Aim:

Rationale:

Objectives:

1. Use internet search utilities to find information and to document the sources of recovered information.
2. Evaluate the validity of the content within a Web-site.
3. Gather information which permits the student to compare and contrast similar products and to match products to their needs.
4. Communicate  (by appropriate means, whether e-mail, telephone or face to face) regarding a purchase.
5. Recognize that the cost of owning a product is in excess of the initial price tag.
6. Apply road-mapping skills.
7. Evaluate the nutritional content of a meal.
8. Deliver a coherent oral presentation to a larger group explaining the decisions made and the process used to arrive at consensus.
9. Work collaboratively in a group of three or four towards the development of a finished product.
10. Produce a written report, which adequately reports on the project elements while conforming to standard elements of writing mechanics, grammar and style.
11. Use appropriately active or passive listening skills with peers, teachers, and individuals outside the school setting.

Activities:

1. Determine based upon information available on the Web, obtained in discussions with parents and auto dealers and upon personal needs, the characteristics of an automobile that would best meet their requirements within their resources.
2. Shop for insurance assuming each member of the team is an owner and driver (if necessary contact insurers by phone, as on-line rate calculators often do not serve young drivers).
3. Shop for financing, again beginning with Web sources and newspapers, but extending to discussions with bankers and parents as necessary.
4. Produce an itemized report, which shows the "bottom-line" cost of the car they choose, along with an estimate of annual expenses supported by a discussion of all assumptions factored in.
5. Consume a lunch made up of a variety of fast food menu items a "potpourri" of items widely available at the roadside.  Keep track of all items eaten by members of each team and, using data available on-line; compile the nutrients taken in by each.  Extrapolate this meal to the consumption during a whole day and compare the result to USDA recommendations.  Calculate the rate of weight gain for this diet. Include results in final report.
6. Use internet utilities to design at least three alternative routes to their destinations and indicate the advantages and disadvantages of each route estimate the costs for: fuel, food, lodging, fun and a rental car.
7. Write a final report that incorporates all of the activities associated with the module and present it to the larger group with appropriate multi-media support.
8. Score each of the other teams' presentations with a detailed rubric.

 

Pre-requisite skills/knowledge

1. Be able to search the World Wide Web for materials with a mastery sufficient to convey basic skills to students.
2. Be able to use an electronic spreadsheet.
3. Be skilled at managing students who are working in collaborative groups.

 

1. Basic keyboarding skills and the ability to use work processors and spreadsheets for simple tasks.
2. Able to navigate a Web site
3. Basic math skills
4. Experience working in collaborative groups.

Instructional plan (central component)
        Advanced organizers
        Alternatives/options
Materials (including web-based materials, images)
Technical requirements
Connections to ordinary curricular objectives
        Relate to the state goals
Estimate of cost (if materials need to be purchased)
Plan for formative evaluation of module and assessment of student learning