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Using Computer Databases In The Classroom

An Example of Database Use

Situation: You're a social studies teacher trying to have an impact on students regarding the horror of war. You also have been trying all year to create an interdisciplinary tie with your school's mathematics curriculum. Well, you can use a database to accomplish this goal. The following is a suggestion that can be applied for many topics or subject areas.

1. On day one, you would have students surf the WWW locating data on the numbers of causalities and people wounded in historical wars. By the conclusion of this class, your students would then turn in either an electronic or hard copy data sheet.

2. On day two, students are assigned the task of establishing a database upon which the following could easily be identified:

• A ranking from greatest to least; which battle caused the most casualties.
• A ranking of the continents; which continent had the most casualties of war to least.
• A ranking of which terrain (i.e., land, air, sea) has seen the most casualties.
• A ranking of which 50 year time period was the most deadly.

3. On day three through five, students get approval from teachers and begin to create the database.

4. On the final day of the project, students present their findings to the class.

5. Optional activities can include debating about the reliability and validity of the data.

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