Enhancing Lesson Plans

In this post you will find a lesson plan that was used in an in-person lesson at a bilingual school. This post is an identical copy of Flor and Law's posts.

Grade: 1st

Topic: The Whales

Subject: Literature and Biology

• Routine

• Story: Dear Mr. Blueberry

• WHY WHALES CAN´T LIVE IN A POND:

1.

2.

3.

4.

• OUR LETTER TO EMILY:

• ANSWER AND DESCRIBE:

Has he got a big blue body? YES, HE HAS.

Has he got three eyes? NO, HE HASN’T. HE’S GOT TWO BLACK EYES.

Has he got a black mouth? YES, HE HAS.

Has he got a green tail? NO, HE HASN’T. HE’S GOT A BLUE TAIL.

He’s….. fat/big/old/short.

• TRUE OR FALSE?

Whales are fish.

Whales can breathe underwater.

Whales can swim.

Baby whales drink milk.

Whales can live in a pond.

Whales have got feet.

• Routine

Technology can clearly enhance this lesson. To begin with, a PPT presentation can be used instead of reading the actual book. The PPT can be projected on the whiteboard by means of a projector. The learners will benefit from big images and text. Sometimes when we tell stories by means of a book, some learners can not see the images very well and, most of the time, the images complement what is mentioned in the text. Moreover, some learners are really curious about the language and love to read and train their reading skills, which they cannot do if they are not able to see the text; hence, a PPT presentation will be a solution to the mentioned problems. Furthermore, since the Teacher will be reading the book aloud, this may help learners with visual difficulties, since as Drabble (2018) suggests that many children with SEND are visual learners due to lack of verbal communication. Finally, according to the SAMR model, with the PPT presentation, students would be working at a substitution level, since it would be a direct replacement for the real book (PowerSchool, 2013).

Padlet can be used to enhance the ‘answer and describe’ activity. Learners can go to the I.T. classroom with the teacher (this one should be previously booked). The teacher should ask the I.T. teacher to have all the computers turned on and on the class’ Padlet. The teacher will tell the learners to draw a whale using the drawing option on Padlet and then learners will be asked to describe the whale. When they finish, they should upload this final product to the class’ Padlet. Padlet will help learners with visual impairments since they can change the font and size of the text displayed and the background colour of the “post-it”. Moreover, Padlet has an Android/IOS app, which would potentially help those learners with motor skills challenges, since they could swipe and tap on the screen to draw - movements which are easier to control (Hockly, 2017). Additionally, using assistive technology with this tool will help students with poor handwriting, because they will be using the touch-type skill instead. “It makes their work legible and helps them to write more quickly” (Delaney M., 2016). Finally, according to the SAMR model, working with Padlet, students would be working at an augmentation level, since it would increase students’ productivity; Padlet has the potential to encourage cooperative learning, let learners take ownership and foster a sense of community (PowerSchool, 2013).

Important remarks:

Parents or legal tutors should be asked to sign a special consent in order for their kids’ creations to be uploaded to any platform.

The kids should already have a Padlet account.

As Delaney (2016) explains, allowing learners to use the internet in class makes learning more meaningful and relevant and also highlights the importance of English words. Technology is here to stay and we should take advantage of it. We should always bear in mind that this lesson plan is aimed at very young students who were borned surrounded by technology and who see apps and the internet as a means of entertainment. We can take advantage of the positive perception they have of technology to make our lessons more interesting and meaningful for them. Learners love to explore apps, use the keyboard to write words and see their virtual creations.

Including technology in our lessons can help us work on inclusion. Delaney (2016) explains that assistive technology can help SEN students in many ways including, reading and writing skills. Students profit from assistive technology by gaining confidence and building self-esteem, working independently and overcoming frustration and tiredness. Moreover, having ASC students working on a computer can provide an alternative for them to experiment and experience the virtual worlds through multimedia programs and the internet. As Hockly (2017) states, ‘’technologies have been used to support SEN students in general education for decades’’.