It's all about them!

Students will create a class database in preparation for the North Carolina Test of Computer Skills using information about their classmates.

A lesson plan for grade 8

By Skip Thibault

Learn more

• DPI Instructional Resources Computer Skills DPI Instructional Resources database has many resources useful for preparing students for the Computer Skills test, as well as wonderful resources for integrating the computer skills into other disciplines. Computer Skills vocabulary, testing information, and other resources, including the counties database, can be found here.

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Related topics

• Learn more about computer/technology skills and education technology.

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Learning outcomes

Students will gather data, create a database, and manipulate data in a database while learning more about their classmates.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

2–3 days

Technology resources

• computer lab
• data projector
• diskettes or other applicable storage device
• database software

Pre-activities

Physically demonstrate the advantages of a computer database vs. a print database. One way to do this is to print out a database (like this counties database in Works format), tape it all together, and then post it on a wall in the classroom. Ask students to locate information in the print database, then demonstrate how you can quickly find information in the counties database on the computer.

Further discuss databases by providing real-world examples, such as phone books, cookbooks, and address books. Using these examples, discuss terminology associated with databases. Hand out a vocabulary list with terms such as:

• cells
• records
• fields
• format
• arrange
• sort
• filter

Activities

1. Have each student open a new blank database and save it both to the computer’s hard drive and to a diskette or other storage device.
2. Set up the database by having the class add and format fields for the information that will be collected. The more fields the better! Some possible fields include; first name, last name, birth date, zodiac sign, favorite food, favorite color, favorite sport, number of siblings, number of pets, etc. The teacher may want to take suggestions for other fields to be included. While adding fields discuss the importance of formatting the fields properly for attributes such as date, text, number etc. Circulate around the room to ensure that everyone is keeping up.
3. Add records to the database by selecting students randomly or asking for volunteers to enter their information into the database. The teacher should enter the information on a computer attached to a projection device so that all students can follow along. Continue until each student has given his or her information. As each student’s information is added, emphasize that the class is adding additional records. Everyone should have similar databases with the information about all members of the class. Remind the students to save their work often. Circulate around to be sure that everyone is finished.
4. Ask the class to sort the database alphabetically by last name. All of their databases should be the same.
5. Have students add an additional field. This is a skill required by the new version of the performance test.
6. Have students add a record (the teacher!). This is a skill required by the new version of the performance test.
7. Save the database.

Assessment

Write a series of questions that will require the students to find, sort, and filter information on the database. Questions phrased as word problems work the best. For example:

• Other than Mr. Thibault, who is the oldest person in the room?
• People from North Carolina are known around the United States as big basketball fans. How many people in the class have basketball as their favorite sport?
• Mr. Thibault is planning a Super Bowl party at his house. He wants to invite all of his students that are football fans. He will be serving pizza at the party. Which students should he invite?

Supplemental information

More ideas for using web-based tools to create resources to teach the computer skills curriculum are attached in the document called Webtools: Word format or rtf format.

Comments

This lesson and related resources were presented at the DPI Workforce Development Conference Summer 2001.