Classroom Blog and Website Creation Tools

Lesson Idea Name: Rocks and Soil

Content Area: Science
Grade Level(s): 3rd grade
Content Standard Addressed: S3E1: Obtain evaluate, and communicate information about the physical
attributes of rocks and soil.
a. Ask questions and analyze data to classify rocks by their physical attributes (color, texture, luster, and
hardness) using sample tests.
b. Plan and carry out investigations to describe properties of soils and soil types.
c. Make observations of the local environment to construct an explanation of how water and/or wind
have made changes to soil and/or rocks over time.

Technology Standard Addressed: Empowered learner

Digital Citizen
Knowledge Constructor

Selected Technology Tool:

☒ Blog ☐ Wiki ☐ Other: Website Creation Tool (list):

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

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☒ Remembering ☒ Understanding ☒ Applying ☐ Analyzing ☐ Evaluating ☐ Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi 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: I am hoping to engage the students through the video that will be presented and also through
the hands on exploration at their home or in their community.
Representation: Through my Nearpod I am providing the students with a video on rocks and soil while also
explaining the vocabulary myself, so the students are getting multiple representations of this information.
Action and Expression: The students will be both recording their observations and giving them verbally if they
wish to, and I could even allow students to draw pictures if they are non-verbal to communicate their ideas.
Another tool that could be used could be a PECS system to communicate if it was needed for a student.

Lesson idea implementation:

This lesson and activity will be for a flipped classroom set up. I have created an audio file for the students
to access that gives them the instructions on what to do and how to complete the activity, and this file will be
located on the classroom blog. The first thing that the students will do at home is look through the Nearpod
that I will make available for them. This Nearpod will walk through the basics of rocks and soil to get the
students more familiar with the vocabulary that I will be using in the lesson the next day (e.g. color, texture,
luster, hardness). A video will be presented as well as a verbal explanation from the teacher in relation to the
content. The Nearpod will also include a short video for the students to watch that models the activity that
they will complete on their own.
The activity that the students will complete at home, with a parent, requires them to go outside and
collect samples of rocks and soil. After collecting the samples the students will observe the color, texture,
luster, and hardness (the students can revisit the Nearpod if they cannot remember the meanings of each
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 Classroom Blog and Website Creation Tools
word), and they will record their observations on a sheet of paper. The following day in class, the students will
display their samples and communicate with their peers what their observations were. The teacher will be
involved in the discussions as a way to give feedback on ideas and offer clarification if necessary. I am using
this flipped classroom activity to get students thinking about the vocabulary and what that might look like in
real life. To extend this activity in the classroom, we could even have the students compare the rocks and soils
that were found in the different areas of the community.

Importance of technology: Having a classroom blog is very important to the implementation of this lesson,
because it allows all of the students to have access to the information. There is no wondering where the
assignment will be, and students no longer have the responsibility of trying to remember what the homework
instructions are. The instructions are clearing given on the classroom blog, where students and parents can
see what the homework expectations are.

Inspiration (optional): I did not use an existing example to create this lesson idea.

Internet Safety and Student Privacy: Having students use the internet for educational purposes can have its
dangers, however these dangers can be minimized, if not eliminated. Many parents do not feel comfortable
with their children using the internet because they might accidentally type something in wrong, or click on
something that they are not supposed to. If this is a concern with the activity that I have presented, I would
first encourage parents to sit with their student so that they could monitor where they are going. I would also
suggest that the students use a search bar created for children that sensors the results that come up. Another
option to counter this concern would be that the parent could set the classroom blog site as a bookmark for
the students to simply click on, and when the student gets to the classroom site, I will have the exact links
provided to take them where they need to go so that they do not have anything to type themselves.
Maintaining students’ safety on the internet is very important, and I think that the solutions listed above work
to do just that.

Reflective Practice: I think that this lesson is a great tool for students to use to get familiar with the content
they will be learning, prior to class time. If there are any English Learners in the classroom, this is a great way
for them to become familiar with the vocabulary so that they feel confident during the in-class discussion to
contribute their ideas. An extension that could be done with this activity would be having the students take
pictures of their rock/soil samples to upload to a word document, where they would then type out their
observations to be posted on the classroom blog.

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