Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)

Lesson Idea Name: Keep on rocking!

Content Area: Earth Science
Grade Level(s): 6th grade
Content Standard Addressed:
S6E5.e. Develop a model to demonstrate how natural processes (weathering, erosion, and deposition) and
human activity change rocks and the surface of the Earth.

Technology Standard Addressed:

6a: Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the
platforms, tools, styles, formats, and digital media appropriate to their goals.

Selected Technology Tool: Microsoft office PowerPoint, voice recording app, or Screencast

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

Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy Level(s):

X Remembering X Understanding ☐ Applying X Analyzing X Evaluating X 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.

X 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):

The technology tool that I chose for this lesson encompasses the three principles of the Universal Design for
Learning approach. First, the lesson represents the content in various ways. The short introductory
presentation will show content in multiple forms such as written, oral, and video forms. Additionally, in their
research, students should come into contact with numerous forms of communication and written
information. Second, the lesson supports action and expression since students choose which productivity tool
they want to do for their project. Students who are comfortable speaking in front of a camera have the
screencast option. Students who prefer not to show their face on camera have the podcast option, and
students who are comfortable with both can create an e-book using PPT. They will also be working in pairs to
support each other with their academic and language needs. The students will also have a model e-book to
see my expectations and model their work after. Lastly, the lesson is engaging because the information will
be presented in a fun interactive way. Students will also be working with a partner to collaborate with others
and meet both their academic and social needs.

Lesson idea implementation: The class will start with a short PowerPoint presentation about how natural
processes affect rocks and the Earth's surface (15 minutes). After the presentation, the teacher will explain
that today the students will blindly pick out a stone from a teacher's stack. The teacher will then explain that
they will be working in pairs of two to identify the rock, and then they are to explain how the stone came to
develop its current physical form. Next, students will brainstorm possible natural processes that the rock has
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 Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)
endured during the last 200 years (75 minutes). Once they have gathered all their information, they will be
telling the rock's life story over the last two centuries. They will have the option to use PPT in which they will
have to record themselves and transform their file into an e-book, to create a podcast using the voice
recording app on their phone, or they can pretend to be news reporters and record on Screencast (90
minutes). The project should take two 90-minute class periods to complete. Finally, the lesson will conclude in
small groups in which students will share information about their rock with their classmates.
Student learning will be accessed based on how well they can explain the natural process that happened to
their rock and how they affected the rock's characteristics. They will also be evaluated on how well they can
communicate their information using the basic productivity tools. The project will assess how well students
have mastered the content and access their communication skills. Students will receive feedback on a rubric
with explicit feedback on what they did right and what could be improved. Data collected from the projects
will be used to create small groups or provide extra support for struggling students.
This project can be taken even further by having the students reach out to professionals in the field to discuss
how certain types of rocks bear in different natural processes. The students could then present their findings
to other 6th-grade science classes.

Reflective Practice:
I feel that the activities that I created in this lesson will positively affect student learning. The students are
actively working together to identify their rock. They are researching the web for possible causes of the rock's
appearance and brainstorming with their partner to create a presentation. Having them work on common
presentation platforms builds the technology background they will need to succeed for the rest of their
academic and professional career.
If this were an introductory activity, I would follow with similar lessons. For example, the students can
investigate rock formations by volcanos or research rock formations in their areas. Another activity idea
would be to take the class outside to collect rocks and then analyze them under the microscope. Students can
then create a table on Word in which they list the characteristics of the stones.

SBooker, 2020