Lesson 2, Assessment of Learning

The evidence that supports student success in achieving the lesson goals is the fact that the students were able to label most of the states on a blank United States map. They were also able to select a state and begin researching facts about it for their brochure. Just by looking at what the students finished, I was able to see that they could pick out facts that they thought were important and/or interesting and make them short and concise for an easy-read. I was also able to see their creativity (with pictures) and organization (headings for each panel) within the brochures. With all of this information, it was evident that they could effectively use technology to support their assignment.

I thought that my lesson was successful for the most part, given the amount of time I had. After teaching the lesson, I realized that instead of having a lesson that extends over two days, it should have extended over three days. This is because I felt rushed teaching the lesson and did not feel that I went over the location of the states as thoroughly as I should have if I were actually teaching fifth graders and because my students did not have enough time to complete their assignment. Some of the comments from my classmates were that they needed more time on the brochures, I should have offered different ways to make a brochure, more prior knowledge about the states could have been shared by the students, and I could have broke down the states into more manageable groups. I completely agree with these constructive criticisms and know that I could have done much better making time for these different areas if I had extended the lesson over a third day. I think that I may have rushed the lesson, which could negatively affect students in an actual classroom. Therefore, in the future, I will continue to make thorough lesson plans, but I will also plan to leave an extra day open in case the lessons need more explanation or students need more time to display their best efforts on an assignment.

Lesson 2, Instructional Decisions/Teaching

During the implementation process, I began by asking students tricks that help them remember the names of all the states. After they provided me with some examples of useful tips, I showed them the Youtube video "Fifty Nifty States" to help them more effectively remember all of the state names. Afterwards, I put a labeled map of the United States on the Smartboard and pointed to each of the twenty-five states that I was focusing on for this lesson. As I pointed to each state, I taught my students one fact about each of those states. Then, I had my students practice labeling their own blank map, which we went over together after they finished filling out their worksheet. Finally, I displayed the rubric for the brochure that the students were expected to create as a guide and gave them time to decide which state they wanted to research. For the rest of the lesson, the students were given time to create their state brochure.

While teaching this lesson, I learned that it is difficult to point to things on the Smartboard without the Smartboard activating other programs and links. Something that I could work on is pointing without touching the board so that I do not take time away from the lesson by fixing things that I accidentally activated.

Next, the alignment to the goals and objectives was maintained since the students were able to properly label most of the states on the blank U.S. map and research a state that interested them. One of the students even properly used her organization and research skills to create three inside panels of the brochure. These panels contained various facts that appropriately correlated with the rubric, while also giving me an idea of her interests and creativity.

I did not have to make any modifications for individual needs during this lesson, however, one modification that I could have made was providing more time for students to finish their brochures. The students seemed to be researching as fast as they could, but they did not end up having nearly enough time to finish their product. Therefore, in an actual fifth grade classroom, I could give the students an extra social studies period to finish their projects so that they could have more time to finish their assignment to the best of their ability.

Lesson 2, Phase 2: Digital Artifacts

Here is an image of the front side of a brochure one of my students created:

Here is an image of the inside of a brochure another student created:

Lesson 2, Planning Assessment

My assessment checklist demonstrates the performance of linked goals by selecting one of the fifty states and researching information about that state, such as the history, places to visit, fun facts, and any additional information they find interesting. The organization and creativity of the brochure will also be noted on the checklist to help ensure effectiveness and completeness of the product. Next, my assessment checklist demonstrates student engagement in higher-order thinking by giving students guidelines of things that are required in the brochure, but not explicitly stating specific facts that are needed, such as the year the state became an official state. The students are encouraged to find information under each category that they find interesting and important and must figure out how to effectively implement those facts into the brochure. Finally, the assessment checklist meets individual student needs by setting broad requirements that can be checked off for completion rather than by how much the student wrote. Therefore, the students know what is expected of them and they can meet those requirements to the best of their ability without the assignment seeming impossible or too easy to complete.

Lesson 2, Designing Instruction

My instructional design is contextually and logically organized because I begin the lesson by recapping the first portion of the lesson from the previous day (this lesson plan takes place over two days-I wrote a lesson plan for the second day) by asking students if they have any helpful ways to remember the names of the first 25 states and to share their ideas. Then, I show a Youtube video called "Fifty Nifty States" to help the students remember the state names; I figured it was important to know all of the state names before trying to place them on a map. Afterwards, I show the students a United States map with the state locations and teach them one fact about each state. Then, students have time to try and fill in a blank map on their own, which we will all go over after the students have completed their map. Finally, students will be given time to research their favorite state and display their research in a brochure.

This design uses varied instructional methods that meet individual student needs by lessening the amount of states students with special needs need to learn about and by focusing on states that surround Arizona in order to make the lesson more meaningful. By learning about states in the southwestern region, students with disabilities may be able to successfully relate to this region, while also feeling less anxious and frustrated when it comes to labeling a map. This is because the states in the southwestern region tend to have more distinct shapes that are larger and easier to see. Students with disabilities will also only have to remember one fact about five to ten states so that they will not feel overwhelmed. However, if the student feels that they can remember facts about more states, they are encouraged to do so. Finally, students with disabilities will create a flyer about their favorite state rather than a brochure so that they do not need to worry about time constraints or the anxiety of searching for many different facts about a state.

This design also targets higher-order thinking skills by having students create helpful ways to remember the names and locations of states, such as in a song. Students will also have to determine sources that are reliable, which information flows well together, how to restate information in their own words, and how to creatively design a useful and interesting brochure while researching on the Internet and using Microsoft Publisher.

My design aligns with research-based understanding of technology integration because the Youtube video helps support student learning in a fun and catchy way that may help many students remember the information more effectively. Microsoft Publisher also assists students in making their brochure in a fun and simple way. The program is not overly-complicated to use and can help students with organization and creativity. This program is also something that students can use in the future and contains templates of things that students see in everyday life, which makes the lesson more meaningful.

Finally, my lesson addresses the diverse needs of learners through learner-centered strategies and equitable access since Microsoft Publisher is available on all of the school computers throughout the school day and gives students the opportunity to apply the information they have learned through a very useful program that allows creativity and contains an organized layout to help students effectively apply their knowledge. The safe, legal, and ethical use of technology is also addressed because Microsoft Publisher supports the students' learning and gives them a personal responsibility for learning since they are in charge of completing the assignment. This lesson does not address digital etiquette and responsible social interactions or global awareness and digital-age communication because students will only be researching information on the Internet, rather than communicating with other people or posting information. However, students will need to learn how to find reliable sources and how to avoid plagiarism. Lastly, this lesson is independent, so students will not be communicating with one another, and since it is a licensed computer program, students do not need to worry about respecting other people's opinions or thoughts on blogs (or other communication devices).

Lesson 2, Plans Instruction

My goals, objectives, and outcomes in this lesson plan are clearly stated because they explain what I want the students to learn, how I want the students to practice and demonstrate their understanding, and how I know the students have reached or not reached these goals. These goals, objectives, and outcomes are also appropriate for students because the material and work load is at their level (fifth grade) and the technology that is integrated allows the students to have some freedom to demonstrate their creativity by constructing a brochure about their favorite state. Finally, this lesson plan is aligned to state standards because it allows students to identify each state on a United States map (Grade 5, Social Studies, Strand 4, Concept 1, PO 5) while also going beyond the standard to research one of those states.

Lesson 2, Assessing Prior Knowledge

If I was teaching this lesson to actual fifth graders, prior knowledge would have been assessed by asking the students what they know about different states in the United States and if anyone has ever lived in or visited other states. By doing this, I can see how many students have been somewhere other than Arizona and which part of the United States students are familiar with. Since many adults do not know where every state is located, I would not expect fifth graders to know either. However, this assessment will help me determine which students can share their experiences with the class and how many students can relate to those experiences. This information can also be useful in the planning process by figuring out how much time I need to spend on certain areas in the United States or how much time I need to spend teaching about the states in general.

Lesson 2, Phase 1: Two Digital Artifacts

1. Here is a link to my lesson plan and rubric on TaskStream:
https://w.taskstream.com/Lesson/View/C1E15B0DE05E0835ECEA213A1040B12B

2. This is a blank United States map that the students will complete in order to practice the location of states: