Week 12

After reading all of the articles in regard to integrating technology into literacy, I was inspired to get moving right away. I especially liked the idea of a book spine with different writing prompts for each part of the story to be helpful for students to develop their stories. There are so many programs and resources readily available for teachers to use to create digital stories and online writing. The ideas of getting a volunteer to help students use these tools will ensure that the projects flow smoothly. While assessing students it is important to keep the goal of improved writing in mind and not to get distracted by the technology use.


Here is my lesson plan using technology in a fifth grade health and science class:

Candidate’s Name: Aviva Zussman

Grade Level: 5^th  grade

Title of the lesson: Why We Should Eat Healthy

Length of the lesson: three 45 minute classes

 

 

Central focus Students will learn about the benefits of eating healthy and write about their research through creating an interactive digital brochure for the class website.

Knowledge of students to inform teaching (prior knowledge/prerequisite skills and personal/cultural/community assets)   This assignment is occurring after the class learned a unit on the effects of proper nutrition. Hopefully students have background knowledge on the topic as well from home and other health and science classes.

Common Core State Standards   CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2.a Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and focus, and group related information logically; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2.b Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.

Support literacy development through language (academic language) Students will summarize their research and what they gained from class in clear sections for the brochure. Students will create topics and subtopics to ensure organization and clarity. The language used should be reader friendly and informative.

Learning objectives   Students will learn about the effects of proper nutrition. Students will summarize their learning in a clear, informative, organized and digital way.

Formal and informal assessment (including type[s] of assessment and what is being assessed)   Students will be assessed on the accuracy, completeness, clarity, organization and attractiveness of their work. Students will need to ensure that their information is relevant and interesting to the reader.

Instructional procedure: Students will learn about the effects of proper nutrition in their health and science class. Students will then be assigned to create a brochure to inform others on the benefits of proper nutrition and practical advice on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Students may have to research information outside of the text book and resources used in class. Students will use Microsoft Publisher to create the brochure that will be published on the class website. Students will be expected to include at least two forms of multimedia (graphic, interactive graphic, chart, picture, etc). The brochure should be clear, organized, readable and attractive. For students who struggle with reading and writing, they will be expected to produce a single page flier covering one point about proper nutrition. The reading and writing process will be assisted by the teacher on helping the student identify the important points and planning out how the flier should be written. Students can also choose to record their thoughts and make a short animated video.

Instructional resources and materials used to engage students in learning. Classroom computer use, website publishing

Reflection ●     Did your instruction support learning for the whole class and the students who need great support or challenge? The instruction of this project was meant to have students write informatively based on their academic level. The creative aspect of the project enabled those with artistic and technological strengths to succeed. The extra support given by the teacher is a must to ensure that students with learning challenges can organize their thoughts and gain as much as possible on proper nutrition. ●     What changes would you make to support better student learning of the central focus? To make supporting better learning the central focus I would choose material that is interesting, pertinent and easy for the students to read in order to gain the maximum amount from their research. I would also make informative videos available for those who struggle with reading and with language barriers. ●     Why do you think these changes would improve student learning? Support your explanation from evidence of research and/or theory. These changes would help with student learning since when students know that the information is applicable to them, they can comprehend it better. Also background knowledge in the subject will help students comprehend the reading better as well. Furthermore, watching videos on the subject will help both visual and audio learners. Presenting information in different ways assists all students with different learning styles absorb the material.