Sienna Project, Phase II

Describe your thoughts on using technology (i.e. eBook creator, the website, and translator) to help you work with non-English speaking future students. Don’t just say it was great…provide details to these items. A) Describe the strengths and B) Describe the challenges.

• I thought this was a really awesome project. I loved having the chance to communicate with children from another country. I thought that it was cool that we were required to do a similar project as the Italian students. This let us see what the students homework is like and how difficult it can actually be. When you are assigning the work, you don't necessarily realize how much the students have to do. I think this provided us with great insite.
• One of the challenges that I found was that I was pretty reliant on the Google Translator and wish that I didn't have to use it as much (possibly if the books had been written in both Italian and English). I also felt that the project was pretty difficult, especially since I used PowerPoint to make mine. Maybe if we all were required to use the same program to create our books, including the Italian students, it may have made it more equal.

Describe your thoughts on the quality of your eBook as it compared to your Italian middle school students....disregard the fact that you may not be able to read the Iitalian.

• Compared to some of my peers, I don't feel like my eBook is nearly as good. I was extremely impressed by the Italian students. I can't believe they created those books on iPads! I had a hard time doing it on my computer, I can't even imagine what it was like on an iPad! They did amazing jobs. They also provided so much information in their books! A lot of mine was pictures. I had some information, but not nearly as much as them. They chose some really amazing pictures too. I really wish that I was learning photography and could take pictures like those!

Describe another way you could use student eBook publishing to support learning for your future students.i.e. How else could you use iBooks Author – (or some other eBook publishing tool) to support learning of some content.Be specific…provide an example!

• You could have the students create an eBook based off of a book report or research paper they did. It can be about a topic of their choosing. The teacher can assign the project and provide a checklist or rubric for the students to follow. They could then be as creative as they want with eBook they create.
• If you have connections, you could do a similar project like the one we did. The students could pick a place and write about it and then share it with children from another country. This could actually be a combination of a research project and the project that we did.

Describe your thoughts on this specific learning experience.i.e. What did you like about it? What would you change? Etc.

• I thought that creating the book was really fun. It let me explore my own city and learn some things that I didn't even know about where I was born and raised. I also liked trying out different types of technology in order to create my book. I finally decided on using PowerPoint, because I felt like I could do the most with it on my home computer (a PC). This proved to be pretty difficult in the end. It also didn't turn out the best. It wasn't fancy at all like some of the other books that my classmates made. If I could do this project again, I would definitely do it in the MAC lab so that I could use iBook Author.
• I think what I would change about this project is having the books written in both English and Italian, like we did in the comments. I would have found this to be more helpful when reading their books, instead of having to type everything into Google Translator. I am sure they would feel the same way.  

Blog Phase III

Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

1.  Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.

• In the first lesson I taught, the Mount Everest lesson, the students were were required to create a quiz based on the information they found on the Mount Everest Panorama website. They were able to find creative and innovative ways to word their questions. I think I could have made it more innovative if I had allowed them to use various browsers or applications in order to create their quizzes instead of requiring them to use Google Forms.
• The second lesson I taught, the Parts of Speech lesson, required the students to use the information they learned to write their own MadLibs story. They were given criteria, in the checklist, that they were to make sure to include. However, the subject of their story and the content was completely up to them. This helped to foster the children's creativity and apply to their interests.

2.  Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.

• In the Mount Everest lesson, the students were learning about real-world concepts and issues through the fun-facts on the panorama website. They were required to think critically about the information that they read. One of the things in the checklist that they were supposed to think critically about was how people and animals in the area would have to adapt in order to live there. I feel like this kind of applies to solving authentic problems. However, they did not really do much for this, besides critically thinking about it.
• The Parts of Speech lesson did not really meet this goal. Next time I teach this lesson, I could give the students a prompt for their writing assignment that relates to real-world issues. Within their MadLibs story, they could have to discuss the issue and provide various ways in which the issue could be solved. I feel that this may limit the students' creativity, but it would help meet this goal.

3.  Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.

• In the Mount Everest Lesson, the students used Google Forms in order to create a quiz for their peers to take. Google Forms is a collaborative tool, because other students are able to access it. The students were able to think critically about the information on the panorama website, plan their quiz on the Google Forms tool, and be as creative as they want.
• During the Parts of Speech lesson, the students did not use any collaborative tools. In order to do this in the future, I could have the students put the MadLibs story they created in a Google Doc. This would be an easy way to distribute the stories to other students so that they could fill them out.

4.  Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.

• The Mount Everest lesson began with a class discussion about Mount Everest. I asked questions like “Who has ever heard of Mount Everest?”, “Who knows what Mount Everest is?”, “Who knows where Mount Everest is located?”, and “What are other things you know about Mount Everest?”. This was a time for the class to think about what they already knew. The students were able to build off of one another and create a collaborative conversation about the topic.
• The second lesson was really similar to the first. However, as a class we wrote down their previous knowledge on the whiteboard. We then went over the parts of speech powerpoint. Finally, we went back to the board and added to what they had previously said. I believe that this is a great example of collaborative knowledge construction, because the students worked together to construct an outline of what they knew previously.

Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and

Assessments

1.  Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

• The Mount Everest lesson is based around 6 Arizona College and Career Readiness standards for 4^th grade. This helps in making the lesson relevant for the students. The digital tools that were used were the internet (the Mount Everest panorama website) and Google Forms. The students were able to be as creative as they wanted to be during this lesson.
• The Parts of Speech lesson is based around 4 Arizona College and Career Readiness standards for 1^st grade. Many of the digital tools that were used were internet based. As mentioned previously, I could have had the students use Google Docs in order to have the other students complete the stories. This lesson also allowed the students to be as creative as they wanted to be.

2.  Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue there individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.

• In the first lesson, the students were able to explore the Mount Everest panorama website which promoted managing their own learning and they were able to pursue their own curiosity during this learning process. The students were able to assess their own progress by using the checklists to make sure they covered all the required aspects. Unfortunately, with this lesson, the students did not participate in setting their own educational goals. In the future, I could work with the students to brainstorm the types of things they should have in their quiz and base the checklist on these aspects.
• The Parts of Speech lesson promoted managing their own learning, because the students were able to choose which MadLibs stories they wanted to do. They were able to assess their progress by making sure they covered all of the requirements by comparing their work to the checklist that I had created. Once again, with this lesson, the students did not participate in setting their own educational goals. In the future, I could work with the students to brainstorm the types of things they should have in their MadLibs story and base the checklist on these aspects.

3.  Customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.

• In order to address diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities, I varied my teaching strategies throughout both lessons. I provided instruction and directions both orally and written. When the students were working independently, I walked around, answered questions, and directed the students on what to do. This individual attention and assistance greatly helped on making the lessons diverse while still meeting the goals, objectives, and time frame of the lesson.

4.  Provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

• Throughout both lessons, I walked around the classroom and informally assessed each student by making sure they were on task and understood the directions that were given. I also broke each lesson up into smaller parts and went step by step with the class. I would make sure that the students finished the step they were on, before moving on to the next. This also provided me with some areas to formatively assess the students along the way. In each lesson, the summative assessments were when I went through the students' final projects and graded them using the checklists I provided.

Standard 3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

1.  Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.

• In the Mount Everest lesson, the students were able to apply their current math knowledge of finding the difference in heights to what they were observing on the panorama website. They were then able to create their quiz and ask questions about the difference between the heights of two peaks. This was a great way to bring the students' current knowledge into a lesson in which they are using new technology and situations.
• In the Parts of Speech lesson, the students had already learned, in detail, about the parts of speech. This was only a review lesson in which they were able to apply their knowledge to the new technology of the MadLibs website. They were also presented with the new situation of creating their own MadLibs story.

2.  Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.

• I don't feel like I collaborated much with the students, peers, parents, or community members in order to support student success and innovation in either of these lessons. Maybe, in a real classroom setting, I could have guest speakers (community members, parents, or peers) come in and talk to the students about the topic of our lesson. Or we could use a digital tool that was created by someone from our community and have them come in and discuss what they created and why. For instance, if the Mount Everest panorama website was created by a friend of mine, I could ask them to come in and teach the students about the site. They would obviously know more about the website than I do, so this would greatly benefit the student and help them to succeed.

3.  Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.

• In both lesson, I had the students go to my blog and follow along with the directions as I said them aloud. This helped me communicate the important information and ideas effectively to the students. In the future, I could create a weekly newsletter to send out to parents and peers so that they know what we are doing within the classroom. Or, I could just simply give the parents the link to my blog so, they can see the lesson plans in detail, just as the students and I do.

4.  Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.

• In the Mount Everest lesson, the students used the panorama website to locate information that they would use in their quiz. They were then required to analyze and evaluate the information in order to create a quiz for their peers to take. This requires the students to research the information, process it, form it into a question for their peers, and therefore, learn it.
• For the Parts of Speech lesson, the students learned the main content in a previous lesson. They were then required to locate this information in their brain, then analyze and evaluate it. Finally, they were required to use this information to complete a pre-fabricated MadLibs story. Finally, they used another digital tool in order to create their own MadLibs story, once again recalling the information they learned.

Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

1.  Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

• None of the websites that I used for these lessons asked the children to sign up or enter personal information. This helps to promote a safe digital environment. Both of the lessons require the students to critically think about the information and create new projects. Because the projects are new and creative, there will be no copyright issues. Also, the precise checklists make it very difficult for students to cheat or use information illegally.

2.  Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.

• In order to provide equitable access to all students during both of my lessons, I provided every child with access to a computer. When I taught these lesson, there were no children with disabilities, so the lesson already met their needs. However, if there had been a child with a disability, I could have switched the mouse with a joystick that would be easier for a child with fine motor problems to manipulate. I could also change the brightness and contrast of the computer screen as needed. Finally, I could make it so the computer reads to the student. This would be beneficial to students who have a visual impairment and may not be able to read the screen on their own.

3.  Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.

• Throughout both lessons, I walk around and monitor what the students are doing. This helps to make sure that the students are on task and being digitally responsible. The students also knew that I would be reading their stories and quizzes. Because of this, they kept their assignments appropriate and they used good digital etiquette.

4.  Develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools.

• Neither of these lessons had the students engaging with students of other cultures. However, the Mount Everest lesson taught the students about another part of the world where they haven't been to. It also discussed how people and animals would have to adapt in order to live in this area.
• With the Parts of Speech lesson, there were no cultural aspects. However, in the future, we could talk about how the parts of speech are the same in other languages, they just appear in a different order in a sentence. We could then find pen pals in another country. This could give children the opportunity to practice their English and parts of speech while still learning about different cultures.

Lesson 2, Phase II

Instructional Decisions/Teaching (InTask Standard #9):

Overall, my lesson went really well.  One of my main worries before teaching was that the students would not have enough time to complete each of the sections of the lesson.  However, this was not the case.  The students were able to complete each of the sections in the given amount of time.  With younger children, I would try to provide more time so they do not feel rushed.  The only issue that I ran into was that the Java on the computers wasn't updated.  Because of this, the students were not able to access the Prezi presentation that I prepared.  One of the computers was able to pull it up, so we all gathered around that computer in order to go over the presentation.

Learning about the "Conjunction Function" song

Our class discussion about the various parts of speech

Trying to get the Prezi presentation to pull up on the computers.

Each of the objectives mentioned in the lesson plan were taught.  Each one was one section of the lesson.  The first was discussing and reviewing the various parts of speech as a class.  The second was that the students complete prefabricated MadLib stories using the website that was listed.  The third section was that the students created their own MadLib story and applied their knowledge about the parts of speech.  The students were able to complete each of these parts.  Because the objectives were based precisely off of the standards, this means that the standards were also met through this lesson.

Like mentioned previously, we had to make a modification during our class discussion section of the lesson because Java wasn't working on 3 out of the 4 computers.  To compensate for this, we all gathered around the one computer that was working and discussed the various parts of speech there.  This was a really easy modification to make.  I am just lucky that that one computer was working.  If it wasn't, I really don't know what I would have done.  It would have definitely thrown off my entire lesson.  Besides this, there were no other modifications made to my lesson.  If I had been teaching this in a classroom with younger children, I may have needed to provide other modifications such as teaching the lesson in small groups, one-on-one time, computer modifications (changing size or color of text, etc.), providing both oral and written directions, and/or allowing the student to use their native language.



Mechanics:

For this lesson, both the students and I had access to a computer.  As the teacher, I used several various technologies throughout my lesson.  I used Prezi in order to create a presentation about the various parts of speech.  Before the lesson, I also made sure the two MadLib websites were easily accessible and child friendly.  The students practiced viewing presentations on Prezi and working with the two MadLib websites.  They were able to apply the knowledge they learned about parts of speech by writing their own story and removing words to create their own MadLib story.  This lesson fostered the students' innate creativity.

A view of the Prezi presentation I created to help review

the various parts of speech with the students.

Part of the list of MadLib stories available for kids to choose

at http://www.eduplace.com/tales/

A view showing how the students fill out the prefabricated

MadLib stories at http://www.eduplace.com/tales/

A view of the program the students use to create their own

MadLib story at http://www.wordblanks.com/mad-libs/create/

The lesson was within the correct time frame because I walked around and made sure that the students were continuously on task.  I would also answer questions as soon as they came up.  I feel like this greatly helped my lesson stay on time.  As mentioned before, I would more than likely lengthen amount of time given if I were teaching this lesson to younger children.  I don't feel like they would be able to complete all of the sections in the 30 minutes that was given without feeling extremely rushed.  I would not want their learning experience compromised because they were rushed to complete an activity.  I would also probably take the class back into the computer lab on another day so that they could complete some of their peers' MadLib stories.  I feel like this would be an excellent way to wrap up this lesson.



Assessment of Learning (InTask Standard #6):

The first section of the lesson was the class discussion where we reviewed the various parts of speech that the students would have learned in more detail in a previous lesson.  There were no particular artifacts from this section.  However, you can see some of it from the pictures above.  The second section was when the students went to the first website and completed a prefabricated MadLib story.  This met the second objective addressed in the lesson plan.  I let the students choose a story that was of interest to them.  One student chose the story "The Pet Show", another chose "The Camping Trip", and the third chose "Road Trip!".  Their filled out stories are shown below.  Each of the students would get 1 point on their checklist for submitting the screenshot of the prefabricated stories.  They would also each get 2 points for using the correct parts of speech within the stories.

Amber's story "The Pet Show"

Kiersten's story "The Camping Trip"

Kirsten's story "Road Trip!"

For the third section of the lesson, the students went to the other website and created their own MadLib story.  Below is the stories that the students created.  Next to each is the checklist that will show how the students did on this project overall.  

Amber wrote a very creative story.  However, she did not include

any blanks for pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, or articles.

Kiersten also did not include blanks for pronouns, prepositions,

conjunctions, or articles.

Kirsten did not include the same things: pronouns, prepositions,

conjunctions, or articles.  She also only included a blank for 

one verb, instead of two.

After grading the students' creative stories, I now realize that we should have spent more time going over the rubric and what must be included for this project.  If we had, or if they had more time, they would probably have gotten more points for the project.  

All of the feedback that I got from my peers was positive.  The only one that was semi negative was one that said they weren't sure if it was suitable for first graders, that it may be more appropriate for older students.  The standards were for first grade.  However, maybe I could have modified the lesson more so that it was suitable for a younger audience.  After the lesson, I asked my peers what they learned from this lesson.  These are the responses that I received:

This is Amber's response

This is Kiersten's response

This is Kirsten's response

Overall, I would love to teach this lesson again.  It went really well and there would not be too much that I would have to modify or alter.

Lesson #2 - Phase I

I. RATIONALE:

I based this lesson off of several Arizona's College and Career Ready Standards. This lessons covers standards from the subjects of Language Arts/English and Technology.


II. OVERVIEW

Grade Level: 1^st grade

Subject(s): Language Arts/English (Language and Writing), Technology

Topic of Study: Parts of Speech

Time Allotment: 30 minutes

Standards:

• Language Arts/English
• AZ.1.L.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

1. Print all upper- and lowercase letters
2. Use common, proper, and possessive nouns
3. use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in basic sentences (e.g., He hops. We hop.)
4. Use personal, possessive, and indefinite pronouns (e.g., I, me, my; they, them, their; anyone, everything).
5. Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future (e.g., Yesterday I walked home; Today I walk home; Tomorrow I will walk home).
6. Use frequently occurring adjectives
7. Use frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or, so, because).
8. Use determiners (e.g., articles, demonstratives).
9. Use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., during beyond, toward).
10. Produce and expand complete simple and compound declarative, interrogative, imerative, and exlamatory sentences in response to prompts.
11. Write multiple sentences in an order that supports a main idea or story.

• Technology:
  • Strand 1: Creativity and Innovation – Concept 1: Knowledge and Ideas – PO 1: Evaluate information to generate ideas.
  • Strand 1: Creativity and Innovation – Concept 4: Original Works – PO 1: Use digital creativity tools to develop ideas and create a project.
  • Strand 6: Technology Operations and Concepts – Concept 2: Applications – PO 1: Understand keyboarding techniques when using the keyboard to type letters, numbers, and special key functions.

Objectives:

• The students will be able to discuss the various parts of speech as a class.
• The students will be able to complete an online Mad Libs story using the various parts of speech discussed.
• The students will be able to create their own Mad Libs story through an online website using the various parts of speech discussed.

Reflection: Assessing Prior Knowledge and Planning Instruction

Before this lesson, the students need to know the basics of working a computer. This is a review lesson, so prior to this lesson, the students will have already learned about each of the parts of speech in great detail. This lesson is mainly to help them be able to apply this lesson to the real world and stories. The only new part will be exploring the two websites that will help them apply what they have learned previously. The websites include one in which the students will complete prefabricated Mad Lib stories and the other is one in which they can create their own Mad Lib story. Before starting the lesson, we will have class discussion about parts of speech. From this discussion, we will make a list on the white board to represent what the students already know. After we go through the parts of speech presentation, we will add and/or take away items from this list, if we need to. I will then have the students go to the first website where they complete prefabricated Mad Lib stories. After completing a few stories and becoming comfortable with them, I will direct the students to the website where they can create their own story. I will remind the students to make sure their stories are school appropriate as I will be seeing and grading them. The content of this lesson is great for this grade level, because it is an introductory lesson. It also meets several of the Arizona College and Career Ready Standards for this grade and covers multiple subject areas. My objectives are based directly on these standards. This lesson would be taught after we discuss the parts of speech in great detail. This is just a review lesson that helps the students apply what they have learned. Also, I would like to spend the first month or so assessing the students on what they already know about using technology. During this time, I could also teach them some of the basics (working the internet, Microsoft Office/Excel/PowerPoint, etc.), if they do not know it.

III. IMPLEMENTATION

Procedure:

• Pre-assess the students by having a class discussion. Ask them what they already know about the parts of speech. Write their answers on the white board, no matter if they are correct or not.
• Show the students a PowerPoint that reviews all of the various parts of speech (noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, preposition, conjunction, article, etc.)
• Discuss if what we wrote on the board was correct or not. Ask if there is anything we should add or take off.
• Have the students go to the first website (www.eduplace.com/tales). Explain to them that they can pick any story listed. When they click on it, it will pop up with various blank boxes and what part of speech they will need. They will fill in these boxes with the appropriate part of speech (making sure it is school appropriate). They will then click continue and it will enter their words into the story they chose.
• Walk around and help as needed.
• Have the students do a few stories until they feel comfortable with the Mad Libs story style.
• When they are comfortable, direct them to the second website (www.wordblanks.com/mad-libs/create). On here they will write their own story. On the first page, there is a giant blank box. They will type their stories into this box. Remind them that their stories need to be school appropriate, because you will be reading and grading them. When writing their story, they must follow the criteria in the checklist below.
• Walk around and help as needed.
• When they have finished writing their story (and it has a title), they will click the continue button. This will take them to another page where they will start removing words and inserting blanks. They need to make sure that they label the blanks with the appropriate part of speech. Explain to them that the 'auto insert' button isn't always correct and they must double check it each time. They must follow the checklist below when completing this part of the lesson as well.
• Walk around and help as needed.
• When the students are done, have them screenshot their story, or email you the link, so that it can be graded.

Technology Integration:

• This lesson is filled with technology. The students will be using one website to complete prefabricated Mad Libs stories. In addition, they will be using another website to create their own Mad Libs stories. Both of these help the students become more comfortable using a computer and the internet, all while applying their new knowledge of the part of speech.
• I will be creating a PowerPoint that reviews all of the various parts of speech that the students are expected to know (noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, preposition, conjunction, article, etc.).

Differentiated Instruction:

• Cognitive delay – For students with cognitive delay, I will provide small group instruction if needed. I can pull these students to a table in the classroom and go in more detail about each of the parts of speech. As a group, we would do a prefabricated Mad Lib story together. I could then also help them with their stories, spending one-on-one time with students as necessary.
• Gifted – For gifted students, I can have them do the same activity. However, I would encourage them to write a more in depth story. I would also encourage them to find other parts of speech that we did not learn about as a class. They could incorporate some of these into their stories. And if they wanted to, they could create a poster for one of the parts of speech that they found using the Mac and iPad app called Glogster. If they choose this, they will present their poster to the class afterward.
• ELL – For ELL students, I could once again use the small group method that I mentioned using with students with cognitive delays. I could also provide Mad Lib stories in the child's native language. In addition, I could allow students to write their stories in their native language, or just have them do the best they they can in English.

Reflection: Designing Instruction (InTask Standards 7 and 8):

I am using these instructional methods, because it provides the students with hands on experiences. By teaching the material in many different ways (oral – discussion, visual – teacher PowerPoint, and hands on – completing Mad Lib stories and creating their own story) the children will more likely learn the information. The hands on, practice activities also allow the children to practice the material they were just taught. This reinforces the learning process. I am engaging the students in creative and higher order thinking by having them use the information they learned to complete and create their own Mad Lib stories. They must think about each of the parts of speech and then think about a word that falls in that category and enter it into the prefabricated story. When creating their own story, they have to pick out words that they are going to turn into blanks. In order to do this, they have to think about what part of speech that word is. Both of these apply to the child's higher order thinking.

IV. ASSESSMENT

• The students will be discussing the various parts of speech and reviewing what they learned previously in class. The teacher will assess who participates in this class discussion and note who does. Next, the children will go to the first website where they will complete at least one prefabricated Mad Lib story. When they are done, they will take a screenshot of the page and send it to the teacher to be assessed. They will then go to the second website, where they will write their own Mad Lib story. Again, when they are done, they will take a screenshot of the final page and send it to the teacher to be assessed. There will be very specific criteria for the story that they write. All of these will be assessed using the checklist below. They will be given this checklist before they begin, so that they know what is required.

Instruments:

• The students will be graded based on the following checklist:

Question	Answer	Points Awarded
Did the student participate in the class discussion about the various parts of speech?	YES / NO	/1
Was the student on task for at least 20 minutes during the activity time (while working on the prefabricated story and creating their own story)	YES / NO	/2
The student sent a screenshot/picture to the teacher of the prefabricated Mad Lib story they filled out (must show it completed).	YES / NO	/1
The student used the correct part of speech in each blank, at least a majority of the time.	YES / NO	/2
The student sent a screenshot/picture to the teacher of the Mad Lib story that they created.	YES / NO	/1
The student included at least two noun blanks within the story they created.	YES / NO	/2
The student included at least two pronoun blanks within the story they created.	YES / NO	/2
The student included at least two verb blanks within the story they created.	YES / NO	/2
The student included at least two adjective blanks within the story they created.	YES / NO	/2
The student included at least two preposition blanks within the story they created.	YES / NO	/2
The student included at least two conjunction blanks within the story they created.	YES / NO	/2
The student included at least two article blanks within the story they created.	YES / NO	/2

Reflection: Planning Assessment (InTask Standard #6):

I based my assessment checklist on the standards and objectives that were created. In some parts, I took the objectives word for word and put them in the checklist to make sure that they were covered. The assessment makes sure that the students understood the content taught about the parts of speech. This lesson requires them to correctly process this information in order to complete the prefabricated Mad Lib stories and create their own story. By having the students write their own story and leave blanks for specific parts of speech, it engages them in higher order thinking. The assessment lists the criteria of story and the specific parts of speech that the students need to include. The assessment demonstrates individual student needs, because it lists all of the criteria very specifically. This makes it easier for students that have difficulty focusing (like students with ADD or ADHD) to make sure that they met the criteria. The students can easily look at the checklist to make sure that they have covered all required aspects.




V. MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

• Whiteboard
• Dry Erase Markers/ Eraser
• Computer Lab
• Computers
• PowerPoint Software (or Prezi through the internet) – My PowerPoint can be found on Prezi at the following link: http://prezi.com/y7jbj9eqkhws/parts-of-speech/
• Internet
• Access to the prefabricated Mad Lib stories website at the following link: www.eduplace.com/tales
• Access to the website where the students will write their own Mad Lib story at the following link: www.wordblanks.com/mad-libs/create
• The checklist that will be used to grade the students' projects.

Reflection: How does your lesson meet each of the ISTE NETs Standards?

This lesson facilitates and inspires student learning and creativity, because they are writing their own Mad Lib story using the knowledge they have gained throughout the parts of speech unit. They can be as creative as they want when writing their story, as long as they meet all of the criteria listed in the checklist. This lesson provides digital-age learning experiences and assessments, because the students are able to apply the new knowledge they learned about parts of speech in order to create their own Mad Libs story. Also, by using an online application to help in creating their story, they are creating a digital-age assessment. The students model digital-age work and learning by creating their story and typing it into the online application that they go to. When completing this project, the students are expected to be safe, legal, and ethical. They are told several times throughout the lesson to make sure what they write is school appropriate, because the teacher will be reading and grading them. They are given the opportunity to work with and use various writing websites. However, the teacher will also be walking around, so they will know if a student is not using the website in a safe, legal, or ethical way. Using technology in lessons really helps in addressing the diverse needs of students and providing equitable access for all. Computers have the capability to be altered (contrast, magnification, color, etc.) so that all students can easily use them, no matter if they have a disability or not. Like mentioned in the safe, legal, and ethical section, the teacher will be walking around and can help promote responsible social interactions. The students can discuss ideas with their peers, but the teacher will be monitoring to make sure that the social interactions are positive, responsible, and project oriented. This lesson is great for developing cultural understanding and global awareness. Learning about the various parts of speech can help the students learn to read, speak, and write in English. Later in life, this could also help them in learning a new language, such as Spanish or Italian.

Lesson #1 - Phase II

Instructional Decisions / Teaching (InTask Standard #9):

For my first technology lesson, I was surprised that a lot went well.  I honestly, didn't have much that went wrong.  I made sure going in that I was extremely prepared and that all of my links worked.  The students were really entertained by the fact that the Prezi presentation was a mountain and matched our lesson theme of Mount Everest.

From my peer feedback survey, the main tips that peers had for me were to explain the instructions a little more, to walk the students through some of the fun facts on the Mount Everest panorama website, and to give an example of how to take these fun facts to create a question for their scavenger hunt.  The picture below shows the little fun facts that I am talking about.  When the student scrolls over the various question marks on the panorama website, they bring up various fun facts.

As I taught, I made sure to continuously be thinking about what the goals and objectives of the lesson were.  I feel like I met them really well.  The students used the Mount Everest panorama website in order to create an online scavenger hunt.  The students were able to locate specific peaks on the panorama website and use addition and/or subtraction to find the difference (pictured later in this posting).  Finally, the students were able to critically think about the Mount Everest area in order to discuss what may happen if environmental changes occur and what adaptations people and animals need in order to live in this area (also pictured later in this posting).  All of these objectives were shown within the scavenger hunts the students created.

The only modification that I made during my implementation was the fact that I went through the Prezi powerpoint faster than I would have with an actual 4th grade class.  Since, my "students" were actually in college, they had some previous knowledge of Mount Everest and we were able to go through the presentation faster.  This also allowed them more time to complete their scavenger hunts.  In an actual 4th grade classroom, I would also have to make this a longer lesson.  There is no way that I would be able to cover all of the material and still provide them time to do their scavenger hunts in just 30 minutes.  In addition, I also thought about providing another class period where they could complete each others' scavenger hunts.  This would give them even more time to explore the Mount Everest panorama website and more practice on the math objective and critical thinking.



Mechanics:

During my lesson, each student had access to a computer.  We used the internet and Google Forms throughout this lesson.  They used the internet to access the Mount Everest panorama website and Google Forms was used to create the students' scavenger hunts.  Below is a picture of the beginning of my lesson when we were going over the presentation.

The lesson I implemented was within the correct time frame, because I made sure to watch the clock and make sure I was on time.  I continuously assessed where the students were in their project.  I walked around and made sure that the students were on task and working.  If they had questions I would answer them right away.  This helped me to stay on time, because I didn't let the students sit there confused and fall behind schedule.  



Assessment of Learning (InTask Standard #6):

When working on their scavenger hunt projects, my students used the checklist provided in my last blog.  They worked on creating questions that reflect each criteria.  They did not have enough time to fully complete their scavenger hunts.  However, from the questions that they included, I could tell that they were definitely on the right track.  You could tell that they understood what the criteria of the project was.  With more time, I would like to believe that all of the students would have met all of the criteria listed within the assessment checklist.  Instead of doing a formal assessment, such as a test, at the end of this lesson, I used the following checklist to assess the knowledge that students gained from this lesson.

Below are pictures of each of my students' (peers) scavenger hunts.  Below each picture, I will discuss what this student has accomplished during this lesson.  Again, these are just the beginning of them.  With an actual 4th grade class, I would have provided even more time for the students to complete these projects.

Many of the students have included at least one of the two questions required for each of the checklist objectives.  I would like to point out that I did not require the students to do any particular type of questions.  I wanted them to explore Google Forms and see what all they could do with it.  Some did short answer questions, multiple choice, yes/no, and mark all that apply questions.  Some students chose to do all the same type of question, while others did all types of questions.  Either way, they are testing all of the objectives within the checklist.

I would say that overall this lesson was a huge success for both the students and me as the teacher.  Through this lesson we covered many standards from all different types of subjects.  Like mentioned previously, I did not really get any bad comments from my peers that participated in this lesson.  They only had a few tips, but nothing mandatory.  The tips they gave me included explaining the instructions a little more, walking the students through some of the fun facts on the Mount Everest panorama website, and giving an example of how to take these fun facts to create a question for their scavenger hunt.  These are all easy things that I can add or fix for the next time I teach this lesson.