Procedure: At the beginning of the lesson, I will introduce our upcoming lesson unit, which is going to be astronomy. I feel as though 6th grade is a bit of a tricky age to teach, especially in regards to astronomy, because it's hard to really tell how much a student may know about outer space. That being said, to start off, I will initiate a brief discussion about space to gauge where students are in the learning process. I'll ask relatively easy questions such as, "What is space?" and "What planets make up the solar system?" Once the class spends a bit of time talking about space, I'm going to have students play a game online (can be found in 'Mary F.'s stuff' on BBLearn) to explore the solar system and play fun mini games that relate to the topic to keep it interesting. Once finished exploring that game, students will then play another game; while not as interesting as the first one, the second website talks more about other things that can make up the solar system, such as asteroids, meteors, and satellites. Again, I will allot a bit of time for students to explore around each planet. To ensure that students are not just goofing around, I'll go around to each student to tell me one thing about a planet of their choice. Once each student gives me an answer, I will then assign a 'project'. Students are to build a Glogster website about a planet of their choice, probably one that we discussed, though ideally each student (or group) would have different planets. I am trying to leave as much time as possible for each student to build their Glogster, as I know that it does take a bit to build and construct. Then, at the end of the class hour, I would have each student (again, or group in larger classrooms) present their planet so that the entire solar system is covered and to allow each student the opportunity to learn about each planet from their peers.
Technology Integration: A good portion of my entire lesson is technology based; while I, the teacher, am not using any technology to help introduce the lesson, the students will get hands-on time with computers while they are playing the astronomy games or building their Glogster.
Differentiated Instruction: Science is a very literal subject that provides a lot of information all at once. That being said, there definitely may be a bit of struggle when it comes to other learners in the classroom. For those with a cognitive delay, I would most likely actually sit with them on their exploration to help guide them through the mini games and to prompt answers when asked questions. For ELL learners, I would definitely try to help the students make connections between what I would like them to do and what they already know. Again, I would sit with them in attempt to prompt thinking in students and to help guide them through the project.
REFLECTING ON:
Designing Instruction
-Why are you using the instructional methods you have described?
The main reason why I am using the instructional methods described is because it's just downright fun. Science in general is a subject that has plenty of resources for each topic, so a textbook doesn't necessarily have to be the primary source of information. I'm a believer that students can be more prone to learning when they are having fun as opposed to learning something just because they have to, and I feel as though hands-on activities really enhance that type of learning.
-How are you engaging students in creative and higher order learning?
With the creation of a Glogster website, I think that students will definitely be engaged in both creative and higher order learning. Creatively, students will be able to build a website/blog that is fine-tuned to their preferences in terms of layout and colors, even the information provided. That being said, students will also be engaged in higher order thinking because they are pinpointing important information to add to their Glogster page.
-How does your technology integration support what you know about best practices for technology integration in the classroom?
I think that my technology integration supports technology practices in the classroom by enhancing student learning. Technology really seems to help a lot of students when it comes to lessons, whether it be to better understand material or whether it is to build on top of the knowledge they already have. Whatever the case, I hope that my technology integration will help give students a better idea of what the solar system is comprised.
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