1. Description of Our Community
We are located in Wilmington, Delaware. We are a small urban city 30 minutes south of Philadelphia, about 2 hours south of New York City, and 3 hours north of Washington D.C. (The Nation's Capital). Delaware is a small state, the second smallest in the United States, with one of the lowest populations. We are located on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, bordering the Atlantic Ocean.
2. Summary of Our Project
Students researched the destructive nature of Hurricanes to both Delaware and the United States. Students researched Hurricane Categories, Hurricane History (Including the most devastating Hurricanes), and the effects of Hurricanes on Delaware. Students also interviewed survivors of Hurricane Frederick and an employee of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Students compiled important information regarding Hurricane Preparedness, and Delaware’s Emergency Plan for Hurricane Evacuation.
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:more than 6
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:not sure
D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:more than 6
E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):
Students only mainly had access to computers in the computer lab. The students in room 207 only received one forty-five minute class period of computer instruction in which to work on the Cyberfair project. I was able to find additional time for them to come to the computer lab, therefore most weeks they were able to come for two forty-five minute class periods.
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
The largest obstacle we had to overcome was time to work on the project. We also had issues with the scheduling of our guest from the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). We had our guest scheduled to come in the beginning of February, however, due to a snowstorm that closed school, we had to reschedule. Unfortunately, the only time our guest was able to come was March 18th the day before the projects were due. We also could not load video onto our web page directly due to our district server constraints. Therefore, we used MSN Video for our videos
5. Our Project Sound Bite
Participating in the Cyberfair has encouraged the students at Bayard to better their research skills. Students were also very excited to be part of a competition with students from other countries.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
· State Standards and Curriculum: In doing the cyberfair project on “Delaware and National Hurricane Information” we met the following standards. State Standards: ELA (English Language Arts) Standard 1: Use written and oral English for various purposes and audiences Standard 2: Construct, examine, and extend the meaning of literary, informative, and technical texts through listening, reading, and viewing Standard 3: Access, Organize, and evaluate information gained through listening, reading, and viewing Standard 4: Use literary knowledge accessed through print and visual media to connect self to society and culture Science: 5.317-Identify changes to a particular ecosystem as resulting from either natural or human made events and explain whether the changes are beneficial or harmful.
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