Computer Skills Curriculum
Database Lesson Plans

Title: Database Problem Solving: World Work Organization

Other Curriculum Objectives that can be addressed by this lesson plan
English Language Arts 2.1, 2.2, 4.1; Social Studies: (Gr. 7) Skill Goal I, Skill Goal II, 2.3, 3.2, 6.1; Computer Skills: (Gr. 5) 2.2, (Gr. 6) 3.1, 3.2, (Gr. 7) 3.1; Information Skills 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2

Grade: 7
Competency 3.1: Given a prepared database, use sorting and searching techniques to solve a specific problem.

Measure 3.1.2: Given a database of the countries of Africa, identify the countries that would most benefit from medical assistance.

Materials Needed: Pre-Activity: Current map of Africa, information on each country. Activity: Computer with database program and Africa file, index card per student, sign for computer station, set of World Work Organization placement cards, container for index cards. (Database--Africa)

Time: Two class sessions.

Terms: Database, Sort, Search

Glossary

Activities

Pre-Activities:

Teacher Preparation

  • 1. Review a list or map of the current countries of Africa.
  • 2. Practice searching and sorting the prepared database file (Africa) of countries of Africa.

With the Students

  • 1. Review a map of the current countries of Africa, either with the class as a whole using a computer program or map on the overhead or allow time for small groups of students to study the map.
  • 2. Discuss facts already studied about each country.

Computer Activity:

  • 1. Designate the computer station as the WORLD WORK ORGANIZATION headquarters (international, work placement bureau specializing in placing professional workers and in sending aid to African counries).
  • 2. Provide each student an index card to label with a professional worker (e.g., pediatrician, general physician, dentist, teacher, elder care social worker). The type of profession on the cards should vary but several cards could have the same profession.
  • 3. Place the cards in a container.
  • 4. Draw a card from the container and lead the class in identifying which countries might need workers of that profession and why.
  • 5. Simultaneously, have pairs of students take turns (or for a less time consuming class demonstration, have one pair use the database for all questions) as World Work Organization employees to search the database file or sort the records to find the African countries most in need of that worker. Students will need to sort, search, and analyze fields such as percentage of population, life expectancy, people per doctor, infant mortality, etc. to determine countries with a need of the worker type selected.
  • 6. Have the World Work Organization employees complete a "worker placement" card based on their search and present it to the class. (See sample idea for worker placement card.)
  • 7. Compare the opinion of the class (step 4) with the results of the database search (step 5) and have the two groups defend their decision and suggest why any differences have occurred.

Measure

Provide students a prepared database file of countries of Africa. Ask them to identify the countries that would most benefit from medical assistance and explain what field(s) they considered in making their decision and why. (Directions: Have students decide on the database strategy in small groups of 3-4 students but have each student do his own search and write his own response to submit.)