Getting Started
About Iowa Pathways
Primary Audience
Iowa Pathways Goals and Objectives
Web Site Content
My Path
Artifacts
Timeline
Glossary
Quest
Teacher Resources
Suggested Uses
Grouping of Students
Subject Matter
About Iowa Pathways
Iowa Pathways is a Web-based learning environment that
introduces students to the investigation of the people, places, events,
and ideas that have made Iowa what it is today.
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Primary Audience
The primary audience for this project is Iowa students in grades
5-12. However, some content included in the project is appropriate
for all educational users and for general audiences.
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Iowa Pathways Goals and Objectives:
Learning Goal:
Students will gain an understanding of the people, places, events,
and ideas that have made Iowa what it is today. They will analyze
connections among these elements and evaluate how Iowa’s
history influences its future. Students will identify Iowa’s
role in American and world history and develop an appreciation
of their heritage as Iowans.
Primary Learning Objectives:
After interacting with the content, students will:
- Investigate topics, themes, and times using primary and secondary sources.
- Analyze relationships and make connections among the people, places, events, and ideas of Iowa.
- Evaluate the impact of the people, places, events, and ideas of Iowa’s heritage and propose how these things have shaped Iowa’s past, present, and future.
- Identify and evaluate how key historical figures and events of Iowa have played a part in American and world history.
- Use a variety of media and technology to communicate, research, solve problems, and make decisions through open-ended exploration of content, investigation and inquiry, and creation of technology-based products to share.
- Develop an appreciation of Iowa’s heritage and strengthen their identity as Iowans.
Secondary Learning Objectives:
Students will:
- Apply Iowa concepts to learning in various disciplines.
- Demonstrate effective reading strategies in the content area for the purpose of investigative research, vocabulary acquisition, and content fluency.
- Demonstrate effective research strategies.
- Demonstrate effective communication skills.
Web Site Content:
Iowa-based content and activities are presented in an online environment that invites thoughtful exploration, critical thinking, and purposeful investigation of the people, places, events, and ideas of Iowa. The elements of each article have been carefully selected to enhance student experiences and guide learning activities.
The content and activities are based on ten themes:
- Agriculture
- Arts and Culture
- Business and Industry
- Education
- Environment
- Government
- People
- Communities
- Transportation
- War and Conflict
My Path
The project centerpiece is a collection of interconnected articles
introducing students to the big ideas and specific topics of Iowa’s
past and present. Each article is supported with images, Web links,
and connections to related articles. Questions are presented to challenge
students to think about what they are reading and establish personal
relevance. Each My Path article includes several components:
- Article – An essay focuses on one topic and is the centerpiece of the article page. Topics in the articles are related to the ten themes of the project and may be very broad or quite specific.
- Pathways – These descriptive links to other articles are a collection of interconnected big ideas and specific topics about Iowa’s past and present. Clicking on a connected article refreshes the page with the new topic and its associated links.
- Artifacts – Thumbnail images and descriptive titles of relevant media take students to a related image, map, document, interactive, audio or video.
- Side Trails – The descriptive links in this section take students to outside Web sites that further their exploration of their topic.
Artifacts
A media database provides students with a way to search, sort,
and link to a growing number of artifacts such as images, maps, illustrations,
documents, audio, video and interactive clips.
Timeline
This interactive feature allows students to explore Iowa history
milestones and their connection to U.S. and world events and ideas.
By selecting points in the timeline, students can interactively
compare and contrast events across different themes in history.
Many will use this as a starting point to launch their investigation.
Glossary
This interactive tool provides definitions and examples about key
vocabulary used in the articles. Students choose terms directly
from featured articles to launch the glossary.
Quest
Use a Quest in your class room to challenge your students. This
collection of inquiry-based tasks that guide them as they make and
interpret connections among the people, places, events, and ideas
of Iowa. Quests allow students to analyze connections among these
elements, evaluate their impact, investigate concepts, or identify
Iowa’s
role in American and world history as they develop an appreciation
of their heritage as Iowans.
See Using the Quest for more information.
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Teacher Resources
Be sure to continue to explore this Teacher Resources section of the Iowa Pathways site for a wide variety of resources ranging from instructional support such as standards and curricular area connections to a digitized collection of lessons and activities that assist educators in the use of the site. Educational resources will continue to be developed and collected as the project progresses.
Using the Quest – These tips and downloads help students develop research skills through investigation and inquiry.
Lessons and Activities – Check out these great lessons, activities, and WebQuests from IPTV, PBS, and others.
Recommended Resources – Discover other great Iowa resources, including online archives, primary resources, local history, field trips, and more.
News – The Iowa Pathways News is regularly updated with IPTV broadcast programs, ICN
events, professional development opportunities, related Web sites,
and connections to local history events.
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Suggested Uses
Depending on student ability, availability of technology, and your
own classroom needs, using this project can take anywhere from a
few class periods to several months. It is not our intention for
teachers and students to explore and use all of the available materials
at one time, but rather use the materials as needed to suit your
needs. There are many different ways you can use Iowa Pathways,
either by grouping of students, subject matter, computer availability,
or a combination.
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Grouping of Students
Depending on class time, student age and ability, available resources, and other factors, Iowa Pathways can be used in a variety of grouping situations.
Back to topIndividuals:
- one student per computer
- individual work on Quests
Partners:
- share computer navigation responsibilities
- share note taking
- cooperate on Quests
Cooperative Learning Groups:
- share computers
- create learning groups with each student performing a specific task (note taker, navigator, coordinator)
- cooperate on Quests
Whole Class:
- share computers (break into task specific groups)
- one student per computer
- take notes, discuss issues, decide on travel, and problem solve together
Subject Matter
There are many different ways to use Iowa Pathways to connect
to classroom curriculum. Science, social studies, language arts,
industrial technology, careers, agriculture, business, family and
consumer science, and many other areas all connect to this exciting
and versatile resource. The Iowa Pathways resources are
designed to connect to your curricular area using relevant content,
higher-order thinking skills, and student-centered ideas to enhance
the teaching and learning of Iowa content.
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Iowa Pathways: Iowa History Resources for Students and Teachers
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