II. Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences.
Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology.Teachers:
- Design developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the diverse needs of learners.
- Apply current research on teaching and learning with technology when planning learning environments and experiences.
- Identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.
- Plan for the management of technology resources within the context of learning activities.
- Plan strategies to manage student learning in a technology-enhanced environment.
Standard II - Animal Unit Plan:
In first grade in Plainwell Community Schools one of the large topics that we cover in science is teaching first graders the basic concepts about animals. The main purpose of this instruction is to create an inspiring method to further develop the state standards and benchmarks for animals to first grade students. When students learn these basic concepts about animals, they are beginning to understand the life around them. They are able to distinguish between animals and realize that animals, like themselves, need food, shelter and water. With some basic animals skills, the child would be able to determine the type of animal and any potential hazards that the animal may present.
Some basic objectives that the students would be expected to achieve in this unit would include having the student:
• Give the name of their chosen animal.
• Identify the physical traits of the animal.
• Use the physical traits of the animal to classify the group to which it belongs.
• Correctly identify (or recreate) the animal's environment/habitat.
• Understand computer operation.
• The creation of developmentally appropriate multimedia assessment presentations with support from teachers and students helpers.
These objectives would cover Benchmarks located in the Michigan Technology Standards:
- USING AND TRANSFERRING:
- Content Standard 1: All students will use and transfer technological knowledge and skills for life roles.
- USING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES:
- Content Standard 2: All students will use technologies to input, retrieve, organize, manipulate, evaluate, and communicate information.
- Emphasizing:
- Input and retrieve information from a technological system (including the practice of word processing skills).
- Process information retrieved electronically
- Evaluate information received through technologies.
- APPLYING APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGIES:
- Content Standard 3: All students will apply appropriate technologies to critical thinking, creative expression, and decision-making skills.
- Emphasizing:
- Use a variety of technologies to express ideas (voice, data, video, graphics, etc).
As well as Michigan Curriculum Framework Standards:
• Evolution (LE) III.4 All students will compare ways that living organisms are adapted (suited) to survive and reproduce in their environments and explain how species change through time. Explain how physical and behavioral characteristics of animals help them to survive in their environments.
• Evolution (LE) III.4 All students will investigate and explain how living things obtain and use energy. Compare and contrast food, energy, and environmental needs.
• Organization of Living Things (LO) III.2 All students will use classification systems to describe groups of living things. Explain characteristics and functions of observable body parts in a variety of animals. Compare and contrast or classify familiar organisms on the basis of observable physical characteristics.
As you look through this Animal Unit Plan you will notice that it is quite extensive in the expectations of my first grade students. I would agree that I am asking for a large amount of their ability, so one may want to save implementing the final part of the project until the end of the year. However, this allows me to illustrate a key point, I do not recommend teaching all of the technology and all of the material to the children at one time point during the year. I believe that throughout the year it is a good idea to incorporate different technologies that could be used in this final project. Supplementing other lessons with technology allows the students to become familiar and comfortable with using technology all year long. One would do the same thing when teaching the curriuculum. For example, in our animal unit the children are learning about animals for about a month before we take a trip to the zoo. One note, if possible, having a parent helper come in and help out could make the final project a little easier to accomplish. When I implemented this unit plan in 2003, we used the kids final projects as springboard to create a school-wide play. The play was called Continent Critter Capers.
Exhibits: