Name: Betty Schiffer
Lesson Title: Mercury, Venus, and Earth
Grade level:
4th
(For A-B:
envision one of your previous lab experiences in a grade level that
matches your objective and describe the students and general learning
environment. If you have no previous
teaching experience, create a hypothetical classroom and learning environment)
A. Target Audience
The
targeted class is a fourth grade class at a local elementary school in Auburn,
Alabama. There are twenty six students in the classroom and eight of those are
students with disabilities. This classroom is unique because it is an inclusion
class. This elementary school has a resource room, but feels it is appropriate
to provide the least restrictive environment for those students with mild
disabilities. The students come from different socioeconomic backgrounds but for
the most part all have reliable modes of transportation to school. The students
overall have a “C” average because of the inclusion of students with mild mental
retardation. That meaning that a few of the students have an IQ of 55 or lower.
The inclusion of the three students with emotional disturbance can sometimes
cause the students to get off task because of outburst or rude behaviors to the
other students, but with the involvement of the general education teacher and
me, the special education teacher, class is rarely disrupted. These students all
would like to learn more about science because they do not receive a lot of that
content in the lessons they are taught on a day to day basis. Two of the special
needs are repeaters of the fourth grade nut are doing better this year because
of closing those gaps that were not closed in the previous year for various
reasons. The prior knowledge of the students is K-3rd grade content.
B. Learning Environment
The
learning environment for these students is a fun atmosphere. The desks are
arranged in a rectangle so the students can all feel included. There are two
different teachers desk since there is a general education teacher and a special
education teacher. The walls are decorated with all the little math rhyming
poems that help the students when learning new math rules like rounding and
borrowing. The calendar is posted on the wall for the students as well as the
lunch menu. There are themed bulletin boards around the classroom. The students
have clips with their names on them at green for their conduct grade and when
the students fail to follow directions they are asked to move their clips. At
the end of each day the conduct grades are recorded in their conduct folders for
their parents to see how they behaved. The students have a computer area of six
computers so that when the students are split into their small groups, the group
that is not with the general education teacher, the special education teacher,
or game area can be in the media area. The media area is on the opposite wall
from the teacher’s desk so the teachers can pay attention to the information the
students are looking up in the internet. Beside the media area is the area for
the overhead, doccam, and smartboard. The students will all be able to see the
instructional architect form the smartboard and be able to watch me show them
what they are to be doing. This will not have been their first instructional
architect so they will be familiar with navigating the site. The students will
all take turns doing their instructional architect during media time in the
first set of small groups in the morning before lunch. This way the students
will be able to organize their thoughts in the column chart they are provided to
take down the information they are asked to find. After lunch the students have
their reading and writing time. This will be the time the students get to write
about what they found in the form of writing an essay about a space trip and get
to pick one of the other two planets besides Earth to tell about a make believe
trip on a spaceship to the planet of their choice. The students will be able to
incorporate the facts they collected as well as use their imagination to get
more involved in their writing.
C. Summary of Lesson
This
lesson is a science lesson about objects in the solar system. Students will be
focusing on the first three planets of our solar system. Through the use of an
Instructional Architect on the internet, the student will view websites they are
linked to from the Instructional Architect. The students are expected to learn
information about the first three planets of the solar system as well as
recognize legitimate websites that exist. The teacher will briefly reteach how
to use an Instructional Architect for those who might not remember everything
from the last Instructional Architect the students worked with. The teacher will
be able to assist students with questions but this assignment is more of a hands
on lesson for the students to help the students become more familiar with
technology and all it has to offer.
D. Alabama Course of Study Objective(s)
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9.) Describe the appearance and movement of Earth and its moon. • Identifying the waxing and waning of the moon in the night sky • Identifying lunar and solar eclipses |
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10.) Describe components of our solar system. • Defining comets, asteroids, and meteors |
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E. ISTE Technology Foundations Standards for Students Addressed
These standards were copied from the website and are for the year 2008.
The ones in the book are form 2007.
1. Facilitate and Inspire
Student Learning and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of
subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences
that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face
and virtual environments. Teachers:
|
a. |
Promote, support, and model creative and
innovative thinking and inventiveness. |
|
b. |
Engage students in exploring real-world issues
and solving authentic problems using digital
tools and resources. |
|
c. |
Promote student reflection using collaborative
tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual
understanding and thinking, planning, and
creative processes. |
|
d. |
Model collaborative knowledge construction by
engaging in learning with students, colleagues,
and others in face-to-face and virtual
environments. |
2. Design and Develop
Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
Teachers design, develop, and
evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating
contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to
develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers:
|
a. |
Design or adapt relevant learning experiences
that incorporate digital tools and resources to
promote student learning and creativity. |
|
b. |
Develop technology-enriched learning
environments that enable all students to pursue
their individual curiosities and become active
participants in setting their own educational
goals, managing their own learning, and
assessing their own progress. |
|
c. |
Customize and personalize learning activities to
address students' diverse learning styles,
working strategies, and abilities using digital
tools and resources. |
|
d. |
Provide students with multiple and varied
formative and summative assessments aligned with
content and technology standards and use
resulting data to inform learning and teaching. |
4.
Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and
Responsibility
Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an
evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their
professional practices. Teachers:
a.
Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information
and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the
appropriate documentation of sources
b.
Address the diverse needs of all
learners by using learner-centered strategies and providing equitable access to
appropriate digital tools and resources
c.
Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related
to the use of technology and information
d.
Develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with
colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and
collaboration tools
F. Student objectives for the lesson
1. By the end of this learning module, in the form of an Instructional Architect, students should be able to answer questions about the first three planets in the solar system.
2. By the end of this learning module, in the form of an Instructional Architect, students should be able to write an essay about the information the gathered from visiting the different websites.
G. Length of the lesson activity
The length
of the lesson activity is expected to be a total of 120 minutes. The 120 minutes
will be split into two days with two different 30 minute sessions each day. One
session before lunch in the first set of small groups, then the second after
lunch during reading and writing time for thirty minutes.
H. Learning Environment/Lesson Preparation
To prepare
for my lesson I would have to do the following things:
1.
Create the Instructional Architect for the students
to use. (That has already been done)
2.
Computer accessibility- Make sure all the computers
could access the instructional architect prior to the students using class time
to start the project and realizing that the computers did not work.
3.
Handout- Make sure copies of the hand out are made
with some extras so if a few students messed up they could have another one.
4.
Plan B- Have a plan b prepared in case there ends up
being a technological problem.
5.
Go over the
instructional architect with the students before they split up into their small
groups to make sure none of the students have questions and if they do address
them ahead of time to make sure that the student’s time is utilized correctly
and to the fullest extent.
I. Plan and schedule of activities
|
Time Period |
The teachers will… |
The students will… |
|
9:00 am 15 minutes |
Explain the assignment and go over how to use the instructional architect for those who might have forgotten and need a refreshment of the activity. |
Be paying attention to the board where the Instructional Architect will be displayed, while I explain how to do the assignment and answer any questions students have before they are on their own. |
|
9:15 am – 9:45 am 30 minutes |
Instruct the students to move to their designated spot for small group time: Rotation: Group One: Media center, then Ms. Schiffer’s table for math, then Ms. Smith’s table for telling time. Group Two: Ms. Schiffer’s table for math, then Ms. Smith’s table for telling time, then Media center Group 3: Ms. Smith’s table for telling time, then media center for activity, then Ms. Schiffer’s table for math. |
At the media center the students will be in groups of two to work on the instructional architect. This way the students can help each other out if one does not understand fully. Also since there are only six computers in the media center no one student will be left out and time will be used wisely. At Ms. Schiffer’s table the students will be going over the problems that were missed on the week before Math test. This way the students will be able to see what they missed and why they missed it so that when the state required assessments are given the students can do better. At. Ms. Smith’s table the students will be going over the new math assignment for this week, learning how to tell time. Knowing the different ways to tell time and also knowing the different phrases that can be used to tell time. (i.e. 9:15 is the same as a quarter passed 9. |
|
9:45 am – 10:15 am 30 minutes |
The teacher will instruct the groups to quickly rotate to the next section they are supposed to go to in rotation. The same instruction will happen with each group at the same section. The small groups are split up based on the students performance to ensure that when they are in their small groups they are with like minded students and can be taught the same way. |
The students will be listening and interacting in the section they are in at this point in the rotation. |
|
10:15 am – 10: 45 am 30 minutes |
The teacher will instruct the groups to
quickly rotate to the next section they are
supposed to go to in rotation. The same
instruction will happen with each group at the
same section. |
The students will be listening and
interacting in the section they are in at this
point in the rotation. |
|
10:45am- 11:40 am |
Administering Monday Spelling test and going over the like sounds of the words. |
Taking Monday Spelling test anad participating in class when asked to go to the board ad spell the words. |
|
11:40 am-11:45 am 30 minutes |
Instruct the students line up and get ready for lunch. |
Line up for lunch and eh crew chief will go down the line and give each student a squirt of hand sanitizer before lunch to help prevent the spread of germs form all working on the same computers and putting food in their mouths. |
|
11:45 am – 12: 20 pm 35 minutes |
Be at lunch with the students. |
Eating lunch. |
|
12:20 pm- 12:25 pm 5 minutes |
Instruct the students to take a bathroom break and return to class |
Bathroom break and return to class |
|
12:30 pm- 1:00 pm 30 minutes |
The teacher will instruct the student’s work on their writing portion of the assignment. |
The students will be working on their writing assignment form the Instructional Architect. |
|
1:00 pm- 1:30 pm 30 minutes |
The teacher will instruct the students to do their seat work |
The students will o their seatwork |
|
1:30 pm- 2:00 pm 30 minutes |
The teacher will go over the social studies lesson for the day |
The students will be paying attention to the social studies lesson |
|
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm 30 minutes |
The teacher will go over planned activity for the day |
The students will participate in planned activity for the day |
|
2:30 pm- 2:40 pm 10 minutes |
Instruct students to pack up for the day |
Pack up to go home |
|
The same exact schedule will be followed the
very next day for a total of 120 minutes of time
to work on the Instructional Architect and
writing assignment. |
|
|
J. List of materials needed
1.
Computers
2. Handout
to organize thoughts and answer questions
3. Paper
to write essay on
K. Assessment
Assessments will be given for the objectives in the following manner:
Objective 1 and assessment: By the end of this learning module, in the form of an Instructional Architect, students should be able to answer questions about the first three planets in the solar system. The assessment paired with this objective will be a short quiz of some of the questions asked on the sheet but will not be graded harshly due to the fact that the filled out handout will count for more.
Objective 2 and assessment: By the end of this learning module, in the form of an Instructional Architect, students should be able to write an essay about the information the gathered from visiting the different websites. The assessment paired for this objective is the essay the students will turn in at the end of the second day of the assignment. The essay will be graded for accuracy of the information provided, grammar, and content. As long as the students follow the directions this should be a great assessment of how the students follow directions and their writing abilities. This assessment will also show the teacher any grammar areas that need to be addressed.
L. Accommodations
Accommodations that will be made for students with disabilities in my classroom
include pairing the student up with a nondisabled student to allow for peer
modeling to occur, enable the technology on the computer that allows the website
to be read to the student, and allow more time for those who need it to finish
their assignment. My back up plan is
to have each of the pages of the links on the Instructional Architect printed
out and a copy of the Instructional Architect printed out so the students can
use the information to still complete their work. It would only take a few extra
minutes to make copies if the technology failed.
M. Technology Use
Justification
The use of the computer and the instructional architect can be justified as helping students enhance their learning in a few ways. The first way is that the use of the computer allows for the student to become more familiar with the computer. Next the use of the computer in the classroom shows the importance of technology in teaching to the students. The students will learn more effectively with the use of the hands on part of the activity. Then, most of the students should find the activity fun, thus suggesting to the students that learning can be fun! Finally the use of the Instructional Architect shows the students that there are educational uses on the internet and shows the students creditable websites.