should introduce the rubric and explain its components and criteria to the students
- Students should familiarize themselves with the rubric, understanding the criteria and expectations for each component.
SCORING RUBRIC
CRITERIA | EXCELLENT (5) | FAIR (3) | POOR (1) | SCORE |
Content Accuracy | The infographic accurately presents information about the do’s and don’ts of social media use. All claims are supported by credible source. | Most information is accurate but not supported by reliable sources. | Infographic contains inaccurate information or irrelevant to the topic. |
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Clarity of Message | The infographic is clear, concise, and effectively communicated and presents (10) do’s and don’ts of social media use. | The infographic is presented in an easy to follow manner but only gives maximum of (8) do’s and don’ts of social media use. | The infographic fails to communicate the do’s and don’ts of social media. |
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Use of evidence | The infographic uses reliable sources to support claims. All sources are properly cited and credible. | The infographic uses reliable evidence to support claims. However, sources are not properly cited. | The infographic uses no evidence. |
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Visual Appeal | The infographic is visually stunning, with attractive colors, fonts, and images that draw the eyes and enhance the message. The layout is easy to follow and visually appealing. | The infographic is usually appealing, but may lack consistently in the use of design elements. The layout may be somewhat cluttered or difficult to follow. | The infographic is poorly designed with little no use of colors, fonts, or images. |
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REFERENCES:
(APA, categorized, alphabetical)
Online Sources:
Department of Education (DepEd). (2019). Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP) Curriculum Guide. https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/EPP-CG.pdf
Books:
Journals:
PREPARED BY:
AMAD, ASHLEY MAE (ashleymae.amad@ctu.edu.ph)
May 2023
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:27.606275
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06/12/2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105087/overview",
"title": "PRODUCT-BASED ASSESSMENT",
"author": "Ashley Mae Amad"
}
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/71209/overview
|
Img1 Overview DNSAuthor: VibintsmOriginal from:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dns-server-hierarchy.gif Network DNS
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:27.628834
|
08/16/2020
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/71209/overview",
"title": "Img1",
"author": "Marcelo Carvalho"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/16138/overview
|
Technology and Education
Overview
How to use Technology in education system.
technology and education web link for use and important-http://edtechreview.in/news/681-technology-in-education
video for use
educational importants
Section 1
How to use Technology in education system.
technology and education web link for use and important-http://edtechreview.in/news/681-technology-in-education
video for use
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.646058
|
08/09/2017
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/16138/overview",
"title": "Technology and Education",
"author": "Dr.Ankush Aundhakar"
}
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/108339/overview
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EdApp Kullanımı
Overview
EdApp kullanımı tamamen ücretsiz olan tam özellikli bir öğrenme
yönetim sistemidir.Bulut tabanlı kurs yazma araçlarıyla mikro
öğrenme gibi özelliklere sahip, ilgi çekici ve etkili e- kursları
tasarlayabilirsiniz.
EdApp Program Tanıtımı
EdApp kullanımı tamamen ücretsiz olan tam özellikli bir öğrenme
yönetim sistemidir.Bulut tabanlı kurs yazma araçlarıyla mikro
öğrenme gibi özelliklere sahip, ilgi çekici ve etkili e- kursları
tasarlayabilirsiniz.
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:27.663209
|
09/07/2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/108339/overview",
"title": "EdApp Kullanımı",
"author": "ilknur çinpolat"
}
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/67020/overview
|
Education Standards
Flipping Pennies - Grade 3
Overview
Elementary school lessons utilize local phenomenon and are organized by grade level. By organizing instruction around local phenomenon, students are provided with a reason to learn shifting the focus from learning about a disconnected topic to figuring out why or how something happens. #Going 3D with GRC
Lesson - Force and Motion
Student Science Performance
Phenomenon: A handkerchief can be pulled from under a plate without causing the plate to move.
Anlogous Phenomenon: When a penny is sitting on a 3x5 paper card that is on top of a cup, you can make the penny fall into the cup without touching the penny.
Gather:
1. Students develop questions to investigate how to cause the penny to fall off the card and into the cup without touching the penny.
2. Students plan and carry out an investigation to determine how forces are causing the movement of the penny.
(Teaching Suggestions: Place a 3X5 card flat on top of a cup then place a penny on top of the card (in the middle of the card) directly over the cup. Now without touching the penny, design ways to have the penny fall into the cup by applying a single force. Provide students with a 3X5 card, nickel, and penny, heavy glass or mug.)
3. Students obtain information from reading or other sources about the causes of the penny falling straight down but the card being moved horizontally.
(Teaching Suggestions: This NSF video is a quality resource: https://science360.gov/obj/video/70fadaa8-c3d4-4132-ba1f-c98be5caeb14/science-nfl-football-newtons-first-law-motion you may also provide a reading for the students. )
Reason:
4. Students develop a model to show the forces acting on the system of the card and penny result in the penny falling straight down into the cup.
Class Discussion:
Q: Why does the speed that the card is moving affect the way the penny moves?
Q: ow does an increase in the weight of penny or stacking of pennies affect the motion?
Q: Why does pulling the handkerchief or card out slowly change their motion?
Q: Why does changing the angle the card is pulled out affect the motion of the penny?
Q: Why is the inertia or momentum of the penny important to making it fall in the cup?
Q: How does gravity affect the system?
Q: How would it change the motion of the penny if we were someplace without gravity?
Communicate Reasoning:
5. Students construct an explanation for how a handkerchief can be taken out from under an object without causing the object to move.
*See attached document below for full lesson.
Additional Lessons can be found at #Going 3D with GRC (Gathering, Reasoning and Communicating). Original authors were: Dave Campbell
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:27.683746
|
Jamie Rumage
|
{
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"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/67020/overview",
"title": "Flipping Pennies - Grade 3",
"author": "Lesson Plan"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/120091/overview
|
Corinn Herrell Remix- OER Item Sharing Template (Vital monitor)
Overview
OER Fundamentals Academy participants are invited to remix this sharing template to design and share their OER project plans, course information, any related resources and syllabus, and reflection.
How To Use this rescourse
This item is designed to create a fake vital sign machine that can be used with lower-fidelity mannequins or in a case study setting to simulate an automatic vital sign machine, where values are displayed as they are taken. This gives the student the numbers to accompany your case and helps them make the connections between the physiological state and the Vital sign values. The end usage is shared via a published
To use this template, follow the steps below.
- This is a viewable Google Slide show with connections to the next slide already created. To use it, you will need to create your own copy by clicking on the file button and then making a copy.
- Now that you have the Template make another copy and name it for the patient you are creating. File in the numbers that appear on the slide only. Fill out all slides (note this if for a single set of vitals).
- Once they are all filled out, click on the file and share the content, then publish it on the web. This will give you a link to shart the presentation in presentation mode.
- share link directly
- Share via a QR code
Project Planning
My OER Goals & Purpose: Share simulation resources to enhance lower fidelity options.
My Audience: This is designed primarily for medical courses to be used in experiential activities.
My Team: Nursing facuty
Existing Resources: Google slides are utilized in this activity.
New Resources: QR code generators help share during the activity.
Our Timeline: This is a completed activity.
OER Item
Add your OER item here including the course name and number and any aligned learning outcomes.
To add content in this section:
- Add any text, images or videos by using this editing pane.
- Include any external links in this editing pane by using the hyperlink button above or the command "Control" + "K"
- Attach any documents or files to this section by using "Attach Section..." paperclip image below, then choose the correct file from your computer and save.
Please check any sharing settings to external links (like Google Docs) to ensure others can access your resources.
Reflection
The biggest thing I learned is to really start small. I currently utilize and look for OER recourses for my course and have been interested in sharing the things that I have created for others as well.
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:27.705550
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09/27/2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/120091/overview",
"title": "Corinn Herrell Remix- OER Item Sharing Template (Vital monitor)",
"author": "Corinn Herrell"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105193/overview
|
AFFECTIVE BASED ASSESSMENT DESIGN PLAN
Overview
An assessment plan used to know the role of communication in student's interaction.
AFFECTIVE - BASED AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT
Subject: ESP
Grade Level: Grade 8
Topic: Pakikipagkapwa
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the lesson the students with 80% of accuracy should have:
- Recognize the role of communication in social interactions.
- Understand how effective communication skills contribute to positive social interactions.
ASSESSMENT TASK:
Assess the impact of communication to each student's interaction.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Materials:
- Likert Scale questionnaire
- Any pen
Process/ Mechanics:
- The student's self-reported questionnaires will be given before the topic.
- After the consolidation, the questionnaire will be given at the end of the term to view the improvement of the Grade 8 students.
Tips & Reminders:
- Read each statement carefully before selecting your response on the Likert Scale.
- Be honest and thoughtful in your ratings, considering your own experiences and observations.
- Ensure that you fully understand the meaning of each rating point on the Likert Scale before making your selection.
Time frame:
- The time required for completing the assessment is approximately 15-20 minutes.
Submission:
- Right after answering the questionnaire, students will pass the questionnaire to their teacher.
LIKER SCALE
Directions: Put a check on the column for each of the statement that applies to you.
Likert Scale Legend: Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Undecided (U), Strongly Disagree (DS), Disagree (D)
STATEMENTS | SA (5) | A (4) | U (3) | D (2) | SD (1) |
1. I feel comfortable participating in class discussions when my teacher and classmates communicate with me in a positive and respectful way. |
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2. I feel more motivated to participate in group activities when my classmate communicate with me in a positive and supportive way. |
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3. I believe that effective communication is important for building positive relationship with my peers and achieving academic goals. |
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4. I am able to use positive communication strategies such as active listening and expressing empathy to improve my interactions with classmates. |
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5. I consistently use positive communication strategies in my interactions with peers even when it's difficult or uncomfortable. |
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6. I feel that I am being heard and understood by my classmate and teacher when they communicate with me in a clear and respectful way. |
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7. I feel comfortable sharing my thoughts and ideas when my classmates and teacher communicate with me in a positive way. |
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8. I believe that effective communication skills will be important for my future academic and career success. |
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9. I am able to organize my thoughts and communicate them effectively when my teacher and classmates communicate with me in an organized way. |
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10. I consistently use positive communication skills in all of my interactions with classmates and teacher including active listening and using positive language. |
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EsP8 Q2 Mod5 Ang-Pakikipagkapwa v3 100356. (n.d.). Scribd.
https://www.scribd.com/document/502873970/EsP8-Q2-Mod5-Ang-Pakikipagkapwa-v3-100356
PREPARED BY:
ALCONERA, GLYDELL ANN (glydellann.alconera@ctu.edu.ph)
May 2023
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:27.753331
|
06/13/2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105193/overview",
"title": "AFFECTIVE BASED ASSESSMENT DESIGN PLAN",
"author": "GLYDELL ANN ALCONERA"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/97842/overview
|
Grade 7 Area of Shapes
Overview
Measurement in Grade 7 sees us move from simply finding the perimeter and area of a common object, such as a rectangle or triangle, and move into complex shapes that may involve a combination of different shapes or circles.
This unit reviews the basics of finding the area of rectangles, triangles, and parallelograms. It concludes with some real-life problems to which these concepts can be applied.
This unit is designed for the Alberta Grade 7 Curriculum.
Review of the Area of Rectangles
This first section is design to give students a review of what area is and how to calculate it mathematically. This is essential as we move into calculating the area of parallelograms and triangles.
Welcome!
Before we jump in and discuss the Grade 7 content of finding the area of parallelograms and triangles, and finding the missing dimensions on those shapes, let us go back and review what we have learned from Grade 6.
Resource link: https://youtu.be/cAI_twrP8QE
We can see that the area of squares and rectangles can be found by multiplying the length and the width together in order to find out how many square units will fit inside the rectangle (its area).
Let's Try!
Let's see if you remember how to find the area of a rectangle. Go to this link at Khan Academy and try to do at least 8 different problems!
Finding the Area of Parallelograms
Parallelograms
Now that we have reviewed the area of rectangles, we will investigate parallelograms, which are four-sided figures whose opposite sides are parallel.
Adapted from Illustrative Mathematics Grade 6, Unit 1 - Families | Kendall Hunt) (CC BY 4.0). This part of the original document was copied and pasted.
A parallelogram is a quadrilateral having two pairs of parallel sides.
Each of the following quadrilaterals is a parallelogram.
This first video explains how we can cut a right triangle portion off the first parallelogram and slide it to its opposite side to form a rectangle.
For the second parallelogram, we need to apply a different strategy. How can you cut the parallelogram and rearrange the pieces to calculate the area?
Draw lines to show it is possible to form two square units for the right parallelogram. This video again uses the same strategy we saw to find the area of the first parallelogram. The video also highlights a second strategy in which we can enclose the parallelogram in a rectangle that is larger than the parallelogram. The strategy can be applied to the second parallelogram.
Adapted from: Developing the Area of parallelograms, triangles, and trapezoids | OER Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Now, watch the following video on how we use the formula for finding the area of a parallelogram.
Resource link: https://youtu.be/uj6k22WubCk
We can find the area of a parallelogram by breaking it apart and rearranging the pieces to form a rectangle. The diagram shows a few ways of rearranging pieces of a parallelogram. In each one, the result is a rectangle 4 units by 3 units, so its area is 12 square units. The area of the original parallelogram is also 12 square units.
Using these strategies allows you to notice pairs of measurements that are helpful for finding the area of any parallelogram: a base and a corresponding height. The length of any side of a parallelogram can be used as a base. The height is the distance from the base to the opposite side, measured at a right angle. In the parallelogram shown here, we can say that the horizontal side that is 4 units long is the base and the vertical segment that is 3 units is the height that corresponds to that base.
The area of any parallelogram is A = bh (Area = Base x Height)
Try It!
Here is a task to try:
Elena and Noah are investigating this parallelogram.
Elena says, “If the side that is 9 units is the base, the height is 7.2 units. If the side that is 7.5 units is the base, the corresponding height is 6 units.”
Noah says, “I think if the base is 9 units, the corresponding height is 6 units. If the base is 7.5 units, the corresponding height is 7.2 units.”
Do you agree with either one of them? Explain your reasoning. When you are finished, check your answer with the solution, below.
Solution:
Agree with Noah. Explanations vary. Sample explanation: A corresponding height must be perpendicular (drawn at a right angle) to the side chosen as the base. The dashed segment which is 6 units is perpendicular to the two parallel sides that are 9 units long. The dashed segment that is 7.2 units long is perpendicular to the two sides that are 7.5 units.
Resource adapted from Illustrative Mathematics Grade 6, Unit 1 - Families | Kendall Hunt. (CC BY 4.0)
Ready to Practice (Resource: Khan Academy)
Follow this link to Khan Academy and practice the 4 questions. When you are done, close the window and return here. The link is at Plane figures | 6th grade | Math | Khan Academy
You may also find extra worksheet practice at Math Worksheets for Kids
Finding the Missing Dimension
Sometimes you are given the area of the parallelogram and one of the dimensions. Watch the following video to see how:
Resource link: https://youtu.be/SKe3ItfdzTY
Let's Practice!
Now that you know how to find the missing dimension of a parallelogram when given the area, try these practice questions over at Khan Academy. Follow this link.
Area of Triangles
Triangles
You will now use your knowledge of the area of parallelograms to find the area of triangles. For example, to find the area of the blue triangle on the left, we can make a copy of it, rotate the copy, and use the two triangles to make a parallelogram.
This parallelogram has a base of 6 units, a height of 3 units, and an area of 18 square units. So the area of each triangle is half of 18 square units, which is 9 square units.
A triangle also has bases and corresponding heights. Any side of a triangle can be a base. Its corresponding height is the distance from the side chosen as the base to the opposite corner, measured at a right angle. In this example, the side that is 6 units long is the base and the height is 3 units.
Resource adapted from Illustrative Mathematics Grade 6, Unit 1 - Families | Kendall Hunt. (CC BY 4.0)
Because two copies of a triangle can always be arranged to make a parallelogram, the area of a triangle is always half of the area of a parallelogram with the same pair of base and height. We can use this formula to find the area of any triangle. The formula for the area of a triangle is A=bh/2 (Area = base x height. Divide that answer by 2).
Watch the video below:
Resource link: https://youtu.be/pvMuDPVOm7Y
You can also find the base or the height of a triangle when you are given an area. Watch this video to see how:
Resource link: https://youtu.be/42cZch-B9kw
Try It!
Now, try to solve some of these equations on your own:
Find the area of each triangle. Show your reasoning. When you are finished, check your answer by reading the solution, below.
Solution:
- 12 square feet. Sample reasoning: The triangle is half of a rectangle that is 3 feet by 8 feet, and has an area of 24 square feet.
- square units. Sample reasoning: The triangle is half of a parallelogram with a base of 5 units and a height of 3 units.
Resource adapted from Illustrative Mathematics Grade 6, Unit 1 - Families | Kendall Hunt. (CC BY 4.0)
Let's Practice!
These practice activities are available at Khan Academy. You will be asked a series of questions and can put your answer into the program. This will give you immediate feedback on your learning. If you need more practice, you can come back to this page and watch the videos again or watch the videos on the Khan Academy page to get a different perspective.
Practice 1
Plane figures | 6th grade | Math | Khan Academy
Practice 2
Plane figures | 6th grade | Math | Khan Academy
Problem Solving
Let's Apply What We Have Learned!
It's time to put what you have learned about finding the area of a parallelogram and triangle into practice. Complete the questions, below. When you are finished, you will find the solutions to these questions on the attached sheet.
1. A farmer has four pieces of unfenced land as shown to the right in the scale drawing where the dimensions of one side are given. The farmer trades all of the land and $10,000 for 8 acres of similar land that is fenced. If one acre is equal to 43,560 ft2, how much per square foot for the extra land did the farmer pay rounded to the nearest cent?
2. An ordinance was passed that required farmers to put a fence around their property. The least expensive fences cost $10 for each foot. Did the farmer save money by moving the farm?
3. The Smith family is renovating a few aspects of their home. The following diagram is of a new kitchen countertop. Approximately how many square feet of counter space is there?
4. In addition to the kitchen renovation, the Smiths are laying down new carpet. Everything but closets, bathrooms, and the kitchen will have new carpet. How much carpeting must be purchased for the home?
Resource: math-g7-m6-topic-d-lesson-20-student.docx (sharepoint.com) from Engage NY Resources: EngageNY Resources | New York State Education Department (nysed.gov) Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA) Some questions were eliminated from the original file.
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oercommons
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2025-03-18T00:38:27.789515
|
Module
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/97842/overview",
"title": "Grade 7 Area of Shapes",
"author": "Homework/Assignment"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/82871/overview
|
The Library Grant Details
Overview
Your neighborhood Whole Foods Market Southern Region believes that Libraries Need Bees Too! Through this grant, we hope to help you make small changes to improve pollinator habitats and promote even bigger changes in your community while supporting pollinator literacy. We’ve provided the tools that you need to create your own Bee A Friend to Pollinators Community Event this year. Read on to learn more!
The Library Grant Details
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.807582
|
Literature
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/82871/overview",
"title": "The Library Grant Details",
"author": "Environmental Studies"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/45481/overview
|
Project Manager manages Costs
Overview
How a Project Manager manages Costs and time
The raw material purchased at step one became the cost of goods sold when the client accepted the completion of the job. When the entry was made for the cost of goods sold and the finished goods inventory another entry would be made to record the sale (debit Accounts Receivable and credit Sales). At this stage labor and overhead costs have not been considered.
task1
How a Project Manager manages Costs
The raw material purchased at step one became the cost of goods sold when the client accepted the completion of the job. When the entry was made for the cost of goods sold and the finished goods inventory another entry would be made to record the sale (debit Accounts Receivable and credit Sales). At this stage labor and overhead costs have not been considered.
Estimate project costs to enable the project budget to be prepared within agreed tolerances
Estimating costs is the process of developing an approximation of the monetary resources needed to complete the project activities. Cost estimates are a prediction that is based on the information known at a given point in time. It includes the identification and consideration of cost alternatives to initiate and complete the project. Cost trade-offs and risks must be considered, such as make versus buy, buy versus lease and the sharing of resources in order to achieve optimal costs for the project.
Cost estimates are generally expressed in units of some currency (for example, dollars, euro, yen etc) although, in some instances, other units of measure, such as staff hours or staff days, are used to facilitate comparisons by eliminating the effects of currency fluctuations. Learn more about how project managers manage budgets by studying a Diploma of Project management (class information available here) or look at some of the other courses here
There is a distinct difference in between cost estimating and pricing. A cost estimate is the cost of the resources required to complete the project work. Pricing, however, includes a profit margin. A company performing projects for other organizations could do a cost estimate to see how much the project is going to cost to complete. Then, with this cost information, they will factor a profit into the project work. Estimating schedule activity costs involves developing an approximation of the costs of the resources needed to complete each schedule activity.
Estimating the cost and profit of a project:
In some cases, the estimator can use units of measure to estimate cost, such as staff hours or staff days, along with their cost estimates to facilitate appropriate management control.
Costs are not easily attributed to or estimated in many cases.
Costs are made up of:
1. Direct costs—directly attributable to the project:
- Direct costs include equipment purchased, personnel salaries, site preparation, and material and supplies.
- Direct benefits include items such as reduced personnel and hardware costs and improved data reliability.
2. Indirect costs—not directly attributable to the project:
- Indirect costs are those that we would normally associate with overhead expenses, such as personnel fringe benefits and utilities.
- Indirect benefits are perhaps the most difficult to quantify. An example of an indirect benefit is increased revenue resulting from improved customer support—such benefits are extremely difficult to measure.
3. Tangible costs—can be reasonably quantified:
- Costs include software purchases and insurance.
- Benefits include reduced equipment costs and increased revenue.
4. Intangible costs—cannot be reasonably quantified:
- Costs include productivity loss caused by low employee morale.
- Benefits may accrue from improved information.
5. Non-recurring costs—such as those for project development, are those costs that only occur once to get the system operational.
6. Recurring costs—such as those for equipment rental, occur throughout all or most of the project.
Inputs
To complete the cost estimating process you will need to consider many input factors, such as enterprise environmental factors, organizational process assets, the project scope statement, any constraints, WBS and WBS dictionary, as well as the project management plan, risk register and human resources plan.
The cost estimating process considers enterprise environmental factors, such as:
- marketplace conditions—what products, services and results are available in the marketplace, from whom and under what terms and conditions
- commercial databases—resource cost rate information is often available from commercial databases that track skills and human resource costs and provide standard costs for material and equipment; published seller price lists are another source
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.825764
|
01/20/2019
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/45481/overview",
"title": "Project Manager manages Costs",
"author": "Mike lowrey"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/120857/overview
|
Compilation and Execution in c
Overview
Compilation and Execution in c
Compilation and Execution in c
The compilation and execution process of C can be divided in to multiple steps:
- Preprocessing - Using a Preprocessor program to convert C source code in expanded source code. "#includes" and "#defines" statements will be processed and replaced actually source codes in this step.
- Compilation - Using a Compiler program to convert C expanded source to assembly source code.
- Assembly - Using a Assembler program to convert assembly source code to object code.
- Linking - Using a Linker program to convert object code to executable code. Multiple units of object codes are linked to together in this step.
- Loading - Using a Loader program to load the executable code into CPU for execution.
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.840898
|
10/18/2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/120857/overview",
"title": "Compilation and Execution in c",
"author": "Devki Devki"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/97638/overview
|
Referenced Worksheet
Eureka 6 Module 1 Lesson 16-17 Slides
Overview
Here are slides and the corresponding worksheet for Eureka 6 Module 1 Lessons 16-17
Eureka 6 Module 1 Lesson 16-17 Slides
I've created Google Slides to correspond with Eureka 6 Module 1 Lessons 16-17
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.857834
|
Tasha Christensen
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/97638/overview",
"title": "Eureka 6 Module 1 Lesson 16-17 Slides",
"author": "Lesson Plan"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/108723/overview
|
Penguin Adaptations
Overview
"Pierre the Penguin: Teaching About Heat and Insulation Through Adaptations" by Jessica Fries-Gaither, Ohio State University is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
https://beyondpenguins.ehe.osu.edu/pierre-the-penguin-teaching-about-heat-and-insulation-through-adaptations
This OER has been adapted by remixing it into interactive Google Slides. Students will read about Pierre the penguin and answer questions about how the same animals might have different adaptations based on their environment.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.870178
|
09/20/2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/108723/overview",
"title": "Penguin Adaptations",
"author": "Anna Brazier"
}
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105209/overview
|
Product Based Assessment
Overview
Product-based assessment offers a valuable alternative to traditional evaluation methods, empowering learners to showcase their knowledge, skills, and creativity through the tangible outcomes they produce. It encourages active learning, critical thinking, and practical application, paving the way for a more comprehensive and meaningful assessment experience.
Ed 227 Assessment in Learning 2 with Emphasis in Trainer Methodology I & II
Product-based assessment is an innovative approach to evaluating an individual's knowledge, skills, and abilities by focusing on the tangible outcomes they produce. Unlike traditional assessments that rely heavily on exams or theoretical knowledge, product-based assessment places a strong emphasis on practical application and real-world problem-solving.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.887373
|
06/13/2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105209/overview",
"title": "Product Based Assessment",
"author": "Kent Rodriguez"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/28142/overview
|
Education Standards
SWAYAM platform of MOOCs
E CONTENT BY UGC and EMRC
SWAYAM advertisements: Video and audio
Guidelines for developing courses for SWAYAM
UGC Gazette: credit framework for online learning courses through SWAYAM
OER-V: OER in India and SWAYAM
Overview
The Topic introduces various OER repositories in India including the SWAYAM. It also focus the challenges and tips for adopting OERs for beginners.
Activity: Referring national educational repositories
Activity
•See the above mentioned sites (Can you recall please?...) and its contents specially course offered and course contents of your subject/expertise/interest.
•Please see the epgpathshala http://epgp.inflibnet.ac.in/ and download the e content for your studies and teaching
•See https://tell.colvee.org and complete the course on Understanding OER and send me a copy of your certificate please at openknowledgeok@gmail.com.
Activity
•See the above mentioned sites (Can you recall please?...) and its contents specially course offered and course contents of your subject/expertise/interest.
•Please see the epgpathshala http://epgp.inflibnet.ac.in/ and download the e content for your studies and teaching
•See https://tell.colvee.org and complete the course on Understanding OER and send me a copy of your certificate please at openknowledgeok@gmail.com.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.907880
|
AJAY SEMALTY
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/28142/overview",
"title": "OER-V: OER in India and SWAYAM",
"author": "Module"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/76587/overview
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Sampling in Educational Research
Overview
This module includes the meaning of sampling and different types od probability and non probability sampling.
Sampling in Educational Research
Concept of Sampling: The process of selecting the representative sample units from the population to study the characteristics of the population is called sampling.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.925659
|
01/24/2021
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/76587/overview",
"title": "Sampling in Educational Research",
"author": "Dr. Parmvir Singh Sandhu"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/79817/overview
|
Sign in to see your Hubs
Sign in to see your Groups
Create a standalone learning module, lesson, assignment, assessment or activity
Submit OER from the web for review by our librarians
Please log in to save materials. Log in
crossword powerpoint
or
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.946403
|
05/02/2021
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/79817/overview",
"title": "crossword puzzle",
"author": "joel paulma"
}
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/84975/overview
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Traffic Assignment exercise using User Equilibrium (UE) method
Overview
A simple traffic assignment exercise for learning fundamentals of User Equilibrium method
Traffic Assignment (the fourth step of four step modeling)
In this assignemt you will practice and learn about the fundamentals of User Equilibrium traffic assignment in the field of urban transportation and land use modeling. Please note that the network presented in this practice is a simple network consisiting of two nodes and two possible pathes between them. In the real world cases, obviously the network is much more complex and you need to use appropriate software packages and computers to perform a sound traffic assignment model.
As discussed, assume the following network consisting of two zones and two possible pathes between them exists in a hypothetical urban area. assuming a user equilibrium condition and a total flow of 3100 vehicles per hour, calculate the followings:
- travel time on each route
- traffic volumes on each route
- total system travel time
Traffic Assignment (the fourth step of four step modeling)-Solution
According to the data, the total flow in the network is 3100 vehicles. Thus, we have x1+x2=3.1
- step 1: first we need to check the usability of each road. we do this step to ensure that if all the flow is assigned to one path, that path should not have still the lower travel time:
all to path 1:
T1(3.1)=17.8min
T2(0)=11min
all to path 2:
T1(0)=8.5min
T2(3.1)=30.22min
- Step 2: given that the question require to apply a user equilibrium method, then t1 should be equal to t2 and also we have x2=3.1-x1
8.5+3x1=11+2x22
by pluging in the values and calculating the equasion, x1=1.86 and x2=1.24
- Step 3: now we have to calculate the updated travel times t1=t2=14.08
Now the total system travel time is:
Z(x)=X1T1(X1)+X2T2(X2)=1860+veh/hr(14.08min)+1240 veh/hr(14.08min)=727.46 veh/hr
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.961449
|
08/12/2021
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/84975/overview",
"title": "Traffic Assignment exercise using User Equilibrium (UE) method",
"author": "Seyedsoheil Sharifiasl"
}
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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/82873/overview
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Libraries Need Bees Too! Reference Guide
Overview
This Reference Guide will provide the information you need for planting your pollinator garden box, maintenance on your mason bee house, suggestions for your Bee A Freind To Pollinators family event, and links for all of our lesson plans!
Libraries Need Bees Too! Reference Guide
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:27.979058
|
Teaching/Learning Strategy
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/82873/overview",
"title": "Libraries Need Bees Too! Reference Guide",
"author": "Environmental Studies"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/10495/overview
|
Planning for Innovation: Renaissance or Renovation
Overview
In the third module we will consider tools for students to use to plan new school library spaces. This module along with Module 4 will expose students to structured ways to develop new ideas for not just renovating space but taking it in new directions. These modules are transitional, a way to move toward renaissance rather than mere renovation. Hopefully, they will provide a framework to explore ideas beyond their experience and the experiences of other planning team members.
After critically evaluating the advantages and limitations of either a Learning Commons or a Maker Space and considering futuristic ideas, let’s focus on what might be an interim solution. What might be an affordable alternative that school libraries could be considering to enrich progressive, alternative educational models? We need to consider how to embed inquiry into new learning models while maximizing the space, the resources and the mentoring skills of a trained librarian.
The goal of Modules 3 and 4 are to provide students with objective ways to step away from their preconceived library space designs and think about new concepts based on the user. We have moved space planning from a focus on housing the physical content to planning around the learning activities such as collaboration or team projects. The next logical step is to take a humanistic approach; planning for users.
Preparation
Encourage your students to forget their previous views or biases about the nature and definition of a school library. In this module they should be neutral on whether a Learning Commons or Maker Space is the obvious solutions to space planning. They may decide that those are the models they want to explore as a library renovation but try to encourage them to come to that conclusion after working through a process focused on their students, how they want to work, and how they will want to work in the future.
In my OER Course Cognitive STEAM: Environments you can use the material on AEIOU Observation to introduce students to the skill of observing and taking notes on users within a library or other social environments that are frequented by their students. I also elaborate on this process in chapter 5 of my book, Library Spaces for 21st Century Learners. The OER Course or my book provide insight into developing a needs assessment document and translating those ideas into zone plans. Needs assessment documents along with a zone plan are standard tools they should be comfortable using to facilitate space planning discussions with an architect or interior designer. But in this course we are going to think of zone plans as maps not destinations. Zones are not spaces but rather an organizational tool for thinking through the planning process. In this course we will blur the edges of zones because they are based on activities not the people using the space.
Incorporating AEIOU observations into the needs assessment will enrich the document with examples of how the users are currently engaged in the space, how they modify the space to their needs and what existing furniture and equipment is being used most frequently and effectively.
If students are not using the library then they must go out and make observations where students are gathering, why those spaces work better than the library, what tools are leveraged, and how students demonstrate knowledge. It is also important to understand whether instructors use inquiry based learning skills in the classroom. If not, then they need to market inquiry based learning, suggest collaboration to integrate it into the curriculum and evaluate student results together.
Meaningful conversations with fellow instructors during the observation phase will help them select a team of collaborators to work on a needs assessment document for going forward. They can help the librarian determine what questions need to be asked about the nature of a future library. They can create excitement about possible changes to curriculum based on the new environments. They are stakeholders in this endeavor along with students, their parents and school administrators. All the stakeholders should be involved in developing a needs assessment document. Selecting an appropriate sized group that is representative of a majority of stakeholders is critical. They want divergent thinkers willing to offer opinions and be risk takers. They also want stakeholders who will ask their peers for insight to expand their personal views.
In this module you should also address some of the issues that a major renovation will require. Feasibility and viability issues like funding, technical infrastructure and human resources should all be addressed, documented and placed on a sidebar for later. These issues can be overwhelming and put a “black hat” on creativity so no new ideas are even explored. There are always numerous reasons why something new, innovative “can’t be done” so spend some time letting people fill up a flip chart sheet with them. Then, decide as a group that they will not stop the planning process. After the group creates a compelling plan then the obstacles can be may efficiently addressed. The supporting arguments for change will emerge during the process, especially if the key driving factor is student learning.
In this module we are becoming social anthropologists studying our past for clues on how to make improvements for the future. The major obstacle they will all face is how to leave personal biases behind, acknowledge what your experiences tell you a school library or learning environment is. Hopefully, the group will include enough diverse experiences from invested stakeholders to suggest there can be more options than a single, traditional space. You also want to explore unique options specifically for your school for spaces, like a learning studio. The key question the students need to address is this: if you have never experienced an alternative environment, how would you know how to create it? Our experiences drive our knowledge and expectations; they also fuel opposition to innovative ideas. So lets find out what opportunities are hidden within your planning team.
Create a Needs Assessment Document
Incorporate AEIOU observations into a needs assessment document with examples of how the users are currently engaged in the space, how they modify the space to their needs and what existing furniture and equipment is being used most frequently and effectively.
If students are not using the library then they must go out and make observations where students are gathering, why those spaces work better than the library, what tools are leveraged, and how students demonstrate knowledge. It is also important to understand whether instructors use inquiry based learning skills in the classroom. If not, then the librarian needs to market inquiry based learning, suggest collaboration to integrate it into the curriculum and evaluate student results together.
Meaningful conversations with fellow instructors during the observation phase will help them select a team of collaborators to work on a needs assessment document going forward. They can help the librarian determine what questions need to be asked about the nature of a future library. They can create excitement about possible changes to curriculum based on the new environments. They are stakeholders in this endeavor along with students, their parents and school administrators. All the stakeholders should be involved in developing a needs assessment document. Selecting an appropriate sized group that is representative of a majority of stakeholders is critical. You want divergent thinkers willing to offer opinions and be risk takers. They also want stakeholders who will ask their peers for insight to expand their personal views.
In this module you should also address some of the issues that a major renovation will require. Feasibility issues like funding, technical infrastructure and human resources should all be addressed, documented and placed on a sidebar for later. These issues can be overwhelming and put a “black hat” on creativity so that no new ideas are even explored. There are always numerous reasons why something new, innovative “can’t be done” so spend some time letting people fill up a flip chart sheet with them. Then, decide as a group that they will not stop the planning process. After the group creates a compelling plan then the obstacles can be may efficiently addressed. The supporting arguments for change will emerge during the process, especially if the key driving factor is student learning.
Incorporate AEIOU (Activities, Environments, Inreractions, Objects, and Users) observations into a needs assessment document with examples of how the users are currently engaged in the space, how they modify the space to their needs and what existing furniture and equipment is being used most frequently and effectively.
If students are not using the library then you must go out and make observations where students are gathering, why those spaces work better than the library, what tools are leveraged, and how students demonstrate knowledge. It is also important to understand whether instructors use inquiry based learning skills in the classroom. If not, then you need to market inquiry based learning, suggest collaboration to integrate it into the curriculum and evaluate student results together.
Meaningful conversations with fellow instructors during the observation phase will help you select a team of collaborators to work on a needs assessment document for going forward. They can help the librarian determine what questions need to be asked about the nature of a future library. They can create excitement about possible changes to curriculum based on the new environments. They are stakeholders in this endeavor along with students, their parents and school administrators. All the stakeholders should be involved in developing a needs assessment document. Selecting an appropriate sized group that is representative of a majority of stakeholders is critical. You want divergent thinkers willing to offer opinions and be risk takers. They also want stakeholders who will ask their peers for insight to expand their personal views.
In this module you should also address some of the issues that a major renovation will require. Feasibility issues like funding, technical infrastructure and human resources should all be addressed, documented and placed on a sidebar for later. These issues can be overwhelming and put a “black hat” on creativity so that no new ideas are even explored. There are always numerous reasons why something new, innovative “can’t be done” so spend some time letting people fill up a flip chart sheet with them. Then, decide as a group that they will not stop the planning process. After the group creates a compelling plan then the obstacles can be may efficiently addressed. The supporting arguments for change will emerge during the process, especially if the key driving factor is student learning.
Identify Personal Bias
The class is becoming social anthropologists studying our past for clues on how to make improvements for the future. The major obstacle they will all face is how to leave personal biases behind, acknowledge what your experiences tell you a school library or learning environment is. Hopefully, the group will include enough diverse experiences from invested stakeholders to suggest there can be more options than a single, traditional space. You also want to explore unique options specifically for your school for spaces like a Learning Commons. The key question the students need to address is this: if you have never experienced an alternative environment, how would you know how to create it? Our experiences drive our knowledge and expectations; they also fuel opposition to innovative ideas. So lets find out what opportunities are hidden within your planning team.
Identify personal bias concerning what a school library should be then move on to concepts beyond your personal experience. Recognizing the limitations of your experiences can be difficult. Consider Csikszentmihalyi’s book Flow, the Psychology of Optimal Experience, he describes flow as “people becoming so involved in what they are doing that the activity becomes spontaneous, almost automatic; they stop being aware of themselves as separate from the actions they are performing.” (Pg 50) What elements might be included in a student learning environment that would encourage flow?
Engage the needs assessment team in a conversation about optimal learning experiences they have each had; when they ever reached a state of flow. These experiences may or may not have been in a traditional educational environment. Encourage members of the team to think globally about their learning experiences. Provide explains of your own to get the conversation started. These examples, might reflect on a specific teacher or mentor or times when someone self taught themselves. They should not only describe the experience, but the topic, the location or environment, objects within the environment, the sensory elements involved, their joy of engagement, and why they believe they remember it so clearly. This experience will provide insight into the learning biases of each team member. Make sure the students on the planning team actively participate to provide a rich fabric of timelines.
Summarize the results, looks for patterns based on such criteria as age, gender, environment, textual elements, social-economic and cultural groupings. If individuals actually reached a state of “flow” whereby their learning experience “provided a sense of discovery, a creative feeling of transporting the person into a new reality” then they have a clear bias on what the “best learning experience” is. There is no need to dwell on the patterns as long as everyone recognizes biases exist which can be either positive or negative in planning learning spaces in a dramatically changing world. Hopefully, you will have a number of strong, differentiated biases. As you continue the planning process, remind individuals of the biases they bring to the table and how those biases are hurting the process rather than helping it.
To create new learning environments that engage students, adults need to step beyond their experiences and embrace new ideas, take risks and be willing to even make a mistake now and then to reach an alternative destination. The fear of failure, criticism and rigid pedagogy can consume your energy. Lack of encouragement, budget cuts, and limited time are all barriers to creative change. All these obstacles are legitimate issues but if they stop creative people from making educational changes than another generation of learners will be lost on your “watch.” And that is not acceptable.
In this unit you are going to capture all the obstacles, document them and find a path around them for moving forward. Create a working team of planners who care about student learning, innovative educational environments and want to be leaders. The team will start by understanding their own preconceived and often unconscious biases on what the learning environment should be. Include students, parents and community members as well as your peers and administrators. The focus is the library but changes to this environment should ripple throughout the school and should suggest both classroom and pedagogy changes as well. The challenge is to feel so strongly about making a change, improving student learning that you reach a state of flow and obstacles are an inconvenience but not a barrier.
Discover the learning experiences and biases of the team. Begin the unit by understanding the unique experiences of the team. Share your best learning experiences and capture key details such as where you were during the learning experience, what you were trying to accomplish and who helped you. Experiences should be different yet look for patterns the group can discuss.
Engage the planning team in a conversation about optimal learning experiences they have each had; whether they reach a state of flow or deep happiness during their experience. These experiences may or may not have been in a traditional educational environment. Encourage members of the team to think globally about their learning experiences. Describe the experience, including the topic, the location, the sensory elements involved, the joy of engagement, and why you believe you remember it so clearly. This experience will provide insight into the learning biases of each team member. Make sure the students on the planning team actively participate to provide a rich fabric of timelines.
Summarize the results, looks for patterns based on such criteria as age, gender, environment, textual elements, social-economic and cultural groupings. If individuals actually reached a state of “flow” whereby their learning experience “provided a sense of discovery, a creative feeling of transporting the person into a new reality” then they have a clear bias on what the “best learning experience” is. There is no need to dwell on the patterns as long as everyone recognizes biases exist which can be either positive or negative in planning learning spaces in a dramatically changing world. Hopefully, you will have a number of strong, differentiated biases. As you continue the planning process in the next module, you might need to remind individuals of the biases they bring to the table and when those biases are hurting the process rather than helping it.
This tool will help you when you present your final plan to school board members, voters and academic peers by making you senative to the biases of your audience. Everyone has built in biases, learn to recognize why someone has such strong feelings about proposed changes and what logic you used in the planning process to help people move beyond their biases. It is also a way to engage the team, learn more about each member and start to form a bond that will reinforce your goal of change.
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:28.005543
|
09/09/2016
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/10495/overview",
"title": "IMLS Fellowship Course, Creating Alternative School Library Environments, Planning for Innovation: Renaissance or Renovation",
"author": "Margaret Sullivan"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/10496/overview
|
Knoll Immersive Planning
Podcast Doreen Massey on Space
Tell a Story and Add Immersive Planning
Overview
In this module we are going to look at an alternative way of thinking about environmental change. It is another tool to move the group toward alternative space planning. We are first going to explore the work of Doreen Massey, her thoughts on the multiplicity of space and how we are blinded by focusing on your single slice of time and function within a space. In what should appeal to all librarians, Massey talks about space as “a story, a narrative” that is continually being written.
We will also explore an “Immersive Planning” concept that Knoll Furniture has introduced into office and university space planning. The concept works equally as well in the school library environment but is currently not being leverage there. The process recognizes that space boundaries are becoming unclear because of the way users want to work. Defining a space with a single purpose has lost its functionality in today’s world, or as Massey states space is a “multiplicity of trajectories”.
The Library Space as a Narrative
Ask students to reflect on Massey's concept of space as a narrative, and apply this thinking to their own library spaces.
Students will consider the potential value of the MakerSpace, Learning Commons, or other innovations in the context of their individual school settings.
When you think about the school library space as a long narrative, with many chapters, it becomes less difficult to imagine plot twists and surprise endings. As Massey so insightfully states: “..we recognize space as always under construction. Precisely because space on this reading is a product of relations-between, relations which are necessarily embedded material practices which have to be carried out it is always in the process of being made. It is never finished; never closed. Perhaps we could imagine space as a simultaneity of stories-so-far.” (pg 9)
Using this logic decide where in the story your school library is at the moment. Progressive or affluent districts may be much further along in their programs, technology, infrastructure, and resources. Some may think they have completed the transition to a new library concept. They may have already become complacent thinking other schools should use their library as a model for their own renovation. But they are mistaken. Their story is not finished; they have only finished this chapter. Their story is bookmarked at the moment; hopefully there is much more to be written. Ironically, their story may be actually falling behind the school that was turning pages more slowly, discovering alternative options for their users based on continually surfacing ideas.
A school library, especially today, cannot be stagnate; it must constantly build on a base of knowledge just as our students are building. Where you are at the moment is not as important as where you are going. Being the information gateway is evolving with the nature of information and its expanded accessibility.
So where in the story is your school library today? Where is the rest of the school and most important where are your students and the tools they are using? Can your team of planners write a narrative in this slice of time that eclipses the standard plot line and addresses the unique challenges of your students?
Because so many schools are at such diverse places in the narrative of school libraries, it is important to consider whether you can just jump ahead or if you must turn each page and follow the formula that has developed over the last few years. Do you need to become a MarkerSpace or a Learning Commons or should your school library skip to a later, as yet un-named chapter? As Massey would say, are you being “dragooned into line behind those who designed the queue”? These are the questions this module will ask of the planning team.
Immersive Planning
Ask students to reflect on the concept of "Immersive Planning", defined and described in the Knoll's Furniture white paper, and connect this with Massey's concept of space as an evolving narrative with a “multiplicity of trajectories”.
“Immersive Planning” is a concept that Knoll Furniture has introduced into office and university space planning. The concept works equally as well in the school library environment but is currently not being leverage there. The process recognizes that space boundaries are becoming unclear because of the way users want to work. Defining a space with a single purpose has lost its functionality in today’s world, or as Massey states space is a “multiplicity of trajectories”.
Changing dynamics call for a new, “immersive” planning approach that is as fluid as teams themselves, states Knoll’s literature. “As workspaces become defined by an individual’s actions rather than job function the lines between space types diminish, enhancing interaction, inviting connected experiences and radiating a sense of hospitality at every exchange.” This focus on experiences and a sense of hospitality parallels some of the design models driving new school libraries whether stated or implied. The Learning Commons model for example supports both collaboration and casual, comfortable seating. But by using the immersive planning process your environment will have greater definition and sharper learning expectations.
The three elements this design process employees are Improvisational, Dimensional and Communal. By using a structure for conversations and planning, you create a much better understanding of how the space is intended to be used. Measuring whether those intentions are being met becomes more straightforward. In a school environment it is important to not only create a “cool” place for students to hangout, the environment must also be measured on how well it is supporting learning.
The goals of immersive planning is to “cultivate an environment of dynamic flow, constant movement, meaningful interaction, creative group effort and innovation within a gracious and welcoming setting.” This seems like an outstanding description of an alternative school library environment especially if you define constant movement not in terms of the users but with Massey’s concept of space.
Knoll Furniture developed their planning components after a four year research study following workers in numerous workplace environments. The results of their research can apply to students not only as future employees but also as they use learning spaces. Consider each component while planning library spaces and apply key user based questions to maximize the the team’s effort once fluid zones are documented and the architectural designs are undertaken.
Improvisational
Does the environment allow for continuous movement and purposeful transitions? Are zone boundaries blurred to maximize hospitality, discovery and easy access to experiences?
Dimensional
Does the environment create both visual and tactical diversions for the user? Is it sensory rich with multiple textures, materials and scales to create a compiling learning environment?
Communal
Is the environment user focused? Does it encourage inclusion, connection and co-creation? Does it become the “Third-Place” that users gravitate to when not in a structured class?
These components will surface again in module 5 as we further explore user based design in creating an alternative library design. A subtle but key difference in this design thinking process is explained clearly in the Knoll report. “Immersive planning diverges from a proportional, activity-based model designed to support work tasks and functions. Instead, it draws from a holistic point of view, in which workplace architecture, furnishings and people are linked and the design of the total environment outshines any one particular work element. It favors a people-centered focus that embraces a range of social and creative work experiences.”
Writing the Library Story
You are going to ask the class to write the story of their school library at this junction in time. As a group, critique the story, point out shortcoming of the current narrative and ask for ideas on how the story could be enriched immediately.
We start to renovate school library space frequently because it has grown dull and students no longer think they need to “read” the story this space is telling. Or perhaps, you have added significant technology into the space and students are there often but always sitting a a computer, never reading. In this task we are going to think about expanding the current story and adding element of interest.
From your earlier observations, discuss and documents why the current space is not meeting the needs of the users. Be objective, control your biases, be open minded and involve users in the discussion. Use images, key words, create a collage of ideas as to why the story is either no longer working or why it should be expanded.
For example, in a discuss with middle school instructors, they wanted their students to use the library more to read for enjoyment. Their complaint was incredibly interesting especially when they explained the students only were using the library to access large monitored Mac computers to work on digital projects. They felt the students were losing reading comprehension skills, reading test scores were falling; and how might the space help to swing the pendulum back a little? It is a high tech-charter school full of smart students slipping into reading at or slightly below grade level. How might this chapter be written?
This example brings into play the key concept of multiplicity of trajectories. Space with only one function is a problem. Massey’s concept of trajectories coming together over time, and how they will build on the past and current space is the critical question facing school libraries today. The problem is not that the former libraries are completely obsolete so much as new trajectories are merging in the space and must be acknowledged. And there are new, more dynamic trajectories coming through the walls routinely. Can school library spaces be layered in new ways to handle the multiplicity of trajectories they handle? What kind of new spaces would allow the story to thrive? Does it still require a single space?
While building your new library space story consider what impact virtual reality will have on it along with any other immediate known elements. Make sure the story elements are as complete as possible and make sure it is age appropriate.
Once you have a new story line for your space overlay how much improvisation the space needs to have for your age group and pedagogy. How flexible is the space? What will be the flow for users? Is there room for spontaneity or interaction? Who will presentations or guest speakers fit into the space? What can your users discover in their manipulation of the space as they work?
Now discuss dimension for the space; will there light, color, texture? Will there be an appropriate amount of complexity and visual interest? Is it easy to add objects of interest or create displays. Are the dimensional elements appropriate to the users?
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:28.034397
|
09/09/2016
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/10496/overview",
"title": "IMLS Fellowship Course, Creating Alternative School Library Environments, Tell a Story and Add Immersive Planning",
"author": "Margaret Sullivan"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/56333/overview
|
Education Standards
Community Asset Mapping PD Outline
Taking Students Outside
Example CAM Map and Asset Blocks
CAM with Community Waters
Community Asset Mapping Teacher Packet
NGSS in Action: Community Asset Mapping with Cross-Cutting Concepts (Workshop 2 of 4)
Overview
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)* call for students to use the practices, concepts and content of science and engineering to understand phenomena and solve problems that are relevant to their lives. Starting from a student’s own experiences and community makes the science meaningful and increases engagement while helping students understand how global issues like climate change are present and addressable in their lives. In this series we examine how you can use the new science standards and your community to understand and address real world environmental problems and explore together how to integrate NGSS into your district’s classroom science units.
Mapping neighborhood assets, opportunities, and problems can engage students more deeply in science and engineering. In this workshop you’ll learn how system models, looking for patterns, and observing change over time can help students investigate and map their community. Local ecosystems, water flow, and community assets are some of many possible areas for your mapping efforts. By the end of this workshop you’ll have strategies to use in mapping your community and ideas for how you can use the information gathered.
Workshop 2: Community Asset Mapping with Cross-Cutting Concepts Description: "Mapping neighborhood assets, opportunities, and problems can engage students more deeply in science and engineering. In this workshop you’ll learn how system models, looking for patterns, and observing change over time can help students investigate and map their community. Local ecosystems, water flow, and community assets are some of many possible areas for your mapping efforts. By the end of this workshop you’ll have strategies to use in mapping your community and ideas for how you can use the information gathered."
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:28.057775
|
Physical Science
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/56333/overview",
"title": "NGSS in Action: Community Asset Mapping with Cross-Cutting Concepts (Workshop 2 of 4)",
"author": "Life Science"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105365/overview
|
PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT
Overview
The Portfolio Assessment Tool is a powerful digital platform that simplifies the evaluation and assessment of portfolios. It offers a user-friendly interface, customizable assessment criteria, collaborative evaluation, scoring capabilities, analytics, and integration options. By leveraging this tool, educators, and individuals can efficiently evaluate portfolios, make informed judgments, and provide valuable feedback to support professional development and decision-making processes.
Portfolio Assessment Tool
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:28.073838
|
06/15/2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105365/overview",
"title": "PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT",
"author": "Angelyn Ocampo"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105824/overview
|
Education Standards
Lesson 1 - The Air All Around Us (word)
Lesson 2 - Impact of Air Pollution (doc)
Lesson 2 - Impact of Air Pollution (pdf)
Lesson 3 - Air Pollution in Our Community (pdf)
Lesson 3 - Air Pollution in Our Community (pdf)
Lesson 4 - Idling Vehicles Investigation (doc)
Lesson 4 - Idling Vehicles Investigation (pdf)
Lesson 5 - Defining the Problem (doc)
Lesson 5 - Defining the Problem (pdf)
Lesson 6 - Researching Possible Solutions (doc)
Lesson 6 - Researching Possible Solutions (pdf)
Lesson 7 - Making an Action Plan (doc)
Lesson 7 - Making an Action Plan (pdf)
Lesson 8 - Taking Action (doc)
Lesson 8 - Taking Action (pdf)
Lesson 9 - Sharing Our Work (doc)
Lesson 9 - Sharing Our Work (pdf)
Session 1 Details: 3-5 Climate Action Course (doc)
Session 1 Slide Deck: 3-5 Climate Action Course (Powerpoint)
Session 2 Details: 3-5 Climate Action Course (doc)
Session 2 Slide Deck 3-5 Climate Action Course
Session 3 Details: 3-5 Climate Action Course (doc)
Session 3 Slide Deck 3-5 Climate Action Course
Session 4 Details: 3-5 Climate Action Course (doc)
Session 4 Slide Deck 3-5 Action Course
Session 5 Details: 3-5 Climate Action Course (doc)
Session 5 Slide Deck 3-5 Climate Action Course
Community-Centered Climate Action Course (for 3-5 Educators)
Overview
This Professional Development course sets up teachers and students to use the perimeter of their school to inquire about and monitor air quality as well as learn about emissions and activism in their community.
Did you know idling cars during school pickup impacts air quality and the environment? Learn how to use an easy-to-implement action project to motivate and empower your students. Your students will build an understanding of how air pollution impacts their community and the climate and learn what community members are doing about it. They will then work together to map their findings, develop an action plan and share what they have learned.
Learn how the Next Generation Science Standards Engineering Design Process and Social Studies standards can be an integral part of students working on real-world problems.
Explore the social-emotional side of climate change and how direct action can foster resilience and environmental justice.
Collaborate with teachers from across the region to have a collective impact on air quality and the environment.
#climate science #islandwood (already searchable on text)
Slide Decks and Session Notes
This course was a delivered as professional development for teachers over 5 sessions. In this section are the slide decks and session notes for each. The three course themes (Local Climate Action, Engineering Solutions, and Equity & Justice) are discussed across all sessions, but the lessons used to model approaches to Climate-Centered action are focused on in different sessions as follows:
- Session 1 introduces Lesson 1
- Session 2 introduces Lessons 2-4
- Session 3 introduces Lessons 5-6
- Session 4 introduces Lessons 7-8
- Session 5 introduces Lesson 9
Lesson 1: The Air All Around Us
This introduction to our Air Quality Storyline starts student thinking about how air is important to people and animals and then focuses in on the air around the school. It is the first step in helping students to identify the problem’s created by Idling vehicles during the end of the day pick-up from school.
After a read aloud intended to get the students thinking about the importance of air, they will practice their observational skills with a short video showing forest fire smoke in the Puget Sound region. Then the students will go outside to focus their thinking on air quality at their school as they observe the area, think about any connections from their own knowledge/experiences and ask questions. Laster, students will come back together in the classroom to review their observations and represent their current understandings of the air quality at their school in an explanatory model.
NGSS Connections: Students will be using Asking Questions and Constructing Explanations in this lesson while thinking about cause and effect and systems and system models and beginning to think about how people impact environments. See the NGSS section at the end of this lesson for more detail
Lesson 2: The Impact of Air Pollution
Every being is connected to a larger network of beings. Every food web is part of an ecosystem that in turn is integral to a greater ecoregion. Their survival is tied to the quality of shared natural resources such as air.
In this lesson, students will be encouraged to reflect on the impact of air quality on humans, animals, and other natural resources. First, students will discuss the impact of air pollution on people, animals, natural resources, and the climate while participating in a class-wide read aloud of three book chapters. Then students will work in small groups using mind mapping and collaborative research methods. Each group will cover a book chapter, narrow down a topic using facts and exploring implications of air pollution impact. Students will then share with the whole class. All along, students will be encouraged to engage in personal Science journal writing and collaborative poster making, respectful discussion of challenging topics, as well as preparing and delivering class presentation that invites collective critical thinking and includes appreciative discussion of student efforts and findings.
Topic Target: All species co-exist in interconnected ecosystems. If one’s health or survival is affected, it has an impact on other species. Explore interspecies connections while remaining focused on fostering reflection on air quality.
Guiding Question: How does air pollution impact people, animals + plants, and the climate?
NGSS Connections: Students will be exploring how fossil fuels have an impact on nature, people, and climate.
Please see NGSS details in appendix below
Lesson 3: Air Pollution in Our Community
Air quality at your school can be made worse by idling vehicles and improved by plants. In this lesson, students will think about the pollution sources in your community and then zoom in to think about sources at your school. They will then go outside with a map of your schoolgrounds to locate where vehicles idle during student pick up time and where large plants are growing. They will also mark on the map any locations where you have hung air quality testers any birds or animals that they see along the way. The locations identified will be used to reinforce ideas introduced in Lesson 3 and decide on the location of next lesson’s investigation.
NGSS Connections: This lesson reinforces and makes local the Disciplinary Core Ideas and Crosscutting Concepts used in the previous lesson and then begins to move into Defining the Problem (as a step in an engineering design process). See the NGSS section at the end of this lesson for related standard and dimensions.
Lesson 4: Idling Vehicles Investigation
In this lesson, students will be gathering data about the numbers of idling cars and buses during the pickup time from school to answer the question of “How much air pollution is being produced by cars idling at our school?”
They will need to do this on three different days to make the investigation a “fair test.” To avoid biasing the results, it will also be important that drivers/parents not receive any communications about the efforts before or during the data gathering.
Students will then discuss any variables between the days and analyze the data to better understand the impact of the idling vehicles. This investigation also provides a baseline to which they can compare the effect of any intervention efforts they take on later in the storyline.
NGSS Connections: Students in this lesson will be using the Science and Engineering Practices of Designing and Conduction Investigations and Analyzing Data to find patterns and help determine the amount of pollution coming from cars idling at their school.
See Appendix 2 for more on the Dimensions involved.
Lesson 5: Defining the Problem
In this lesson students learn (or review) that engineering uses science and an Engineering Design Process to solve problems. And make their first steps into the process as they define the criteria for success and constraints that will help them choose the best possible approach to helping air quality at their school (in the next lesson).
Students also look at who impacts and is impacted by air quality as “stakeholders” who have something invested in what is done about the problem.
Focus Question: What do we need to know before we research solutions for our site?
Key Terms: engineering design process, criteria for success, constraints, stakeholder
NGSS Connections: In this lesson students will be directly applying the 3-5 Engineering Standard: 3-5-ETS1-1 “Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.” See the NGSS details in the appendix below for a details on each dimension involved in that standard.
Lesson 6: Imagining and Researching Possible Solutions
Engineers research and imagine possible solutions before considering each in the context of their problem’s criteria and constraints and choosing a solution. In this lesson, students will use previous data and lesson materials to brainstorm climate action solutions in their community. They will:
- Consider potential air pollution solutions using what they have learned.
- Evaluate potential solutions by considering how they meet their constraints and criteria for success.
- Envision how to engage with stakeholders in action evaluation process.
- Create a proposal for their solution using their research.
- Choose a climate action plan that seeks to solve their problem.
In the big picture, this lesson includes a menu of project ideas ranging from creating an advocacy campaign to reduce idling, working to convince informing the community on the impact of car idling on humans and nonhuman beings, proposing a study of alternative methods of transportation to reduce the air quality impact of cars idling during school pickup including measurements of air pollution reduction after specific behavior changes occur.
Options are presented to review and may be used as an extension to your implementation in your classroom. Teachers are strongly encouraged to start the project selection process using previously gathered data and elevating students’ ideas. Modeling the review and evaluation of place-specific student-gathered data can help your class gain confidence in further developing their research question, address the community problem they are trying to solve, and choose data that can help build up their evidence and argument to advocate for their climate action project and implementation process as a class.
Researching possible solutions to air quality can get messy. It is important to keep revisiting the Climate Action project implementation plan to ensure the overall feasibility of the project. It seems crucial to model checking on criteria and project constraints throughout the project implementation. We suggest teachers remain willing to help students revise their project implementation timeline and action outcome depending on live student responses and ongoing students’ needs to foster their agency.
Please note that due to the collaborative nature of helping students come up with a place-based action project idea that they could implement, it will be important to keep in mind with students a realistic timeline (that will need to be revised further as the plan is developed and implemented in later lessons, the desired geographical radius for impact, and the budget for project implementation to ensure the climate action project is feasible for their class and school at that specific time during the school year.
Guiding Questions:
- What should we DO about air pollution in our community?
- Which solution will best meet our criteria and constraints?
NGSS Connections: In this lesson students will be using directly applying the 3-5 Engineering Standard: 3-5-ETS1-2 “Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.” See the NGSS details in the appendix below for details on each dimension involved in that standard.
Lesson 7: Making an Action Plan
In Lesson 5 Students ASKED questions to define the problem they need to solve.
In Lesson 6 students IMAGINED ideas for what might help, then research possibilities others have tried and decide which of the ideas will best solve the problem.
In this lesson student will PLAN out their solution. This includes detailing the tasks involved in their plan, researching and talking to stakeholders to answer any questions that come up, and creating a list of the materials they will need for their tasks.
Guiding Question: What do we need to DO to make our solution happen?
NGSS Connections: Students will be continuing to use an Engineering Design Process and applying engineering disciplinary core ideas towards solving an engineering problem. See the NGSS details in the appendix below for details on each dimension involved in the lesson.
Lesson 8: Taking Action
Having developed an Action PLAN in the previous lesson, students will move in this lesson through the CREATE and IMPROVE stages in their Engineering Design Process.
Students will review their criteria for success to think about how they will know if their solution has succeeded and what they could do to gather information about it while they are taking action. Then they will follow their plan and measure their results before working on ways to improve or refine their efforts. If need and time exists they will make their changes and see if things improve.
Guiding Question(s): What is going well and what could we IMPROVE next time? How will we know?
NGSS Connections: Students will be continuing to use an Engineering Design Process and applying engineering disciplinary core ideas towards solving an engineering problem. See the NGSS details in the appendix below for details on each dimension involved in the lesson.
Lesson 9: Sharing Our Work
Sharing is an important part of engineering, and in this lesson students have the opportunity to SHARE about their work. The audience will depend on the project, your students, and the stakeholders involved in the project. The content will vary depending on what was accomplished but could include, learnings, efforts, results, suggestions for improvement and/or future proposals.
Guiding Question: What do we want to share about what we have done and who should we share it with?
NGSS Connections: Communication Information is an important skill for scientists and engineers and this shows up in the Obtaining, Evaluating and Community Science and Engineering Practice. See the NGSS details in the appendix below for details on each dimension involved in the lesson.
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:28.136844
|
Environmental Studies
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105824/overview",
"title": "Community-Centered Climate Action Course (for 3-5 Educators)",
"author": "Environmental Science"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/56337/overview
|
Education Standards
Phenomenal Investigations Mind Map
Phenomenal Investigations Activity
Overview
An adaptable exploratory and reflective activity that works with all ages and uses the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS*), Asking Question and Defining Problems Practice and one of several possible Crosscutting Concepts to explore students’ awareness, prior knowledge and cultural experiences related to a phenomenon or Disciplinary Core Idea .
Decide on Focus: Review the NGSS section at the end of this document. What is the phenomenon or core idea you want your students to focus on during this activity? Which crosscutting concept will best help think about it?
Teacher Walk-About: Consider the following questions as you walk your schoolyard:
- What can you find that relates to your focus?
- Where do you want to do this activity?
- What boundaries will you want to establish?
- What distractions could be a concern? (e.g. recess times and play equipment)
- What safety concerns will you need to address? (e.g. adjacent to traffic)
- How much time do you need to plan to get to and from the site?
Decide on Process: There are a variety of options for how you approach the observation time with your students (depending on their age, grade level and language proficiency). After reading through the lesson, consider:
- Do you want your students to record notes on the student field sheet?
- Do you want students to write their observations solo or work with a partner?
- Have students answer one question at a time or skip around as connections are made?
- How do you want to follow up on this activity back in the classroom? See the ideas on Page 3.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:28.161246
|
Physical Science
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/56337/overview",
"title": "Phenomenal Investigations Activity",
"author": "Life Science"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/72213/overview
|
Harlem - Langston Hughes
Overview
The given material explains about the condition of postponed dreams. This is an assignment submitted in Swayam OER for Empowering Teachers.
Harlem poem by Langston Hughes
Harlem poem by Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes, an eternal name in the history of American literature, was one of the revolutionary poets during the twentieth century who used his literary talent as a weapon in the struggle against capitalism, for the emancipation of the toiling humanity, taking pride in the black culture and heritage. Langston Hughes was an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance who made the African American experiences as his subject in his writings.
Hughes’ poem “Harlem” or “Dream Deferred” demonstrated the need for dreams. It was written in 1951, as a result of whites’ brutality towards African Americans living in America.
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode? (Hughes vol. 3 1-11)
It is a well-known poem of Hughes, which provokes the readers to fulfill their dreams. According to him dreams are part of human existence, but he strongly believed that the unfulfilled dreams would bring adverse results. He warned those who dreamt but never acted. Dreams are not easy to be realized without perseverance. He compared the dreams deferred to raisins, which are dried up and get shrunken. They will lose their freshness and juicy state if they are kept under the sun for a long time. Hughes compared the ignored dreams similarly to rotten meat, sore, and sugar crust, which are turned to unhealthy products that could not be consumed or used. The postponed, neglected and ignored dreams are compared with rotten meat that would be harmful to health. Such unfulfilled dreams would become an intense, heavy and unbearable load or burden. A time would come when such hidden dreams would explode, causing undesired flutters and serious consequences.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:28.179771
|
09/08/2020
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/72213/overview",
"title": "Harlem - Langston Hughes",
"author": "Sasikaladevi S"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/22092/overview
|
[PDF Ebook] How to Avoid All Possible Types of Plagiarism in Writing
What is Academic Plagiarism
How to Avoid All Possible Types of Plagiarism in Writing
Overview
Plagiarism definitions are many:
When it comes to spoken words, plagiarism means stealing ideas and thoughts of other people to claim them as one's own. Speaking of written words, plagiarism is defined as a lack of original content in a writing piece.
Dictionaries call plagiarism "stealing and passing off ideas or words of another as one's own," and "presenting as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source." (Merriam-Webster)
Plagiarism is a persistent problem. People do it unknowingly or willingly, and a large percentage of accusations corresponds to the academic world: students plagiarize writings for many reasons, use all possible types of this offensive act, and don't realize all the consequences. What they should try to do is be aware of plagiarism and avoid it in academic writings, citing and referencing their works accordingly.
What are plagiarism types?
The digital era calls the shots, so today we have many new forms of plagiarism, both intentional and unintentional ones. Academic and journalistic are the general names for plagiarism types, but both involve several variations. They are as follows:
Full plagiarism
Also known as "direct" or "complete" plagiarism, this form appears when you copy the content from a source as it is, word for word.
Characteristics: no original research, no changes in lexical items or punctuation, no differences (even the tiniest ones) between two content pieces.
Full plagiarism is the sin of incompetent authors or those who are mere lazy to give it their best shot and create something original. Speaking of the academic world, full plagiarism leads to a student's expulsion.
Paraphrasing
Some call it "partial" plagiarism because it happens when a writer takes data from several different sources, combines them with minor changes in language, and represent as original ideas. Paraphrasing itself is not plagiarism, and it's okay to use it if citing and referencing all sources. But it becomes so when represented as a rewrite of the original with no attributions.
Characteristics: presenting the ideas from original sources in different forms, changes of sentence structure, active to passive voice manipulations, no cites or references.
In the case of paraphrasing, an author takes pains to sound original and yet doesn't provide any first-hand research in his writing. In academia, this form of plagiarism signals about a lack of knowledge on the topic or not enough writing skills to expand ideas.
Minimalistic plagiarism
It's a kind of paraphrase too, but a more professional one: a writer copies ideas but changes the flow and order in which they are presented in the source. This form of plagiarism is difficult to detect because it does seem original, especially if checked with plagiarism detection software.
Characteristics: changes in sentence structure, statements order, and writing style of the source; paraphrasing several sources in one text with no attributions; active use of synonyms.
Minimalistic plagiarism happens when a student lacks time or patience to create original work but is ambitious of recognition and high grades.
Mosaic plagiarism
Also known as a poor rewrite, synonymization, or patch writing, mosaic plagiarism happens when an author takes phrases from the original, rearranges them in order, and represent in own work without citing. Or, when he keeps the same sentence structure and meaning but replace every word with synonyms so his work would look like a newly written one.
Characteristics: rearrangements in word and phrase order, excessive synonymization, a flow changes, no attribution to sources.
Students do love this type of plagiarism, and it's most common in their academic works. Mosaic plagiarism signals about procrastination, lack of knowledge, and ignorance of plagiarism consequences.
Accidental plagiarism
In plain English, it's unintentional copying of others' ideas and words. Speaking of students, they might fall into a trap of accidental plagiarism when don't know they borrow concepts from others and, therefore, neglect to reference sources because they do consider their writings original.
Despite its accidental nature, this form of plagiarism is considered as copyright infringement and scholar ethics violation. So, the consequences are going to be as ominous as in the case of other plagiarism types.
Self-plagiarism
The trickiest one, self-plagiarism occurs when a student decides to submit his previous work to another class. Or, when he takes ideas, concepts, and passages from his other essays and use them for new assignments with no permission from both professors.
This form is the most controversial one, and many still argue if they should consider it plagiarism at all. On the one hand, your work is your intellectual property, and so you can use it wherever you want. On the other, this work is no longer original after you've submitted it. It's a kind of bluff: the audience waits for new information from an author, but he misleads them and gives something they've heard already.
In the world of academia, it would be wise for students to consult professors on the institution's policies to make sure it's okay to cite papers, previously submitted to other classes.
Source plagiarism, or wrong referencing
Authors refer to each other in their works. And when a student refers to a cited source rather than a primary one, it's called source plagiarism.
Source formatting matters, either. Improperly cited sources, false referencing, or no references at all are the cases of plagiarism. Reasons for why a student avoids references in a paper vary:
He asked a ghostwriter to create an essay, so he just can't refer to it.
He used a source to steal arguments and just copied them with no changes.
He used the essence of a source and just changed several keywords.
He combined several sources in a paper for it to look original.
It often happens that a student doesn't know how to use citations and references in his copy. It's not the case of plagiarism, but a professor may consider it so when detecting some misinformation in a list of references. This includes:
Using wrong sources (see the above source plagiarism).
Neglecting footnotes: a student cites an author but doesn't provide a location of the source.
Using fake sources: a student plagiarizes the entire text of his essay and yet provides a long list of references to "prove" its original nature.
Proper citation is a must in the academic world, so writers need to know how to use and structure references to avoid accusations of plagiarism.
How to avoid plagiarism issues in writings?
Plagiarism consequences are many, and most are not as evident as students might think. Copyright infringement and intellectual property theft are legal issues, and they might lead to far stronger effects than poor grades or reputation loss. To avoid them, stop believing all myths about plagiarism in academia and start doing in-depth research on assigned topics. It will allow understanding key concepts and structure a future essay right.
Other tips on avoiding plagiarism in writing:
Document every source you use. Make sure to format it right: don't forget about quotation marks when citing someone's words.
Spare no time on research.
When in doubts, ask peers to check your list of references and say if you format it right. The same goes for research: friends might help to find proper sources or recommend some.
Never ask anyone to write essays for you: any ghostwriters, any custom services, any downloads from the web.
PRO tip: after you completed writing a paper, run it through a pro commercial software that will find unintentional plagiarism in your text.
Plagiarism is about ethics and principles. It's not enough to know the definition and consequences of the issue to avoid it. What matters is your determination: stay honest, do research, create original works for more people to learn new ideas, refer to other authors, and remember to mention their names when citing.
Section 1
Plagiarism definitions are many:
When it comes to spoken words, plagiarism means stealing ideas and thoughts of other people to claim them as one's own. Speaking of written words, plagiarism is defined as a lack of original content in a writing piece.
Dictionaries call plagiarism "stealing and passing off ideas or words of another as one's own," and "presenting as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source." (Merriam-Webster)
Plagiarism is a persistent problem. People do it unknowingly or willingly, and a large percentage of accusations corresponds to the academic world: students plagiarize writings for many reasons, use all possible types of this offensive act, and don't realize all the consequences. What they should try to do is be aware of plagiarism and avoid it in academic writings, citing and referencing their works accordingly.
What are plagiarism types?
The digital era calls the shots, so today we have many new forms of plagiarism, both intentional and unintentional ones. Academic and journalistic are the general names for plagiarism types, but both involve several variations. They are as follows:
Full plagiarism
Also known as "direct" or "complete" plagiarism, this form appears when you copy the content from a source as it is, word for word.
Characteristics: no original research, no changes in lexical items or punctuation, no differences (even the tiniest ones) between two content pieces.
Full plagiarism is the sin of incompetent authors or those who are mere lazy to give it their best shot and create something original. Speaking of the academic world, full plagiarism leads to a student's expulsion.
Paraphrasing
Some call it "partial" plagiarism because it happens when a writer takes data from several different sources, combines them with minor changes in language, and represent as original ideas. Paraphrasing itself is not plagiarism, and it's okay to use it if citing and referencing all sources. But it becomes so when represented as a rewrite of the original with no attributions.
Characteristics: presenting the ideas from original sources in different forms, changes of sentence structure, active to passive voice manipulations, no cites or references.
In the case of paraphrasing, an author takes pains to sound original and yet doesn't provide any first-hand research in his writing. In academia, this form of plagiarism signals about a lack of knowledge on the topic or not enough writing skills to expand ideas.
Minimalistic plagiarism
It's a kind of paraphrase too, but a more professional one: a writer copies ideas but changes the flow and order in which they are presented in the source. This form of plagiarism is difficult to detect because it does seem original, especially if checked with plagiarism detection software.
Characteristics: changes in sentence structure, statements order, and writing style of the source; paraphrasing several sources in one text with no attributions; active use of synonyms.
Minimalistic plagiarism happens when a student lacks time or patience to create original work but is ambitious of recognition and high grades.
Mosaic plagiarism
Also known as a poor rewrite, synonymization, or patch writing, mosaic plagiarism happens when an author takes phrases from the original, rearranges them in order, and represent in own work without citing. Or, when he keeps the same sentence structure and meaning but replace every word with synonyms so his work would look like a newly written one.
Characteristics: rearrangements in word and phrase order, excessive synonymization, a flow changes, no attribution to sources.
Students do love this type of plagiarism, and it's most common in their academic works. Mosaic plagiarism signals about procrastination, lack of knowledge, and ignorance of plagiarism consequences.
Accidental plagiarism
In plain English, it's unintentional copying of others' ideas and words. Speaking of students, they might fall into a trap of accidental plagiarism when don't know they borrow concepts from others and, therefore, neglect to reference sources because they do consider their writings original.
Despite its accidental nature, this form of plagiarism is considered as copyright infringement and scholar ethics violation. So, the consequences are going to be as ominous as in the case of other plagiarism types.
Self-plagiarism
The trickiest one, self-plagiarism occurs when a student decides to submit his previous work to another class. Or, when he takes ideas, concepts, and passages from his other essays and use them for new assignments with no permission from both professors.
This form is the most controversial one, and many still argue if they should consider it plagiarism at all. On the one hand, your work is your intellectual property, and so you can use it wherever you want. On the other, this work is no longer original after you've submitted it. It's a kind of bluff: the audience waits for new information from an author, but he misleads them and gives something they've heard already.
In the world of academia, it would be wise for students to consult professors on the institution's policies to make sure it's okay to cite papers, previously submitted to other classes.
Source plagiarism, or wrong referencing
Authors refer to each other in their works. And when a student refers to a cited source rather than a primary one, it's called source plagiarism.
Source formatting matters, either. Improperly cited sources, false referencing, or no references at all are the cases of plagiarism. Reasons for why a student avoids references in a paper vary:
He asked a ghostwriter to create an essay, so he just can't refer to it.
He used a source to steal arguments and just copied them with no changes.
He used the essence of a source and just changed several keywords.
He combined several sources in a paper for it to look original.
It often happens that a student doesn't know how to use citations and references in his copy. It's not the case of plagiarism, but a professor may consider it so when detecting some misinformation in a list of references. This includes:
Using wrong sources (see the above source plagiarism).
Neglecting footnotes: a student cites an author but doesn't provide a location of the source.
Using fake sources: a student plagiarizes the entire text of his essay and yet provides a long list of references to "prove" its original nature.
Proper citation is a must in the academic world, so writers need to know how to use and structure references to avoid accusations of plagiarism.
How to avoid plagiarism issues in writings?
Plagiarism consequences are many, and most are not as evident as students might think. Copyright infringement and intellectual property theft are legal issues, and they might lead to far stronger effects than poor grades or reputation loss. To avoid them, stop believing all myths about plagiarism in academia and start doing in-depth research on assigned topics. It will allow understanding key concepts and structure a future essay right.
Other tips on avoiding plagiarism in writing:
Document every source you use. Make sure to format it right: don't forget about quotation marks when citing someone's words.
Spare no time on research.
When in doubts, ask peers to check your list of references and say if you format it right. The same goes for research: friends might help to find proper sources or recommend some.
Never ask anyone to write essays for you: any ghostwriters, any custom services, any downloads from the web.
PRO tip: after you completed writing a paper, run it through a pro commercial software that will find unintentional plagiarism in your text.
Plagiarism is about ethics and principles. It's not enough to know the definition and consequences of the issue to avoid it. What matters is your determination: stay honest, do research, create original works for more people to learn new ideas, refer to other authors, and remember to mention their names when citing.
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:28.214451
|
03/26/2018
|
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"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/22092/overview",
"title": "How to Avoid All Possible Types of Plagiarism in Writing",
"author": "Nancy Christinovich"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/82202/overview
|
The Rational Planning Process
Overview
Activities to demonstrate understanding of the rational planning model and develop alternatives.
Activity: Rational Planning Fill in the Blank
Review the Decision Making chapter of the Fundamentals of Transportation.
Use the information provided in the chapter to fill in the blanks for the flow chart below.
Adapted from: Flowchart of Rational Planning and Decision Making Process. David Levinson, CC BY-SA 3.0
Activity: Rational Planning Alternatives
Review the Thought Questions, Issues with Rational Planning, and Alternative Planning Decision Making Paradigms. Consider the benefits and drawbacks of the rational planning model. Use the resources provided in the previous modules and available resources to develop your own equity-based planning model.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:28.234013
|
06/10/2021
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/82202/overview",
"title": "The Rational Planning Process",
"author": "Tia Boyd"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/89986/overview
|
Assistive Technologies for Diverse learners
AutoDesk "Sketchbook"
Common Core Standards Related to Technology and Media
Common Sense Education- Digital Citizenship Scope and Sequence of the Curriculum
Copyright and Fair Use video from Common Sense Education
Digital Citizenship: Addressing Appropriate Technology Behavior, by Mike S. Ribble, Gerald D. Bailey and Tweed W. Ross
Family Contract for Digital Citizenship
GlassLab's Children's Privacy Policy
http://thebookfairygoddess.blogspot.ca/2012/09/digital-citizenship.html?m=1 – attribution and thanks to to Sandy Liptak This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Introduction to the TPACK module from Commonsense Media
Kath Schrock's Guide to Everything, "Digital StoryTelling"
Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything "Online Tools and Web 2.0 Applications
Math Playground's Privacy Statement
Maximizing the Learning Impact with Technology
Pressey, Briana. 2013. Comparative Analysis of National Teacher Surveys. New York: The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop.
SAMR Worksheet
Teacher Librarians and Classroom Teachers: Collaborative Partners
Teaching with Technology Infographic
Technology Evaluation Tool
Technology in the Common Core State Standards
Technology Tools Resources
Technology Use by Teacher Characteristic
The SAMR Model Explained By Students
TPACK Graphic Organizer
WebTools4U2use
What is technological pedagogical content knowledge?
Introduction to Technology Integration
Overview
Knowing instructors have experiential knowledge of discipline-specific information and instruction success rates, this course is intended to convey an alternative to face-to-face instruction and aims to increase the commitment and desire of faculty to utilize online tools for instruction. Users I make no assumption about age or gender of learners; however, educational discipline and background are acknowledged, as well as the assumption that faculty have the knowledge to effectively operate a smart deviceSelf-Paced Study this course can be utilized as self-paced and focused on only those tools best suited according to discipline. Learning Objectives Learners will choose commonly utilized tools, technology and/or digital sources and identify technology(s) support of blended or fully online environment.Learners will use a technology evaluation rubric to evaluate a technology tool selected to meet a specific learning goal.Learners will develop a Technology Integration Professional Development Plan that will include their areas of need and a desire of use.
"An Introduction to Technology Integration"
When integrating technology always focus on:
1 WHAT IS THE LEARNING GOAL?
2 What technology tool can make this lesson better?
Big Ideas: In this video, Adam Bellow shares:” I think to define technology integration, it's really using whatever resources you have to the best of your abilities. Technology, it's a tool. It's what you do with that tool, what you can make, what you allow the students to make. That's really what technology is about. If you can do this lesson without technology, that's great. But if you can do it better with technology, then that's why you use it.”
The Common Core State Standards call for students to develop digital media and technology skill. Integrating Technology with face-to-face teacher time generally produces better academic outcomes than employing either technique alone.
Research has show that technology integration improves:
...K-12 achievement when digital and face-to-face instruction are integrated.
...science learning over textbook instruction by allowing to collect, analyze and model data.
...student writing skills and engagement when 1:1 laptops are in place.
...student understanding of math concepts and attitudes toward math when they use virtual manipulative.
edutopia (2012,12) Introduction to Technology Intergration [Video File].Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-introduction-video
Technology integration Survey
This is a short survey – 4 items aimed at getting information about the learners needs in terms of educational workplace setting, resources availability, and comfort level of working with technology. It is a type of formative assessment to assist the instructor experience level of the learners. The information can be used to focus attention throughout the module. For example: by grade level, learner variances, and availability of technology on the job. The instructor could use Google forms, Poll Everywhere or some other technology related survey tool to model use of technology and discuss how a survey can be used as a formative assessment.
Formative Assessment
- Please indicate the age group you work with.
Undergraduate Studies
Graduate Studies
- Please indicate the description that best fits your teaching Discipline(s).
1:1
- Check off each of the following technologies that teachers and students have access to in your university.
• desktop computers
• laptop computers
• television/DVR
• Projectors
• Interactive White Boards
• Tablets- includes iPads
• Smart Tables
• Gaming Devices
• cell phones
• eBook readers
• digital video recorders
- Which term best describes your attitude or belief regarding your level of comfort using technology?
• uncomfortable
• apprehensive
• moderately comfortable
• very comfortable
• tech savvy
Research - What are educators saying about technology?
Review Technology Integration Survey and introduce the research done by: http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/jgccteachersurveyanalysisfinal.pdf View Google Presentation on Technology Use by Teacher Characteristics. Discuss how teacher perceptions and attitudes affect technology integration. How can we change those attitudes. One example is the native/immigrant (student/teacher) analogy. Redefine that analogy as digital native/pioneers. This puts the teacher in a more positive light as an innovator of technology integration.
Find the 4 steps teachers can take to embrace tech tools. This is in the middle section of the info-graphic Reiterate Research-What are educators saying about technology? Infographic- highlight a. Find the Right Tools b. Introduce One tool at a time c. Learn to evaluate tech d. Use tech to engage students • Overcome the attitudes about technology- Pioneers vs Immigrants
Opening
Google Presentation on Technology Use by Teacher Characteristics Research Article survey: Comparative Analysis of National Teacher Surveys Teaching with Technology Infographic:
a. Find the Right Tools b. Introduce One tool at a time c. Learn to evaluate tech d. Use tech to engage students
What is the Common Core saying about technology?
Technology is embedded throughout the Common Core State Standards. This sample video is taken from Atomic Learning's TechCore solution, a set of collaborative planning tools that assist school leaders in identifying the professional development and technology needed for their schools to be successful implementing Common Core. Learn more at www.atomiclearning.com/k12/techcore. (2:21) Watch the video: Technology in the Common Core Standards
Review the following example of a common core standard and possible technology tools to meet the standards
English Language Arts Standards » Speaking & Listening » Grade 3
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.5 Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.
audio recording devices: (Content and General Technologies) http://www.chirbit.com/ http://online-voice-recorder.com/ https://soundation.com/studio http://vocaroo.com/ iPad iPod tablet Windows Sound recorder Which tool best fits the learning environment, the learner and works well with exiting devices? see Kathy Schrock's Digital Story Telling Across the Curriculum, webpage for more tools.
another example
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.2 Draw (freehand, with ruler and protractor, and with technology) geometric shapes with given conditions. Focus on constructing triangles from three measures of angles or sides, noticing when the conditions determine a unique triangle, more than one triangle, or no triangle. (Content and Specific Technology) see Autodesk Sketchbook link. How can this app be used to meet this standards?
Notice the verbs used in the common core. Those verbs are the core of you instructional objectives. Look for technologies that "do" these things.
What technology tools are available to meet these standards that ask student to: (Pedagogy and Technology) Produce Publish Update Draw Integrate Interpret Explore Collaborate Evaluate Assess Express information Demonstrate understanding Present a topic
Application to Students with Disabilities
Incorporate supports and accommodations including: Instructional supports based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Assistive technology devices and services to ensure access to the general education curriculum and Common Core State Standards
Engage students with learner variances with the same technology tools as their "typical peers" and support as needed with assistive technologies.
Performance Task
Watch the video: Technology in the Common Core State Standards Review the handout: Common Core Standards Related to Technology and Media Using the Common Core Standards Related to Technology and Digital Media document (attached on this page), choose a standard that suggests using technology and/or digital sources of information.
The focus is on selecting technology for the content area (TK and CK).
• With your group, brainstorm technologies to support the learning objective (standard).
• Write down your suggestion(s).
• Determine what level of the SAMR model the technology addresses. It's OK to be at a lower level. You have to start somewhere.
• Each group will share.
• Have fun.
Models of Technology Integration
Before we can select technology for teaching we need to look at how decision are made regarding technology integration. Moving in that direction we are going to look at two models for integrating technology: TPACK and SAMR. See attachments on TPACK and SAMR. Reiterate When Planning for Technology Integration
1 WHAT IS THE LEARNING GOAL?
2 What technology tool can make this lesson better?
Watch the TPACK video from Common Sense Media.
Remember
Technology Allows You to Think Differently and Perform New Tasks ~ It's not about the tech tool. It's how you use it. ~ The Ultimate Goal is to Maximizing Student Learning
Opening
When Planning for Technology Integration the two most important considerations are:
1 WHAT IS THE LEARNING GOAL?
2 What technology tool can make this lesson better?
Models of technology integration TPACK - Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge SAMR Model of Technology Integration
Before we can select technology for teaching we need to look at how decision are made regarding technology integration. Moving in that direction we are going to look at two models for integrating technology: TPACK and SAMR. See attachment on TPACK and SAMR. Read the research article on TPACK Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1),60-70 Watch the video from Common Sense Media on "Introduction to the TPACK Model
Planning and Evaluation of Technology Integration
- Analyze the teaching and learning needs.
What is the learning goal?
How will technology make this lesson better?
Plan for integration. Decide on objectives and assessment of learning.
Analyze results and make revisions
Watch the video Maximizing the Learning Impact with Technology
Watch the Google Presentation that reviews things to think about when planning for technology integration.
Where can you find great resources ...without getting lost in the "Black Hole" of the Internet?
Use Social Media
Follow the top (edtech)leaders who are evaluating and sharing the
types of resources you are looking for.
Pintrest- social bookmarking
Scoop-It- social bookmarking
Blogs
Facebook- ‘App Friday’ (https://www.facebook.com/AppFriday/) LinkedIn Groups
Your School Librarian-Media Specialist
Types of instructional software (apps/games)
Drill and practice (usually free)
ex. Math Playground
Tutorial (usually free)
ex, Khan Academy
Interactives (usually free) ex. Illuminations math interactives
ex. Illuminations for NCTM
Simulations (usually not free-$) ex. Digital Frog
Instructional Games (some free, more complex, ex. Mindcraft edu $) ex. Mindcraft EDU $, iCIVICS- free
Problem Solving (often free, problem based learning)
ex. Go North- Adventure learning (free)
Performance Task
Selecting Technology Tools
Identify an area need of a student(s) you work with.
Formulate a learning target to meet that need.
Identify a technology tool that appears to be a good pathway to meeting that learning target.
Use the evaluation rubric to evaluate the technology tool you selected.
Post the name of the technology you are evaluating.
Share your evaluation.
Digital Citizenship
Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship
Download this Resource: Digital Citizenship: Addressing Appropriate Technology Behavior, by Mike S. Ribble, Gerald D. Bailey and Tweed W. Ross The authors unpack the nine standards with useful strategies on addressing the issues with K-12 students.
The 9 general areas are:
- Etiquette- electronic standards of conduct or procedure.
- Communication: electronic exchange of information.
- Education: the process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology.
- Access: full electronic participation in society.
- Commerce: electronic buying and selling of goods.
- Responsibility: electronic responsibility for actions and deeds.
- Rights: those freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world.
- Safety: physical well-being in a digital technology world.
- Security: (self-protection): electronic precautions to guarantee safety.
Common Sense Education has a comprehensive and FREE K-12 curriculum that addresses digital literacy and citizenship
See attachments: Scope and Sequence tool to find age-appropriate lessons
How could you use this curriculum in your classroom?
Brainstorm ways to weave these skills into existing lesson that are technology integrated.
Does your classroom have an acceptable use policy for using technology?
Proper use of technology devices needs rules and consequences.
Performance Task
TAKE A LOOK AT A PRIVACY POLICY
Read the privacy policy for GlassLab Games, a developer (and host) of several popular educational games. If you were a teacher (elementary or secondary), would you feel comfortable recommending the use of GlassLab Games from a privacy standpoint?
Yes
No
Read the privacy statement from Math Playground, would you fell comfortable using this site with your students?
Yes
No
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:28.293668
|
Aliceson Bell
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/89986/overview",
"title": "Introduction to Technology Integration",
"author": "Lesson Plan"
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|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/113300/overview
|
Rise of the Soviet Union
Overview
Statewide Dual Credit Modern World History: Unit 14, Lesson 2
A discussion of the beginning of the Soviet Union including Joseph Stalin, a brutal dictator who pursued rapid industrialization, military expansion, and the suppression of dissent through the Great Purge.
Hitler’s lebensraum plans brought him into conflict with the Soviet Union. In October 1917, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin’s Bolshevik forces overthrew the government of Czar Nicholas II. Executing the Czar and his family, the revolutionaries announced the creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the first Communist state in the world. As secretary general of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Lenin signed a humiliating peace treaty, surrendered territory to Germany, and fought off challenges from Russian military forces still loyal to the old Czarist regime. He also nationalized all aspects of Russia’s economy and began plans to industrialize the nation. In 1924, Lenin suffered a series of strokes and died in office. Joseph Stalin (1870-1953), a Georgian native who had trained to become a priest before becoming a full-time communist revolutionary, became the new leader of the USSR. A bold visionary and brutal dictator, Stalin announced the creation of Russia’s first five- year plan by which industry would be pursued at all costs and private farms would be collectivized. Stalin rapidly increased the size of the Soviet military and instituted a secret police force known as the NKVD to crack down on dissenters. During the Great Purge, which lasted from 1936-1938, Stalin’s agents targeted millions of intellectuals, writers, religious leaders, ethnic minorities and other “enemies of the state.”
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:28.308724
|
Constanze Weise
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/113300/overview",
"title": "Statewide Dual Credit Modern World History, World War II, Rise of the Soviet Union",
"author": "John Rankin"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/113304/overview
|
Battle in the East and America Enters the War
Overview
Statewide Dual Credit Modern World History: Unit 14, Lesson 6
A discussion of the Battle in the East covers Hitler's invasion of Russia and the United States' response, including the Lend-Lease Act. Also details about Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, which led to America's entry into the war
Battle In The East
After knocking France out of the war and having failed to conquer Britain, Hitler turned to his plans for creating lebensraum, or “living room,” for German settlers in Eastern Europe. Viewing the Soviet Union as the primary block to his plans, Hitler ordered an invasion of Russia on June 22, 1941. Dubbed Operation Barbarossa, the charge saw three million Axis soldiers launching attacks toward Leningrad, Moscow and Ukraine. Taken by surprise, inexperienced Russian troops initially retreated before the German blitzkrieg. Minsk, Smolensk and Kyiv quickly fell to German forces. Long tired of Russian domination, some Ukrainians initially welcomed the Germans as liberators.
Worried about these developments, the United States, which had remained neutral to this point, began taking steps to support the British and Chinese war efforts. Although limited by Neutrality Acts which sought to maintain American neutrality, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) secured passage of the Lend-Lease Act in March 1941, which allowed the President to exchange or lease military items, food, fuel, or any item deemed necessary for the defense and security of the United States to its allies.”
Spotlight On | THE ATLANTIC CHARTER OF FREEDOM
In August, Roosevelt met with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill aboard the HMS Prince of Wales off the coast of the Dominion of Newfoundland, to issue the Atlantic Charter of Freedom. Although not a formal treaty, the charter represented a statement of common goals both nations pledged to work toward. The charter consisted of eight points, including a pledge to seek no territorial expansion, no territorial changes except those freely agreed upon, the right of all people to choose the government under which they lived, free trade, labor and economic rights, freedom from fear and want, freedom of the seas, and the creation of a system of worldwide general security.
America Enters the War
While strengthening its ties to Britain, America also took steps to contain Japanese expansionism. In July 1940, the U.S. banned all oil exports to Japan. The following year Congress ordered American banks to freeze all Japanese accounts. In September 1941, U.S. officials stopped all iron and steel sales designed to aid the Japanese war industry. American and Japanese diplomats spent much of 1941 unsuccessfully negotiating a compromise. But when the U.S. repeatedly demanded that Japan remove its forces from China, the Japanese imperial government, under the control of Prime Minister Hideki Togo (1884-1948), decided upon a preemptive strike. In late November 1941, a Japanese fleet of six aircraft carriers, two battleships, six destroyers, 28 submarines and a variety of supporting craft under the command of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (1884- 1943) began to steam toward the Hawaiian Islands. On December 7, 1941, Yamamoto ordered his troops to attack the American Pacific fleet stationed at a large naval base known as Pearl Harbor. Attacking at dawn, Japanese Aichi and Nakajima dive bombers sank four American battleships and damaged four others. By day’s end, over 2,300 American servicemen had been killed. The following day U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared December 7 “a day that would live in infamy” and asked Congress to declare war against Japan. Germany responded by declaring war on the United States. America had now entered the fray.
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:28.324800
|
Constanze Weise
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/113304/overview",
"title": "Statewide Dual Credit Modern World History, World War II, Battle in the East and America Enters the War",
"author": "John Rankin"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/113260/overview
|
World War I on the Eastern Front
Overview
Statewide Dual Credit Modern World History: Unit 12, Lesson 4
A discussion of World War I on the Eastern Front, focusing on the Russian army's struggles against Germany and Austria-Hungary. Despite early victories, Russia's lack of resources and military leadership led to devastating losses, setting the stage for their eventual withdrawal from the war.
World War I on the Eastern Front adapted from Statewide Dual Credit World History | CC By-SA
When Germany declared war on Russia, two main concerns erupted for them. Firstly, Germany recognized it would have to serve on a two-front, European war (a fact to be repeated in World War II). It would engage in combat against the French and British along the Western Front and Russia along the Eastern Front.
Secondly, most of Europe regarded Russia as a country with countless resources, particularly in manpower. For this reason, Germany attempted to knock France out of the war before England could fully deploy its strength. Then Germany could turn its full strength toward defeating Russia.
For its part, Russia sought to regain territory that had once belonged to it. In particular, they sought to reclaim parts of Eastern Prussia in Northern Germany. The Russians incorrectly believed that German forces proved less of a threat to them than those of Austria-Hungary, so they deployed massively insufficient troops to assault the German forces near Northern Prussia. Instead, most of their troops were sent further south to fight against the Austro-Hungarian army in Galicia—a territory in the present-day areas of eastern Poland and western Ukraine.
Unlike the Western Front, which was iconic for its use of trench warfare, the Eastern Front was largely a war of mobility. This involved troops attacking one other’s borders and territory by launching large supply chains and armies. Logistics and Russia’s dramatic lack of resources account for the different style of warfare. While strong in its human resources, Russia remained a century behind the rest of Europe in terms of its technological and military developments.
Because of the war on the Western Front, Germany was initially under-defended on their eastern borders. As a result, Russia experienced early, small success with their attacks. But by the third week of August, things would shift to favor Germany.
The Battle of Tannenberg
In late August 1914, the German High Command sent two officers, Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff, to take command of their forces in East Prussia. Making use of the superior German artillery and the element of surprise, the German army encircled the Russians at the Battle of Tannenberg (present-day northeast Poland). Caught entirely by surprise, the battle resulted in the destruction of multiple Russian units with nearly 200,000 Russian casualties in less than a week. In comparison, the Germans lost only 12,000 men. The disparity in the battle casualties between Russia and Germany remained enormous for the next three years.
Adding insult to the injury that the Russian army sustained at Tannenberg, the Austro-Hungarian army had achieved a strong victory against the Russians further south at the Battle of Lemberg (Lviv) in present-day Ukraine. By the end of August, the Central Powers had kicked Russia out of East Prussia and pushed the Eastern Front toward Russian territory. The fall of 1914 marked an ominous beginning for the Russian war effort and set in motion events that would bring down the mighty Russian empire.
The Great Russian Retreat: 1915
In the spring of 1915, the better organized and equipped German Army came to the aid of the struggling Austro-Hungarian Army. Their arrival marked the beginning of the end for the Russian Army, despite the fact it would take more than three years before the Treaty of Brest Litovsk was signed, officially ending Russia’s involvement in the war.
From May to September 1915, the German and Austro-Hungarian Armies repeatedly attacked and advanced against the Russian Army. Suffering from disorganization and severe lack of supplies the Russians suffered enormous casualties, with Russian prisoners of war numbering in the hundreds of thousands. In August, the Germans captured the city of Warsaw—a city that had been under Russian control for a hundred years. By September, the Russian Army was pushed entirely out of Galicia (present-day Poland and Ukraine) and forced to retreat toward Russia. In their retreat, Russia lost access to grain-growing regions; villagers in the region succumbed to starvation and disease as the German Army occupied the lands.
Worse news was yet to come for Russia. In September 1915, Tsar Nicholas II dismissed his senior military chiefs to lead and oversee the Russian Army himself from his headquarters at Stavka. This was a choice undertaken by Nicholas to inspire Russian troops to continue fighting. Moreover, it suited Nicholas’ personal fascination with the military. However, the tsar entirely lacked knowledge in military matters, and his decision to lead the army proved disastrous.
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oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:28.342684
|
Constanze Weise
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/113260/overview",
"title": "Statewide Dual Credit Modern World History, World in Crisis, Conflict, and the Struggle for Independence - World War I, the Russian Revolution, and the Indian Independence Movement, World War I on the Eastern Front",
"author": "John Rankin"
}
|
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/113241/overview
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Nation Building and Reform in Africa 1700-1900 and Summary
Overview
Statewide Dual Credit Modern World History: Unit 9, Lesson 9
A discussion of the interactions between African kingdoms and European nations between 1700 and 1900, focusing on the Atlantic slave trade and the resulting economic and political changes in Africa; detailing the eventual decline of the slave trade and the transition to other forms of commerce, as well as the increasing European interest in colonizing the African continent.
As Europeans became more interested in Africa, knowledge about the African continent and its people slowly spread to other parts of the world. Africans initially had minimal contact with Europeans, primarily in coastal areas. However, by the 1700s the Atlantic slave trade offered a new economic outlet opened for those African rulers and merchants who participated in the sale of human beings. The Atlantic trade had a significant economic and political impact on West and Central Africa, but other important developments were also occurring across the continent.
Initially peripheral actors on the African continent, Europeans spread the commercial revolution along the Eastern and Western sides of the African continent. In the centuries leading up to the Atlantic age, the ancient empires Ghana, Mali and Songhay dominated West African history. Before the opening of the Atlantic trade, most polities in West Africa were economically oriented toward the trans-Saharan trading networks with links to the Middle East. It was initially the imports of American tobacco, peanuts, corn, cassava and new kinds of beans that helped drag West Africa into the commercial activities of the Atlantic world. Later, imports of firearms in exchange for enslaved people changed the political tapestry of West Africa and strengthened coastal regions. The Portuguese began the transatlantic slave trade in the 15th century, while the Dutch, English, French and Danish became substantially more involved in the 17th century. As sugar and tobacco plantations began to develop in the New World the demand for labor increased. Trading companies, such as the English Royal African Company (RAC), started to build their trading monopolies along the West African coast. Initially focused on the gold trade, the RAC would dominate the English slave trade until its abolishment in 1807.
In the western part of Africa, after the fall of the Songhay empire in 1492, small and medium size kingdoms arose in the regions south of the Niger Bend and upstream along the Niger River. One of these kingdoms, the Mandingo kingdom of Segu, developed in the heartlands of the former Mali Empire. Its power rested on an army of enslaved people. North of Segu, in the Sahel region, the Soninke kingdom of Jaara dominated the area. In this part of West Africa, a mix of class and caste institutions controlled access to political authority and economic activities. To the east of the Niger Bend and north of the rainforest, the Mossi kingdoms, whose rulers used cavalry-based armies, started to arise in the 16th and 17th centuries. Juula merchants traded in the Mossi capital towns and connected the Mossi regions to the trans-Saharan and West African commercial networks. Further west in the Senegambia region, along the Gambia and Senegal Rivers, the Jolof state and the kingdom of Kaabu dominated the area politically and economically. Their leaders became increasingly involved with Portuguese and later Dutch and British merchants.
In the 16th century, three states gained importance due to their strong ties to the Atlantic slave trade: Oyo, Asante, and Dahomey. Another important state in this region, the kingdom of Benin located in present-day Nigeria, although it participated in the slave trade it primarily focused on other forms of trade. During the 15th and 16th century, Benin experienced its most significant expansion. Such growth happened in the 15th century under the warrior kings Ewuare (c. 1440) and Ozolua (c. 1481) and in the 16th century under Esigie (1504), Orhogbua (c. 1550) and Ehengbuda (c. 1578-1608). The first contact with the Portuguese occurred in 1485, when Portuguese traders brought a cargo of guns and coconuts to Benin. Soon after, trade relationships were established between the king of Portugal and the Benin rulers, and commodities were exchanged. Over the ensuing decades ivory, cloth, pepper and other goods were exported to Benin in exchange for damask, silk, manillas and cowries.
While encounters with Europeans influenced the external politics of the Benin kingdom, Benin kings primarily dealt with the Igala kingdom, located to the east of the Niger-Benue confluence in the interior, as an intermediary. Portuguese missionaries brought Christianity to the Benin kingdom, and Oba Esigie’s oldest son and various chiefs converted to Catholicism. Strengthened by their victory over the Igala kingdom and the diplomatic exchanges with the Portuguese, Benin’s imperialist leaders now directed their efforts toward the coast, spreading as far as Lagos and Badagry and waging war against villages and towns along the way.
The 16th and early 17th centuries saw a period of relative stability and peace in the region. But a civil war broke out in the late 17th century. Conflicts over succession devastated the kingdom. Concerned over the sincerity of adoption and spread of Christianity, Pope Innocent XII (1615-1700) sent a Catholic mission to Benin to keep its rulers focused on spreading the faith. The mission determined that earlier efforts at Christianization had failed to take root as the churches had been converted to shrines and priests had returned to practicing African traditional religions.
While the 18th century remained relatively uneventful, increasing European pressure during the 19th century eventually placed the Benin kingdom under British jurisdiction. In 1892, the British signed a treaty with the Oba of Benin that also allowed for the opening of the kingdom to British missionaries and merchants. The Oba ignored the treaty and continued as usual. Sent to Benin in 1897, acting General consul James R. Philipps (1863-1897) tried to persuade the ruler to obey the treaty. Believing that the British planned to invade them, Benin soldiers killed Philipps about 25 miles outside the capital.
Consequently, a British punitive naval expedition arrived to establish British control. British troops occupied Benin City and looted houses, sacred sites, ceremonial buildings and the palaces of high-ranked chiefs and the Oba itself. The Oba and his eight wives fled into exile to Calabar while British officials hanged six chiefs in the Benin City marketplace. The looted artwork, which included a thousand metal plaques and sculptures known as the “Benin Bronzes,” was carried to Britain. This looting triggered one of the most significant controversies in modern time over stolen African art and its repatriation to Africa.
In the rainforest west of the Niger River, the Oyo Empire rose to power dominating many of the Yoruba city-states who had tributary relationships to Oyo. The key to Oyo strength lay in its reliance on a strong cavalry consisting of horses supplied by their northern neighbors. The Oyo conducted many wars against other Yoruba city- states to gain prisoners of war which could be sold to merchants involved in the Atlantic slave trade. As the demand for slaves increased, the Oyo developed into a major slave trading empire trading enslaved people.
Dahomey was another West African state heavily involved in the Atlantic trade. Founded around 1620, Dahomey was initially a small kingdom. By the 1700s, Dahomey exercised an increasing amount of control over the trade with Europeans while at the same time restricting their access to the interior. The Oyo attack of 1730 eventually made Dahomey a tributary to the Oyo Empire for about 80 years. While this changed regional power dynamics, the Kings of Dahomey continued to rule over smaller chiefdoms. In the Dahomey Army all female regiments, known as Amazons, fought alongside their male counterparts.
West of Dahomey lay the Akan kingdoms which emerged in the early 17th century. In the early 18th century, political power shifted to the rising Asante kingdom. A confederation of small inland kingdoms governed from the capital city of Kumasi; Asante became an important commercial hub for West African trading networks. Under the stewardship of Osei Tutu (1680-1718) and his successor Opuko Ware (1718- 1748) the Asante Confederation was transformed into a powerful empire. Starting with Osei Tutu, all Asante rulers took the title of Asantehene and received religious legitimacy through the Golden Stool which was provided by priests during coronation ceremonies.
The empire became known for producing gold and kola nuts, rivaling the cotton textile and indigo trade of the Hausa city-states northeast of Kumasi in the Sahel region of West Africa. The Ashanti kingdom became heavily involved in the Atlantic slave trade selling prisoners of war down to the coast. It controlled territories to the north, such as the tributary Dagomba kingdom, and smaller Akan-speaking kingdoms to the south. One of the important imports both Dahomey and Asante made were European firearms which they acquired in exchange for slaves. By the 18th century both kingdoms could call upon about 10,000 soldiers armed with muskets while fielding armies upwards of 80,000 strong.
In the Sahel regions around Lake Chad the powerful, centuries-old kingdom Sultanate of Kanem-Bornu gained increasing influence. This influence reached west to the Hausa kingdoms as well as south and north of Lake Chad. In the second half of the 16th century Mai Idris Aloma (1564–1596), started to import firearms from north Africa and established diplomatic contacts with the Ottoman Empire whose troops had penetrated the Kanem-Bornu empire. The Hausa states had profited from their vicinity to the trans-Saharan trade and the savanna trading networks. Hausa traders travelled as far south to the coasts as well to the Asante areas, trading slaves, kola nuts, gold and ivory. Bornu became a center of Islamic teaching from which Islam spread to the Hausa city states.
In the early 19th century, the same region was shaken by military uprisings and Islamic Revolutions with the goal of reforming existing states that were ruled by nominal Muslims and dual practitioners of traditional African religions and Islam. These revolts were as much about Islamization and the establishment of a strict interpretation of Islam as they were about the quest for political domination and economic control. Some of the major ethnic groups involved in these reform movements were the Fulbe, who were mainly pastoralists but who had a more sedentary and learned elite.
The best-known Islamic reform movements in West Africa were those in the 18th and early 19th century in the highlands of Futa Toro and Futa Jalon located in modern-day Guinea. In the regions of the Hausa states, holy wars in the name of Islam were performed under the leadership of Uthman dan Fodio (1754-1817), his family and followers. Born into a scholarly family, Uthman dan Fodio had become a famous Islamic preacher and scholar who advocated for a purist practice of Islam. The jihad or holy war was directed against the Hausa kings who, despite being Muslims, continued to practice traditional African religions. The jihad resulted in the establishment of the Sokoto Caliphate in 1804. An Islamic State based on Sharia Law, the economy of the Sokoto Caliphate was based on agriculture and to a great extent on slave plantations. This made the Caliphate one of the biggest slave states of the time, boasting more slaves than even the United States. As the Islamic state expanded many of the Hausa kings were either killed or fled into exile. The Sokoto Caliphate lasted about one hundred years until its final defeat to European powers in 1903.
In 1807, the British Empire abolished its transatlantic, though slavery itself continued in the British colonies until 1834. The British Navy’s “Anti-Slavery Squadron” began to patrol the West African coast, capture ships with slaves on board, and resettle their human cargos in Sierra Leone. The United States also banned the import of slaves in 1808. The British used its military and economic might to encourage other European powers to sign anti-slave trade treaties. Afterwards, the slave trade rested primarily in the hands of illegal traders who developed tactics to smuggle slaves around British naval patrols. Domestic slavery was not abolished in Britain’s overseas colonies until 1834, in French colonies until 1848, in the United States until 1865, Cuba in 1886, and Brazil until 1888. More than 1.3 million Africans were still transported across the Atlantic between 1807-1888. Intellectual movements including the Enlightenment, the American War of Independence and the French Revolution had an impact on abolitionist thinkers and intellectuals. On the other hand, the demand for slaves in the New World had also started to decline in some regions. Modern machinery and overproduction made the importation of slaves in some of the sugar producing regions less profitable. In addition, Africans and people of African descent often rebelled against their masters making slave-based plantations less profitable and less productive.
As Europeans slowly outlawed the slave trade and slavery, they transitioned to what became known as “legitimate commerce” in African products like groundnuts or palm oil which replaced the trade in slaves, as the African continent also became a destination for the import of cheap products from Europe. As public interest in the interior of Africa increased, more geographical and anthropological studies were performed by European explorers. In addition, European traders backed by their respective governments became interested in controlling the African continent and maximizing profits.
Similarly, to West Africa, the western equatorial rainforest and the savannas to the south in what is today modern- day Angola became involved in the slave trade. As early as the 1500s, the Portuguese had started to circumvent the Kongo Empire in gaining control of the slave trade and had established Luanda as a major port city to which slaves captured in the interior were transported and then shipped across the Atlantic. In the 1600s, the Portuguese also established the coastal town of Benguela from which they secured slaves from the highland territories of the Ovimbundu kingdoms. In the 18th century, the merchants of the Ovimbundu kingdoms traveled as far as the Lunda kingdom but also to the areas of the upper Zambezi River to acquire goods and slaves.
The early 19th century also saw turbulence in southern Africa. The Nguni of the southeast described these as mfecane, the “crashing,” and the Sotho-Tswana referred to them as difaqane, the “scattering.” The mfecane emerged as conflict erupted between the emerging northern Nguni kingdoms over access to natural resources. Famine caused by a drought that lasted from 1802 until 1804 and intensified warfare between 1816-1819 rattled the region. In 1819, a minor chief named Shaka (c.1787-1828) consolidated the various Zulu groups into a single kingdom. He then expanded his borders from Tugela and Pongola into the Drakensberg foothills and started to demand tribute payments from the people between the Tugela and Umzimkulu Rivers. By the mid-1820s, he controlled most of the area of modern day KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. Shaka developed a centralized government in which the king wielded absolute control. In the newly conquered regions, petty chiefs answered directly to Shaka. In 1828, Shaka was assassinated by his half-brother Dingane (c. 1795-1840) who made himself king. While it took Shaka ten years to establish the Zulu kingdom, his half-brother took less than a decade to lose it.
In 1795, the British government seized control of South Africa from the Dutch East India Company. One of the consequences of the establishment of British settlements in the region was the annexation of Natal. Thousands of Dutch settlers known as Boers fled Natal for the Zulu dominated lowveld. The Boers killed 3,000 Zulus in several pitched battles before settling south of Tugela, creating the short-lived Republic of Natalia (1839-1843). Tied up by a civil war in which Chief Mpande (1848-1872) usurped his brother Dingane, the Zulu remained too divided to deal with the Boers. In 1879, British military invaded the Zulu kingdom, beginning the Anglo-Zulu war that resulted in a defeat of the Zulu people and the absorption of their area into the Colony of Natal which later became part of the Union of South Africa.
SUMMARY
The period of 1700-1900 provided momentous change for the world. Ground zero for the Enlightenment, Romanticism and the Industrial Revolution, Europe witnessed a series of revolutions that challenged the old feudal social order. While Britain and France tried to liberalize their political systems, Germany, Italy and Russia struggled to modernize and unify. Across the Atlantic, Spain, France and Britain established massive empires in the Americas. However, as they struggled to exterminate or incorporate indigenous peoples into their empires, they had to deal with increasingly rebellious colonists. Beginning with the American Revolution in the late 1700s, one by one the provinces of English, French and Spanish America threw off their colonial chains. Meanwhile, on the African continent, Central African kingdoms declined as West Africa became embroiled in the Atlantic slave trade. By the late 1800s, a Scramble for Africa left almost the entire continent in the hands of European occupiers. As the world approached the twentieth century, the unresolved issues of colonialism, imperialism and nationalism would set the stages for the outbreak of world war in 1914.
|
oercommons
|
2025-03-18T00:38:28.365817
|
Constanze Weise
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/113241/overview",
"title": "Statewide Dual Credit Modern World History, Nation Building and Reform 1700-1900, Nation Building and Reform in Africa 1700-1900 and Summary",
"author": "John Rankin"
}
|
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