Spreadsheets

I decides to use a spreadsheet project called Butterflies in the Garden http://edtech.boisestate.edu/elearn/newbridges/Lesson%20Links/Butterflies_in_the_Garden.htm

1. Give a brief description of the project.
The project involved students learning about their ecosystem through both a reading activity and an interactive event. The event used a grid and counting the number of seeds that represented either birds or butterflies. Each student then created a spreadsheet to log their results.

Knowledge -  to gain a understanding of the ecosystem ).

Comprehension - Count the number of seeds for butterflies and birds

Application - Create a graph (bar or line) for the information they collected over a give time

Analysis - A test taken on the ecosystem

Synthesis - Bar or line graphs were constructed to accompany their science logs 

Evaluation - Materials and data presented at the learning fair

2. How would you adapt it for your grade level and/or discipline area?
To adapt this particular project to a high school level and an art discipline (photography) does provide a challenge. Instead of seed, I would have the students pick a particular garden (all students in the same area) area and take the pictures of each bird and butterfly they encounter. Each species that they photographed could then be labeled and compiled into to their running list. This could then be built into a spreadsheet and compared to other students results to give an idea of the size of that ecosystem. The students could then choose their best images or the ones they feel represent that ecosystem the best and priont them for critique day. Not only would they learn about an area of our world, but also how to photograph it to show to others expressing their take on that species.