Educational Activities The Winnipeg School Division No. 1
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Social Studies - Multi-Country Study

SocialStudies
Yes

Description
By recording some unique information about each country in a database and merging that database with a word processing document, an information page about each country can be produced.

MultiClassPlan
Yes

Tech Skills
opening, closing, renaming, saving, printing files (more)
database - inputting information, merging with word processor

Software
Microsoft Works 3.0 or higher

MiddleYears
Yes

SpecificGrade:
7

SubmittedBy
Steve Broda-Milian

E-mail: sbrodamilian@wsd1.org

Details:

These activities are contained in two Microsoft Works 3.0 files. For use on a school local area network, these files should be installed in a shared, read only directory on the server (WSD#1 uses S:\2Student).  If you wish to download any of these files, click on these links: SSMCS1.WPS, and/or SSMCS1.WDB. (The first file is not available at this time.)

Construction:
This type of scenario requires the creation of two files, a database to hold unique country information and a word processor to serve as vessel to "pour " each child's information into.  Giving both files the same name is a method that some use to help keep straight which databases belong with which word processing documents.   The names can be the same because of the different suffixes (.wps & .wdb).

One way to begin is to write the Country Study text in a word processing file with "blanks" wherever a piece of unique student information (including gender references)will be required.  Then a database can be created with fields corresponding to each "blank."  Afterwards, the database fields can be inserted into the word processing document - eliminating the blanks.

Gathering Information:
Information from each student can be gathered utilizing various media - books, articles, encyclopedias, interviews, web sites, etc.

Recording Information in Database:
After children have gathered their information, it may transferred to the database by an adult, student or individual students.  If individual students are inputting their data, a scenario could involve the whole class being involved in a computer activity while individual students "visit" the one computer that has the database file open.  

Printing:
Printing is done from the word processing document.  Since the word processing document has database fields inserted into it, you will be prompted to choose a database. This is where having named the word processing document and database the same name can be helpful.