Assessing Characteristics of Meaningful Learning

Your Name: Courtney Mills

Lesson Plan Name: Meet the Bears
Lesson Plan Grade Levels: K-2
Lesson Plan URL: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/education/k12/teaching-
idea-showcase.html#ages57
Lesson Plan Description:
In this unit students compare themselves to bears and they work together with older
buddies to complete tasks. The unit uses fiction and non-fiction bear texts. Students will
learn about a variety of types of bears. The first week students read We’re Going on a
Bear Hunt then they fill out a KWL chart to show what they already know about bears,
what they wonder about bears, and later on in the unit they will tell what they learned
about bears. Then in the second lesson of week one you teach the students the difference
between a fiction and non-fiction book and have students help you decide which books
fall into which category. You would have a stack of bear books (both fiction and non-
fiction) prepared to sort. You also introduce the students to the unit question, Are we like
other animals?(Intel Corp. 2010), you record their answers to use throughout the unit.
On day three of week one you introduce another unit question, What do animals need to
live? (Intel Corp. 2010). To teach this you introduce students to the LAW of the land.
Each letter represents something a living thing needs to survive as follows; L-land, A-air,
W-water, and S-sun (Intel Corp. 2010). Students spend week two researching a variety of
bears so that they can compare and contrast them. This week’s essential questions are;
What do bears eat? and What are a bears characteristics? (Intel Corp. 2010). They
record data they find out about different species of bears so that they can use that that
compare and contrast them. This week students also answer the question of, How are we
different from bears? (Intel Corp. 2010). Students use their data to compare themselves to
bears. Specifically, they compare what bears eat to what we eat and compare our size to
the size of bears. While comparing their size they answer the essential question of How
many of us would it take to weigh the same as a bear? (Intel Corp. 2010). Students have
to make predictions first and get weighed to see how many of them it would take by
using repeated addition. Students have to graph their results. At the end of this week
students start adding what they have learned about bears to the KWL chart that was
previously used. In week three students are finding objects around the school that are the
same, smaller, or bigger length than their bear. Students use string to compare objects
and they also cut out a trace of themselves to compare their length as well. In week four
students create a brochure to explain their thinking and research about their bear. They
answer the following questions; How are we different from bears?, What do animals need
to live?, What do bears eat?, and What are a bear’s characteristics? (Intel Corp. 2010).
The brochures will be sent to a local zoo when completed.

For each of the five categories below, provide a rating of each factor in the category.
Provide evidence in the form of brief, but specific, examples from the plan. If the plan
does not contain sufficient information for you to give a particular rating, indicate
“UNKNOWN” in the Rating column. However, you should select a plan that allows you
to rate most of the factors.

Assessing Active Learning

Rating
Factor high-medium-low Evidence Supporting Rating
Learner interaction with Books, computers, string, wildlife
real-world objects high biologist, and zoo
Observation and high Taking brochure to local zoo, working
reflection with older buddies, KWL chart, and
sharing information about their specific
species with each other.
Learner interactions Medium Picked their bear species.
Tool use high Show information in spreadsheets, online
research, and create brochures

Assessing Constructive Learning

Rating
Factor high-medium-low Evidence Supporting Rating
Dissonance/Puzzling high Students got to pick their own bear
species and related research to
themselves on size, characteristics, and
food
Constructing mental medium Use what they know to figure out how
models and making many of them it would take to weigh the
meaning same as their bear

Assessing Intentional Learning

Rating
Factor high-medium-low Evidence Supporting Rating
Goal directedness High All work related to essential questions
Setting own goals Medium Essential questions created by educator
but species chosen by student
Regulating own learning High KWL chart, providing research and
creating brochure
Learning how to learn High KWL chart, working with an older
buddy, and using previous weeks lesson
to create brochure
Articulation of goals as High Activities directly relate to goals and are
focus of activity articulated by students.
Technology use in High Research, spreadsheets, and brochure
support of learning goals creation

Assessing Authentic Learning

Rating
 Factor high-medium-low Evidence Supporting Rating
Complexity High They use science, math, reading, writing,
and technology
Higher-order thinking High Students have to predict how many of
them make up a bear and then prove their
answer. Students conduct research and
investigate to compare & contrast
themselves to bears.
Recognizing problems Unknown
“Right answers” Medium Answers depended on their bear species

Assessing Collaborative Learning

Rating
Factor high-medium-low Evidence Supporting Rating
Interaction among High Worked with older peer to complete tasks
learners and shared learning with others in their
class
Interaction with people High Met with wildlife experts and share
outside of school brochure at local zoo
Social negotiation Unknown
Acceptance and Unknown
distribution of roles and
responsibility