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Wikipedia: Fantastic Places in the USA Assignment and Using AI for Student Revision
Details
Main Website:
Activity Website:
Tech Product/Equipment:
Computer and projector, Mobile devices for students
Activity Description
In this activity, students will use the Internet to select or are assigned to find information about a fantastic place in the USA, such as a national park or monument, take notes, and create a visual aide (a Word document or PowerPoint with images). Students will then copy/paste their assignment into an AI application for revision and edit suggestions. As a class the revisions are weighed, discussed, examined and determined it they are useful or not. Discuss the value of AI.
Preparation
- Make sure that the Example Web Site (above) or other Web sites you have students use for the project, are not blocked at your school site. Become familiar with how to use the search and browse functions so you can assist students.
- Teach present and past passive (it was formed by, built by, discovered in, etc.).
- Include an introductory reading about interesting monuments, parks, or landmarks in the USA.
- Download and be prepared to show the example of a completed assignment (Example Document - Fantastic Places USA Sample Completed Assignment). You could also prepare a PowerPoint as an alternate example presentation.
- Use an LLM (AI such as ChatGPT) in revising a document. You can practice with the FantasticPlacesUSAExample document. Each time you submit the document, you will get different revisions. Also be aware that the reading level may change. You can ask for a fourth/fifth grade reading level if that is better for your class. Demonstarte this. It can be quite useful if students are asked to read something that is above their own reading level.
How-To
- Tell students that they are going to use the Internet to gather information about a "fantastic place" in the USA and to practice reading and speaking using present and past passive, including the following:
- What the place or site is named?
- Where it is located?
- How and when it was formed? or How and when it was built and by whom? or How and when it was discovered and by whom?
- Interesting facts
- How or what it is used for or by how many people it is visited today?
- Assign students (individually or in pairs) a place, or show a list of potential places and let them choose.
- Show students a sample of what is expected of them (see sample of "Fantastic Places in the USA").
- In a computer lab, have students use Wikipedia (see Example Web Site, above) (or Google and other sites). Go to the Wikipedia site and in the Search box, enter the place name.
- Demonstrate how to locate the needed information. Students can take notes.
- Have students open MS Word or other word-processing program and enter a heading and title. Tell students to type in the information they found and insert two or three images (including a map showing the location of the place). Students save their files and share with the teacher.
- Use AI to assist in the revision/edit of student assignments.
- Print (color preferably) and/or project students' work. or Have students present their "fantastic places" in small groups or in front of the whole class.
Teacher Tips
- Wikipedia may be used, but students can also be assigned to use Simple English Wikipedia if the language level is too high at Wikipedia. Also, a general search for the place on Google will take them to the main Web page for well-known locations in the USA.
- In order get students to the Web site, you can make it a Favorite or Bookmark the site on each computer browser, e-mail them the link, e-mail a word processing document with the link in it, or post the link on your class Web page.
Program Areas
- ABE: Adult Basic Education
- ESL: English as a Second Language
- ASE: High School Diploma
Levels
- Intermediate High
- Advanced
- Intermediate
- High
