Change Agent, ISTC 731

 
 
 

Change Agent Assignment - Final Project 

 Revised Landforms Unit 

Jessica Baker and Samantha Ritts 

Department of Educational Technology and Literacy, Towson University

ISTC 731 

Dr. Jeffery M. Kenton

Summer 2022

 
Change Agent, ISTC 731

Introduction 

As part of our Change Agent project, we decided to adopt and revise a fourth-

grade science unit plan which teaches students to explore Earth’s landforms and

surface changes. It builds upon students’ prior knowledge of Earth science and

landforms from previous grades. It is designed in a ‘Question, Exploration, Answer’

model. With this type of model, each lesson begins with a Lesson Essential Question

(LEQ) that guides learning throughout the activity which allows students to explore,

experiment, and actively engage in the learning. Then, students are assessed to

determine their ability to answer the lesson essential question or demonstrate their

understanding of the content.  

This unit plan was adapted from Calvert County Public School’s fourth-grade

Changing Landforms science unit from 2019. This unit lacked technological integration

and relied heavily on instructional videos as a means of incorporating technology into

the unit.  The unit was then re-evaluated and designed to integrate more instructional

technology. With this type of unit plan, teachers are more easily able to teach and

assess e-learning content in a way that meets the needs of students in various learning

environments and makes the content more accessible to all learners.     

The assignments (otherwise known as assessments) are completed in the school

system’s LMS, Schoology, and are in the form of student science journals and Flipgrid

tasks.  This learning management system allows for various assessment types to collect

student data. In this unit, Schoology assessments, discussion posts, and integrated

assignments are utilized to analyze student achievement as well as communicate

results and feedback to both students and parents. Schoology syncs with the school
Change Agent, ISTC 731

system’s online gradebook for ease and efficiency. Flipgrid is incorporated to provide

students with another tool to demonstrate their understanding of the content. Flipgrid

allows students to record a video of themselves explaining their learning. It is an

engaging web tool as it allows teachers to assess students while giving them the

opportunity for creativity.  

Audience  

This unit is designed for fourth-grade students ranging between the ages of nine

and ten. These students have exposure to previous content in the area of Earth

science, and are academically ready to build upon their knowledge of Earth Science,

specifically Earth’s systems and landforms. Students are provided personal laptops to

use for instruction which will be used with the fully revised unit to include technology

integration.  

Unit Goals and Objectives 

The science unit was designed to follow the Next Generation Science Standards

for fourth-grade Earth science. Specifically, the unit focuses on standard “4-ESS2-1:

Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of

weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.” (NGSS, 2013). The

unit plan was given the title, Changing Landforms, to help students make observations

and connections to the effect that weathering and erosion have on the Earth’s surface.

The objectives include concepts of Earth science that build upon previously learned

science from kindergarten to second grade.  

This unit features recurring objectives which provide students the opportunity to

apply skills and processes, thus allowing them to build upon their prior knowledge and
Change Agent, ISTC 731

skills, and make connections with the instructional material. Throughout the lessons,

students learn to develop explanations using knowledge and evidence provided by

scientific observations to offer and share reasons and findings. These explanations are

evidenced by the students’ learning activities, discussions, and assignments in

Schoology.  

The overall goals of the unit are for students to understand how erosion and

weathering shape and reshape the Earth’s surface changing landforms.  

Reflections and Revisions  

This unit was adapted from Calvert County Public School’s fourth-grade science

unit titled “Changing Landforms”. The unit was reworked to include technology

integration to meet the learning needs of students . New learning activities were

planned and implemented to be utilized in a virtual setting. A website was created as a

way to store, organize, and present the information, learning activities, and

assignments. The website was designed with both student and teacher needs in mind.

By having one location within the LMS (Schoology) for the unit activities and lessons, 

gives students and teachers better accessibility to the information with ease.  The

website also allows the lessons to flow cohesively and build knowledge of the content.

The lessons are designed to build upon each other and refer to student’s prior

knowledge and previously learning skills. This allows ample processing time of content

material and allows students to make connections to their learning. 

The website is designed to be user-friendly as the target audience is fourth grade

students. Each section of the lesson is organized and displayed on the web-page under
Change Agent, ISTC 731

the activity title. External web tools and activities are linked directly on the website, so

that the learners, who are young students, can easily access the necessary activities

and assignments. The website design was carefully planned with the learners in mind.

All information needed for the lesson is on one webpage in order from the lesson

essential question (the student goal) to the learning activity and finally the assignment

(assessment) of the lesson. The website, Mystery Science (mysteryscience.com), is

utilized as a supplemental resource to the curriculum. The website provides engaging

explorations and activities to support student learning in the virtual environment.

Through this website, students are able to engage with and participate in hands-on

learning activities from an e-learning environment. 

To further support student learning and integrate cross-curricular standards, the

lessons incorporate writing standards. Writing is incorporated through notetaking and

observation, as well as narrative writing for students to demonstrate their understanding

of weathering and erosion.  

Digital Citizenship and Ethics

Digital citizenship guided the development of this unit plan with copyright, ethics

and student diversity in mind. The images used on the website, the technology product,

were licensed under Creative Commons and given proper attribution.  The website is

safe for students to use and access and all links on the website direct students to

activities that have been tested and assessed to ensure the safety of them.  

Through Schoology, students assume professional roles and demonstrate their

prior knowledge of digital citizenship as they post, communicate, and complete

Change Agent, ISTC 731

assignments in an appropriate manner. These skills have been previously taught and

should be reinforced throughout the unit.  

Professional ethics are included in the revised unit plan and technology tool as

the needs of the learners were carefully considered. Students are offered multiple

means of representation of the content through the use of the website. The website

incorporates a variety of learning activities such as: interactive labs, hands-on activities,

videos, and collaborative discussions. Best instructional practices were considered in

the creation and implementation of this unit plan including: modeling, questioning with

higher-order thinking (Bloom’s Taxonomy), differentiation/scaffolding down, and UDL

guidelines.  

Assessment 

Students are assessed via formal and informal methods. Both formative and

summative assessments are utilized in this unit plan in order to best inform instructional

practices.  Students demonstrate their knowledge through: Schoology discussion posts,

assessments, and integrated assignments from the LMS. Students are also assessed

through creative writing to reinforce their writing standards as well as demonstrate their

understanding of weathering and erosion.  

Assessments are used to collect data, provide feedback, and assess student

understanding. Through the use of Schoology discussion posts, students demonstrate

their understanding while collaborating with peers. Feedback can be given on these

posts to guide students toward intended learning and promote classroom community

and collaboration. A variety of assessment forms are used to meet learner needs and
Change Agent, ISTC 731

provide multiple means of expression. Each lesson ends with an assignment for the

teacher to observe, record, and collect learner data to guide learning and make the

necessary adjustments as needed. Assignments are demonstrated and modeled for

students, so that clear expectations are given.  

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Diversity  

Diversity needs are met in this unit plan as information is presented in multiple

ways as per UDL guidelines which serve as a framework to improve and optimize

teaching and learning opportunities based on scientific data and research as to how

people learn (Cast, 2018). Through the use of the website, Mystery Science

(mysteryscience.com), there are text, videos, audio, and interactive and a variety of

hands-on activities. Throughout the unit lessons, connections are made and applied to

the learners’ real-world experiences with weathering and erosion. 

To meet the diverse needs of learners, features such as alt text for each image

on the website will allow visually impaired students to access the information. Closed

captioning on videos allows hearing impaired students to equally access the content.

Inclusion of learners with special needs was considered in this unit plan as opportunities

for co-teacher support and instruction were implemented into the lesson as well as

modifications and accommodations. For example, the unit plan incorporates small group

instruction, modifications for assignments and learning activities, and multiple means of

expression and representation of content and learning.  Throughout the lessons, text is

read aloud which allows learners with reading or learning disabilities to access

information. 
Change Agent, ISTC 731

Assignments are modified for students who receive special education.

Discussion posts can be typed, written on paper and uploaded on Schoology, and/or

recorded using audio and/or video. Students are provided options for demonstrating

their understanding of the content. Students have access to content on the website and

in Schoology to reference as needed. For example, all claim and evidence charts are

kept on Schoology in a special folder for students to reference and utilize as needed.  

Taylor Framework for Technology Integration 

For this change agent project, we chose to utilize the Taylor Framework as our

technology integration model. The Taylor Framework was developed and introduced by

Rovert Taylor in 1980 in his book titled The Computer in the School: Tutor, Tool, Tutee

(Taylor, R.P., 1908). The Taylor Framework suggests three modes for the application of

technology education: Tutor, Tool and Tutee.  For technology to serve as the ‘tutor’, it

must assist in instruction to the extent where it is physically used to teach the student.

For technology to serve as the ‘tool’, the technology itself must enhance teacher

instruction and student learning as a means of improving how academic tasks are

addressed. For technology to serve as the ‘tutee’, Taylor suggests that the technology

must encourage higher order thinking skills through the use of programming the

technology in order to create a whole new learning task, or product (Taylor, 1980). 

This re-designed unit will allow technology to be incorporated into all three

identified areas as suggested by the Taylor Framework. Mystery Science and the

school system LMS, Schoology, will be utilized to drive the instruction of the unit serving

simultaneously as the Tutor and the Tool. For example, the Mystery Science videos,
Change Agent, ISTC 731

tutorials and explorations serve as the Tutor in this plan as it will assist in the instruction

of the actual unit. The integrated Schoology assignments (writing prompts,

questions/scenarios) serve as the technology Tool considering the Schoology’s

flexibility in assignments help improve how the student(s) may complete the academic

task. In order to create a whole new learning task to serve as the Tutee, the provided

technology must be used to create a whole new learning task - in this case students will

be completing a Flipgrid.

Conclusion 

This unit and technology tool were designed to virtually teach the NGSS 4-ESS2-

1: Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of

weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation for fourth grade

students in Calvert County Public Schools.  

 
 Change Agent, ISTC 731

References 

Cast. (2018). The UDL guidelines. Common Sense Media. Digital Citizenship

Curriculum. Retrieved from: https://udlguidelines.cast.org

Integration models. Microsoft Sway. (n.d.). Retrieved from:

https://sway.office.com/ahdPMfiuKFmWSroW?ref=Link 

Next Generation Science Standards. Retrieved on July 17, 2022 from:

https://www.nextgenscience.org/searchstandards?keys=&tid%5B%5D=104&tid_

3%5B%5D=94 

 Papert, S. (1993).The children’s machine: rethinking school in the age of the computer 

  (pp. 205–225). Basicbooks.

Taylor, R. P. (1980). The computer in school: Tutor, tool, tutee (pp.1-10). New York:

Teachers College Press. (pp.1-10).  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Change Agent, ISTC 731

Peer Collaboration Assessment 

Rating Scale 1= 2= 3 = Not

Excellent Acceptable Acceptable

Jessica Baker 1    

Active discussion 1    
& communication

Contributed useful 1    
ideas

Focused and on 1    
task

Adequately 1    
completed
assigned tasks

Additional Jessica and I have worked together before and have always had phenomenal
Comments communication and a ‘divide and conquer’ work ethic when it comes to completing
partner projects. We used Microsoft teams to stay in constant communication, and
utilized google docs so we could work simultaneously to make sure we were editing and
reviewing each other’s work, as well as asking questions and making suggestions to
improve the content…all in real time. Since we were both already familiar with the content
and unit taught, we simply planned how to revise it and then divided and conquered each
section.