EDUC 2220- Educational Technology Lesson Plan

A-Z, Made by Me

Mallorie Klemm
First Grade/English Language Arts

Common Core Standards:

Writing Standards K-12
 Production and Distribution of Writing – Grade 1 Students
o W.1.6 With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and
publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. [pg. 31]

Speaking and Listening Standards K-12

 Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas – Grade 1 Students
o SL.1.5 Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas,
thoughts, and feelings. [pg. 46]
o SL.1.6 Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation. [pg. 46]

Language Standards K-12

 Conventions of Standard English – Grade 1 Students
o L.1.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when
writing or speaking. a. Print all upper- and lowercase letters. b. Use common, proper, and
possessive nouns. c. Use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in basic sentences (e.g.,
He hops; We hop). d. Use personal, possessive, and indefinite pronouns (e.g., I, me, my; they,
them, their; anyone, everything). e. Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future
(e.g., Yesterday I walked home; Today I walk home; Tomorrow I will walk home). f. Use
frequently occurring adjectives. g. Use frequently occurring coordinating and subordinating
conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or, so, because). h. Use determiners (e.g., articles, demonstratives).
i. Use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., during, beyond, toward). j. Produce and expand
complete simple and compound declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory
sentences in response to prompts. [pg. 51]
o L.1.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation,
and spelling when writing. a. Capitalize dates and names of people. b. Use end punctuation for
sentences. c. Use commas in dates and to separate single words in a series. d. Use conventional
spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
e. Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling
conventions. [pg. 52]

Standards Source: http://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Learning-in-Ohio/English-Language-

Art/English-Language-Arts-Standards/ELA-Learning-Standards-2017.pdf.aspx?lang=en-US

Lesson Summary:
The lessons within this unit are designed for first grade students to build upon knowledge of the English
alphabet and writing conventions. Students will select a theme then create an eBook through Canva based on
their theme. For each letter of the alphabet, students will select a noun within their theme and include a
complete sentence for each using writing conventions properly.
Estimated Duration:
With 26 letters of the alphabet, this unit is designed to have a “letter of the day” for 5 weeks with the lesson
plan structure repeated each day. Each a class period the daily lesson would take 15 minutes for around 75
hours per week. Each daily lesson is intended to occur either at the start or end of each class period, and would
not be the only activity or lesson for an entire class period. If at the start of the class period, the daily lesson
can help students activate their knowledge and focus. If at the end of the class period, the daily lesson can
provide a concluding activity for the day.

Commentary:
To introduce the unit, I will hook students by telling them they will become authors by creating their own
book. I will explain the structure of the unit as having students choose their own theme for their book then
each day write a page for the “letter of the day”. We will discuss the goals of students being digital authors
and designers while practicing their writing skills. The main conflicts I will have to overcome is determining
if students will complete their books independently or in peer pairs, as well as the appropriate pace of the unit
of daily lessons to keep interest and productivity.

Instructional Procedures:
Prior to introducing the unit of lessons, I will create a Canva account for each student. I will either use a
preexisting school email address for each student or create an individual email address for each student. I will
track each student’s email address and Canvas account information to safely store for classroom use only.

Day 1: As the teacher, I will inform the students that we will be making our own classroom library together.
The library will be an eLibrary with electronic versions and/or a physical library with printed versions. I will
explain that students will be using their prior knowledge of the alphabet, sentence structure, and writing
conventions to create their very own eBook. As a class, we will discuss the standards for the unit and goals of
each lesson. For the standards, we will develop “I Can” statements to remind students of what academic skills
they are focusing on and what they will say they can do by the end. For example:
 “I can use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing.” This would represent students
using computers and technology to create their eBook.
 “I can add visual displays to descriptions to clarify ideas.” This would represent students adding
pictures to their eBook to describe each letter in their theme.
 “I can produce complete sentences with conventions when writing.” This would present students
developing a sentence(s) for each letter.
Once the standards, goals, and “I Can” statements have been discussed, I will explain that students will select a
theme for their book where each letter of the alphabet represents a noun relating to their theme. I will provide
students with examples including “favorite foods”, “favorite animals”, “favorite places on the map”, “favorite
people”, and so on. If students are struggling to or do not want to specify a theme, I will suggest they consider
their “favorite things” as a general theme to simply identify a noun they like to represent each letter. I will
approve each student’s theme, but explain that they can change their theme if they want by the time we start
developing the eBooks the next day. Once students identify their theme, they will develop an A-Z list of what
noun will represent each letter. This information will be logged in their classroom journal. The classroom
journal will contain their theme, notes about each letter of the alphabet, and Canva account information.
Day 2: Prior to having students begin to create their eBook, I will ensure I have the necessary technology
available to complete the daily “Letter of the Day” lessons. Depending on my school and classroom, I may
need to rent a computer lab or tablets with the goal of each student having their own device to work on. I will
ask students to gather their classroom journal and sit at a computer or obtain a tablet to have at their desk. I
will ask each student to either confirm or change their book’s theme. Once all students have their themes
finalized, I will explain that the upcoming school days will have a “letter of the day” lesson each class period
beginning with “Aa” today. As a class, we will then discuss the structure of each day:
1. Upon instruction, gather your classroom journal and writing utensils.
2. Based on the “letter of the day” and noun for that letter, handwrite a complete sentence about and using
the noun. Once the sentence is written, raise your hand to have it reviewed.
3. Once your sentence has been reviewed, sit at a computer or obtain a tablet to have at your desk.
4. Browse the internet for an appropriate picture of or related to the letter’s noun. Once the picture has
been selected, raise your hand to have it approved.
5. Upon instruction, go to the Canva website and log into your Canva account.
6. Create a new page in your eBook with the following information:
1. The letter of the day in both upper and lower case versions
2. The noun representing that letter
3. A complete sentence about and using the letter’s noun
4. A picture of or related to the letter’s noun
7. Ask questions or for help!
8. Save all work in your Canva account, if you have a tablet return it, and return your classroom journal.

I will allot 5 minutes total for students to gather their materials and log into their account at the beginning then
save their work and return their materials at the end. I will guide students through the 15 minute activity,
adjusting the amount of time provided based on how the class is progressing in the unit and the level of
difficulty of the “letter of the day”. Based on each student’s familiarity and comfort with using technology, I
will assist any who may need help using the internet, saving or copying the picture, logging into and using
Canva, and saving their work in Canva.

Remaining Days: I will repeat the daily lesson structure above with the class for all alphabet letters A-Z. I
will be mindful of any school-related events, including school breaks or testing, which may affect the timeline
of completing the entire unit.

Final Day: Once students have completed a page for all letters in their eBook, we will spend the last day of the
unit proofreading and finalizing our books. Prior to this day I will have reviewed all student eBooks and
provide each student feedback on editing their pages within if needed. At that time I will gather my post-
assessment data. I will have each student save their eBook as a PDF in our “eLibrary” folder on the classroom
computer. If appropriate, I will print physical copies of the eBooks for the classroom. Students would have
the option of reading their and their classmates’ eBooks on a computer/tablet or in the physical classroom
library. I will also print or provide an electronic copy of their finalized eBook to their parent/guardian to have.
Pre-Assessment:
Prior to Day 1 and introducing the unit of daily lessons, I will provide a pre-assessment to each individual
student to determine their prior knowledge with the standards that will be covered within the unit. Students
will have to handwrite each letter of the alphabet in upper and lower case versions. Students will also have to
handwrite sentences, likely around 4 total, to determine their ability to write complete sentences with proper
use of writing conventions.

Scoring Guidelines:
For the scoring guidelines on a checklist, I will:
1. Calculate the total amount of upper and lower case letters the student was able to write.
2. Assess the proper use of writing conventions; capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar.
3. Judge the ability to independently use digital tools and devices effectively.
I will use the pre-assessment data to provide ongoing, individualized assessment and direct instruction
to students. I will intervene when students are working on a skill they struggled with on the pre-
assessment.

Based on the baseline data from the pre-assessment, I will determine if students will work independently or in
peer pairs and coauthor an eBook. If working in pairs, this may be to help students who are lacking the
necessary prior knowledge, who have a disability in the areas of reading and/or writing, or are identified as
ELL students who may need additional support with English. If so, I would require all students to work in
peer pairs and assign pairs based on the baseline data gathered from the pre-assessment. Using the pre-
assessment data and any other applicable information about the students, I will pair with the goal of at least
one of the two students succeeding in each area noted in the scoring guidelines. Ideally the students in each
pair will balance their strengths and weaknesses with the unit’s standards.

Post-Assessment:
The post-assessment will be a review of each student’s classroom journal and eBook. If working in peer pairs,
students will complete their classroom journals independently then co-create their eBook. I will evenly divide
the daily work among the pairs for developing each daily lesson’s page to ensure I have individual work to
assess for composing the sentences in Canva, using the required technology, and adding visuals for each page.

Scoring Guidelines:
Using the same criteria in the scoring guidelines, I will assess if each student was able to write/type
both versions of each letter of the alphabet and develop a complete sentence for each letter with proper
use of writing conventions. I will observe the student’s handwriting and typing when scoring. I will
establish a point system for the criteria for students to receive a final score.
 If working independently: For example, a student may get ½ point each for the lower and upper
case versions of each letter for a potential total of 1 point per letter and 26 points total. I may
provide 1 point for proper use of each writing convention for a total of 4 points per sentence
 with a potential total of 104 points for all 26 sentences. I could always scale my point system
down to provide ¼ point for each of the 4 conventions required per sentence for a potential total
of 26 points. I would determine based on observation throughout the unit if the student was
able to improve their ability with using digital tools and devices.
 If working in pairs: I could use the same methodology above, however divide the work evenly
among each student in the peer pairs to ensure they have the same amount of responsibility and
work to assess. For example, I could require each student to be responsible for 13/26 of the
letters and alternate each day. Students would need to independently use their classroom
journal to brainstorm and handwrite their ideas, however collaborate with their partner to create
a finalized sentence(s) and visuals. I would have work for all 26 letters in the classroom
journal, however 13 opportunities to assess the use of technology and final electronic product.

Differentiated Instructional Support

To meet the needs of gifted or accelerated students, I could increase the amount and complexity of sentences
required per letter. I would approach this as providing the opportunity to master their sentence writing skills
and begin paragraph development. If working in pairs, I may require gifted or accelerated students to write
one sentence per letter in their classroom journal or for the eBook. I may also designate them as a peer
proofreader to help students struggling with sentence development. For any student who uses digital tools and
devices well, especially if they are a student who struggles more academically and could benefit from a
leadership role, I may designate them as a tech supporter. For students who might be struggling with the
material, I would work with them individually or in groups. This would be for students who would not be able
to independently write complete sentences or use technology. I would have to thoughtfully structure any
student responsibilities well to ensure they do not interfere with the students completing their work.

Extension
Students could go to this website to practice recognizing the letters of the English alphabet:
 http://www.literacycenter.net/print_practice/print-english-upperlower-letters.php
Students could go to these websites to learn more about sentence structure and writing conventions:
 http://www.adaptedmind.com/reading.php
 http://www.readingrockets.org/teaching
 https://www.time4writing.com/teaching-writing/writing-conventions/
Students could go to this website with help from an adult to get support using Canva:
 https://support.canva.com/

Homework Options and Home Connections

If requiring or allowing students to work outside of the classroom, I would provide their designated
parent/guardian the student’s Canva account information. Students may work outside of the classroom if they
missed a day(s) of school, did not complete the daily lesson entirely, needs additional support at hold
completing the daily lesson, or simply wants to further edit their eBook outside of class. However, I would
disclaim to parents/guardians that as a graded assessment and one that is used to measure students’ content
knowledge, completing any of the work for the student would not be appropriate. If working in peer pairs, I
would establish guidelines for students to follow if working on their eBook outside of the classroom.

Interdisciplinary Connections
Art/Photography
 Since students must have visual displays within their eBook, it would important to incorporate
art/photography as a content area to strengthen student learning. Rather than finding an image from the
internet, students could create their own image or take a photo of their image in art/photography.
Science/Social Studies
 If wanting to modify the unit, the students could create a class eBook about a theme they are learning
about in other content areas such as science or social studies. Students could be responsible for one or
more letters of the alphabet to represent a noun they have discussed in the specific content area.
Students could be required to find a fact about their letter’s noun from the science/social studies
textbook and if appropriate, even extend the lesson into adding citations for the information.

Materials and Resources:

For teachers As the teacher, I would need to have writing utensils and physical notebooks for
students. For technology, I would also have to ensure access to computers or tablets. I
could incorporate the use of Microsoft Office, if students want to type their sentences
for proofreading support to then copy and paste in Canvas, and Adobe, to generate a
final PDF file, as students complete their eBooks. I could also support students in
utilizing the computers/tablets and navigating the internet. If using other equipment,
such as a camera or art supplies, I would need to have those resources prepared for the
pictures they will add to their eBook pages. If creating or taking their own images, I
would need to support students with transferring and uploading an electronic copy of
their picture to add to their eBook. After the master eBook is created for the eLibrary
and classroom library, it would be ideal to view a copy as a class through a projector or
on a SmartBoard. Students would use these devices to present their eBook to the class.

For students Students will need access to a computer or tablet that has Internet access. Ideally the
device would have a keyboard that is easy to use. The device will also need Adobe to
ensure a PDF can be created and saved. If having students use word processing to
practice typing skills or develop their eBook content within to copy and paste, the
devices would need Microsoft Office. Students will also need a writing utensil and a
physical notebook to serve as their classroom journal.
Key Vocabulary
Alphabet, Uppercase Letters, Lowercase Letters, Theme, Noun, Complete Sentence, Writing Conventions,
Publish, Produce, eBook, eLibrary

Additional Notes
I think many aspects of this unit could be modified depending on the time frame and intensions with learning.
If students are learning about other content standards, such as the elements of printed materials such as books
or the use of citations, the final product could be edited to include those additional requirements. If students
are required to provide facts, the lesson would need to be modified to include instructions and support for
finding additional information for their books. Rather than doing just one “letter of the day”, perhaps there are
multiple letters in a day to complete the eBook quicker. Rather than just using part of a class period, perhaps
the entire class period(s) is used to help with focusing on one task and again completing the eBook quicker. If
working with other content staff, it would be important to collaborate and agree upon the structure of this unit
as well as how each lesson would be executed. Based on the student population and student abilities, this
could be an independent activity or something they complete in peer pairs or groups. Perhaps instead of the
title of this being “A-Z, Made By Me” it could be “A-Z, All About Me” if students were asked to make an
alphabet book about themselves. If so, this would be a great opportunity for students to share about things that
are important to them such as culture, heritage, ethnicity, family, hobbies, interests, and more. The title could
also include a statement such as “A book about my favorite _______.”. Ultimately I think students would
enjoy being creative and having a final project to keep and share while working on academic skills.