This iAdventure was designed to correlate with a fourth grade science and social studies curriculum.  In our fourth grade we spend  many weeks studying environments and ecosystems.  Additionally, we study the state of Michigan from many perspectives, including environmental responsibility.  This iAdventure is an attempt to link the two subjects with a relevant experience that presents a current biological/ecological issue in Michigan.  Also, it is hoped that the students will have a meaningful technological experience as they particpate as researchers attempting to solve a real-life problem.  It can be anticipated that students who have access to a computer lab for an hour once a week will spend approximately 6 sessions with this iAdventure

Woody the Wolverine has discovered the wetlands in Lenawee County that support his needs and the needs of the other wildlife are drastically shrinking.  He observes the new housing developments in his neighborhood as well as an adundant, lush crop of Purple Loosestrife spread throughout the wetlands.  Woody seeks to discover the alarming cause for his depleted wetland.  The students are asked to do research from selected sites that will help them give Woody good advice for saving his wetlands.  The students will track their work with a journal and will help Woody reach a solution for this problem with a final project.
 
 

English Language Arts:
VIII.10.LE.3   Use oral, written, and visual texts to research how individuals have had an impact on people in their community and their nation. Use texts to investigate school and/or community issues and express how one individual or group can make a difference.

IX.11.LE.1   Generate questions about important issues that affect them or topics about which they are curious, and use discussion to narrow questions for research.

Science:
I.1.LE.2   Develop solutions to problems through reasoning, observation, and investigation.

I.1.LE.5   Develop strategies and skills for information gathering and problem solving.

II.1.LE.4   Develop an awareness of and sensitivity to the natural world.

III.5.LE.2   Describe the basic requirements for all living things to maintain their existence.

III.5.LE.4   Describe the positive and negative effects of humans on the environment.

Social Studies:
I.4.LE.1   Identify problems from the past that divided their community, the state of Michigan, and the United States and analyze the interests and values of those involved.

I.4.LE.2   Select decisions made to solve past problems and evaluate those decisions in terms of ethical considerations, the interests of those affected by the decisions, and the short- and long-term consequences in those decisions.

II.2.LE.1  Explain basic ecosystem concepts and processes.

II.2.LE.2  Describe the location, use and importance of different kinds of resources and explain how they are created, and the consequences of their use.

II.2.LE.4   Explain how various people and cultures have adapted to and modified the environment.

II.4.LE.5   Describe the Great Lakes ecosystem and explain physical and human processes that act upon them.

V.1.LE   All students will acquire information from books, maps, newspapers, data sets and other sources, organize and present the information in maps, graphs, charts and timelines, interpret the meaning and significance of information, and use a variety of electronic technologies to assist in accessing and managing information.

V.2.LE.1  Pose a social science question about Michigan or the United States.

V.2.LE.3  Construct an answer to the question posed and support their answer with evidence.

V.2.LE.4  Report the result of their investigation, including the procedures followed.

VII.1.LE.2   Engage in activities intended to contribute to solving a local, state or national problem they have studied.

Students will need an internet-connected computer lab if this project is presented as a whole group activity.  However, students can participate with a single classroom computer for a special project or an independent study. The journal pages will need to be printed out ahead of time because students cannot compose on screen.  It would be helpful for each student to have a notebook and writing instruments.  The resource needs for the final projects will vary based on the students'choices.  For more information check the conclusion page.

This iAdventure has been structured with a point system. The students will be assessed according to the rubric that is printed on the conclusion page,for their entire adventure. This assessment includes the journal pages the students complete as they proceed on the adventure, their level of participation and their final two project selections. The first section of the rubric focuses on the learning process and the second section assesses the results of their efforts.
 
 

On the conclusion page students will choose two projects from nine possibilities to demonstrate and apply the knowledge and resources they have acquired on this iAdventure. The projects are color-coded to help them determine the level of effort they wish to invest and the points they would like to earn. Depending on the project that is chosen, various classroom support materials may be needed.
 
 

The iAdventure concept was developed in the Warrensburg, MO school district, as part of the "Learning with iAdventures" program. This program was funded by a Competitive Technology grant from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
For more information on iAdventures, visit the iAdventure Home Page.