Saving the Coral Reef

Title of Project: Saving the Coral Reef

What are the threats to coral reefs and how can we help protect and restore them?

Schools and Teachers

Francis X. Hegarty Elementary School Teacher: Meghan Gallagher Co-Teacher: Patricia Ryan

ENL Proficiency Level | ENL Program | Standards | Technology

Emerging, Transitioning | Integrated ENL/Science | 4R7, SS4.6, 4-ESS3-1 | Book Creator

Assessments

Formative Assessments: Classroom and student observations

Summative Assessments: Digital Book Project and Oral Presentation

Description

Students will use the Book Creator app to design digital books inspired by The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World's Coral Reefs by Kate Messner. The lesson was designed using goal number 14 of the United Nations sustainability goals: Life Below Water. They will research coral reefs, their importance, threats, and conservation efforts highlighted in the book. Through multimedia content creation, students will develop a deeper understanding of coral reef ecosystems and how to protect them, resulting in presentations to share their digital books and solutions for reef conservation.

Content

I can identify the threats to coral reefs and describe how human activities impact them.

Language

I can use key vocabulary related to coral reefs and conservation accurately in my writing and discussions.

Technology

I can use the Book Creator app to design and publish a digital book about coral reef conservation.

Student work

Procedure

Introduction: Introduce the United Nations sustainability goals, focusing on Goal 14. Explain the importance of coral reefs and their role in marine ecosystems. Use visual aids and a brief discussion to activate prior knowledge and build interest. Provide key vocabulary with visual aids and simple explanations. Use gestures and repetition to aid understanding.

Reading and Discussion: Read The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World's Coral Reefs by Kate Messner aloud to the class, pausing to discuss key points.

Vocabulary and Research: Introduce key vocabulary related to coral reefs and conservation. Have students conduct brief research on threats to coral reefs using tablets or computers. Post the slides with hyperlinks with more information about coral reef to the Google Classroom. Place the students in groups and allow them to research with their groups.

Group Work: Use a graphic organizer with four driving questions to focus the groups on what information they will be providing in their own books. Provide visual aids and sentence starters. Allow emerging ELLs to draw their ideas and label them with key vocabulary.

Creating Digital Books: Students use the Book Creator app to design and publish their own digital books about coral reef facts, threats, and conservation, incorporating research and solutions. Each student in the group (4 students in all) was assigned one driving question. They each designed their own page in their book that aligned to that question.

What is a coral reef?
Facts about coral reefs
What is happening to the coral reef?
How can we save the coral reef?

Presentation: Students present their digital books to the class, sharing their research and solutions. Allow emerging ELLs to present using key phrases and visual aids. Transitioning ELLs can present more detailed explanations and answer questions.

These steps helped students remain engaged through a variety of interactive and collaborative activities, all while utilizing technology to enhance their learning experience. The lesson provides appropriate scaffolding and differentiation to meet the needs of emerging and transitioning ELL students.

Resources and Other Materials

Reflection

We were very happy with the way that this lesson was taught and received by the students. They were really engaged in the topic. We had a few issues with Book Creator with adding students but we were able to remediate the problem quickly during a prep period. We do not have much time for co-planning during the day so we used before and after school to plan this lesson. Overall, the collaborative planning and execution of this lesson created a rich, engaging learning experience that effectively integrated content, language, and technology, promoting both academic and social-emotional growth in all students in the classroom.