Annotated Lesson Plan Form

Name: Amber Kivett

A. Description of Lesson Plan

Academic Subject(s): Social Studies

Grade Level(s): 4th grade

Standards Integrated into the Lesson Plan:

• Student Content Standards: Describe the origin, destination and goals of the North American
explorers (5.A.1.a)

• ISTE Standards for Students: Standard and Indicator(s):

o Performance Indicator: Knowledge Constructor

3a- Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other
resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.

o Performance Indicator: Creative Communicator

6a- Students choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives
of their creation or communication.

Learning Objectives for Lesson Plan:

Students will be able to use computer technology to research early American explorers.
Students will be able to use Pixie to create a virtual poster presentation.

Featured Technologies:
• Windows Computers with keyboard and mouse (for 24 students)
• Teacher computer and projector for Pixie (2016) software mini-lesson located in computer lab
• Pixie Software (2016) installed on all computer lab computers
• Pebble Go (2016) research website with username and passwords already automatically stored
• During morning announcements, a few students will check to make sure all computers are turned
on, volume up, with Internet access.

Other Necessary Materials:

• Note-taking paper
• Rubrics
• Pencils
• Columbus organizer
• Headphones for text to speech reader on Pebble Go (2016) website and narration for Pixie (2016)
software
• 3 facts learned worksheet for gallery walk

Prerequisite Student Skills:

• Students have had access to computers in the lab since Kindergarten and have their own logins
• Students are very familiar with Pebble Go (2016) for research as used in previous years
• Students have very little knowledge of how to use of Pixie Software (2016) and all of the different
tools.
• For content standards, students already understand that all explorers had a reason for exploring,
with or without consequences. They know that explorers had a destination and goal in mind.

Brief Overview of Lesson:

On day one, students will be introduced to explorers and what their role was as well as the project
and its guidelines. On day two, students will be conducting research using Pebble Go (2016) on the
computers in the lab. On day three, students will be creating virtual posters using the Pixie (2016)
software already installed on the computers.

This lesson is an ending project for explorers. For this unit, titled “Maryland-The First Settlers”,
students are investigating how various people interacted with each other and why they traveled from
place to place.

Teacher-To-Teacher:
• The substitute would need to know where the computer lab is located, along with lesson plans,
worksheets, and utensils.
• How to access both Pebble Go (2016) on the web and Pixie (2016) software on the computer
(students already know how to access both, but just in case they forget)
• How to use Pixie (2016); adding/editing text, recording narration, painting images, adding pictures,
etc.
• How to use Pebble Go (2016); click on social studies and search by explorers name in the search
bar

Procedures/Activities:

• Day One:
There will be no technology being used by students, other than myself (computer, Smartboard) to
teach introductory part of the lesson. Students will be taught about explorers and what their role was.
I will begin by showing a picture of Christopher Columbus on the Smartboard and ask students if they
recognize this man. I will then remind students that we just recently celebrated Columbus Day on
October 10th. I will ask them why we celebrate that day, and what Columbus did.

I will be using Christopher Columbus as an example to explain his reasons for exploring, the
destination, problems he ran into, and other important facts. They will fill out an organizer to help
organize their notes. I will then very briefly discuss other American explorers, including Vasco de
Gama, Ponce de Leon, and Jacques Cartier. I will then explain the project and give them a rubric to
follow.

• Day Two:
Students will be using technology on this day to conduct research using the research site Pebble Go
(2016) in the computer lab. Prior to searching, I will make sure all explorers they pick are searchable
on the website. Students are to choose an American explorer we briefly discussed or another one
and research all about them. They will be provided with a note-taking sheet to make sure they are
looking the following: explorer name, date of birth and death, where they traveled to and from, the
goal of the exploration, how this exploration affected the world, and an additional fun fact). During
this time, I will be walking around the computer lab to monitor students, answering any questions and
helping students with research.

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• Day Three:
On this day, students will be using technology by using the Pixie (2016) software to put together their
virtual poster creations in the computer lab again. They will be using their notes collected from
yesterday to complete a virtual poster with pictures, text, and sounds. Students will be briefly taught
using the computer lab’s teacher computer and projector the different tools to use within Pixie (2016).
I will then let students have time to explore on their own and discover how to use the tools. At this
time, I will be walking around monitoring students, answering questions, and assisting when needed.
At the end of the lesson, students will do a gallery walk to view everyone’s presentations. Students
will be completing a worksheet in which they write down 3 facts they learned about 3 different
explorers from their classmates’ projects. Presentations will be saved to the computer. During this
time, I will be grading students on their projects using the same rubric given to them at the beginning
of the lesson.

Student Assessment and Evaluation:

• Assessment: For the first assessment, it will be informal. I will be walking around to see who is
able to find research on their explorer successfully and taking notes. If students are having
difficulty, or are lacking facts and details, I will assist them. For the final assessment, I will be
grading their virtual posters using the rubric given on the first day.

• Mastering of the Objective: I will know students mastered the objective if they have included all of
the parts of the rubric in text- explorer name, date of birth and death, where they traveled to and
from, the goal of the exploration, how this exploration affected the world, and an additional fun
fact). Additionally, students must add 2 pictures, an illustration or clip-art, and narration.

• Issues that may arise: I may need to add an extra day for research or even to create their
presentations, as some students may need extra time. I will know if on research day, they were
not able to find much research. Also, on project day, if they were not able to complete it in the
given time frame.

B. Analysis (Rationale)

There were many reasons I used this explorer research lesson and activities in order to
integrate technology. I used these activities and assessments to achieve the objectives because
students in 4th grade need frequent opportunities for research. They are slowly approaching middle
school, and students are expected to have these skills already. This activity allows students to
research and collect information, and summarize it into their own learning. Students are able to
connect it to the learning objective that they can “describe the origin, destination and goals of the
North American explorers” (Common Core State Standards 2016). They are conducting research
their chosen North American explorer and describing their origins, destination, and goals through a
virtual poster. For the ISTE standards, students are able to use the computers using effective
strategies for research and (ISTE 3) and use the Pixie (2016) software to communicate their learning
creatively.

The activity matches to my philosophy of teaching on creativity. With Pixie (2016) program,
students are able to use “creativity and innovation as they develop, implement, and communicate
ideas and demonstrate originality and inventiveness” (Pixie 2016). I believe students should be given
opportunities to express their creativity, as it allows students to show their understanding in a way

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that is most meaningful to them. They are able to express not only themselves, but also what the
content means to them.

I sequenced the activities by first introducing the content through lecture from the teacher.
After I feel that students are comfortable with the new learning, they are to research their explorer.
For the project part of the lesson, students are briefly taught the tools and then are sent off to explore
them on their own. In this type of scaffolded instruction, called the gradual release model, teachers
are “moving classroom instruction from teacher-centered, whole-group delivery to student-centered
collaboration and independent practice” (Levy 2007). Each step of the lesson reinforces the other,
from new learning, to research, to putting it all together into a project.

This activity is appropriate for all fourth grade students with access to computers. My class
has special education students who have reading difficulties, so I know the text-to-speech reader on
Pebble Go (2016) would allow them to access the content on a similar level as their peers. Being a
school with many FARMS students, I don’t assign homework that requires a computer, and don’t
expect students to have the software program Pixie (2016). Because of this, I know it has to be an in-
class project. The student learning was significant to students because on research day, students
were able to use effective research strategies to research for information, something that fourth grade
students are expected to acquire. This is my rationale for why I chose this lesson and activities.

Through technology integration in this lesson, I was able to solve a teacher-centered lesson
into a student-centered lesson. For the second day, students were on their own researching with
minimal teacher support. The learning has been transformed from the traditional teacher teaching
and lecturing about information, to student being involved in their learning process. On the third day
of the lesson, students are responsible for showing their learning through creativity. If I went without
technology, students would have resorted to researching using books from the library. Instead of
using the Pixie (2016) program, students would have to have used another method to display their
learning, such as a hand written poster. While this way is possible, it is not up to par with what
students are expected to be doing in fourth grade. The added value is that students are able to use
the technology to gather information and learn a different way as well as express their learning
through a different mean. Technology integration is beneficial to student learning for their future.

C. Reflection

I’ve learned a few things from teaching this lesson with incorporating technology. My students
have used Pebble Go (2016) in previous years at our school, so this was something that was not new
to them or myself. We use the research website quite a few times during the school year. The Pixie
(2016) software had not been frequently used by students, so it was a learning curve for them. This
was a stretch for me by allowing my students to use this program to create a virtual poster, as I had to
learn many things myself. I had heard of the program, but did not have a clue how to use it before this
lesson. I did some research on it myself, as well as practiced using it before exposing it to the
students and picking it as my lesson. As an educator, I had to stray away from traditional posters
created with drawn and printed pictures, with crayons and markers. I had to go out of my comfort
zone to trust that my students learned from the mini-lesson how to use the technology effectively. I
had to let my students express themselves through creativity, one of my new educational
philosophies.

I was able to compare my understanding of technological integration using the TPACK model.
In comparison to the TPACK model, I have confidence in myself about content knowledge (CK) being
taught, which is about North American explorers. I also feel confident in my pedagogical knowledge
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(PK), as I’ve been teaching for three years and frequently attend professional developments to grow
as an educator. In this lesson, students are being assessed on their understanding and knowledge of
North American explorers. The part of the TPACK model I could grow in as a teacher, would be the
technology knowledge (K) and pedagogical knowledge (PK). As an educator, I can always learn the
best ways to assess and teach my students. While the technology being used not new to the school,
it is new to me. According to Koehler & Mishra (2009), “Ignoring the complexity inherent
in each knowledge component or the complexities of the relationships among the components can
lead to oversimplified solutions or failure”. The TPACK model can help me see what I need to include
and understand in any lesson that integrate technology.

I was also able to apply new things to my lesson using the readings and conferences from the
course. In the standards discussion conference, I was able to make the connection about what type
of critical thinking will my students be doing by both researching and completing the project-
describing? Analyzing? Synthesizing? Within the creativity and innovation discussion in week four, I
was able to make the connection about the importance of creativity. By allowing students to create
their own virtual posters all to end up uniquely different, my students are able to express their creative
side.

From this lesson, I need to think about the future of using technology in the classroom and
within my lessons. As with any technology-integrated lesson, there can always be obstacles one must
overcome. One possible obstacle I will need to take into consideration is that the day of the lesson, it
is possible that the computers could be down, without Internet, or need to be used for emergency
testing. How can I be sure that my lesson is well prepared? How can I make sure that I don’t waste
time? Another is that students may not have been able to complete the activity with the given time
frame. How can I make sure time is being used wisely? How do I know that students are able to
effectively put their knowledge on the virtual poster? Because of this, I would need to extend the due
date and push back other lessons. Both of these possible obstacles are why I will always need a back
up plan when integrating technology into any lesson.

Next time I plan a similar lesson, I may want to think about what other programs I can use for
students to use for their project. Instead of just Pixie (2016), what other programs do my school
computers have that I do not know about? How can I make sure my students are using the
technology being provided? What other programs are available that are free or low cost that would
benefit my students? These are all different things that I want to think about for future lessons that are
similar.

I learned a few valuable things from the peer review process. First, I learned how to use the
comment mode for Word. I have always seen my professors use it, but never knew how to do it
myself. I feel that it would be a great tool to use within my classroom where assignments are sent
electronically using Word Processor. Another thing I learned is that peer review helps you remember,
“two head are better than one.” I tell this to my students when we peer review in the classroom with
our writing, as sometimes we skip over things and our reviewers catch them. Also, they are able to
bring their own experiences to the assignment. This assignment allowed me to get advice from other
fellow teachers of different levels of experience, grad levels, and backgrounds.

Using the advice from my teammates, I was able to review a few things. One edit I made from
Heather was for my objectives. They were a little focusing, so she was able to provide advice on how
to make sense. She also made me aware that I needed to be more specific on what I needed my
students to find while researching. From Patricia, I made sure to add little details, like naming the
piece of technology in my objectives. I also added that I need to make sure all explorers are on the
Pebble Go search site, as well as what my students will be doing during the first day lesson. Lastly, I
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needed to add that students will save their work instead of printing it. Unfortunately, Nanfack had no
feedback to give, so I was unable to put any changes recommended by her.

While reviewing my teammates lesson plans, I was able to learn how different we all use
technology. I reviewed two primary lesson plans, and their use of technology is so different than what
we use in fourth grade. Their students need a lot more assistance and scaffolding, while my students
are somewhat more knowledgeable about the technology they are using.

Using peer review in the future, I hope my teammates learn about the importance of being
careful about what they read. Many of my comments were silly grammar and spelling mistakes. Also,
I noticed that something was stated differently at the beginning than it was in the end. Also, I’d like to
know what could be done for those whom we can’t offer any feedback on. I know that nobody is
perfect, but sometimes it is difficult, even using suggested commenting marks. Can we add
comments about how we would change it for a particular grade level? How we would change the
lesson to include special needs students?

D. References and Annotated References

ISTE - International Society for Technology in Education. (2016).Iste.org. Retrieved

12 October 2016, from http://www.iste.org/

Common Core State Standards: Instruction: School Improvement in Maryland. (2016).

Mdk12.msde.maryland.gov. Retrieved 12 October 2016, from
http://mdk12.msde.maryland.gov/instruction/commoncore/

Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge?
Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60-70.

This source explains the TPACK model and how it helps teachers to teach effectively with technology
integration. Content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, technology knowledge all make up the
framework. I used this source to help guide my lesson by making sure I was knowledgeable in the
content area that I was teaching, specifically North American explorers. Using the pedagogical
knowledge part of the framework, I made sure that my students were given the best practices of
learning through what I’ve learned as a teacher, such as using formative assessment and classroom
management skills. The technological knowledge is what I focused on, as I am new to the Pixie
software and had to learn how to use it before teaching my students. These components of the
framework allowed me to create an effective lesson plan integrated with technology.

Levy, E (2007). Gradual release of responsibility: I do, We do, You do Retrieved 13

October 2016, from E.L Achieve: http://www.elachieve.org

This source explains the importance of the Gradual Release of Responsibility model for scaffolded
instruction. For the “I do” part of the lesson, the teacher is giving direct instruction, discussing the
goals and purposes, using models and think alouds. The students are listening, taking notes, and
asking questions. For the “We do” part of the lesson, it involves students and the teacher working
together for guided instruction. The teacher provides more modeling if needed, works with students.
Students work with their peers and the teacher. The “You do” part of the model brings together
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collaborative learning. The teacher provides minimal support and helps with small groups. Students
work with their peers and look for clarification. I used this model within my lesson plan when teaching
about how to use the Pixie (2016) software program for their virtual posters. First, I showed my
students the tools and how to use them. Secondly, I had students work together to use them on their
own. Finally, students had the opportunity to use them while creating their virtual posters.

PebbleGo | Capstone. (2016). Pebblego.com. Retrieved 12 October 2016, from

https://www.pebblego.com

This website is what my students used to research their North American explorer using the computer
lab. It conveniently includes reading and research tools for young readers. The texts are leveled and
include read aloud audio and highlighting of words for even students who have difficulty reading.
Students are easily able to navigate the site because of how they are categorized by subject.
Students were successfully able to research their specific north American explorer and use that
information to take notes on their note page for their final project of a virtual poster.

Pixie | Engage young minds with creativity. (2016). Tech4learning.com. Retrieved 12

October 2016, from http://www.tech4learning.com/pixie/

This software is what my students used to present the research they found on their North American
explorer. Students were asked to create a virtual poster on what they researched about a specific
North American explorer using their own creativity. Students had access to tools such as voice
narration, images, text, paint, backgrounds, and more. Students had to include many aspects about
their explorer, including date of birth, death, goals, destinations, and other fun facts.

E. Preview of Lesson Plan Implementation

I expect to implement my lesson plan November 7th, 9th, and 10th.