When first visiting my Wiki, you will come across my homepage- it looks very similar to my blog homepage because wouldn't you know, it is a screen shot of it! The first page students (or educators) will want to visit is the one titled : Herbivores, Carnivores, and Omnivores..Oh my! It states the standards that will be covered while teaching this lesson and gives the students their first thing to accomplish: A pre-quiz on Google Docs. (Remember, to make a Google Docs quiz, you go to the forms section!) After the students take the quiz, I will be able to see the results. This non-graded quiz will allow me to see what students need to work on and what areas they already understand. After completing the quiz, the students will move on to the next part of my lesson plan in my Wiki, and that is the section labeled : After the quiz!
After the quiz, this is where the teacher will actually teach the material. I have included some great PowerPoint examples to show the students. They have information about herbivores, carnivores, producers, decomposers, and so much more! They are pretty straight and to the point. The next activity the students must do is create their own food web. They can do this by using the free content, Bubbl.Us or by using Inspiration. I have included a food web I made using Inspiration. (Hint: Inspiration is free for the first 30 days!)
MOUSE FOOD WEB:
This part of the lesson plan might be my favorite. After students realize the importance certain animals and insects play in their lives, they must create their own Podcast! I want people all over the world to hear the important words my 5th graders are trying to say! By using Garage Band and Itunes, they will create their own Podcasts in groups!
In 5 groups of 4, they must let others hear their voices! They are going to let others know about the importance of conserving ecosystems and habitats! By expressing themselves in a 4-5 minute Podcast telling people all over the world why we need to save our ecosystems, these students can really make a difference!
To wrap up the lesson, the teacher and the students will create a Wordle together. Each student must write down 10 words describing their favorite parts of either the lesson or what they have learned. By creating a beautiful word cloud, students can see that what they learned and liked may be similar to their classmates.
Wikis can be edited by anyone, but are very trustworthy. For example, the website, Wikipedia, is just as accurate as an encyclopedia--and more convenient! I am the main editor, but others who have Wiki accounts may edit or change somethings as well. Wiki's allow for anyone, especially teachers to get their voice heard- information can be found, different ideas, and even lesson plans! Wikis are fun, and I cannot wait until I am even better at using it!