Running head: C.I.P.

Curricular Integration Project

Kristin M. Day, M.Ed.
EDT 619: Curricular Integration of Educational Technology
Grand Valley State University

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Grade and Subject: Eleventh Grade English,

Unit Six: Informational Essay
This unit is adapted from my district mandated curriculum, the Michigan Association of
Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Public Schools Writers Workshop.
This four-week unit builds on the previous units investigation of basic human rights through
multi-draft readings, analysis, and research of informational sources in a variety of formats
including both text and multimedia presentations. The goal of this unit is to create a well-written,
well-supported argument on current social problems. This unit is designed using the flipped
classroom strategy, with all assignments, materials and resources being made available to the
students at the beginning of the unit. This allows students to progress through the unit
assignments at their own pace, making choices about, and being in control of, their own learning.
Goals and Objectives
Common Core State Standards
RI.11-12.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves
matters uncertain.
RI.11-12.2: Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the
course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex
analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
W.11-12.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style
are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are
defined in standards 13 above.

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International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Students

1. Empowered Learner: Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing,
achieving and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning
sciences.
2. Digital Citizen: Students recognize the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of living,
learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways that
are safe, legal and ethical.
3. Knowledge Constructor: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to
construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences
for themselves and others.
4. Creative Communicator: Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively
for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media
appropriate to their goals.
Understandings
Students will understand that social issues affect many people, not just those directly impacted.
Students will understand that government decisions have large impacts on social issues.
Students will understand that citizens can be a part of the solution(s).
Students will understand that researchers engage in multimedia research
Students will understand that researchers engage in collaborative research.
Students will understand how to behave as responsible digital citizens.
Students will know how governmental decisions can impact social issues.
Students will know that citizens can be part of solutions to social issues in America.
Students will know the human rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights and those not.

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Students will know that they are citizens of a global society.

Students will know how to utilize technology to take ownership of their own learning.
Students will know how to access digital resources to conduct independent and collaborative
research.
Students will be able to engage in independent and collaborative research about issues that
impact daily life for Americas.
Students will be able to use technology tools to engage in ongoing research on a human rights
issue.
Students will be able to leverage technological tools to aid them in the writing process,
including research, organization, drafting, and publishing their final product.
Students will be able to write a well-researched, well-supported essay that takes a position on
factors that impact human rights in America and around the world.
Essential Questions(s)
How can I inform myself about issues that impact the daily lives of Americans?
How do I engage with ideas through interaction with texts and people to participate
responsibly as an American citizen?
Are human rights established in the Bill of Rights at risk?
How can I use the technological resources available to me to create a well-supported and wellwritten paper that explores a human rights issue and its possible solution(s).
Teaching and Learning Strategies for Instruction
Instruction
Due to the nature of the flipped classroom environment, primary instruction is conducted
through pre-recorded video lectures that contain auditory and visual elements. Videos contain

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explanations, examples and modeling of how to complete the assignment. These videos are
imbedded in the unit website, which contains the information, links, and resources required for
students to complete their assignments. In this type of instructional format, the classroom serves
as a place to complete work and get help from the instructor as needed, rather than as the setting
for direct instruction.
Communication
Student-teacher communication is conducted in the following ways: in-person during
class hours; one-on-one during weekly Skype hours held in the evenings and over the weekend;
one-on-one via the unit websites Contact form; or through comments made on the website
Discussion Board. In these ways, students can communicate their questions, concerns or
comments to the teacher and the teacher can respond in the manner that is most appropriate, i.e.
via Skype, email, replies on the Discussion Board, or in person during class hours. Student-tostudent communication occurs in-person in class, as well as online on the unit website discussion
boards.
Formative Assessments as Instructional Strategy
Formative assessments play an essential role in the flipped classroom learning
environment. These assessments include blog posts, essays, quizzes, as well as portfolio of
students research and writing process. The data these assessments provide allow the teacher to
make modifications to the instructional plan as needed to address the needs of students.
Addressing Student Needs
One of the biggest concerns I have heard expressed with the flipped classroom
environment is the perceived inability to adjust teaching strategies as needed to address the needs
of students, both as individuals and as larger groups. In order to address this concern, the

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communication strategies listed above are key. Using the information supplied by student
questions and feedback, as well as the formative assessment data, instructional modifications can
be made. Strategies include one-on-one meetings, small group sessions, and whole class sessions
in order to address areas of skills weakness or other problem areas.
Content Areas Covered
CCSS ELA standards for research, writing, and the support of arguments are the focus of
this unit. Students will begin the unit by exploring the rights guaranteed in the United States Bill
of Rights, as well as key concepts such as human rights, American ideals, civil liberties, freedom,
historical context, primary and secondary research, etc. Students will conduct independent
research on human rights around the world with the goal of identifying an area of concern and
possible solutions. Students will explore a variety of sources, including scholarly articles, news
media (both print and multimedia), and additional multimedia sources such as documentaries.
They will engage in collaborative research and editing as they move through the writing process,
and build a portfolio of artifacts documenting their writing process.
Technology Resources Required
Computer (school is one-to-one, with additional Chrome Books available for student use in the
event of a technology malfunction)
Internet Access
Access to unit website: http://shpse11informationalessay.weebly.com
Access to the following web-based programs and apps:
Google Classroom
Google Apps (Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Keep, Scholar)
Michigan Electronic Library (MeL.org)

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Refseek.com
LiveBinder.com
blogger.com
gliffy.com
Owl at Purdues online writing center
ReadWriteThink.com
comwriter.com
Zotero
knightcite.com
EasyBib.com
Illuminate Education
youtube.com
Adaptive Technology
In order to meet the needs of all students, certain adaptive technologies have been built
into the unit, these include the following:
Video instruction that contain both audio and visual instructions (for the hearing or visually
impaired) that can be easily translated into a variety of languages using Google Translates
Youtube feature.
Google Translate can also be used to translate all text for English Language Learners (ELL).
The Google Chrome extension SpeakIt allows all web based text to be read aloud for the
visually impaired or auditory learners.
Google Docs speech-to-text feature and the Google Chrome extension VoiceNote II (which
can be used offline) use voice recognition software to do the typing for the visually impaired.

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Illuminate Education, used for online quizzes, has both speech-to-text and text-to-speech
software imbedded.
All assignments include video instructions with both audio and visual elements for the
hearing or visually impaired.
Technology Skills
Previous Knowledge
Due to the one-to-one nature of the school, students not only have constant access to a
personal laptop or Chrome Book, but are also accustomed to using it as a tool for instruction and
assessment. Students in my class are experienced at navigating all of the resources required for
this unit, including, but not limited to, the classroom website, accessing videos and other linked
resources, using Google Classroom and apps such as docs, slides, sheets, translate, creating and
adding to binders in LiveBinder.com, using citation engines such as knightcite.com and
EasyBib.com, utilizing MeL.org to search databases for peer-reviewed scholarly articles as well
as newspapers and other sources. The Informational Unit website located at
http://shpse11informationalessay.weebly.com is a new site, but is similar in design to the
standard class website, also created on weekly.com. Students have also had experience using
Skype to contact me outside of classroom hours. Lesson one introduces the specifics of this
website and allows students to explore its resources and features.
Location of Technology and Alternative
South Haven High School is a one-to-one environment for technology. All students are
required to have either a personnel laptop/Chrome Book, or a school provided device. The school
has a robust wireless backbone that allows easy access anywhere on school property. In the event
the wireless connection goes down, there are three computer labs that contain computers with

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wired internet connections. In the event that all labs are reserved, all unit resources are accessible
on students smartphones. If the student does not have access to a smartphone, they will be
directed to the Information Learning Centers hard copy research section. In the event that all
possible avenues have been exhausted, students will be assigned a writing asking students to
reflect on learning and progress towards goals.
Accessible Use and Flexible Scheduling
Due to the nature of the flipped classroom environment, and the one-to-one computer
environment of the school, students can access all materials and resources at any time that is
convenient for them. In addition, the unit discussion board, contact form, and evening/weekend
Skype hours make additional assistance and/or instruction available outside of classroom hours.
During classroom hours, students can receive additional instruction from the teacher in
individual meetings, small groups, or large groups.
Lesson Plans
Lesson 1: Introduction to the unit
The first lesson of the unit will be an in-class exploration of the new unit design. This
lesson will cover one to two meeting days.
Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS): Introduction of unit will provide students with instruction
on how to locate and identify information available on the unit website. They will apply this
knowledge in order to complete their pre-unit assessment task in which they analyze the rights
described in the Bill of Rights, make a judgement as to which right is the most important to
them, then support their claim in a well-constructed argumentative response.
Instructional steps include:
Activity 1:

The basics of the flipped classroom environment will be explained.

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Activity 2:

Check for understanding using TodaysMeet.com in response to the

question: What is class time to be used for in the flipped

classroom?
Activity 3:

Features of unit website will be explained, with a particular emphasis on

how to ask questions and get help. Students will be given time to

explore
Activity 4:

the site and ask questions.

Check for understanding: students will submit a question via the
Discussion Board, Contact form, or via Skype. Students will be
encouraged to answer each others questions if they are sure of the

answers and
individual/small group meetings will occur.
Activity 5:

How to progress through an assignment will be modeled using the pre-unit

assessment.

Activity 6: Student in-class work time.

Assessment:
Formative assessment of ability to navigate the unit website,
materials and communication tools via the Pre-Unit Assessment.
Pre-Unit Assessment: Requires students to examine the Bill of Rights and make a
judgement about which right is the most important. They must apply the right to
their own life and explain how it has impacted them. Finally, they must
produce a written argument about the importance of that right.
Prompt: Consider the rights granted in the Bill of Rights. Which one of the rights
seems especially important to you? Write a one-page response about that right

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and why you think it is so important to have in America. Include your personal
connection to the right. Post a copy of this on your classroom blog. This should
be the first section in your LiveBinder.

Modifications and Additional Instruction: Occur as needed based on student feedback and
assessment data.
Daily lessons: Student paced
There are eighteen formative and one summative assessment in this unit. Due to the
nature of the flipped classroom unit with all assignments and assessments being made available
at the beginning of the unit, daily lesson plans are not needed. Instead, all assignments/modules
follow the same pattern:
Activity 1:

Students watch instructional video.

Activity 2:

During or after watching the instructional video students post

questions, comments, or concerns to the Discussion Board, contact

teacher

via the Contact form, or use video conference/chat using Skype.

Activity 3:

Teacher responds to students questions, comments, or concerns in the

manner most appropriate: via the Discussion Board, email, chat,

Skype, or

in class in a one-on-one, small group or large group setting.

Activity 4:

Student work time. Student works on completing the assignment through

the exploration of resources and media linked in the website

assignment

page.

NOTE: While exploring the resources and materials provided, students are encouraged
to

continue to communicate with the teacher in person and/or via the web based
methods described above.

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Assessment: Students complete the assignment and submit it for feedback. Feedback can come in
a variety of ways based on the nature of the assignment: comments on written works or blog
posts, answer keys in Illuminate Education assessments, and in one-on-one discussions with the
teacher.
Modifications and Additional Instruction: Occur as needed based on student feedback and
assessment data.
Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS): Are imbedded in the assignments themselves, with the
primary focus being on the ability to find and understand information, apply new concepts and
previous knowledge in order to accomplish a task, analyze the research and data gathered in
order to effectively evaluate the validity of arguments and position. This information is then used
to made a judgement on human rights violation and how best to combat the problem. Finally,
students create an informational essay on the issue and propose a possible solution to the
problem.
Individual Student Meeting Lesson Plan
As students work through the materials and assessments, they may run into difficulties or
have questions that require additional instruction or help from the teacher. In addition, based on
the data provided by student assessments, the teacher may determine that a student needs
additional instruction and/or practice on a particular topic or skill. In these instances, the teacher
may meet with the student one-on-one. In these meetings, the following lesson plan will be
followed:
Inciting Incident:
Option 1: Student questions, comment or concern expressed in person, via the Discussion Board,
email or Skype.

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Option 2: Evaluation of assessment data.

Activity 1: Teacher will request the student meet with her at designated conferencing area of the
room.
Activity 2: In the event meeting is triggered by student question, comment, or concern, the
teacher will request that the student do their best to explain what the issue is. Teacher will ask
clarifying questions in order to fully understand. If the meeting is triggered by assessment data,
the teacher will review the assessment with the student in order to clarify the area of concern.
Activity 3: Teacher will provide additional instruction and practice tailored to meet the needs of
the individual student. Instructional techniques may include, but are not limited to: verbal and/or
written instructions followed by discussion of the concepts and skills, modeling of concepts and
skills required, additional reading assignments and/or the assignment of additional practice, and
pairing the student with a peer or small group to work in collaboration.
Activity 4: Student work time.
Activity 5: Follow-up checks for understanding within the class period and the following day.
Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS): These meetings can contain almost any HOTS, with a
focus on understanding and applying information and skills.
Assessment: Student completion of task that triggered the question, concern, or comment.
Small Group Meeting Lesson Plan
As with individual student meetings, there will be instances were small groups of
students will need assistance with the same concept or skill. In these instances, the teacher will
call together the group of students for additional instruction and help. In these meetings, the
following lesson plan will be followed:
Inciting Incident:

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Option 1: Students questions, comment or concern expressed in person, via the Discussion
Board, email or Skype.
Option 2: Evaluation of assessment data.
Activity 1: Teacher will request the students meet with her at designated conferencing area of the
room, or in the class breakout room.
Activity 2: In the event meeting is triggered by students question, comment, or concern, the
teacher will request that the students do their best to explain what the issue. Teacher will ask
clarifying questions in order to fully understand. If the meeting is triggered by assessment data,
the teacher will review the assessment with the students in order to clarify the area of concern.
Activity 3: Teacher will then provide additional instruction and practice tailored to meet the
needs of the students. Instructional techniques may include, but are not limited to: verbal and/or
written instructions followed by discussion of the concepts and skills, modeling of concepts and
skills required, additional reading assignments and/or the assignment of additional practice, and
pairing the students with a peer to work in collaboration.
Activity 4: Student work time.
Activity 5: Follow-up checks for understanding within the class period and the following day.
Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS): These meetings can contain almost any HOTS, with a
focus on understanding and applying information and skills.
Assessment:
Option 1: Students completion of task that triggered the question, concern, or comment.
Option 2: Students will be given the opportunity to revise or retake the assessment
in

order to exhibit mastery.

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