General Information Project Overview Curriculum Connections Resource Connections Evaluation

  General Information

  Project Overview

Project Groundhog was designed to introduce primary students to the possibilities of telecommunications through a meaningful curriculum based inquiry. It is supported by Stem-net and School Net. It is available to students and teachers throughout Canada (and other parts of the world if they wish to subscribe).

In this project, students explore whether or not the groundhog is an accurate weather predictor. For the six weeks following Groundhog Day, February 2nd, students monitor and record the daily temperatures, sky conditions and how often school was closed due to weather. The information collected is shared weekly with participating schools, (50 this year), via email and the Project Groundhog Website.

  Curriculum Connections

Main Curriculum Areas?

This project allows teachers to cover objectives in:

1. Science
2. Social Studies
3. Mathematics
4. Language Arts

This project fits in with three of our School's Improvement Goals for 1996-97.

1. to increase the integration of computers into all curriculum areas
2. to improve Language skills by emphasizing it throughout all curriculum areas.
3. to motivate students to create a "well rounded" learning environment.

Provincial Curriculum Objectives

In Primary:

1. Students will observe, collect, record and share scientific data on weather patterns in their community. {This project allows for the introduction of basic statistical analysis, graphing and charting of data.
2. Students will be encouraged in the use of telecommunications technology in education.
3. Students will develop map skills, (how to read, locate and interpret information on them. {As students locate the participating communities in Newfoundland, Canada, and the U.S., they will cover this objective.}
4. This project will contribute to the development of reading and writing skills, as students read and write community descriptions, write poetry and do basic research on groundhogs and weather.

ILO's for Technology Education at Primary Level:

1. To identify, and use, information and communication tools in daily use at home and in schools. (Computers & Fax Machines).
2. Use communication techniques to build more knowledge from gathered or existing information.
3. Use communications tools to access, evaluate and select appropriate information and to create, modify and learn new information.
4. Collaborate with distant students and teachers on control project (weather).

  Resource Connections

How Will Stellar Schools Internet Connection Help?

For the past two years, the Stem-net Class Project Network, Susie enabled the students to have 30 hours of access to the World Wide Web. Funding was cut this year. Yet access to the Internet is a very important part of this project. I am presently using my 10 hours of stemnet per month, to enable my students to send their data and to browse weather sites, and the Groundhog Web page. This project needs more internet time than I can give them. The project will be more meaningful and informative with the Stellar Schools Internet Connection.

Other Resources:

 Math and Science Texts
 Weather reports on television and radio

  Evaluation

Learning Outcomes

1. Students will be able to read and chart weather information on bar graphs, pictographs and line graphs.
2. Students will be able to use computers to write and send information on weather and their communities by electronic mail.
3. Students will be able to collect and analyze data on weather.

Students will have their first experience with the Internet. They will be highly motivated by the technology to obtain many of their Science, Math, Social Studies and Language objectives.