Project 2 Puzzle Maker

What

Use Puzzle Maker program on Internet to create a puzzle(s), copy, paste, and save the puzzle to Microsoft Word, link the puzzle in your ePortfolio and publish it.

Why

Crossword puzzles have long been used as an effective and motivating pedagogical tool in vocabulary building and sign recognition. The puzzle solving activities could also create chances of community building.

How

1) Form a group of 2 people. You can choose to work on your own if you think that works better for you.

2) Brainstorm project ideas and design your projects together searching on internet to find learning activities and resources using puzzles.

3) Create puzzles using PuzzleMaker from DiscoveryEducation.com.

4) Copy and Paste the puzzles into Microsoft Word file and save this Word file.

5) Print the puzzle you make and ask your group member to solve the puzzle.

6) Publish your puzzle project in your ePortfolio.

More resources for your reference: http://web.cortland.edu/shis/314/week7puzzlemaker.htm

Evaluation/Rubric

Components Points

1. A puzzle created for a defined age group with meaningful/authentic purposes. 2

2. Link and publish the puzzles through your ePortfolio on time 1

4. ANNOTATION 2

Total 5

1) Creators/Authors of the Media Project.

   - Alaina Latella

2) Indentified Grade(s) Level

   - Grade 6

3) Brief Introduction of the media project – What is the value of using this type of media project in education? What specific literacy issues will this media project help address? What impact on student learning do you foresee occurring with the use of this media project in the classroom setting? What ethical or social issues might be of concern? Will this media project encourage use of problem solving skills by the learner?

   - This project was to create a puzzle using Puzzle Maker.  Being that I am a math major I chose to create a math puzzle.  This project gets students thinking and it really challenges them.  This project help with number sentences considering the students have to fill in the numbers to fit the given operations.  This project could help students think more broadly when dealing with math and help them understand operations more.  This could be a solitary or group project which could lead to frustration because it is such a difficult assignment.  It would be given as an extra activity considering the level of difficulty.  This will encourage the use of problem solving skills because it incorporates many problems that don't seem terribly difficult but are arranged in a way that are extremely difficult.  It will make the learner very anxious to complete the project.

4) Specifically identify one or two goals/objectives

   - The learner will be able to solve systems of equations.

5) Subject matter – What is (are) the subject matter(s)? Does integration of subject matters take place? How has this media project addressed cultural responsiveness teaching? (See this document for help in this area http://education.cortland.edu/~studentteach/forms/diversity_assignment.pdf )

   - This project uses the subject of math. It does not really leave room for integration of any other subjects other than physical education if the teacher would want to make a life size version of the puzzle and make it a group or class activity.  This project uses scaffolding because it is using the prior knowledge of operations that the students have learned.

6) What learning styles will most likely be attracted to this media creation? (This might be a nice refresher for you on learning styles, use this only as a guide. http://nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/styles.html)

   - This will help visual learners because there is no audio attached to the activity.  It can help kinesthetic learners if the life-sized version is used.

7) What instructional strategies have been utilized? (This list is somewhat exhaustive and here are a couple sites to use as guides. http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/alpha.html

or http://glossary.plasmalink.com/glossary.html

   - This activity uses games, graphic organizers, inquiry, and problem-solving.

8) Is this a self-paced or teacher-directed media project?

   - Because of the difficulty, if done by just one student then it would be a self-paced project but it could be turned teacher-directed if the teacher would want to make it a class activity.

9) Would an individual or group use this media project?

   - This can either be individual or a group project.  However, of it were to be a group project it would probably have to be moderated to avoid agitation between the students because of the level of difficulty.

10) What type of learning assessment will be used? Has learning transfer been thought about in your media creation and if yes how? (There are many articles on transfer of learning here is one to get you started. http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/learning/transfer.html

   - The assessment would be to either collect the individual work or take notes on the group involvement and actions. There would be a transfer of learning using the problem-solving and group-work.