Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)

Lesson Idea Name: Georgia’s Historical Figures

Content Area: Social Studies
Grade Level(s): 2nd Grade
Content Standard Addressed:
SS2H1 Describe the lives and contributions of historical figures in Georgia history.
a. James Oglethorpe (founding of Georgia)
b. Sequoyah (development of a Cherokee alphabet)
c. Jackie Robinson (sportsmanship and civil rights)
d. Martin Luther King, Jr. (civil rights)
e. Juliette Gordon Low (Girl Scouts and leadership)
f. Jimmy Carter (leadership and human rights)

Technology Standard Addressed:

3- Knowledge Constructor
Selected Technology Tool: Microsoft PowerPoint

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

Bloom’s Digital 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):

-Vary the display of information in a flexible format
-Software provides students with spell checkers, grammar checkers, word prediction software, speech-to-text
software, human dictation, and recording
-Students use web-based applications (research resources, Microsoft Office apps)
-Learners are provided with autonomy and discretion by being allowed to choose which historical figure to
create a presentation on and are offered many design choices within the basic productivity tool itself

Lesson idea implementation:

To begin the lesson, the teacher will show the PowerPoint presentation highlighting important figures in
Georgia’s history. As a class, we will go over each historical figure and highlight a few important facts about
each person. Narration will be present on the PowerPoint as well and may be played if necessary (for
students with hearing impairments/other disabilities). After viewing the PowerPoint, students will be asked to
choose a historical discussed to complete further research on. After conducting research, they will assemble a
brief PowerPoint presentation (including narration) all about the history of the person they chose. The
teacher’s PowerPoint will be available on the class blog for reference as the students work. Each student will
SBooker, 2020
 Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)
then have the choice to present their presentation, but they do not have to if they wish. However, each
student will be required to post their presentations to the class blog. Then, all students will be tasked with
leaving comments and constructive criticism on each other’s presentations. By posting the PowerPoints
online, this can alleviate presentation anxiety some students may face.

Each students’ PowerPoint will be assessed based on a rubric given before they begin working on the
presentation. This rubric will include what they need to have in their presentation such as important facts,
pictures, formatting details, etc. Feedback on presentations will come from both the teacher and peers. The
final product will be used to differentiate learning as multiple different historical figures are highlighted.
Learning will be extended to a higher level as each student is tasked with using different web resources to
conduct independent research. The lesson will be concluded by tasking the students with presenting their
project to at least one family member at home via the class blog.
Reflective Practice:
I feel as though the lesson I created could impact student learning as the students need to use their previous
knowledge of how to use instructional software to research their historical figure. They then need to take this
information and use a basic productivity tool to create a final product. I believe this is a good mesh of the two
skills. To further extend the lesson, I can have students who chose to research different historical figures work
in groups to compare and contrast the lives of the people they chose. A technology tool that could further
enhance this project is to task students with typing a small 2-3 paragraph essay about their historical figure
utilizing Microsoft Word.

SBooker, 2020