MADISON HEIGHTS, Michigan—Drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is a hot topic. Fifth-graders from this middle-class community outside of Detroit have weighed in on the issue, too, but with pro-and-con arguments grounded in research rather than opinions fueled by emotion.

Lessenger Elementary teacher Michelle Cassidy sensed that Arctic drilling would be a good subject for an integrated social studies unit when she heard her students voicing strong interest in a magazine article about the issue. "The article presents both sides of the debate over drilling," she notes. Because her students had already been immersed in an intense study of ecosystems, they were primed to explore the effects that drilling might have on plant and animal life in the Arctic region.

To further set the stage for the project, Cassidy took her students to the Detroit Zoo to visit the Arctic Ring of Life exhibit and learn about the animals that live in the region. "It was still fairly cold outside," the teacher notes, "which added to the effect of being in an Arctic habitat."

Students made good use of the class set of handheld computers during the field trip, too. In advance of the trip, they used the computers to write questions about each of the four animals they would learn about at the zoo. "These questions about the arctic fox, snowy owl, seal, and polar bear were beamed to other groups of children in the classroom," Cassidy explains. "At the zoo, student groups worked hard to find the answers to these student-driven questions, which they noted on their handhelds." Students also used a software program to make animal sketches and a digital camera feature to further document the Arctic experience. Later, back in the classroom, students participated in a teleconference with zoo experts who answered their follow-up questions.

Students gathered more information by interviewing Tom Athans, who serves on the staff of U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow. "He spoke with students about the senator's position against drilling for oil in ANWR and was able to answer some of their questions about the debate," Cassidy says. Students used the Internet to conduct more research.

Finally, students weighed all the information that they'd gathered. Then they wrote letters to a number of U.S. Senators, urging them to vote either pro or con and supporting their position with research.

Not all aspects of the integrated project were quite so serious. Working in the school computer lab, students downloaded the sketches they'd made at the zoo. Using desktop computers and graphics software, they added color and additional details. Internet research gave them more ideas about how to make their animal drawings come to life. "Many of these art pieces were put on display during our school district art show," Cassidy says, "and some were showcased at businesses in the community."

Watching students weave together images and ideas, Cassidy was impressed by the power of technology to "integrate learning toys into the school day." She's quick to acknowledge that handheld computers are powerful, sophisticated devices. "But from an elementary teacher's point of view, they're essentially toys. And toys are one of the most important aspects of being a child. Think about how excited kids are when they get a new toy to explore. Yet in school, they are not allowed to play with toys because they distract from learning. In the eyes of children," Cassidy says, "handhelds are toys."

And playful exploration is a perfect way to engage diverse learners. Cassidy describes herself as "a firm believer in teaching to all learning modalities to meet the needs of my students. This means creating assignments that are visual, auditory, and tactile in nature."

The greatest impact of bringing technology into the classroom (and along on field trips, for that matter) "involves student motivation," she adds. Using handhelds, for instance, "has inspired many of my students to excel in areas that were once difficult for them." Even her "reluctant writers" invested the time to learn how to master the Palm Graffiti* language that's used for word processing. "They were determined to learn Palm Graffiti, to master this new toy. They learned it without any adult standing over them. They didn't even need directions. They were writing, and I was thrilled."

See the magazine article about arctic drilling (www.timeforkids.com*).