Designer

By completing this work, I learned how to plan, organize, and evaluate learning activities and make informed decisions when selecting digital tools and resources for teaching and learning. I also learned what TEKS are and how to use them. Additionally, I learned how to choose materials and digital technologies that correlate well with the lesson to improve practice, discover and share resources and ideas, and solve problems.

My work aligns with ISTE Standard 2.5 because it is authentically constructed with student-driven activities and environments that acknowledge and accommodate learner variety. I considered their learning preferences and the resources they had available to them as I was designing the lesson, such as their access to various resources or preferred method of learning.

I would apply this in an educational setting by using the same method when creating my own lesson plans. I considered plans to be the basis of everything throughout the school year. Having a detailed lesson plan that outlines the different activities, materials, and assessments that will be taking place will help things move smoothly, but it will also help me identify the activities I can have that fit with what my students need. This way, I will be able to ensure my students' learning time.

Lesson Title: Organisms and Their Factors

Grade Level: 5

Content Area(s): Science

Content Standards (TEKS):

(2) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student uses scientific practices during laboratory and outdoor investigations. The student is expected to:

    (G) construct appropriate simple graphs, tables, maps, and charts using technology, including computers, to organize, examine, and evaluate information.

(9) Organisms and environments. The student knows that there are relationships, systems, and cycles within environments. The student is expected to:

    (A) observe the way organisms live and survive in their ecosystem by interacting with the living and nonliving components;

(10) Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms have structures and behaviors that help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to:

    (A) compare the structures and functions of different species that help them live and survive in a specific environment, such as hooves on prairie animals or webbed feet in aquatic animals; and

Lesson objective(s): 

• The students will be able to categorize and record the data that they have gathered on the different animals discussed in class.

• The students will be able to identify what components organisms need to survive.

• The students will be able to distinguish specific environments and analyze the functions of different species that help with their survival.

Procedures: 

1. I do: Start off with the lesson explaining what organisms are, the different environments animals can live in, what features animals should have to survive in those environments, and what they need to survive.

1. I know that sounded like a lot for just the lesson. We will use a pear deck and have different activities like matching games, multiple-choice questions, and mini quizzes while doing the lesson to check students comprehension.

2. Have students take notes so they can retain the information better. To make it easier, we will fill in the blank notes either in a Google Doc or have physical copies.

3. Watch short videos that can summarize the main points of the lesson for the students to have another perspective.

2. We do: Students will be working in small groups; they will be handed ziploc bags that contain cutouts of different environments, animals, features, and things animals need to survive.

1. Students are going to match which cutouts go together (for example, African savanna → lions → teeth and claws for hunting→food, water, and shelter). Students will work in groups and do different sets. Students are allowed to use their notes.

2. After students are done setting up their sets, their teacher will come over and check their progress. Students are allowed to use some technology to find more information, and the teacher will be walking around pitching in the conversation, asking and answering questions, and just making sure students have a general understanding.

3. You do: In a spreadsheet, have different tables with different environments, animals, features, and things animals need to survive. Each student is going to give an example that they created on their own and not an example used in class (the teacher can provide guidance if needed but must give students the opportunity to figure it out). each, making sure that each example goes with the others.

1. Students will then individually answer the question of what basic needs each animal needs, how those needs are met in their habitat, and how that is represented in the example they created.

4. At the end, students will have a test with multiple-choice vocabulary and comprehension questions based on the lesson and the different activities that were conducted.

Assessment: I will have a test at the end to make sure that they understood the content, making sure that it covered all of the objectives. Also, I will have students make an infographic or presentation and have them explain what they learned to see if they can explain it thoroughly and correctly. When students put into practice what they already know, it helps them understand and retain things in a more efficient way. Additionally, as they go, I will walk around and make sure that they are completing the correct parts of their assignment.

Materials:

• Digital Technologies: Spreadsheets/Google Sheets, Pear Deck and Google Docs, Websites/Search Engines.

• Non-Digital Items: Paper notes, cut-outs of different environments animals can live in, and what features animals should have to survive in those environments.

(The materials will be provided or created for the students.)

Rationale for Using Technology: Using technology has a lot of advantages. An advantage would be that it would help students stay organized and keep track of the data they gather. Students can create tables to separate the information they find into different categories, making it easy to comprehend. Additionally, videos and online images will give the students a good visual representation that is accurate.

Source (if any): No Sources