4.+NETS-S

 ** N **** E **** T **** S **** - **** S ** **__ Creativity and Innovation: __** The students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. a. The students apply existing knowledge about the rock cycle to generate new ideas about how materials on Earth have once been created, for instance: the Grand Canyon, rocks in front yards. The students also apply existing knowledge when examining objects with the basket to generate new ideas dealing with the objects similarities. b. The students create original works on the kidpix software as a means of personal expression. Their kidpix created picture portrays their views about the rock cycle and expresses what they have learned. c. The students use models and simulations like the experiments on how each rock is formulated to explore complex systems and issues.

**__ Research and Information Fluency: __** Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. ** a. ** The students plan strategies about what they have learned with the rock cycle unit to guide inquiry when taking the unit exam. ** b. ** The students located, organized, analyzed, evaluated, synthesized, and ethically used information from graphic organizers, science books, websites, and experiments to express the type of rock a mineral is, the color, and hardness.

**__ Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making: __** Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. a. The students identified and defined authentic problems and significant questions for investigation, for instance: when observing two rocks within a group the students had to identify and define the problem of what type of rock it is, how it might have been formed, what is the hardest of the rock. b. The students had to collect and analyze data about what mineral is the hardest out of them all and which is the softest to make an informed decision about minerals hardness.

**__ Technology Operations and Concepts: __** Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. a. The students portray understanding of the kidpix software once they have completed, printed out, and explained their picture about the rock cycle. b. The students interrelate the use of computers from personal use at home or even other school projects (current technology knowledge) to learning of new technology when browsing websites over the rock cycle and when using kidpix.