Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)

Lesson Idea Name: Common Misconception of the Stars

Content Area: Life Science: Moon, Stars, and Earth (Solar System)
Grade Level(s): 2nd Grade
Content Standard Addressed: S2E2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to develop an
understanding of the patterns of the sun and the moon and the sun’s effect on Earth.

Technology Standard Addressed: 3. Knowledge Constructor: Students critically curate a variety of

resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful
learning experiences for themselves and others.

Selected Technology Tool: Microsoft Excel

URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable): N/A

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

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

Levels of Technology Integration:

☐ Infusion Level: Students may work at a higher Bloom’s Level, but they do not have any “Voice or Choice”
during the activity and most of the decisions are made by the teacher.

☒ Integration Level: We would like to see ALL lessons/activities reach this level. The project is student-
driven. Students have “Voice and Choice” in the activities, selecting the topic of study and determining the
technology tool to demonstrate mastery of the standard. The teacher becomes more of a facilitator.
☐ Expansion Level: The projects created are shared outside of the classroom, publishing student work and
promoting authorship. This could be reached by showcasing the project on the school’s morning
newscast, posting the project to the classroom blog, or publishing via an outside source.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

This activity engages the students because they are creating a final product using technology. The students
are using the information they learn throughout the semester and applying it to their project. The tools used
in this lesson idea enhance the students’ learning by serving as a tool to their show their understanding. This
satisfies the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles because it offers multiple means of representation
because the students are using more than one application for their final product, it offers multiple means of
action and expression because the students are researching outside of class by polling people as well as
learning more information from the teacher, and it offers multiple means of engagement because the
students are choosing what they want to do their project on.
Lesson idea implementation:
For this lesson, the students will be conducting a project of their own to help them further understand the
components of our solar system. They are assigned to create some kind of question about the solar system
that they believe people are unaware of or something that they have wondered themselves. Throughout the
semester, they will be polling people to receive data for their project. The students will organize their data
using Microsoft Excel, accessible through the school’s technology, to create a chart of some kind. After they
have received their data, they will use Microsoft Word to synthesize the information and make conclusions
from what they have learned.

The Word document, which includes the chart they created in Excel, will be their final product of the
SBooker, 2020
 Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)
semester since they are working on the project throughout the semester. The students will be learning about
the different aspects of the solar system such as the stars and planets from the teacher, which will help the
students with their understanding of the curriculum to allow them to apply their knowledge to their project.
The student’s project will show the teacher their understanding of the curriculum because they are creating a
final product using their prior knowledge and experience. The students will present their final products to
further student learning as a whole class. The students will be graded on their process as well as their final
product to allow the students to learn more about the process.
Reflective Practice:
I feel that the activity did a good job at engaging the students and giving them a role in their learning. The
students get to choose what they want to learn more about within the unit. The students have the
opportunity to do something that interests them which will keep them interested in learning. I would like to
have other engaging activities while they are learning about the solar system throughout the semester. This
way, the unit as a whole is engaging. This lesson idea concludes the unit and shows what they have learned
throughout the unit. Also, the students could use the information they gathered from this assignment and
create a PowerPoint which they can present to their classmates.

SBooker, 2020