Brianna Tartabini

Stayintouchwithbri.weebly.com
EDU-225
June 28, 2016

Raft Task Card

This RAFT Card is designed for 1st grade level. All 3 relate to 1st grade science.
ROLE (student)

AUDIENCE
Eager children

The hungry caterpillar awaiting the

Row 1

arrival of a

FORMAT
Informative

TOPIC
Have you ever

scenario of insect

wondered how a

life cycles

caterpillar

butterfly

becomes a

Melted Chocolate on

Children on the

Informative

butterfly?
Have you ever

a hot park bench.

swing set at the

scenario of climate

wondered how

park

and how it changes

solid chocolate

things.

can become a

Hands trying to

Objects can be

liquid?
Have you ever

catch the ball

moved a number of wondered how an

Row 2

Tennis Ball
Row 3

different ways.

objects position
changes as it is in
motion?

RAFT Row 1
Objective: A child will be able to understand how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly and
begin to understand what the life cycle is.

Ohio State Standards: Plants and animals require resources from the environment. The
focus at this grade level is on macroscopic interactions and needs of common living things
(plants and animals). Living things survive only in environments that meet their needs
Student Role: The hungry caterpillar
Audience: Eager children awaiting the arrival of a butterfly
Format: Informative scenario of insect life cycles
Topic: Have you ever wondered how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly?

Directions:
1.) Visit How Caterpillars become Butterflys to learn more about how caterpillars
begin.
2.) With a loose sheet of paper, write down the steps a caterpillar goes through before
becoming a butterfly.
3.) Next, type these steps out so you have a neat script of it.
4.) Practice reading this script to become more familiar and understanding on this
topic.
5.) Create a Voki at voki.com and build an avatar that is suitable for this
representation.
6.) Read and record your own voice as the vokis with the script you created in steps 2
and 3.
Resources:
The life cycle of a butterfly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1S8WzwLPlM
The life cycle

https://kidskonnect.com/science/life-cycles/
The butterfly life cycle
http://www.ngkids.co.uk/science-and-nature/butterfly-life-cycle
Where do butterflies get their colors?
http://discoverykids.com/articles/where-do-butterflies-get-their-colors/

Assessment:
Please click on URL below to view the Voki on this topic.
http://www.voki.com/site/pickup?
scid=12912471&width=575&height=323&chsm=522f9eecee7f877d57eb598250701dd4

RAFT Row 2
Objective: Properties of objects and materials can change due to different climates.
Ohio State Standards: Materials can be exposed to conditions that change some of their
properties, but not all materials respond the same way. The properties of a material can
change as it interacts with other materials. Heating and cooling changes some, but not all,
properties of materials.
Student Role: Melted Chocolate on a hot park bench.
Audience: Children on the swing set at the park
Format: Informative scenario of climate and how it changes things.
Topic: Have you ever wondered how solid chocolate can become a liquid?

Directions:
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
6.)

Visit Phases of Matter to learn more about why things melt and freeze.
Take notes about how and why this happens.
Then jot down ideas of different things that can melt and freeze.
Once you have you certain objects that can melt and freeze, go and find them
You will then conduct your own experiment of this
Go outside with (for example an ice cube) see how long it takes to melt and record it
in a notebook, next do the same with the ice that has melted expect put it into a

freezer to see how long it takes to solidify again.

7.) You can then create a Voki at voki.com and explain what happened in your
experiment.
Resources:
Phases of Matter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8M7mah_QaY
About Climate
http://cleanet.org/clean/literacy/principle_1.html
Temperature Changes
http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0070-adiabatic-temperature-changes.php
Properties of Objects
http://www.learningscience.org/psc1apropofmaterials.htm

Assessment:

Please click on the URL below to view the Voki on this topic.
http://www.voki.com/site/pickup?
scid=12912518&width=575&height=323&chsm=7360114d5757ad1075b2437c652f9b1b

RAFT Row 3
Objective:
Ohio State Standards: The position of an object is described by comparing its location
relative to another object (e.g., in front, behind, above, below). Objects can be moved and
their positions are changed. An object is in motion when its position is changing.
Student Role: Tennis Ball
Audience: Hands trying to catch the ball
Format: Objects can be moved a number of different ways.
Topic: Have you ever wondered how an objects position changes as it is in motion?

Directions:
1.) Visit Newtons 3rd Law of Motion to learn about how objects work during motion.
2.) Write notes about how and why objects move how they do.
3.) Next, brainstorm ideas that involve you moving things you move every day without
even realizing (toothbrush, book bag, etc.)
4.) How much force do you think you are putting into moving these objects?
5.) Take notes on everything you notice.
6.) Create a Voki of this to present the amount of force you put into things.

Resources:
Mechanics and Motion
http://www.physics4kids.com/files/motion_intro.html
Three laws of motion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn34mnnDnKU
Forces and motion
http://easyscienceforkids.com/forces-and-motion-facts-for-kids-video/

Assessment:
Please click on the URL below to view the Voki on this topic.
http://www.voki.com/site/pickup?
scid=12912630&width=575&height=323&chsm=aa2eccbe612f3094ac9152914da14a4e

Section Four: Differentiating Instruction through Technology

Introduction
In teaching, it is very important to have a plan for every student. Not all students think or
learn the same in class. Some will be more behind than others, some will be on par and some will
exceed the expectations of the class. Whatever the case may be, each student should had a set of
criteria for them. Differentiating instruction through technology is extremely important in todays
day and age. It gives students an equal chance at success in class. Some technology that can be
used to differentiate instructions would be study island website, YouTube or sound cloud playlist
and having a personal tablet or computer.
Technology to Differentiate Instruction
YouTube/ Sound Cloud:
When using YouTube or Sound Cloud, one is easily able to access their preference in
music, then creating a playlist. These tools can be used to differentiate instruction in a variety of
ways. Music can soothe ones mind, making things a little less stressful. Also, for children who
may be deaf, YouTube is great! While these students cannot hear, they are able to get a great
visual of what is being taught. Students will now feel more at ease, and hopefully less pressured
about their assignments. The impact that a student will have from these tools is immense.
(Shepherd, C. M., & Alpert, M. (2015)
ISTE Standards
The ISTE standards that the tools above go with would be the Student ISTE
standards, number one: Creativity and Innovation. (ISTE, 2007)

Study Island:
Study Island is a great website that boosts students confidence and allows them to work
at their own pace. Not only that, but a teacher is able to create a specific assignment for ONE
student. Meaning if a student is struggling in an area that its classmates have succeeded in, they
are able to keep trying with their extra assignment, until they feel comfortable with the topic.
Due to this, there is a large impact on student achievement. The best part of it all is that it can be
accessed at school AND at a students home. Which really makes things much calmer and less
overwhelming. Study Island is known to be the BEST NEW SOFTWARE and continues to
help students succeed daily. (TROUTNER, J. (2011).
ISTE Standards
The ISTE standards that the tools above go with would be the Student ISTE
standards, number two: Communication and Collaboration. (ISTE, 2007)
Personal Tablet or Laptop:
While tablets and laptops can be passed out to the class for a group project, many people
leave out the possibility of a student who may not learn at the same rate as others, to have their
very own personal tablet or laptop. For example, when a teacher is teaching a lesson, say on the
smart board, in a power point presentation, that teacher expects his or her students to take notes
on what the teacher is presenting. However, some students cannot write or comprehend as fast as
other students. If a student in need received a personal laptop or tablet, his or her teacher could
put the PowerPoint straight on their laptop, so that in class, that student can go at their own pace,
while still being involved with the same lesson as the rest of the class.

ISTE Standards : The ISTE standards that the tools above go with would be the Student
ISTE standards, number three: Research and Information Fluency. (ISTE, 2007)
Pros and Cons (150-250 words)
While there are pros and cons to almost everything, it also applies to the use of
technology to differentiate information fluency. Pros of it are that each child is taught to their
learning style and there is no child left behind. These two points alone are crucial. Not every
child learns things at the same rate or style, it is great that teachers take the time to ensure that
every student is learning what they are supposed to, and truly no child is left behind. However,
some cons of this would be that it is a tougher load on the teachers end and also that some
students may begin to learn at different paces, which can ultimately put the class as a whole too
far behind or too far ahead. A lot of time and effort is put in by the teachers to hopefully better
the outcome of the students. (APECSEC.org, 2015).
Concluding Paragraph (4-6 sentences)
Overall, it is evident that not all students are the same. Each and every one of them learn
in their own way, at their own pace. It is a teachers job to ensure that each students where they
need to be in class. Differentiating instruction through technology is the way to do so. Allowing
there to be different learning types and styles to go along with the way they learn is very
important. Creating a playlist of tunes on YouTube that help ease and soothe a student as they
complete their work is one way to do it. Along with using websites such as study island where
teachers can create one on one assignments that are worded different for convenience. Also this
is a great way to keep track of student progress. Lastly, allowing a specific student to have a
personal tablet or computer while in class, can lead to better note taking skills and also will allow

a student to feel less pressured by writing notes, if the pace of the class is too fast. There are so
many different uses of technology that can help a student learn and thrive in class.

References
Pros and Cons of Differentiated Instruction | APECSEC.org. (2015). Retrieved from
http://apecsec.org/pros-and-cons-of-differentiated-instruction/
For Students 2007. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/standards-forstudents
Science | Ohio Department of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Ohios-Learning-Standards/Science
Shepherd, C. M., & Alpert, M. (2015). Using Technology to Provide Differentiated Instruction
for Deaf Learners. Journal of Instructional Pedagogies, 16
TROUTNER, J. (2011). BEST NEW SOFTWARE. Teacher Librarian, 38(5), 18.
Teacher resources that were provided, such as web tutorials and PowerPoints also helped in place
of references as well.