Beyond-the-Basic Productivity Tools (BBPT)

Lesson Idea Name: Types of Biomes

Content Area: Life Science
Grade Level(s): 7th Grade

Content Standard Addressed: S7L4. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to examine the
interdependence of organisms with one another and their environments.

d. Ask questions to gather and synthesize information from multiple sources to differentiate
between Earth’s major terrestrial biomes (i.e., tropical rain forest, savanna, temperate forest,
desert, grassland, taiga, and tundra) and aquatic ecosystems (i.e., freshwater, estuaries, and
marine).

Technology Standard Addressed:

3c. curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of
artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.

Selected Technology Tool: Voki

URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable):

https://www.voki.com/
Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):
☒ Remembering ☒ Understanding ☒ Applying ☐ Analyzing ☐ Evaluating ☒ Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level): (Select the one best level)
☐ Level 1: Awareness ☐ Level 2: Exploration ☐ Level 3: Infusion ☒ Level 4: Integration
☐ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

Engagement: All types of students will stay engaged because I am giving them freedom and control of their
learning and how they choose to do their project.
Representation: Students have the freedom to represent their project as they choose.
Action and Expression: Students can express themselves or their topic as they choose to. As long as the
student meets the rubric requirements, their action and expression are for them to decide.

Lesson idea implementation: Students will open their laptops and create a free account on Voki as a group.
After creating an account, the teacher will assign each group a different biome to focus on. After the biome is
assigned, the students will be as creative as they would like and choose an avatar and conduct a presentation
of the overview of their assigned biome. Each student must speak during the presentation so that the
teacher knows that each student in the group is engaged and working. Students will have the class period to
finish and submit the project. If the class as a whole does not finish in time, extra time will be allowed. The
next class period will begin with student presentations. The students will be assessed based on accuracy and
engagement in the presentation. This lesson is a different type of learning for students that engages their
creativity and makes the material more personalized. Students will be assessed together as a group. The
teacher will walk around the class and informally assess the students progress throughout the period. The
teacher will then assess the submitted projects of each group. By creating a Voki, the students are extending
their learning to a higher level by implementing what they have already learned. The teacher will then review

Spring 2018_SJB
 Beyond-the-Basic Productivity Tools (BBPT)
the key concepts of biomes and ecosystems to the class to make sure all students have a good understanding.
A graded presentation with attached rubric and additional comments will be provided to each member of
each group.

Reflective Practice: I feel that this lesson idea will have a positive impact on student learning. The lesson
makes the information being learned more personal to the students. It allows the students to use what they
have learned and represent it in a way that they prefer. In order to further extend the lesson, I could have a
lesson that builds off Biomes and deals with weather or organisms that are living within the biome.

Spring 2018_SJB