Researching Warriors Online Course for 4th and 5th Graders

Course Description
Students will take this course as a concluding activity to the research and writing skills information literacy
unit which is taught both in their individual classrooms and in the media center over six weeks of time. The
course is being taught as a joint effort between the 4 th and 5th grade students homeroom teachers and the
media specialist. For this course, students will work through three online modules and complete the
required assignments to show understanding of their research, writing, and technical skills. All of the
required content for this course is available online. There is no required textbook.

Contact Information
For more information regarding this online course or for technical assistance, please contact, Brette
Callaway, PSE Media Specialist, at brette.callaway@hcbe.net or 478-929-7895.

Course Objectives
This course has been designed for students to use research skills, the writing process, media and visual
literacy, and technology to create an original web 2.0 or PowerPoint presentation. This objective is in
correlation with specific standards from the Houston County Elementary Media Program Information
Literacy Skills, which all elementary media specialist must teach from (HCBOE, 2013, p. 8). The
HCEMPILS were derived from both Common Core Georgia Performance English Language Arts Standards
and the American Association of School Librarians Standards for the 21 st Century Learner. This course
correlates to several English Language Arts Common Core Georgia Performance Standards.
For more information regarding any of the documents mentioned above please refer to the sources below.
Houston County Elementary Media Program Information Literacy Skills:
https://portal.hcbe.net/teaching_learning/media/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx?RootFolder=
%2fteaching%5flearning%2fmedia%2fShared%20Documents%2fHouston%20County%20Information
%20Literacy%20Documents&FolderCTID=&View=%7bF6BD73EA%2d180A
%2d46F5%2dA012%2d06CDD0FE6D9E%7d
Standards for the 21st Century Learner:
www.ala.org/aasl/standards-guidelines/learning-standards

4th Grade CCGPS ELA Standards:

https://www.georgiastandards.org/Common-Core/Common%20Core
%20Frameworks/CCGPS_ELA_Grade4_Standards.pdf.
5th Grade CCGPS ELA Standards
https://www.georgiastandards.org/Common-Core/Common%20Core
%20Frameworks/CCGPS_ELA_Grade5_Standards.pdf.

Course Goals
Through this course students will work with others to:
1. locate and cite four appropriate resources of varying media types about their chosen topic.
2. record and organize their finding for each source with a wagon wheel graphic organizer.
3. create a research presentation with an appropriate web 2.0 software or PowerPoint.

Grading
For this course, students will receive three quiz grades and one test grade. These grades will be averaged
in with existing Reading and Writing grades for all 4 th and 5th graders completing this course. As a
reminder, quiz and daily grades count 50 percent and test grades count 50 percent of the final average for
each subject area.
Here is a list of all of the grades for this course.
1. Research Sources WorksheetQuiz grade (25 points for each of the four sources)
2. 4 Wagon Wheel Graphic Organizers for note takingQuiz grade (25 points for each)
3. ParticipationQuiz grade (Includes discussion posts and survey completion)
4. Research PresentationTest Grade (8-10 slides, graded according to rubric)

Participation Standard
Students will be working in pairs or in small groups for the completion of all of the required assignments for
this course. Part of the grading will reflect their ability to work with their other group members to complete
these assignments. Students will also have to make three required posts throughout the course to ensure
that they are on the right track and are working as a team. Each individual student is required to post on

the discussion board for each of the three modules. Students will also have to complete a survey at the
end of the course explaining what each group members role was throughout the course. As is described
above, students will receive a separate quiz grade based on their participation throughout the course.

Course Organization
The course is organized into three modules. Students will be given one week to complete each module.
The modules must be completed in order, and students will be allowed to work ahead if they finish work
early. Work for this course should mostly be completed at school, but access at home will be available
through the schools webpage. For each week, students will have a sixty minute visit to the media center, a
ninety minute visit to the computer lab, and additional time in the classroom during students reading and
writing block each day. A brief description of the three modules is included below.
Module 1: Students will review the course syllabus, objectives, and assignment directions. They will
create a group name and choose their topics. Students will post this information to the discussion board.
They will then complete the sources worksheet as they locate four appropriate resources for their topic.
Module 2: Students will dig deeper into the sources that they identified. They will complete four note
taking graphic organizers, recording valid information from each source. Students will also make a post to
the discussion board regarding their overall progress or about any questions or concerns that they are
having.
Module 3: Students will use the information from the previous assignments to create an 8-10 slide
presentation about their topic. Students will also make one discussion post regarding their progress or
questions and complete the online survey after the completion of the course assignments.

Technology
Accessing the Course: For this course, students will access all materials through one website, giving the
ability for access from any web enabled device or location. This site includes links for researching their
topics, video tutorials about how to access various resources, the necessary discussion boards for added
communication, and access to the documentation students will need to complete as they conduct their
research. The direct link to this site is: www.researchingwarriorsonlinecourse.weebly.com. Additionally,
this link is available through the schools homepage (www.pses.hcbe.net) under the resources tab.
Device Usage: Students using devices with up-to-date web browsers should be able to complete this
course. The content for this course is specifically selected so that it can be accessed by any number of
devices simultaneously and seamlessly regardless of the device that is used. It is also important to point
out that students will have access to the schools computers and devices if they do not have their own
device from home. While this project is designed as a group project, most groups will have access to
multiple devices (BYOD, classroom iPads, classroom laptops, media center computers, computer lab

computers) at the same time. Students may choose to share devices if they want, but this will not be
necessary.
Saving Work: Students will need to save all of their assignments to the schools student OneDrive in their
homeroom teachers folder. They will need to include the name of the assignment and their groups name
in the file name. For example, Group1sourcesworksheet.doc. The weebly has a video tutorial about how
to access, navigate, and save items to the schools student OneDrive. This account can be accessed at
home or at school and allows for students to have a tremendous amount of cloud storage without being
dependent upon saving and using only one device.
BYOD and Acceptable Use Policies: Students are responsible for adhering to the schools BYOD and
Acceptable Use Policies while taking part in this course or using any device at school. Students should
remember to only use the BYOD Wi-Fi while at school, use school approved websites, protect password
and personal information, and respect the property of both the school and others when using a device that
is not their own. For more information about these policies please, refer to the Student Handbook, which is
available online at this link: http://pses.hcbe.net/?PageName='ServicePage'&ServiceID='6181'
Cyber Safety and Netiquette: Students have all had previous instruction on cyber safety and having
appropriate netiquette while online. Each student participating in this course has signed the Pearl
Stephens Internet Safety Pledge. Students are certainly expected to follow the rules set forth in that pledge
and remember that good manners are to be used at all times, both in person and online. For more
information regarding internet safety and using appropriate netiquette, please refer to this site:
http://www.netsmartzkids.org/
Discussion Posts: As is stated above in the Participation Standard, each student is responsible for 3
discussion posts during this course. Students will need to post at least one time per module. The specific
content of each post will be available in the assignment instructions for each of the modules. Students
should use correct grammar and spelling in what they write just as if they were writing for a graded
assignment. Each post should be a minimum of 3-4 sentences. Students are encouraged to respond to
others, but should remember to always use excellent netiquette when online.
Outside Help: Students will need assistance during this online course. Students are purposely placed in
groups to help provide peer support throughout this course. Students will also have multiple opportunities
to ask teachers and the media specialist for help in person and through the discussion board. Parents
should provide very minimal help during this project if a student is working at home. It is vital that students
are graded based on their work and not the work of their parents.