Stephanie Combs
Ed 421
Technology-rich Unit of Instruction
Grade Level: 5th grade class
Content Area: History/ Technology/ Language Arts
Title of Unit: Countries around the World
Learning Goal:
In this two week long unit students will be creating their own persuasive brochure
of the country of their chose. They will be researching a country in depth and using this
knowledge to design the countries’ flag and using it and their brochure for an end of unit
presentation. While simultaneously using factual knowledge about the country they will
also find key tourist attractions and elaborate on them in their brochure. This part of the
brochure is going to assess their knowledge of using persuasive writing. For this unit, the
knowledge the students should already know are several countries throughout the world.
The students are going to be encouraged to look at countries other than the United States.
However, a PowerPoint with the United States’ information will be used as an example
of what data the students should be looking for when they are researching their country.
Students will also be utilizing their journal to keep track of all of the information
they obtain and any thoughts they had while looking at their country. The journal will be
turned in at the end of class.
Students whose nationality is of another country will be permitted to and
encouraged to use that country for their research. Each student will be presenting their
brochure at the end of this unit, and a sense of pride about a student’s nationality will
hopefully be achieved.
NETSS Technology Standards
#1: Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop
innovative products and processes using technology. Students:
a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or
processes.
b. create original works as a means of personal or group
expression.
c. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and
issues.
Students will be researching and finding key reasons people might
want to visit their country and utilizing this information to create a
persuasive writing addition to their brochure.
#3: Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
Students:
b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically
use information from a variety of sources and media.
c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based
on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
d. process data and report results.
Students will be researching their chosen country in an attempt to gather data on
that country. Their end result will be a well put together brochure that they will use
Microsoft word to create. They will then present their brochure to the class.
#4: Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving & Decision-Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage
projects, solve problems and make informed decisions using appropriate digital
tools and resources. Students:
b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a
project.
d. use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore
alternative solutions.
Students will be given a website to first explore to gather their data. They
will also be encouraged to use the Google search engine to find additional
websites that could potentially provide them with more information on their
country.
#5: Digital Citizenship
Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to
technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:
a. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of
information and technology.
b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that
supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.
c. demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning.
When the students use Google to research and find additional websites pertaining
to their country, they will be reminded about safe and educational research techniques.
They will be taught to avoid websites that could be inaccurate and otherwise distracting
web pages.
#6: Technology Operations and Concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts,
systems and operations. Students:
a. understand and use technology systems.
b. select and use applications effectively and productively.
c. troubleshoot systems and applications.
d. transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.
Students will be working on Microsoft Word to create their brochure and utilizing
the internet to research their country. They will also be using the Microsoft Paint program
to create their country’s flag. Students will also be given the opportunity to use Google
Earth so that they may locate and then print out a picture of their actual country.
Technologies Integrated:
Microsoft word brochure and paint programs, internet research, PowerPoint
presentation and Google Earth.
Resources:
Websites utilizedwww.google.com
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108121.html
Programs utilizedMicrosoft Word
*Brochure
*Paint
Google Earth
PowerPoint
Oregon State Standards:
This persuasive brochure assignment will meet the following Oregon English
Language Arts Standards:
 CCG: Planning, Evaluation, and Revision: Pre-write, draft, revise, edit, and
publish across the subject areas.
 CCG: Writing: Communicate supported ideas across the subject areas, including
relevant examples, facts, anecdotes, and details appropriate to audience and
purpose that engage reader interest; organize information in clear sequence,
making connections and transitions among ideas, sentences, and paragraphs; and
use precise words and fluent sentence structures that support meaning.
 CCG: Writing Applications: Persuasive Writing: Write narrative, expository, and
persuasive texts, using a variety of written forms-including journals, essays, short
stories, poems, research reports, research papers, business and technical writingto express ideas appropriate to audience and purpose across the subject areas.
Unit Outline:
Week 1
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Day 1
Revisit the concept of Persuasive writing. Have students explain what a
persuasive piece of writing should entail. What are its goals? What message is the
author trying to convey?
Have students do a journal entry using the knowledge they have about Oregon
and write a letter to an imaginary person from a different country persuading them
to visit Oregon.
Using a Map of the world ask students to locate and identify different countries
around the world. Write down the countries they have located on the classroom
whiteboard.
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Explain to students that they will be choosing a country and it will be the country
they research in depth for the next two weeks. They may pick from the list of
countries on the white board or choose one of their own.
A PowerPoint presentation will then be given on the United States pointing out
key information that the students should gather for their own country.
Students will take notes on a page in their journal containing all the information
they viewed from the PowerPoint presentation on the United States (i.e.
population, government, leader/president, land area, monetary unit, capitol)
students should also make a quick sketch in the journal of the United States’ flag.
Students will then be given time to make an informed decision about which
country will become their country to research. They may use atlases,
encyclopedias, etc. from around the room to briefly look at countries. Students
will write down the country they chose in their journal.
Day 2
Before students are permitted to use the computer for their research, an in depth
conversation about computer safety and responsibility will be spoken on. Students
will learn about the importance of using a computer at school for educational
reasons only.
Students will use their class time to research their country’s facts and data on their
country. They will keep a running record of everything they have learned about
their country in their journal. A starting website will be given to students
(website can be found in the resources section). Teacher can go around and assist
students in putting in the web address in the address bar.
Day 3
Explain to students what a search engine is using Google as an example. Students
may use Google search engine to visit other websites that pertain to their country.
Students will supplement their facts and data on their country by researching and
finding desirable, educational and otherwise attractive aspects of their country
that they could use as their persuasive feature of their brochure.
The students will find and then sketch their countries flag in their journal. Colors
must be used on this sketch.
A blank, white piece of paper folded in the form of a brochure will be handed out
and the students will sketch on the paper what they would like their brochure to
look like. They will use their information and their sketch in their brochure
sketch.
A brief overview of how to use the brochure program will be given by teacher in
the media center. If possible use a smart room so that the children will be able to
watch you go through the Brochure program on Microsoft Word. If unable take
smaller groups of students to gather around at a computer terminal and watch as
the program is explained. It is imperative that students are taught how to save
their work on the computer’s storage device.
Day 4
Work day! Allow students to work on whatever part of their project.
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Teacher should be available to answer any questions the students have.
Day 5
Students will work in media center working on their brochure. They will only be
asked to insert text information. Teacher will answer any questions students have
about the program. Students will save their work on a storage device or
provided USB port.
A brief overview will be given about the Paint program on Microsoft Word.
Again using the same technique of smaller group gatherings.
Week 2
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Day 1
The students will use the Paint program to design their country’s flag on the
computer. Students will save their work on a storage device or provided USB
port.
A brief overview will be given about how to insert their image on their brochure.
The same technique of using a small group of students will be used to teach this
concept.
The image will be inserted on their brochure by the end of class.
Day 2
Work day! Students should have all of their factual and persuasive information on
their brochure. They should all have their designed picture of the flag on their
brochure as well.
Introduce students to the Google Earth website. Explain how Google Earth
receives their images and thoroughly explain how to locate their specific country
on Google Earth again using the United States as an example. Sh Use small group
gathering technique to show Google Earth.
Day 3
Continue explanation of Google Earth and show students how to save the image
of their country on their storage device.
Students will insert this image on their brochure the same way they inserted their
image from the Paint program.
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Day 4
Work day! Students will be told that they will present their brochure on the next
day.
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Day 5
Teacher will have printed out all of the brochures.
Brochure presentations!
While this unit can be easily done by simply writing and drawing on a piece of white
paper folded into the form of a brochure, using the a Paint program to design a flag, the
internet to research a country, Google Earth to view an actual image of a country, and
Microsoft Word to create a brochure allows students to understand many technological
concepts about the computer and the internet. It is also very valuable for students to
understand the importance of using the computer for educational purposes and being safe
and responsible in the process. Giving students the opportunity to physically use these
resources allows them to obtain the valuable tools necessary for doing any future research
assignments. If a classroom is not equipped with enough computers for each student it is
necessary to reserve use of a school’s media center for about 45 minutes every day of the
unit. The main component of this assignment is the use of technology while language arts
and geography are subjects being integrated into it.
By the end of this unit students will be very well educated on their chosen country
and will educate the rest of the class during the presentation while simultaneously honing
their speaking and presenting skills. The brochures should be hung up around the room
afterwards so that students will be reminded of their hard work.