Kurzweil Lesson Plan

Kurzweil 3000 Lesson Plan

Title: Famous Person Report

Subject Area: Social Studies

Grade Level: Elementary School (Could also be used with middle school students who need additional support.)

Rationale: The purpose of this exercise is to familiarize students with the process of outlining and note taking in preparation for creating a report.

Objectives:  Students will be able to determine pertinent information from expository reading selections.  Students will complete an outline to use during an oral presentation.  Students will deliver a complete, informative presentation about a famous person.

Materials:  A website or reference book with biographical information about a historical figure or figures.  Scanned copy of reference material or use of online access and Read the Web feature of Kurzweil 3000.  Scanned copy of the “Famous Person” report outline.  Scanned copy of “Famous Person Paragraph” template.

Procedure: Students are given a reading selection about a famous person from history, science, sports or entertainment. This selection is scanned for them using Kurzweil 3000. The student then reviews the questions on the scanned report outline sheet. As they read, they find and highlight answers to the questions. Once all of the questions have been answered, the students will write a one paragraph synopsis and prepare for presentation to the class. Note: for students who have difficulty composing a paragraph, the famous person paragraph template can be used to aid them in successfully completing the assignment.

Extension Activities: After the students have researched their reports, they can condense their information onto note cards before delivering their report to the class.

Kurzweil 3000 Features Used:  Scanning  Highlighting  Fill-in-the-blanks  Copy and paste  Drag and drop  Read the Web  Talking Word Processor  Speaking Spell Check

Suggestions for Replication: This outline can also be used for inventions, technological advances, historical events, etc.