April 11, 2006 Lesson Plan
Teacher Name: Juan Amaya, whose Coach is Leciana (“Lee”) Gabor (Ms. Gabor's Coach is Toni McAfoos)
Lesson Title: Forces Cause Change
Subject(s) and Grade Level: Science, 3rd Grade
Standards:
MTT Domain-Competencies
Standard I.
The Master Technology Teacher effectively models and applies classroom teaching methodology and curriculum models that promote active student learning through the integration of technology and addresses the varied learning needs of all students.
Standard II.
The Master Technology Teacher selects and administers appropriate technology-related assessments on an ongoing basis and uses the results to design and improve instruction.
Standard III. The Master Technology Teacher applies knowledge of digital learning competencies including Internet research, graphics, animation, Web site mastering, and video technology.
Standard IV. The Master Technology Teacher serves as a resource regarding the integration of assistive technologies and accessible design concepts to meet the needs of all students.
Standard V. The Master Technology Teacher facilitates appropriate, research-based technology instruction by communicating and collaborating with educational stakeholders; mentoring, coaching, and consulting with colleagues; providing professional development opportunities for faculty; and making decisions based on converging evidence from research.
DOMAIN 1
Competency 1 – The MTT demonstrates knowledge and application of technology-related terminology and concepts, hardware, software, data-input strategies, and ethical practices, and knows how to acquire, analyze, and evaluate digital information from the Internet and other sources.
The MTT: knows technology-related terminology and concepts; demonstrates an understanding of the appropriate use of hardware components and software applications; knows how to use input and output devices when using selected digital technologies (e.g., text, graphics, animation, video, sound, Internet applications).
Competency 6 – The MTT demonstrates knowledge of how to communicate using different formats for diverse audiences.
The MTT: knows the characteristics, purposes, and protocols for using a variety of electronic communication tools (e.g., e-mail, Internet browsers, video-conferencing, distance-learning tools, discussion forums).
Competency 7 – The MTT demonstrates knowledge of instructional design, development, and assessment in a technology-enhanced environment.
The MTT: knows characteristics and uses of types of technology-related assessments (e.g., performance-based, in-depth, continuous progress monitoring, summative evaluation) and how to facilitate the evaluation of students’ knowledge and skills using technology-related assessment methods.
The MTT: demonstrates knowledge of the benefits and limitations of technology as applied to the assessment process.
Competency 8 – The MTT knows how to implement and assess technology-enhanced instruction to meet the diverse needs and abilities of all students.
The MTT knows how to collaborate with classroom teachers and other staff to link student needs and abilities with appropriate technologies.
DOMAIN II
Competency 9 – The MTT knows how to collaborate with colleagues to facilitate the implementation of appropriate, research-based, technology-enhanced instruction.
The MTT collaborates with colleagues who have varying levels of skill, experience, and/or diverse philosophical approaches related to technology integration.
The MTT collaborates with colleagues to develop strategies for integrating technology-instruction into diverse learning environments and for implementing a system for monitoring the effectiveness of integration efforts.
Competency 10 – The MTT knows how to provide professional development and support through mentoring, modeling, coaching, and consulting.
The MTT knows how to use formal and informal methods to assess educators’ technology proficiencies and instructional strategies.
Content TEKS
TEKS 3.6 (A) Science Concepts. The student knows that forces cause change. The student is expected to measure and record changes in the position and direction of the motion of an object to which a force such as a push or pull has been applied.
Content and Cognitive Goals:
Students will gain recognition that physical relationships affect each other and that change occurs when one object acts upon another.
Teacher will recognize ways in which technology can be used to enhance the understanding of students and to assess students’ reaching a level of mastery of the objective.
Measuring is a part of the lesson, but not the main focus. The primary reason for the lesson is for these 3 rd graders to understand that when we take an action of any kind, it can affect objects near it. In reading, they learn this as Cause and Effect. In math, they learn this as the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division). In social studies, they learn this as how people survive and behave with each other. This lesson is very important to the students’ being prepared to learn about energy and matter in 4 th and 5 th grades. Eventually, when they take physics in middle school and/or high school, they will learn a lot more about the measuring part of force.
Learning Connections:
Prior knowledge necessary for this lesson to be successful is 1) students can move around and act upon objects in their environment; 2) when they act on objects, something changes about the object. A good example is when students take paper from a stack of paper, the stack gets smaller
This lesson sets the stage for students to work with physical and earth science in later units and grades. By understanding the effect of force on change, students will better comprehend earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis, erosion/weathering, and many other areas of science, which are required through elementary grades.
Procedures for Learning Activities/Tasks: (Please number each procedure.)
Address Bloom’s Taxonomy
All levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy are addressed in this lesson.
Knowledge: observation of info; knowledge of major ideas; mastery of subject matter
Question Cues: show, tell, describe
Kids will observe.
Comprehension: understanding information, grasping meaning; comparing and contrasting, predicting results
Questions Cues: interpret, predict, estimate
Kids will understand the ball knocks over the
books and can interpret and predict what will happen when other objects
strike items.
Application: use information, solve problems
Question Cues: apply, demonstrate, calculate, illustrate, show, solve, discover
Kids demonstrate force by letting cars roll down ramps.
Analysis: see patterns, identify parts
Question Cues: explain, compare, infer (if this happened, what would happen if we…..)
Kids explain what happens and suggest other times this might happen.
Synthesis: use old ideas to create new ones, generalize from given facts, relate knowledge from several areas, draw conclusions
Question Cues: modify, plan, what if?
Kids discuss other times this might happen, such as in game of bowling.
Evaluate: assess, make choices
Question Cues: rank, test, measure, summarize
Kids take formal exam.
Students will complete just a few tasks for this lesson to be successful. Tasks are listed in the Procedure.
PROCEDURE
As seen in the procedures list, students build skills and knowledge using observation and psycho-motor abilities. They work in teams. They will demonstrate their new knowledge and skills by participating in the activity and then obtaining a passing score on the formal assessment. This lesson should not be very challenging. It should be more fun, since kids are able to make small cars and play with them. They learn while they play. The most challenging part will be constructing cars that will roll, but with a small amount of practice, each child should be able to easily participate in this. Dexterity will be developed during this lesson. Technology is important in this lesson in that it gets the student engaged (using animations and movie clip). Building the small cars using LEGOs is a form of technology. Also, using the CPS technology lets the kids have fun while taking their formal test.
Assistive and Diverse Learners
This lesson is modified for student ONLY by having other students do the graphing for the diverse learner. All of the other activities can be completed by the student as a member of a team.
There has been ongoing conversations with Mrs. Govan, Specialist regarding how to best implement lessons of all types for Special Ed children. Children no longer leave the classroom to spend time with Mrs. Govan. The Dallas ISD procedure is now that Mrs. Govan plans lessons with teachers and comes to the classroom 60 minutes per week to work with the child. Discussions are limited regarding various types of technology available. Our school's technology specialists do not present on-going information in this area. I assume it is up to the specialists themselves to learn about new technology. Conversations regarding this show there doesn't seem to be an interest in this area. (However, we do have a speclist that works with blind child we have on campus. Information on this child appeared in the MTTC 1001 Assistive Technology area. This past week, this little girl won a district contest for brailling. Out of 100 blind students who braille, she was Number One and we are so proud of her.)
The class is a Bilingual class and Mr. Amaya speaks fluent Spanish. There is no modification required for this aspect of the lesson.
Teaching/Instructional Strategy:
Instructional groups strategies, group management strategies, extensions for diverse needs of learners, accommodations and modifications for learners IEP correlated when needed, variety of technologies, variety of uses of technologies.
A variety of strategies are used with this lesson. Strategies may last only a few moments, but all are used for some length of time.
Active Learning: this approach that matches learners with their interests. The students really enjoy hands-on activities, especially using small cars, etc. They also enjoy animation.
Adaptive Learning Environments Model: combining individual and whole class approach.
Authentic Instruction and Questions – instruction which is meaningful to students – focuses on higher level thinking – encouraging students to relate this to things that can happen in real life.
Brain Lateralization – students use both left and right brain in this lesson – the activity is right brain and graphing the info is left brain.
Constructivist Models – students must make the connections – knowledge can’t just be transferred from teacher to student.
Cooperative learning – student work together in groups to help each other better master the objectives.
Criterion-referenced Assessment – performance is compared to set standard or objective.
Guided Questioning – scaffolding in which teacher’s questions start out with clues and as students better comprehend the lesson, the questions become less supportive.
Manipulatives – objects used to help students make connections.
Norm-referenced Assessment – students are compared to each other during the test using CPS. However, the students must reach mastery of an objective to pass the test.
Open Discussion – structured since teacher sets boundaries and student, in cooperative groups or teams discuss tasks with each other.
Student Work Samples:
Authentic digital images, scanned images, video clips, audio clips, multimedia, charts, graphs, web pages.
Students create charts based on the measurements of cars, marbles, etc. The goal is for them to determine for themselves that the higher distance from which a car is released, the farther it will travel. The measurement is only part of the lesson. It reinforces the math. The lesson also is a strong introduction to further science lessons in physics and earth science.
Technology Connection:
Developmentally Appropriate software, peripherals, classroom technology arrangement, software customized to support diverse needs, adaptive/assistive technology to support special needs
Computers are used to show animations from Internet and to asses students using the Classroom Performance System (CPS). TV and DVD is used to show a one minute clip from movie Lethal Weapon.
Technology Management Strategy:
The objective is to make sure students adequately interact with the technology. The technology used in this lesson includes the computer, Internet, CPS assessment system, television and DVD.
When students view the clip from the movie Lethal Weapon, it is important that students be seated so that every child can easily see the television screen.
The students will watch an animation on the wall screen, projected by LCD projector. Again, the viewed area must be large enough for students to easily see the animation.
Each child will have an opportunity to interact with the first animation. They will be using a normal size mouse and their hands will be able to handle this.
Students have used the CPS system previously and will be fine using this. The hand-held remotes fit the hands of students, so there won’t be stress there.
Materials:
Teacher uses to engage: small rubber ball and books (teacher uses); students use: LEGOs to make cars; marbles; wooden ramps; rulers to measure; paper and pencil to chart measurements
Assessment:
Portfolio, demonstration, self-assessment, peer assessment, checklist, rubric, process and product
Informal:
Observation of students to insure they are understanding what to do. We hope to see students enjoying the lesson. Also, observing them help each other.
Formal:
True and False questions are used in the test that students take using the Classroom Performance System (CPS). Teacher prepares the questions and at the time of the evaluation, the questions appear on the wall screen. Each student has a hand-held remote and can click the answer he/she selects. When all questions are answered, the teacher can print a report with grades.
Reflection:
Please rate the following indicators using a scale of 1-5.
(1=Poor, 5= Excellent, NA if not applicable)
5 Technology instruction was effective and students/educators achieved curricular goals.
5 Technology instruction was effective and students/educators or I achieved targeted goals.
5 Technology instruction was effective and I achieved my professional goals.
5 Students/educators were motivated by the use of technology.
5 Technology was critical to the success of this lesson.
5 Varying abilities of students/educators was supported through the use of the technology.
5 Equipment was sufficient for the number of students/educators completing the activity.
5 Equipment and software functioned properly.
5 Overall rating of lesson.
Reflection Time: Use the following questions to reflect on your lesson.
Questions to Ponder: Was this lesson worth doing? In what ways was the lesson effective? What evidence do you have for your conclusion? How would you change this lesson for teaching it again? Did your students/educators find the lesson meaningful? Did the lesson motivate your students/educators to “go beyond” what was required? Did you achieve your goals met/in progress in the required criteria?
This lesson was very much worth the time of planning and implementing it. The students were engaged with the ball knocking down the books. Of course, a couple of the boys had to place books on top of their desks and knock them down. The technology use of animations on the Internet was very effective. Students had a great time with the first animation shown. Each child was able to use the mouse to move back a plunger and then let the plunger go. This caused a car to move forward. Students could see the cause and effect shown by the animation. They loved watching the movie clip from Lethal Weapon that showed a bus hitting a car. The boys, of course, especially got excited by the action.
More than watching, the kids had a great time making their own LEGO cars and setting them at the top of ramps, let them go, and observed them moving off the ramp at the bottom and traveling a distance. After cars were used, the students were allowed to do the same with marbles. The marbles went faster and farther and kids enjoyed this more.
The best evidence of the effectiveness is observation. The kids had a great time doing the activities and then were able to articulate what they had done. They took a formal assessment using the hand-held CPS remotes and had a great time with that.
Although this lesson worked great as it is, we would make a couple of changes. The kids and teacher(s) had lots of fun and the assessment indicated the students understood the idea of force causing change. The only changes we would make in the future are 1) have the word force written in a neat way on a sign, for instance using a drawing of a bus (like the one in the film clip) to form the “f” in force and use cars for the other parts of the letters, so that kids get the word force visually and that is reinforced by the vehicles in the lesson; and 2) double the time of the lesson so that students would have more time to design the cars they made with LEGOs.
To determine if the lesson is meaningful, this week we had the children do a concept map using Inspiration. They remember the various parts of the lesson and showed through their concept map that the force of the bus on the car in the movie clip is something they remembered very well. They also could, without hints from the teacher, include the activities of letting the cars and marbles go down the ramps.
We were pleased with the way the lesson motivated students to go beyond. They didn’t want to stop with using cars and marbles on the ramps. They wanted to use other objects and to try more heights with the ramps. They also asked for more tests using the CPS remotes.
Students and teachers met the goals of the lesson. Using technology and media helped to make this a fun. Kids were excited and each child appeared to gain the understanding that force of pushing or pulling objects cause them to change position.
April 11, 2006
Participant Signature
April 11, 2006
Coach Signature