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1. Description of Our Community
East Aurora is made up of a group of people who are looking to improve their community. The local government makes laws and provides the people with basic needs. Our town also has many services and organizations that make it a comfortable community in which to live.
East Aurora has a rich history. The history of our community tells a story of how it became what it is today. We also can see how our community was involved in events that shaped the history of New York State.
The culture of our community is made up of customs, art, architecture and ideas. Throughout history, East Aurora’s culture has attracted and influenced many people.
Over the years, East Aurora has provided many opportunities for businesses and organizations. Many have made their home in our town. Some are family-owned, "one of a kind" in the world. Some have become world famous. Others have failed and have been replaced with new entrepreneurs. East Aurora remains a community ready to meet the challenges of the future.
East Aurora is located at the edge of the Allegheny Plateau in New York State, USA. It is approximately 20 miles south of Buffalo. East Aurora has all the normal things that a normal town would have...but, East Aurora isn't normal. Mixed in with all the regular things are extra special businesses and organizations. These unique places are an incredible gift to our community. We are proud and privileged to be living in this special little town.
2. Summary of Our Project
This enrichment project was an integrated unit of study that connected Social Studies, English-Language Arts and Information Systems. Twelve, fourth grade students worked cooperatively as a team to gather research and investigate local businesses and organizations. Each individual student became an
3. Our Computer and Internet Access
A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:more than 50%
B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:4-6
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection
D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:4-6
E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):
The teacher who worked with the students on this enrichment project is a relative
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
There weren’t too many obstacles! Of those that we did encounter, these were the most burdensome: ~Tapping into the schedules of local business people ~Finding references at the appropriate reading level for fourth graders ~Using the internet in the afternoon (SLOW) ~Scheduling students for workshops to avoid conflicts with homeroom teacher’s instruction ~Saving graphics to individual floppy disks! ~Getting graphics to appear on the website after they were uploaded to the server
5. Our Project Sound Bite
Our participation in CyberFair reinforces that the integration and utilization of technology serves as a
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
The following New York State Learning Standards/Performance indicators (all at the elementary level) were addressed by this project:
Social Studies #1: Use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.
Within the framework of the New York State Learning Standards, the following Social Studies Curriculum topics are developed in fourth grade:
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