In the Spring, Ms. Rechtfertig's fourth graders complete an Earth Science information report.
Parents can see these reports at Open House in May.

1. Students begin by chosing their topic and identifying several KEY QUESTIONS for their Earth Science topic.
They choose questions that they were interested in learning more about.

2. They conduct research using their textbook, books from the school library, age-appropriate search engines, and web sites.
Particularly interesting are the resources now available at Ed1Stop.

3. Students use a Note-Taking Template to paraphrase information related to each KEY QUESTION.

4. Earth Science Class Topics
A. Volcanoes
B. Earthquakes and Tsunamis
C. Weathering and Erosion
D. Glaciers and Icebergs
E. Rocks and Minerals

5. They bookmark web sites, as part of the process of creating a bibliography for their report.
Creating A Bibliography

6. Students organize their information to answer their KEY QUESTIONS, and write paragraphs from their notes.

7. Students write a report with at least five paragraphs. The first paragraph tells the main ideas, based on the KEY QUESTIONS.
Each of the other paragraphs has a topic sentence and four or more detail sentences, related to the main idea.
To differentiate the project, some students are asked to do additional questions, notes, and paragraphs.

8. Students then use the software, Keynote, to make a multimedia presentation.
They refer to various Keynote Users' Guides to enter themes, text, and transitions.

9. Students add Graphics for Earth Science Topics.
As time permits, they search for additional graphics at these sites.
A. Pics4Learning
B. ClipArt for Kids
C. School ClipArt

10. Students deliver their Keynote presentations to their classmates and display their work for parents to enjoy at Open House.
Example of a Physical Science Report about Static Electricity in Keynote