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Name of the activity: A Country Guide!
Topic: Countries and nationalities
Objective: The students will be able to talk about a country.
Skills in focus: vocabulary.
Age of the students: Pre-adolescents (between 11 and 14 years old).
Time: Two classes. The students will spend one class doing half of the activity and on the second one they will finish it and share with the rest their project.
Tools used in this lesson plan: Go Getter book (virtual version), Live worksheet, Bubbl, Canva, Google Earth & The Teacher´s Corner.
Warmer (15): Students will open Go Getter 2 at page 5. We will do together activity 4. Students will listen and repeat the different countries and nationalities. The activity has the option to record your voice.
Then, instead of doing activity 5, students will work on the following live worksheet: https://www.liveworksheets.com/w/en/english-second-language-esl/1398976
This handout has the countries in the activity from the book with some new ones. It is not important if they don´t get them right.
Web activity 1 (40 minutes): Students will be split into pairs, choose one of the countries from the previous activity, and will be given the questionnaire below. In order to answer it, they will have to look for the information asked on the internet.
Questionnaire:
1. What country have you chosen?
2. Where is this country located? What are its neighbouring countries or bodies of water?
3. What is the capital city of the country?
4. What is the population of the country?
5. What is the official language(s) spoken in the country? Are there any regional languages or dialects?
6. What is the climate like in the country? Are there different climate zones?
7. What are some famous attractions in the country?
8. What are some traditional foods or dishes of the country?
9. What are some important historical events or figures associated with the country?
10. What are some interesting facts or unique aspects about the country that make it stand out?
After answering the questions, they will use this website for arranging and organizing the information: https://bubbl.us/008741415540340147
Note: If you need a tutorial, you can check it here: https://sites.google.com/bue.edu.ar/edtechnologynee2023/www-lesson-plan-using-bubbl-us
Here is a sample:
Web activity 2: (40 minutes)
They can use Canva in order to make a presentation using the information they found: https://www.canva.com/
If you need to know more about Canva, you can find it here: https://sites.google.com/d/1zgTqddId4ltgL6kxbtGAMgbBmzGHh73m/p/1PhCXYHG-q0fsu7dvO45-B6PtUsyY1rhH/edit
Also, they can use Google Earth to make the presentation more interactive: https://www.google.com/intl/es-419/earth/about/
For example, if they are talking about France, when showing famous places such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc of Triumph or if they want to show the landscape, they can use Google Earth.
What´s next (15 minutes): Crossword with nationalities, countries and facts about the country as the last activity. This crossword is on the following website, which is a crossword generator: https://worksheets.theteacherscorner.net/make-your-own/crossword/crossword.php?v=3#
However, the teacher should have it printed just in case.
Theoretical framework and why these tools make the classroom more inclusive:
Go Getter virtual book:
Dyslexic or hearing impairments: The activity in this version of the book offers the option of slowing or speeding the listening and you can play it as many times as you want. This is good for SEN students because dyslexic students can rely on the audio and if any student has hearing difficulties they can rely on slowing the audio speed.
Live worksheet:
The tasks on a site like this allow students with Dyslexia issues to......... and motor skill impairments: Students don´t have to write here since they only need to match by touching the screen or using the mouse.
Bubbl:
Dyslexic and motor skill impairments: Graphic organizers such as mind maps are helpful to dyslexic students. Touching and tactile features are helpful to students with motor skill impairments.
Canva
Canva provides a wide range of templates, graphics, and fonts that allow students to customize their presentations according to their preferences and learning styles; therefore, it is useful for students with visual impairments. Overall, Canva can be a valuable tool for SEN students, particularly those who benefit from visual learning materials and customizable design options.
Dyslexic students: Canva can change the font and size of texts which is helpful for dyslexic students since it can make the text easier to read.
Collaboration: Canva allows for real-time collaboration, which can be beneficial for group projects involving SEN students. Collaborative features enable students to work together on presentations, share ideas, and provide feedback, fostering a sense of teamwork and inclusion.
Google Earth
We have mentioned that Google Earth can be used to make the presentation more interactive. Google Earth not only offers the chance to travel around a country quickly with many points of view such as satellite or as if you were actually there, but also has interactive maps. This can be great for gifted or talented students who will definitely find this activity engaging.
Theoretical Framework:
Bloom´s digital taxonomy: This theoretical framework is an "upgrade" of the original Bloom´s taxonomy, adding technology and digital tools to facilitate learning. The purpose of Bloom´s digital taxonomy is to inform instructors of how to use technology to facilitate student learning experiences.
Remembering: Students have to remember and recall basic concepts such as the names of the countries.
Understanding: Students have to answer questions, do research, and explain concepts about the country chosen.
Applying: Answering the questions is the first step in this lesson, after that, they have to use that information in new situations such as the diagram and the presentation.
Analyzing: Students will have to connect different concepts and different tools. For example, the use of mind mapping on Bubbl and later Canva and the use of Google Earth.
Evaluating: Students will have to complete a cross word which includes information from all the countries seen; therefore, they will have to pay attention to their classmates.
Creating: The Web part of the activity involves a Canva presentation.
SAMR: SAMR, which stands for substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition, was developed by Dr R. Puentedura, following research into how the use of digital technology was transforming classroom-based teaching and learning. Below, there are some instances in which this lesson plan is aligned with the SAMR framework.
Substitution: There´s no functional change in the crossword activity. Technology only functions as an enhancement.
Augmentation: We can see instances of augmentation in activities such as Go Getter 2, live worksheet, and in the mind map. In the three cases, there´s a functional improvement since the activities don´t change too much but technology makes them more inclusive and engaging.
Modification: There´s an instance of modification while using Canva since, even though students make a presentation, they have to make it using the variety of tools the site offers according to their needs and strengths.
Redefinition: There´s an instance of redefinition in this task when students are allowed to use Google Earth. They wouldn´t be using pictures of a country, they would be showing real-time pictures and traveling in real-time. They also would be changing the perspective, and approach or using the alternatives the website offers such as showing the change of the ecosystem throughout time and making presentations totally different.
Also, they can use Canva which allows real-time collaborative work between students, which makes a more engaging experience.
To read more about my work: sites.google.com/d/1zgTqddId4ltgL6kxbtGAMgbBmzGHh73m/p/14t2AuV-ehjMFnmMdaDCzEfKmcHV7JiDF/edit
References:
Sneed, O. (2020b, March 17). Integrating Technology with Bloom’s Taxonomy - Teach Online. Teach Online. https://teachonline.asu.edu/2016/05/integrating-technology-blooms-taxonomy/
Staff, T. (2022b). Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy Verbs For 21st Century Students. TeachThought. https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/blooms-digital-taxonomy-verbs/
The Technology Driven Student: How to Apply Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy to the Digital Generations. (2017, March). http://jespnet.com/journals/Vol_4_No_1_March_2017/4.pdf
Hockly, N.(2017) Unit 45: 10 things to know about SEN students and technology. EtPedia: Technology. pp. 159-161. Hove: Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd.
Ledesma, P. (2019) Useful digital tools for the inclusive classroom.
Jisc. (n.d.). Applying the SAMR model to aid your digital transformation. Jisc. https://beta.jisc.ac.uk/guides/applying-the-samr-model-to-aid-your-digital-transformation