Basic Database Lessons
Ideas for Introductory Lesson Plans that Use Databases
Databases are large, easy to search collections of information. Creating a database lesson is as easy as adapting a lesson already in use and determining the information
It is easy for teachers to become overwhelmed with all of the technology integration requirements being placed in the curriculum. So many topics need to be covered within the school year for testing requirements, plus the ones expected by the school or district, that adding one more becomes difficult. This is especially true for databases, a topic and skill that requires training. However, once that initial training is in place, databases can be used to augment already existing lessons.
Lesson Ideas
Once training in the basics of database creation and use occurs, teachers can look through existing lessons for ideas. Assignments involving the collection of large amounts of similar data are ideal for older students. Elementary and inexperienced students would benefit from using a populated, or already filled with data, database to sort or organize information.
Grades 3 – 5
A science unit about habitats or climates could be adapted to include how to use a database. The teacher would create a database in advance that contains a variety of records about animals. The fields could be information such as habitat and climate as well as predators, food choices and colorings. Students would then search for specific animals based on questions like, “which animals live in a pond?” An extension to this exercise could be to have students research a given animal and enter its information into the database.
Grades 6 – 8
Middle school students are ready to research. Their database skills can be strengthened with advanced searches using a search engine on the web. Advanced searches introduce the concept of querying, or asking questions of, a database through the idea of exact matches, string matches and AND, OR and NOT logic. They can then apply these skills to collecting information about a given topic, then use a pre-created form to fill a prepared database.
Grades 9 – 12
By high school, students have the critical thinking skills and experience to conduct their own surveys. Have students not only create but also administer the survey to others and collect the data in a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet is a convenient tool since students can see all of the data together, create titles for the columns that can then be turned into fields and experience what happens when they have a large number of records (i.e. the data becomes difficult to update and search). From that spreadsheet students can create a database and then a form from which to conveniently search, update and enter records.
